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What an awfully boring day…She took off her glasses, wiping them in her apron for the tenth time in this hour while letting out an exasperated sigh. The procedure was utterly unnecessary, yet it frequently happened for the sole reason to pass time. The lenses turned squeaky clean long ago, reflecting the rays of the hot afternoon Sun in all directions. She glanced at the clock on the wall: only 3pm. Five more hours left from her shift. An eternity. A torture. A punishment – she clenched her fist as she was trying to fight back the nauseating revelation about the real reason of her being stranded in this snack stand. It was the commander, Jack Morrison’s idea. Again. As if it wasn’t humiliating enough that he locked her away in a weather lab to conduct some research while the others were fighting, now it had to come to this. To be a waitress at “Bubbles”. Ugh. What a generic name, lacking creativity and imagination… Why couldn’t Morrison come up at least with something more… impulsive, like “Cocoa Corner”… oh wait, she’s selling summer snacks…hmm, then…err… “Slush Shack” or “Bobastic”… whatever. Anything would have been better than “Bubbles”. The Sole reason of this place’s existence was to get on her nerves… She could clearly recall the day three weeks ago, when Jack walked up to her about some nonsense how “weather doesn’t need much research in the summer because it’s just warm”. She tried to explain that’s not exactly how it works, but who was she to disagree with the commander himself? Just a scientist. And his idea on extra chores was to set up a snack stand at the beach, right on the doorstep of their headquarters in Gibraltar. He swore that there was a need for a sentry who’s in charge for reporting any suspicious activity in the area. And guess who is the sole employee, the supporting pillar that holds the burden of this gargantuan enterprise? It’s her. Dr. Mei Ling Zhou. Of course. Who else? Of course it’s not the other doctor, the REAL doctor, who is prettier and more useful than she’ll ever be. Of course it’s not the Shimada boy either, he cannot be put on display with those scars, he would scare away the children, who make up a good chunk of the customers. Oh, and he’s actually useful for the team. Of course it’s not Jamison Fawkes, who has nothing better to do and frolics in the sand in the company of that weird pigman who doesn’t talk at all. Probably haven’t worked a single day in all their lives. She shook her head at the sight of them. It was not unusual for Overwatch members to show up on the beach: Ana and Reinhardt took long, slow strolls on a regular basis, maybe 2-3 times a week. She sometimes saw a thoroughly disguised D.va going for a quick swim around closing hours, at a time when the chance of being recognized by others was the lowest. She even saw Mercy and Genji having a picnic once. But Jamison Fawkes was seemingly here all the time. She spotted him every single day ever since she began her new career as the waitress of “Bubbles”. Why was he even here? To rub it in her face that she wasn’t right about him, he’s not a bully but a good boy, and Morrison showers him with all these days off and leaves? Or maybe he’s just a good for nothing slacker, instead of at least making himself useful by doing some chores at the watchpoint.He showed up in their lives about three months ago to “help ya blow dem bots heads off”, but he still wasn’t part of the “real” team yet. The official reason was that he was under a monitoring period due to his violent behavior in the past, but Mei suspected the real logic behind this thinking was that he was actually a liability. Nobody wanted to deal with his antics, so he was just brushed aside until further notice. A long, tired sigh left her lips – another victim of Morrison’s ideas, just like her… She took off her glasses again and wiped them in her apron. She glanced at the clock, just to establish the fact that a mere five minutes have passed since she checked the time. She sat down on a tower built by unopened cardboard boxes full of peanuts to continue her never ending reverie. She had to admit, this was a little better than standing alone in the dark, sterile lab. She got plenty of sunlight and fresh air, and instead of occasionally visited by nobody else than Winston, she was at least surrounded by people. But not today – it was Monday, the most boring day of the week. Kids went back to school, adults to work, and the few lucky ones who had a day off or vacation apparently had something better to do than drinking boba tea while treading the boiling hot sand beneath their feet. She scanned the empty beach again, just so her eyes would wander on the colorful silhouette of Jamison Fawkes, sticking out like a sore thumb from the dull landscape. What an idiot. Everyone else, even D.va and Reinhardt are trying their best to remain as discreet as possible – they are Overwatch agents, for goodness’s sake! But not Jamison Fawkes. He was wearing an old, tattered pair of shorts that must have been in fashion like a hundred years ago. Dumb, yellow plastic sunglasses were framing his face. Where did he get those from, the trashcan? And the worst – that ugly orange sun visor that sat on the top of his forehead… It might have come from the same store as her own one, that was part of her stupid waitress uniform. The only difference was that hers came at least in a less irritating shade, since it was green. But what did the color matter when she couldn’t see it anyway? All she could stare at was this living, breathing eyesore that was building a sand castle using a pink bucket and a purple shovel, like a four-year-old child. She pinched the ridge of her nose between her thumb and index finger, then rubbed it. A very bad headache was unfolding from all these intrusive thoughts. This is her fault too. She should have smuggled in a book and read it under the desk. Or at least a newspaper with some crosswords. But she was unprepared, and now she’s all alone with her own restless mind. Not a single customer. Well, it’s almost four o’clock now. School is over, kids can appear any second now. Aaaany second now… If she’s lucky, maybe even a couple of families can show up with all their children for some quality time. Or a bunch of rowdy teenagers. Or some dog walkers. Anyone is good, just to ease her lonely suffering. Maybe some cute retired couple on a romantic stroll. Or a lost tourist. Anyone, but… goodness… Jamison Fawkes.She watched him as he sat up, dusting the sand off his pants, and began to move towards her direction in his usual lopsided gait. For a second, she thought he will topple over in a sand pile as his pegleg kept sinking into the unsteady ground. But he kept his balance and managed to walk all the way to the window of her stand, donning an impudent smile on his face.-What do you want? – Mei groaned, not even looking in his direction, but persistently staring at the ingredients list on a soda can.-Hey, is this how ya greet yer customers? – Junkrat grinned as his eyes glinted with mischief behind those yellow shades. -How ‘bout a g’day mister, how may I help you?-Good day Mister, how may I help you? – Mei squeezed the greeting through her clenched jaws as she was trying to stop herself from grinding her teeth. She is not going to give him the satisfaction of initiating a fight with a snarky remark. He just wants to make her mad, but she won’t grant him this delight in a million years. No, she won’t play along with his stupid games. She’s better than this.-Hmm. Not bad, but instead of snarling, ya should try smiling next time.She nodded, trying her best to keep a neutral expression on her face, and waited for him to continue. He’s just another customer – serve him and move on with the day.-Okay, so, uh – he began to stutter, and Mei took this as a sign of him being deterred from his original plan. Hah, bet he didn’t see this coming; the best way to tackle this problem is by not giving him the special treatment he wants so much. A small triumphant smile appeared on her lips, and he continued to stutter even more.-So, erm… you see… the thing I want is some…- he glanced around the desk, in hopes of finding some sort of indications what the hell was for sale in this place. The confidence he radiated a minute ago was nowhere to be seen as he was frantically looking around the countertop.-You can read the menu here – Mei pointed at a sign above her head.-Ooh! Hahah! I didn’t see! – he let out a nervous little chuckle as he reached for his sunglasses. – I can’t see a thing in these! – he ripped off the shades and slammed them on the desk, next to the cash register. Mei wanted to send him a disciplinary, angry glare, but now it was him who wasn’t looking in her direction. His eyes were running up and down the sign, trying to find out what is on the menu today. Hm. He had such a weird eye color, almost orange with a hint of yellow. No wonder he was hiding them behind those sunglasses. She has never seen an eye color like this before. He was entirely focused on the sign, scanning the pricelist, so Mei figured she could discreetly observe this unusual phenomenon for the next few seconds. It was actually almost pretty how those eyes glinted in the exact same shade as the sunlight behind his back as he was trying to decipher that text.-I want an… uh… boba tea… er… apple flavor please… - she could finally hear his faint voice as he was making up his mind. His eyes darted to her, their gazes meeting for a second, catching her off guard in her thoughts. She quickly glanced away and cleared her throat.-Excuse me?-An apple boba! – he repeated his order quite loud this time, and leaned on the desk to wait for his drink. He stood there in silence, anxiously tapping a mechanical finger on the counter – didn’t even say a single word until Mei was about to hand him the cup.-Thanks! – he grinned, but his fingers grabbed the thin air as she yanked the drink away from within his reach. His eyebrows ran high up on his forehead and he stared at her dumbfounded. -Hey!!!-Four pounds please!-What?-I know your idea about ware exchange is to put a gun against the cashier’s head so you get stuff for free, but that doesn’t fly here. The official currency of Gibraltar is pounds, and I ask four of those, please!-Pfft. Ya can’t be serious – he shook his head, and an insolent smile crawled onto his face.-Yes, I am serious. You read the pricelist – it’s written right there: a cup of boba tea = 4 pounds.-Come on, we’re coworkers!!! – he exclaimed, his voice suddenly turned at least two pitches higher by the end of the sentence, and the smile gradually twisted into a frown.-Coworkers or not, they are customers now and those have to pay, that’s the rule.-But…But I saw Genji the other day, you gave him a drink for free!-Because he is my friend, and you’re not! – she snapped at him, her face turning red as he pointed out the fallacy of her unfair treatment.-Well how could we be friends if ya don’t even give it a try?!- he retorted, and she noticed that his cheeks were also gaining a shade of pink that definitely wasn’t there before. She knitted her eyebrows together as she slammed both of her hands on the desk in anger:-I’d rather be friends with a great white shark than you, Junkrat – she glared at him, eyes filled with anger, leaning forward so close to his face that she could have counted those dumb freckles that were scattered all across his nose. She could see him falter as he almost took a step backwards, but he eventually stood his ground and retorted:-Is this the behavior that they teach ya in the waitress school?She could hear herself screaming uncontrollably at him, as if it wasn’t even her who unleashed a barrage of cusswords at him.-I’m. Not. A. Waitress. You. Damn. Idiot. I am a doctor. A scientist. I went to university. Now get the hell out of here, while I’m still in a good mood.He stood there, seemingly taken aback by the sudden change in her behavior, biting his lips. He slowly began to nod as he opened his mouth to speak:-I see, I see. Miss Zhuzhu…-It’s Doctor Mei-Ling Zhou!!!-… Doctor Mei-Ling Zhou thinks people who didn’t spend at least twenty years studying are unworthy of her precious company.-No! YOU are unworthy! – she spat out at him, clenching the cup in her hand so tightly that the cardboard began to crumble beneath her fingers.-I am not unworthy!-Yes, you are!-Ya don’t even know me.-I’ve heard enough.-Ya don’t even know where I came from!-Because I don’t care.-Ya really think you’re that much better than me.-Yes I do. For instance, I’m not the one who is wanted by police.-If you’re such a genius, why am I the one who’s having fun on the beach all day long, while you’re working your ass off?That was the last straw. The boba tea cup somehow flung forward from her grasp, just to be stopped by his chest, splashing everywhere. Most of it landed on Junkrat, the sweet drink leaving streaks of stickiness all over his body until it dripped down to be soaked up by the sand beneath him. He was gasping for air as the chilly liquid made contact with his skin that’s been so thoroughly warmed by the Sun all day long. He looked at her with fury in his eyes, pupils constricted into needles, burning brightly with rage and frenzy. She gulped and took a step backwards – maybe it wasn’t her brightest idea to annoy someone with such a questionable past. She glanced at his mechanical hand; it curled into a fist as anger flooded his entire being. How long would it take for those metal fingers to squeeze her throat until she draws her last breath? She took another step back as she saw his muscles twitching in his left arm that was still intact, flesh and bones. Was he always this toned? He could pack a punch if he wanted to, smashing her face or even something worse than that. Who would protect her? Who would stop him? There’s nobody here, just that weird pigman. Would he even stop him from bashing her head in, or just keep reading that magazine under that parasol? She looked at his arm again, and she saw how the muscles tensed as he began to raise it.-Nooo!- she squealed and covered her face with both of her palms, bracing for the impact. But all she could feel was something small, cold and squishy bumping into her nose that was left uncovered, as it was sticking out between her palms. It was a weird sensation and it stung a little, but she was definitely in one piece after his revenge. She peeked between her fingers – Junkrat has already turned his back to her and was on his way to Roadhog. He said something to him, and the giant waddled after him like an obedient dog until they disappeared from her sight. She looked around, and saw a single boba pearl sitting on the counter. It suddenly dawned upon her that this was the squishy, cold thing that bumped into her nose. He must have flicked this into her face before he turned around without a word. Oh. That’s not too bad. Actually, pretty good anger management right there. Better than hers, for sure. Her eyes wandered on the cash register, discovering that he forgot his sunglasses on the counter. She grabbed them and with the same momentum, flung them into the trashcan.-I can’t believe this is what I get after burning on the sun for more than two goddamn weeks – Junkrat exclaimed while him and Roadhog were walking along the beachline at the secret passage that lead to the Overwatch Headquarters.-Hmm…-Don’t laugh, Pigface!!! I needed TWO goddamn weeks to work up enough courage to walk up to her and guess what happened? She flings tea into my face!... Shut up, Roadhog, this is not funny! – he snapped at his friend, who was actually silent like a grave. He began to wobble towards the sea and walked until he was knee deep in the water.-I hate her! I hate her so much! She’s… she’s… a psychopath! She doesn’t even have a soul, man! – he flicked away another boba pearl that was still clinging to his skin. -Ugh! Ya know what I wanna do to her, Roadie?!-Nuh-uh.-That’s right. I wanna throw her into a swimming pool full of tea, as sugary as possible! And every time she tries to climb out, I’d step on her fingers and shove her back in there! – He sat down in the shallow sea and began to splash some water on his body and face to rinse off the sticky juice that covered him. - …And when she begs for food, I throw her some boba pearls in the pool, as if I was feeding a goddamn goldfish!!!-Yea.-What are you talking about Hoggy, that’s the least what she deserves after what she has done to me! – He took a deep breath and pinched his nose as he leaned all the way back in the water to submerge his head and upper body. -…What an… evil… creature… snow… witch…- He panted when he bobbed up for air a few seconds later. He stood up and shook himself like a dog after bath, sending droplets of water from his hair in all directions.-Yep, Roadie. She has to suffer the consequences. I won’t handle her with kid’s gloves anymore – He reached into the pockets of his shorts, turning them inside out, dropping a couple of boba pearls into the water. He wiped his soaked face with his lower arm as he pondered whether the salty flavor he could taste at the tip of his tongue came from the seawater or the teardrops.She felt awful that evening. It was way past midnight by the time she went to bed, and spent at least an hour reflecting on the happenings of the day. The image of the cool, collected scientist she tried to present to the world won’t hold water anymore. Today, she made a mistake and let something slip through. Somehow, another human took a thorough glimpse into her soul – someone got the chance to see a part of her that was normally hidden from the outside world. And it had to be Jamison Fawkes, of all people. She couldn’t help it: everything he told her yesterday just made her furious, yet she couldn’t put her finger on why exactly. Maybe because a criminal was trying to teach her manners. Yes, she heard it right. The audacity of that clown. Preposterous. They can’t even be compared, like apples and oranges. Like oranges and orangutans. Like fire and ice. She angrily tossed and turned in her bed, trying to come up with an explanation to put the anomaly in her behavior to its place. It probably happened because it was so warm – hot weather can do weird things to one’s mind. Also, it was that time of the month – hormones work in mysterious ways. She buried her face into her palms; that just wasn’t her. Contrary to her initial worries, she was the one who resorted to ‘violence’. The real Mei would have cut this conversation short by saying something like “sorry, no shoes, no shirt, no service”, or literally any other verbal excuse to remove him from her sight for the rest of the day. But not physical retribution like this. What if he tells it to someone? He speaks all the time. The big Pigman already knows it for sure, maybe he even witnessed it from behind his mask – it’s not just their secret anymore, at least 3 people know about it. Judging by how much he blabbers, this number will increase to at least 6 by the time breakfast is over. Will others believe him? Maybe yes, maybe not, but the rumors will spread like wildfire, and in less than a day, everyone will know her as ‘Mei, the Teaflinger’. Ugh. She had to act fast before things go out of control. She put on a jacket and left the premises to head for the beach, all the way to her little buffet. She unlocked the door and prepared a basket full of the most delicious treats she could find in there: chocolate, peanuts, chips, cereal bars, donuts… She also made a cup of boba tea – large, apple flavored, with extra pearls. She stuck a note saying “sorry” between two chocolate bars. She even fished out the yellow sunglasses from the trashcan and rinsed them under the tap, until they were clean again. When she was satisfied with the content of the package, she wrapped a ribbon around the handle of the basket and tied it into a pretty bow. When she was done, she snuck back to the headquarters as unnoticeably and quietly as it was possible. She put her gift in front of Junkrat’s bedroom door, hoping that he won’t topple over it when he walks out the next morning.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

All things considered, Junkrat had a pretty good night: he woke up only three times and slept for almost five hours. That late evening sincere conversation with Roadhog really did the trick and he got into a better mood by midnight. He stretched out all his remaining limbs, popping his prematurely worn out joints into their places. He combed through his hair with his fingers – not the mechanical ones of course. Had he done that, then all those tiny screws would wind up then tangle the strands, tugging and pulling them until they rip out in the most painful fashion. On a second thought, maybe he had already done this before, hence the bald patch on his scalp. Or maybe it wasn’t because of this, but when he “shaved” himself with the combination of deodorant spray + flame, he couldn’t remember. He grabbed his prosthetic arm before attaching it and used it as a back scratcher, as this was part of his usual morning routine. He glanced at the clock – 5 am, time to get a coffee, a breakfast, then another coffee. But before he got out of the bed, he reached under his pillow and took out a small piece of tattered paper with names scribbled on it.2. Brigitte – has cats
3. Pharah – too serious
4. D.va – too young
5. Tracer – has a girlfriendHis heart sunk as his eyes wandered to the thick, black rectangle made by a permanent marker that thoroughly covered the name that used to stand at the top of this list. So it really happened. It wasn’t just a nightmare. He let out a woeful little mewl as reality began to seep into his consciousness. The previous morning, when he took a look at this list, he was still so full of hope, joy and glee. A day went by, and now all he feels is the pang of emptiness twisting his guts so badly that he thought he would throw up. He desperately tried to forget what was written on the number 1 spot of his list, but it was impossible.
