seen from Singapore
seen from Russia
seen from United Kingdom
seen from United States
seen from India
seen from Netherlands
seen from United States
seen from Malaysia
seen from United States
seen from United Kingdom
seen from Australia
seen from Singapore
seen from Maldives
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from Maldives
seen from Canada
seen from Maldives
seen from Canada
seen from China
🔥 – How to stay warm, pairing your choice <3
(This is two of my OCs in the Overwatch verse; Thomas McCree and Ilima Sigrah. Don’t tell me a pairing of my choice and NOT expect me to throw my babies at you)
“Sorry this happened,” Thomas murmured. “Wasn’t supposed to.”
Ilima’s green optics shuttered as she snuggled against his side. “I know,” she murmured. “No one plans for a blizzard to whip up in the middle of a mission.”
“Are you okay?” he asked as he ran his hands up and down her arms.
“Perfectly,” she laughed. “The cold actually helps me keep from overheating. It’s you that we should be worried about.”
“I’m fine,” Thomas said.
“Liar,” she replied as she sat up. “Hmm,” she said as she looked around the cabin they had holed up in. “Let’s see what I can scrounge up.”
“Ili,” Thomas sighed. “We have all of our emergency....”
She waved a hand dismissively at him as she started rooting through the woodpile. She easily broke off chunks of wood and set them into the fireplace, turning them into a little tent. Thomas sighed as he scooted towards the fireplace, dragging the emergency blanket with him.
He could have easily been fine with the blanket; it was supposed to keep him warm even in negative fifty degree Celsius weather. Leave it to Ilima to not care about that when it came to him.
“And how are we going to light it?” he asked. “We lost most of the supplies....”
Ilima snapped off a piece of her wooden armor, revealing the cracked casing of her chassis. Thomas let out a broken shout, but she had already stuck the kindling into her little tent of wood. She lifted a hand and flipped one of her fire-seeds up into her hand. She vented slowly over it until it started smoking, then she placed it in the heart of the tent.
A fire slowly came to life as she nursed it. In a few minutes, it was a warm and pleasant fire that washed warmth through the little cottage. Thomas shook his head as Ilima seated herself back down beside him and snuggled close.
“Better?” she asked.
“Yes,” he shook his head in amusement. “Thank you.”
Ilima’s green optics shuttered into little triangles before she tucked her head under his chin. “You should rest. Rescue should be here in the morning.”
Thomas shook his head in amusement before he settled down to sleep, holding Ilima close so that her damaged chassis wasn’t as exposed to the cold and heat.
An Alpha Omega: Chapter 5
Chapter 5
The whispers followed her the instant she returned to class. The week-long wait for Zarya to get everything settled down had been hell, but she hadn’t fallen behind in her work. Thank Christ. She ignored the whispers at first, reveling in the fear that her presence invoked in the Alpha population. But it quickly became tiresome and, after a few days, dangerous.
“Lying Alpha,” someone sneered at her back. “Bet she’s fucking her roommate.”
“Heard she attacked first, brought everyone else into it,” another person whispered in earshot. “Turned all those sweet Omegas into killers.”
“Rolls in her Omega-parent’s scent to fool everyone,” someone else whispered. “Shouldn’t be in the Omega dorms at all. Can’t believe she’s getting away with this shit.”
The rumors were getting worse; from claiming she was an Alpha in disguise to being in some sort of secret, underground Omega clan where she was being sent out to kill Alphas. It was starting to get very scary, but she knew that the administration wouldn’t do anything for her; some of the teachers were spreading the rumours; and she didn’t want to drag her friends down into this mess.
She was on her own. It was probably for the best. Less people to worry about getting caught in the crossfire when things came to a head. Because she knew it was going to. It was inevitable.
She packed up her things as the class ended and headed out the door. She could hear the Alphas growling around her as she headed for the dorm, but she didn’t stop. Best to keep moving until she was on her turf. Better means to escape when she knew the territory.
She walked past someone leaning against the wall of the building and heard them snort. “Well ‘hi’ to you too,” they called.
She gasped and whipped around, grinning widely at the man that pushed himself off of the building. “Tom!” she shrieked in delight before throwing herself at her brother.
He caught her and swung her around, laughing happily as she cursed him out. She clung to him, burying her nose in his shirt and drinking in his scent. Beta; safe and warm, protective and loving. His shirt smelt like grease and there was an obvious gas stain on his pants. Thomas McCree wasn’t happy unless he was tinkering with something. Anything else was awkward and uncomfortable; her poor socially inept brother.
