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embrace-tranquility · 6 years

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A greeting is a beginning, but a goodbye is never the end

Fanfic written for the Zenyatta appreciation week. Prompts chosen from day seven: Greetings/goodbyes. The first part takes place after Mondatta finds Zenyatta abandonned and broken in At first.

Title: A greeting is a beginning, but a goodbye is never the end Fandom: Overwatch Pairings: Mondatta/Zenyatta (past), Genji/Zenyatta WC: 3135 Read on AO3!

“Oh dear, what happened here? Are you alright, my brother?”

Those were the first words that Mondatta ever spoke to him, upon finding him as he had wandered the streets. Broken, alone and confused, he had been seated against a wall, missing a leg, his battery almost empty. His reply to Mondatta had been warbled, voice static and synth broken, but his aura had told the other omnic everything he had needed to know. Carefully, Mondatta came closer to Zenyatta, and when the broken omnic showed no resistance or fear, just tiredness, he had leaned down to help Zenyatta up.

“Let us get you up. Think you can stand? Do not fret, I’ll support you.”

Another warbled noise came from Zenyatta. Blips of binary and glitchy words. A thank you. To which Mondatta simply shook his head. “No need. I simply cannot leave you here. Not when I feel that there is so much fight in you left. So much life.”

Grabbing Zenyatta’s wrist, Mondatta moved to put Zenyatta’s left arm over his own shoulders, pulling Zenyatta up from the ground, and close against him. His other arm moved to support Zenyatta underneath his right armpit, holding up, and making sure that the other omnic would not slump down or fall, keeping a tight grip on him. Leaning on his only working leg, Zenyatta relied heavily on Mondatta keeping him upright, as a warbled apology left him. But Mondatta merely shook his head. They took off like this, Zenyatta hopping along on one leg, Mondatta supporting him and leading him. They did not talk much, but the other omnic would sometimes say something to him, to make sure that Zenyatta had not shut down yet, keeping him awake, and essentially, alive. His battery being at a critical level, Mondatta instructed him to shut down some lesser processes, and even shut down his HUD and sight. He panicked a little at that, but the omnic carrying him assured him that he was safe, and that he would carry him somewhere safe. Where he could recharge. Where he would be helped. With not much of a choice, and Mondatta sounding genuine and honest, Zenyatta decided to trust him, and did as he was told.

The last thing he remembered Mondatta saying to him was that they had reached their destination, before his systems had fully shut down.

Back then, the Shambali did not yet exist. Mondatta had been free for a few years himself, being a slightly older model than Zenyatta, and while he did travel to preach about omnic freedom, equality and something called the ‘Iris’, he did not have quite the following that he had later. Some free omnics knew of him, and his name was getting more fame, but it was still very little.

When Zenyatta came to, he found himself lying on a workbench in a rather sober room. The first thing he noticed, was that his optical receptors were turned on again. The second thing that he was alerted of, thanks to a quick system check, was that his synth was in optimal condition again. Pushing himself up, he raised a hand to his throat, almost as if surprised. His systems notified him that his right leg was still broken, but the snapped wires had been secured, and any damage done to his synth had been repaired, as well as some minor damage to his back wiring. As if noticing that Zenyatta was surprised, a voice spoke up, making Zenyatta turn his head to wherever it came from, Mondatta coming into view. A strange feeling washed over Zenyatta, one he could not explain at that moment, but it was a good feeling. A safe feeling.

“Surprised?” The other omnic asked, having gotten up from his own seated position on the floor. Zenyatta could only nod.

“Who-..” He could not finish his sentence, the words getting caught up in his throat. Confused, as to why someone would repair him even, a discarded, defect omnic without a function and with no use to it’s number. The safe feeling that he had felt earlier was replaced with a feeling of sadness, and disappointment, causing the omnic to lower his head in shame, and his hand to fall back in his lap.

“I brought you to a nearby mechanic, a friend of mine.” the omnic spoke. He had moved over to him, standing at the left side of the table. His hands clasped together on his back, he had an aura of regalty to him. Compared to Zenyatta, he appeared pristine, poised. Strong. Confident. The omnic nodded his head once, before offering his hand to Zenyatta to shake. A few seconds passed, and as Zenyatta kept staring at the hand, unsure of what to do with it, he retracted it.

“You have been out of it for quite some hours. Don’t worry, you are hooked up to a nearby charging station, the cords long enough so my friend could work on you.” His voice is gentle as he speaks in a low timbre tone, not much different from Zenyatta’s own. “Your battery should be recharged, but we rather keep you hooked up whilst we perform the repairs. Just in case.” Zenyatta nodded to that, moving his gaze away from the omnic again. Despite being safe, feeling safe, under the gaze of the other, he felt a little...uneasy. Shy perhaps. Mondatta let out a hum, and he moved to turn around, taking a few steps away from the table as he moved about in the room.

“Cal, my friend, is currently working on repairs for your legs. While your other leg wasn’t...removed, it’s wiring did get damaged. They are unsure if they can truly repair that, but you should still be able to walk. You’re in capable hands here, no need to worry.” Looking up from his lap, Zenyatta’s gaze locked with Mondatta’s, the pristine omnic having turned his head to look at Zenyatta, before moving back to stand at the side of the workbench.

