Shimada-Sama tapped forwards and placed a hand on Hanzos shoulder,
"Let us be kind to our guest." He mumbled, a thick, scratchy voice eliciting in the air. Hanzo stood from his knees and used his palms to wipe the tears from his face,
"My apologies, father. Brothers blatantness caught me off guard." Hanzo placed a hand over his heart and bowed, loose hairs falling forwards to frame his face, the glimmer of a smirk still lingering. Shimada-Sama smiled weakly, bringing his hand back to clasp in front of his robe. Hanzo bit his lip to stop himself from laughing again, especially when he turned to see the embarrassment written across the mans face.
Jesse crossed his arms and kicked the toe of his boot into the steel ramp,
"It ain't strange." Jesse murmured weekly, attempting to pull himself together but the blush on his cheeks prohibited his calm demeanor to return,
"D-Did I say something wrong?" Genji perked up, both eyebrows furrowing together as Shimada-Sama approaches him,
"Dear Genji, it is inappropriate to judge a culture you have no experience with." He cooed as he came to rest beside Genji, "As for you, McCree-San, please do not be offended by my sons actions, you are a welcome guest here."
Jesse rolled his neck, finding the soft smile on Shimada-Sama to be comforting. Jesse took a step forwards towards the man and the confused boy, he extended a hand and flashed a toothy grin. Shimada-Sama puckered his lips, his own hands still clasped before him. Jesse contorted his face, scanning everyone else to see what he did wrong. Hanzo looked displeased and bothered, Shimada-Sama seemed uncomfortable, Genji caught on quick and cleared his throat.
Once he had Jesse's attention, Genji took a step forwards and class's his hands, bowing his head slightly to Jesse. Jesse snapped his fingers and widened his eyes,
"Right...y'all ain't into hand shaking."
Jesse bowed his head, silently thanking the boy for the tip. Shimada-Sama sighed deeply, bothered by Jesse's lack of prior knowledge but composing himself regardless to uphold the image of respecting Jesse's presence. In reality, Shimada-Sama had a distaste for the backwards mans arrival, he had no plans to end these negotiations peacefully. Nor did he plan to get anything less than what he wanted.
_____
Shimada-Sama had asked that Jesse's grunts go with his own guards for a briefing over grounds security and to be shown to their rooms. Jesse nonchalantly waved them away after their objection, Jesse saw no reason to be worried here, especially in the presence of the spry, green haired boy, nipping at his heels. Shimada-Sama had asked that they go on a tour of the grounds before dinner were to be served, Jesse obliged and followed the three Shimada's away from the landing pad.
Hanzo had become agitated at Jesse's presence, first father takes him away from training, now he insists he assists him on the criminals tour. Hanzo had much better things to be doing then strolling behind his brother and a dishonorable American.
Hanzo vaguely listened to fathers explanations for all the murals and statues, Genji piping in off hand comments about nature and animals occasionally, the criminal listening to his best ability. He could tell Jesse was all very over whelmed by their presence, he was a simple man in the wake of the most noble men in Hanamura after all.
Hanzo noticed the way Jesses eyes would light up when Shimada-Sama talked about the beauty of the grounds and the history of the land, the criminal apparently liked to discuss such things. He would sometimes murmur things about it being more beautiful than his home, Hanzo found that to be quite a bold statement. Perhaps it was because he had lived here and no where else his entire existence. When Shimada-Sama muttered comments about business, Hanzo noticed Jesse's uncomfortableness. Hanzo quickly understood that he was inexperienced in such things, the matter of the impending deal was making the criminal sweat.
In some far corner of Hanzos mind, he felt bad for Jesse. He was far too young to be handling business deals on his own, father would never dream about letting Hanzo control family matters at this age. Hanzo swallowed down the bit of emotion he felt at the criminals dismay, this was no time to be growing attached to the target.
Hanzo picked his head up from the ground as they paused in front of a molded fountain, he could feel the eyes before he saw them. Hanzo caught Jesse's glance, the criminal had been staring at him with those deep, deep eyes. Hanzo held his gaze, determined to not turn away. Jesse did not look away this time either. Hanzos eyes were a wordless, expressionless stare. Hanzo was confused by the look Jesse was giving him, it was making him a little uncomfortable. When the corners of Jesses mouth curled up into a thin smirk, Hanzos cheeks went hot with blush. He quickly hid his pink face behind his thick hair, the criminal had won this round.
Genji tugged at the corner of Jesse's shirt and smiled, leading him past the fountain. Shimada-Sama had retired behind them to walk with Hanzo, they now spoke in hushed Japanese as Genji lead them through the winding, lush greenery.
