22 Caught off guard: McCree gets caught off guard when Genji catches him trying to smuggle a cat beneath his poncho, at a moment in which they don’t know each other so well yet @mcgenjievents
Jesse had his arms crossed over his chest, brows drawn low as he stared at the man that was glowering back at them. His eyes were red, a respirator covering the lower half of his face, tubes and wiring and scars covering him.
Partially completed prosthetics still being attached to his legs and arm. His chest was an amalgamation of metal and synthetic material. Jesse could see glimpses of lines and screws traveling up his head beneath the fuzz of his hair. A cyborg. Jesse was staring at a cyborg. Angela sure was something.
“I had to reconstruct his legs and right arm, though, I am still in the process of making them fully functioning and equipped with weaponry. His torso is completed, and the jaw and spinal augments are as well. He has fully functioning eyesight and hearing, with a few enhancements thanks to the cybernetics.”
“His body is accepting them fairly well, but there have been a few materials it rejects. However, I have pinpointed what they are and am working on a new coolant-based fluid that can keep the machinery working and synthesize with the organic parts of him and his bloodstream,” Dr. Ziegler explained, Reyes nodding as his eyes drifted over her report and the cyborg’s diagnostics.
Jesse glanced at the tablet, seeing a little name in blue in the corner. G. Shimada. The gunslinger glanced back to the man, found that he was being stared at as well.
“What’s the status on completing him, doc?” Reyes asked, eyes flicking up to Shimada as he made a metallic sounding growl.
“Another two weeks, earliest. And let me tell you, I am not about to rush this just because you want another agent,” Ziegler chided. Reyes smiled dryly, handing her the tablet.
“I don’t just want him for an agent, I need him for a mission. He’s got information we’ve been missing for months now, so I’m not asking you to rush. I’m just saying, don’t take your pretty time on him.”
“I assure you, he will be ready when you need him to be.”
“I’m counting on it, Angela. I’ll be back in two weeks to check on it. McCree, let’s—”
“What’s his name?” Jesse interjected, unable to keep the question from tumbling past his lips. He was tired of them talking about the man as if he wasn’t right in front of them, listening to every word.
Must have been hard enough to feel like a person without everyone talking about you like you were not. Everyone turned to stare at him, Jesse raising his brows and slipping his hands into his pockets, easing his shoulders back.
“It’s Genji Shimada,” Reyes told him with a slight frown, Jesse grinning and turning to Shimada.
“Well, Mr. Genji Shimada, it was a pleasure meetin’ you. See you in two weeks,” Jesse told him, winking. Shimada’s glare did not change, but that didn’t matter to Jesse. He walked out with Reyes, the commander giving him a strange look.
“You’re doing it again.”
“Doin’ what?”
“That’s an agent, Jesse.”
“Yeah, I know.”
“So, don’t do this.”
“Do what?”
Reyes sighed, shaking his head.
“I know that look.”
“I ain’t givin’ no looks,” Jesse huffed, still thinking about those piercing red eyes.
“You know what, I’ll just say I told you so when I get proven right.”
“Listen, just ‘cause I said bye don’t mean I’m suddenly head over heels for him! Y’all were talkin’ like he wasn’t even there, and he didn’t like it, I was watchin’ him the whole time!”
“Oh, you were?”
“Gabe, I swear.”
“Just accept that I’m right.”
“Jesus, you’re worse than Ana...” Jesse grumbled, arms crossing over his chest as he glared. Reyes just smiled, shaking his head fondly and continuing to read over the notes he had been given for Genji Shimada.
-
It took a week of Jesse going to visit Shimada in the med bay every day before he maybe started to think Gabe was right. Two, and he could admit it was true. Jesse didn’t really know if Shimada liked it or not, considering he would simply stare at the wall or roll over with his back facing the cowboy as he told stories and talked, but he kept coming in anyways.