-She was the perfect one! – he whimpered and fell back to the bed, fighting back his tears.
-No, she wasn’t the perfect one. The perfect one would never throw a boba tea in your face – a voice told him in his head, that for whatever reason, sounded like Roadhog’s, even though he would never address such a long sentence to him. Regardless, it helped him to regain his composure and take a second look at the little note.2. Brigitte – has cats.He bit his lips as he read these three words over and over again. Brigitte. Has. Cats. Cats. CATS. He shuddered at the thought of this. What about the innocent rodents… like himself? A cat person and a rat person… would that ever work out? Maybe they can agree on a goat as their future family pet, so their preferences won’t contradict… Or maybe… Hmm… it’s probably not as bad as it sounds. Maybe she’s not too deep into this crazy cat lady thing yet. All’s good until she doesn’t throw soiled cat litter in his face, heh. He carefully folded the note and put it back under his pillow. He got out of the bed and opened his bedroom door, just to fall face first onto the floor a second later. As he was rubbing his head, he squinted at the obstacle that was the root cause of the accident. Chocolate bars, donuts and other snacks were scattered all over the place – they fell out of a neat little woven basket that was lying tipped over at his doorstep. He suddenly felt some wetness beginning to pool at the crotch of his pants. His heart skipped a beat – could it be?! He stuck a finger into the liquid and licked it to give it a test. His face lit up in euphoria. Boba tea. Apple flavored.That’s it. He cannot take it anymore. He should have just went with his instincts and snap his neck when he revealed the location of his treasure. But since the latter has never happened, the former never took place either, which meant there he was, perfectly alive, screaming and jumping on his bed like an ill-mannered preschooler, at fucking five in the morning.
Roadhog opened his eyes to send a disdainful look towards Junkrat. He knew nobody could see his features, yet he was still making faces out of habit. People are hard-wired to express themselves, and even Mako Rutledge wasn’t an exception. The high pitched squealing began to turn into semi – coherent sentences as his ears began to pick up his voice.
-…and she even found and returned my sunglasses! Can ya believe this, Roadie?! Oh, I knew it, I knew it! She’s not a lost cause, after all! There’s still hope! Hope, Roadie! HOOOPE!!! – he yelled while clutching a woven basket to his chest. For a second, a weird, yet familiar feeling crept into Roadhog’s heart. He has seen something like this before, but he buried it deep within his soul, just to never be found again. But as he watched Junkrat, he couldn’t help but remember a Christmas morning from many, many years ago. A child excitedly jumping on their parents’ bed, hugging their new, freshly unpacked favorite toy. He hated Junkrat for lighting up these old memories in his brain – how can this skinny, puny guy make him feel this weak without laying a finger on him? He cracked his fingers to fight back the urge to wrap them around that sinewy neck and opened his mouth:
-What happened?
- Mei! Mei brought me back my stuff, gave me presents and wrote an apology letter! – Junkrat babbled without even drawing a breath, shoving a thoroughly soaked piece of paper into Roadhog’s face. He pulled up his mask so he could take a whiff – it smelled like apple.
-Aaaah! The hell Piggy!!!! Read it, don’t sniff it! Read it, read it! – he urged him by tugging on his arm, as if shaking his hand holding the letter would help him focus on the text already damaged by water. He analyzed every single word of the short message. “I didn’t mean to. I’m sorry if I hurt you. Mei “. He read it again and again, until he finally reached a conclusion. He shook his mask-clad face:
-Not sincere.
His ears weren’t prepared for the torrent of words that began to spew out from his friend’s lips.
-What are ya saying? Ya blind??? She said sorry! All these presents! Food! My sunglasses! BOBA TEA!!! – he pointed at a wet puddle at the crotch of his pants. Roadhog shook his head again:
-Won’t do. Put it back. – he grunted and covered himself with his blanket and tried to ignore the array of laments that kept coming from Junkrat. They eventually stopped and he could hear the rustling of plastic wrappers and a door closing. He huffed as he turned to his other side, knowing well that his friend will listen to him and went back to sleep.Mei also had a pretty good night. After delivering her little gift basket, she fell asleep almost instantly. Everything was normal again, the terrible feeling of guilt dissipated overnight. It was close to 11 by the time she finally got out of bed and decided to eat breakfast. Her shift always started at 12 – she quickly ate a bowl of cereal, changed into her uniform and left for work. When she was finally inside the little cabin, she opened up for business and waited for customers to come. She was in such a good mood that not even the appearance of a certain someone wearing yellow plastic shades would ruin it. Thankfully, Tuesday was somehow always busier than Monday: some beachgoers were already in the water, which meant they will soon become incredibly hungry. She began to scan the landscape – she liked to place bets on people who she thought will soon show up at her stand. That guy with two small kids will be one of the first ones who will queue up for food. They will buy some popsicles and a beer for dad. Then that bunch of teenage boys – will definitely go with chips and soda. Yep, things were looking great. But as the hours passed, it became clear that something was off – something was missing. On the first glance, the landscape was the same as always : blue sky above, blue sea below, and a grey line of sand adorned with colorful dots of people. She squinted – how could she have missed the most vibrant, most vivid dot of all? It was almost impossible not to spot those orange sun visors at the first glance. She looked again, thoroughly scouring the horizon, from left to right, right to left. He’s nowhere. He’s always out here by 3 pm. Her eyes began to scan the deeper parts of the sea, desperately hoping that he’s swimming somewhere farther away. But she knew that was not possible: he never went farther than knee deep in the water. She looked again and again, until there was no doubt in her mind that Jamison Fawkes was not present on the beach today.
-Hello? Lady? Hello? – she heard a faint voice coming from somewhere below. She glanced down and a little girl stood there, clutching some small change in her hands.
-Oh! I’m sorry! You’re so tiny that I couldn’t see you! – Mei lied, earning a frown from the child. After handing her the popsicle and chips she requested, her eyes were glued to the horizon again. People. People. People. But not Jamison Fawkes. She leaned back to the counter behind her – why isn’t he here? Why did he fail to show up after two weeks of not skipping a single day? She furrowed her eyebrows – is she worried about him? That’s ridiculous. He’s probably busy with that box of candy. Yeah, that must be the explanation. He was camping on the beach in hopes of getting some free stuff from her, and now that he has it, there’s no reason to fry himself in the sun. Or maybe he ate all that crap in one sitting and now he’s throwing up in the toilet. That would be so much like him.Time passed by and evening was approaching. She closed the business a little after 8pm, and was back in the Headquarters after a short walk. But she didn’t head towards her room yet. She had to check the doorstep of Jamison Fawkes first. She couldn’t wait any longer to find out what has gotten into this idiot. She made a beeline to his room and her breath stopped for a second as soon as she turned in that hallway. Her basket was still there, unopened and untouched, the exact same way she left it at his doorstep. Oh no, why did he not see it? Maybe he didn’t even leave his room because he’d been crying in his bed all day. She felt even more terrible as the pain of guilt began to clasp her insides – this is her fault. She dashed to his door, almost barging into his room, but her hand stopped on the doorknob as she glanced at the package. Something was off. The bow was a little wrinkled. The peanuts were next to the donuts, and not to the chips, as she arranged. The boba tea had a different shade of yellow. Her letter looked a little worn, someone must have unfolded it. What the hell happened here? He has definitely touched this box – she was getting angry at him again. Does this mean he didn’t accept her apology? He didn’t like her presents? What was going on? She took a deep breath to calm down because she remembered what happened the last time she lost her cool. There must be a logical explanation for this. The box stood here out in the open, all night – there are like a dozen others who could have touched it. Or maybe a tragedy took place – she swallowed as the scenario of Junkrat committing suicide while Roadhog rummages through his belongings sounded more and more possible in her mind as panic started to set in. She knocked on the door, silently praying to hear that raspy voice again.
-Drop in! – the answer came almost immediately. She let out a sigh of relief and looked inside. The room was chock full of clutter: towers of cardboard boxes reaching almost as high as the ceiling, broken kitchen appliances, fans, car and computer parts were amongst the many items she could recognize at the first glance. Junkrat was sitting at a desk – he seemed fine, wasn’t crying and definitely nowhere near to a mental state that could lead him to cutting his wrists. He was loosening some screws on a device that looked like an ancient radio. He glanced behind his back for a second, trying to find out the identity of the visitor.
-Hiya Ice gremlin, 'sup – he greeted her cheerfully, then quickly diverted his attention back to the broken contraption he was fixing. – If ya wanna dump your wrecked electronics, just drop ‘em on the floor and I’ll dismantle them for recycling. But I warn ya, I keep all the parts and I can’t pay.
-Oh. I see. – Mei nodded while looking around the room in amazement. All the cardboard boxes had labels on them, describing their contents – screws, nuts and bolts sorted by size and head type. Gears, oil filters, valves, pistons, spark plugs, belts, bearing balls and who knows what other tiny gadgets, neatly assorted. Looks like he was pretty organized if he had to. - I… I didn’t know you operate a business here. I thought you were…
-Slacking? Not at all. – Junkrat shook his head - I’m actually quite busy. The Swedish dwarf handed me down his repair courtesies, since he was flooded with “real” work. Aside from that, I also have a “breakfast service” in the canteen, every morning from 6:30 to 8.
- A breakfast service? – Mei’s eyes opened wide in surprise.
-No big deal, just fryin' some eggs and toastin’ some bread. Free of charge - he shrugged, still focused on the device on his desk. – Ya probably missed it.
- I probably did. – Mei blushed as she realized she couldn’t remember the last time she got out of bed before 10. This man was living a life parallel to hers, and the only time these two lives intersected was those couple of hours on the beach in the early afternoon. He was right – she really didn’t know a thing about him.
-So, what do ya have for me? I don’t see a broken washing machine tucked under your arm, so I presume it’s something smaller? – he finally turned towards her, scanning her figure from top to bottom whether she has any gadgets on her.
- That’s… that’s not why I’m here… - She finally remembered what was the original reason for her visit before the conversation was sidetracked by Junkrat’s projects. She looked around, trying to find a spot where she could sit down.
-Have a seat then – Junkrat pointed at his bed, as if he could read her mind. That was the only place in the room that wasn’t covered in clutter. She hesitated for a bit, eyeing the streaks of grease and soot on the blanket, but decided to sit down anyway. She cleared her throat:
-Have you seen my uh… presents?
-Of course I did. – he nodded, fiddling around with the transmitter in his hands, avoiding looking at her.
-Then why are they still outside your room, untouched? Been busy with your… uh… business?
-Because Roadie said your apology wasn’t sincere enough and I shouldn’t settle with it. -Junkrat shrugged and grabbed a magnifying glass to study the circuit board. Mei’s jaw dropped - the impossibly sassy answer was flabbergasting, yet it somehow didn’t make her mad. Instead, the anguish of guilt began to make way into her heart.
-You’re lying – she retorted, trying to sound menacingly, but the verbal attack was more of an attempt to convince herself. He immediately spun around the chair to take a scornful glare at her. Their gazes met, and as she looked into his orange eyes, she realized he never seemed so sincere before. He sat straight with both of his hands resting on the armchair, not a single nervous tick in sight, just the clear as day body language that he was telling the truth.
- Okay, then you’re not lying – she muttered, but an even more agonizing feeling crawled down in her spine. Junkrat was not merely telling the truth – he was also right. Again. Her apology indeed wasn’t sincere; the reason she did all of this was to soothe her own pangs of conscience that inhibited her from falling asleep the previous night. She sighed and continued:
-Fine. Let’s say that it wasn’t a sincere apology...in that case, what should be done?
-Ya probably know that better than I do – he shrugged again, then returned to his work. -Feel free to sit there and think until you’re ready. I’ve got all the time in the world, pretend I’m not even here.
-Oh…okay... -Mei whispered and propped up her chin with her palm and began to ponder. Not in her wildest dreams could she have imagined that one day a criminal will teach her manners. On top of that, this criminal was right. She felt like a class bully in the teacher’s room, in detention after classes. Technically, she could just grab something and fling it at him again, to show him who’s in charge, and nothing will ever change. But she didn’t want to do that anymore – she had no idea Junkrat was such an essential part of their team. He wasn’t a good for nothing, deadbeat bum. He must be super skilled if he became Torbjörn’s assistant. She had to admit she was wrong and judged him hastily, and made no attempt to get to know him better for so long. This was a perfect chance for a change. The clock was ticking, and she still didn’t know what should she say. It was getting awkward, how much time has passed in silence? She glanced at Junkrat – he was humming a little tune while tinkering with that broken radio. Wait, she has heard that song before. It’s not a song – it’s classical music. Tchaikovsky perhaps? Goodness. He’s educated. She was falling down into a Junkrat-shaped rabbit hole. She spent a mere twenty minutes with him, and an incredibly complex and interesting personality began to unravel right in front of her eyes. She was intrigued – she opened her mouth without thinking much and just let the words spill on their own:
-I had no idea you’re doing all this for our team, and now I feel like a jerk. I don’t want to be on bad terms with anyone who helps our cause. Please forgive me and let’s start it over from the beginning – she couldn’t bring herself to look at him, so she just kept staring at her thighs as she said this. She heard her own voice echoing in the distance, sounding so cheesy and embarrassing, but that was all she could utter in that moment. A second later, a greasy, orange mechanical hand popped into her view, reaching out for hers. She looked up at him; he was grinning from ear to ear, as if she never did those mean things to him.
-Jamison Fawkes, nice to meet ya! – he wiggled his metallic fingers a bit. -Come on, give it a shake!
-Oh yes, uhm, I mean… Dr. Mei-Ling Zhou, greetings! – she grabbed the hand, and a faint smile appeared on her face as the friendly gesture finally took place. When they let go of each other, a few seconds of awkward silence set in, but it was quickly interrupted by the loud noises of a rumbling stomach.
-Sorry, haven’t eaten much in the afternoon. – Junkrat apologized. – Buuut, if I recall it correctly, I happen to have a box of snacks, wanna join me? As a peace offering?
-A piece offering? I guess that could be arranged. – Mei nodded, stood up and headed to the door -But first, let me just get my normal clothes. I’m still wearing this stupid work uniform.
-I think it’s nice. I like green! – his face lit up, and a slight pink tint appeared across his cheeks. -See ya in ten minutes then?
-Okay. I’m pretty hungry too.
-Uh, before I forget. Don’t drink the boba tea. It’s actually antifreeze…
-What the hell? Are you trying to kill someone? That’s poisonous! Why would you do this? – she squealed in horror.
- Because I toppled over your gift basket the moment I opened the door this morning and the boba tea didn’t survive it… I used antifreeze to refill the cup, to keep the illusion that everything is untouched… - he confessed, and the pink blush on his cheeks turned at least two shades darker.
-Pfff… -Mei threw up her hands in defeat. She still had many questions, but decided these must belong in the category of those that are better left unanswered. – Alright, Junkrat. See you in ten minutes.
