It's Kiriko

Her eyes convey more than her words ever could. In a fleeting moment, they shimmer with an intense blue, and she briefly bites her lip. She seems unfazed by his appearance, tactfully steering clear of the topic of his cybernetic enhancements.

"Shimada!" she exclaims, a warm smile gracing her face. "I– you were the last person I expected to bump into here."

He discreetly assesses her, noting the recent elevation in her heart rate. There’s also a soft tint to her cheeks. At first, Genji considers teasing these factors but decides not to do so at the last moment. “I live here.”

“Ha,” Kiriko looks back and around. There’s Overwatch staff all over the place. “I mean, look at this place… There’s random people all over the. How will I remember all these new names and faces?”

“I’m glad to be the refresher for you then,” Genji says, tilting his head somewhat down in a bow.

Kiriko lifts an eyebrow, feigning interest. “You’re always refreshing. Don’t act so surprised.”

They both laugh, but their laughter settles into silence after they stop. Despite years between the last time they saw each other, they’ve clicked once more, and it doesn’t seem so awkward when they regard each other. The youthful memories flash in the back of their minds: swordplay, bowl cuts, and karate practices. “How have you been?” Kiriko finally asks, taking a step forward, slightly prompting him to join her in her walk.

He thinks about not following, but Genji sees no reason not to join her. Kiriko stops for a second and looks at him. “Were you going somewhere?”

“No,” he answers truthfully. “Did you want to be alone?”

“No,” she answers truthfully.

“Then I’m walking with you.”

Kiriko smiles. “No better place to catch up, right?”

The reunited duo picks up where they left off, avoiding the more complex, more severe topics. Family backgrounds, crime history, and what happened during and after Overwatch’s peak. Kiriko makes a few probing attempts but ultimately stops every time the subject matter could elevate into their past lives.

They come to an overlook of the ocean; the sun is setting, and off in the distance, cargo ships float by. It’s more than a dot in the water, but all the details are vague. The salty, ocean-fresh air blows in and greets them. It relaxes Genji despite not feeling it. For Kiriko, it calms her, too, and the gnawing subjects return to her.

She’s been silent too long, so Genji taps her ankle with his foot. “We are still friends, aren’t we?”

Kiriko snaps back. “Of course. Why do you even ask that?” Her Japanese comes out sharp.

Genji regards her while being inhumanly still. Even though she can’t see his expression beneath his plated armor, she sees his intense, searching gaze. She’d only seen it a few times when they were both younger. Kiriko never thought such kind brown eyes could seem so intimidating. She holds back her questions, the ones she’s been refraining from asking since seeing him– Kiriko has even withheld meeting Genji for this exact reason.

“How are you holding up?” she asks softly. The question is simple enough, but there’s so much to unravel. She means it differently than before.

There is a tightness in his chest that is sudden and desperate. Genji refrains from looking at her as he processes the question. He was “good” now, he supposed, but Genji thought he felt better than that after seeing her pop up so suddenly. Instead of answering, he just smiles at her, oblivious that she cannot see his entire face. Kiriko looks at him perplexedly; she tilts her head to what side and grins softly. “What?”

He blinked, remembering he wasn’t a playboy in his youth. “Nothing.”

It became awkward for only a breath; she giggled and pointed at her own face. “Can I see you? Your face, I mean? I don’t mean to sound disrespectful, but I need to make sure these guys at Overwatch are treating you right,” she does a once over, playful and curious.

A light laugh comes out of Genji as he turns and stretches. “I can assure you, they did everything to ensure I was the perfect killing machine.”

“Mmhm?” She nodded slightly. “But what about your face?”

The excellent doctor herself said that his recovery had been making steady gains. Recent treatments and even time had taken his skin recovery to the next level—despite the hard times and nerfs to his playability, Genji was becoming a desirable man again. However, there was still a hesitation…

Kiriko’s eyes soften, and she frowns. “You don’t have to, Genji. But…”

A small hiss and a spit of air escaped his armor– the metal plate that made the portion of his visor detach and the glow of his eyes dimmed to complete darkness. Everything his helmet gave him blinked out, and natural lighting came to meet his face.

There was no further build-up. Instead, he pulled away and squinted at the sunlight surrounding them. Kiriko looked better than he thought.

“Oh,” she said softly and smiled tightly. Her eyes were friendly, but there was a surprising amount of lust behind the chocolate color of her gaze. “Overwatch has treated you well.”

“How well?” he lifts an eyebrow and finally gives the smile she hasn’t been able to see. A subtle blush comes over her blush.

“Well, enough, Genji,” Kiriko clears her throat and looks down. “It was nice catching up. And it was terrific seeing you again.”

She hesitates to spread her arms, but the notion is seen, and Genji walks over to hug her. Despite her athletic appearance, she feels fragile as their bodies press against each other. “We ought to catch up some more,” he says, leaving the offer hanging. I’m not doing anything important if you aren’t either.”

“Oh,” she bleeps and seems sheepish. “I don’t want to cut into your free time if you’re looking to spend it doing something else… Trust me. I can keep myself busy. There are a lot of names to remember and animals to study. Did you know you have a hamster rolling around here??”

Genji laughs softly and says…