A Genyatta AU/Headcanon thing that I’ll write... Maybe...
AU where Zen is a well-known omnic tattoo artist after leaving the shambali and kind of uses shambali symbols in his designs for himself, where they're usually on his arms and legs.
So, in the tattoo artist Zen AU, his tattoo parlor is pretty famous because of how popular it is and how it intermingles both humans and omnics in one place.Like... Zen stays at the shambali for a year or two and a year after he opens his shop, he gets a customer. Of course, this is Genji Shimada.
Now, Genji's heard about this place and he's kind of a snob because "An omnic doing tattoos? I gotta see this."
So, he goes to the shop and Genji is just in the waiting room, looking around till he hears a few people talking. He turns, sees Zen, and he's like "Oh... Fuck" cause he did not expect Zen to be tatted up and have a serene atmosphere from him.
So, after the customer leaves, Zen is all like "Oh, hello." and is all calm and cool when he speaks and Genji is just so enamored that he kind of stops working for a solid minute.
Anyway, now, I don't think he would have gotten his tattoo from Zen. But, you know, tattoos fade and maybe he wants a touch up. So, Zen does the touch up and it just takes hours and hours to finish, you know. But, Zen does it and, while this is happening, they're getting to know one another, all that. After that, Genji visits Zen every so often, doing everything he can to spend time with him. After a few months, Zen is used to Genji hanging around. He likes the company.
But... One day... He's not there. He shrugs it off, having been told about Genji's family "business" (he lied). But, after a week, he gets worried. He calls up his brother for some guidance, to which Mondatta says to be patient and that Genji would be fine.
Yet, after six months, he can't take it. So, he goes to the Shimada family establishment and no one is there.
After a few years and with the disbandment OW, Zen decides to visit the Shambali. There, he sees his peers and is greeted with respect and such, catches up with them, etc.
When he meets the new members, Zen is greeted with the utmost honor by these new pupils. Except... One doesn't meet him right away. However, when this supposed omnic does, they're silent and just bow to him before returning to meditating.
Zen, by all means, is confused and feels a sense of familiarity towards this complete stranger, to which he pushed that thought away, knowing that it only brought an ache in his circuits. So, wanting to know more about the stranger, he asks around and is told that this member arrived a week ago and asked to stay to try and make himself anew.
Zen, of course, could clearly see that by their actions and how the discord in their soul outweighed whatever harmony they had left. So, before Zen had left after a week of staying with the Shambali, he is continuously meditating with this new pupil, giving him pointers and some guidance on how to find balance within himself.
On the day he had left, the pupil gave Zen a meek "thank you" before returning to his training.
Of course, Zen was delighted by this achievement but... He could not help but have a somber feeling as he heard the omnic speak, the speech patterns feeling awfully familiar to Genji's. However, he pushed that aside and returned to his tattoo parlor the next day, with the memory of the omnic lingering every so often in his thoughts.
About a year or so after the visit, Zen is in his shop and is about to close up till he hears a chime at the door. He looks up from disposing some needles, seeing the same omnic from the Shambali. He's a bit shocked but, after disposing the needles, he greets the omnic per usual, asks him how he was doing, etc.
And, to Zen's surprise, the omnic is responding and is so relaxed compared to when they first met.
As they're talking, Zen can't help but have this nagging feeling in that they knew each other once before. Of course, the memory of Genji sprang into his thoughts, giving a sort of ache in his words as the conversation continued.
However, Zen keeps up with the act on trying to be happy till the omnic decides to set up an appointment and leaves. And, right before closing up, Zen looks down at the name written. Genji Shimada. This of course makes Zen's processors glitch. For the rest of the night, till Genji arrives, Zen is both baffled and a bit angry, thinking that, whoever this person was, they were doing this as a cruel joke.
So, when he looks at the time and sees that it's Genji's appointment, Zen is livid, only keeping his cool once he finished with his last customer. When that customer finally left, he looks over to Genji and he is about to go all out on him, telling him how he was awful for doing such a joke.
However, of course, as he gets a better look at Genji, Zen freezes. Instead of the omnic from yesterday, Zen is flabbergasted to see that it WAS Genji, with the other having gone out without his face plate and in more casual clothing, his green hair, though a bit faded in color and not gelled as it usually was back then, was a bit tousled, only being kept together by the fingers he ran through it when getting up from his seat.