-Yup.- he gave her a thumb up as she disappeared in his doorway. He waited a few seconds, just to make sure she’s far enough from his room to not hear the excited yells he addressed to the ‘broken’ radio in his hands:
-Roooadiiieee!!!! Did ya hear this???
-Yea.
-From the beginning to the end? Loud and clear?
-Yea.
-And what do ya think? Now this was a sincere apology!
-Will do.
- She went from 0 to 10 in a day! She threw a tea at me yesterday, and today, she’s sitting on my bed! Like, I can touch the blanket and it’s still warm from her butt! I can’t believe playing the hard to get, miffed dude really worked on her! You’re a genius, Piggy!
-…-
-Well excuse me, but I have to switch ya off now. Don’t eavesdrop on my first date! See ya tomorrow, I have to prepare the food and whatnot! – he cut the conversation short and switched off the radio.Now it was his time to shine. He tore the door open, grabbed the box of snacks and put it on the mattress. Hm, maybe he should stay in his chair and let her sit on the bed, Roadhog said he shouldn’t be too pushy… He can’t sit next to her yet, it’s already a miracle that she spent some time in his room. He also has to keep her interested, but how? She probably wouldn’t appreciate the story of how he tried to blow up the queen of Junkertown. Or how he robbed a bank. Or how he trashed a whole army of omnics. Shit, he doesn’t have anything nice to say. Guess they will just talk about the weather. Hm, she’s actually a climatologist, she would probably enjoy that. Better if he asks questions and not her. Yep, and keep the conversation neutral, small talks, favorite foods, animals… Avoiding sensitive topics like politics. He will say nothing else but comment on the food. Easy, really. As he was pondering, a knock on his door startled him so badly that he almost fell off his chair.
-Come in!
-It’s just me.- Mei slipped into his room, wearing a t-shirt and sweatpants. Oh, she’s so cute no matter what she has on… he already forgot what he wanted to say.
-Uh, let’s not waste time, just dig in!- He reached into the basket and grabbed a box of donuts.
Mei nodded, and took a bag of chips. The good part in eating junk food together was that their mouths were full, so they could avoid talking for long periods without being too awkward. But he really had to say something. Sitting and munching in silence felt so wrong. It was much easier to talk to others… chatting with her seemed difficult.
-I love donuts – Junkrat remarked after finishing the first one.
-Yea, they are nice – Mei agreed politely as she was crunching on the chips. Oh well, they won’t have any life-changing conversations tonight, but at least she doesn’t ignore his inserts. He had to move on, but how?
-Who makes them?- he finally managed to come up with an inquire a minute later.
-No idea. I just get them deep frozen and let them thaw up in the fridge overnight. – she shrugged while ripping open a bar of chocolate.
-Hahah, I was secretly hoping Ana makes them. – he joked and reached for a bag of nuts. -Would be pretty homely though!
-Nope. We don’t make anything – Came the diplomatic and brief answer, but she continued after a few seconds: -Uh, everything comes pre-packaged, even the drinks. Except the boba tea… I have to mix tea with fruit pulp, ice and the tapioca pearls. Those come in buckets, all premade too.
-I see… - he couldn’t mask the faint disappointment in his voice. He really hoped for something…more err… personal?
-What about your breakfast service? What do you serve?- She picked up the thread of the conversation again after a brief pause. Oh, she actually asked something about him. Not bad for a start.
-Uh… I can tell ya… There’s eggs and bacon, grilled cheese sandwich, sausages, pancakes and waffles… the latter two from scratch – he added in a low voice, so it won’t sound like bragging.
- Huh, this menu is pretty lavish compared to my buffet… -Mei’s eyes rounded in surprise- It almost makes waking up early worth it...Who made you set it up?
-Nobody, I volunteered. I love cooking, heh. – he began to grin at the thought of his hobby - It was the cowboy’s idea, one day he was like: damn, wish we had those old-fashioned diners here… so I took this as a challenge!
-I see…- she looked down to her knees, fixated on a wrinkle in the fabric. – Well… I didn’t volunteer. It was the commander who made me into a waitress.
-Ya mean it was Morrison who sent ya to the beach? – Junkrat perked up and peeked at her curiously.
-Exactly.
-But why?
-Not sure. -she shrugged while peeling another bar of chocolate. -He said he needs a sentry at the entrance of the watchpoint, so the buffet is just a front. But what I believe, it’s merely my personal punishment.
-Your what?!
-Punishment. He doesn’t like me, doesn’t trust me, I don’t know. I guess scientists are just not his cup of tea.
-Well, then we have something in common. – Junkrat smirked, while absentmindedly fiddling with a screw on his chair. -I don’t think the guy digs me too much either, heh.
-How do you know?
-Same as you: just a hunch. Something tells me if I was his favorite, my main task wouldn’t be fixing hairdryers and sweeping bots.
-What would you rather do then?
-Go on missions with the others to scrap some robots, of course! – his voice turned deeper and more assertive as he announced this.
-Hm, same here - Mei nodded in agreement. -It’s weird how we are in the same shoes.
-Yep, we just wanna get closer to the fire, but Morrison holds us back. But what if … - he stopped mid- sentence, rolling his eyes as if he was in deep thought.
-What if what? – she raised an eyebrow at him.
-What if he actually likes us and wants us to be safe? This is why he won’t let us fight, to make sure we stay in one piece!
-I somehow doubt that. – Mei shook her head and continued looking at her knees.
-Yea, me too. But gotta stay optimistic, ya know.
A weak smile appeared on her face, but she didn’t respond until she finished her chocolate. She stood up and stuffed the empty wrappers into her pockets:
-Alright, that’s enough junkfood for now. I gotta run some tests in the lab.
-Oh. I see. Good night then? – Junkrat asked, desperately trying to sound not too disappointed.
-Yep. Good night. -she dusted some crumbles off her shirt and left the room.
- See ya…uh… later – he waved bye to her as she disappeared in his doorway. He walked over to his bed and stroked the spot with his living hand where she was sitting. It was still warm from her. He laid down there and curled up, so his skin could soak up that little bit of body heat that was still lingering there. This was the closest he has ever been to her - not even the crumbles that sunk into him could ruin this moment. He let out a sigh – he couldn’t remember the last time someone hugged him. Always alone, forever starved for a touch; that was his life, but he got so used to this that he almost forgot love exists. Then he saw her. So different from anyone else he has ever seen. But her attitude to him was the same as everyone else’s: hostile, callous and mean. He thought that after all these years of living the life of an outcast, words have lost their power over him. Yet when he heard these phrases coming from her mouth, they hurt. They ached. They burnt. They struck him mercilessly and kept coming, and stung him when he least expected them. He heard these words so many times, but they never chimed in such a sweet tone as hers. They usually boomed in something deep and loud; cawed in something shrill and ear wrecking; croaked in something hoarse and rough. But when she spoke, softly and calmly sending those insults to him, it felt a hundred times more painful to hear them. He needed weeks to figure out why did she sound different than everyone else before. It was because she wasn’t angry at him. She was angry for him. Because she cared. He would have missed this entirely if it weren’t for Roadhog.***
-Junk.
-Wot.
-That girl.
-The Chinese? The one who hates me?
-She doesn’t.
-Roadie, you’re insane. Maybe ya missed how she’s been preaching about morals ever since I came here.
-Because she cares, you dumbfuck.***He was skeptical at first, but he had to admit that it made sense. Roadhog had more experience with people than him: he knew what he was talking about, and his theory seemed less and less crazy as time went by and he put her behavior under a magnifying glass. Soon, all the pieces fell to their places and he felt so encouraged, that he sought out opportunities to talk to her. But he almost failed on the first real try: he got a boba tea into his face. He wanted to give up on her, but she came back and apologized. She really was something else. What new possibilities will the new day bring? Only one way to find out: he opened his closet and took out his sunglasses, visor and blue swimming trunks to prepare them for tomorrow.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

She stretched out before she opened up her little buffet for business. She squeezed her lips together as she pulled on the string, so the curtains began to roll up. The moment of truth has come. At first, she was blinded by the light, so her eyes needed a few seconds to get accustomed to the brightness. She squinted, then began to scan the horizon. There he was. Oh, how nice it was to see those ugly yellow shades and orange visor again!***Yeah, what a pleasant day. The warm, salty breeze gently caressing her skin, the grey sand gaining a silver-pearly glow as it reflected the bright sunlight, the blue sky embellished with fluffy rabbit tails that formed instead of clouds that day. All was well. Once again, she was in such a great mood that not even a certain individual whose initials were J.F. could ruin it – not even if he walks up to her stand and asks for a cup of whatever-flavored boba tea. Not anymore. That may have been the case on Monday, but today is Wednesday, a completely different day. And just like how the days of the week changed, their liaisons towards each other followed suit, as they were able to reach some sort of mutual agreement yesterday. She took a deep breath from the refreshing, clean air as she was stretching out her limbs. Isn’t it nicer to be on good terms with everyone? Well, neutral, at least. They won’t be best friends anytime soon, but at least she can stop nagging him about his problematic behavior. Good. It was a time consuming activity anyway - she can finally drop these recurring bouts of disciplinary action from her daily to-do list. She crossed her arms and frowned, looking at a sizeable cobweb that took up the entirety of the right corner of the shack. It was getting on her nerves anyway, being the only one on the team who was trying to correct his atrocious attitude. For whatever reason, neither the otherwise strict Ana, nor the dutiful Mercy tried to teach him some self restraint – she had to make a mental note about this. A small burst of pride began to rise in her chest as the importance of this achievement began to sink in. Nobody else tried to herd this ruffian towards the socially acceptable way of living besides her. It was all her work. She was the only one who called him out on this. Her lips pulled into a small, triumphant smile – on the top of this, she even succeeded. If it weren’t for her, maybe he never picks up this breakfast service, let alone his recycling business. Yep, he definitely changed his ways because she called out his behavior. Good. He’s not a lost cause. He listens to someone who is much wiser than him. That makes him look a little bit more respectable and reasonable. He made the right decision. But now there’s no need for her intervention anymore. Hm, she will almost miss the times when she could rub into his face how he’s not contributing to their common cause. Oh well, this was the entire point of her lectures anyway. She has reached her goal. It should fill her with gratification, like when a teacher watches her student graduate and move on to succeed in life. She frowned at the fat spider in the corner – yet that was not the case at all. She felt nothing like that. Some semblance of emptiness began to crawl into her being – as if something she liked had to come to an abrupt end. As if she had just finished reading the last page of a good book, and there was nothing else available from that author. Or as if she had watched a movie that never had any sequels. She leaned back so she could rest against the kitchen countertop that was behind her and began to think. Yes, something didn’t sound right; her mission was not over. She felt like there was a yet to be published chapter to that little book that would be written about her escapade with Junkrat. She couldn’t put her finger on what exactly that would be, but she presumed a few more additional pages were a work in progress. Hm, maybe he will still need her guidance in something in the future. Maybe she will be the one who could teach him how to do his taxes. Dude has never worked a single day in his life legally. She had to admit though that tax evasion sounded less incriminating than the rumors she heard about him. Did he really steal the crown jewels? Did he really rob a bank? Pffft. These accusations began to sound more and more ridiculous as she began to get to know him. He'd been doing nothing suspicious but building sandcastles on the beach, and as far as she knew, that wasn’t an illegal activity. And if he wasn’t doing that, he'd been frying eggs and loosening screws on transmitters, as it turned out yesterday. This guy was a mystery. So weird. He acted much more like an enthusiastic, off-duty clown than some delinquent. There’s no way he could pull off those heists. No matter how much she despised criminals, she had to admit that performing unlawful activities on a large scale required a tremendous amount of dedication, organization and intelligence. Nah, he can’t be the mastermind behind all this… Probably it was that weird pigman who got him into this mess. Maybe he’s the one who needs her lecture about morals. Where did they go anyway? They were here a moment ago. Oh, they went into the water. The big guy just floated on the surface like some oversized inflatable raft. She shook her head as her eyes finally found the other rapscallion behind him, who seemed even more colorful today than usual. Oh goodness, what is that? A yellow rubber ducky floaty? So cute, but why? Did he steal it from a kid? It’s understandable that he cannot swim with half of his limbs missing, but then why won’t he get something more err… appropriate for his age? A lifebelt or a lifevest? He’s acting like a 6 year old again. How old is he even? She furrowed her eyebrows in deep thought. Huh. Good question. He could be anywhere between 25 and 45. She should ask for permission from Winston to look into his personal data sheets to get an answer for this riddle. Just a short peek. Hm. On a second thought, maybe those colorful accessories were not so bad. At least he has his own style and not just dumbly follows whatever other people do. Looks like he had a couple of original thoughts in that head of his. Speak of the devil – she suddenly caught him looking into her direction. She quickly turned her head away and began to press random buttons on the cash register pretending to be busy, but she knew she was too late. Curse those stupid yellow shades concealing his eyes. It's so hard to determine what he’s looking at. She should invest in some sunglasses herself, so she could judge him to her heart’s content, without anyone knowing that she’s staring at him all day. She could see that the gaudy dot that represented Jamison Fawkes in her peripheral vision began to stir. Uh oh. What is he up to? Hopefully he’s not thirsty for some boba tea again. She started to stare at the squeaky floorboards that were stretching beneath her sneakers. Hm, how interesting, that crack wasn’t there yesterday. She tried to fight the urge to glance up whether the yellow-orange blotch -that will turn into Jamison Fawkes upon closer inspection- was approaching her stand. She couldn’t resist the temptation and her eyes abandoned scanning those fissures in the wood. She looked up; of course he was coming to her stand. He was wobbling towards her on the squashy ground, as fast as his pegleg allowed him, just like on Monday when she threw… when they had that argument. There was no point anymore in pretending that she didn’t notice him, so she leaned on the front desk and waited for him to arrive. -Heya! – he shouted her cheerfully from at least five meters afar, waving his hand. Upon seeing his good mood, she couldn’t keep a straight face either and a faint smile appeared on her lips.-What’s up, Junkrat? – she returned the greeting, trying to seem very interested in observing her nails.-Nothing, I was just thinking if I could get some boba tea, ya see – he put both of his hands into his pockets to look as apathetic as possible. It was also a good method to hide his left palm that somehow got drenched in sweat in a second.-Alright – Mei nodded, and nonchalantly pointed at the pricelist hanging behind her: - You still have to pay though.-I know! I didn’t forget about the payment this time! -Junkrat grinned at her, sounding so ecstatic as if this was the greatest thing that has happened in the past hundred years.-Oh. Er, good job I guess – Mei muttered, trying to sound supportive, since today may go down in history as the first day that Junkrat has ever paid for anything. – Alright then, what would you like then?-A boba tea, extra large, extra pearls, extra ice, strawberry flavor!-Coming right up – she announced and turned her back to him to prepare his order. She was done a minute later and faced him again. She looked at him, hoping that one of those hands that are buried in his pockets will dig up a wallet. But that’s not what happened – a second later, a huge gold bar landed on her counter with a heavy thud. She raised her eyebrows at him – what kind of sick prank is this?-Junkrat, you can’t pay with this – she leaned closer to the shiny, yellow block, adjusting her glasses with her index finger. She has never seen a gold bar before, only in movies, but it looked genuine.-Hey! Why not? – he cried out indignantly, crossing his arms across his chest. Mei sighed:-First, it could be stolen and I don’t want to end up in police custody. Secondly, this is way too much for a boba tea. I don’t have enough change in the cash register to give you back. You could probably buy my whole booth for this gold bar. And lastly - she took a deep breath so she could raise her voice above normal level – THIS IS STILL GIBRALTAR AND ITS OFFICIAL CURRENCY IS POUNDS, AND I ASK FOUR OF THOSE, PLEASE! – she put both of her hands on her hips and glared at him angrily.-Woah. Easy there – Junkrat put his palms in front of him, as if he could shield himself from her thundering words like this. -Well, as ya probably know, I have no source of income at the moment. And since you’re not accepting my gold reserves, where should I get this so called “official currency” from?-Oh. – Mei bit her lips as she listened to this crystal clear reasoning. – Hm. That is true. You have no cash – she began to scratch her chin with her thumb and index finger, trying to come up with a solution for this problem. -Err, have you thought of depositing your gold bars in the bank and using them as funds to open an account? Then you could pay with a debit card!Junkrat facepalmed himself with his metallic hand so hard, that the clink it made was even painful to listen for the bystanders.-Mei. What do ya think, how much time would it take for the clerk to look me up in the crime database and call the police?- he groaned from behind the mechanical fingers. – Would they do it before I whip out my fake ID or after, huh?She blushed as she realized her naïve mistake.