“What are you doing here?” she demanded as he finally set her down on the ground.
“Wanted to come see my favourite little sister,” he smiled.
“I’m yer only little sister, shithead,” she laughed.
“And I wanted to introduce you to someone,” he smiled wider. “The love of my life. The one woman in this world that loves me for all my quirks and doesn’t mind staying home at night to watch movies instead of hitting up the L.A nightclubs.”
“Well it’s about time!” she squealed. “I’ve been thinkin’ you made yer sweetheart up!”
Tom had been dating someone for the past couple of years, but trying to find out who she was had been a nightmare. He hadn’t even told them her name, almost like he was afraid they’d chase her off. It didn’t help that he lived out in L.A now to have better access to materials for his gadgets. They hadn’t minded too much; so long as she made Tom happy, they were happy.
“Hardly,” he snorted. “I ain’t Jesse.”
“He learned it from somewhere,” she teased before tugging him along. “Come on; I’ll drop my stuff off and you can introduce me to this flower-a yers.”
Tom laughed as they headed for the dorm. Vanessa rushed inside, dropped her things off, and grabbed Hanzo excitedly on the way out. He yelped in surprise as she hugged him tightly and spun around, lifting the young man off of his feet.
“My brother’s here, my brother’s here,” she sang as she spun.
“Please put me down before I am sick,” Hanzo teased. “I am very happy for you, but I just ate lunch and it is sitting heavily.”
She set him down and hugged him tightly. He rolled his eyes as she darted off, whooping and hollering before she tackled her brother outside. He easily caught her and swung her up over his shoulders, whistling as he started walking. She wiggled for freedom, whining that she wasn’t a sack of potatoes.
“You’re light enough to be mistaken for one,” he teased.
“Asshole!” she cackled.
He dropped her after a few steps and they walked side by side off campus. Tom led her to a little restaurant and after a brief exchange with the hostess, they were led to a table near the back of the restaurant. The woman already seated there with a plate of mozza sticks was petite, but Vanessa could already tell that she made up for her tiny size by being an intense personality. No one else could handle dating a McCree.
The woman’s green eyes widened in delight as she looked up and she scrambled to her feet. Tom hugged her close and kissed her dark cheek, murmuring something softly. She let out a soft laugh before she pulled away, flipping a strand of hair behind her ear.
“It’s so nice to finally meet you, Vanessa,” she said. “I’m Ilima Sigrah.”
“Nice to finally meet you, too,” Vanessa smiled. “You look like someone that could put up with Tom’s bullshit.”
Ilima laughed and smiled up at Tom. “Oh, I definitely put up with a lot of things from him,” she teased. “But I’m not the easiest person to get along with either.”
“Ha!” Tom snorted. “That’s a lie if I ever heard on, Ili.”
Ilima waved a hand at him, her dark cheeks flushing before she pulled Vanessa down into a seat beside her and started excitedly asking her about school. Tom ordered a large tester plate and they picked at it as they talked. Vanessa couldn’t get enough of hearing about Ilima’s work. Chemistry had always been one of her weaker fields of study, only because she was too nervous with handling chemicals. Ilima’s fearlessness was inspiring and she wanted nothing more than to rush to the lab and start seeing what everything did.
“Now, I’m not saying that plants could solve all of our needs,” Ilima smiled.
“But plants can totally solve our problems,” Tom teased.
“Ssh,” Ilima stuffed a flaky h'orderve in his mouth.
Tom chewed the offering happily, looking at Ilima with the softest eyes Vanessa had ever seen. All at once, her loneliness reared up. It was like a cavern had opened up in her chest, reminding her that no matter what, she would never have this. She would never have this gentle teasing understanding, never have someone look at her like Tom and Ilima did to one another. No one wanted her. No one would ever want her because she was too hard, too cynical. No one wanted an Omega that didn’t roll over and expose their throat. No one wanted someone like her.
“Excuse me,” she said as she got to her feet. “Bathroom break. Five minutes.”
She left before they could say anything, weaving her way through the restaurant towards the washrooms. She leaned against the sink once she was inside, blinking down at her boots. Tears were burning her eyes, but she did her best not to cry. She didn’t want to explain a blotchy complexion to her brother. He knew what she looked like when she cried; he’d know something was wrong and he wouldn’t stop asking about what was troubling her until he knew. He was finally happy with someone; she wasn’t going to ruin that for him.
“Hey, you okay?” Ilima asked as she stepped into the washroom.
“Yah,” she lied as she straightened up. “Why?”
