#guest: symmetra

[hotelofheroines]

𝓦𝓸𝓶𝓫 𝓣𝓪𝓽𝓽𝓸𝓸

"Hmm, I think it suits you quite well. Don't you think?"

(for Symmetra)

"Oh my~ Yes, that is quite beautiful. Though it is only temporary? I am rather nervous about permanent marks."

[jenscx]

[11] DAYLIGHT — d-day

you stared unblinking at the webcam, your stream displaying the waiting animation sakura had created for you a couple years back. the moment karina accepted your friend request on discord, you started the stream.

“hello everyone,” you smile, “today’s stream is slightly special and i’ll explain in just a minute when our mystery guest joins.”

your mouse hovers over the call button as the chat floods with comments about the ‘mystery guest’. by now, everyone had sort of figured out who the mystery guest was. could it really be counted as a mystery?

karina finally joins the call and your party in overwatch.

“hello?”

the chat goes crazy. you inwardly grimace. there’s a wave of donations and tips coming in. you didn’t know of karina’s popularity until that moment.

“we have karina joining us today,” you cringe at your cheerful tone. you can only imagine karina making fun of you later. she replies, “hi everyone, i’m karina.”

seeing as your viewers had calmed down significantly, you start to explain, “so i’m sure some of you guys are wondering why we hosted this stream. well, karina and i matched in a game and became acquainted with one another after.” you leave out the part about how karina was the cause of your account being banned.

“acquainted? didn’t you say we weren’t friends?” karina teased. you already feel a headache coming.

you try to smile, knowing that most likely, she’s also watching your stream and reactions.

“let’s just play!”

karina lets out a boisterous laugh as you quickly start a 1v1 match.

“are there any rules?” you read from the chat, “nope, but respawn is not on and we can change heroes.”

your mouse flashes across the screen, and you see karina being locked in already. knowing her, the youtuber probably picked genji to prove you wrong. a chuckle escapes your lips and you pick symmetra. the game starts.

“i’m excited,” karina remarks.

“excited to lose?”

she merely laughs. the doors finally open and you’ve never been so focused in your life. the mere prospect of having yu karina do anything you want is already egging you on. you weren’t aware of her fanbase, but you were now. with the help of kim minju of course.

“are you hiding?” you ask incredously after scouring the map for a few minutes but with no karina in sight.

“of course not, stupid.” her silky yet raspy voice reverberates in your headphones. you can’t help your cheeks heating up.

a moment passes, and you hear quick footsteps behind you. your mouse swiftly turns. she isn’t there anymore.

“you’re so annoying,” you mutter. you can hear karina’s smirk in her voice when she replies, “you like me that way.”

“i don’t like you in any way.”

“yeah?” before you even get to answer, genji jumps out of nowhere and gets a couple hits on you. you instantly snap into action, symmetra placing down her sentry turrets, combating karina’s swift movements.

‘are they flirting or arguing with each other?’

‘this is very homoerotic.’

you ignore your chat.

her health depletes slightly before she manages to escape again. you grin, already knowing that her pride wouldn’t allow her to switch to another hero. and she was so predictable that you chose a hero that counters genji.

“stop hiding and running away, it’s defeating the purpose of a 1v1,” you say.

“only if you tell me nicely, darling.” the red in your cheeks return and your chat goes berserk.

you click your tongue, irritation at yourself boiling. you were so easily flustered.

“don’t call me that!”

the blurry image of karina smirking only sends another wave of heat to your face.

“whatever you say, darling.” you roll your eyes.

“okay, stop hiding. let’s settle this for real.” at that moment, karina chooses to strike. genji apparates out of nowhere again and deals massive amounts of damage. when you use your primary fire, karina can’t deflect it. you’re left with barely a quarter of full health. you assume karina has roughly the same.

“baby, just let me win.”

you don’t even hesitate to stop firing. karina giggles as she throws one last shuriken at you. symmetra groans and the screen goes into darkness. your chat pings continuously.

defeat, in large and bold letters, shows up on your screen. your jaw drops. you only gaze at the monitor in awe. in awe of how easy you were. just a simple command from karina and you were basically turned into a lapdog. how does someone so insufferable have such a effect on you?