-Ah. Oops, I guess you’re right – she nodded. She made Junkrat feel exasperated for a second, that sounded like an achievement by itself. She didn’t even know that was possible Whoopsies. Her grip on the tea cup began to loosen as she mulled over her moment of absurdity. Sensing the opportunity, the mechanical hand snatched the drink from her grasp in the blink of an eye.-Hey! You haven’t paid!-I did - he shrugged as he began to sip the sweet juice through the straw. – It’s not my fault that Miss Zhuzhu didn’t accept my payment – his eyes glowed with a yellow glint, the exact same shade as his golden teeth beneath it, as his lips coiled into a brazen grin.-My name is still Mei-Ling Zhou – she huffed, her nails sinking into the wooden countertop. -You should get yourself examined for memory issues. I’m sure Angela will be happy to work on such a tough case. Freaks like you present a once in a lifetime opportunity to study the prime example of an unhinged mind.She braced herself for his retort, already looking for something that she could smash into his face if things get too intense. Yep, that napkin holder will do. But her jaw dropped as she saw him breaking out in laughter.-Nice one, Snow White! I really do have to pay somehow after getting this hearty laugh. I’m in your debt – he took a long sip from his drink and wiped his mouth with his lower arm.-What do you want, aside from cash? I could perform some general maintenance on your weather drone thingy for instance… Where is it?-Snowball is at the watchpoint, charging his batteries, and he is fine without your services, thank you – she crossed her arms and leaned back to the cupboard behind her.-Surely I could do something for ya. – he added, sounding way less assertive than a moment ago.-What do you have in mind? – she raised an eyebrow, cocking her head to the side.-Ah, err… for… for instance – he began to stutter as his cheeks gained a faint pink shade – I could… I could do some chores for ya… I don’t know… maybe I could vacuum the air vents in your room… or help ya fold the laundry… ya know, stuff like this…-Wash the tables – Mei blurted out so quickly even she was surprised by the speed of how fast this decision was born. She pointed at the couple of outdoor furnishings that were placed around her shack, so the guests could sit down and eat their snacks.-Really? That’s all? – Junkrat crumpled up the empty cup, throwing it into the recycling bin.-Yep. That’s it. – she shrugged and sat down on the tower she built from those unopened cartons of nuts.-Okay, that’s not too hard – he smiled, a little confused by how easily she came up with this chore for him. - This must be a trick – he murmured to himself as he looked around the scene.-Back to work – Mei yawned as her eyes scanned the beach. There were quite a few people out this time, but nobody else queued up for anything at the moment. Oh well, today, she came prepared for a situation like this. She grabbed a science magazine from a drawer and began to read an article about the newest breakthrough discovery in the field of genetics. She barely finished with the first paragraph, the door of her shack flung open with a loud bang, almost giving her a heart attack.-Junkrat, what the hell? Can’t you read that sign? It says ‘entrance only for employees!-Yes, I saw that. I was just thinking maybe I have been promoted to an employee by doing your tasks?-Absolutely not. Now get out of here and wash those tables, before I change my mind and make you clean the toilet instead!-Sure, but could ya answer to one question before that?-What would that be?-How am I supposed to do that without a bucket, a cloth and some soapy water?-Oh. Heheh. I might have forgotten about your work tools - she giggled as she sunk back into the pages of her magazine. -You find everything in the cabinet that’s under the tap.-A’ight – she heard his curt reply and judging by the sound of running water and the slamming of the door, he managed to fulfill the preparations that will lead to the completion of his task. She glanced up and looked out of the window. Hm, he was indeed washing those tables, just as she told him. Was he always this obedient, or he only listens to her because she reminds him of some strict older sister he had to leave behind in Australia? Any case, it’s good to know that he is so willing to obey. And now that it’s clear that he has no money, she basically gained a free ‘servant’ to do whatever she told him. Well, almost free – she had to supply him with some boba tea, but it seemed he would do anything for that. Yeah, he can definitely look at Snowball one day – he could use some fresh batteries and dust removal, maybe a few new wires… He can also help her fold the laundry or clean out the air vents as he suggested, the possibilities are endless… and she can have all this for some boba tea. She could even command him to put some shaving cream instead of whipped cream on Morrison’s pancakes… Hmm, that wouldn’t be very nice though, maybe as an April’s fool prank… She watched him as he leaned over those tables, wiping them with that cloth, occasionally dunking it into the bucket, wringing out the excess water. The muscles in his arms tensed and relaxed with every move. He was missing his right hand – how is it possible that whatever flesh that’s not hidden beneath the prosthetic is still pretty toned? How much meat remained on that maimed limb that he’s still capable of working out? God, he’s so tall too – even when leaning forward, he was still towering above those tables. She wouldn’t even reach until his collarbones if she was standing next to him. He suddenly turned his head towards her as if he could feel that she was eyeing his back.-Under the tables too. Don’t forget to pick off the chewing gums – she ordered him quickly, hoping that he will conclude that she was merely observing how he was working, and not himself. That’s a ridiculous assumption anyway – why would she get the urge to stare at this buffoon? She has more important things to do; she opened her magazine so forcefully that she tore a page.-Ya didn’t like the article? - Junkrat looked at her as he was crouching under a table.-Nope, it was boring – she crumpled up the sheet of paper and flung it into the trashcan.- If I don’t like an article, I just flip the page, not destroy it – he grinned, flashing most of his teeth at her. – Ya should cool down a bit, heheh.-I’m not mad. You’re talking too much. – Mei snapped at him as she was tucking the magazine back to the drawer.-I can work while I talk.-Then wipe the chairs too, they are full of crumbles.-Hey, that wasn’t in the deal. Ya said wash the tables – he protested, but he didn’t seem annoyed at all; a wide grin covered most of his lower face.-The chairs belong to the tables. The implications were there! – she raised her voice again, angrily shouting at him. -You don’t speak about one without the other! Like burger and fries! Like milk and cereal! Like peanut butter and jelly! – she didn’t continue her list of examples, because Junkrat was already crouching next to a chair, sweeping the crumbles off the seat.-Ya should take a dip in the water, really. It’s nice and chill, it would help ya calm down.-No! I can’t go for a swim in the middle of my shift, are you crazy?-I could take over the waitress stuff from ya for an hour - he suggested, sneering at her from behind a chair. -Looks pretty fun.-Absolutely positively not!- she cried out and slammed the desk with both of her palms. -Do not even dream about that!Junkrat shook his head, and for whatever reason, this little gesture made her more irritated than as if he had kept teasing her with his stupid inserts. She sat down on the cardboard boxes, crossing her arms and legs as tightly as she could, and was determined that she will never-ever speak a word to this fool. What a preposterous idea… Just as absurd as the guy himself. She sent an angry glare towards him, but he turned away from her already. She squeezed her lips together tightly until it was painful. This clown. Does he really think that that dumb shark tooth necklace adds anything to his overall image? Delusional lunatic. How drunk was he when he thought that hideous tattoo will look good on his arm? She shuddered. Earrings. EARRINGS. How does he even come up with all these laughable ideas? Is he just sitting on a chair, and suddenly goes: “I know how my standard of living could be improved, Roadie! A skull tattoo and earrings!”. What a dork.-*Splosh*-A bucket half full of soapy water landed on the front desk, and the sound jolted her out of her musings. She looked towards the window, just to see Junkrat standing there.-Okay, I’m done. Tables, chairs squeaky clean, Ma’am – he reported with a wide smile plastered on his face.-The cloth?-Didn’t forget. Sunken to the bottom of the bucket – he pointed at the water with his index finger. In that moment, Mei grabbed his hand. He tensed up as she pulled it closer towards her – her grip was so tight it almost hurt.-NAIL POLISH???- Mei gasped as she could finally give a closer look to his fingers.-What?-Junkrat! Are you painting your nails?!-Huh? – his eyes jumped up and down frantically, from his hand to Mei’s face, trying to comprehend what was going on. -Oooh that, heh. Maybe I do, maybe I just hit them with a hammer and they turned black. Maybe they are just dirty – he smirked as he got back his composure and yanked his hand out of her grasp.-You are terrible. – she declared her final judgement and grabbed the magazine from the drawer. – Move aside, you’re holding up the line!-There’s nobody here.-Because you’re scaring them away! Have you ever looked into a mirror?- she grumbled, but she regretted these words instantly when she saw Junkrat’s bitter pout. She has never seen him sad before. Oh no. She knew she went a bit too far this time.-Sorry I wasn’t born a Greek God – he mumbled with a long face. -I wanted to leave anyway. See ya whenever.-Junkrat please – Mei yelled after him as he was already turning away from her – I wasn’t serious, okay?-Hm?-Come on, I’m just teasing you, dammit! – she jumped up with a blush on her face and reached over to him to pat him on the back. -You’re just a little…uh… weird, that’s all.-Not weirder than ya.-Let’s just agree that we are all… eccentric. That’s why we are in Overwatch – she smiled at him encouragingly, hoping she could cheer him up a bit. He smiled back at her:-Alright. I go back to Roadie, you go back to work.-Yep. See ya.-See ya.-Uh, Junkrat, one more thing…-Yea?-That rubber ducky is cute. I like it.***He could hardly stop himself from skipping and jumping into the air. There’s lots of things to tell to Roadhog. She held his hand! She touched him! Well, not in a romantic sense, more like disciplining him, but as long as it’s not a slap across his face, it still counts! He reached into his pocket and fished out a thoroughly drenched piece of crumpled paper. He began to read it, to check if everything went according to the plan.1. Laugh at her joke2. Offer your services as reward3. Let her win an argument4. ProfitHm, yeah, he did a pretty good job overall. Now he just have to report the results to Roadhog, so he could come up with a continuation for tomorrow. How is Pigface so well versed in the science of romance? He scratched his head in deep thought, but he knew this is one of those mysteries that will remain forever unsolved.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

He kicked the door of the dishwasher shut with his pegleg. He wiped his hands in his apron, then threw it in the laundry basket that stood in the corner of the kitchen. He scooped all the leftovers – 2 waffles, a handful of bacon and sausages, 3 fried eggs and a few slices of toast - onto a large plate. This was the final step of his morning routine. He headed towards a table that stood in the back of the canteen, balancing the plate on his mechanical hand. He placed the food in front of the enormous man who was patiently waiting for him.-There ya go, mate! All the leftovers for my bestest buddy!-Thanks – the enormous figure wheezed, and lifted his gas mask to free the lower half of his face, so he could finally eat. Junkrat took a deep breath:-Sooo… Have you already worked out anything for today?.. About the… uh… project?The giant didn’t say anything, just slid over a piece of paper with some scribbling to his friend across the table. The metallic hand greedily swiped the classified information and he ran his eyes over the handwriting:Get in her physical proximity for a prolonged period of time (approx. 1-2 hours)Junkrat turned over the page to check if there’s more points, but the backside was blank. His face distorted into an angry frown upon the discovery:-Hogface, what does this supposed to mean?! Ya don’t say I should get closer to her?! – he yelled, crumpling up the piece of paper and throwing it onto the pigmask. – That’s the entire point of the deal, remember? I give ya a second breakfast, ya give me instructions on how to get closer to her! - he slammed his fist on the table in fury. -By telling me to get closer is stating the obvious and won’t actively help me getting closer to her! I demand a clear plan!-It’s clear – Roadhog boomed after swallowing a bite of his waffle.-I mean… What am I supposed to do with this? “Get in her physical proximity for a prolonged period of time”…– he huffed, wildly gesturing to the giant. - The hell mate, should I chain myself to her?! If I did that, she would strangle me with her bare hands!-Not if she wants it.-What? My little Snowpile is not that kind of lady!-Make her want you close by.-Why would she?-You already did it yesterday, you idiot. – Roadhog held up his hand to stop his friend from retorting, cutting the conversation short.Junkrat first opened, then shut his mouth as he realized he can’t say anything – dang, piggy was right again. She was the one who wanted him to tag along yesterday. All he had to do was some table wiping… He needs to pull off something similar today… Hm… If only he could somehow get into the buffet to clean the cabinets there… He could be right next to her for hours...But she would never ask him to do that. What now? A Junkrat Plan™️ had to be brewed.-Alright, thanks Roadie! – he jumped up from the table and stormed out of the kitchen. He didn’t even stop until he reached the workshop, and ripped open the door. He went straight to a cabinet and opened it. He began to throw its contents on the floor into a haphazard pile as he was looking for something. It had to be somewhere here. He has seen it not even three weeks ago. Surely nobody took it. There it was – a leaf blower. Jackpot. He tucked it under his arm and ran back to the kitchen. He grabbed a large box of baking soda from there and glanced at the clock that was hanging on the canteen wall: it was 8:27 in the morning. There was plenty of time to set up his devilish plan. Still, he wanted to waste none, and scurried straight to the beach, all the way until he reached the buffet stand that was called “Bubbles”. The small building was closed: its window was covered by a metallic grate and some blinds that didn’t let anyone to see inside, when they were not supposed to. Hm, this is not good – he needed an opening. A small one will do, like an… air vent! His face lit up as he saw the little metallic grille at the backside of the tiny house, close to the roof. He looked around – he really doesn’t need any witnesses... To his luck, it was still pretty early, so there weren’t many people out, and the ones that showed up seemed to be minding on their own business. He tore open the box of baking soda and poured its entire content into the pipe of the leaf blower. He placed his thumb on the trigger and bit his lips.-Sorry my Dear – he whispered, then clenched his jaws and squeezed his eyes shut, hoping he won’t blast too much baking soda into his face. He took a deep breath and pressed the button. The engine revved up with a boisterous roar, emptying the powdery ammunition through the narrow hole. Just five seconds – that was all he needed to dirty everything in the little buffet, giving a new white coating to vertical and horizontal surfaces alike. He released the trigger, and the silence that came after was so deafening that his ears began to ring. He felt terrible – worse than when he robbed a bank or stole some jewels for sure. He had a small pang of regret that immediately died down as he thought about the consequences. He does this for her. For them. How do they say? All is fair in love and war. And this was a little bit of both.***Time was 11:53. Junkrat was lying on a towel, with his arms tucked beneath his head. If a bystander had taken a look at him, they would have come to the conclusion that this innocent creature was merely soaking in the rays of the Sun, like many others that day. But that was not the case: he positioned himself to keep a certain buffet in his sight. He occasionally turned his head to the side, so he could scout the scene from behind the darkened lenses of his sunglasses. He knew that in a few moments, he will hear a scream, or a cry or maybe even some cursing in mandarin, as Mei opens up for business. A minute or two later, a metallic sound signaled that someone pulled up the grate that was keeping the window of the buffet safe and closed. This was a safety measure that had to be removed from the outside. That means she will step inside soon. Any second now.-不好了!!!Yep. This must have been it, no doubt about that. His lips curled into a wicked grin as he waited. He can’t go there yet, because that would be too suspicious, she’d find out he had been lying in wait. He turned his head towards the direction of the noise, to follow the unfolding of the events. He couldn’t see anything, because the buffet was still half closed – the metallic grate was already pulled up, but the window was still obscured by blinds. He still didn’t know how successful he was with his dirty plan, because he couldn’t look inside the building at any point yet. But judging by another painful wail that came from behind those blinds, he must have done a good job. He stood up and headed towards the source of the commotion. The door was open and he was about to yell “Hey, I heard something, is everything okay?” but he couldn’t; Mei stormed out of the buffet, almost tackling him over in the process.-Junkrat! This is terrible! Someone poured something in there! – she gabbled while closing the door behind her.Junkrat gently pushed her out of the way and opened the door to peek inside. All the surfaces were covered in an even white coating: the countertops, the front desk, the cash register, the floor… even the unopened cardboard boxes.-Woah, are ya sure it wasn’t Snowball who had an accident? – he scratched his head as he stepped inside.-Junkrat, are you nuts? Don’t go in! – she yelled at him from outside. – It could be something dangerous, poisonous! Maybe it’s Talon attacking us! I have to go back to my lab for a test kit to find out what is this white dust!Junkrat raised an eyebrow at her, then ran his index finger along the countertop. He sniffed the powder that accumulated there, then promptly stuck his finger into his mouth.-Aaah! You’re crazy! What if it’s anthrax? – she whimpered as she was watching him smacking his lips.- It’s sodium bicarbonate – he announced with certainty.-What? But that’s… Baking soda?!-Yup. From a grocery store.Mei furrowed her eyebrows at him in disbelief. Junkrat ran his finger along the countertop again, creating a line parallel to his previous identification attempt. He stuck his finger under her nose so she could give a closer look. She adjusted her glasses to examine the powdery substance. She licked the tip of her own index finger and dipped it into the suspicious dust, to examine it more thoroughly. As it touched her saliva, little bubbles began to rise and sink in the chemical compound, accompanied by a faint fizzling sound.