Chapter Text
“Ugh..”
Sunlight rested on your face as you slowly opened your eyes. Your body felt heavy, tired and battered from yesterday’s battle.
“Wake up everyone, breakfast is ready!” A familiar voice echoed through the halls. It’s Mercy.
It has been months since the ex-Overwatch members were recalled. Now the “good guys” live together in some kind of big building, like children in a dorm. That includes you. You think it’s weird how they fight to the death almost every day but still managed to play family when they get back to the base. Nonetheless, you enjoyed the moments of peace and safety.
“(Y/N)? Let’s have breakfast!” Mercy said as she opened the door to your room.
“Yeah, I just woke up, gimme a sec.”
“We’ll be waiting!”
You got off your bed with a yawn and walked barefoot to the kitchen.
“Hey, morning,” Soldier 76 greeted you as you walked past the lounge.
“Morning. What’s Angela making today?”
“Mac n’ cheese. It smells pretty good.”
You sniffed the air. Damn, it does smell good. You nodded to him in agreement before entering the kitchen. A huge pot overflowing with a tasty-looking mac n’ cheese sat on the stove.
“Hmm, a glass of milk would probably be a good company,” you thought, grabbing an empty mug and opening the fridge. You heard loud thumps of footsteps coming closer. You knew very well whose footsteps those were.
“Good morning!”
It’s Reinhardt.
“Morning, Reinhardt,” you blushed ever so slightly, smiling to him. Yep, you do have a crush on him. Nope, not weird at all.
“It smells really good in here, let us start eating at once!!” he roared, his hunger apparent.
Breakfast started when Mercy came back to the kitchen. Well, it’s not like you ate together. Some took their plates back to their room, some ate in the lounge, and some ate on the dining table. You chose to eat on the dining table. Thankfully (?), Reinhardt pulled a chair and sat beside you. You ate in silence, as you think it’s impolite to talk while eating.
“This is really good!!” Reinhardt said, enjoying his meal. You chuckled in response.
“Yeah, it really is.”
“Glad you liked it,” Mercy beamed with delight. Soldier 76 came into the kitchen with his empty plate.
“Okay, training starts in an hour!”
You put on your battle suit. As a support, agility is one of your priorities, because you can avoid attacks and swiftly move from one teammate’s location to another, so your suit is pretty lightweight. Even so, with the current technology, even the thinnest of armors can still provide decent defense and can deal an okay amount of damage.
“Heyo, (Y/N)! Wanna spar?” Tracer came up behind you.
“Sure.”
“Let’s go, then!”
You smiled at her enthusiasm as you get ready.
As usual, she’s really fast, but you can still see her movements, although barely. You blocked some of her first attacks. Some time passed as the two of you exchange blows. Tracer was gradually becoming faster.
“I’m not gonna last very long if we keep this up..” you thought. You used your special skill in midair to ‘teleport’ away from Tracer’s field of vision. People call it teleporting, but you’re actually swapping the air and area around you with the air and area from another location. Well.. it’s basically the same though.
As Tracer lost sight of you, you attacked her from behind, causing her to fall to the ground.
“Whoa, that still catches me off guard!” Tracer said with her thick accent.
“Good fight there,” you panted. Keeping up with Tracer’s movements was so tiring. She gave you a high-five as she thanked you, and went on her way to get some water.
“That was splendid!” A voice roared behind you. You blush instantly.
“Hey, you saw, Reinhardt?” You turned around. Man, Reinhardt looked so cool in his armor. You felt a bit embarrassed that he was watching you, but you’re happy at the same time.
“Yes, I did! Are you up for another round?”
“Alright,” you said, catching your breath. Sparring with Reinhardt always makes your day.
You both get ready and charged at the same time. You launched kicks at him, and it clangs with his armor as he blocked your attacks.
“Dammit, his barrier shield is so-“ you grumbled in your head as you tried your best to break his barrier. You’ve been sparring for quite some time now, but Reinhardt’s movements weren’t dulling at all. When his barrier finally broke, you landed a midair kick on his temple, kicking his helmet off. You could see him swinging his hammer at you from your peripheral vision. You wanted to dodge, but…
As his helmet hurled through the air, your mind focused on something else. His face.
His face was filled with determination and solemnity, indicating that even though he’s only sparring, he’s still serious. As a tank, he naturally has a really charming courageous expression that explains he’s not afraid of anything, not even death. He-
What the hell are you thinking? You’re in the middle of a fight, god dammit, but it felt like time slowed down as you saw his face. You knew very well that his hammer was closing in at you but you couldn’t move because your focus fell apart. A lot of things went through your mind.
“Shit… am I going to die? I’m so stupid- dammit-“
You felt the impact of Reinhardt’s hammer on your side and heard a loud crash. You tried your best to assess your condition after receiving a direct hit from Reinhardt. You coughed. And judging from the rusted iron smell, it’s probably blood coming out of your mouth there. Your internal organs hurt, but aside from that, you felt numb. You couldn’t tell if you’re breathing or not. Everything went black, you couldn’t even open your eyes anymore. You could only hear faint yelling before you slipped into unconsciousness.