He figured out that Shimada could not talk, the respirator rendering him unable to speak, but filling his lungs with oxygen in compensation. But, he could write. Angela had come in a few times while they were on a break from surgeries and prosthetic attachments, chatting to Shimada as she hooked him up to the machinery around him.
When he would not respond, she would tap the little notepad resting on his bed in a chiding manner.
“I do not know how to make you more comfortable or if I need to fix something if you do not say anything,” She sighed, Shimada picking it up with his good hand. He stared at it a moment, then glanced to Jesse.
The gunslinger smiled a bit, watching curiously as Shimada started to scribble something down shakily. Angela looked at it when he was done, then laughed. Shimada made a strange huffing sound, indignation written in the fine lines around his eyes, which were narrowed.
Expressive, even with most of his face covered.
“What?” Jesse asked, the doctor starting to jot down Shimada’s vitals.
“He says you make lots of noise,” Angela translated. The gunslinger chuckled at that, Shimada’s gaze darting to him.
“Yeah, that I do. Sorry if it bothers you, Mr. Shimada, I can be quieter if you need me to.”
A slight shrugging motion was made in reply, nothing more being written down or shown.
“Speaking of quiet, Genji is going to need some time to rest, please. You can come back tomorrow, Jesse.”
“Can’t argue with the doctor’s orders.”
“No, I would advise not to,” Angela deadpanned, Jesse laughing again and standing.
“Alrighty. See you tomorrow, Mr. Shimada. Been nice talkin’ to you.”
He followed the doctor out of the door, giving Shimada a little wave goodbye just like he always did. Angela closed the door quietly, then glanced at Jesse with a raised brow.
“I am glad you go in there, he needs the socialization. All he ever gets to see is me and a few officials from Overwatch command stuck in here like this. He’s supposed to be kept secret, which only isolates him further. It’s not good for his mental rehabilitation, and I worry about him. I can only do so much for his body, but not for his mind, so thank you.”
Jesse rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, feeling himself get warm in the cheeks.
“Aw, hell, I ain’t doin’ nothin’ but annoying him, I’m sure, going in there and talkin’ his ear off like that.”
“No, he likes it. I know he waits for you to come in, and I see the way he seems to get more lively when you’re in there. It certainly is not the same for when I walk in,“ Angela told him knowingly. Jesse looked to Shimada’s door, then smiled a bit to himself.
“Well, if you say so. I need to get going. Thanks for lettin’ me stay so long.”
“Of course. See you tomorrow, Jesse.”
“Bye, doc.”
-
The first thing Jesse did after the mission was go to the med bay, however, he wasn’t there for Shimada this time. He thought about him, sure, but the blood loss was making him woozy. Only a few cuts, but they were deep. They had done what they could to stall the blood flow, but the ride back to base had been a long one, and the cuts were hitting some unlucky places.
The ones on Jesse’s leg were giving him the most issues, blood soaking the multiple layers of bandages they had applied. Angela muttered under her breath as Jesse limped towards her with a weak tip of his hat.
“Heya, doc. Fancy meetin’ you here.”
“Just get on the table.”
Jesse grinned and did as he was told, laying back with a groan. He really was in pain, but it was the strange kind, the one where he could not quite pinpoint where it was coming from. It was just everywhere. His fingers tingled, started to go numb.
“I cannot believe he sent you in here alone...I’m surprised you can still walk,” Angela sighed. Jesse closed his eyes, making a muffled sound of acknowledgement.
He knew he was drifting, focus too far gone to do much other than stare past the fuzzy line of Ziegler’s body. Just past it to where someone else was sitting. Red eyes, staring back at him. Jesse brightened, giving Shimada a sluggish wave.
“‘S good ‘t see ya, Mr. Shimada. Been a hot minute,” The gunslinger slurred, hardly recognizing the words tumbling out of his own mouth. Shimada’s brows furrowed, and he looked to Angela.
“He says it is good to see you after so long,” She told him with a sigh, Shimada’s eyes dropping back to Jesse. There was an extended silence, then a nod from the ninja.
“I will let you fix him.”