-Huh, it definitely behaves like baking soda – she nodded.-Don’t believe me? I’m pretty great with chemicals, ya know. What do ya think, where do the bombs come from?This argument must have convinced her, since she stuck out the very tip of her tongue to give a tentative lick to her dust covered fingertip.-Oh. It tastes like baking soda too.-So, if it looks like baking soda, behaves like baking soda, and tastes like baking soda, then what could it be?-Well, it’s probably baking soda then – Mei shrugged, then her face lit up. -Junkrat, we’re not gonna die if this thing was made for human consumption!-Uh, I guess not from this, at least – he smiled at her while wiping his hand in his pants.-Those little punks will pay for this – she bellowed as she slammed her fist on the countertop, stirring up a white cloud.-Excuse me? – Junkrat raised his eyebrows, genuinely surprised.-Those… rowdy teenagers! – Mei exclaimed as she was assessing the damages. – They were here yesterday, four of them! I will recognize them whenever I see them, if they will ever have the guts to show up on this beach again!-What… what did they do?-They were not polite at all, just demanding stuff! They were even short of a few pounds, so I dismissed them! They also said mean things about me! – she explained, her face gradually turning redder and redder as she went on with her story. – They must have returned during the night and got their revenge!-Ooh…I see… err … damn those young punks! - Junkrat yelled, trying to sound outraged, even though he almost broke out in laughter by how lucky he was. It didn’t even occur in her mind that he could be a suspect, so he will get away with this easily, as usual. Hah, and how worried he was about this a few moments ago!-Aww, but I can’t open the buffet like this! – Mei put her hands on her hips as she looked over the destruction again. -It will take a whole day to clean up this mess!-Not if I help ya!-What? Would you really do that?- Mei gasped and turned to him with pleading eyes, clasping her hands in front of her chest.-I mean… why… why wouldn’t I? – Junkrat stuttered as he took a step backwards.-Because I was mean to you for so long… - she sighed and took a step closer to him. - You could have just said that “serves you right”, and leave me here. I wouldn’t even be angry then. I kinda deserved this.-Uhh… - that was all he could mutter. Actually, she was right about the last part. If you look at things like this, she indeed deserved this, and he subconsciously got revenge on her. He didn’t feel like crap anymore about his dirty plan. Oh well. NOW were they truly equal.-So… uh…Would you help me out like yesterday? – she pleaded, looking into his constricted pupils with her brown doe eyes.-Ye…Yes! I will! – Junkrat proclaimed, and a second later, he felt two arms weaving around his hips, and something warm pressing to his chest and abdomen. He tensed up from the unfamiliar feeling – he knew what was happening, but he had to see it with his own eyes, otherwise he won’t believe it. He glanced down and there she was, Mei hugging him, her upper body touching his. It only lasted for two seconds and she pulled away.-Thank you, Junkrat! – she smiled and performed a polite little bow. -I will prepare a bucket of water and some cloths!-Oh. Cloths. Yes. Heheh. Water – he repeated her words, still struggling to comprehend what just happened. This is his lucky day, no doubt.-So uh… You are so tall… I was thinking you could wash the walls and the upper shelves and cabinets… and I will do whatever I can around the cash register and front desk.-Sounds like a plan. I’m sure Roadhog would love to help too, but I don’t think he could squeeze himself in here.***No matter how thankful she was to him, she felt awkward from the minute they dipped those cloths into the soapy water. The buffet was tiny and cramped – it was only meant for one employee, not two. And if these two people were not merely standing next to each other, but making wiping movements with their arms, it was unavoidable to constantly bump into each other.-Sorry – she mumbled as she elbowed him between the ribs for the second time.-No worries – the instant, cheerful reply came from behind her back.She felt embarrassed. True, she hugged him a little while ago, since she couldn’t control her joyful outburst and acted on instinct. But this was different – she was in his proximity for a prolonged period of time, occasionally bumping into each other, various parts of their bodies getting into contact. She has never been so close to him for so long, and it began to feel a little overwhelming. She heard his breathing, how he huffed when he made a strenuous move. She could smell his scent – briny, salty and fresh like the sea, proving he has already taken a dip today. A hint of sweetness - coconut perhaps? Must come from the sunscreen he used. He didn’t smell bad at all; she caught herself taking deep breaths as she was wiping the screen of the cash register. She could feel his body heat on her back, pleasantly and delightfully warm on her skin. It was nothing like being burnt by the Sun: this warmth was welcoming and mild, caressing her like a gentle touch. She inched a little closer to him, as if she just wanted to wipe something that was right behind him. She wasn’t careful enough, and bumped her butt into his thighs.-Sorry.-No problem!She peeked at him over her shoulder. He already took off his orange visor and yellow shades, so he could see what he was doing. Good riddance. What a chiseled jawline he had. So sharp features, almost as if they were carved from wood with a knife, yet they weren’t rough. The lines were thin and delicate, giving an overall fragile appearance. His cheekbones protruded from his skin, and his nose was so long she could see it even as he was facing away from her. How can he look so different from anyone else? She turned back to wipe that spot again, trying to focus at the task. She almost managed to redirect her attention to the dust covered countertop, but then she heard humming. He started to sing a faint melody, to entertain himself during the monotonous labor. It wasn’t meant to be heard by anyone else, but the shack was so cramped that it was impossible to not pay attention to it. She almost told him to stop, but she just couldn’t bring herself to do it – the sound was captivating. He was softly chiming the little tune, until she could feel it warming her heart. She peeked over her shoulder again: she had to see that this adorable voice is coming from those lips. He was using his good arm to wipe the walls and ceiling: his muscles tensing up as he moved it, toned and sculpted so perfectly that she couldn’t take her eyes off them. His shoulders were twice as wide as his waist, his upper body forming an upside down triangle. He was so slim she could see his hipbones sticking out at the top of his shorts. There really wasn’t a single drop of unnecessary fat on this body – he was perfectly lean, towering above her like those proud cypress trees she saw sprouting from the arid, rocky landscape of Gibraltar. He was just like them: grew up in a rugged, hostile environment that tried to kill every life. Only a few of them remained, but those who succeeded, have grown to be the sturdiest and strongest ones. Steadfastly and tenaciously clinging to life, unmovable even by the fiercest storm, laughing in the face of death. He radiated a distinct type of power that nobody else she has ever seen. She served a couple of customers that queued up, switching to autopilot with a far away look on her face. Why is she putting him on a pedestal all of a sudden? She inched closer to him again, gently bumping her leg into his: maybe not even accidentally, but this time on purpose.-Sorry.-No biggie!She was getting hot as blood began to rush to her cheeks. Her breathing got superficial, taking small and quick gasps from the warm air around her. She looked at her palms: small droplets of sweat glinted on her skin when light hit them from a certain angle. She felt her heart jumping around in her ribcage, wildly and madly as if it wanted to burst. It felt like a mini panic attack, but she knew it wasn’t that – this one filled her with thrill and bliss. She licked her dry lips so she could talk:-Junkrat, I need to go to the bathroom. Please, let me out.-Okay! – he replied then opened the door. He walked out of the hut to make way for Mei, who quickly slipped through to head for the public washrooms that were a little farther down the beach.She scurried there as fast as she could and anchored herself in front of a mirror. The Mei who looked back at her was so flushed, not just her cheeks but even the tip of her nose have turned red. She washed her face in cold water, then whipped out her phone from her pocket. She set it on voice recording and began to talk:-I am not attracted to Junkrat.She pressed the play button to listen to it:-I am not attracted to Junkrat - she heard her voice, echoing from the walls of the empty toilet stalls. She played it again:-I am not attracted to Junkrat.And again.-I am not attracted to Junkrat.She listened to it again and again, desperately looking for a single hint in her tone that could be interpreted as honesty. But the task was impossible - she failed, and kept failing. The more times she heard it, the more it sounded like a blatant, obvious lie. Like when a child says “I don’t like chocolate”. She sighed and went to recording mode again. She took a deep breath and cleared her throat:-I have a crush on Junkrat.She put her hand over the phone speaker, as if she was afraid that someone else will hear it. The safety measure was unnecessary – there was nobody else in that bathroom. She heard her heartbeat throbbing at her temples; she knew she won’t like the results. However, she still pressed the play button, her voice faintly spoke:-I have a crush on Junkrat.Oh no, no. This can’t be.She listened to it again and again, just like the other voice recording, but this one sounded differently. This one was sincere, as if she uttered a droplet of the purest truth in the sea of lies.-I have a crush on Junkrat.This wasn’t just the truth. This was a confession. She’s done for.-I have a crush on Junkrat.She looked into the mirror again – her face already regained its usual pale color; the redness disappeared. She put away her phone and opened her lips:-I have a crush on Junkrat – her reflection mouthed, as she heard her own voice in her head. Speaking the truth was liberating and fulfilling, yet impossible to accept. She is brave and strong, a little romance-related confusion can’t send her offtrack!-I have a crush on Junkrat! – she confessed to the mirror again, loudly and clearly. There, she could face it, and the planet is still in one piece. Hmpf, wasn’t even a big deal, she had worse. It’s just a silly little crush, like the ones she had in high school and they led nowhere. She just spent too much time around him, and now she’s a bit confused. She just misses being hugged. Maybe it will be gone by tomorrow morning. All she needs is a rest to clear out her thoughts. This will be easy. She smiled at her reflection to encourage herself, and left the washroom to head back to the buffet.-Hey, ya okay? – Junkrat asked her as soon as she entered. -Ya look a bit…err… disheveled.-Oh, I just erm… had a sneezing fit in the bathroom - she lied – All this baking soda in my nose… let’s finish work before it starts again.-Yeah, we’re halfway through! – he smiled at her, then stood next to her, so he could wipe the walls at the other side of the shack. Mei looked up and down his body, from the tip of those blond spikes to the single orange flip-flop that he wore on his intact foot.-Yes, let’s get to work – she muttered, but she already felt her cheeks blushing again as his elbow bumped into her shoulder.-Oopsies! Sorry!-Don’t worry about it, Junkrat. It’s alright.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Of course she didn’t forget about Junkrat by the time she woke up the next morning. On the contrary: she helplessly watched herself immersing into his captivating charisma, pondering about him before she fell asleep. How tall is he? How would those muscles feel to the touch? She woke up in the middle of the night, around 3 am – she couldn’t stop thinking about him. His smiling face flashed up in her memory, sharp and colorful like a photograph. He wasn’t ugly at all. No, he was actually very good looking with those chiseled features. Why does she find him so goddamn attractive? There must be a scientific explanation for this. She read many theories about how attraction works. It’s probably because she’s Asian, he’s Caucasian, they probably haven’t had a common ancestor for hundreds of generations. Somehow, her body knows this: an ancient instinct that’s buried deep within her essence is in charge for finding the perfect mate, the best candidate to reproduce with. Their genomes must be extremely different and therefore, highly preferable when it comes to create an offspring. And what comes before that? Raw, unadultered carnal desires. She rubbed her temples as she was thinking about this. It wasn’t even funny, weird or awkward anymore; she was long through with this phase. She had time to think about them, until they turned into an elemental fact of her life. A basic truth like how water is wet, fire is warm, and Mei finds Junkrat hot. Her attraction was a fact, and therefore, it had to be approached factually, from a scientific point of view. Her subconscious finds him someone who could be a genetically desirable mate, so evolution could do its thing and their descendants will be successful. She sighed as she established this for herself for the hundredth time, and turned to the wall. It’s alright, nobody will ever find this out, so it won’t go anywhere, and the feeling will disappear. She has to make sure he never notices a single hint from her. She will be cold and formal to him, keeping her distance, and then everything will be normal again. She could finally go back to sleep, just to be haunted by him in her dreams too.-...We shared spits, Roadie! Well, not like that, but close! I licked some baking soda off my fingers, then she poked my finger with hers, and then she licked her finger! It’s a transfer of saliva from my mouth to hers! It counts as a half kiss! – That was the last bit he heard from his friend’s blabbering, because he decided he won’t pay attention to him anymore – for his own sake. If he has to listen to him for one more minute, he will jump out of the window, directly into the sea, and swim back to Australia. How can someone talk so much?-SHUT. UP. – he smashed the table with his giant fist, sending the glasses and plates five centimeters high in the air.-But Roadie! – Junkrat whimpered – I’m just very happy! She bumped into me like twenty times yesterday! And you know what? Some of them didn’t even seem accidental!-…-…And I did the same, and she never got freaked out nor startled! She didn’t even say ‘ew’! I may not be a master of romance, but it’s hard to miss these obvious developmens! She even gave me a boba tea for my hard work at the end of the day! It’s going so well!-Then get to it – Roadhog pushed a piece of paper into his hand, hoping that he will finally drop the subject and will focus on the next task instead.-Ah! Me new plan! For today! – he folded out the paper so eagerly that he almost tore it into two. Roadhog nodded - he couldn’t wrap his head around how these cheap tactics that he picked up from crappy romance movies actually work in life. They were rather just words listed in an orderly manner than instructions. Yet they did the trick. According to Junkrat, he was making progress, which was a result that surprised Roadhog. Maybe these two are indeed a match made in heaven. All he did was write some clichés on a piece of paper, then hoped that Junkrat is able to follow them, and wait for the magic to happen. It was a fun experiment nevertheless, and the guy paid with waffles and sausages, so he was more than happy to help. And the best part of the deal was that if this idiot gets laid with her, that’s free extra food for the rest of his life. FOR THE REST OF HIS LIFE. What better incentive did he need? He rolled his eyes behind the lenses of the pigmask: if he somehow fucks it up after all this success, he will tear out his two remaining limbs for sure.-Woah! These are… these are ingenious, Hoggy! I have to: Compliment her, gain her trust, show interest in her hobbies, get her something nice! – Junkrat read up the scribbling aloud. – This makes me explode with confidence! Ya really worked for your payment this time, Piggy!-Yea. – That was all he answered, feeling a little ashamed of himself. Hearing these “instructions” made him realize that he’s not taking his job seriously at all. Ugh. They were even worse and more cliché-esque than he remembered. When will it dawn upon Junkrat that his entire love-coaching is just a scam, and he’s befriending Mei all on his own? Maybe never, maybe one day, but until then, all he has to do is to enjoy his extra breakfast.***She was determined she will stomp this little sprout of attraction before it flowers into something serious. She clenched her jaws as she was about to pull up the blinds that covered the window of the buffet; she was ready to open up for business. If Junkrat comes here, she will be as distant and professional as possible. As if he was just any other customer, a stranger, restricting the communication to three lines: greeting, asking for payment, farewell. No chitchat, no jokes, no bickering, nothing. She will maintain a neutral, semi-formal approach, nothing else. She tugged the string to roll up the blinds – as the fabric began to rise, it was clear that someone was already standing in front of the window. Only the rim of their blue trunks were visible yet, but Mei already recognized that shade, and therefore, its wearer. She kept pulling the string, so a belly button sitting in the middle of a set of four packs became visible, then a pair of broad pecs, wide shoulders, neck, a sharp chin, a grin, a nose and the ugly yellow shades with the orange visor following them.-Hello, Sir. How may I help you? – she performed a little bow to greet this ordinary customer.The grin disappeared from Junkrat’s face:-Mei, is this a joke?-Hello Sir. How may I help you?Without hesitation, he walked to the side of the shack, and ripped open the door of the buffet.-Mei, are you okay?! Why are you so confused?-Excuse me Sir, but that entrance is for employees only, please leave the premises.-Mei, you got a heatstroke! – he yelled, and put his living hand on her forehead to check her temperature. – Holy Dooley, your forehead is sizzling!-Please refrain from touching me, Sir, or I have to call the police! – she shoved his hand aside and took a step back.-Your face is all red! Oh no, you’re overheating! I have to cool ya down somehow! – he looked around the building frantically. He yanked out the tray from the ice machine, and poured its entire content on Mei’s head, covering her hair and shoulder with ice cubes.-Sir, this is preposterous!-Shit, it’s not working! – she heard Junkrat’s growl, and she felt a little push around her backside. The next second, her legs were not touching the floor anymore – she felt her entire body pressing to his, his arms wrapping around her torso and thighs.- Put me down! – she wanted to yell with anger, but her outcry turned out to be a mere polite plea by the time it has left her lips. No wonder he didn’t obey – he rushed out of the building, carrying her in his arms. She just couldn’t bring herself to sound convincing. The familiar rush of heat washed over her body, just like yesterday, and she couldn’t deny anymore that she actually liked being this close to him.