"Mister McCree?" Genji clicked, he pulled on his pale fingers nervously as Jesse scowled,
"What's up?" He drew, glancing behind him quickly to notice Hanzo and his father were a few yards behind them, far enough to not hear his conversation with the younger Shimada,
"I apologize if I caused you to be embarrassed earlier. It was naive of me to say such a thing to a foreigner." Genji offered a kind smile, his shoulders rolled forwards to almost assume a passive posture,
"It ain't nothin'. 'Spose I gotta lot to learn 'bout you all as well." Jesse fingered the brim of his hat and tipped it forwards. The apology was unneeded in his opinion, but it was welcome.
"I don't believe I've ever made my brother laugh that hard." Genji rested a hand on his shoulder and shook his head,
"He ain't one to laugh, is he?" McCree asked, feeling a need to find out more about the illusive man,
"Unfortunately no. Being the oldest, he has had many responsibilities thrust upon him that I have never had to deal with." Genji glanced over his own shoulder, making sure the two could not hear him, "My brother never had time to be a kid."
"Whaddya mean by that?" Jesse murmured, scratching at the ghost of a beard on his jaw,
"Well, we were homeschooled, so he never made many friends, nor had people of his own age to talk with. Father also asked for a lot of maturity from him since a very young age."
Jesse noted the vast differences between the two brothers, one childish and playful, a real ray of sunshine to be around. The other a stoic, sturdy man, not taking part in much fun and expected to act as an adult at all times. Jesse nudged his hands into his pockets as he thought about the many things Hanzo must have never experienced. Jesse too never had much of a childhood, but at least he could have fun and take time to laugh at himself.
"Why's he gotta act so serious?" Jesse asked,
"Well, he's going to be the head of the Shimada-Gumi soon."
Jesse followed the cobblestone path with his eyes, looking back to see the man again. He had his eyes glued to the ground before him, his father talking quickly and strongly, most likely business. The father and son talked more like colleagues than family; Hanzo looked pained as he listened to his father.
Jesse's eyes danced over his cheekbones and his neck, his arms and the tip of his bow. This life almost didn't seem to fit him, the look on his face when he knelt over laughing was not harsh, but the face of any other young man. He was beautiful and bright, a laugh so pure it could break his heart. Both Hanzo and Genji did not look fit to lead the life of a gang, nor did they look like they wanted to. In another life Hanzo could have been a normal man, he would have fit the bill very well. But with cards he was dealt, Hanzo had to fit into the very specific plan that was made for him before he was born.
Hanzo lifted his face to catch Jesse again, after the conversation he had with his father, Hanzo wanted nothing more than to tell the scruffy, loud man to run away. Go back to America, tell his people to never affiliate themselves with the Shimadas again. Hanzo wanted Jesse to leave before it was too late. Hanzo knew who he was, he knew what his family did to business partners, Hanzo was a Shimada and that much would never change. It was just another deal, after all.
_____
The four of them continued through the grounds into the main hall, the center of the grounds as well as the place where Jesse would be sleeping. Jesse thanked Shimada-Sama for the tour which Shimada said he was happy to supply.
"Your luggage has been taken to your room, if you would like, Hanzo can take you there now." Jesse raised an eyebrow, confused at the choice of chaperone. Hanzo became stiff as he turned to his father,
"Can Genji not show our guest to his room?" Hanzo muffled through clenched teeth, Shimada-Sama waved a hand through the air,
"Genji has had many moments with him, I believe it is your turn to become aquatinted." His tone was unwavering, not the kind of person you would object too,
"Yes father." Hanzo bowed for his father before stepping to take Jesse's side.
"Dinner will be at 7:00 tonight. Hanzo will be happy to show you where to attend." Before any other words could be shared, Shimada-Sama left with Genji in tow.
Jesse rocked on his heels as he turned towards the scowling man, the first time he had been alone with anyone since arriving and it just so happened to be the beautiful man who hated him. Hanzo crossed his arms and jerked his head towards a hallway behind them,
"That way." He cooed, eyes not leaving McCrees.
As they walked down a seemingly endless hallway, Jesse took a moment to note their difference in stature. Hanzo had a much broader chest, noticeably more buffed than his own. But in turn, Hanzo was much shorter. Although Jesse had grown exponentially in the last years, standing at six foot one, Hanzo seemed to be a good six inches shorter than him.
The sound of Jesse's spurs echoed in the luxurious hallway, Hanzo growing more annoyed at each sound until he finally paused his stride.