Jesse’s eyes widened at the metallic voice, unfamiliar, yet definitely coming from Shimada. He watched as the cyborg turned and left swiftly, blinking slowly before looking to Angela for answers.
“He just started using his voice again, now that the trachea I had to replace is healed well enough. That’s the most he’s said to me, you have a good effect on him.”
“You think so...?”
“I do. Now, sit still and let me ‘fix you’ like he says.”
-
Once Shimada had been training approved, he had silently followed Jesse around as the cowboy showed him the ropes. Then he got his ass handed to him during sparring, and Jesse had the distinct feeling that the cyborg had been holding back, too.
Training together soon turned into missions together when Shimada was cleared for them, Reyes figuring out quickly that they paired well as a team. And they did.
Jesse would shoot covering fire for Shimada as he struck into the enemies in a quick motion, tearing the remaining foes down like they were nothing. Talk about everything and nothing during their long flights, Shimada meeting him with silence every time, but he was always listening. He just never said much back. Sometimes he did tell a story of his own, and on even rarer occasions, Jesse would hear a quiet chuckle.
Little things like that kept the gunslinger hooked, hoping that one day, he could hear more from Shimada. More than what he could gather from just the expressions in his eyes, the quiet mechanical tones of his voice, barely able to translate what the ninja was feeling or thinking.
When they weren’t paired for missions, Jesse would always go to see Shimada—mostly the night before—just to talk to him, or say goodbye. It was one such night that the ninja finally said something back.
Jesse was sprawled out on the cyborg’s bed, taking more than a few liberties seeing as how Shimada had been wary to let him inside to begin with. But he hadn’t said anything, as usual, simply sitting on the edge of the mattress, watching Jesse with something that almost looked like fondness in his eyes as he talked.
“Now, I don’t think this is gonna be a tough mission, but if I die in some freak accident, I’m givin’ you the rights to my boots and hat. Mark this down, Mr. Shimada, it’s an honour, and before you say it, you’re welcome. But only if it’s a freak accident. If I get shot, they go to Reyes, we already made a deal there—”
“You don’t have to call me ‘Mr. Shimada’, you know. It’s nice, but just Genji is fine.”
Jesse blinked, lifting his head to stare at the ninja, surprised.
“Oh. Well. Alright, Genji,” Jesse murmured, trying out the name.
It sounded nice, and Genji’s eyes crinkled around the edges. A smile. The gunslinger grinned back after a moment, sitting up fully and clearing his throat, warm in the face.
“And don’t die. Freak accident or no. Take care of yourself, McCree. Anata ga inakute sabishīdesu,” Genji told him, Jesse frowning at the last part, still in awe that the ninja was telling him this at all.
“What?”
“Be careful,” Genji shrugged. Jesse nodded, then stood with a lopsided grin.
“I will, but only because you told me to. And just on a side note, my friends call me Jesse. I’ll see you around, Genji.”
“See you...Jesse.”
The gunslinger tipped his hat as he left, closing the door and feeling a swell of warmth in his chest.
Damn, Reyes had told him so.
~~
あなたがいなくて寂しいです, Anata ga inakute sabishīdesu: I would miss you.
Hello everyone! I’m very happy to announce that there will be a McGenji event this summer! It’s been posted on our twitter for some time, but in case any of you still post here on tumblr I thought I’d make a post here as well! Sorry for the delay, I hope you will all still be able to produce something if you want to!
The event will take place from 22nd - 28th of July and these are the situation based prompts:
22nd Caught off guard
23rd Proving them wrong
24th Desperate times calls for desperate measures
25th Lost in translation
26th A sticky situation
27th Lending a hand
28th Unfamiliar territory
As always it’s important for me that you know this event is for everyone, no exceptions. There’s also no limits on ratings or sfw/nsfw. As long as your work features Jesse McCree and Genji Shimada in relation to each other, and is written for the prompt of the day, your work will be shared.
I’ll make a post later about what tags to use to make sure I see your work, so stay tuned, and make sure to spread the word!