-Haven’t you heard me? - she muttered, and tried to wiggle herself free from his grasp, but he held her so tightly it was impossible. It was her fault anyway. She should have known treating him as a stranger won’t work after all the things they’ve been through. Now he thinks she’s delirious from a heatstroke, doesn’t believe her and won’t even stop until they arrive at the medical ward to drop her onto Mercy’s examination table. She turned her head to relax against his chest – there was no reason to fight him, he won’t listen to her in this state. Her free arm wrapped around his neck, as if she was merely trying to find more support, but she knew this was not needed: he grabbed her so tightly his nails dug into her skin. She had to admit, it felt nice being held. She missed greatly to be close enough to someone to feel their body heat. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath; oh, he smelled so nicely too. He hasn’t been in the water yet, so he smelled like burnt coal, pancakes and engine grease, mixed with his own sweet scent that dominated over all of these. She lifted her head a bit, so her nose was closer to his collarbones, to take another whiff. He was so soft and firm at the same time: his skin was warm, smooth and tender, yet the flesh beneath it was solid, as it tensed up to shield and protect her.-Don’t worry Love. I’ll fix ya up! – she heard him whispering, more to encourage himself rather than her. Oh, he called her “Love” and is worried about her. And to think she wanted to play the unapproachable stranger a minute ago… What should she say now? It’s clear she was the jerk, as before. She took a deep breath again to calm down – oh, why does he have to smell so nicely? She pressed her nose to his collarbones, ready for..*splash*Cool water hit her butt and backside – her eyes shot open in that instant and gasped. She was slowly being submerged into the sea along with Junkrat, who was still holding her in his arms.- What are you doing?! C…cold – that was all she could utter before her teeth began to chatter.-I know, I know – she heard his voice, chiming calmly and reassuringly. The water was so deep that the waves were already frothing at Junkrat’s chin. If she wasn’t freezing so badly, she would have screamed his head off. The rapid lowering in temperature was unpleasant – she weaved both of her arms around him, pressing her body as close to his as possible, trying to soak in as much of his body heat as she could. But his skin was also losing its warmth at the same fast rate as hers – she felt his arm on her waist turning chilling like the sea around them. Wait – if the Sun couldn’t warm the water here, how deep are they in the sea? How far is the shore? She looked around in a frenzy – nothing around them, just the cool blue waves hugging them from every side. The beach was just a thin line in the distance.-Junkrat! – Mei freed herself from his grasp and began to paddle. She put her hands on his shoulder to push herself up to eye level with him: - What are we doing here? Jamison, you can’t swim!!!-Aw, you’re feeling all better! Ya finally recognized me! Even remember my name and everything! – he smiled at her.-We have to get out of here! – Mei swam behind him and grabbed him under his armpits. – Please Junkrat, don’t panic or else we are both doomed. I would never forgive myself if you drowned because of trying to help me!-Heheh, sounds like a way to go.-This is not a joke! – even from behind his head, she could tell from the curves on his profile that he was grinning from ear to ear. – Just relax and we will make it, okay?-I am relaxed – he shrugged as she was dragging him along with her in the water, kicking with her legs to swim towards the shore.-Goodness, how deep is this?-About 6 feet I assume? Don’t worry, I can still reach the bottom with my foot. I’m standing.-Good gracious, you’re tall! – she said, and a wave splashed into her face. – Wait, you mean you weren’t in the slightest danger?!-Not really. I just walked into the water until it was deep enough to submerge you – he brushed her hands away from his armpits.-But why?!- Ya were knocked out cold, probably don’t remember anything! Acted all weird, couldn’t recognize me and stuff! I figured ya need to chill out in the sea, must have been a heatstroke.-Oh. Uhm. Yeah. It must have been – Mei nodded, as she decided not telling the truth will be the easiest for the both of them. Holy Hell. She really thought treating Junkrat as a stranger would be a good idea and it would solve this little crush problem… Maybe it was indeed a heatstroke that planted such ridiculous ideas in her mind. -Yes Junkrat. I think you were right. I might have needed this. – she turned away from him and began to swim towards the shore with firm strokes. They got out of the water within a few minutes.-Oh no! I have to go back for some dry clothes! I can’t work like this! - she exclaimed as she took off her shoes and socks, wringing the water out of them.-Screw work, you almost died!-Me?! YOU died almost! You went into the deep sea yet you can’t swim!-I was nowhere near drowning!-What if a wave topples you over?-What if I don’t put you in cold water? Your brain almost fried!-And you almost drowned!-I wasn’t!-Yes, you were!-Junk. – A deep, raspy voice interrupted their bickering. - Here.They both looked towards to the direction of the sound; Roadhog was standing there, pointing at a straw beach mat laid down in the sand.-Oi! Thanks Roadie! – his friend exclaimed happily and sat down on the rug.-You too. – he poked towards Mei with the snout of his pigmask. She didn’t think disobeying this giant would be a good idea, so she sat down next to Junkrat. She watched this beast unfolding the largest towel she has ever seen – judging by the sheer size and the pink piggy printed on it, there was no doubt about the identity of its owner. He laid the fabric over their backs – it was so huge it easily reached around the both of them. In that moment did she realize how incredibly cold she was – she didn’t spend too much time in the water, but the sea was pretty chilly that day. Or was it always like this? She never tried it before… Maybe it’s just relatively cold compared to her body temperature… If the sea is 20 degrees Celsius, that will feel incredibly cold on her skin which is about 36… At least she’s next to Junkrat again - he has replenished some of his lost body heat, as she could feel some precious warmth radiating from him. She unconsciously inched a little closer to him, until their upper arms touched.-Thanks for your help, Mr. Rutledge – she turned to the man in gratitude. -But I can’t stay here… I have to go back to my room and find dry clothes, so I can continue operating the business…- I’ll do it – the mouth behind the pigmask wheezed, and Roadhog waddled towards the buffet to self-promote himself to shopkeeper.-Alright…Just for an hour, until I dry up a bit - Mei mumbled, as she still wasn’t comfortable with the idea of confronting this tower of a man. -Be careful with the fruit syrups when you make boba tea! They’re very intense! – she cried after him.-Do ya think anyone will complain him if the service is not perfect? – Junkrat grinned and raised an eyebrow at her.-Uhm, probably not.They both watched Roadhog actually managing to squeeze himself into the shack and take the cashier’s spot behind the counter.-Woah. He must have lost some weight! – Junkrat let out an appreciative little whistle. -I always put less sugar in his waffles than into the others'… But eh… this is a secret, okay? Don’t tell him! Do you think it helps?-Definitely - Mei giggled. - I wouldn’t have imagined him fitting in there.-And I wouldn’t have imagined ya getting so worried about me! Ya went into full blown lifeguard mode trying to save me! – he snickered, mischievously poking her between the ribs.-Oh, shut up! Didn’t you do the same to me when you thought my brains turned into toast in the sun? – she teased him, playfully punching his upper arm.-Alright, if it bothers ya that much, I’ll let ya die next time!-You would?! – she raised an eyebrow at him in disbelief.-Of course not! It was a joke! I would never… - his pupils constricted as he looked into her warm brown eyes. -I…I would never...- Don’t worry, I know – she smiled at him and took a deep breath to gather some courage to continue this conversation: - So, I noticed you called me erm… “Love” in the sea and I was...-YOU REMEMBER THAT?!-Why of course I...-Nooo, I thought you couldn’t hear me! – he squealed in a high-pitched tone. -I thought you were unconscious!-I wasn’t.-Then why were you so silent while I was carrying you? I thought you fainted!-No, I was just… relaxing.-What?! In my arms?!She didn’t say anything; there was no point in denial anymore. The cat was out of the bag. They exchanged looks that told more about their story than a thousand words.-Yes. In your arms. – she whispered, still looking into his eyes.-Oh.-You smelled nice.-You too. And you were soft, heheh.-You too. And so warm.-Heh, and your skin is so smooth…She felt his real hand bumping into the side of her thigh, almost as if he wanted to verify if his observation was still true. She flinched for a second.-S…sorry…I just… - he stuttered weakly.-It’s okay. – She reached over to his hand with hers to find his fingers and folded them into her palm. Unbelievable – she’s holding hands with Jamison Fawkes. His skin is warm and soft on hers. And this feels like the most natural thing ever, as if it’s always been like this. As time passed in silence, his thumb slowly began stroking the back of her hand. He’s gentler than she ever imagined. Yes, because she imagined this so many times, but now it became reality. And she loves it. She started fondling his knuckles as a way to reciprocate his caresses. She doesn’t know where does she want this to go, but now this game is played by two. And the next move was on Junkrat.Only a few minutes passed, and she felt his hand was slipping out of her grip. It began inching even closer to her, all the way onto her thigh, until it could rest there. She was wearing shorts and her legs were bare - her first instinct was to look around in horror how many are witnessing this intimate moment. Nobody gave a damn – every single beachgoer was minding their own business, and even if there were some prying eyes, the towel covered both of them from toe to neck. She let out a sigh of relief and closed her eyes, so she could finally appreciate the caring touch. Since she showed no sign of distress, his thumb began to stroke her thigh, lovingly and tenderly brushing her skin. She moved a little closer to give him better access, then cocked her head to the side, so it was resting on his shoulder. She lifted her hand and began caressing his thigh too, copying his movements. They didn’t speak, but even without words, they both knew that the pact was sealed moments ago - friends don’t touch each other like this. A new door has opened up for them, and they decided to walk through hand in hand, to face the next adventure together.***-Time’s up – a gruff voice roared behind their backs.-Oh? A-Already? – Mei turned her head and looked up into the pigmask.-One hour. As you wanted. - Roadhog boomed and pointed towards the buffet.-Oh yeah. Work. Uhm, al… alright… I’m eh… dry – she stuttered, knowing well that the big blotch of wetness in her panties has nothing to do with the dip in the sea.-I might grab a boba tea soon, before I head home. But I still have no money – Junkrat smiled at her.-Okay. It.. it’s fine… erm …Fr-… friends don’t have to pay…

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

He couldn’t believe his eyes who was standing in the doorframe. She has never visited his breakfast service before.
-Good morning, Mei! – Junkrat cried over to the scientist, who was shyly peeking into the canteen. – What brings you here at such an early hour?
-I was uh, I just wanted to check out how the breakfast looks like. But I see you already cleaned up.
He glanced at the clock – it was a little past 8am. Everyone else has already left, only Roadhog was sitting there, eating the last crumbles of the leftovers.
-No, no, breakfast lasts until 8:30 on Saturdays! - he came up with a lie and jumped up to butter a slice of bread. -One grilled cheese sandwich coming up!
-It’s fine, I know I slept in. Breakfast was over at 8. You don’t have to do it – she muttered as she walked next to a table.
-What if I want to work overtime? Ya gave me a free cherry boba, after we… After we dried up yesterday! – he slapped a slice of cheese on the bread and slammed it in the pan. -Ready in 3 minutes, really!
-If you insist. Thank you Junkrat.
-Hey Roadie, make some room for the new guest! – he cried over to his friend.
-I’m done. Later – the giant stood up, and squeezed himself out of the chair. Junkrat waved bye to him and pondered: Pigface really sensed what was going on here. He mentally applauded to this man, how he always knew what was the most appropriate behavior in order to reach his goal. And in this case, it was to leave him alone with Mei, chatting over a romantic breakfast. He still couldn’t believe how lucky he was – he reached into his pocket after he flipped over the sandwich. He crumpled up the worn and torn piece of paper that was containing yesterday’s instructions on how to approach Mei - they were not followed in the least. However, the results somehow turned out ideal, even though he was merely acting on his instincts. He peeked behind his back – unbelievable. She was still sitting there without any signs of disgust or hatred towards him: she sought out his company on her own. Is this how it feels to be wanted? Well, not by the police for 25.000.000. of course, but when an other human being requests his presence by their own free will? Yes: yesterday, this girl was actually sitting next to him, holding his hand, resting her head on his shoulder and put her hand on his thigh – even stroked on his skin a bit. Though this entire scene merely lasted for a short time, how could his heart handle that heavy pace it was beating? He should have collapsed from a joy-induced heart attack. Could they be dating in the near future? That touching her soft skin could be an everyday occurrence, just as natural as drinking a glass of water or loosening a screw? Judging by the signs and her behavior, that was a possible, if not a likely scenario, but he didn’t want to jinx it by daydreaming too much about it. He was grinning at the sizzling sandwich like an idiot, inhaling the grey smoke that was seeping from beneath it.
-Junkrat, I think it’s done. It’s starting to smell burnt – Mei’s voice brought him back to Earth.
-Oopsies, heheh, I spaced out a bit – he giggled and laid the sandwich on a plate. He also prepared a glass of milk then put everything in front of her.
-Here ya go, breakfast is served – he smiled at her as he pulled out a chair so he could sit across her. She politely thanked him before she began to eat. He watched her in silence, thinking hard what should he say. True, she sought him out on her own and he interpreted this as a good sign – but what if... What if she came here so early to cut him off, to make it clear that that little handholding from yesterday was nothing, and she doesn’t want to do anything with him ever. That she was just indeed confused and mentally disoriented from that heat stroke and she didn’t know what she was doing, therefore, it doesn’t count? If she does that, he will not survive that. He had to say something, he had to bring up the topic before her – this couldn’t wait.
-So, I loved sitting next to you yesterday, holding your hand and uhh… and I was thinking we could erm… go for a walk today at the beach… ya know… together… - he suggested meekly, trying to test her intentions, afraid to think about any other possible scenario. He anxiously glanced at her – he was hoping that she will just answer with an eager “okay, let’s do it” but that didn’t happen. She didn’t freak out either though - she was just chewing on her food… that’s not bad, right?
-Oh, I wanted to talk about this, Junkrat – she looked at him too, her eyes meeting his pupils constricted in worry. - I was thinking a lot about us yesterday, and almost all night.
-Aaaand?! – he wheezed and his nails sunk into the wooden table beneath his fingers. No, no, no. This can’t be. Please, don’t.
-So, we’re basically colleagues... I don’t think…erm… having a romantic relationship with a coworker is a great idea… It can affect our performances… Also, people would be weirded out….
He couldn’t answer anything. He just swallowed reflexively, even though that little saliva he had in his mouth had dried up long ago. Neither of the countless gods humanity came up with were ever on his side, nor any of the billions of humans who roamed this planet. His luck was his only ally that he could trust: the reason he was still alive at all. Yet sometimes, even his luck would abandon him too. This world was mercilessly conspiring against him, picking up strength with every new day as the Sun rose up, so the suffering could go on. But all he could do was to laugh. Laugh, because that was all what was left for him. His smile was the only thing that the world couldn’t take away. But this time, he couldn’t force it onto his face – all that appeared was a painful frown.
-However…
He perked up as he heard her voice again, visibly struggling to comprehend that it’s not all over yet. There’s a condition. She’s not done with him yet – she went on silently, almost whispering:
-However, they don’t have to know about it…
-Uhm… I’m sorry, uh, what? – he stuttered, as it slowly began to sink into him that there is still a chance.
-I like you, and I think maybe we could try it… uh… on one condition… If nobody ever sees us together… you know what I mean…
He couldn’t believe his ears. Is that all? She wants to keep their relationship secret from everyone else? He wanted to jump up onto the table and dance. All his worries were gone in an instant. He wasn’t THAT delusional and obviously didn’t expect her to call her dad immediately to brag about how she’s dating a criminal… He could already mentally see himself living with her as a family, rushing forward years in time in just a second. He got the idea out of his head quickly as he remembered she was still waiting for his reply.
-Of course not! It’s our secret! My mouth is shut! Not even Roadhog will know anything! – he cried out happily, even though the last part of his outburst was already a big, fat lie. Roadhog had been informed about everything that ever happened under his towel, including touchy details like how Junkrat couldn’t stop himself from getting hard while Mei was stroking his thigh, but he managed to hide it beneath his mechanic hand. (After learning these facts, Roadhog obviously threw away this towel in the next minute. But over the course of the night, he stole it back from the trashcan, and now it rests neatly folded beneath his pillow, along with the empty paper cup of his first real free boba tea from yesterday)
-Thanks… - she smiled at him, then continued in a hushed voice, almost begging: - Please, don’t judge me harshly… I’m just… so very lonely… and so are you, I believe…
He felt his heart skipping a beat or two - she hit a nerve, again. How does she know this? He never spoke about his anguish to anyone, ever. He rolled his eyes at her. A part of him wanted to deny this nasty accusation by bluffing how he had many friends and admirers, how popular he was. But as he looked into her tender brown eyes, he was unable to utter a lie – he couldn’t even force a grin onto his face.
