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“C’mon Emily we’re gonna be late!” Lena huffed, standing in the snow with her hands planted at her hips, pouting as her girlfriend made no movement to hurry up as requested.
She instead rolled her eyes, carefully readjusting herself to hold the container in one hand while the other looped through Lena’s arm as she passed, dragging her along, forcing her to move backwards.
“A recurring thing today isn’t it?” she winked, tugging her in just close enough to place a quick kiss on her cheek. Despite it being beyond freezing Lena was still warm, the girl was a natural heater, which worked out well during the winter time, she made an excellent big spoon.
She mumbled, unable to stay “mad” at her for too long, slipping her arm free to turn around facing correctly though her hand was quick to find hers.
“Well we wouldn’t be in a hurry if you didn’t jump me on the couch...”
At this, Emily laughed, she thought she was being very generous to not leave any marks this time around, “I think you’re waiting for an apology...but I am definitely not sorry”
“You’re awful”
She hummed as Lena lifted her hand to place a long kiss over her gloved knuckles.
“Just the worst”
Emily tugged back, pulling Lena’s hand to wipe her forehead as snowflakes continued to flutter around them with no sign of stopping anytime soon. From their apartment it didn’t take too long to catch the tube and take a short walk to the nearest private airfield. Chronal Accelerator or not there wasn’t a thing in this world that would stop Lena Oxton from flying. If they continued at this pace, a quick hop into her jet and they would be across the ocean and hit the old headquarters within the hour.
Despite the rough patch earlier, Lena couldn’t have smiled any bigger if she wanted to.
She had her beautiful girlfriend on her arm, holding a cake that could make you cry with a single bite, (said beautiful girlfriend is a killer baker, it was a wonder how she hadn’t gained a few pounds since they met) and about to visit her best friend for Christmas.
“What’s with that big goofy smile?” she asked, playfully nudging her with her shoulder as they continued to walk down the sidewalk, slowly exiting the city as towering buildings began to shorten and become far in between.
“You’re awfully pretty” she says, without blinking or a moment to think about her words, just blurting them out as if it were obvious, such as how the sky was blue or water being wet.
Slightly taken aback by this, a deep red blush crept beneath her freckles until her entire face was consumed in crimson. She quickly looked away and ducked her nose into her scarf, not that it matter, Lena grinned, always living for the chance to see her face turn the same shade as her hair. The way it accentuated her freckles like a cloudless sky of stars and that cute little smile she always tries to hide when denying it, her heart fluttered.
“Haha! Aw love you’re a bloody tomato!” she laughed, reaching out and poking her cheek accordingly.
“Lena I swear…” she mumbled against the thick fabric of her scarf now starting to collect snow and become damp.
“Aww c’mon I can’t help it you’re just so….”
Lena’s words trailed away as something caught her eye, “...s-so….oh…”
Then she stopped after doing a double take,”...oh...no…”
Emily immediately froze, realizing the expression on her face similar to that of one who had just seen a ghost, “...Lena? What is it?” she asked in a harsh whisper, slowly following her eyes that were trained to something off to the right.
As part of their usual route to the airfield, they would pass by a cemetery, a small one at that, maybe a hundred or so headstones. Although it was an unfortunate situation, it wasn’t exactly uncommon to find someone there during the holidays.
Yet there was only one.
A lone woman standing so utterly still Emily had nearly mistaken her for a statue.
Snow has collected around her shoulders and ponytail but she made no movement of discomfort despite the obvious signs that she had been there for awhile. Even the single rose she had placed in front of one headstone in particular was well on it’s way to be engulfed by the winter’s grasp.
“Bollocks...what is she doing here…” Lena mumbled under her breath, tightening her hold on Emily’s hand as she tugged her along to walk faster.
The mystery woman remained as she was, her back facing them, she probably had no idea they were even there.
At least that’s what it appeared to be.
Lena waited to speak again until they reached the other side of the cemetery, hugging the wall of a building right beside it, and presumably, out of sight.
“Lena…”
“Look...I need you to hide here for a moment” she whispered quickly, thin fog spouting from her mouth with every word.
Feeling the urgency in her voice and eyes alone, Emily found herself whispering just as harshly, “Hide? Who is that?”
“Really dangerous baddie”
Emily stared at her for a long moment, “And you should go out there and confront her why?”
“I’m not going to pick a fight I just wanna chat”
She paused again, “A chat...with a baddie?”
Though Lena opened her mouth, nothing came out, ready to spit out reasons but couldn’t find one that was easy to explain. Instead, she let out a short sigh, glancing over her shoulder where the woman was exactly where they found her. She hadn’t moved an inch.