Ilima smiled sadly. “I’m an Epsilon; the emotions and mental states of those we care about are paramount to us,” she said.
She leaned on the sink beside Vanessa, letting the silence hang for a moment. She leaned over slowly and bumped her shoulder against Vanessa’s, smiling sweetly.
“You know, your brother didn’t talk much about you at first,” she said. “He was so scared that I’d have this negative opinion of you because you’re an Omega.” She tipped her head to the side. “I was scared of that too. I was so scared because I wanted you to feel like I was a sister and not a stranger. And when I saw you walk in with Tom and just the way you two moved with each other, I knew that I could never view you as anything but my little sister.”
“Glad to hear it,” Vanessa smiled.
“Hmm, and as my little sister, I feel compelled to tell you that you’ll find them,” Ilima tipped her head to the side.
“Pardon?”
“Your mate. They’re out there,” Ilima smiled.
“Who says I want a mate?” Vanessa wrinkled her nose.
Ilima smiled sadly at her. “Van, I saw the look on your face when you left,” she said. “Tom got the same look on his face when we were just friends and he’d see a happy couple. You both have so much love to give and I know that when that right person walks into your life, it’ll be worth the wait.”
Vanessa shook her head. “Would take a saint to put up with me,” she said.
“So wait for that saint,” Ilima laughed. “Tom says the same thing when he talks about me. I love him, but he’s so dramatic.”
Vanessa cackled. “Yah, that’s Tom,” she agreed. “But I’m glad he has you. You’ll help with…well, we’re a pretty fucked up family. Hope you’re prepared for that.”
“I have been and I am,” Ilima nodded. “Feeling better?”
“A little,” Vanessa nodded. “Still hurts here.” She rubbed at her chest.
“That’ll fade with time. Take it from me; surround yourself with people that love you and even that pain can’t keep you down,” Ilima smiled and took her hand. “Now come on before Tom eats all those strawberry tart things.”
Vanessa laughed as she followed Ilima out of the washroom and back to the table.
Jack pushed the door to the room open and Vanessa poked her head out of the bathroom. “Couple on the bed are family,” she said. “Don’t freak.”
“Thanks for the heads-up,” Jack laughed as he walked into the room. “Hey,” he waved.
The dark-skinned man glanced at him from his girlfriend’s lap and Jack saw him tense. The woman looked down, tilting her head to the side.
“Tom?” she asked.
“I know that face,” the man said before he scrambled to his feet.
He towered over Jack, but Jack didn’t feel intimidated. The man was tall, but his scent and aura were calming. He was startled, but not aggressive. Jack put his hands in his back pockets and grinned, trying to understand the emotions he could smell rolling off of the man.
“Van send you a picture?” he offered.
Tom shook his head. “No, I’m...thinking,” he frowned.
His eyes were a shade darker than Vanessa’s, but still the lovely puppy-dog brown she claimed her whole family sported. More of the Navajo blood showed in Tom’s face, overshadowing the softer Puerto Rican features that Vanessa had. His black hair was trimmed around his ears and pulled back into a small braid; Van did mention her older brother was an engineer and liked his hair out of his face.
Tom narrowed his eyes before a wide grin split his face. “You’re John Morrison’s son!” he said.
Jack blinked. “Uh...what?”
“John...ah, fuck, what was his middle name? Sam...Samuel? No, no,” Tom’s smile turned into a frown. He cursed in a language Jack didn’t know before he snapped his fingers. “Edmund! Don’t know where the hell I got Sam from.”
Jack blinked and shifted. “How do you know my father?” he asked slowly.
“Tom, are you freakin’ my roommate out?” Vanessa demanded as she walked out of the bathroom with her toothbrush in her mouth.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were roomin’ with Cap’n’s kid?” Tom grinned at her.
Vanessa stopped dead in her tracks. “What?”
“You don’t recognize him?” Tom blinked. “You’ve seen the pictures, right? Pa showed you the pictures?”
Vanessa looked at him before shaking her head. “He don’t look like Cap’n,” she huffed around the bristles of her toothbrush.
“Hang on,” Tom pulled out his cellphone and started flipping through the screens.
“Tom? You’re starting to freak me out,” the woman on the bed commented as she got to her feet.
“Here!” Tom pushed the phone towards Vanessa.
She picked it up, scrubbing at her teeth, and frowned. Her eyes darted from the screen to Jack and then back to the screen. Her frown deepened before she held the phone out to Jack.
“That yer dad?” she asked. “Little young, I know, but you’d know better than me.”
