Work Text:
Snow littered the ground like a blanket of white enveloping everything in sight. The streetlamps glittered along the desolate streets, bright against the darkening night. It was cold, almost twenty below on a starlit December evening. The pine-trees were capped with white hats, and they surrounded the ice rink like a fence, isolating everyone inside.
Couples filled the rink as soft Christmas songs played distantly on a radio. They spun in perfect synchronization, mittens intertwined as they danced around each other, their blades cutting into the ice. Smiles hidden beneath scarves, hair freezing underneath toques, and cheeks rosy from the wind. It was picturesque in it’s own perfect way.
“C’mon, right over here darlin’,” a soft voice against the chill of winter. Jesse took Hanzo’s hand in his own leading him quickly over to a bench. Hanzo’s warm amber eyes were the only visible aspect of his face, the rest hidden behind a gaudy blue scarf McCree had made for him after watching a youtube video on how to knit. It was wrapped around his entire head, while a ponytail stuck out over-top. His utility winter jacket was zipped up to his chin, and he tucked into it as far as he could while Jesse fought back a grin. Dressed in his usual serape, the harsh winds of winter hardly seemed to bother him anymore. Underneath he donned an old flannel jacket, the material itchy around his bare neck.
Jesse ushered Hanzo onto the bench and quickly knelt down in front of him, knees planted in the cold snow. His eyes flickered up to meet Hanzo’s, immediately noticing the coy smile visible just underneath of his scarf. “Here, really?” Jesse shook his head in disbelief as his smile grew larger than life, and he planted two soft kisses on each of Hanzo’s knees before glancing back up, “‘M afraid you’re not gettin’ out of this one, Han. Now hand ‘em over.” A blue satchel crossed over Hanzo’s chest and drawing in a sigh, he reached inside to pull out a pair of black skates, the blades glistening new. He handed them to McCree, who was now gently removing his salt-stained bean boots and placing them to the side. The cold hit his foot like a stabbing pain and instinctively he tried to retract it from McCree’s hold. Jesse only smiled, rubbing his gloved hand over Hanzo’s foot in an attempt to spread warmth before slipping it into one of the skates.
“Jesse?” Hanzo murmured, glancing to make sure there was nobody within hearing range.
The second foot was slipped out, the cold biting down before it too was placed into a skate. “Mmhmm?”
His voice was barely audible against the distant laughing and music. “I do not think I can do this.” He kept his eyes low, embarrassed to meet McCree’s eyes. There was a sudden panic which struck his heart like lightning. The idea of clumsily meandering onto the rink and being vulnerable in front of dozens of people sent his heart beating faster than a drum. What if he messed up or fell? The laughter which would ensue would devour his ears and creep into his mind, forever mocking him.
Jesse furrowed his eyebrows before jumping onto the bench beside Hanzo, wrapping an arm around him and pulling him close. Soft lips pressed against Hanzo’s temple, a wave of warmth flushing over his body. Even on the coldest of days, the harshest of nights, Jesse always managed to warm him. Fire coursed through him wherever their skin touched. It was the one thing Hanzo felt he could rely on.
“Han, listen t’me. If ya don’ wanna do this, ya don’ have to. But when we’re out there, ‘m gonna be beside ya the whole time. I promise ya won’t fall. Understand?”
Hanzo was silent for a moment, mulling the words over in his head. “You promise?”
“Of course, darlin’.” He kissed Hanzo’s shoulder quickly before tying on his own skates with practiced ease. He had been skating a few times, with his family and other Overwatch members and though he wasn’t Michelle Kwan, he had always enjoyed it.
He could feel Hanzo’s eyes on him, watching his hands tie the laces. He could always tell when Hanzo watched him, it was practically a second talent at this point and he relished every second of it.
He glanced up to meet Hanzo’s gaze and flashed him a grin before sitting back up. Slowly Jesse outstretched his hand to him, a second of hesitation passing before Hanzo took it. The archer’s grip tightened as they stood from the bench, stance uneasy as they trudged the short distance through the light snow in their skates, inch by inch. They stood still at the edge of the rink, waiting for the opportunity to slip in behind a couple, McCree watching for any sign of Hanzo’s discomfort.
Jesse led Hanzo onto the ice, and Hanzo’s hand quickly grasped onto his arm as their skates made contact with the rink. McCree moved them as one, one foot ahead of the other as the two slowly began to glide along the edge of the ring. As they made their way around, they were passed by smug couples, heads resting against each other, moving perfectly in sync.
The sounds of bells and piano swelled as the music played on, Jesse softly beginning to sway into the rhythm while Hanzo clutched tightly on, fingernails digging into his coat. McCree fought back a chuckle, relishing in the attention and Hanzo’s acute paranoia.
As they skated around the rink, the archer gradually began to relax, his body swaying in time with Jesse’s, their hips rocking back and forth like a metronome. Hanzo’s hand moved down McCree’s arm, until their hands locked together as they so often did.
McCree leaned over, careful not to break the rhythm before gently placing a kiss on Hanzo’s cheek. “You’re doin’ lovely, hon.” Even through the dark of the night, McCree could tell a smile had plastered onto Hanzo’s face, and felt that his work was complete.
Slowly, with the lightest of touches, Jesse unraveled himself from Hanzo’s hold, careful not to strike suspicion. With every passing second, he gradually separated until--for only a moment--Hanzo was skating by himself. For a blink, there was peace radiating through Hanzo’s body. His eyes were closed from delight, and the winter wind coursed through his hair, loosening it from its tie. His scarf waved behind him, almost like a wagging tail or the beating of wings, a shadow. And for a moment, Hanzo hadn’t noticed the absence of McCree’s touch: until he opened his eyes.
In a flash, Hanzo’s feet were in front of him, kicking and thrashing for solid ground while his arms reached out instinctively back to Jesse, bug-eyed and panicked.
“Jesse!” There was fear in his voice, a quiver McCree had never quite heard before and for a second adrenaline struck through his body as though somebody had shot him. His blood curdled beneath his skin, and his heart beat like a ticking bomb, as he raced towards his lover desperately trying to regain his footing.
Hanzo began to shake, his body leaning over a snowbank and just as he was about to fall an arm shot out to hold him. McCree’s body was warm beside his, a sanctuary--a safety net--and he couldn’t help but release a sigh of relief, head resting on Jesse’s shoulders.
“I thought I was going to fall,” Hanzo whispered into the cowboy’s wind-kissed neck, his breath cold against the bare skin. Jesse’s arm wrapped around his shoulders, pressing the two together as if they could be welded to each other.
He was silent for a heartbeat, letting his cheek rest against Hanzo’s head. “I promised ya wouldn’t, hon. ‘M a man of ma word.” He placed a kiss on the top of the archer before their bodies began to sway to the music. Perfect in every movement, their skates not moving as two people but rather an unbreakable unit. The sound of bells enveloped the winter scene, the rink illuminated by the soft glow of moonlight. Bliss radiated from the couple, and they hadn’t even noticed they had skated into the early hours of morning. Together, isolated from the world, blanketed only with the warmth of their bodies.