CYOA – Life And Death Situations – Chapter 17

For the upcoming chapters we will mainly focus on Jesse and Hanzo...

warning: none

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Jesse tries to wrap his head around bringing a mermaid – or whatever – into a coffee shop. He feels like there is a joke hidden somewhere that he can’t quite see yet.

Hanzo looks around with understated curiosity. His face is what Jesse can only call ‘resting bitch’ face, made even worse by the fact that he so obviously doesn’t want to seem excited and interested in his new surroundings.

He is almost normal looking, but moves about weird enough to make Jesse hurry him towards one of the cute little tables in the back and make him sit down there. He thinks a few people have already glanced around at Hanzo and his slightly… floating arm movements.

There is just something off about him, and people take notice, even if they don’t seem to actively be aware of it.

“You’ll just sit right here and I’ll get us something to drink and a snack, okay?” he says, leaning far down so he can murmur it. “You don’t move a muscle. Don’t even think about getting up from this seat. Alright?”

In his head, a million movies are playing where aliens or some shit came down to earth and kids were trying to hide them. All the ‘wacky’ things that ensued when the aliens inevitably started wandering off, intrigued by everyday happenings.

The mere thought of Hanzo being out there without supervision has his blood run cold. It’s not necessarily that he is afraid Hanzo could be hurt – it’s more the thought of someone approaching Hanzo and being on the receiving end of his sharp teeth or mean claws.

Jesse knows exactly how Hanzo’s hair trigger temperament feels, after all.

Hanzo stares at him with a blank expression. Jesse has no idea how make-up works, but he still thinks that it is downright unfair how pretty Hanzo’s naturally ink-black lined eyes look even when he is making a face like he is considering dumping Jesse right then and there.

“I am not an idiot,” he says primly, slowly folding his hands in front of him on the table. “I will wait for you.”

Jesse nods and inhales softly, then pats Hanzo’s forearm before he can think better of it and turns around real quick so Hanzo won’t see how the simple motion has him all flustered. Hanzo is cool to the touch, but he finds himself wondering how fast he would warm up to a bit of lovin’.

With stiff legs, he makes his way over to the counter, but he has to wait his turn. They arrived right during the lunch rush, and Jesse could kick himself for not taking it into account. There was nothing to be done about it now. He really wants to twist around to keep an eye on Hanzo, but he doesn’t want to put any attention on them by being unnecessarily creepy, so he makes himself stand like a rock and stare at the nape of the girl in front of him.

When he finally has his order of two ham sandwiches and some tea, he turns to find that Hanzo has indeed not moved an inch from the table – but that he is also no longer alone there. Another man has made his way over, one hand on the back of Jesse’s chair, leaning over Hanzo with a charming smile.

Jesse wonders while his heart stops to beat, whether the guy is immune to the absolutely murderous stare Hanzo directs his way. As Jesse moves and tries not to run and topple over the tray in his hands, the newcomer leans a bit closer, elbow on the table. Jesse’s blood runs cold when he sees Hanzo disdainfully lift his lip, showing off the faintest glimmer of his razor sharp teeth.

“Heeey there!” Jesse says a bit louder than necessary while doing one big almost-leap to get to them before Hanzo can bite. He puts the tray down on the table while the newcomer jerks upright, startled by the sudden noise. The saucers of the quaint little teacups are now wet with spillage but Jesse doesn’t really care. His arm jerks out and he grabs Hanzo’s shoulder, fingers digging in just this side of too hard.

“Sorry, bud… ‘s our first date.”

The man’s brows shoot up. He looks Jesse up and down, and then Hanzo. His brows lift, and for a second Jesse thinks he’s about to say something scathing, but then he just rightens his clothes and murmurs a sullen: “Could’ve just said so from the beginning, you know…” and turns without another word.

Jesse exhales, but his heart is still thrumming away against his ribcage. He slowly lets go of Hanzo’s shoulder, and gives it a little awkward pat before pulling his chair out and sinking down in it.

Catastrophe averted, it is now him that is the recipient of Hanzo’s baleful glare. His questioning grunt is only answered with a derisive: “Disgusting,” before his dark eyes flick to the offerings Jesse has brought.

If Jesse didn’t know better, he would say that Hanzo’s expression implies that he does enjoy being tended to like a King, but Jesse wisely doesn’t say a word about it and just quietly nudges tea and sandwich towards him.

.o.

Hanzo had been surreptitiously watching him to see how the sandwich was eaten and the tea was drunk, and Jesse magnanimously pretends like he doesn’t notice.

He tries to imagine how it would be if he were in Hanzo’s shoes. In a completely different culture; all alone.

“This man earlier,” Hanzo says eventually and apropos of nothing. “He wanted to mate?”

Jesse almost chokes on the last sip of his tea, his eyes rolling over to stare at Hanzo, but it is impossible to discern whether he is making fun of Jesse or asking in all honesty. His face could just as well have been hewn from stone.

“I… guess so. Yeah,” Jesse says when he thinks he has himself under control again. “Not like… immediately, but… eventually.”

Hanzo looks thoughtful.