Jack stared at the slightly blurry photo of his father and a man he didn’t know with their arms around each other. The man was undoubtedly Vanessa and Tom’s father; they both looked like him. Tears started burning his eyes; his father looked so happy. Why had he never seen this photo before?
“That’s him,” he whispered.
“Holy shit,” Vanessa whispered. “Holy shit!”
Jack sank down onto his bed as Vanessa and Tom laughed. Why wasn’t he excited? Why did he just feel numb? It was like the bottom had dropped out of his stomach or something. It was wrong.
“I’ve never seen that picture before,” he whispered. “Why wouldn’t he tell me about Joel?”
He saw Vanessa and Tom look at each other before they started grumbling in that language he didn’t know. He glanced up at them, took in their frowns, and knew that this was a reflexive thing for them. They weren’t intentionally speaking another language to leave him out. Still hurt, though.
“You should call him,” Tom said, his voice a little accented. “Don’t let this fester.”
Jack nodded as he grabbed his phone. He dialed his father’s number and tried to keep his tears in check. That ended as soon as he heard John’s voice.
“Jack? What’s wrong?” John asked. “You don’t usually call this late.”
“You had a pack,” Jack growled. “You had a pack and you never told me!”
John was silent for a long time. “How did you find out?” he asked softly.
“Vanessa’s older brother has a picture of you and their father on his phone,” Jack snarled. “I’m rooming with the kid of your packmate!”
“Joel,” John whispered. “Son of a bitch; I should have known that the last name wasn’t just a coincidence. I would have told you sooner, Jack….”
“You never did! You never told me anything! I grew up alone, Dad!” Jack shouted.
“Jack, please, listen,” John sighed. “I wasn’t proud of what I did. But by the time I realized how much of a mistake it was, I’d lost track of everyone.”
“Don’t you…!” Jack started to snarl before Vanessa yanked the phone away from him.
“John? Yah, this’s Van. Howdy,” she said as she leaned against the wall. “Y’all shouldn’t discuss this over the phone. Should be face to face.” She frowned before smirking. “You bet I’m invitin’ him. Think Miyu’s there too. Visitin’. Yah. Yah. One week? That’ll do nicely. See you then.”
She handed the phone back to Jack and smirked victoriously. Jack glared at her as he pushed the phone up against his ear.
“Hey,” he growled.
“Jack, I’m going to explain everything when I’m there,” John promised. “I love you, Jack. I always have and I always will. Please, please, just understand that I was not in a good headspace when I left. I was scared and it ruined everything. I’m so sorry.”
“I’ll see you in a week,” Jack said. “I...I love you too, Dad. Bye.”
He hung up before he could hear his father break down into tears. He dropped his phone onto the nightstand and threw himself backwards onto the bed. He clenched his fists furiously as he started sobbing. Vanessa crawled in beside him and hugged him close, tucking his face into her neck. He jumped as Tom joined them, closely followed by his girlfriend who started running her fingers through his hair soothingly.
He stared at them, the people that he should have had as packmates from childhood, and felt the tears fall harder down his face. He buried his face into Vanessa’s neck and clung to her. He felt lost and confused, but the three bodies weren’t letting him feel alone. He was grateful for that.
Gabriel watched Jack draw spirals on the corner of his notebook and turned slightly in his seat as the professor took a break. Jack had been unusually quiet all class, glaring at his paper as he took notes. It wasn’t like him and Gabriel was worried.
“Hey,” he said as he bumped his shoulder against Jack’s. “You okay?”
“No,” Jack said softly. “Don’t really want to talk about it.”
“Okay,” Gabriel nodded. “Sorry you aren’t….”
“My dad had a pack,” Jack blurted out and dropped his head to his notebook. “My dad had a pack and never told me and now I’m rooming with the woman that should have been my packmate.”
Gabriel blinked. “Oh,” he said before resting a hand on Jack’s shoulder. “That’s…that’s not easy to take in.”
Jack shook his head, sniffling angrily. He rubbed at his eyes, scooting his chair closer to Gabriel’s so he could duck down against his shoulder. Gabriel wrapped his arm around Jack’s shoulders, feeling his chest tighten happily.
“He never told me about his packmates,” Jack murmured miserably. “I was left thinking that my dad was a loner.”
“I’m sure he didn’t do it to hurt you,” Gabriel said as he gently rubbed at Jack’s scruff.
Jack snorted softly before he burrowed into Gabriel’s chest. Gabriel almost fainted in delight at the contact. Jack was touching him; willingly touching him as if he were the only safe thing in the world. It was amazing!