Looking forward to seeing some amazing creations! <3
(Finally managed to toss something together for @mcgenjiweek hhh I might try to do something tomorrow too but no promises. I’m a human disaster rn but I’m tryinggg.)
At first, most of his sleep was dreamless. Uninterrupted rest for the first time in what felt like forever. No bubbling anxiety or old memories, no revenge fantasies that left him feeling hollow the next day. Genji dreamed of nothing at all and was thankful for it.
But slowly, as time passed, the lessons with Zenyatta gave way to a peaceful state of mind--and peaceful dreams with it. At first it was only color; warm tones of red and orange and brown. Comfort. Something soothing and safe. But somehow he still felt empty when he woke, as if something was missing from the puzzle that was his mornings.
Then came scents; ones he knew, deep down, but couldn’t place at first. Smoke and leather and something like dirt. They felt like a comfort, too, but Genji found he missed them during his days. He hunted through a whole box before finding an incense stick that reminded him of it. It didn’t do the trick but it was a nice touch during meditation all the same.
The sounds coming to his dreams gave him the final hint for who, exactly, was on his mind. Warm laughter and a soothing drawl to the speaker’s voice. A voice he’d been annoyed with at times but one that now meant nothing but a comfort.
When he told Zenyatta, the omnic seemed almost amused.
“I do not understand why I would dream of him, master,” he said. He tapped his fingers against his knees, restless, and watched the expressionless face in front of him.
“I am surprised you did not sooner,” Zenyatta told him simply.
“I don’t… Why would I?”
“Well,” Zenyatta said, gesturing one hand vaguely. “He means a great deal to you, does he not?”
Genji laughed softly at the understatement. McCree had been, in some ways, the only reason he was able to get here--to the aid of his new master. Both by watching his reckless ass and by simply caring enough to try and help his mind when he could. There was no easily-gained solution, at least not one Jesse was capable of helping him find, but the effort in and of itself meant a lot.
“You miss him,” Zenyatta told him simply.
“I do.”
Zenyatta gave a small ‘hmm’ of understanding. “Dreams are sometimes our window into our own minds,” he explained, “listen to what you tell yourself. Perhaps you’ll learn more from them.”
Truthfully, Genji wasn’t quite sure what the dreams were teaching him. Mostly, they were memories. Snapshots of the past; old conversations, lost moments, fond memories. But they were nice. They were a comfort in the haze of self-discovery he found himself wading through during his teachings.
He only realized a while later that his dreams could be compelling him toward something. Or, really, someone.
Messages were nice. Any sort of communication was spotty at times in their seclusion but McCree even managed to send physical letters now and then in his scratchy handwriting, smelling like cigar smoke and gun oil. Genji lingered over them one evening, fingers deftly flipping between the worn pages, and Zenyatta seemed to catch his distraction.
“Is he able to visit you?” he asked.
Genji blinked, staring down at the letters. “I do not think that… would be in his best interest, being on the run as he is.”
“Mm,” Zenyatta hummed, “perhaps later. For now, use this.”
He dropped a small device into his lap. Genji blinked, picking it up and fiddling with it a moment before pulling up the display. He looked at the omnic with a raised brow.
“You told me to avoid distractions of the outside world,” he said.
He swore if he could the omnic would have been grinning at him. “Some distractions do us some good.”
As it turned out, Genji would be just as much a welcome distraction to Jesse as he was in return. The first time Genji pulled up a video call, late in the evening after meditation and nestled in the little nook he’d taken to camping out in during downtime, Jesse’s face came up beaming almost instantly. The wave of warmth that came with his dreams washed over Genji instantly.
“Hey there, sugar,” he said, grin widening even more when he noticed the smile on Genji’s face. “You’re a sight for sore eyes.”
“Lying is wrong, Jesse McCree.”
That got a laugh. Communicator shaking a little with the boisterous nature of the gesture, Jesse shook his head. “I’d never lie to you,” he said, “I learned not to the hard way, remember?”