“So my appearance pleased him,” he says, and looks very pleased himself about this. Jesse snorts just to overshadow that stab of something ugly in his belly. He looks away from Hanzo for a moment and when he glances back, the creature is underhandedly preening.

What a vain asshole.

“I am satisfied with this first outing,” Hanzo continues with the air of a King. He seems a lot calmer now than he had when entering the little coffee shop. Having that guy flirt with him must have given him a huge confidence boost. Jesse is not sure if he likes it.

(He likes it a lot. Watching the beauty preen and unfold himself.)

He blinks slowly. “So ya wanna go back?”

“Yes.”

They stand and make their way outside. Hanzo stays close by; probably because he’s still a bit unsure on his legs. Jesse is hyper aware of his presence next to him, and how Hanzo’s elbow keeps brushing against his.

When he glances down, he just catches Hanzo looking up at him all sly before looking ahead of them.

Was he… planning something? He honestly wouldn’t put it past the bastard. Jesse braces himself for it, but all Hanzo does is walk and look around and be quietly satisfied.

They crawl over the large boulders sectioning the beach, and then just stand there, looking out over the water.

“This outing was… enjoyable,” Hanzo says after a while. He’s not hurrying to get back into the sea, and Jesse is curious to see where this is going. He watches the water dragon quietly from the side while Hanzo stubbornly looks ahead, his hands folded behind his back.

“However,” he continues gravely, “it has not sated my curiosity. If anything, I have more questions.”

“Like what?” Jesse drawly. He desperately wants to fish for a cigarette, but he doesn’t think Hanzo would be too thrilled about that.

“...like how humans live.”

Jesse’s bushy brows lift in surprise, a faint smirk playing on his lips.

“So you wanna come home with me? Is that it?”

Hanzo throws him an unimpressed glance. He jerkily lifts his hands and begins to unbutton the borrowed shirt with precise little movements that draw Jesse’s gaze despite himself. His mouth runs a little dry as Hanzo’s smooth chest is revealed.

“I wish to see your home. Yes,” Hanzo says primly. He throws his shirt into Jesse’s arms and continues to undress. When he looks up and sees Jesse staring, his gaze turns so cold, that Jesse quickly glances away, heart hammering in his chest.

Only when Hanzo wades naked into the water, does he allow himself to check out the water dragon’s back. He’s got a cute little ass that vanishes within seconds as Hanzo throws himself into the sea without second thought.

By the time he breaks through the surface once more, his face looks a lot more… feral.

“I wish to be outside longer the next time! You will accompany me and be my guide.”

Jesse’s breath catches.

“Longer? What do you mean ‘longer’? What about your brother?”

But Hanzo just turns around and vanishes beneath the surface.

.o.

Hanzo is aimlessly sliding through the cool waters. There’s a restless… itch beneath his skin that he has never felt before. He is used to always have something to occupy himself – even if it is just patrolling the stretch of sea that he and Genji call their home.

He finds himself going through the motion but not actually seeing what he is looking at. He is still thinking about what happened earlier. Sitting in this human establishment. Waiting for Jesse to serve him food and drink.

The human approaching him, clearly wanting to mate because he enjoyed Hanzo’s colors and demeanor.

He likes the attention. He likes it a lot.

He wonders when the next time will be that Jesse retrieves him from the beach.

Only his last thought is for his brother.

Had he been worried?

He finds Genji – and naturally Zenyatta – in the grotto the brothers have called home for all their life. He doesn’t want to bristle, but he does so even so when he sees the both of them sitting in front of mother’s grave; a picture of her delicately put on the mound of stones and glittering trinkets that Hanzo has collected over the years to honor her.

It looks at least like they hadn’t touched it. The young woman is still looking out at the same angle, quiet and strict and beautiful.

Their heads are together as if they had been whispering just seconds before Hanzo broke the surface. Genji blinks at him owlishly.

“Hanzo! You’re back early!”

Hanzo frowns and makes his way closer, bracing himself on the edge of the landmass in the grotto. He glances from Genji to Zenyatta and back again. Zenyatta’s face had always been disturbing to him. He could never tell what the fellow was thinking.

For a moment, Hanzo thinks that Genji had actually taken notice of his big brother leaving their home for the very first time, but then he continues: “Have you grown bored of patrolling?”

“No,” Hanzo says immediately, smoothly. “I was merely wondering where you two went.”

His eyes travel to the picture. Genji fidgets a little.

“I was just… uh… telling Zenyatta about mother.”

There’s a sudden spike of emotion burying into Hanzo, aching and muddled; a weird mix of anger and fear and loneliness.

“I see,” he says icily, eying Zenyatta who placidly looks back at him, the chubby little tendrils inside the glass bowl gently moving. His glittering hands are folded in his lap.

“A remarkable woman,” he says with his pretty voice that Hanzo can’t help but feel has been designed to appeal to them. “And so very… human.”

Hanzo is taken aback, eyes flicking back to the photograph of their mother. Their human mother. Her heritage is obvious, but he feels flustered that Zenyatta would so boldly speak of it.

Without another word he turns and throws himself back into the water.

Zenyatta turns lightly to look towards Genji who stares at the spot Hanzo vanished on, then shakes his head and turns back towards the grave.

“It’s complicated.”