“Tell me, my friend. Do you have a name?”

Upon the question, Zenyatta hesitantly shook his head. Mondatta hummed.

“I figured as much. May I ask for your number instead?”

A silence fell between them, Zenyatta feeling unsure if he should share his number, the only thing he had left, with this strange omnic. Yet, he had helped him. Had carried him to safety, and was making sure that he was getting repaired. It was the least he could do.

“My number-..” his synth crackled to life, having to readjust a little. “My number is Z3-Y4N246, series TEK05.” Another hum from Mondatta, who straightened his own back a little. He appeared..amused.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Z3-Y4N246. I am Mondatta. Tekhartha Mondatta.”

“Must you go?”

If one did not know Mondatta any better, they wouldn’t hear the sad undertone that his voice carried. They would not see the slight hunching of his shoulders, or hear the low whirr in his fans. It was strange, and rare to see Mondatta so encumbered by emotions, and the usually composed and stoic omnic rarely showed them, even to his loved ones. One of his flaws, he had once told Zenyatta. For someone who was so in tune with himself, the world around him, and who found it so easy to speak in front of large crowds, he always found it hard to word his own emotions. By no means he was bottling them up, he just found it hard to share.

But he had always shared them with Zenyatta.

The younger monk turned to face his brother, hands leaving the bag that he had just been packing. It was a small brown duffle bag, and it only held the most essential items and some of Zenyatta’s belongings. Which were not much. A few spare clothes, a coat for heavier weather, some money, and a small notebook. And his charging station, of course. A small noise left Zenyatta as he moved to stand closer to Mondatta, raising a hand, cupping the white of Mondatta’s face plate in a loving gesture.

“Yes.”

Simple words, yet holding a strong meaning. An absolute answer, with no point of return. Zenyatta had made his choice, had made his decision a long time ago. And Mondatta knew he should let Zenyatta go, that this was his decision, that this was the path he chose to walk, and yet he could not bear to see him go, and he had dreaded the day that Zenyatta would leave, ever since the younger omnic had announced it. And that had been three months ago. But time was an illusion, and had blown by in the blink of an eye, and now they were here, standing in front of each other in Zenyatta’s almost empty room in the monastery, Zenyatta ready to go.

He wanted to speak, Zenyatta could feel it. The faint hint of discord swirling in the air, around Mondatta, holding a tight grip on his core. He could feel the pent up emotions, raw and uncertain, and all he wanted in that moment was to help Mondatta like he had helped him all those years back.

“I am not gone forever, brother dear.” Zenyatta mutters, his voice barely a whisper. Hearable for Mondatta’s auricle receptors only. The hand cupping his cheek moves, lower, until stilling on the golden hexagon on Mondatta’s chest. The turmoil the strongest there, near his core, and he allowed a little of his own Harmony to ease the hurt.

A sudden embrace halted him, catching Zenyatta by surprise as the slightly taller omnic wrapped his arms around him tightly, clutching him close, clinging on to Zenyatta as if it was the last time he had the chance to do so. To hold him. Unbeknownst to both that this would truly be the last time.

“Don’t.”

Mondatta’s frame is shaking, a sad, muffled sob leaving him as he clutches Zenyatta in a tight hug. Allowing himself to feel. Allowing himself to let go, and with no one to judge him, with no cameras watching him. Here, in Zenyatta’s room, in his brother’s embrace, he felt safe. Safe enough to let down his barriers for a bit and show his emotions. And Zenyatta lets him, holding him as he sobs silently, making his body shake a little. Even Zenyatta cannot hold back his own emotions now, as he tightens their hug a little. Goodbyes were always hard.

After several minutes, even though it seemed seconds to them, they released each other, Mondatta’s hand lingering on Zenyatta’s hip, the smaller omnic’s hand moving to rest on Mondatta’s cheek again, their foreheads pressed together.

“Promise me you will call.” the older omnic asks, hopeful. Zenyatta can hear the quivering of his voice, and he caresses Mondatta’s cheek with his thumb. “I promise.”

A pause.

“I love you, even if we are apart.” A choked sound leaves Mondatta, his array flickering a little.

“And I you, my shining star. I look forward to your call.”

That was the last time that they held each other in such an embrace. Before fate had been cruel. And even though Zenyatta had seen the event happen in his dreams, the outcome still hurt like hell. It left an empty hole in his heart, and he felt shattered and broken all over again. The one person who had helped him, had been with him since the very beginning of his freedom, was gone.

And he never got to properly say goodbye.

“Leave me alone. As if an omnic like you can help me, or even understand me!”

To any other, the words would’ve probably offended, or hurt as it was snapped at him. The sheer anger behind the tone of the man’s voice, he had felt such raw emotions before. But instead of sadness, it was anger. Zenyatta could feel it, the vast amount of Discord that held the man in front of him in it’s grasp, curling around him, never letting go. A fury, raging like a storm, untamed and uncontrolled, and threatening to consume him, if it went uncontrolled. Unaided. Emotions, if left unattended and in such a state, could destroy someone. He was all too familiar with it.