And Zen, poor guy, he breaks down and just sobs audibly, pressing up against Genji cause he can't believe this is happening. As this is happening, the regular customers are like "The fuck did this guy do????" and Genji just leads him to the room where the tattoos are usually done, sits the omnic down next to him, and is just trying to calm him down, rubbing Zen's back, pulling him close, etc.
Of course, Genji explains what happened to him, spilling out everything, truth about his family, working with OW, why he went to the Shambali, how he was unable to contact Zen, how angry he was throughout all of it till he went to the Shambali to reconcile with himself and body, etc. And Zen is just taking it all in and, when Genji is finally done and looking straight into Zenyatta's eyes, Zen just pulls him into a tight embrace, telling him how happy he was to have Genji back and explaining how worried he was.
Genji is just so relieved by how, after years of not seeing him and lying to him about the clan, Zen doesn't push him away at the slightest.
After that, Genji decides to get a tattoo of the Shambali symbol, which is painted on his left chest plate. Afterwards, Genji stays the rest of the day till the shop closes, along with walking Zen home, catching up with him. And, just like years before, Genji shows up and visits practically every day, along with dragging a few friends along every so often (Angela, Lucio, McCree, etc).
And, he's practically met all of them except one: Hanzo.
So, when he drags Hanzo along, Zen has mixed feelings for the man. He knew that the brothers had reconciled and are mending there relationship. But, having been told on what Hanzo had done in the past stung at the omnic.
So, when first meeting him, Zen keeps his demeanor cool as usual and, to his surprise, Hanzo wants a touch up. As Zenyatta is doing the touch up, it's silent and tense for about an hour till the omnic needs to get a new needle. As Zen is doing this, Hanzo breaks the silence by asking "How long have you known Genji?" Zen responds and the conversation goes from there.
So, as Zen continues touching up, along with the convo, they're mostly joking about how Genji was a bit reckless back then and Hanzo, out if the blue, just says something like "I'm glad he found the others. Especially you." Zen is a bit confused by this and asks why Hanzo says that.
Somberly, he explains about what the clan was, along with what he used to be back then and how the brothers used to be so close. Moreover, he confesses on how he was wrong in killing his brother and explains how lost he was and if he can ever gain back his honor and trust.
With this, Zen gives out his wisdom, explaining how a path to redemption maybe long and rigorous, but also achievable. That eases Hanzo a bit and they change the subject.
After a few more hours, Hanzo and Zen come out if the room, with Hanzo's tattoo touched up, along with a new addition: a kanji symbol meaning "peace" or "redemption" (still have not picked) on the back of his wrist.
Genji sees this, realizes the symbol, and both brothers are in tears. Hanzo thanks Zenyatta and leaves, with Genji staying the rest of the day.
So, when the shop closes for the day and Genji walks Zen home, they're just talking and Zen mentions how Hanzo was happy to see his brother being with friends, especially Zen, not really thinking much about what he's saying and Genji just kind of laughs and says something along the lines of "Well, yeah, it's kind of obvious you're important to me."
And Zen is a bit taken aback and just looks up at him, not saying a word. Genji, realizing what he said, tries his best to backtrack but is too flustered to do so. He's too distracted in trying to backtrack that Genji doesn't notice the omnic leaning up to him and pressing his forehead against his. This only makes Genji more flustered.
By this point, Genji is red in the face and speechless, tripping up on his words like a highschool boy trying to talk to his crush.
So, Zen says "If you have something to say, say it. My reply might surprise you." And Genji just let's himself go and leans forward, peppering kisses on the omnic's mouth plate and, if Zen could blush, he'd be doing it right now.
And, since Zen can't really kiss back, he reciprocates by intertwining there fingers together and pressing against the cyborg.
Once Genji pulls away, he just confesses right then and there and how he wished he had done it sooner. Zen sort of protests against that, saying how, either way, he was happy for this moment and wouldn't want to rush anything.
Genji smiles, they head over to Zenyatta's place, and kiss once more before saying there goodbyes. The next day, along with onward, they are inseparable and continue with there relationship, with Genji moving in with Zen after a year of dating. Most likely getting married.
Sidenote: Genji does a sort of side job at the shop once he returned and before they started dating: helping designing some of the tattoos for customers.
