InsaneJournal

Beyond the first network glimpse and Syd’s abrupt reaction, she’d managed to avoid him. Cole. A name she knew, attached to a man she knew, but it still wasn’t hers. No matter what memories he had, twenty fucking years had passed for him where it didn’t her, and Syd was bound and determined to be a cranky shit about it for a week.

It had only been a few days. So she was still entitled to a few more. Dol didn’t let her stay at home and mope, though, he still liked his regular visits to the park and the shelter, and she wasn’t one to tell him no unless it was for his own good, and in this case it was for Syd’s good.

She wouldn’t be a completely selfish asshole. But that opinion changed the moment she heard Dol’s happy bark and he took off across the sidewalk and street towards the familiar jangle they both knew well. “God damnit.” She wished she’d been a completely selfish asshole as she had to wait for a bike to pass before catching up to the giant black dog who’d located a man he’d gotten pretty attached to. “Dol, seriously?”

It was a damn good thing Cole was used to rolling with the punches. Showing up in Vallo and suddenly being bombarded with years of memories from his time here had been a knuckle sandwich right in the gut. They were good memories, full of love and friendship and adventure, but they’d felt like they were a hundred years ago and just yesterday all at the same time. Getting on the network hadn’t exactly leveled him out. Time was helping, though. He’d snagged an apartment at Morningside and explored a bit. Made sure to check in on his favorite grumpy archer.

But there was still an elephant in the stables. Syd. He wasn’t planning on rushing her into a face to face confrontation but Dol took the choice away anyway.

Cole nearly got bowled over, but he planted his boots and laughed, crouching down to get in some good pets. He looked up at Syd from under the rim of his hat. “Howdy…” At least he managed to bite off the ‘darlin’ that instinct wanted to plant on the end of that greeting. “He looks real good. I’m surprised he could still recognize me.”

There was that young, impulsive urge to stop her feet and flounce away from all of this. But she didn’t do it. She could be mature about this shit, but maybe not as mature as the face of her boyfriend - former boyfriend, since ex made it sound like they broke up and it wasn’t Vallo pulling him back home for twenty years.

It had only been a year for her. A long year that involved going home on her own for a little time, but not twenty years worth. Really, she deserved a damn award for only shoving her hands in her hoodie and not running away. Dol was lapping up the attention and not looking like he had any intention of leaving, anyway. “Yeah well, maybe he remembers when you looked like this for a while. Or it’s your boots. He likes cowboys.”

"Just any ol' cowboy will do, huh?" Cole smirked a little somberly and gave Dol a few more scritches before he stood up. He wished he'd been given the chance to miss Syd while he'd been home. To be heartbroken at the loss of her. She deserved that much and more. Instead, he could only feel a kind of sadness that felt old and aimless.

"Sorry, I uh…" He reached up to sweep off his hat and pushed a hand through his hair. "I really did mean to let ya have more time before ya had to see this old mug up close. But it's nice to see ya. You look great. Am I allowed to say that? Is it weird?" He put his hat back on and pulled it down low over his face to hide for a second. "Hell, I'm just makin' it worse," he grumbled quietly.

“It’s a little weird, but at least I’m over 21.” Not by much, technically, but then then there was time travel involved and she really didn’t want to add more confusion to it if she could help it. This already sucked. But goddamnit, he looked good too. Older, sure, and it was a little weird and awkward now that she’d had a thing going on for a few months with Rogier. Not a thing she’d been able to convince herself to put a label on, but a thing.

She should’ve just cut her losses and escaped from this conversation early, but instead she found herself standing there, talking in a quiet, sad, voice. “This isn’t how I saw our reunion going. All of this. But it’s not your fault. I just don’t know how to deal with it. At least out of all of this, that part is a balanced playing field.”

“Yeah…we are definitely even on that score.” Cole put his hat back on and gave her a sad smile. He didn’t want to leave on that note, but he wasn’t sure what would be okay to say or do either. Hugging her felt like crossing a line. Not hugging her felt criminal too. He grimaced. “I just want ya to know, that kid? He wouldn’t’ve left ya for nothin’. I know it doesn’t make any of this okay, but I feel like it needs to be said.”

Giving Dol another vigorous head scritch, Cole took a step back. “Gonna get outta your hair though. But I don’t want this to be the last time I see ya, alright? You either,” he directed at Dol. The dog smiled a goofy dog smile at him and headbutted his leg before lumbering back over to Syd. Cole tipped his hat to her. “I’ll see ya around, darlin’.”