“what. the. hell.”

‘choi yena gifted 5 subs; park yn, don’t tell me you just lost because you’re a simp?’ the robotic voice says. you continue gaping at the screen. the humiliation of your loss only eats you up, and there’s an overwhelming urge to just end the stream without saying goodbye. in your headphones, you hear karina laughing heartily. the chat is still being flooded with comments, mostly making fun of you. not only had you lost, you lost in front of 20k people watching your devastating defeat.

“uhm,” you mumble, “so, see you guys next time.”

“thanks for the game, yn! don’t forget about our bet,” karina laughs gleefully.

your entire face turns red at this point. with clumsy hands, you end the stream, vowing to never play overwatch ever again.

masterlist | next

TAGLIST ! @flolio @imahallucination11 @wallfl9wer @edamboon @seullovesme @twicesserafim @klvarchives @rinapomu @pandafuriosa60 @jisooftme @cwpiqwon @yoontoonwhs @limbforalimb @xen248 @r4cjh @dni-unavailable @yukianism @i3lia @ryujinsdimple @httpisaoki @haerinsloverr @masuowo @multiliker @edenzeepy @1luvkarina @yeetaberry127

[arclundarchivist]

Reading through the Heroes Ascension Book, and here’s the stuff I found that seemed like set up for future, likely sidelined story content :/

But there are also hints for stuff that could show up in the main blame through interactions and some possible new characters.

Rebuilding Ruins: Symmetra/Lifeweaver Story

• ⁠Lifeweaver is living at the Atlantic Arcology, which comes under attack by Null Sector, which could have been a major problem due to their “guests”.

• ⁠Symmetra is working against negative influences inside Vishkar, but how far that will get her is up in the air and Lifeweaver invites her to join him at the Arcology as a member of the “Collective”, an altruistic group of scientists and intellectuals.

Unity: Orisa/Efi Story

• ⁠Numbani comes under assault by Null Sector, with Humans defending their Omnic neighbors much more openly than other places.

• ⁠Efi creates a bunch of small drones to help defend Numbani, so that Orisa and her can leave Numbani to help people.

• ⁠Story ends with the pair planning on setting out immediately, and takes place around the same time as the Rio Mission, Efi may be seeking out Overwatch.

Luck of the Draw: Ashe Story

• ⁠Ashe and the Deadlocks were attempting to break into the Las Vegas criminal underground.

• ⁠Ashe nearly died defending BOB, who in turn is almost taken captive by Null Sector.

• ⁠It confirmed damaging or removing the “helmets” on an Omnic causes them to have a “seizure” and die. (What the fuck Rammatra?)

A Friendly Rivalry: Junkers Story.

• ⁠Junker Queen almost had Roadhog and Junkrat executed.

• ⁠Junkrat reveals his secret treasure: A giant airship stored within the last remnants of the Omnium beneath Junkertown. Queen and Hammond begin making plans to get it airborne again.

Thoughtless Gods: Hammond Story (And boy these is a lot of worldbuilding in this one)

• ⁠Direct sequel to the previous story.

• ⁠Reveals that Omnics remaining in the Outback are oddly feral and corrupted in some fashion, cannibalizing each other for parts and actively “hunting” Junkers. Hammond has no idea what caused this.

• ⁠Hammond remembers his time being experimented on the Moon Colony, he is apparently “older” than Winston has he gained awareness before hand, and sort of became a “big brother” to Winston.

• ⁠The apes and Hammond were not the first experiments. There were failures, apparently some other kind of animals, that are still up on the Moonbase. Hammond calls them “wrong”.

• ⁠The apes have a whole society, are building weapons and armor and may be constructing a whole new building/device on the Colony.

• ⁠Possible hints at the Mars Colony.

• ⁠Two apes are named. Oscar, unknown, and Dyson, a large, cruel Orangutan - feels like a character set up.