“Our relationship is...really complicated”
Of course she had more questions, about who this woman was and what on earth they were doing there in the first place but a quick read on Lena’s face as she watched the woman slowly be consumed by the falling snow, like a melancholy photograph of silent mourning, she found pity.
With a reluctant huff, releasing a small puff of steam, she nodded, “Ok...I trust you…”
Her eyes lit up, her gloved hands taking hold of her face in a gentle grasp, “I’ll be fine, I just...don’t want them to know about you…..If anything were to ever happen to you…”
“I understand” she replied quickly, probably faster than she should have, it was a topic they had been avoiding. Since the Recall and the fire in Lena’s eyes returned, excited for a fight, for a challenge and to be the hero.
Emily wouldn’t dare stop her, it was part of the reason she had fallen so hard in the first place, but it didn’t stop her from being worried, she had already lost her once. But for now all she could do was sit back and say, “Be safe love and come back to me”
“...I can’t be in this god forsaken country for five minutes before you show up…”
Lena stopped, slightly taken aback by the venom in her voice. She always knew the “emotionless” spiel wasn’t as strong as they claimed it to be, every once and awhile she would spot a smile or a chuckle, usually at Lena’s expense.
She had half a mind to remind her that the last time she was in London an omnic speaking of peace was murdered in front of hundreds of people.
But her voice cracked.
Her words bit like the winter’s chill but her tone was low, nearly quiet, her throat thick as if she hadn’t spoken in a long awhile.
Instead, Lena remained where she was, a few feet behind her with her hands jammed in her pockets.
“...Why was he buried here?” she asked quietly, the headstone was covered in snow but she didn’t need to see a name to know who it was,”Woulda thought he’d be in France”
It was subtle, her shoulders inched down as if relaxing or putting her guard down, just for a moment.
“He was born here” she said, a soft sigh escaping her lips, only the faintest trail of steam leaving as she did so.
“Heart of London most of his life”
Lena blinked back in genuine surprise,“....I...didn’t know that”
A strange but comfortable silence fell between them. Even as the snow crunched under foot with each step, the deadly assassin remained silent and unmoving. Lena stood beside her, a good few feet between them but still close enough and in front of the snow covered headstone to pay her respects.
She didn’t know him well, but her peers spoke highly of him. A brave soldier who led the charge against terrorism and loved his wife, keeping photos of her on him at all times, to remember who he was keeping the world safe for.
Lena glanced from the corner of her eye.
Golden eyes trained on the grave before her, exhausted with just the slightest gloss sheen across them.
“Amelie…”
“Don’t.”
She sighed, nodding slightly, she knew better.
Lena paused a moment, her mouth opened to say something, anything. Out on the battlefield, where the adrenaline was as high as the rooftops they fought valiantly on, they spat out words of mockery and insults as if it were beautifully rehearsed. Their chemistry out there was impeccable if not worrying. Yet here, and now, with no weapon in hand and no explosions or orders being barked at either of them, here in the silence of winter, she found it difficult to find the right words to say.
“...I’m...sorry...” she found herself saying, just above a whisper of uncertainty, unsure for what specifically. For his death? For her? What they did to her? All of it?
Lena turned slightly, facing her completely with confidence and sincerity in her eyes.
“I’m sorry”
To her surprise, those tired gold eyes finally acknowledged her.
She turned her head ever so slightly and stared at the short girl for a moment. Her eyes reading what most people would normally follow with something of gratitude but she said nothing.
She didn’t need to.
Lena offered a small smile before turning on her heel, but she was only a few steps away when that cold voice called out to her.
“Cherie”
Freezing on the spot, Lena whipped around, surprised to find her facing her. But her blood ran cold, realizing that Widowmaker was not looking at her but instead just past her, where Emily was quietly hiding and waiting.
After a few seconds her golden eyes returned to Lena and watched her for a long moment, her hands were out of her pockets now, balled into fists and ready.
“Keep her safe”
Lena’s fists uncoiled, staring at her nemesis with shocked and unblinking eyes as she digested the words, the request for something she wished she could have done for him.
She nodded slowly, watching her turn back around and return to the very place she found her in.
She had absolutely no reason to trust her. An assassin killing in the name of Talon.
Yet Lena returned to Emily with a confident smile, enjoying the tight hug and firm hold of her hand as they continued their journey to visit Winston.
Why were you in London?
Keeping an eye on our enemy.
Have you learned anything? Any weaknesses to Overwatch’s Mascot?
No.