Good evening everyone! Here's my Christmas/Holiday oneshot because I'm festive McHanzo trash. I love Hanzo's changes from the latest comic, it's actually killing me he's so amazing.
Anyway, this is also my obligatory 'thanks for 1k' oneshot so yeah, thanks for 1k. I'm actually surprised I've made it this far so thanks again for your support and encouragement.
Enjoy!
~~~
Christmas Eve wasn't the best time to be lonely. Hanzo knew this as he wandered through the streets, jealously watching families laugh and smile. He didn't want to be bitter and he wasn't really, just tired of being alone whilst everyone else had someone to smile with.
It had been years since he had last properly celebrated Christmas, back when Genji was so young and enthusiastic about all these colourful western traditions. Back when Hanzo still had family. Now, he found himself wandering, traveling wherever in an attempt to redeem himself. Genji had told him to forgive himself but he knew it was going to be a long road.
Currently, he was in America, forced to watch the 'happiest' season from afar and in a foreign country. What made matters worse was that he was having to spend it living out of cheap hotels and living off what ever he could manage.
Tonight he was trying to find a bar somewhere, a place where he could find lonely people like himself and celebrate with strangers. Anything to not be lonely.
His mood lightened slightly as snow began to fall around him. He had always loved snow and it reminded him of when he was little and would play in it with his brother. The snowflakes now danced in patterns around him, swirling in the wind and landing in his face and in his hair.
Walking through the streets, he found himself stumbling upon a Christmas market. He vaguely remembered seeing signs and posters for it when he had entered the town but he hadn't really cared too much, but now he was happy to have found it.
There were lights everywhere, hanging from the shops and houses and there were market stalls set up around the area, selling gifts and food. In the centre of the square was a huge Christmas tree, lit up by multicoloured fairy lights and decorated with baubles and tinsel. On top, of course, was a silver star and it glittered in the bright lights of the street.
People were everywhere, teenagers buying cotton candy, children begging parents to let them have a go on the game stalls, flustered looking adults doing some late present buying and couples holding hands as they listened to the carol singers.
All of a sudden, Hanzo felt a warm, happy feeling bubbling up inside of him. The market reminded him of the good times, of the smile on Genji's face on Christmas morning and the memory of the first time he saw snow. It was nice to feel like that again.
He took the time to wander round a little, smiling at the sound of festive music. The market stalls were colourful and pretty, each one lit up by its own set of twinkling lights. Hanzo liked seeing the trinkets and toys that each shop sold, having never really been to one of these events. Everything seemed festive in its own way, from snowman gingerbread to hand knitted Santa hats.
What caught Hanzo's eye, amongst all the other busy stalls, was a cake stall in the corner. He vividly remembered Genji coming home every Christmas Eve with cake, a traditional present for loved ones, and they would eat it together as they talked and laughed about anything and everything. It was one of Hanzo's fondest memories and favourite traditions.
As he walked over to the stall, he saw a cake that looked like the first one that Genji bought for them. It had white icing and was decorated with strawberries. He perfectly remembered that day, he was twelve and Genji was nine, the younger of the two spending the entirety of his allowance on a present for the two of them to share. They ate it whilst talking about how cool it was going to be when they were older and able to do whatever they wanted. Looking back, it was almost funny how hopeful they had been, considering what was to become of them as they grew.
Pushing that aside, Hanzo looked down at the cake, thinking of buying it as a Christmas to himself. He had enough cash on him and it was very tempting, especially now that he didn't have to listen to anyone telling him not to. Eventually, he decided to go ahead and do it, as he was unable to think of a single reason why he shouldn't.
Half an hour later, he came away from the market with a cake and a carol booklet. He still felt a tinge of sadness as he walked past the houses filled with laughter and families but he couldn't help but wish them well.
~~~
Not far from the town square, Hanzo finally stumbled upon a sufficient place. It was dimly lit, quiet and looked festive, making for the perfect place to share cake and get drunk.
Inside, it was slightly better than he had expected, a tall Christmas tree with plastic decorations and multicoloured lights in one corner and ribbons and tinsel on everything else. It was also very empty, the only other business being a young looking woman, who was taking in Spanish on her phone, and a rather drunk looking...Cowboy?