Where Honor Lives: Hanzo/Kiriko Story

• ⁠Shimada weaponry have “special energy tech”, throws more confusion on the “is this magic” question surrounding the Japanese characters abilities. The Hashimoto are attempting to copy the designs but “they can’t manifest the proper power”. (This seems to be due to Kiriko’s father purposefully give them shoddy work but they don’t know that).

• ⁠The Hashimoto can work with impunity in Tokyo, and are causing trouble even with Null Sector literally on the horizon.

• ⁠Hanzo and Kiriko’s interactions again confuse the whole age gap, because he treats her as if she was a tween when he was a teen.

• ⁠Hanzo joins Kiriko in protecting Kanezaka from the invasion.

Lost Ghosts: Soldier/Ana Story

• ⁠Ana splits from Jack after learning he’s been sitting on the list of Overwatch agent names using it to track Talon movements and not warning the targets. She isn’t joining Overwatch but is going to be trying to protect remaining Agents who haven’t answered the Recall but are not yet dead to Talon.

• ⁠We meet another old Overwatch agent Mirembe, who is thinking about answering the Recall, I think she’s the woman that was standing in the group photo from Ana’s trailer.

• ⁠Another, Kimiko, is named.

Lucky Man: Soldier/Sombra Story

• ⁠Sombra has been leaking info to Soldier, because she believes the cabal she is after is also to blame for that happened in Zurich.

• ⁠Jack has been hunting Talon as a proxy because he never truly believed they took down the HQ. He also doesn’t believe Reyes knew what was going to happen.

• ⁠Sombra and Jack seem to be set up to continue working together, and Jack is headed to Oasis hunting for more clues on the Cabal.

[astralleywright]

Any or all of Ashton, Ludinus, and Fy'ra Rai!

did Ludinus already! so i will do Ashton and Fy'ra and Fy'ra first bc it will likely be less deranged:

First impression

I admit, I was mostly kind of surprised about the introduction of a guest character into an 8 episode miniseries, especially bc it seemed like they kind of knew her already? Also "wait that's Symmetra!!"

Impression now

SHE'S SO COOL. she's a very serious, honorable character done PERFECTLY, where you can truly feel the weight and meaning of everything she says. Serves as such a good contrast to the other Crownkeepers especially while still being a believable part of them and loving just as fiercely. I've never respected anyone more. please come back

Favorite moment

truly impossible to choose between her conversations with Dorian in EXU and "No, I have a sister to walk besides."

Idea for a story

NEED her to meet BH and specifically Ashton so bad it makes me look stupid. I think her calling him her sibling like she did with Dorian would fix him

Unpopular opinion

She deserves better than the Wildmother's bitch ass

Favorite relationship

AS MENTIONED ABOVE, her dynamics with Dorian and Opal are amazing. and also that relationship with Ashton that exists solely in my head

Favorite headcanon

Idk if its a headcanon as much as a want, for her going with Opal being enough to maybe someday free them both. For that love to save them.

LOVE FY'RA SM. Ashton time

First impression

haha i like this guy's vibe i think they'll be one of my favorites in BH :)

Impression now

Favorite moment

IMPOSSIBLE TO CHOOSE. I will say the second look into his mind by Imogen and FCG and his talk with Laudna in ep 49, simply because those are the moments I officially became insane abt them, and then somehow became even MORE insane about them even though i had not previously believed that was possible. Oh and everything leading up to, during, and after shardgate. Everything after and before that too

Idea for a story

WHAT HAPPENED AT HEXUM'S MANOR REALLY. What did they do in between then and meeting FCG. MEETING FCG. Will they go to the Hishari site. Will he meet with Abbadinna again to ask about it. Ashton

Unpopular opinion

me at everything he's been saying and doing since the Downfall break

Favorite relationship

LAUDNA. Impossibly close race for their relationship and Imodna for my favorite of the campaign. AND HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH FCG AND MOG.

Favorite headcanon

if they had better life outcomes there's a good chance he could have been a wizard! they love to read and are so curious and really seem fairly knowledgeable about the world around him given the seemingly dismal state of access to knowledge in Exandria.

