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“Jesse, this is a terrible idea.”
“Aw, come on, darlin’… everythin’s goin’ t’be fine. They’ll love you…”
“That was what you said when we met that cousin of yours.”
“Now, darlin’, that ain’t fair. I warned you about spookin’ Mal.”
“He shot me!”
“Only a little! An’ that nice doctor fixed you up real good.”
“Hmmmm,” Hanzo glared up at Jesse, still annoyed at how the meeting with Jesse’s cousin Mal had ended. He supposed it could have ended much worse, the big man who was part of Mal’s crew seemed to be a shoot-first-no-questions-later kind of fellow and the woman who was his right hand reminded Hanzo of a few of his own cousins. He shook himself, returning his attention to the house in front of them. It was built out of mudbrick, a sprawling complex of buildings that was the McCree family home. From what Hanzo understood, Jesse was the middle of nine children, four older siblings and four younger. When he joined up with Deadlock, he’d become estranged from his family, only re-connecting with them after he joined Overwatch and turned his life around. It seemed his mostly kept in touch through phone calls and the occasional letter. Today was going to be the first-time Jesse had been home since before the recall… and he was bringing Hanzo along.
When Hanzo asked if Jesse’s family knew he was gay, the cowboy had been oddly vague. Normally, Jesse was so open and blunt about things, never tip-toeing around difficult topics. Hearing his cowboy try and avoid the topic had been disturbing. Hanzo suspected that the topic was either never brought up or was ignored. Either way, he was wary of meeting Jesse’s family when they didn’t know he was dating a man.
He was soon jolted from his reverie by McCree knocking on the front door. Hanzo slipped his hand into Jesse’s, giving it a comforting squeeze. He felt a squeeze in return, a small smile quirking his lips. No matter what happened, they would get through this together. There was the muffled sound of laughter through the door, someone calling out to the rest of the house before they opened the door. Hanzo felt Jesse tense beside him, giving his lover’s hand a quick squeeze. The person at the door was a man maybe ten years Jesse’s senior, threads of grey starting to thread through the brown. There was enough of a family resemblance to tell this was one of Jesse’s brothers. He stopped, looking over Jesse before turning his attention to Hanzo. The older man raised an eyebrow before turning his attention back to Jesse.
“Jesse… what’re you doin’ here? Did Ma know you were comin’?” he asked, his deep voice holding the same warm drawl Jesse’s did. Beside Hanzo, Jesse fidgeted nervously, reminding the Japanese man of a little child caught by a parent.
“Well… I didn’ exactly call ahead…” Jesse admitted. The man opened his mouth to reply, when a female voice interrupted.
“Alejandro, ¿quién está en la puerta?” the voice was warm and comforting. Hanzo didn’t speak Spanish, but something about the tone gave him a bit of an indication as to what might have been said. Almost to confirm his theory, a woman maybe an inch shorter than Hanzo appeared next to the man at the door. She was dressed in a simple shirt and skirt, a flour dusted apron thrown over the ensemble. Her shirt-sleeves were rolled up to reveal strong arms. Hanzo could easily imagine this woman on horseback, herding cattle or maybe even horses. Her dark brown hair was so liberally streaked with grey that it was hard to see the remaining strands of brown. Hanzo immediately recognised her son in her easy smile, finding himself drawn to her warmth.
“Jesse? Mijo! Why didn’t you call?” she pulled her son into a tight hug. Jesse, for his part, embraced his mother tightly before pulling away. Mrs McCree placed a hand on her other son’s arm.
“Alejandro, tell Zyanya to set two more places and tell your father to come to the door. Our little Jesse has come home,” she said. The man… Alejandro, nodded, raising an eyebrow at Jesse before disappearing inside the house. Jesse’s mother turned her attention to the two men in front of her, smiling widely.
“Jesse, ¿dónde están tus modales? ¿Quién es tu guapo amigo?” she asked, nodding towards Hanzo.