“He’s coming here next week,” Jack sniffled. “He’s going to tell me everything.”
“Well, at least he’s doing that,” Gabriel nodded. “Feel better?”
“A little,” Jack sighed and leaned back in his chair. “Thanks, Gabriel. Nice to know there’s some decent Alphas in the world.”
“There’s more of us than you think,” Gabriel teased as he lounged in his chair. “You’ve probably brushed a bunch of us off on the principle of us being Alphas.”
“Somehow I doubt that,” Jack chuckled as he wiped at his eyes. “If I brush an Alpha off, it’s because they’re being a jackass and aren’t deserving of my time.”
“You don’t think they deserve the benefit of the doubt?” Gabriel asked.
“No,” Jack laughed. “Just because someone has the potential to be nice but isn’t, doesn’t mean I should assume they’re nice.”
“Such high standards,” Gabriel teased.
“I am a fucking gem,” Jack snorted. “If you can’t handle that, you aren’t worth my time.”
Gabriel laughed. Wasn’t that just the cutest thing he’d ever heard? Jack pretending to be a badass; like the little cutie pie could ever be that.
“That’s one way to look at it,” he teased.
Jack gave him a long look before he smiled. “That’s the only way to look at it,” Jack said as he looked back down where the professor was gathering his notes. “Because the alternative is to kneel down and let the world beat you into submission. I wasn’t raised to roll over and expose my throat.”
“Confidence is sexy,” Gabriel teased.
A blush spread across Jack’s face and he tipped his head to rub at his cheek. “I’ll remember that,” he said. “Now hush so I can hear the professor.”
Gabriel fell silent, but he barely heard the professor talking. All he could think about was Jack; all he could focus on was Jack’s breathing, the soft rise and fall of his chest, and the occasional snort as he caught another Alpha’s scent. Jack only ever wanted Gabriel’s scent in his nose; he was Gabriel’s Omega, after all. Gabriel knew that and he was so happy. It wasn’t official yet; there wasn’t a deep mating mark on the curve of Jack’s neck; but he knew that he would have Jack under him soon enough and Jack would never be able to think of anyone but him.
The Beginning of a Legacy: Chapter 15
Chapter 15
Jack hid behind Tommy as the military man loaded their belongings into the back of his truck. His head was spinning. They were allowed to go home now. The omnics in the United States had surrendered and were being taken care of by the military. Everyone was being sent home, wherever home was.
Tammy was thanking the military man a lot, but Jack wasn’t sure if she was being honest or not. The man seemed to enjoy talking to Tammy, smiling and laughing at her corny jokes. It didn’t make Jack feel any safer, but if Tammy felt safe, he could pretend to be happy.
“Ready to go, kids?” the man asked.
“Uh huh,” Vanessa smiled at him.
“Okay, everyone into the truck. Tommy, help me get the kids into their booster-seats?” Tammy said.
“I will,” Tommy smiled. “Come on, Van.”
Vanessa whined as she let Tommy lift her into the booster-seat in the back of the truck. Jesse fussed as well, wiggling miserably as he was strapped into the backwards facing carseat. Tammy kissed his nose and laughed at his pout, but Jack could see that Jesse wasn’t really upset. Jack sat in the front between the adults, kicking his legs slowly. Tommy sat down between his siblings, smiling shyly at Tammy as she leaned back to tap Vanessa’s nose.
When they were all safely buckled in, the man started driving. They were quiet for most of the drive out of the forest. Vanessa sniffled about leaving Haven behind, but Tommy reassured her that it was going to be okay. They were going somewhere better, somewhere just as safe, but more private.
The military man didn’t say a word as they turned onto the highway. Vanessa’s mouth opened into an ‘o’ as she stared out the window. Jack blinked. That was right; Vanessa was just a baby when her family came to Haven. Tommy was the only one old enough to know what a highway looked like.
The drive was long and Jack fell asleep against Tammy’s shoulder. He woke in the middle of the night to the sound of tires on gravel. He blinked his eyes open and stared at the miles and miles of bare farmland. There wasn’t a green steam anywhere in sight. It was nothing like he remembered, with rolling, waving fields of corn, soy, and the occasional blanket of yellow canola.
“It’s dead,” he whispered.
“It’s okay, Jack,” Tammy reassured him. “It’ll be green again with a little elbow work.”