Syd thought she’d been doing okay with coping. Well, mostly it was compartmentalizing and avoiding everything with some retail therapy, but that was coping in a way, right? It had been, right up until this moment, when her emotions got the better of her. Dol sensed almost immediately and as soon as Cole stepped away, the large dog was leaning into her and Syd had to reach down to put a steadying hand on him as her eyes clouded with tears at his words.

“Bye,” That was really all she could get out without just-- bursting into tears on the middle of the sidewalk. Syd took her escape before Cole noticed that tell-tale flush on her face, practically darting to the nearest waypoint before he felt bad about the tears, and thankfully Dol took enough pity on her to keep up.

The archer was trying not to watch, from a block away, sitting on the edge of a rooftop with a container of dumplings in hand. Rai was wrapped around his arm, her head rested on his shoulder as she peeked down at the food she would have gladly stolen if she was not being watched.

Hanzo waited until the cowboy was nearby before speaking from his vantage point. “Dumpling, Cowman?”

Watching Syd's face contort with emotion before she fled was about as bad as getting shot, as far as Cole was concerned. He was tempted to punch himself in the face, but there were people around on the street, so he walked towards the alley in his slow-walking way, digging around inside his pocket for his cigar case. He had one nearly to his lips when Hanzo question startled a little curse out of him and he juggled the cigar to avoid dropping it into the street.

"Goddamn, assassins. Always sneakin' around." He flashed a self-deprecating smirk up at the handsome archer. It helped to see him. Like a balm to a fresh burn. Cole spotted the fire escape ladder nearby and pointed at it. "Can you lower this for me? Rather not fire off a gun and make the locals nervous."

Hanzo made a quiet noise of objection. But not about the assassin moniker, apparently. “I did not sneak anywhere.” He did not protest about lowering the ladder, instead just jerked a foot out and kicked the upper end, which extended the ladder down for the cowboy. Rai slipped back away for now, apparently running on the assumption that when there were dumplings for Cole Cassidy, there would be no more for her.

She was probably right, but Hanzo would save her one regardless. He held out the container for Cassidy. It had already occurred to him that he interrupted a potential pity party, Hanzo knew that look well. “If you would have preferred I leave you alone, I will disembark, but you cannot keep the dumplings.”

Hanzo's rebuttal just made Cole smile a little wider, a little warmer. He climbed up, his spurs making noise the whole way. He could be sneaky when he wanted to, but he wasn't really built for it. And he liked making his presence known most of the time. While he wasn't as much of a show pony in Hanzo's presence - not without any other bystanders anyway - Cole still didn't bother tempering what he was. There was a level of comfort here that he wasn't trying to look too closely at just yet.

"Not tryin' to run ya off, Han," he said, dropping down onto the roof's edge next to Hanzo. "Or your little buddy." He couldn't be sure which of the dragons had just disappeared from view. As much as he wished he could tell them apart. Since the offer had been made, Cole didn't hesitate to reach over and steal Hanzo's chopsticks to claim a dumpling from the container and stuff it in his mouth.

"Thanks," he mumbled, mouth full. He avoided eye contact. "How much of that did ya catch?"

Hanzo mentally nudged Rai but she tucked away for now, preferring to make her presence known again when it was least expected, most likely. “She will be back.” It was not truly meant as a threat, and yet still sounded like one. As fond as a threat could be, because for all of the maturity the dragons could possess and convey, they were still like having mischievous children tethered to his soul.

There was no point lying or skirting around it, so Hanzo just took his chopsticks back so he could have another dumpling. “Some. It was not my intention to intrude on a private moment, though I was ready, should she have decided to stab you.”

"I hope she will," Cole smirked, less threatened than he was charmed. The dragons were a damn delight. Outward proof that Hanzo was mischievous under the surface, curious and warm for those that earned his loyalty. And Cole was really trying to do just that. He let the chopsticks get reclaimed without putting up a fight.

“Nice to know you had my back. But if Syd ever stabs me, I’m sure I’ll deserve it. She’s one of the good ones, you know?” He didn’t realize he was a little slumped against Hanzo’s side, but he did realize he sounded pitiful and took off his hat to ruffle a hand through his hair. Hat head was his perpetual friend, unfortunately. Good thing he didn’t affect his charming half-grin as he leaned back on one arm and peered over at Hanzo thoughtfully. “You just gettin’ the lay of the land up here or were you followin’ me?”

To his credit, Hanzo didn’t complain about being used as a wall. Or a leaning post. It was not the first time Cassidy had done that, though he doubted the cowboy noticed previous attempts, either. Hanzo was never used to touch, whereas Cassity was one to touch everything. He was not against the concept, but it had been an adjustment. One he kept to himself.

