Jesse and Lena walked arm in arm through the festival, taking in the many sights, sounds, and lights as their fellow agents bustled about around them and things began to unwind. Angela had run out of her Ovaltine long ago and was sitting by the bonfire with Genji, listening as Torbjörn and Reinhardt recalled the events of the evening. Reinhardt appeared to be drenched and drying off his massive figure as the bonfire began to dry.

"Looks like you might have actually been the one to send Reinhardt into the pool," whispered Jesse, careful not to get the big German's attention. He wasn't worried about Reinhardt being mad, but getting caught in one of his stories would take up the rest of the night and he was enjoying his time with Lena.

"Oh! I think he spott'd us! Let's go or we'll be up to our ears in his tales!" said Lena, pulling Jesse's arm as she sped up her walking away from the bonfire in a fit of giggles.

Was that German you heard behind you? Loud German?

Reinhardt doesn't get mad, right?

I'm pretty sure he doesn't.

Better be quick about it, though, just in case.

The two ran off, getting lost in the crowd before getting snagged into unending tales of camaraderie and courage. The two walked about aimlessly for a while, arm in arm, deep in their own world. Had they been aware of those around them at all, they would've noticed their fellow agents making way for them as they walked by, smiles on many of their lips and money exchanging hands of a few others.

"So, you were a sprinter?" asked McCree.

"Not just any sprinter, the best," said Tracer, a smile working its way onto her lips as she thought about a life she had been so far removed from.

"I gathered that from the whole 'Youth Olympics' spiel a few hours ago," chuckled McCree, earning himself a gentle elbow into his side. "D'ya ever miss it?"

"Oh, of course! I was going to win gold!" exclaimed Lena. "But I wouldn't trade my life now for anything. I make a difference here! I'd probably just be sitting around in a big ol' house, eating cereal out of a box with my face on it and staring at all my medals if I hadn't joined the RAF."

There're worse things you could put on a cereal box.

You can say that again.

"What was that?" asked Lena.

Shit! Did you say that out loud?

Quick! Say something smooth!

"There're worse things you could put on a cereal box," replied McCree.

I suppose Gabe never said anything about yer quick wit when he picked you out of that lineup.

"Charming!" said Lena, with a giggle. "You're lucky you're cute."

Cute? You might not be hopeless after all.

A toothy grin took hold of the Cowboy's face as he slowed down to take in the complement. Lena kept going, her momentum spinning her around to be face-to-face with the Cowboy, looking pretty full of himself at that particular moment.

"Oh no, Cowboy," laughed Lena. "You're not that cute, you're more 'soft smirk' cute." The Pilot reached up on her tiptoes and started molding his smile to be more in line with the Cowboy's actual cuteness level.

"And... there!" She exclaimed, giving his hat a gentle flick but bursting out into laughter as McCree went right back to his charming, full-beaming smile. "Alright, Cowboy, where to next?"

"Well, a few folks over in Blackwatch are having a party over in Hangar 6, if that sounds more your speed," drawled Jesse.

"Hangar 6? Does Jack know about this?" asked Lena.

"Jack? Not so sure about that," said Jesse, the hint of a grin creeping into his voice. "Reyes knows, though, and he… encourages us to practice our 'tools of the trade,' if you will."

"Tools of the trade? What, like stealing kegs and stereo equipment?" laughed Lena.

"We prefer 'requisitioning,' actually," said Jesse, steering the two in the direction of the airfield.

The two continued to enjoy each other's company as they moseyed towards the secret party. It didn't take long for Tracer to snag McCree's hat from his head and place it over her own constantly messy hair. To his credit, Jesse didn't put up too much of a fight.

It looks better on her anyway.

Can't argue with that.

The Cowboy was in the middle of deciding if the Brit would look better in a cattleman's hat or a cutter when they reached the edge of the festival, bordering the berm that led to the hangars. Due to some aesthetic decisions, something about making government officials feel more at ease when touring the peacekeepers' facilities, there weren't any fences once you got inside the campus. Here, the quad where the edge of the Festival took place ended abruptly, dropping several feet before turning into a berm that ran the rest of the way to the airfield.

He hopped off the edge onto the grass and turned around to help Lena down. Before he knew it, though, she had already leapt into him, forcing him to quickly grab her. The two froze in place, her toes dangling gently a few feet off the ground, her arms wrapped around his neck and his face inches from hers. The Cowboy's heart pounded in his chest, the Brit would certainly have felt it had she not had her chronal accelerator on.

Alright, Cowboy, you should think about putting her down now.

Yeah, but her face is right there.