Jack nodded slowly as the vehicle turned up a familiar road. Jack leaned forward, his heart thumping in his chest. The vehicle barely came to a stop before he was scrambling over Tammy to get outside. He ran straight to the barn, wrenching the door open as hard as he could.
Cats scattered with yowls of surprise. He rushed inside, calling desperately for the tom that had loved him. A pair of green eyes stared at him from the darkness before Boots charged him and wound happily between his legs, yowling up at him.
“I missed you too,” Jack sobbed as he knelt down and hugged the tom cat. “My Bootsie.”
Boots purred up at him before gently grabbing his sleeve with his teeth. He tugged Jack forward before darting into the shadows. Jack grinned as he followed, ignoring the confused shouts coming from outside. He wiggled between a couple of leaning boards and gasped at the pile of kittens curled up beside a beautiful tortoiseshell molly. She looked at him sharply for daring to enter her nest, but relaxed as Boots licked her ears.
“Aw, Boots,” Jack smiled as he knelt down. “They’re adorable!”
“Jack?” Vanessa called. “Where’d you go? Tammy’s really worried!”
“In here,” Jack called. “My tom has kittens!”
“What?”
It took a few minutes for Vanessa to find him, but she let out a happy squeal as soon as she spotted the little mewling kittens. She dropped down beside Jack, staring at the molly with a big grin on her face, but wise enough to know not to touch them.
“There’s so many,” she whispered.
“I count six,” Jack laughed. “Hang on.”
He reached forward and carefully picked up a wiggling kitten. The molly watched him before resting her head so that the kittens could snuggle closer to her belly. Jack set the kitten in Vanessa’s hands and grinned widely as she cradled it to her chest.
“It’s so tiny,” she whispered. “Jack…Jack I want them all!”
“We’ll get to keep them,” he laughed. “They’re barn cats; they come and go as they please. Dad had a lot of them spayed and neutered before we left because they were starting to get inbred. He left Boots alone since he was young and all the others were fixed.”
“Oh,” she blinked before she side-eyed the molly. “So where’d she come from?” she asked.
“No idea,” Jack shrugged before he stood up. “You should put the kitten back now. You said Tammy was worried.”
“Oh, right,” Vanessa pouted before she set the kitten down. “Thank you, Penny.”
“Penny?” Jack asked as Vanessa stood up and dusted her knees off.
“Yah! She looks like a penny!” Vanessa grinned. “The momma cat.”
“Oh,” Jack laughed as he wiggled out from between the boards. “I thought you were talking about the kitten.”
“Nah, he’s clearly a Mint,” she giggled.
Jack laughed as they left the barn. Tammy was waiting on the porch for them, her eyes hard. She scolded him for running off on her and he apologized. She shooed them both inside and Jack led everyone up to his bedroom. They weren’t allowed to sleep on the bed until the military men had made sure there weren’t any vermin inside, so they had to sleep on air mattresses on the floor. Jack didn’t care.
He was home. He was finally home. All that was missing was his dad and Uncle Joel.
MZ-201 walked into Captain Morrison’s office and waited for him to acknowledge him. The Captain was busy with something, fiddling with the contraption on his desk before he let out a low curse and set the tablet down.
“Hello, M,” he greeted as he ran his hand through his hair. “What can I do for you?”
MZ-201 reset his voicebox and stepped forward carefully. “I…would like to request time off,” he whispered.
Morrison lifted his head and blinked at him. “Time off?” he asked.
MZ-201 nodded quickly. “Yes,” he said. “I wish to visit some…friends. I do not mean to leave you disadvantaged….”
He fell silent as Morrison lifted his hand. Morrison frowned and leaned forward on his desk.
“I know it’s none of my business, my friend, but where is it that you are hoping to go?” he asked.
“A small village in Italy,” he said softly. “Where the children from Cairo were sent. I…miss them.”
Morrison looked at him for a long moment before he smiled. “Oh, I see,” he said. “Well, I approve. I highly doubt that the higher ups will approve of me sending my omnic medic off on his own, so do you mind if I write it down as a mission? Checking on the health of the children sent to live in refugee villages or the likes?”
MZ-201 wished he could cry. He wished he could express to the Captain how much he appreciated this. So many people would have dismissed his request, told him that a robot did not need time off, and forced him to return to work. Not Morrison or Joel, though. They treated him like a person, like a valued member of the team even when others were insanely hostile.
“Thank you,” MZ-201 whispered as he started shaking. “Please, I…I wanted to tell you…if you do not mind….”
“M, what’s wrong?” Morrison asked as he got to his feet. “You’re shaking!”