Hanzo chuckled at the stranger's choice of apparel, not one to judge considering the rather traditional outfits that he used to wear. Each to their own, he thought, taking a seat near the man and setting the cake down on the table.
The bartender was quick to serve him, making light conversation but nothing too intrusive. To his right, the woman had finished her call and, to his surprise, was making her way over to him.
"Hiya!" she greeted, taking the seat next to him and leaning on the counter. "What brings a guy like you to a place like this on Christmas Eve? You got nowhere else to be?"
Hanzo chuckled.
"I have not exactly had many places to be for a while."
Her smile fell a bit, as if she regretted mentioning anything, but when she spotted the cake she grinned.
"That for me?"
Smiling, Hanzo nodded and pushed the cake towards her.
"The point of buying it was to share. We will need a knife though."
More casually than he was expecting, the girl pulled a knife out of her pocket. Once again, though, each to their own. It probably wasn't legal but that didn't bother him too much.
With a fake sigh, she cut the cake and said in an overly dramatic voice,
"And I though I was special. Would you like to poke our .friend to see if he would like some?"
The woman gestured to the cowboy, who was still passed out on the counter. Taking a slice of cake, Hanzo slit it over to the other man on a plate(provided by the bartender) and tapped him on the shoulder, hard enough to hopefully wake him up.
With a groan, the cowboy lifted his head drowsily, barely opening his eyes. Then, all of a sudden, he was sitting up and looking flustered, hat almost falling off his head.
"Huh? Do I gotta go? Shit...I just-"
Hanzo laughed, cutting off the man's yelp. He shook his head and the man calmed down a little as he saw the cake and the two other people at the bar.
"We were just wondering if you wanted cake. This guy brought some." the woman chirped, holding up her plate.
Clearly still very out of it, the cowboy blinked and said something that was so jumbled that Hanzo couldn't make sense of it but it was followed by a warm smile so he assumed it was something nice.
The woman cleared her throat, suddenly drawing the attention back to her.
"Don't you think it's about time we introduced ourselves?" she declared, before introducing herself, "You can call me Sombra, amigos."
From the other side of Hanzo came a voice from the ever so slightly more sober cowboy that the others could vaguely recognise as "The name's McCree." and in turn Hanzo replied with his own name.
"Well it's nice I meet you, McCree and Hanzo."
Deciding it was better not to get completely drunk around these people, Hanzo talked instead of drinking, only taking occasional sips of his beer as he chatted to Sombra(who seemed to be an extreme heavyweight despite her small size) and the slowly sobering McCree.
They all had their reasons to be there it seemed, although no one pushed to get answers from each other, and they shared stories of past Christmases, of adventures and former friends. It felt great to finally be able to talk about things openly and freely without the clan breathing down his neck. To these people, he wasn't anything special, he was just another lonely soul looking for company.
The evening was full of laughs, cake and Sombra trying to convince a still slightly tipsy McCree to do dumb things whilst Hanzo tried in vain to stop him. It was the most fun he'd had in years and there was nothing to stop him being himself. He felt like there were years of built up recklessness that needed to be released and now was the time to let go.
While attempting to stop latter from licking the Christmas tree, Hanzo and McCree were suddenly halted by Sombra laughing loudly. Hanzo shot her a questioning look, to which she replied by pointedly looking upwards and wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. Glancing upwards, Hanzo realised the reason. He and McCree had been caught under mistletoe. Feeling his face heat up, he turned to look back at the cowboy, who had also turned bright red.
For a second, they both stood still staring into each others eyes but then Hanzo found himself tugging McCree down and kissing him softly on the lips, telling himself it was just because of this dumb tradition. When the other man started to kiss back, wrapping his arms around Hanzo's waist, he decided to throw that thought away and realise that he was definitely doing this for him.
They were so engrossed with what they were doing that neither of them noticed Sombra making a quick call.
"Si Gabe, él está bien."
~~~
When Hanzo woke up on Christmas morning, the beginning of a day he thought he'd be spending alone, with strong arms holding him, he knew that leaving the clan behind and moving on was the best thing he could have done. Having someone to be with was the best present he could ask for.
~~~
Well that's was fun! Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and Best wishes for the new year!
Adios!