“I missed your voice,” Genji said, leaning on his fist. Jesse winked at him. “Don’t get too proud,” he warned, “just because I’ve been dreaming of that ridiculous drawl of yours.”
“Dreaming of me?” Jesse raised a brow. “What kind of dreams?”
Dreams of warmth. Of smiles and laughter. Of feeling lighter just for a moment even under the crushing weight that was everything. Existence itself being lifted from his shoulders just briefly. Tight embraces and lazy affection and eyes that saw him and not just a machine or a tragedy. Dreams that were more feeling than imagery or memory could ever tell.
Genji rolled his eyes. “You’ll never know,” he whispered, poking a finger at the screen. Jesse laughed again and the flutter of warmth in his chest was a more than welcome distraction indeed.
Summary: Genji and McCree have just left the authorities behind and are laying low in an old Blackwatch safehouse. They take some time to talk about their feelings, having not seen each other for 6 years.
This is also a follow-up to Worlds Apart, which seemed fitting because I wrote the first chapter of that for McGenji week last year! You probably don't have to read that to understand this, just know they said "I love you" for the first time in it :')
AO3
Genji gazed up at the starry desert sky. He was sitting behind the old Blackwatch bunker they were laying low in, knees drawn up to his chest, faceplate beside him on the dusty ground. The moon was just shy of full, making the desert brush cast soft shadows on the ground.
“Hey there,” came Jesse’s voice. He walked around the corner of the bunker, and sat down next to Genji with a little grunt. He rested his arms on his knees and looked at Genji, who greeted him with just a smile. “Whatcha thinking about?” Jesse asked, “You’ve got that ‘deep in thought’ look in your eye.”
Genji smiled, still looking at the moon. “I could never appreciate this kind of beauty before. My mind was always in a whirlwind.” He sighed. “I was too desperate and angry to slow down and just look at the world.” He turned to Jesse and smiled. “You helped with that. But when I was with you I wasn’t exactly looking at the scenery.”
“What, I don’t count as scenery?” Jesse asked with a grin.
Genji laughed. “Scenery is just for looking at. You are good for far more than that.”
“I guess that’s one way of putting it,” Jesse huffed.
Genji scooted closer to him and leaned in expectantly.
“What, you want a kiss after insulting my pride like that?” Jesse said, trying to sound offended.
“You are the one who called yourself scenery,” Genji pointed out. Jesse turned away, pouting. Instead of pushing it, Genji rested his head on Jesse’s shoulder. For a minute he looked quietly out across the sandy earth again, lit by the cool light of the moon.
“I was thinking, recently,” Genji said, “about how the stars are the same here as they are in Nepal.”
“Hm?” Jesse turned his head back towards Genji.
“It is so much easier to see them than it is in Hanamura,” said Genji. “But the moon is the same.”
“The stars are the same, too,” said Jesse. “It’s just harder to see them.”
“Hmm.” Genji’s brow furrowed. “There is a metaphor here somewhere, but I am having trouble finding it.”
“Pfft,” Jesse laughed. “I thought you were just looking at the scenery.”
“I can look and think at the same time.” Genji picked his head up to look at Jesse. “In fact, I am doing it right now.”
Jesse grinned. “Oh yeah? Whatcha thinking?”
“That I love you,” Genji said.
Jesse’s grin grew even wider, and this time when Genji leaned in he met him halfway, smiling against his lips. “I love you too,” he whispered.
When they parted, Genji rested his head on Jesse’s shoulder again. Jesse wrapped his arm around Genji’s shoulders.
“I love hearing you say that,” Jesse murmured.
“That I love you?” Genji asked.
“Yeah,” Jesse replied, and rested his head on top of Genji’s.
“I like hearing myself say it too,” Genji confessed.
Jesse snorted. “What does that mean?”
“It means,” Genji said, and wrapped his arm around Jesse’s waist, “that I could not say it for so long, and now I can.”
Jesse breathed out slowly. “I guess it’s the same for me, then.”
