Chapter Text
It was nearing two AM when Angela thought to glance at the clock in the corner of her screen, and she rubbed at her tired eyes by instinct, her free hand reaching automatically for her coffee cup. By this time of the night, she fully expected the little sting of disappointment that went with finding an empty cup, but to her surprise, the plastic was heavy, warm coffee sloshing tangibly within its confines.
She frowned to herself as she sipped it, her mind still mostly embroiled in the journal article she was drafting on her laptop, and it was almost a full five minutes before she paused. Her eyes swept the room, her vision a little fuzzy after staring at a screen so long, and she spotted the telltale glow of night vision enhanced eyes in their usual corner.
"How long have you been here?" she asked, taking another sip of the coffee; it was perfectly as she liked it at this time of night, strong and devoid of any sugar or milk.
The eyes disappeared briefly as her visitor blinked, and Genji slid forward on the counter he perched on, further into the light thrown by Angela's display.
"I returned from my mission at midnight," Genji informed her, his visor glinting dully in the light. "You know how Tracer flies."
Angela sighed and nodded, swiveling her chair to face him more fully, her coffee cupped between her hands in her lap.
"I do. Thank you for the refill," she said, offering a small smile. "I'll be another hour yet."
"You did not look like you were finished yet," he agreed. "Your shoulders are still too tense."
She glanced at herself and let out an amused huff. "Very observant, as always... Are you injured at all?"
"No. Just a few new scratches," he said, tapping a finger against his armor with a metallic clink.
"Good." She sipped from her cup again, turning back to the screen. "Thank you for the coffee."
"Anytime."
He fell quiet then, and she immersed herself back into writing her paper; by the time she thought about anything else again, it was because a hand on her shoulder was gently shaking her awake.
"What?" She yawned, lifting her head and rubbing at her eyes groggily to no avail.
"You fell asleep in your notebook again," Genji's voice informed her, his hand slipping from her shoulder. "Perhaps you should finish this after some sleep."
"Mm...maybe," she mumbled through another yawn, sitting back and staring at without seeing her screen.
She wasn't sure how long he waited exactly, but at some point, he pushed her chair around so she was facing him instead of the computer.
"Dr. Zeigler?" he prompted gently.
"It's Angela," she reminded a little late, focusing on his eyes blearily.
His lips twitched just slightly.
"Angela, then. Would you like me to assist you to your quarters?"
She considered the offer for a moment and then nodded, sighing in defeat.
"Yes, please, Genji."
His lips curved into the faintest of mischievous smirks, and he nodded.
"Right away, then, Angela."
Before she could react in her exhausted state, he was behind her, hands on the arms of her chair as he rolled her off out of her lab and down the hall.
She laughed quietly, leaning her head back against his chest. "Interesting choice."
"We should race sometime," he suggested into her ear, chuckling. "It is too stuffy here."
"Mm, that is a lovely idea... the competition will be fierce," she teased lightly, her eyes drooping closed.
"We will win, though," he assured her, coming to a halt as they reached her door. "Key?"
She pulled it from her pocket, offering it to him. He took it swiftly and pushed her inside, settling her chair next to her bed.
"Thank you, Genji," she smiled, squeezing his hand gently where it still rested by her shoulder.
He hummed and gave her a rare smile before straightening away from her.
"Good night, Angela," he said quietly. "Perhaps I will see you tomorrow."
"I'll have some tea waiting for you," she promised, kicking off her shoes and shrugging off her coat as she crawled into bed.
"I look forward to it." He leaned down to bump his visor covered forehead gently against her own, and then he was gone.
-
Genji didn't make it for tea that night, but that was okay; Angela had to finish her paper anyways, which meant she would not be so busy his next visit.
As it happened, it ended up being a few days before she saw him again, and this time it was on one of the beds in her clinic, his bad arm emitting electrical sparks every few seconds from a gash in the metal.
"A little bit of a close call," she remarked as she pulled up a chair, her tools open beside her to begin repairs.
"Blame McCree," he muttered, clearly (and perhaps understandably) grumpy.
"He does get a little hot headed," she agreed, glancing up at him briefly. "How are you feeling otherwise?"
"Annoyed," he replied frankly, his gaze flickering away from her.
"Ah." She fell quiet for a few moments, letting him calm down. "I have tea on the way."
Genji grunted, his eyes shifting around the room restlessly. It was clear today was not a good day for him.
She started rambling quietly about her latest research, medical jargon spilling past her lips in multi-syllable words that would classify as tongue twisters for the general population. When her assistant arrived with tea, Angela had her set his cup on his good side and paused to take a sip of her own.
"Ana got it from her last trip to Egypt," she informed the ninja.
"Ah..." He sniffed at the drink and then tried a small taste of it, looking pleasantly surprised.
Angela smiled slightly and turned back to rebuilding his arm. As he sipped the tea in the quiet, his body relaxed a little, bit by bit, until she could sense the anger had eased. If she took a little longer than necessary putting him back together, it was for the best; it kept him in one place to cool down safely.
At length, she glanced up at him as she connected the last of the wires. Her fingers caught the metal hand and squeezed lightly.
"Feel that?"
His hand closed gently around hers and he nodded. "Yes. It seems you have done it again, Dr. Zeigler," he mused quietly.
"Was there ever any doubt?" she winked, tossing her hair over her shoulder teasingly.
"Not with you," he promised, his thumb brushing the back of her hand gently before letting go.
"That's right," she agreed, glancing up as another patient was brought in, his bionic leg sparking where it was torn open. She stood, glancing at Genji. "Come by the lab tonight if you like."
"If I can," he nodded, getting to his feet to head out.
Angela squeezed his shoulder once before she headed off to her next patient.