“Ma!” Jesse’s squawk of indignation would have been amusing had Hanzo known what was being said.
“This here’s Hanzo… el es mi novio,” he muttered. She gasped, smiling widely before pulling Hanzo into a tight hug. After a few minutes, Hanzo was trying to figure out how to get her to let go when another voice spoke up.
“Aw, hell, Rosario. Let the boy go. Jesse finally tells us he’s gay an’ you scare away his fella with your hugs.” The owner of the voice was a tall man who looked for all the world like an older version of Jesse. His long grey hair was pulled back into a braid, a pair of wire-framed glasses perched on his nose. Hanzo was released from Mrs McCree’s grip, stepping back to return to Jesse’s side.
“Told you,” Jesse whispered with a grin. Hanzo rolled his eyes, not bothering to deign the comment with a response. The man, presumably Jesse’s father, stepped up, holding out his hand.
“Jedidiah McCree, an’ this here is my wife Rosario. You can call us Ma and Pa, like the kids, or Jed and Rosario work just fine,” he said. Hanzo shook the offered hand.
“Hanzo Shimada.” Jed nodded, a small smile curling his lips. His attention shifted to his son.
“Well? Ain’tcha got somethin’ t’say?” Hanzo glanced over at Jesse, noticing how the other man was blushing.
“Jeez, Pa… what’s a fella s’posed t’say? Sorry I ain’t been home in two years, by the way I’m gay?” Jesse mumbled. The older man must have approved of the comment, tugging his son into a tight hug. The two men stood there for a minute before Jed pulled back, cuffing Jesse across the back of the head.
“Ow! What the hell…”
“That’s fer not lettin’ your momma know you were comin’. We raised you better’n that Jesse McCree!” Hanzo felt a soft hand on his arm. He glanced to the side and spotted Rosario beckoning him inside.
“They’ll be at this a while. Come… let me introduce you to the family,” she said.
Soon enough, Hanzo found himself being pushed into a comfy recliner and being told to wait. They had arrived before dinner was due to be ready. Jesse’s siblings and their families milled around the kitchen and dining area, helping and hindering as they went. Rosario had introduced him as they made their way through the throng, although Hanzo wouldn’t have been able to tell who was who with so many new names to remember. A petite red-head with a dusting of freckles sat on the arm of his chair, offering him a glass of horchata.
“Bit much to take in, huh?” she asked. Her accent was Irish, soft and lilting in contrast to the dinstinctive Southern twang of the rest of the family. Hanzo nodded, taking a sip of the drink. He was pleasantly surprised to find it sweet and refreshing. The woman beside him smiled knowingly.
“I was exactly the same when Carlos brought me home the first time. Yuir lucky… no one was expectin’ you… so I suspect the teasin’ will be a wee bit more bareable,” she said, grinning down at him.
“I’m Molly, by the way. An’ who might you be?”
“Hanzo… it is nice to know I am not the first to feel overwhelmed.” Molly laughed, clinking her glass with his.
“Oh, they’re a lovely bunch. Loyal to a fault and very protective,” she replied, swirling her drink. She hopped off the armrest, crossing the room to pick up a framed family picture. She returned to her perch on the armrest, handing Hanzo the picture. The McCree family smiled up at him from the framed picture. Jed and Rosario sat in the front row, surrounded by their grandkids. Behind them stood their children’s various spouses and partners, while the nine children made up with the back row. Jesse stood out in the middle of the back row, wearing his red serape but thankfully not his hat. Molly smiled fondly down at the picture.
“This was taken the last time your man was home. Everyone was so pleased t’see him… don’t think I’ve seen Ma so happy,” she said. Hanzo nodded, glancing up to spot Jesse sidling into the kitchen, hat off and being mobbed by his various siblings. He returned his attention to Molly, who was smiling at him.
“Right… let’s make sure y’know who’s who before we get down t’supper…”