Work Text:
In retrospect it really hadn’t been the best time to drop that particular question into conversation. Then again, Cassidy hadn’t ever really been known for his timing, at least not outside of battle, and definitely not when it came down to personal matters. Like the day he had finally cornered a certain archer to tell him words that Hanzo couldn’t misconstrue how he felt about the other man, a split second before the dropship had been attacked, although he maintained that that there was no way he could have known that was about to happen when Genji had made a sarcastic joke about his sense of timing. Mercifully Hanzo, with his ability to read far too much into most conversations, hadn’t taken it as a bad sign, and in his own quiet way had returned the words.
Which had led to now, as they crouched behind a crate, pressed back-to-back as they tracked the sound of the Omnics combining through the warehouse in search of them. “Are you hurt?” Cassidy demanded, even as he worked to reload his gun. He’d felt Hanzo stumble a split second before he’d managed to haul his partner into their current shelter, but the lighting wasn’t enough for him to make out more than the rough shape of the archer, and the faint lights of his bow.
“It’s a scratch.” Well, at least Hanzo hadn’t lied. It had taken a long time, and both Cole and Genji harping on at him to make the archer inform them if and when he was injured, after they’d had more than one occasion of the idiot collapsing on them when his body had given up on maintaining the lie.
“Hanzo…”
“A bullet grazed my thigh,” Hanzo replied, sounding exasperated enough to reassure Cassidy that it wasn’t any more serious than he was letting on. “I’ll be fine.”
“I know,” Cassidy reassured him, picking up on the defensive note and fighting back a sigh. One day he would be able to convince his partner that injuries and mistakes were just part of the job, but he wasn’t about to rehash that argument right here as he heard more crates being tossed aside, tracking the sound as it moved closer to them. His only concern was that their success here was going to rely on speed, and even a minor wound would hinder that. “I…”
A hand clamped over his mouth, unerring even in the darkness and not for the first time he wondered if the dragons helped his partner’s vision. “You are not going to lead them away from me. You are not going to stay behind. I am fine.”
When the hell had Hanzo learned to read him that accurately? He considered protesting for a moment, but he could hardly lie when he had finally got his partner being honest about his wounds, instead he reached up and gently peeled away the hand pressed over his mouth, and instead grasped it in his own.
“I’m sorry.”
Light passed over them, a search beam that moved just a little too high to reveal them but provided just enough light for him to see dark eyes softening at his apology, and the small smile that tugged at the archer’s mouth. “Hanzo…”
“What is it?”
“Will you marry me?” The words were out before he could stop them, or apply any kind of filter. Not that he really wanted to, but as there were more crashes on the far side of the warehouse, a siren rising in the distance – hopefully summoning help rather than more enemy forces – he couldn’t help but wince. Great timing, Cassidy. Very romantic. He could practically see Genji laughing at him and hear Lena groaning when he told them about this later.
“I do not think that now is the time.” Hanzo whispered, echoing his thoughts and Cassidy’s heart sank for a moment, before he realised that Hanzo had made no attempt to pull his hand free and wasn’t trying to pull away from him as he did when conversation strayed into topics he wasn’t comfortable with. “But, Cassidy…” Maybe it was surprise that had made the archer speak louder than usual, maybe the Omnics had already been closer than they’d realised, or maybe it was just bad luck but Hanzo’s words cut off into a gurgling groan.
“Hanzo…?”
Sudden light flooded their hiding spot, all Omnic attention now focused on them and in the harsh, artificial light that had Cassidy blinking rapidly to clear his vision, he got a clear view of the pain written across his partner’s face and the way Hanzo’s mouth moved wordlessly for a few seconds before blood began to trickle down his chin. It was the hand not holding his that caught his attention, the bow slipping to the floor between them, as Hanzo raised a trembling hand to where Cassidy could now see the tri-tipped, spear-like blade that was protruding through his partner’s shoulder. The ripped material around it was already darkened with blood, and he was reaching for it, not sure what he was going to do, when there was a whirring sound and the head of the weapon twisted, the tri-tips spreading out and turning to sink into the flesh around the wound, drawing a pained, gasping breath from Hanzo a split second before the archer was yanked away from him.
“HANZO!” Cassidy was up and moving before he’d even fully processed what was happening, shock giving way to rage, as crimson flooded his vision. The sight of a skull flickering over Hanzo’s pale face, made him falter for a split second, his deadeye acknowledging how close to the edge the archer was at the moment and he had to wrench it away.
I’m not losing him.
Instead he locked onto the Omnics that had crowded close, tasting and sensing blood. Firing with deadeye always felt like being consumed by an inferno, and this time, with rage and terror coursing through him in equal measure, it felt like a wildfire was spreading through his body. Radiating from his eye and down through his chest, turning those emotions into deadly intent, and then down through his arm, burning through skin and blood and into his weapon.
Aim.
Fire. Fire. Fire. Fire.
Fire. Fire. Fire. Fire.
Fire. Fire.
Fire.
Silence fell, and for a moment he was more and less than human. Death incarnate. Rage and terror made flesh. But, then as bodies hit the floor, metal clanking as life and animation flowed away, he shrank back into himself, breathing heavily as his gun arm came to rest limply at his side.
It was a low, pained groan that brought him back to the present, to reality, and he darted forward even as he finally heard welcome voices in the distance.
Finally.
Hanzo was sprawled amongst the devastation that Cassidy had caused, and making no effort to pull himself up even as the gunslinger approached. “Hanzo…” The tri-headed spearhead was still embedded in him, and blood was pooling beneath the archer with each shaky breath he took, and as Cassidy reached him he could see where the metallic arm that had held it had been broken off, probably by one of his shots, freeing Hanzo from whichever Omnic had caught him. He couldn’t move him, terrified that it would dislodge the head, and he knew enough to know that was a bad idea before Angela got to them, and that thought had him raising his voice to guide rescue towards them. “HURRY! HANZO IS DOWN!”
“S-so loud,” Hanzo chided, having flinched at the sudden shout and trying to curl in on himself as the movement jarred his injury.
“Don’t do that,” Cassidy chided, reaching out to stop him. “Just stay still, help is coming and…” The feel of bloody fingers curling around his gave him pause, and he looked down to find that Hanzo was now clinging to him with desperate strength.
“Cassidy…” Hanzo’s expression twisted, pain making itself known and Cassidy wanted to shout for the others to hurry, but there was something in the archer’s expression that gave him pause. “Cole…” Hanzo’s voice was soft with more than pain now, making Cassidy lean closer to catch his words. “Can you ask me that again… later.”
“As many times as it takes sweetheart,” Cassidy promised.