They were friends, and that was it. No, maybe that wasn’t quite right. On Fareeha’s end, things had passed that point a while ago. She was infatuated with the doctor. There was no chance Angela would reciprocate her feelings, so her crush needed to go away.

Although she told herself that, the events of the Christmas party had made her unsure.

They had become friends when Overwatch was reformed, and initially there was no reason to believe Angela had plans to further their relationship. Doctor Ziegler was a world-renowned genius, a peerlessly brave and kind medic, and the former head of Overwatch’s research division. Even her codename, ‘Mercy’ spoke of her great compassion.

Angela seemed worlds away from Fareeha, a mere soldier.

They only became friends because they worked together. At least, that was Fareeha’s first impression. As her feelings for the doctor slowly changed, Angela’s actions started to change too. It all began after Fareeha was shot out of the sky.

It had started with Angela smiling more. It was good to see her happy, and Fareeha thought nothing of it. Then, Angela began to act strangely, saying and doing things Fareeha couldn’t explain. Regardless, their conversations seemed to flow more freely, and Fareeha put it out of her mind. Soon after, the touching started. Small, fleeting touches on her hand, or arm, or leg. She determined that the doctor was tired and having some coordination issues, and assisted her in getting to bed on time.

Things had just kept getting weirder, culminating in the events of the Christmas party. No matter how unbelievable it seemed, the conclusion was unavoidable; Angela found Fareeha attractive.

The thought made her head spin, and her stomach bubble with nervousness. Fareeha kept thinking herself mistaken, only to remember the feeling of Angela’s arms around her and be pushed back towards that inevitable conclusion.

If she was right, she had been dense. Extremely dense. It had been months of flirting and escalating closeness before she’d even thought twice about it.

If she was wrong, well, that was even more embarrassing. Incorrectly thinking her friend was into her and making romantic advances could end their friendship, and it was probably safer to not do anything.

Fareeha didn’t want to be safe.

The doctor could barely believe that Fareeha hadn’t come on to her once since the Christmas party. She had flirted particularly shamelessly, even for her. It was frustrating to so clearly fluster Fareeha, but not quite produce the result she had hoped for.

If Angela wanted to, she could have just told Fareeha how she felt, but that was intimidating. What if she got turned down? She couldn’t be with the woman she cared about so much any longer. Her fear of being separated from Fareeha had prevented Angela from confessing, even though she knew it was the simplest option.

Despite her considerable skill at flirting, Angela hadn’t dated much. She had never understood the need for constant romantic entanglements. They got in the way of helping people. Besides, it was rare for her to have strong romantic feelings. She saw no need to force it, and her work took up all of her time, so for the last several years she hadn’t had a girlfriend.

All of a sudden, a few months ago, she realised she wanted one.

When Fareeha fell from the sky, everything except saving her left Angela’s mind. She abandoned her team and her mission to save a friend. After giving it some serious thought, she found the truth; Fareeha had worked her way into Angela’s heart.

From then on, she’d hoped to tell if Fareeha felt the same way she did by teasing and flirting, with little to no success. At the Christmas party, Fareeha had at least blushed in response, but that was perhaps the first real reaction her flirting had elicited from the Egyptian soldier. Three months of trying, and only a blush and a few flustered words to show for it.

It was New Year’s Eve, and Angela was feeling determined. If throwing herself at Fareeha wasn’t going to work, then she’d have to gather her courage and try the more direct approach she’d been avoiding.

Thoughts about how she was going to tell Fareeha dominated her mind as she put on the flowing red dress she had set aside for the occasion, and continued to do so as she made her way to the New Year’s party.

Once Angela entered the meeting room however, it was a different story. She looked around the party, and upon seeing Fareeha chatting with Ana and a few others, made a beeline for the opposite side of the room.

She sneaked glances at Fareeha as she grabbed a glass of champagne from a table on the edge of the room. Fareeha was wearing a deep blue dress, seemingly coloured to match her Raptora Suit. Except, it lacked the sharp edges that defined her combat armour. Instead it gave her a smooth, slim look that made Angela’s mouth water. The only accessory she wore was a yellow handbag. Very practical, and also adding to the impression that she’d rather be wearing her Raptora.

Angela shook her head and sighed. She wasn’t feeling quite brave enough to tell Fareeha tonight. She considered how easy it would be to just walk over there, but didn’t. Instead, she occupied herself conversing with anyone else she could find. She talked to Mei about her research, Lucio about his speed boost technology, Reinhardt about hitting things, and made small talk with Winston. Finally, she was approached by the one person she had been avoiding.

“Good evening, Angela,” greeted Fareeha.
“Indeed,” Angela replied, nodding sagely for no reason other than her nerves.
“I had meant to ask you something tonight, but you seemed busy when I tried to approach you earlier.”
“Oh,” exclaimed the doctor anxiously, “how strange. What did you need to ask?”
“Did you enjoy the chocolates I gave you for Christmas?”
Admittedly, she had been expecting something else, but this was Fareeha. Beautiful, ignorant Fareeha.
“They were delicious,” Angela answered, unable to resist smiling as she did so.
“Thank goodness. I wasn’t sure you’d like chocolate that wasn’t Swiss,” Fareeha said, breathing a sigh of relief.
Angela’s smile broadened. Fareeha’s worries had been about something entirely different than her own. Perhaps it was for the best that she didn’t make a move tonight. Just spending time with Fareeha brought her happiness, so maybe nothing had to change yet.

The two of them stuck together throughout the rest of the evening, talking about various things and drinking the champagne Lena had insisted was essential for a New Year’s event until Winston brought everyone’s attention to the clock. It was five minutes until midnight.

Fareeha mumbled something to her, but Angela couldn’t make out what had been said over the loudening hum of conversation.

“Did you say something?” she asked, looking Fareeha in the eye.
In response, she looked away.
“Um, yeah, I did.”
Angela stared at her blankly.
“Uh, do you remember Christmas?” continued Fareeha
Angela nodded despite her confusion.
“Right, of course you do,” Fareeha said, and then paused.

A few long seconds later, Fareeha finally spoke again.
“It’s a little bit late, but…” her voice trailed off as she pulled a twig of mistletoe from her handbag.
Angela continued staring, this time at the mistletoe. Was this possibly Fareeha’s idea of making a move?

In the background, a countdown broke out. Ten. Fareeha held the the mistletoe above herself and looked sheepishly at Angela. Nine. Eight. Angela looked at Fareeha’s lips. Seven. Angela stepped towards Fareeha, then froze. Six. Five. Four. Angela reached out and grabbed Fareeha’s hand. Three. Two. Angela couldn’t wait any longer, and kissed Fareeha.

Angela was faintly aware of a shouted “Happy New Year!” from the majority of the room, but her focus was on Fareeha. Even after she pulled away from the kiss, her gaze didn’t shift from the woman who had taken a special place in her heart.

The doctor didn’t let go of Fareeha’s hand for the rest of the evening. When the party finally began to wind down, they retired to Angela’s bedroom, and talked until they fell asleep.