“I will take your word for it. You seemed--” Hanzo did not wince so much as his face contorted just slightly. “Happy, when I was here last.” But that had been twenty years in the past, even though it had only felt like a year for Hanzo. “I was not following.” It wasn’t a no. “I was watching. Enjoying the view, and then you were there. It is merely a coincidence.”

“I was. Happy,” Cole admitted. There wasn’t any denying that part. His twenty-two year old self had pictured a life with Syd and met their future kid even. He had to hope there was some alternate reality of this alternate reality where those three still got to be a family. But the Cole here and now had been through a lot since then. Too much and not enough.

“And then I got sent home for all kindsa fun,” he said snarkily, lifting his mechanical hand and giving Hanzo a little finger wave. He risked Hanzo’s wrath and reached out to pluck another dumpling out of the container with the tips of his metal fingers. “It’s been a long time. Feels like another damn life honestly.” Popping the dumpling into his mouth, he chewed in silence for a second and then sighed through his nose. “Tell me somethin’ nice, Han. Somethin’ good you've seen while you been enjoyin' the view.”

Hanzo stared off to the bustle of the city below them, not as lively as some of those he had visited at home, but this area still held quite a bit of movement and culture in its form. He enjoyed staring off to the park, where people were happy to laugh and play. “Sometimes I feel as if no matter what we do, our destiny drives us towards certain paths.” It was likely not a comfort to say to everyone, perhaps not in this moment, but some things were bound to happen no matter what they did to combat them.

Seeing people happy, however, was still a small comfort afforded to those who were patient enough to watch. He pointed to an older man and younger woman, enjoying their time in the park. “This father and daughter reunion has been very nice. It seemed they had not seen each other in a while, and--” Hanzo abruptly cut off as the pair leaned in for something far closer than just the hug he had witnessed earlier. They were clearly not father and daughter. “Hrm.”

Cole was a simple man and he enjoyed Hanzo's deep and gruff voice. It was melodic. Soothing. It was also hilarious when he got caught in an awkward situation and he made that hrm noise. Cole held tight to the hat in his lap and threw back his head to laugh.

"Oh, darlin', you're right. That is a beautiful thing. What a lovely family reunion," he teased. With another little chuckle, he put his hat back on and brought a knee up to rest his arm on it. "Thanks. I needed that laugh. I think maybe your certain path is putin' me in a good mood cause you're always doin' it, I swear." That was a little too honest of an admission and he patted his shirt pockets to distract himself. "You mind if I smoke?"


“Quiet.” Hanzo admonished, though still with an embarrassed tint to his cheeks, so it really held no heat in the word. Not anything that was likely to make Cassidy back off, anyway, if history was a marker for that. With the cowboy also distracted over his embarrassment, it gave Hanzo a chance to sneak a look at him and appreciate the view. The way his hair fell messily, especially as he laughed and threw his head around. It--

Ugh. It was probably evident on his face that it contorted slightly as Hanzo got annoyed with himself for thinking such foolish thoughts. “I do not care.” Whereas he sounded aloof, he was frustrated on the inside, a burning need crept into his neck in the form of a flush. “But I planned a walk soon. Are you capable of doing both at the same time?”

"Ya know, I think I am," Cole smirked. He read a lot into Hanzo's little sounds, the way he tilted his nose up at things, and damn near every mannerism he had besides. Of course, he had no idea how many of his assumptions were wrong but that was what was nice about keeping them to himself. He could think a lot of Hanzo's annoyance was aimed more at himself than others and Hanzo couldn't disagree with him.

"Think I can eat another one a these too." He snatched one last dumpling out of the container and climbed to his feet. His hunting spoils hung half out of his mouth as he continued to pat his pockets for his cigar case. "Come on then, darlin'. Lead the way. We both know you'll be a helluva lot faster than me."

“Ugh.” The sound of disgust was mostly exaggerated for purpose. He wasn’t truly annoyed at sharing the dumplings. Hanzo hopped up easily and reattached his bow to his back before they started anywhere, he had not quite been able to bring himself to leave it at home yet, and old habits were hard to break.

“Very well, we will walk.” Hanzo waited until the moment Cole had a cigar in hand before very purposely leaping from the edge of the roof to another rooftop, and then another, before he gracefully landed on the ground several feet away. “Try to keep up, Cowboy!”

Half the dumpling fell out of Cole's mouth as he watched. "Goddamn it, Shimada."

Being stubborn - and ultimately trained by Blackwatch to jump out of helicopters - he only grimaced slightly as he finally let himself look over the edge at how far down it was. Little Jesse McCree would've been shaking in his boots about jumping across rooftops. He'd have done it anyway, but still.

Cole squared his shoulders, jammed his lit cigar between his teeth, and made a running leap. His spurs jangled the whole way.