Nova laid against his partner, listening to his heartbeat while his hands found and held Genji's. The ninja had been asleep for at least an hour, but Nova couldn't seem to follow suit. His head swam with happy thoughts, lessons from the past, and a gnawing hunger that wasn't there before. He groaned and scrunched himself up before he got up and walked out of the room. He already missed Genji's warmth but hunger stabbed him in the chest and stomach. He got a bottle of water and leaned against the counter, trying to will away the growls. "That sounds serious. Do you have a dragon in there?" He chuckled and wrapped an arm around his stomach, looking up at the older Shimada. "Why not feed it?" "It's late and I'm tired, but I can't sleep. Plus I have a rule about eating through the day. "What kind of rule?" "I only eat twice a day and I don't eat for three hours before I go to bed. Oh...and I don't eat more than I can work off." "That is three rules, not a rule. Surely you can make exceptions if hunger keeps you awake?" Nova shook his head and groaned when his stomach growled loudly and painfully.

"I'm used to it. It's not even that bad, really." "Nova, why must you torture yourself?" "That's the million dollar question, isn't it?" Hanzo took a seat in front of him. "Are you ok?" They asked at the same time. "You first." Nova said, taking another drink. "Are you ok? About the marriage, or in general. Anything else that might be on your mind." "I changed my mind. That's the million dollar question. Um I think I am, it's just the same kind of anxiety that's always there. Genji said to put the wedding aside because there's so many options, but I kinda wanna get it over with as soon as possible." "When you were a child, did you dream of what your wedding would be like?" "Heh, no. My brain sort of skipped that part. I pictured a marriage, white picket fence, decent sized house and a dog." "No children?" "Not at the time. I know I never want to be pregnant though, but adoption...could save a kid's life. Pretty much nobody has a harder life than foster kids. They deserve more of a chance at life than a clump of cells that don't even exist yet."

"I think I will agree with you about that. Have you thought about children with my brother?" "Not that I know of. Is that bad?" "Not if you do not want children.  Has he...talked about that?" Nova squirmed, feeling like Hanzo was leading him to a point he didn't wanna go to. "No, not to me." "Then you can put that out of mind as well. Do you know who you would want to walk you down the aisle?" The question that had been on his mind since Genji unofficially proposed to him. "Ideally...it would have been Reyes, our old boss. He was like a dad to us all, but you and Jesse have put the title of brother above your heads and I...I can't choose between you." "Why would you need to choose between us? Jesse has been in your life far longer than I have. In my opinion, I believe he deserves that role more than anyone." Nova sighed softly. "There's still so much to think about. I'm willin' to do whatever Genji wants for it, I think he'd wanna make it memorable. I never really liked weddings but...I...ugh. I don't even know what I'm trying to say here."

Nova rubbed at his face in an effort of wiping away the tears. "Are you scared?" He bit his lip and hopped up on the counter, drawing a knee to his chest. "I feel like...I'm gonna screw everything up. No matter how many times I practice something, when it's important, I manage to fuck it up beyond all repair...I'd be an embarassment to you two, to my family, Overwatch...and Reyes would probably laugh at me." "Nova, let them happen. Trip and fall, let your body shake with fear, allow the mistakes to happen. There is no such thing as a perfect wedding and if it was, I know my brother wouldn't want it. I have heard that the closer to perfection someone tries to make the special day, the more likely they are to mess something up. Your faults, your fears, and the courage to face those fears until you vomited for days, they are all part of you. And if you throw up, he will be there to clean you up. That is what love is, Imōto." Nova giggled against his leg and wiped his eyes on his knee.

"You're so smart. Sometimes I wonder how you and Genji are related." Hanzo chuckled. "Dyed his hair too much and lost a brain cell too many." That gave Nova an idea and Hanzo could see the gears turning in his head. "What are you thinking of?" "I'm thinking...I need a haircut." Nova 'awwe'd and his head turned to the door. "Come here, Jess. You know I can feel you." The cowboy stepped in, trying to look like he wasn't just crying. "Ven aca, hermano mayor." Nova let his leg down and held his arms out, Jesse immediately moved over and scooped him into a hug. "You grew up too fast, dammit. Sometimes I miss the little guy I met who was four sizes too small for that damn serape." "Hey! I'm four and a half sizes too small, thank you." Jesse chuckled. "Why were you crying?" Nova asked, gaze somewhere off in the distance as his chin rested on Jesse's shoulder. "Because...like I said, you're all grown up. Gettin' married and everything. Won't be nothin' left for you to do here." That hit Nova in the chest like a massive ice shard. "Just because we're missin' two people, don't mean we ain't a family."

