LET'S HIT THE ROAD I WAS SO CLOSE TO PERSONAL GROWTH

[mylawn]

[ONCE UPON A TIME IN MEXICO...

Are you caught up? Good. We find our heroes having recently embarked upon a two thousand-mile road trip to San Diego (a real place) from Dorado (not really a real place), in search of experimental government technology. The plan is simple--horseback to the nearest hypertrain station. Sneak across the border, then commandeer a vehicle or perhaps another horse to complete the rest of the journey. Bust into an old Overwatch outpost, steal all of their shit, acquire a new tactical visor or something similar, and then part ways and he can go back to vengeance or whatever it is he's doing.

There is, unfortunately, only one horse, and Jesse McCree and his vaguely unhinged ex-commander are not exactly light or small (they are both tall and also kind of heavy). 76 is also more uncomfortable with the animal than he lets on, but that might just be because he's riding shotgun. Is that what you call it when you're not actually driving the horse, but are sort of behind the person driving the horse, in constant danger of slipping off the horse unless you hold onto the person driving the horse (which is unpleasant because 76 doesn't like sharing personal space and McCree is an unwashed hobo who still thinks cowboys are relevant)? Do you call it driving the horse?

Either way, this is uncomfortable--but not so uncomfortable that 76 doesn't eventually succumb to the fact that he stayed up the whole night before just in case McCree decided to bail on this operation. He nods off upright for a little, jarred awake every time they hit some kind of bump (which is often). Eventually, he slumps forward, conking out right against McCree. Probably the only reason he's not drooling on McCree is because he's put the face mask back on. The visor, however, is still totally busted.

Let dad rest.]

Comments

[good_bamf_ugly]

[He suspected 76 wasn't going to sleep easy if at all. It'd be a lie to say McCree got a good night's sleep but probably fared a good sum of hours better than him. He knew he'd need them because he also knew he wouldn't be able to hustle the steady brown steed he'd borrowed very hard with the weight of two unwashed hobo men.

It's a long bumpy ride but finally, eventually, McCree feels him succumb to that lack of sleep. On one hand it's a relief to not feel the constant reminder of his vaguely unhinged ex-commander bearing literally down his back and feeling his eyes figuratively bearing down on him through that shattered visor of his. On the other hand, sleeping upright on a horse is damn hard and honestly McCree starts counting the seconds he thinks he'll last. He should just let the bastard fall off and learn him his lesson.

Instead he straightens his back with a frown and keeps riding--at least as much as he can get before he starts to feel 76 slide a little too much to the right.

76 gets a sharp jab in the stomach from McCree's elbow.]

Betty Sue don't come with seatbelts. [That's the horse. Betty Sue.] And I figure you won't appreciate me fashioning some for you in the middle of your sleep.

[mylawn]

[76 doesn't try to stop McCree, knowing that the current conversation is completely unsalvageable. It's not that he feels remorse, exactly--he just knows how he usually is, even after all these years, and knows that it's pointless to even try when he's been pushed over the edge. Still, he'll maintain that breaking his wrist was a lesson he needed to learn.

He nods off a little over the course of the night but otherwise doesn't sleep. There's no further conversation when it's time to move out, either. 76 knows that McCree spent the majority of the night trying to find their spooked horse, and even if he had anything to say, he wouldn't chance it in this kind of mood. They dump Miguel at civilization in the early morning, then try to put as much distance between them and the town as possible.

Once they're a little further out, 76 ventures to speak.]

How's your arm?

[Asking because it's occurred to him that he doesn't know how useless McCree might be without it.]