[scottsumrners]

It's so wild to think that the people who work and guest-star in dropout shows are like.... actors. Yknow. Like.... Lou was in a movie with Pete Davidson. Izzy was recurring in a HBO show. They got THEE Symmetra, ms Anjali, herself. but here they are in the world's most deranged streaming service

[daniibogaming]

Overwatch 2 | Halloween-Terror Event 2022

Végre elkezdődött az idei Halloween Event immár az Overwatch 2-ben, ahol rengeteg questet kaptunk. Megpróbáltam nektek csoportosítani, hogy minél könnyebb legyen őket teljesíteni és sok jutalmat zsebelhessetek be értük. A küldetéseket angolul találjátok meg magyarázattal egybekötve.

Az event ideje október 25. - november 9.

WRATH OF THE BRIDE

Vadonatúj halloween mód az Overwatch 2-ben, ahol Junker Queen, Sojourn, Ashe vagy Kirikoként kell legyőznünk a gonoszt egy szuper co-op party keretein belül. Vigyázat jump scaret tartalmaz!

Wrath of the Bride - Win Wrath of the Bride on any difficulty. ✅ Teljesítsd a Wrath of the Bride módot bármilyen nehézségiszinten.

Taking the Plunge - Win Wrath of the Bride on Hard difficulty. ✅ Teljesítsd a Wrath of the Bride küldetést nehéz (hard) fokozaton.

Here comes the Bride - Win Wrath of the Bride on Expert difficulty. Teljesítsd a Wrath of the Bride módot Expert nehézségen.

Love Conquers All - Win Wrath of the Bride on Legendary difficulty. Teljesítsd a Wrath of the Bride módot legendás (legendary) fokozaton.

Four Brave Heroes - Win wrath of the Bride as 4 different heroes. Teljesítsd a Wrath of the Bride módot mind a 4 hőssel mindegy milyen nehézségi szinten.

Council of the Bride - Eliminate 35 bosses in Wrath of the Bride. ✅ Likvidálj 35 főellenséget a Wrath of the Bride módban.

Fury of the Heroes - Win Wrath of the Bride with a score of 10k or higher. ✅ Teljesítsd a WotB módot 10 ezer vagy több ponttal.

Re-Tired - Destroy 15 Shock-Tires om Wrath of the Bride. Likvidálj 15 Shock-Tiret a WotB módban. A Shock-Tirek az időnként láncfűrész hang kíséretében megjelenő guruló bombák.

The Automaton, Transformes - Eliminate the Experiment while it is tank form on Hard difficulty or above in Wrath of the Bride. Likvidált Bastiont, amikor tank formában van hard+ fokozaton a WotB módban.

Knock, Knock - Disturb the guest in the Tavern in Wrath of the Bride. ✅ Zavard meg a vendéget a kocsmában a WotB módban.

Photozomb - Strike a pose with the bride during her introduction in Wrath of the Bride. Emoteolj Sombra (the Bride) introja alatt a WotB módban.

Witch's Brew - Uncover the fate of a terror past in a hidden corner of Adlersbrunn in Wrath of the Bride Ehhez a questhez le kell győzni a Summonert (Symmetra) és a Gargolyt (Winston) majd a kastély bejáratához közeledve egy vizes alagutat kell keresnünk, amihez gugolva kell közelednünk. (Képek)

Lantern Lit - Crouch at the lantern for 6 seconds while the Ghost is active in Wrath of the Bride. ✅ Gugolj egy lámpán 6 másodpercig, amikor a Ghost (Sigma) aktív a WotB módban.

No Spark - Win Wrath of the Bride without letting the Lord of Castle take any damage. ✅ Teljesítsd a WotB módot anélkül, hogy a Lord of the Castle (Sigma) meg tudna sebezni.

Ominous Moment - Witness all 7 Banshee moments in a single run of Wrath of the Bride. ✅ Légy tanúja mind a 7 pillanatnak, amikor a Banshee (Echo) megjelenik a WotB módban.

JUNKENSTEIN'S REVENGE

A már jól ismert régi halloween mód is visszatért, hogy újfent megállítsuk Dr. Junkensteint.