"You're right. I guess I just didn't think...that all this'd happen when Genji brought ya here that night." Hanzo didn't know what happened 'that night', but from the way everyone talked about it made it seem like they picked up a stray dog; stray cat in this case. "What happened...that night?" He asked. Jesse turned so he could face the archer, but wasn't quite ready to let go of Nova yet. "Well we got back from takin' down a group of thugs and Genji was real pissed. I don't know what happened, but he woulda started tearin' the whole place up, so boss sent him to cool off. He was gone a while, guess he musta been real pissed, and he came back with this little guy. Scared to death, frozen blue, shakin' like a leaf. I didn't trust him, but Genji did. We got to talkin' cuz they had to wait out a storm, found out he was bein' abused and was gonna kill himself that night." Nova nuzzled at Jesse's neck, remembering like it was yesterday. "And you wanted to help him, I assume." "Well yeah. The things he told us...gives me nightmares. We couldn't let him stay there and Boss talked to Morrison who let him join on the condition of workin on his anxiety and empathy."

"Yes, the empathy. How on Earth did you manage all your life, knowing your abusers' true feelings?" "It hurt a lot, inside and out. To know that the person who's supposed to protect you will be the first one to hurt you and for the longest time. I felt...like I'd be stuck there forever and doomed to die by my sister's hand. Part of me was happy with that, the idea of being saved or leaving that life was so like...out of my reach I just gave up on it and accepted my fate." "I do not believe that. I can tell by the way you have acted around others that you did not give up completely, you still fight. You do not let yourself be pushed over, some of the things I have heard you tell Genji when he was...how do I say...when he was having issues, if it were anyone else, he would have hurt you. If what Jesse says about you is true, then you are very brave.

You may call yourself a coward, and laugh about it, but that is not necessarily a weakness. Some creatures survive only by running away. Do you mind if I ask you something?" "Go ahead." Jesse finally set Nova down and they both took a seat. "Would your younger self be proud of the person you've become?" After taking a minute to think, the elders could practically see him running through memories and his childhood, he ended up with tears in his eyes and he groaned, thumping his head on the table. "Yes and no. I wanted to kill myself my whole life and I had the chance, but I was too concerned with the possibility of surviving to try. But I hated how weak I was. All I can say is I'm different now." After the calming talk with his friends, Nova yawned and let himself fall out of his chair. Jesse and Hanzo watched in amusement, Hanzo repeating what he said about Nova and Genji being too dramatic for anyone but each other. "I got 'im. Good night, Han." "Good night McCree." Jesse stood and grabbed Nova's ankle, dragging him out of the room.

They had set the date, long as it took to come up with it, and it wouldn't be for another eight months. Nova felt that he could breathe a little leasier, having an official date he could run away from. With the help of Hana and Lucio, Nova had dyed his hair, then cut it.

Genji was more than surprised at the new look and couldn't keep his hands off it, much to the dismay of everyone involved. Nova finally slapped his fiance's curious and greedy hands away from his hair and made an attempt at fixing it. Once the date had been decided, Nova put his focus and energy one hundred percent on their missions and he lost himself in the thrill of battle again. Side-by-side next to his brothers, and Lucio and Brigitte, the once scared-stiff mouse of a boy was now a fierce and deadly storm of blood and blades; a true force to be reckoned with. A few months later, Nova was in a position he never thought he'd be; his former boss with a gun to his forehead. "Lo siento, Niño." A twist of the wrist and the gun fired.

His right eye went red and he cried out, clutching at the wound. "Ow, ow! Fuck! Son of a bitch, you asshole!" Blood dripped down Nova's hand and he lunged at Reaper, swiping at his neck with his shiny new dagger; Reaper dematerialized and ran away. Nova huffed and twirled his weapon, cursing him out under his breath. "What happened? You good?" Lucio's voice came through his earpiece. "Yup. Nothin' fatal. Stupid bastard got me in the eye. How you guys doin'?" "Could use some help over here!" Lena grunted. "Alright gimme a sec. Gotta find my way out of here." "Nah, hang back. I've got this." And there was Brigitte. Nova chuckled and started making his way back out of the rundown building. Once he was outside, a swarm of enemies surrounded the building. "Oh no...I can't get all these guys. Little help? Guys?" "I got you, Nova!" The empath whimpered softly and had no choice but to wait for backup. A green blast came from behind the group and blew a hole right through one of the men. With their attention on Lucio, Nova could run up and eliminate the ones closest to him. "Guys we need to hurry! The teleport's gonna close in a few minutes!"

"Come on, Nova. We got this." Lucio gave him a smile and shot off to kill the last few before taking Nova by the arm and skating to the teleport point. One by one, the four of them made it through and Nova slumped against Lucio with a tired sigh. "Come on, let's go check on your eye." It was still bleeding profusely and Lucio guided him to the med bay. "He's all yours, doc." Lucio patted him on the shoulder and took his leave, Angela got to work on stopping the bleeding. "It grazed the corner. You got lucky." "No I didn't. It was deliberate." "How do you know?" He motioned to his eye. "We were standing almost as close as you and I are, the gun was right here," He pressed his forehead. "Flicked his wrist and shot the side of my eye out." "So he changed the position to prevent a fatal blow, yet he could prove he attacked you if he was questioned." Nova nodded, knowing the possibility of being on the other end of Reaper's gun was real, but it still stung; literally and figuratively.