….
..
……
“Warm…
Urgh… what happened..?”
It’s still dark, but light is slowly being registered by your brain as you painfully tried to open your eyes. Your whole body hurt. The warmth you felt must’ve been the remnants of Mercy’s healing touch. Memories surged back, and you closed your eyes shut again.
“Damn, that was really embarrassing. I can’t believe the sight of Reinhardt’s face broke my focus.”
You felt so embarrassed with yourself that you didn’t even feel like waking up.
“Ugh… What a stupid mistake.. I hope I haven’t made a fuss or caused trouble,” you groaned softly.
“(Y/N)?”
“Wha-?”
Your eyes snapped open and you looked at the huge figure looming over you.
“FUCK!”
“Uh, hey Reinhardt. What’s up?” you awkwardly tried to converse. You’re pretty sure you’re blushing really hard. Everything’s so embarrassing.
“(Y/N)! I sincerely apologize for hurting you! I do not know how I would ever make it up to you.”
“Yeah- No!! Uh…. I’m sorry-”
“No, I was the one at fault. I did not mean to hurt you. I may have been too hard on you.”
You stared at Reinhardt. His look of determination was there no more, it’s been replaced by a worried expression mixed with guilt. The look on his face broke your heart. You felt like a total dumbass.
“Stupid, stupid! Why did I let myself be caught off guard?!”
You took a deep breath and held Reinhardt’s hand. He didn’t flinch, but he seemed a bit startled. You stared straight into his eyes, wanting to make sure he understands that he wasn’t in the wrong at all. It was all just your own stupidity.
“Reinhardt…
It really was my fault. I was distracted mid-fight. It was an amateur mistake. I could’ve just dodged that or something but no, my focus was in disarray. I only have myself to blame.”
You didn’t break your stare. Reinhardt’s expression didn’t change at all.
Silence.
“Uhm, besides, I wasn’t hurt too badly!”
“Mercy took an hour to heal you.”
Welp. There goes trying to brighten the mood. You were trying to think about something else to say when Reinhardt opened his mouth.
“Well, are you willing to tell me what was on your mind?”
“Oh hell no….”
You gave him a questioning look. You didn’t expect that at all.
“You always looked so focused when sparring. It must have been something serious, that you even got distracted. Maybe you will feel better if you tell what’s on your mind to a fellow comrade,” he continued.
You stayed silent. You frowned slightly at him. Oops, he could misinterpret this frown.
“I… guess if you do not want to talk, then I will leave.”
“Fuck!”
Reinhardt was going to get up from his seat when you tightened your grip on his hand.
“W-wait, I can explain!” Nope, no you can’t. You’re a bad liar, and Reinhardt would probably know if you’re lying, considering his age, so…
Any kind of explanation you’re going to give him would be a confession.
“I am listening.”
“This is such a bad idea,” you thought, but what else can you do? He was going to leave thinking that you don’t trust him enough to tell him whatever problem he thinks you’re having. Also, he’s going to perpetually feel guilty for hurting you.
“Alright…” you began, “so uh, you know how I kicked your helmet off right before your hammer hit me?”
He nodded. You looked at your knees.
“Ummm… so… when I see your face… I..” damn, this is getting very embarrassing, “I uh.. lose focus, you know?”
“What?”
“Dammit, dammit, please don’t let him misinterpret that too.” You felt like crying. You tried again.
“You make me… feel….” Your blush intensified every second you’re talking, “you give me butterflies.” That’s the best vague explanation you could think of.
You glanced at Reinhardt.
He didn’t seem like he connected the dots.
“Ugh…”
You gave up.
“I like you,” you blurted.
More silence. It’s driving you crazy. Shit, have you fucked it all up?
“I’m sorry, I know it’s weird, I just….. Okay, we can forget all of t-“
You were interrupted by Reinhardt holding your hand tightly.
“You do?” he said.
You looked at him.
“……yes?” you replied weakly.
Reinhardt pulled you into his embrace.
“Uhhhh?” you failed to assess the situation.
“Okay,” he said, “I understand now. You should rest, you haven’t fully recovered,” he pulled back and looked deep into your eyes.
As you tried to register his reaction, he cupped your cheeks and kissed your lips lightly.
“Whoa… is this a dream?”
You blushed really hard. Reinhardt’s face looked like that of a little boy’s. He looked excited, filled with pure happiness.
“And I you, (Y/N),” he said as he pulled you into another hug. You couldn’t believe it. You hugged him back hard. You’re not even sure if you’re dreaming or not, but you’re really happy right now.
“Go back to sleep now, so you can recover,” he said.
“Are you kidding? How am I supposed to sleep after this?”
Reinhardt laughed.
“What do you want to do then, liebchen?”
“Umm..” you smiled shyly. He called you sweetheart! “Let’s get some food, I’m hungry. And let’s go tell Angela that I’m okay, to spare her from her worries.
“Are you sure you’re feeling well enough?”
“Yeah, 100% sure, especially with you here.”
He grabbed your hand tight and pecked your forehead.
“Alright, liebchen, let’s go."