-Yes. All my life – he confessed more in this blunt little sentence than he ever wanted. His misery was supposed to remain a secret that he takes to his grave. Yet there it was, laid out in front of this woman he had only known for a few months .
-Junkrat… It doesn’t have to be like this. I don’t know you too well yet, but something always told me you are not as bad as you think or pretend to… No matter what others say. Just my gut feeling.
-Oh. Heheh. – he giggled for a few seconds, so unsure about what to say next. This was too much to take in – the woman who he thought hated him was indeed caring about him, the entire time, from the first day, just as Roadhog said.
-Oh, and by the way – she patted his hand a few times, to get his attention. He flinched from her touch, almost jumping up from his seat. – Remember what I said, Junkrat… the others shouldn’t see us together… I can imagine Winston would love finding us having a chat, but I’m not so sure that everyone will be supportive about you and me… So, we should go somewhere else - she muttered, avoiding looking into his eyes.
– So, we just head to the beach! We will chat while you’re doing your waitress stuff, as if I was a customer, so nobody suspects a thing! – he suggested a logical imaginary scenario that he could easily follow.
-Yes, that would be fine… But not today… - she stood up and walked to the dishwasher to load in her dirty plate, cup and utensils. – Let’s go to somewhere more private, and I can fill you in on the details.
Junkrat swallowed. He was usually pretty damn optimistic, but this scenario exceeded even his wildest imagination. He certainly didn’t expect her to invite him so soon to “somewhere more private”, let it be her room, her lab or anywhere else. But she said she likes him...Things were going in the right direction at lightspeed – not even his famous luck was this generous to him often. He caught himself following her, walking behind her mesmerized for the next couple of minutes, without even the slightest idea where they will end up. After crossing some corridors where he had barely ever set foot before, she finally stopped in front of a door. She opened it using a keycard. As the metal panel slid open, the lights turned on and some sort of a conference room was revealed. The furnishing consisted of a large table, surrounded by at least a dozen black leather chairs. As they walked inside and he finally got a chance to look around, he also noticed a smaller, round coffee table in the corner in the middle of an U-shaped couch, some tall, grey file cabinets and drawers, and a huge screen occupying the main wall.
-Alright. Nobody will ever find us here – she turned to him as the door closed behind their backs. -This meeting room has not been used ever since the uh… disagreement between Morrison and Reyes. Maybe you heard about the case…
-Me? Of course, I did – Junkrat nodded as he pulled out a black leather chair so he could sit down. He had a vague idea what happened between these two leaders and he had a thousand questions, but in these moments, he was way more intrigued by something else that had nothing to do with the dark past of Overwatch.
-So… you said we can’t go to the beach today… why? – he furrowed his eyebrows in deep thought, eagerly hoping that she will let him on in her secret.
-Oh? Why we can’t go to the beach? – she repeated his question as she sat down across him at the table. -Uhm… because I have a day off. Tomorrow as well.
He was a little bewildered - is that all? There has to be more to this story. Or not? Any case, he has to play along if he really wants to gain her trust.
- Oh right! – he nodded with a wide grin on his face, seemingly all happy again. - Ya worked all week and deserve a little rest. Who’s taking your shift? I bet it’s the cowboy. I can totally see him handing out booze to the children, thinking he’s some wild west bartender!
-Oh, nope. It’s not him – she leaned closer to him, as if she was about to reveal a secret and whispered: - It’s Morrison.
Junkrat’s jaw dropped in surprise:
-What the hell? The commander himself is taking your shift?! Then your job must be super important!
-Eh…that’s…not exactly the reason... – she sighed with a bitter smile on her face - It’s because the beach is the busiest on the weekends… Lots of people are out… Morrison is certain that if we wanna spot Talon spies, the weekend is our best chance, because they would mingle with the crowd.
-Then why did you get a day off? Aren’t ya needed today?! Why won’t ya go and help him?
-Because uh… he thinks… he thinks I am not up for the job… I wouldn’t be able to spot anything suspicious in a crowd …
-He really said that?! How does he know if he never lets you try?!
- No, he didn’t say that, but I guess he thinks I’m a failure… and maybe he’s right.
-Don’t say things that are not true! You are not a failure! – he protested vehemently, desperate to cheer her up somehow.
-I mean… He has a point… I’ve been working there for three weeks now, yet I couldn’t detect any Talon activity…. – a faint smile appeared on her face as she rolled her eyes at him - …All I could spot was you and your orange visor…
-Heh. Good thing I fished it out of a trashcan. Along with the sunglasses, of course.
-You actually found those in the trash?! I knew it!
He grinned at her, flashing almost all of his teeth at her, including some golden ones:
-Ya should really stop making assumptions like this. Ya could set aside your initial biases towards Jamison Fawkes and now you’re talking to him, one on one. You could give me the benefit of doubt! How about giving the same treatment to Jack Morrison as well?
-What do you mean?
He leaned back on the chair, putting his arms under his head to serve as a pillow:
-What if the real reason he wants to spy on the beach is because he and himself alone wants to spot his old pal Reyes snooping around here, huh? To settle their old argument once and for all, if ya know what I mean.
She put her index finger and thumb on his chin in deep thought.
-Hm. That does make a little sense, actually. I bet he was doing nothing but monitoring the surrounding area from the Headquarters. He just knows he will pop up one day.
-I wouldn’t be surprised if your buffet shack is actually housing some fancy equipment to detect spies – he chattered and let out a small giggle: - Have ya checked for thermal cameras under the floorboards?
Mei also laughed for a bit about this ridiculous idea, but then suddenly turned more serious.
-Nope. But he’s probably paranoid enough to do that.
-See? What if he planted spy detectors everywhere at the beach, and ya are just a tiny part of his big Talon-hunt scheme? – he was getting all excited about this conspiracy theory that just began to unfold in his mind, speaking louder and louder while leaning closer to her: -There could be microphones under every pebble! There could be cameras inside every hermit crabs’ shell! Maybe the other Overwatch guys who appear at the beach are all tasked by him to monitor the area! Genji, Reinhardt, Ana could be all on this!
-Oooh. Or you!!! So this is why you were on the beach every day. Did Morrison send you as some backup sentinel or what?
-Uhmm… - he became all silent again, even stopping midway in his heavy gesturing and leaned back on his chair again.
-It makes sense, I guess. – Mei adjusted the glasses sitting on her nose. -Ana and Reinhardt have only 2 eyes together, but they are veterans, so with their experience, that counts as double, as four. To meet the eye-quota, we needed to be together, so we have 4.
-6.
-Heheh, oh right, my glasses... So, he sent you as a backup, in case something unusual happens, huh?
-Actually… That’s quite the opposite of the truth. If he is out on the beach today, I definitely can’t go there! – he began to fiddle with his fingers under the table as he looked around nervously.
-What do you mean?
-Uhm… - he continued stuttering, as always when an uncomfortable topic was brought up. -He suspended me on the first week I came here when I… uhm, dismantled a couple of his “helix rockets” for analysis, ya know – he looked at her and as their eyes met, she burst out in laughter. – Hey, I just wanted to see how they function, okay? Don’t criticize a genius at work!
-So, you were suspended for tinkering with his weapons… For how long exactly?
-Err… Until further notice! But I’m sure he doesn’t remember it anyway! He can unground me any day now!
-Sure, sure. So, you were grounded like a kid, yet you still snuck out to the beach, every single day, defying your commander’s order, risking real punishment… May I ask you again, why did you do this? You didn’t answer it the last time.
He looked up at the ceiling and squeezed his eyes shut as hard as he could. He clenched his teeth as if talking caused him excruciating physical pain.
-Come on Mei... Ya know why!
-I might have an idea, but I want to hear it from you!
-Because…uh... I wanted to see ya? – he was beginning to sweat bullets now; a drop trickled down his temple, all the way down his jawline. He peeked at her; she was smiling at him encouragingly. – I… I mean, you are the prettiest of all the ladies here and I was just erm… watching ya… - he sunk his nails into the seat of the leather chair he was sitting on. -I mean… don’t get the wrong idea! Not like a pervert, not stalking ya of course! Just working up the courage to talk to ya! – He anxiously glanced at her, and he could see in her eyes that the more he tried to make himself clear, the more baffled she became; he had to go on: - Because… Because… Because I really wanted to talk to you… You are just… very pretty… - he buried his face into his palms in his deepest embarrassment, as he was losing control over the situation. His cheeks were already hot to the touch. This outburst of sincerity really took a toll on him, yet he couldn’t stop confessing – his heart felt lighter by every word he uttered. -No! You’re not just pretty! That is a shameful understatement! You are the cutest thing I have ever seen! You are adorable! So soft, so very, VERY soft, I could hug ya all day – he lowered his head onto the table, covering everything he could from his face with his palms, as if he was in agony. -There. I said it… Now please don’t kill me, okay? – he added jokingly to ease the awkwardness of the situation.
He suddenly felt something soft on his shoulders which startled him and he flinched. He peeked around what was going on – apparently, Mei wasn’t sitting across him anymore. She had already moved to the chair next to him and her hand was resting on his upper arm. He didn’t know how to react; he felt all his muscles tensing up in his body as his brain processed her touch.
-It’s okay…. You’re very stiff… Just relax… - he heard her whispering from so close that he could feel her breath on his shoulder. A chill ran down his spine that shook him, ending up loosening his muscles a bit.
-Junkrat… I had no idea that’s how you feel. I thought it was nothing serious and you just wanted to flirt with me.
He didn’t look up at her – he was so embarrassed that he couldn’t keep his big mouth shut again and he ended up rambling some romantic nonsense monologue that could be either a hit or miss.
-…Jamison, this is very cute how you opened up and shared how you feel. Feelings are not meant to be suppressed, but to be embraced. Yet we are conditioned all our life to restrain them… I know it’s hard to talk about this - she gently combed through his hair with her fingers, then rested her hand on his shoulder. His entire back began to burn from the little touch.
-Yep – he agreed curtly, enduring her small pat – What about you?
-What about what?
- Your “feelings”…- he gazed in front of himself, seemingly focused on the thin air before his eyes - how ya weren’t so nice to me… Roadie said the reason you picked on me was because you cared…
-He really said that?
-Yep. I was so sure you hated me.
-Honestly, I also thought I hated you in the beginning. But then I realized that I was just mad at you because I saw you as a wasted talent… someone who could make a difference, but he’s unwilling…
-Hey! I wasn’t unwilling! I always wanted to go legit! – he raised his voice a bit, going above his normal volume level.
-Don’t worry, I believe you, please, I’m sorry about that. – she smiled at him and stroke his back a few times, making him flinch a little again. – I just needed some time to realize… to realize that you’re actually… very kind… and good looking.
-Who? Me?- he groaned in disbelief, thinking he fell victim to a nasty prank.
-You are warm-hearted, helpful and very talented – she whispered, redness spreading all over her cheeks – I also like your body… it’s nice…
-T... thanks…I don’t know what else to say, Love… ya really shut me up now… better mark it in the calendar….
He glanced at her as she moved her chair even closer to his, so she could cock her head to the side. She was resting against his shoulder: the overall intimacy of the situation made him tremble for a second. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, not saying a word anymore. He really wanted to reply with something, but whatever he wanted to say, seemed insignificant in that moment. He leaned back, dragging her with him, so her head could get further support by the back of his chair. It still didn’t look too comfortable, no matter how much padding the seat had. Yet she clearly seemed to be enjoying the moment. How can she be so chill? Maybe he could get some rest too if he does exactly like her. He sighed, trying to loosen up those incredibly sore and stiff muscles that were aching at his back and arms. His joints cracked as they were moving back to their designated locations, the audible pops echoing off the empty walls. Only in that moment did he realize how silent that room was. As he was getting adjusted to the lack of noise, his ears began to pick up sounds that seemingly weren’t there before: the sound of how he was drawing his breath, his belly sinking and raising evenly. Then he heard Mei’s breathing: slower than his, deeper too. He soon became aware of the faint throbbing in his chest: his heart beating a crazy pace that eventually became the slower the more attention he paid to it. After some listening, it eventually reached a point where the throbbing was so quiet that he was able to hear a second heartbeat next to his: Mei’s pulse was even slower and more relaxed than his own. He was listening to it as he was wondering whether she had fallen asleep or not. She probably did. He slid his hand over hers and clasped his palm around her fingers, but she didn’t react at all. She must have been pretty tired indeed. He smiled to himself – she woke up hours earlier than her usual alarm, just to get a taste of his breakfast… Now she has dozed off on his shoulder in a remote part of the building where nobody will bother them. Is this how being victorious feels like? He stroke her cheeks with the back of his hand, burying his nose into her hair. Just a little kiss on the top of her head, so she won’t wake up. For the first time in years, he felt calm and content, reveling in the peaceful moment he shared with her. He realized he doesn’t live in the future, doesn’t live in the past: he exists in that very second, with Mei on his side. That was what truly mattered, and there was no force in the universe that could erase this blissful moment.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

He was sitting alone in the abandoned, empty meeting room, waiting for her. He glanced at the clock- 13:39. She had to arrive soon – they agreed during breakfast to meet up here at 14. He let out a deep sigh and buried his face into his palms: yesterday has changed everything, for forever. Nothing will be the same as before, and he doesn’t know what he’s supposed to do. All he knew was that he will never forget the scent of her hair when he kissed the top of her head… All he had ever hoped for was slowly becoming a reality, and shockingly, he lacked the mental fortitude to swallow this unbelievable success. He never expected to get this far, yet all of a sudden, the intoxicating burden of triumph was encompassing his core. Here he was, waiting for her in this room; a secret tryst, hidden from everyone else, so they can do whatever will please both of them. A little noise came from the door – he looked there in an instant.
-Jamison… You’re here already? – Mei whispered as she closed the door behind her.
-I couldn’t wait, sorry – Junkrat stood up and walked over her, gently placing a hand on her upper arm, guiding her to a leather chair. -I’m just… so happy you’re here… Finally…
-I also came a little earlier, because…because… Uh, I have a day off…
He smiled and let out a sigh of relief - this was one of those rare occasions when he preferred silence over talking. He couldn’t wait to touch her; to feel her smooth skin against his calloused fingertips. He was so starved for any kind of physical interaction that he began to shiver in anticipation as she sat down next to him. He acted on instinct: he slowly put his real hand on her lower thigh, like on the day they were sitting on the beach. He knew this gesture could be interpreted as something deeply intimate and sexual, but he still found this less intrusive than hugging her. He just wanted to give enough space for the both of them, and patting her thigh seemed like a good middle ground. If she doesn’t like it, she could just easily brush his hand aside… Where should he even start touching her? This was such a dilemma – he seems like a pushy pervert, no matter what he does. Her breasts cover most of her upper body, he can’t touch her there. Her hips and waist are just as much of a big nope, because they’re too close to her butt. Her face is off limits too for now – this is where her lips are… Ugh. Women have it so easily… If she wanted, she could even start undoing his belt right now, and he would gladly assist her without hesitation. But if he did the same? She’d file a report to Morrison himself, earning him a suspension for the rest of his life. He just clenched his teeth and began stroking her thigh, gently and carefully like a few days before, without saying a word. Something told him this will work out again – it already did the trick once.
-Oh…we did this a day or two ago… on the beach… - Mei’s voice whispered into his ear again, and he could suddenly feel the weight of her hand on his thigh. He straightened himself on the chair and looked at her – she was also blushing already. She leaned even closer to him, lowering her head to his chest, the intimate contact sending chills down his spine. He heard her letting out a long, satisfied sigh as she closed her eyes to enjoy the moment. Unbelievable – he wouldn’t have imagined anyone will ever give him this treatment, let alone visibly indulge in the act. He shut his eyes too, taking a deep breath to calm down his heart that was beating in a mad rhythm. He wrapped his other arm around her, then began to gently stroke her back. He brushed his fingers alongside her soft thigh, as slowly as he could. She was wearing pants instead of shorts, and the lack of skin-to-skin contact made it significantly easier to be a bit more assertive. He curled his fingers to grab her firmly, kneading her soft thigh with his palm. A little moan escaped her lips – an obvious sign that she’s enjoying it. He bit his lips; it was so crystal clear that she gave him the green light to go further. He sunk his nails into the fabric, then began to move his other hand towards her hips, afraid to discover any hint of discomfort. But there were no signs of this: she kept her eyes closed, accompanied by her even, deep breathing, ready to enjoy his caresses. He dug his fingers deeper into her, her tender body yielding to his touch. She was fully clothed, yet he could still feel her warmth and softness even through the fabric. A few minutes passed like this, and he began inching towards her waist and lower back. She leaned a bit forward on her chair to make room for his hand and give him easy access. He swallowed that little bit of saliva that was still in his mouth – she’s really into this… He got up from his chair and stood behind hers, so he could use both of his hands to rub whatever he could reach from her back. He ran a finger along her spine, and he saw her trembling beneath his touch. What a sight to behold – this gave him back his usual confidence in a second.