TIPP: Legjobb csapat kombináció - Torbjörn/Soldier 76/Cassidy + healer

The Wanderers of Old - Win Junkenstein's Revenge on any difficulty. Teljesítsd a Junkentein's Renvenge módot bármilyen nehézségifokozaton.

The Endless Night Began - Complete Wave 12 in Junkenstein Endless Teljesítsd a 12. wavet a Junkenstein Endless módban.

Unfinished Business - Win Junkenstein Challenge Mission: Vengeful Ghost Teljesítsd a Junkenstein Challenge Mission: Vengeful Ghost módot.

Spooky. Speedy - Win Junkenstein Challenge Mission: Frenzied Stampede. Teljesítsd a Junkenstein Challenge Mission: Frenzied Stampede módot.

Terrifying Trio - Win Junkenstein Challenge Mission: Three They Were. Teljesítsd a Junkenstein Challenge Mission: Three They Were módot.

Costume Party - Win Junkenstein Challenge Mission: Mystery Swap. Teljesítsd a Junkenstein Challenge Mission: Mystery Swap módot.

Wedding Planner - Complete 13 Junkenstein challenge. Teljesíts 13 Junkenstein kihívást.

Mint láthatjátok van bőven teendő! Ha nem szeretnétek egyedül nekivágni csatlakozzatok a Discord szerveremhez!

Október 25. és november 6. között látogassatok el egy résztvevő Twitch csatornára és nézzétek az élő adást 2-2 óra ideig, hogy megkaphassátok a Werewolf Winston sprayt és skint!

[dragxnfall]

[ 𝐆𝐀𝐙𝐄 ] (Symmetra)

[ 𝐆𝐀𝐙𝐄 ] ― sender and receiver lock eyes across the room

the charity gala hosted by vishkar in partnership with the several prestigious sponsors is packed to the brim with notable faces and so-called heroes of these questionable times. the tens of perhaps hundreds of conversations happening around her create a disorienting chorus that only further perplexes her more should she try to tune into one. the constant gusts of air across her shoulders and exposed midriff when yet another guest traipses past her table creates a blanket of discomfort that makes her skin crawl. the live music playing from the orchestra before her was melodic, but did little to meld into the small talk and forced laughter that reverberated against the marble walls of the banquet hall. 

she can’t sit through another minute of manipulative big wigs trying to strike cagey deals or reject another waiter trying to offer some bite-sized gourmet concoction that she has to figure out how to eat correctly. 

satya excuses herself from the table, leaving sanjay and her co-worker to continue their impromptu business pitch to the high ranking politician that she doesn’t have a doubt in her mind sanjay had pulled the strings to land the same reserved table as he. 

she tucks a lock of her long, dark hair behind her ear before collecting the sunshine yellow pallu of her sari to drape over her chest, the remainder lain into the nook of her inner elbow. standing to her feet only overwhelms her more now that the scope of her view extends. a final glance at sanjay is her excuse to linger as she braces herself to become lost in the sea of petticoats and voluminous hairstyles, though her gaze accidentally strays beyond him as a curiosity overtakes her. 

she finds herself locking eyes with a young woman near the dance floor, satya immediately taken aback by her striking violet hues as foggy inklings of vague familiarity addle into her brain at the sight. before she can really assess the woman, a passerby manages to bump into her, distracting satya and breaking her subtle trance to give way to the older gentleman apologetically tiptoeing around her with a tray full of martini glasses.

it’s enough of a kick to remind her of her flooded senses, the overbearing abyss of endless noise and tepid room that only grows warmer as more bodies enter the scene makes her nauseated. she makes her way to the wall, opting to step onto the balcony for fresh air to clear her head, as she does, she can’t help but turn her head towards the orchestra pit once more, finding herself searching, for what, or who, exactly, she doesn’t quite know.  

[jaggedwolf]

pll rewatch 2x16

the aftermath of caleb's surprise party. does my guy even get to celebrate his birthday? don't do surprise parties in rosewood, just don't.