“I am simply overwhelmed,” he whispered as Morrison walked over to him. “You and your team have been so good to me. I…I do not know what to say.”
“You’re a valuable member of the team, M,” Morrison smiled. “I would be personally offended if anyone treated you less than cordially.”
“There are so many people in this world that would treat me poorly, but not you,” MZ-201 shook his head. “I wanted you to be the first to know, you and Joel, that I have found my name.”
“Oh?” Morrison smiled. “And what is it, my friend?”
“Mondatta,” he inclined his head. “I have yet to decide on a family name. I want it to be important.”
“A lot of surnames translate into ‘son of someone’,” Morrison chuckled. “Mondatta. I’ll make sure to update your profile.”
“Thank you,” Mondatta whimpered as he started bowing his head like he’d seen Miyu do when she was overwhelmed. “Thank you so much.”
“Think nothing of it, my friend,” Morrison smiled. “Go find Joel and tell him your name. He’ll be excited. I’ll get your ‘mission’ set up so you can go visit those kids.”
“Thank you, Captain,” Mondatta smiled.
It was almost a week before Mondatta was on the dropship to Italy with Staff Sergeant McGuire and Laura Wong. The two of them were seated a short distance from him and talking amongst themselves. Mondatta didn’t mind. He was more focused on the paperwork that he had to fill out in order to justify the unexpected trip. John could only fake so much before Mondatta himself had to jump in.
“So, Mondatta,” Laura said as she turned to look at him. “Jasper and I were wondering how you know the kids from Cairo. Did you work with them at the hospital?”
“No,” Mondatta shook his head. “There was a time between the god code activating and my acceptance onto the Overwatch Strike Team where I lived and protected the street children that Captain Morrison sent to Italy. I miss them dearly.”
“That’s so sweet,” Laura smiled. “Well, I’m sure they’ll be just fine. A little checkup and then a nice vacation for a week. Then it’s back to the front lines.”
Mondatta nodded and settled back against the seat. When they landed in the quiet little hamlet, McGuire led the way off the plane. The mayor of the little town greeted them warmly, but Mondatta could see the doubt and apprehension in his face as he looked Mondatta over. Hostility against omnics was nothing new, but he had hoped that the man would at least hide it better.
He followed the mayor towards the town hall. Laura and McGuire fell back, watching quietly as they walked into the hall. Silence filled the hall before someone let out a shriek.
“MZ!” Ana shouted as she rushed forward. “You’re okay!”
“I am,” Mondatta reassured her as he hugged her close. “You look well, Ana. This pleasant climate has done wonders for your health.”
“You always are worried about us, MZ,” she laughed as she pulled away. “What about you?”
“I am wonderful,” he nodded his head. “Captain Morrison is an amazing man. I owe him so much.”
“I’m so glad,” she smiled. “I plan on joining up as soon as I can,” she puffed her chest out.
“You will have to wait to be legal age; Captain Morrison does not like fighting with child soldiers,” Mondatta chuckled. “He has a hard enough time with Reinhardt. But that is a discussion for another time. Come. Help me get our friends ready for their medical exams. I want to make sure everyone is alright.”
“You got it,” Ana grinned before she took his hand. “It’s so good to have you back. You call yourself Mondatta now, right?”
“I do,” he agreed. “But you may continue to call me MZ if you wish.”
“You’re Mondatta; it would be rude to call you otherwise,” she replied.
Mondatta dimmed his optics in a smile. He’d missed Ana’s spirit. There was a life and power about her that he had always loved. He never had a word for it, but he hoped that she knew it was there. It would be a shame if she did not.
Joel smiled at the screen as Vanessa tried to get the kittens to stop squirming. “She had six!” she babbled happily. “Jack says that they’ll probably stay on the farm their whole life! Can you believe it, Pa?”
“Well, feral cats are funny that way,” he said. “You’re helping that momma cat out?”
“Yup! She loves me! She hisses at everyone else but purrs when I pet her,” Vanessa grinned widely. “And Boots loves me too, but Jack says that’s normal. Even though he’s a big, mean tom, he’s super loving! I can’t wait for you to meet them all, Pa!”
“I can’t wait either,” Joel nodded. “Yer bein’ good for Tammy?”
“Uh huh,” Vanessa grinned. “School’s supposed to start up in a few weeks. Tammy has me signed up and everythin’! I get to ride a bus to Bloomin’ton with Jack and Tommy! Isn’t that cool?”
“It is,” Joel said. “I’m glad yer lookin’ forward to it, Birdie.”