-Does it feel nice, hmm? – he grinned, and he was rewarded with her nodding and whimpering 'yes'. He loved how she could not see his face nor what he was doing behind her. It was an incredible sight to witness how much she trusted him – she didn’t even look back and let him do whatever he wanted. He placed both of his hands on her shoulders, rubbing them simultaneously until he finally heard her giving out a small moan again. That was it - he could feel a twitch at the front of his pants; the realization that she’s enjoying how he’s touching her engulfed a new sensation. He rubbed his crotch to the back of her chair to grant himself some sweet friction, making her chair rock back and forth with his every move. He carefully ran his nails through her hair once, twice, thrice… so many times that her hairpin fell out and landed on the floor with a metallic clink. Her locks broke free from the bun, dark tresses cascading all the way down to her shoulders. He started to play with them, slowly curling them around his fingertips, over and over again. He leaned forward, close enough that he could breathe on her neck. He brushed aside a lock to free up her left ear:
-You’re so beautiful… so soft… feels like I'm touching marshmallows - he whispered as he gently rubbed his nose to her temple. He could hear how her breathing was not as even as before – it was speeding up to a faster pace, taking shallow and quick gasps.
-What… what are you going to do? – she heaved, her voice quiet and raspy, as if her mouth ran dry of saliva.
-I’m gonna kiss you a little bit, Love… Not on your lips yet, but somewhere around here…
He swept all her hair to the right, freeing the other side of her neck, until only the tender, white skin was visible. She assisted him by cocking her head to the side, giving him free access to the sensitive spot. He placed both his hands on each of her upper arms, rubbing them up and down with his fingers. He leaned all the way down, until he could place his chin into the crook of her neck. He paused there for a bit, delighting in the warmth of her skin and breathing in her sweet scent. He finally began to brush his nose and lips to her neck. She let out a whimper again – this sounded a bit different than the previous one: it was a little cry of pleasure, full of excitement and impatience, as if she wanted to hasten him. He smiled against her skin – he waited for so long to do this, now he will enjoy every second of it; this is his game too. He puckered up and began to plant small kisses on the crook of her neck. She moaned, her voice filled with longing and want as she yielded to him. He was so hard now that his pants were getting too tight. He kissed her neck, again and again, being more forceful by every passing second. He couldn’t hold back anymore: he stuck out his tongue, licking her skin, loudly moaning along with her as her sweet taste was overflowing his taste buds. He sank his nails into her upper arms as he was grabbing her firmly, to stop her from her wanton squirming. He pressed his lips to her neck strongly enough so she couldn’t wiggle anymore, to help her endure the lovely torture he was showering her with. He loosened his grip and slowly spun her chair around, so she was facing him. He put his hands on the armrests and leaned down to her eye level, pressing his forehand to hers.
-Come, I will pick you up – he reached under her, lifting her up in bridal style. He carried her over to the U-shaped couch that stood in the back of the room, and carefully put her down on the seat. She was lying on her back and he crouched down next to her on the floor, leaning above her.
-A bit comfier here, isn’t it? – he asked, running his fingers through her hair. She nodded, and he placed his hand on the side of her face, fondling her cheekbone with his thumb. Keeping the eye contact, he leaned so close to her that the tip of his nose touched hers. He waited for a few seconds, then placed a small peck to her right cheek, then to the other side as well. He moved back where he started from, repeating the process over, circling around, until her entire face was showered in tiny kisses.
-Please… - she whimpered, begging him to go further. He knew what she wanted, but he didn’t want to grant it yet- he took delight in her pleading. It only turned him on even more - he cupped up her face with both hands, gazing into her eyes.
-Are you impatient? -he ran his thumb over her lower lip a few times, feeling how smooth and dry they were. -I thought you can wait, but let's see what I can do….
He brushed his lips to hers, slowly moving from the left to the right to create more friction. Behind his soft smile, he was clenching his teeth hard to stop his tongue from accidentally breaking free and sliding into her mouth. No, no, not yet – good things have to wait. Just little smooches, only with his lips. If she wants to go further, she has to do it.
-That’s all I can give… - he wanted to say, but this was what she was waiting for: as soon as he opened his mouth, her tongue found his. She touched the tip of his tongue with hers, slowly flicking it up and down to finally get a taste of him.
-Mmmhh… - that was how he finished his sentence instead; he growled from the back of his throat and she dug her tongue deeper. She weaved her arms around him, gently pulling him onto herself.
-Aww Love! This was… this was… - he panted, embracing her tightly and boldly placing a leg on the seat. He realized he doesn’t have to crouch on the floor anymore, as Mei was tugging him closer, trying to tell him something. - Do you mind if I get more comfortable too, like you? - He started climbing up onto the couch, so he could lie on top of her. She didn’t try to shove him off, so he took his time to get comfortable. As he was positioning himself above her, he felt how the bulge in the front of his pants accidentally rubbed to her thighs for a second. He broke out in sweat, his face turning red hot in an instant. He thought she will not notice it, but she flinched instantly as she realized what happened. He couldn’t hide it anymore – he locked eyes with her, seeing she is blushing as well. She didn’t say anything, just gazed back at him in bewilderment, flushed and captivated by the moment.
-Heheh… sorry but… at least this part of me is real – he naughtily pressed it to her a few more times, playfully rocking himself back and forth on the seating. -So, it’s hard, but… no hard feelings, okay? – he joked, and to his surprise, she began spreading her legs to make more room for him. He got wedged between her smooth, thick thighs, his lower body embraced by her legs. He laid down on top of her, wrapping his arms around her waist and back, holding his head up to see her face. She did the same: she embraced him tightly, pulling him closer to her. He let out a small gasp as his chest got pressed to her breasts. He lowered his head into the crook of her neck, planting little pecks all around there, slowly moving to her jawline and towards her cheeks. She was running her hands up and down his back, and he could hear her panting, so close to his ears. He moved to her lips and pressed his against hers, sticking out his tongue until it disappeared between them. They couldn’t stop with it; they kissed until they ran out of breath and their mouths got sore, gasping for air once they finally pulled away from each other.
- Cuddle with me… Stay here…
-Of course, Love. Where else would I go? I will stay for as long as you want me – he kissed her forehead and placed his head on her chest, so he could listen to her heartbeat. * * * -Junkrat, I’m a little nervous, please go ahead. I will leave in a few minutes, after you – Mei whispered, her fingers anxiously tapping on her thighs.
-Huh?
-You know… I don’t want anyone to see us leaving this meeting room together. – she announced and stood up from the couch.
-Alright, soooo… you’re done with me? – he asked with disappointment in his voice.
-Aww, don’t word it like that… Just for today. I really wanna leave before the others start to look for us… Please… - she fiddled with her fingers, avoiding trying to look at him. A bitter smile appeared on his face:
-Alright.
-T… Thank you for understanding me… I know it’s a weird request…
- See you later then – Junkrat embraced her again, went to the exit, but looked back at her from the doorway, to take a final glance at her. He left the room and walked for a bit, but anchored down at the next pillar to wait for Mei. Damn. He didn’t expect hiding a relationship will be this hard and mentally draining. He was cuddling and kissing her all afternoon, and he can’t even brag about it to a single soul! Talk about punishment. Roadhog has to hear it eventually… Shit, he promised Mei he won’t tell anything to anyone, yet he also swore to Roadhog that he will keep him updated. Great, who should he lie to now? Eh, maybe there’s no need for that anyway - Roadhog can read him like a book. The sudden change in his behavior will be instantly detected by the pigman’s trained eyes. Guy just has to take a look at his satisfied grin when he asks “how’s it, Junk”, and that will speak volumes instead of his own mouth. Then he’d be figuring out everything on his own, so Mei couldn’t blame him for anything. Oh, she’s coming already anyway.
-What are you doing here? – she frowned at him, stopping in her tracks the second she saw him.
-Waiting for you?
-What did I just say? Are you even listening? – she snapped at him, but quickly lowered her voice, fearing others will hear something.
-Yeah! Nobody saw us getting out of that room – he reasoned, taking a step towards her -We can’t even walk the corridors together or what? I won’t hold your hand, don’t worry…
-Well, I guess then it’s fine, this is a common area... Would you assume someone is in relationship with the other just because they are standing next to each other?
-Of course not! Would you?
-Hmm… Probably not? Sounds like a stretch to me.
-Glad you have such a positive attitude, because you’re gonna need it.
-What?
-Someone’s done flipping burgers on the beach and seems upset! – he was looking over Mei’s shoulder, towards the end of the corridor.
-Zhou! Fawkes! – Jack Morrison’s familiar raspy voice was booming from behind her, so she also turned to the direction of the noise. – I’ve been looking for you – the Soldier walked up to Mei, still wearing his casual summer attire consisting of a shirt and shorts.
-Oh? M..Me?
-On the second thought, both of you – Morrison stood still, running his eyes up and down on his two conscripts.
-W... why? – she stuttered anxiously, her already small body shrinking even further by her droopy posture as she endured the Commander’s inspecting, piercing gaze.
-I saw in the system that your keycard was used two days in a row to unlock that meeting room down the hallway… do you know anything about this?
Mei froze, unable to come up with a believable excuse. She didn’t expect him to notice this at all, let alone giving a single thought about it. Talk about being thorough - no wonder he’s a leader. She can’t lie to her commander, what now? She was about to confess at least half of the truth, when Junkrat’s voice filled the corridor:
-It was her, Mr. Morrison!
Oh no. Why does he have to have an outburst of sincerity when she needs his lies the most?
-Mei used her keycard to open that door, because I had no means to unlock it, since you grounded me and confiscated my keycard, Sir! It was my idea! – he explained, pointing at himself with his thumb. - I was walking around the building yesterday, repairing stuff and I asked her to unlock that place, so I could take a peek inside! – she looked at him, how he could spew out untruths with a straight face, a muscle not even twitching at the edge of his lips -I saw how that huge screen in that meeting room could use some maintenance… it was not properly mounted on the wall. But now I fixed it, so it’s all safe again!
-Oh, erm, alright, good job, I mean… – the soldier paused, and cleared his throat –Spare me the details, do you swear it was you who opened this meeting room?
-Yes!
-Both yesterday and today?
-YES! – Mei and Junkrat cried in chorus this time.
-Hm, alright then. I just wanted to make sure it wasn’t some certain… unwanted visitors….
-What do you mean, Sir? – Mei stepped closer, eyeing the Commander’s mask.
-Zhou, you have to know that we picked up signs of some Talon activity at the beach today…
-Whaaaat?
-It’s confidential information at the moment, but not for long – he took a deep breath and raised his voice: -Athena! Emergency meeting at the main lobby, in 20 minutes! Alert EVERYONE!
-Understood – the robotic voice instantly replied to the command.
-Anyway… - he turned to Junkrat and Mei again – For the reason I mentioned above, I demand both of you to join our combat training sessions, with the goal of deploying both of you in missions in the near future.
They briefly glanced at each other, a wide, happy grin appearing on their faces:
-Sir, yes, Sir!
-Any questions? Make it quick.
-May I have my keycard back?
-I have it right here, I wanted to return it to you, that’s why I was looking for you. Your suspension is over, Soldier – the Commander reached into his pocket and placed the little piece of plastic in the mechanical hand.   Epilogue: Any day As summer progressed, the days became shorter, but the evening Sun was still blazing the rocky seaside of Gibraltar with the ferocity of a thousand smelters. He closed his eyes and listened to the song of the distant waves, as they splashed to the cliff wall where the Headquarters were hidden. Heavenly stillness conquered the scenery, radiating peacefulness and tranquility, as far as the eye could see. A sudden chill breeze gently caressed his cheeks, foreshadowing that the night will be cold - autumn is still far, but approaching. He ran his fingers through his hair, to help the wind blow through every strands of it. He shivered – he wasn’t cold, but the days of the summer were numbered, and he could feel the passing of the season on his skin. He took a deep breath: the smell of the sea filled his nostrils – seaweed and brine, salty and pure… and something else too… A flowery fresh fragrance, sweet and welcoming, beckoning him to come closer to the little stand, attracting him like a magnet.
-Alright, Jamison. Here’s your boba.
Her voice - more pleasant than any songs the sea can offer. Her touch – softer than how the wind fondles his skin. Her body – warmer than the sunlight that burns his back. And Her – more beautiful than any scenery he has ever seen. He reached for his drink, and he couldn’t help but smile when Mei playfully smacked his hand away.
-Hold on a sec! – she smirked at him mischievously -Remember the price? Four pounds, please!
Oh. He loved this game. He could play it all day, every day until he dies a happy man. He cleared his throat, trying to sound hurt:
-Hey! But the deal was that friends don’t have to pay! – his acting wasn’t too convincing, since he was grinning from ear to ear, casually leaning on the front desk.
-And, what do you think: are you my friend, or not? – Mei raised an eyebrow, leaning closer to him, poking his lower arm with her index finger.
-Hmm, maybe not? - he wondered and pulled up his sunglasses, so he could look into her eyes. – I can establish with confidence that I am your Significant Other! – he wiggled his eyebrows until she started to giggle. She needed a minute to force a serious expression onto her face, barely succeeding.
-That means… nope. You’re not just a friend – she shook her head, her ponytail swinging from left to right. - Sorry, you have to pay!
-But I forgot my wallet! I mean… who keeps money in their swimming trunks?
-Then we must resort to alternative payment methods… - she looked around, checking for eyewitnesses, but the beach was nearly empty; she had only one hour left from her shift.
-Hmm. I am quite confused, Miss Zhuzhu. Would you clarify this mysterious instruction?
-Just… use the door…- she pointed at the employee entrance, her face blushing, seeming even redder in the heat of the sunset. He quickly slipped inside the little shack, closing the door behind him.
-A’right Ma’am, what now?
-Just… take off your visor and shades… I want to see your face… - she looked around once more, pulling the blinds down halfway, obscuring most of the view inside the buffet for outsiders.
-Mission accomplished – he announced after he removed his headgear and shades, putting them on the countertop behind him.
-Good riddance! – Mei placed her hand on his chiseled jawline, patting the prickly stubble. -Oh, you look so good!
-What should I do now?
-Oh you, come here already! – she spread both of her arms, ready to welcome him in an embrace. He did the same as her, weaving his arms around her hips in a tight hug. -Jamison, I missed you so much…
-Heheh, me too. But we talked right before your shift started.
-That was almost 8 hours ago… - she nuzzled her head to his bare chest, placing a kiss under his collarbones. - I feel so lonely without you… everything is better when you’re around… Thank you, thank you, thank you!
-But I didn’t do anything – he smiled at her, gently running his fingers through her ponytail a few times.
-You must have done something… Because I haven’t felt sad ever since the first time we cuddled on the couch.
-Whatever I did, you did the same too, because… surprise! Likewise: No sadness ever since you came into my life!
-Ah come on! You never were sad! Whenever I saw you, you were laughing, even before we dated!
-… Emotions are weird... – he sighed, stopping mid-sentence - Sometimes, you cry when you’re happy, but the opposite can happen too… Then you are so sad you don’t even know it; it makes a full circle and twists into laughter – he kissed the top of her head then started to chuckle as the strands of hair tickled his lips.
-Oh no… I… I had no idea that’s how you felt - she mumbled to his chest, stroking his back with her hands. - But… but the one right now… it’s the good kind of laughter, right?
He let out a hearty laugh, so loud that it shook his core, along with Mei, who was still clinging to his upper body.
-What do you think? - he smiled at her, gently grabbing her waist.
-Uh, the good kind, I assume?
He picked her up to sit her down onto the countertop behind her, so she was facing him on eye level, smiling at her:
-Not just the good kind. It’s the best ever.
He placed his chin on her shoulder, so she didn’t have to see that single drop of tear stinging at the corner of his eye. *** -So, Hoggy… about that free food deal… - Junkrat muttered as he was approaching his friend in the canteen - You know… the one we had if you help me getting laid with her… - Junkrat sat down to the table across him, keeping both of his hands behind his back.
-What? You screwed it up, didn’t you?! – the pigman smashed the table with his enormous fist as he looked at him, ready to wrap his fingers around his neck.
-Not quite… - he grinned, his eyes glinting with mischief and sparkling livelier than ever before. He pulled out a huge plate of waffles from behind his back and put it in front of the giant. - I just wanted to say, enjoy your meal… for the rest of your life!