"You'll be alright." Once he was patched up, he went to find Brigitte and Lena to make sure they were ok. The wedding day finally arrived and so far things were going well. They were going to have a small wedding, for Nova's sake, and nothing would be too fancy. It took a while of finding an open venue and an officiant who would marry a gay couple, but they finally found one. During his vows, Nova blinked back tears and promised to protect Genji with his life, Genji promised to keep showing him the love he deserved and helping him overcome his issues. The rings were slipped on and there were no objections to the marriage so they were pronounced husband and husband, which broke the gates holding Nova's tears as they sealed their lips for the first time as spouses. The agents cheered and Lena jumped up out of her chair. During the reception, Nova snuck away to the bathroom to try and calm down and stop crying. When he went back out, his former boss was there, both actually, and he froze with a quiet sigh, turning to look at them. "Reyes, Morrison." He tried to keep a straight face, his eye still hurt and wasn't completely healed; it wouldn't ever.

"If you came to start something-" "I didn't." The skull mask was removed and Nova's gaze softened. "Estoy orgulloso de ti, Niño." "Pff I didn't do anything. It was all your fault, both of you." "How?" "You let me stay. You were both part of the reason I could grow up a little and stop being such a whiny little bitch. I owe you both so much, it's crazy." "You don't owe us a thing. You could only change if you wanted to. You're strong, like a bull." "All we did was give you the tools you needed, no reason to thank us." Nova hugged himself and tilted his head. "I have every reason to thank you. But...can we settle for a hug?" Reyes held his arms out and Nova gently hugged him, giving him a squeeze. "You're an amazing person, Niño. You have gone through so much and you never let it get to you. I missed you when you left with Genji, but I'm glad you did." "Me too. It was cool to watch Genji change too." When they separated, Nova stepped closer to Morrison who held one arm open.

Nova cautiously wrapped his arms around the man and melted against the embrace. "Jeez you have a nice body. You're built for hugging." Reyes coughed awkwardly and Morrison chuckled. "Ohhhh you two huh?" "Yes and no. I think you've been gone too long, I hear someone calling your name." Nova reluctantly pulled away from the hug and gave them a sad smile. "Thanks for coming, you guys. Means a lot even if nobody can know about it." "Nova! Goddammit will you come back here?" The empath groaned and waved apologetically before sprinting off to find Jesse. "Why do I feel like our kid just grew up and left for college?" Morrison asked, leaning against Reyes. "He kind of did. We treated him like our kid and he fits the role well, don't you think? Look at that. Look at our kids playin' around." Jesse had sat Nova atop his shoulders and they looked for treasure that some of the agents hid; it was like a mix between an Easter egg hunting and a scavenger hunt. "Jesse, that tree branch is getting awful close. Jesse...Jesse!" Jesse gripped Nova's ankles tightly and told him to duck, the only option he had was to bend back.

He tried to do it slow so he wouldn't hurt Jesse and he pulled himself up by his core muscles. "I will get you back for that." He muttered, missing the look of surprise on his bosses' faces. "Was he always that strong and flexible?" "I have no idea. Wouldn't be surprised, he spent years with Genji. Makes you wonder..." The way he trailed off made Morrison blush and smack him on the head. "Get your head out of the gutter, those are our kids you're thinkin' of." "You're thinking the same thing!" Nova finally found the treasure and fell off his chair when he opened the box. It was a Christmas picture of all the agents in ugly sweaters. They were itchy and terribly uncomfortable but the cookies they had more than made up for it. Pharah, Ana, Hana, Baptiste, Lucio and Hanzo made batches and batches of cookies, each from their own family or culture, everyone got stuffed full of sugar and eggnog or soda, passed presents, wrapped each other in christmas wrapping and Reinhardt put the star on the tree before he got tinsel strung on him as well.

When everything was done with, they all went back to base, but Nova and Genji were stopped by Winston at the entrance. "You guys are leaving for your honeymoon tomorrow, everything's already been taken care of, Athena will wake you up so you can pack. We'll talk more about it before you leave, I promise." He gave Nova a smile when he could see fear start to paint his face. When they were let in, Genji took his husband to their room and he didn't need to be an empath to feel Nova's fear spike. "What's wrong?" They stopped in the hall but a few people were lingering; Nova whimpered and hoped his partner could understand. He was taken in their room and Genji shut the door behind them. "What's the matter?" "I just...I..." "You are expecting to consummate the marriage, aren't you?" "W-well aren't we supposed to?" Tears were starting to gather in his eyes. "No. The certificate of marriage is legal proof we are united. Beyond that is nobody else's buisness." He sighed and covered his face. "I'm sorry. I don't understand how this is supposed to work." Genji pulled him in for a hug and rubbed his back. "Of course you don't, nobody does. Marriage is different for every couple. I wasn't expecting you to give your body to me just because we are married." "Are you sure? I expected me to." Genji chuckled and kissed Nova's head. "I am sure, my love."

THE END