Joel had forgotten how simple things amazed children. Vanessa had only seen school buses in books; she was excited over the prospect of riding in one. She’d love school too, he knew that much. She was such a smart kid. He wished he was there for her first day, but Tammy would have to do. She’d be there for the kids when they needed her.
“Pa, is it true that Uncle John has a boyfriend?” Vanessa asked.
“Now where’d you hear that?” Joel smirked.
“From Jack!”
“Well, he needs to learn not to tell you everythin’,” he winked. “That’s up to ye uncle to tell you if he has a boyfriend or not.”
“Aw, but Pa!” Vanessa whined.
“Van, do we whine?” Joel lifted an eyebrow
“Yes,” she grinned before Tommy sat down beside her with Jesse on his lap. “Oh! Jesse! Here, hold Rosie. Watch her head. Yup, just like that.”
Joel’s heart melted as Jesse held the kitten to his chest like it was the most precious thing in creation. He placed a gentle kiss to the kitten’s red tabby head and grinned at the screen.
“Pa!” he shouted and waved. “Pa! Pa!”
“Hey, Jesse,” Joel cooed. “How’s my little baby doin’?”
“Goo!” Jesse bounced on Tommy’s lap.
“He’s havin’ a hard time with his hard letter sounds,” Tommy said. “Tammy says that’s normal for someone his age. Is it?”
“It is,” Joel agreed. “Y’all had a hard time with yer hard consonant sounds. He’ll get it, don’t worry.”
Tommy smiled before he bit his lip. “I’m really nervous about school. Do you think I’ll make friends?”
Joel nodded. “Yer a sweet kid, Tommy,” he said. “I’m sure you’ll make a friend or two. Don’t be afraid, okay?”
Tommy nodded. “Is Uncle John there?” he asked.
“No; he’s in a meetin’ with the higher ups,” Joel shook his head. “Got a deployment comin’ up soon. Gunna be hard. Gotta get down to the horn-a Africa as soon as possible. Loads-a omnics makin’ a push into the countryside.”
“Be careful, Pa,” Vanessa whimpered.
“I will, mah darlin’,” Joel reassured her. “Now, you three get to bed. Tammy got that recordin’ I made ya?” They nodded. “Good. Play that if yer havin’ a hard time sleepin’, okay? I know it ain’t the same as havin’ me right there, but a lullaby’s a lullaby.”
“Okay,” Tommy nodded. “Love you, Pa.”
“Love you too, Tommy. Vanessa, Jesse, Pa loves you all so much,” he smiled and blew kisses to his kids.
They waved as the screen went dark. Joel leaned back in his seat and rubbed at his neck, fighting back tears. Miyu rested a hand on his shoulder and kissed his cheek.
“Your children are very sweet,” she said softly.
“My pride and joys,” Joel agreed. “Hurts bein’ away from them.”
“Hmm,” she mused as she took a seat. “I do not feel the same way with any but my nephews.”
“No desire to have yer own?” Joel asked.
“No,” she said. “At least, none with a partner. I am…uninterested.”
“Nothin’ wrong with that,” he smiled. “Bein’ a parent ain’t for everyone. Kinda wish they didn’t try to cram it down kids’ throats. Got the feelin’ my little Van’s in the same boat. Great with animal babies, but never wanted anything to do with the other babies at Haven. ‘Cept Jesse, o-course, but that’s her brother. Gotta stick with blood.”
Miyu smiled before she got to her feet and placed a chaste kiss to the corner of his mouth. “You are an amazing man, Joel McCree,” she said softly. “I’m sorry your partner was not what you needed.”
“No worries,” Joel smiled as he cupped her cheek. “Don’t need a lady at home to make me happy.”
“Could be a man,” she smirked as he pulled away.
“Told ya before, John ain’t my type,” Joel chuckled as he stood up and stuffed his hands into the pockets of his ratty jeans. “Just friends, the two of us.”
“Well, John has his sights set on Daiki anyways,” she teased. “Would be a shame to break them up.”
“It would; haven’t seen John that happy in a long time,” Joel agreed as they left the room. “Hope they can work it out.”
Miyu nodded her head. Her fingers laced loosely with his and he brought her hand up to his mouth to kiss her knuckles. He had no idea what was going on between them; he certainly didn’t feel romantically about her, but it felt right to have these intimate moments. She never pushed for more, so maybe she was content with this too. It would be easy to ask, but asking almost felt like it would break whatever was going on between them.
So they just walked down the hallway hand-in-hand, ignoring the smirks shot their way.