The liars appear to be back at Spencer’s house, not the lakehouse, as they debrief the missing Lucas situation, and I am so distracted by the absence of Caleb

Don’t get me wrong, PLL is at its best when the men don’t matter, but from Caleb’s PoV, he showed up to a surprise birthday party where his girlfriend dragged herself out of the lake, the guy whose house he’s living in is missing, and he uh, did not stick around to question the girls?

A took the opportunity to fill Hanna’s water bottle with lakewater. Gross.

Hanna tells the girls that Lucas destroyed Alison’s memorial — sometimes PLL slow walks reveals in frustrating ways, but here is an example that makes sense, where Hanna would not disclose this secret

Spencer: Well, my family never uses that house after LABOR DAY

Okay, no she doesn’t yell LABOR DAY like that but that’s all I can hear when anyone ever says that phrase in this show

Maya’s crisis hotline call joke is funny to me. In the same courtyard that Emily yelled at Aria for having sex dreams about Jason, Emily’s like well, Maya, say something dirty then. 

Emily confidently says she can get a fake ID for Maya and later we learn what she means is that she can snag Aria’s because bouncers in Jersey concert venues are so blind that all short brunettes look alike. Sure. 

Caleb is ready to be a good bro and chase down Lucas, Ashley wants to call Lucas’s parents because her daughter threw the party and the whole time Hanna is like guys, what’s the big deal, can’t we all forget about the guy I knocked overboard with an oar???

My favourite A message this episode is with the fucking boat in the overflowing sinks of the school bathroom, where A texts

Life is but a dream, Hanna. And I'm your worst nightmare.

Maya ditches Emily at the call center (again, this is her community service punishment, why can she bring guests over) because of mysterious texts and Emily is conflicted on asking her

I’m just grateful this leads to Emily actually discussing a girlfriend with a liar for longer than one sentence, it’s been a minute. Even if that conversation is basically

Hanna: It sucks keeping a secret! 😤 Emily: Well, it sucks having a secret kept from you.😟

The Sparia scene in Philly where they follow up on the receipt is so odd. They take ten years to realize the newsstand right in front of them is the store they’re looking for, Aria is supposedly on house arrest outside of Holden dates but is gallivanting with Spencer here, and then, when Aria ditches her....

Spencer sees more than one blind person and you can see her eyes go ALERT ALERT ALERT SUSPICIOUS BEHAVIOUR ALERT ALERT

She just starts randomly following blind people?? Till she gets to the blind people school???  And it is indeed the school Jenna went to??? She has a conversation with some guy who thought Jenna was the raddest girl ever???? She steals a visitor log?????

The blind school receptionist is played by Symmetra from Overwatch, is my only other note on this scene. Weird to realize that when this episode aired Overwatch was three years away. 

Emily and Aria are at Hanna’s house while a storm rages on and are like...well...we guess we could stay and ditch our dates to keep you company while you are terrified of Lucas showing up like an axe murderer...and Hanna is like nah, I’m good. 

As Aria leaves she reminds Hanna “SOS okay”. (1) Oh so it’s not just a Spencer thing anymore, they’ve all agreed on it. (2) Aria, you are going to a play! Your phone better be turned off! No checking your texts during a play, I know Byron and Ella raised you better than smh

Rosewood’s train station (or the closest one to it) is in a slightly more run down area than the rest of the town, and Spencer gets jumpscared by Mona.

Is this the first time we’ve ever seen Spencer uh,  care about Mona? Spencer is the liar whose affection and loyalty is drawn most tightly, whose circle of compassion is limited to the liars, her SO, and her family.

Mona: Do you know how hard I have to work to get a guy like Noel Kahn to go out with me?

Spencer: Well, if you’ve become the Mona you want to be, why are you letting Noel Kahn tell you that you’re not good enough? You cannot let him send you spinning backwards like that.

Mona: You’re, like, smart smart. I always thought you were just book smart.

Spencer is genuine in her vehemence here, it’s not a pretense

Aria should have just stayed home with Hanna, the slo-mo Ezria staring at the theatre made me want to gag. Of course Holden noticed.