“Perhaps.”

The cyborg’s head snapped up at that, his red eyes piercing. If looks could kill, Zenyatta would’ve departed from this world ten times by now.

“What do you mean, perhaps?!” Was the man’s reaction, now snarling at Zenyatta, as he took a tentative step forward. Zenyatta watched how the man’s muscles tensed up, and noticed how he reached for the hilt of the sword that rested on his back. There was no doubt that he could end him with a simple strike of his sword, but if he would, that was another question.

Somewhere, within all that swirling anger and fury, he could feel it. A spark. A spark of hope. A cry, a plea. For help. And for a second, Zenyatta wondered if Mondatta had felt the same within him the day that he had found him in that alleyway, broken and hopeless.

“While it is true, I might not understand your situation, I can feel the pain within you. It is tearing away at you, eating you up from the inside. All-consuming. But I can also sense that you no longer wish to feel this way. To constantly fight and be angry at everything around you. Am I correct?”

Zenyatta’s words seemed to stir something within the cyborg. Hand still hovering near the hilt of his sword, but there was a twitch in his hand, and the rage left his eyes for a split second. The widened a little, even for just a moment, but Zenyatta had seen it. That spark of hope, right there, in the other man’s eyes. A huff came from the figure, followed by a scoff as he, yet again, turned his back to Zenyatta, glaring daggers at the omnic over his shoulder. “As if you have any idea how I feel. You are just a machine, after all.” he responded. One not as gifted as Zenyatta might’ve not heard it, but Zenyatta did, having caught on the faint undertone. Below all that anger was a careful hidden hope, walled up behind layers and layers of anger and fear. But there was something about this man, a feeling that Zenyatta could not shake. Perhaps it was the Iris, perhaps his own gut, but something about this man called him closer, drew him in.

“If you would allow me to walk with you until our ways part, perhaps I can prove you wrong on that.” Zenyatta responded to him, a hint of mirth to his usual timbre voice. It elicited a snicker from the angry cyborg, who started to walk.

“Do as you wish, but you will not get a peep out of me, monk!”

Remaining at a respectable distance, Zenyatta snickered to himself as he followed. Allowing him to walk with him was the first step to the cyborg’s downfall, or rather, his path to healing.

“May I have the name of my temporary travel companion? I am Tekhartha Zenyatta.”

“.....Genji.”

“Do you want me to stay, Master?”

Zenyatta raises his head from its bowed position as he is, sitting on his knees in front of the small memorial for Mondatta at King’s Row. He turns it a little so he can look at Genji from over his shoulder, gaze locking onto the cyborg. He can feel a hint of unease come from the man, but not because of anger. Not anymore. No, his unease is directed towards Zenyatta, afraid that something will happen to the omnic if he leaves him alone, even for a second.

“Your concern is appreciated Genji, but I will be fine.” the omnic responds, his gaze still focused on his student. His array takes a soft yellow tone, indicating a smile. “Go ahead without me, I will join you momentarily. It won’t be long.” The guru watches his student hesitate, mule over his options. He almost, almost, sees the gears churning in Genji’s head as he thinks over what he should do. But he quickly comes to a decision, taking a few steps closer to Zenyatta, leaning in to press a quick kiss to the top of the guru’s head, before he straightens his back.

“I’ll be waiting for you at the hotel.” Genji responds, and with one last quick glance at Zenyatta, he turns around and leaves, making his way back to where they were staying.

Zenyatta watches him go for a bit longer, feeling a familiar warmth fill him to the core, holding nothing but adoration and admiration for his student. How far he has come since the first time he met him… The omnic turns his head back to the framed picture of Mondatta that rests against a wall, wax candles surrounding it. Some tall, brand new and just placed, others small, often lit. A few flowers rest in front of the picture, both old and new. Zenyatta takes a deep sigh, lowering his head a little again, hands clasped together in his lap, taking a minute of silence before he speaks.

“I hope you have been watching over me, brother. There is not a day that I am not reminded of you. At first, it hurt, the thought of you, and that you are no longer here, filled my heart with a sea of sadness. It came over me, time and time again, like a tidal wave. I felt guilt and regret that I left the Shambali, and at some point, I even blamed myself for what happened to you, even though I knew what was going to happen, having seen it over and over again in my dreams.”

“But thanks to Genji, I have learned to accept. Where I helped him, in a way, he also helped me. Helped me with moving on, and giving your loss a place in my heart.”

“I think I can finally move on now. I feel that I am finally strong enough to close this chapter and leave it behind me. After all, you always told me that we should never shoulder our burdens alone, no matter how big they are. I understand it even better now.” Taking another deep breath, Zenyatta finally stands up again, head still turned downward, looking at Mondatta’s picture.

“Thank you, my moon, for illuminating my life. For believing in me and supporting me, even if it was not your choice or wish. I hope you will continue watching over Genji and I. You will always have a place in my heart, that will never change.” Zenyatta then bowed.

“But now, this is goodbye. May the warmth of the Iris keep you safe.”

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