The Cowboy stared into the Brit's creamy hazelnut eyes, his tongue suddenly thick in his mouth.

Put her down now, Cowboy.

Yeah, but her lips are right…

And then they were on his. Jesse's mind blanked in pure bliss as his tongue found its way past hers. One of Lena's hands rubbed across the muscles on his back while the other played with the hair on the back of his head. Jesse's hands seemed content ensuring she didn't fall, pressing her body firmly against his.

After what felt like only moments the two separated, one of Lena's hands coming to rest on his chest while the other continued to play with a tousle of his hair.

"Had I known that was what was in store, I would've run Gabriel off at the bonfire with a torch," breathed Lena, heaving a content sigh.

"I would've helped you," said Jesse, a smile already formed on his face. "How'd you get to be such a good kisser, darlin?"

"How does anyone get to be good at anything, love? Practice," said Lena, matching Jesse's soft smile.

"Well, wherever you practiced, remind me to send them a thank you card later," said McCree.

Well, that was dumb.

Yeah, not your best stuff.

Lena raised an eyebrow at that, sporting a wry smile before the smile broadened and her nose crinkled.

"Sometimes your flirting is rubbish, Cowboy," said Lena, the smile on her face betraying the charm the Pilot felt. McCree couldn't help but smile back.

And then the camera went off.

What the fu-

"Bloody hell!" exclaimed Tracer as the two lost their balance and started tumbling down the berm. The couple slid down the last few feet, Lena on top of Jesse as they finally stopped at the foot of the small hill.

"What the hell was that?" asked Jesse as the two laid there for a second. They heard the motherly laughs before they saw her. Both groaned good-naturedly as Lena got up and helped Jesse to his feet.

Jesse leaned over and snatched his hat off the ground, slapping it against his knee to shake the grass and dirt free, and put it on his head as Ana made her way to them, waving something while holding an ancient-looking camera and chuckling to herself.

"Why hello, you two! Sneaking off away from the Festival I see!" exclaimed the older captain, a gleam in her eye. "You aren't exactly violating any regulations, I know Jesse here has a flair for the covert but this seems a tad overboard!"

Jesse let out a groan and rolled his eyes but wore a smile, all the same, it was impossible to be upset around the base's mother.

"Oh, it was nothing like that cap'n! Jesse was just going to show me some of the planes Blackwatch has in its hangar," replied Lena. "What's that you've got there?"

"I'm sure he was," replied Ana, a single eyebrow raised firmly at the Cowboy.

"What I have here," she said, lifting her camera, "Is a polaroid camera my grandmother gave me ages ago. And this," she said, raising the square of plastic she had been shaking in her hand, "Is probably my favorite picture of the night."

She handed the photo to Lena, who held it for Jesse to inspect with her. While a photo could never hope to capture the emotions he felt while holding Lena at the top of the berm, the smile that the two shared in the picture, with Lena wearing his hat, was certainly close.

"I knew I looked good in that hat," exclaimed Lena, wearing a proud smile.

"I could've told ya that, darlin," agreed Jesse.

"I think I'll be keeping this," said Tracer, sliding the picture into a pocket. "And I think I'll be taking the hat back!"

She started grabbing for the hat, giving Jesse only moments to react, forcing him into a game of keep-away with his hat, sending the two in a fit of laughter. Ana's camera went off again but the two didn't notice, Jesse eventually winning control of his hat for good as Lena protested that he was too tall.

"Well, Lena has a photo, it only seems fair you get one, too, Jesse," said Ana, fanning the new picture before handing it to the Cowboy. "And let her wear the hat, it looks better on her."

"Thanks, Cap'n!" laughed Lena, triumphantly snatching the coveted hat from the top of Jesse's head.

"As for the hangar, don't you two think one of your quarters would be much more comfortable?" asked Ana. "You two have a good night, Jack said he needed help putting down some of his more lively monsters."

With that, the captain headed back up the hill towards the Festival, leaving the couple smiling at each other at the edge of the runway.

"I think she has a point, Jesse," said Lena. "I'm fairly certain my place is a lot more comfortable than any hangar could be."

"It's mighty hard to argue against that," agreed McCree.

"And I have it on good authority from a certain Swiss doctor that someone has a penchant for Texas whiskey. What do you say to a bit of a nightcap?"

"I say, 'What are we waiting for?'" said Jesse, offering the crook of his arm to the Pilot, his best smile beaming at her.

Lena took Jesse's arm and the two started heading back up the hill towards Lena's quarters. As they reached the top a light snow began to fall and Jesse couldn't help but feel that this might be the start of something he hadn't quite experienced before. His heart skipped a beat and his smile grew just a bit wider.