Emily makes a face of biphobia when Maya says “he” referring to her stalker ex and you know Maya does not even think of that possibly being an issue, I am glad she is still the same Maya post-wilderness camp

The big Lucas reveal is that....he got into sports gambling and lost Caleb’s money? I’m sorry, what. I completely forgot this subplot. 

Somehow Hanna is madder about this than Caleb. Caleb is clearly pissed off but he’s also like, we’ll work it out bro, meanwhile Hanna is dramatically going “I don’t know who you are” and that’s the last of Lucas we see for the next few episodes

Don’t get me wrong, yelling on a boat while there’s only two of you or creeping into someone’s house? Very inappropriate behaviour, but that does not seem to be what Hanna is mad about. Strange.

Also Ashley Marin is taking a bath and hears none of this shit go down, must be a good bath.

Garrett checked Jenna out the night of Ali’s murder. Wasn’t she 15/16 then? Is this blind school checking out minors to people who aren’t parents or guardians? Wild-ass behaviour

Worms in your chinese food! Worms in your chinese food! Terrible!

This does not appear to be themed on anyone's secret, A had this idea on the backburner and simply had to let it out.

[raionmimi]

Consider: Lucio taking Satya to his family for the holidays, but he’s kind of anxious about how they’ll treat her. She’s unsure how to act in a family setting since she hasn’t seen her own since she was a little girl. However, when they arrive, they’re extremely warm and welcoming to her, already treating her like she’s one of them.

His younger brothers keep asking about her hardlight and think she’s the absolute coolest. Lucio’s mom constantly checks to make sure Satya has enough to eat and gushes about how nice it is to have another girl in the family. His dad is a man of few words but he brings Lucio off to the side to ask him if he intends on marrying her because she’s a keeper

Satya is a little overwhelmed, but she’s thrilled to be a part of everything and helps out as much as she can

[nitewrighter]

Symcree shenanigans: The extremely loud cat scream when Empress Pashmina jumps on the bed expecting Satya and instead finds a smelly, dusty cowboy.

Symmetra extensively warned Jesse that the Empress is notoriously jealous and possessive of her and has been profoundly terrible to friends, guests, associates, and anyone who she sees as getting too close to Symmetra. Jesse doesn't take this too personally and mentally prepares himself for being around a cat that doesn't like him.

In a stunning turn of events, that may or may not be psychological warfare on the Empress's end, the Empress decides that she loves McCree and is absolutely going to make that his problem.

---

McCree: *bracing his hands on the guardrail while the Empress entangles herself around his ankles at the top of a staircase, purring loudly* Empress, please I do not want to die heading downstairs. *tries to go down one step and the Empress slips in front of him and paces back and forth on the step* Come on, kitty---work with me here--- *nearly trips on the Empress and has to go back to bracing both hands on the guardrail* Come on!

----

McCree: *moves to pull his boot on* GAH! *pulls his foot out before shaking a dead rat out of the boot* WHAT THE FUCK!?

The Empress: *watching him and purring*

McCree: NO, EMPRESS! BAD!

Symmetra: *walking in from another room* What is all the yelling about--*glances down* oh.. Eugh.

McCree: Tell your cat not to put dead things in my boots! *shudders hard* It was so stiff and clammy...gotta wash my socks and insoles now...

Symmetra: Isn't it... a cowboy practice to shake boots out before putting them on? On account of rattlesnakes and whatnot?

McCree: WELL YEAH! IN THE FUCKIN' MOJAVE!

[emile-hides]

YouWatch

This is a conversation topic that came up playing Overwatch last night; What if the Overwatch cast all has YouTube channels?

And while we voiced our opinions and debated to eachother, I feel the need to share all of my own takes as well.