"What are those noisy things?" Hanzo snapped, gesturing one hand to his shoes,
"My spurs?" Jesse rubbed the back of his neck, a nervous habit,
"What are spurs?" Hanzos question sounded much more than a command for an answer than a plea,
"They're usually for ridin' horses." Jesse murmured, realizing the lack of practicality they had here,
"Horses... We don't even have...." Hanzo shut his eyes and rested his thumb and forefinger on the sides of his nose, Jesse's stupidity was beginning to give him a headache, "What kind of man are you? I've seen Americans before, none of them dress like you."
Jesse clicked his tongue, considering the different ways he could answer the blatant question. He considered trying to say they were all like this but Jesse knew the young man could easily see through him.
"Back home I 'spose they'd call me a cowboy." Jesse felt embarrassed by explaining himself, it was not usually the kind of thing he would admit,
"Cow...boy?" Hanzo was utterly dumbfounded by the man standing before him, never had he met someone so absurd. Hanzo could not make sense of him, perhaps the most confused he'd ever been by someone's character. His lack of understanding was making his head spin, "What the hell is wrong with you?" Hanzo finally spat, losing most of his composure.
"Listen darlin', I know it ain't my place but you've got a weird way 'bout yourself." Jesse leaned forwards, thumbs hooked in his jeans as he tried to stand up for himself, "You're wearin' hooves for crying out loud."
"I am not your darling, cow-man." Hanzo leaned up on his toes, getting closer to reaching the mans pink, blushing face, "And these boots were crafted for an advanced form of free-climbing."
"I ain't sayin' you're my lover ya dink," Jesse scowled, increasingly aggravated by the beautiful mans inability to understand his dialect, "And it's not cow-man."
"I don't care." Hanzo was quick to respond, "Don't call me names."
"Don't act like it don't make you nervous when I say darlin'"
Hanzo's eyes went wide "Stop that."
"Stop what?" Jesse took a step closer, the mask was disappearing with every inch closer,
"You look just as much of a dishonorable man as you actually are." he groaned. Jesse frowned.
"What is wrong with the way I look?" Jesse snapped,
"Your clothes are wrinkled, your hair is dirty and your face is unshaved." Hanzo growled,
"Quite a lot of details noticed for a man who says he don't like me." Jesse hummed, a smile peaking onto his lips, partially pleased to hear that Hanzo payed that much attention to him,
"That's-that's not what I meant!" Hanzo huffed, deeply confused by Jesse ability to turn an insult into a compliment,
"Don't think I don't see you lookin'," Jesse leaned farther more, inches from Hanzos face,
"You...you disgust me," Hanzo leaned away, increasingly uncomfortable and nervous from Jesse's teasing,
"Great." Jesse fired back, not caring what he said but wanting to get the last word in.
Hanzo elicited a deep groan from his throat as he turned on his metal heels, face beat red and sweat beginning to pool on his brow, storming away before he punched the criminal in the nose.
"Hey wait! Where's my room!?" Jesse yelled back, taking a step towards the angry man,
"You're standing in front of it, cow-man!" Hanzo threw his hands into the air and turned the corner, getting as far away from the criminal as he could.
"Oh." Jesse muttered as he turned to open the screen door right in front of him.
_____
McCree closed the last cabinet in his attached bathroom,
"Not a damn razor in this whole joint." Jesse huffed, sliding up from his knees to stand in front of the mirror.
Hanzo had a point, he didn't exactly look like a million bucks. His conversation with Hanzo earlier aggravated him, but at the same time, he was charmed by Hanzo's discomposure. He couldn't help but merit in the fact that he got under the mans skin, Jesse smiled at the thought of Hanzo's red face while trying his very best to insult him. Jesse was a difficult one to insult, he had been called every name in the book. Every once in a while he'd hear a new one, but he was used to the teasing and chastising from his pals in Deadlock.
The bathroom was clean and sleek, very modern and very expensive looking. Bamboo stalks stood in the corner of the room, beside it was a sliding door, red paint decorating the thin wooden panels. A mirror covered the entirety of one wall, a granite counter protruding from the glass, a farmhouse sink resting in the middle. Flowers rest in various places about the room, overall, it was the nicest place Jesse had ever been to. Not just the bathroom-the entire grounds.
Although he spent most of his time ogling Hanzo or chatting with Genji, the tour really did allow him to languish in the beauty of Hanamura. The mountains were easily visible from any corner of the plot, the cityscape below the cliffs that the campus stood atop was otherworldly. Cherry blossoms were scattered over everything, they were dusting around his feet and whisking past his face. A few times he caught Hanzo grabbing at the falling petals, even a man who had never known any different could appreciate the beauty of them.