Genji shifted so they were as close together as possible, tightening his arm around Jesse’s waist. Here he was, with the man he loved, watching moon shadows shift over the California desert. It was hard to believe that just a few months ago he had been agonizing over Jesse, about how much he missed him, whether he was okay, whether he would still want to be with him. Well, maybe it wasn’t that hard to believe.
He turned toward Jesse to wrap his other arm around his waist as well, burying his face in the cowboy’s chest.
“Hey there, sweetheart,” said Jesse. Gently he pulled Genji into his lap and wrapped his arms around him.
“I love you,” Genji mumbled, words muffled by Jesse’s shirt.
“I love you, too,” said Jesse, and rested his chin on the top of Genji’s head.
Somewhere in the back of Genji’s mind was the thought that he should be worrying about the future, about how long they could or should lay low here, about where they would go next… but really, worrying was pointless. How could he possibly worry here, in Jesse’s arms? If the authorities caught up to them, they could get away. If they couldn’t find another safehouse, they would keep each other warm, like they were now. If the moon fell out of the sky, they would weather that too.
“Jesse,” he said.
“Yeah, sugar?”
“I want you to know… loving you is the most wonderful feeling I have ever felt,” Genji said. He heard Jesse’s breath catch, and continued, “I did not realize it all those years ago, but it was true then, too. You made everything better. It was easier to think, to breathe, when you were there. Back then I saw the world through a haze of anger, but around you… it dissipated like mist in the sun.”
Jesse whistled, a single low note. “You been practicing that?”
Genji blushed. “Maybe.”
Jesse shifted Genji again, so they were looking into each other’s eyes. He was smiling. “That was almost like a poem, darlin’,” he said softly. There were tears welling up in his eyes, sparkling like the stars above them. Genji lifted his hands to cup Jesse’s face in them.
“I wanted to tell you the night I found you, but…” Genji paused. He leaned in to kiss the corners of Jesse’s eyes. The tears gathering there began to fall, and Genji wiped them away with his thumbs. “I was worried you would not want me back. But then of course you threw yourself into my arms, and blew every other thought from my mind.”
“I was happy to see you,” Jesse croaked, tears falling in earnest now.
“And I you,” said Genji. “It gave me some more time to practice what I wanted to say, in any case,” he chuckled. He leaned in to kiss Jesse again, and felt the cowboy melt into him.
“I love you,” said Jesse again, his words garbled by his crying and by Genji’s mouth on his.
“I love you too,” Genji whispered against his lips, then tilted his head to deepen their kiss. Jesse responded by sliding his arms down to grip Genji’s waist, and opened his mouth willingly to let his tongue inside.
Genji pushed Jesse down so his back was flat on the dusty ground, and collapsed on top of him. Their lips met again. Genji kissed him deeply, feeling Jesse’s hands roam over him, rubbing his back, stroking his hips, gripping his waist. He flattened himself against Jesse, welcoming all his touches.
Jesse pulled back after a few minutes, breathing heavily. “Would we maybe be more comfortable inside?”
“Why, does your back hurt?” Genji sat up, straddling Jesse’s hips.
“Maybe a little.” Jesse smiled sheepishly.
Genji smiled down at him, taking the opportunity to rub his hands appreciatively across Jesse’s chest. “All right. It will not be as romantic as kissing in the moonlight, of course.”
“Sorry, pumpkin,” said Jesse, “I’m afraid you’ll just have to deal with it.”
Genji stood, and reached down a hand to help Jesse to his feet. He laced their fingers together as they walked back inside.
-
Genji stepped back out into the cool night air a few hours later- he had left his faceplate on the ground outside. As he picked it up, he looked out at the brush again. The shadows cast by the plants were shorter now. The moon looked no different, but it was higher in the sky. He picked up his faceplate and shook the sand off it. The moon’s reflection in it hit him in the eye, and he huffed as he clicked it into place over his mouth and nose. He would figure out that metaphor eventually.
