Chapter Fifteen: Seeing Red

                                    

                                          
The next morning comes, and you're awoken to your alarm. Much later than normal, but still before the sun rises. You sit up in bed and just stare at the balcony for a moment, before sighing and packing your things. You stare blankly at yourself in the mirror before you head out the door, bag in hand. McCree has beaten you to the chase, he's already downstairs and chatting with the recruits. He sneaks a glance at you and his face hardens.
                          
You announce that it's time to leave, and soon enough you're back on the aircraft. It feels like just yesterday that you landed here, and began to teach these recruits. You push the events of last night out of your head, trying to feel happy for the recruits. You do feel genuine pride, as they've grown so much in the past month, and you've been right there to watch them do it. You just take the familiar anger and bury it. 
                          
You chat on the plane with the recruits in the back. McCree doesn't talk at all. He just sits, facing forward, obviously listening but not adding anything. No one seems to notice anything off between the two of you, but you notice the dark circles underneath his eyes and the way that his smile doesn't quite reach his eyes. 
                          
The flight is mostly uneventful. There's a happier and fuller chatter among the recruits that wasn't there on the way to Miller Base. You smile a bit in response to this, but can't quite shake the empty feeling in your stomach.
                          
When the ship lands back at Overwatch base, you file out. You explain how the next week is going to go, with their specialized training and missions, and try not to think back to yours. 
                          
You dismiss them, but hear a recruit call out, "The two of you promised a real fight!" From the back. "You said that the two of you would actually spar- show us what it's really like." The recruits all nod and murmur in agreement. 
                          
You turn to McCree, whose expression you can't read. "A promise is a promise." He says, glancing toward you. The recruits all cheer, chanting your names. The two of you walk into the main building that houses the sparring area, with the recruits following behind. On any other day you'd find it amusing, the gaggle of wide-eyed recruits following the two of you, but you have a hard time keeping the anger away. 
                          
The two of you walk into the area, and as the chanting started up again, McCree gives you a sort of resigned smile. He doesn't say anything, but just takes a deep breath, tosses his hat aside, and gets his guard up. You glare at him and do the same. You feel like caged animals with the recruits crowding around the clear containing walls of the area. 
                          
You slowly begin to circle one another, and McCree makes the first punch. You dodge it easily, trying to match his indifference with your own. You return one, which he easily blocks, and send another, which he blocks too. His eyes don't ever meet yours, and his expression is blank. 
                          
You manage to land a hit after awhile, which gets the crowd going. He tenses his fist, and swings one at you. It connects with your side, and you stumble back a bit. 
                          
"You're getting lazy." He mumbles in some attempt at banter. 
                          
You don't respond. You narrow your eyes and throw another punch, which he blocks. He returns a punch when you drop your guard a bit, and you're knocked to the floor. All of the emotions that you've tried to suppress come flooding back, and you jump back to your feet. Guard up, you begin circling him, and will your legs to work their magic. He comes at you, and slide under a punch, and using the same momentum, kick him with the other leg. He stumbles back a bit but retains good form. 
                          
He throws a punch that connects with your jaw, and you fall onto your stomach. Your back burns as it remembers the all-too familiar position, and you immediately fumble to get back to your feet, as if the floor were lava. Your heart pounds in your ears and the noises of the recruits around you are drowned out. Moving one leg back, you feel the blue energy pulse through your legs and you dash forward, sending a punch to his gut. You hear the air leave him and he buckles a bit, before he simply grabs you and throws you over his shoulder. You land face up on the ground, and try to shield your face as he kneels down to punch at you. You head-butt upward, and he grabs his face and says, "Ow! Hey now-" before you punch him across the face.