McCree flipped on the tall shower that stood behind him, he only had a little more than an hour before dinner and he was determined to look more presentable than before. Even if that meant ironing a shirt.
Jesse dunked his head under the warm ray of water, scratching at his scalp with shampoo to hopefully look less dirty. He cleaned his body with the eucalyptus soap that was perched on the railing before he stepped out and wrapped a towel around him. He tugged on his hair with his fingers, trying to get out the tangles with his hands since he forgot to even bring a brush.
After several minutes of tugging and fingering his hair, he finally felt like it would look alright. The wet locks dripped down his back as he stepped into the bedroom, pulling out a navy blue shirt that was even more wrinkled than the black one.
Thankfully he found an ironing board stashed in one of the closets, he had not used one in months but he was determined to not show up to dinner in a wrinkled shirt. He diligently ran the hot iron over the shirt as his hair dripped onto the ground and around his shoulders, making him shutter every so often.
Once satisfied, he hiked on a pair of dark jeans that had yet to form any holes. Shirtless, he returned to the bathroom to finish his hair. By the grace of god, there also happened to be a blow dryer in the room. The thought struck Jesse that much planning went into his stay here. He tossed his hair around as the air blew warm streams onto his locks and face, he tried his best to take care in the finished product, a skill he had not mastered just so happened to be hair styling.
He flicked off the blow dryer and combed through his hair again-it didn't look half bad. Jesse tucked his arms into the crisp shirt and buttoned it all the way to the top. He held his red bandana, uncertain if he should wear it tonight or not. He settled on not from Hanzo's comment about his attire, Jesse wanted to look as presentable as he could. He folded down his collar and glared into the mirror, he couldn't help but wiggle his eyebrows, he looked very, very good.
He kicked into the bedroom and grabbed his pointed boots, the only pair he had brought. The usual chime of his spurs reminded him of how his earlier conversation started, Hanzo didn't like the spurs. Jesse weighed his options in his head, he always had spurs on, they were a part of him. Yet they had no use here, he wouldn't be riding a horse nor bashing in a skull with his heel.
The silvery spurs tumbled to the ground beside his duffle bag and ratty hat, that wouldn't be joining him tonight either. You've gotta make sacrifices when you're smitten.
Jesse took one last glance in the mirror before leaving, he looked the better than he had in a long time. Besides the scruff on his cheeks, he was happy about his appearance.
_____
Hanzo tapped his sandals against the ground, Jesse was going to be late if the door did not open soon. He didn't particularly want to be waiting outside the criminals room, but he had forgotten to tell him where the dining hall was.
Hanzo tugged on the waistband of his blue robe, he had not worn this dress in a long time, he had no need for such elegant clothing. His hair was loose around his face, most of it fallen forwards to lay on his shoulders, some of it still tied behind him in a gold ribbon.
Just as Hanzo considered leaving, allowing the cow-man to fend for himself, the door slid open and Hanzo was left to gape at the man before him. Jesse had ironed his shirt, taken off his spurs, showered, and removed the hat; he didn't look perfect but he had absolutely tried his best, Hanzo could recognize that. The scruff on his face remained and his hair could use some adjusting. Hanzo took it upon himself to assist.
Hanzo shut his gaping mouth and stepped forwards from the wall, reaching a hand up to his part and flicking some of it to the other side, brushing the hair from behind his ears forwards,
"Better." Hanzo cooed and stepped away from the smirking man, the swoon displayed shamelessly on his face.
"Thank ya, darlin'." Hanzo almost objected, but held himself back at the reminder that Jesse was trying.
"You didn't shave?" Hanzo raised a thick eyebrow,
"Y'all ain't got any razors." Jesse shrugged, stepping forwards to close the door behind him,
"We don't use razors." Hanzo clicked, taking a step down the hall, Jesse quick to follow,
"Whadya mean?" Jesse asked,
"I suppose I'll have to assist you then." Hanzo sighed, bothered by Jesses lack of understanding, "Later."
"You look real nice in this," Jesse smiled and fingered the fabric of Hanzos sleeve,
"It is silk." Hanzo flinched away, making Jesse lose his grasp,
"It ain't gonna burn up if I touch it." Jesse scoffed, matching Hanzos quick pace down the hall,
"Perhaps it won't, but it might."
"How sweet." Jesse grunted, the mans mask was building back up.