Now, there’s 32 of these assholes so I’ll put it under the cut. Cause it’s long

Ana

Her channel is called “Grandma reacts”

Her viewers send her videos or shows to react to

She likes to have Jack, Gabe, Rein, and Torb on sometimes for some of the funnier videos

Hates daredevil compilations of people on high places with no safety gear

She swears at jump scares

Ashe

Daily vlogs

She calls her viewers part of the gang

BOB is the camera man and the crowd favorite

She mostly just likes to chat about nothing while wandering around the hide out

BOB makes really cool time lapses of them riding her bike down Route 66

Baptiste

Runs an advice channel

Mostly does Q&A live streams 

All of his ad revenue goes to local charities and hospitals

People sometimes donate to him and that also goes to charity

There’s a very slim chance he got overnight famous because he’s so pretty

Bastion

One 12 minute video of him playing with Ganymede in Torbjorn’s backyard

Torbjorn recorded it for him

Brigitte

Tried to do a make-up channel

Eventually devolved into a “How to” builder’s channel

Can put together an Ikea bookshelf in 15 minutes without even glancing at the instructions

Ikea furniture speed runs are her most popular videos

D.Va

Canonically already has a gaming channel

Also has a daily vlog channel where she hangs out with Lucio and Junkrat a lot

Takes requests on what games she plays

Despite mainly being an online PvP gamer, she adores playing story games and voice acting

She cried on live stream when she finished Undertale

Doomfist

Runs Talon’s official YouTube channel

All the videos are join Talon adds

Echo

Her channel is a mash

Will play or do any kind of video that’s popular at the moment

There’s three episodes of a Minecraft LP left to die

Seven vlogs all recorded almost 3 months apart

Two animations she made herself

A couple of reaction videos

And a Pachimari unboxing

She has a lot of sponsors

Genji

Also, canonically, has a gaming channel

Sometimes does videos of sick ninja tricks in his backyard

Has the same channel from before his fight with Hanzo, so there’s a 4-5 year gap between two videos

“So my brother tried to kill me” is the first video he makes when he finally comes back

Occasionally makes “Master reacts to (anime)” videos with Zenyatta

Hanzo

The show off channel

It’s mostly just target practice with his bow and arrow Genji recorded for him

90% of his comments are telling him to put a shirt on and cover the nipple

His channel also went dead after he killed Genji

Might start recording and uploaded unscheduled vlogs during his hobo days

Also does movie reviews

Junkrat

If I may defer your attention to this post

Yeah he just runs a demolition channel

Roadhog makes sure the camera doesn’t get damaged

Junkrat really loves the slow motion effect 

Lucio

Like Hana, he has two channels

One is his official music channel with music videos and concert clips

The other is also a vlog channel where he hangs out with Hana and Jamie

He’ll also talk about serious issues and his opinions on them on his second channel

McCree

Much like Hanzo, runs a show off channel

His is more popular because he’s straight up a cowboy though

People think it’s a gimmick for the channel. They have no idea he looks and sounds like that all the time

Mei

Has a scientific fact of the day Podcast with Winston

Talks about big issues

Her channel is very kid friendly and she explains things like global warming in a way they can understand

A lot of her videos will be watched by kids in science class

Mercy

“What to do encase of an emergency” tutorial videos

Gives basic medical training, like how to do CPR

Her videos are short and to the point so they can be played in an actual emergency

Genji is usually the person she uses as an example

Moira

Her channel is like Junkrat’s but more contained(?)

She does dangerous shit with chemicals but somehow it always ends wholesomly

The last minute of the video she speaks in a soothing Bob Ross voice as the lab is on fire behind her

The videos typically end with Angella coming back from her break

Orisa

It’s technically Efi’s channel

It’s a vlog to record Orisa’s progress tword becoming Numbani’s protector

Very popular, everyone loves how wholesome Orisa is

The money from the ads goes to fixing whatever Orisa breaks while trying to be helpful

All rude comments are deleted

Pharah

Show off channel

“99 dunks in a row” and such types of videos

They’re typically sped up with relaxing music

Lucio has appeared to play soccer with her a few times

Reaper

As Gabriel Reyes he ran a prank channel around the Overwatch base

He didn’t do any pranks that hurt or scared people though

Just recorded himself eating vanilla pudding out of a mayo jar to get people’s reactions

His favorite people to prank were Jesse and Genji because they had the most over the top reactions

Reinhardt is unprankable

The channel died with the fall of Overwatch

Reinhardt

Advice channel but louder than Baptiste

He’s full of energy in every one of his videos

Calls himself his viewer’s Grandpa

If anyone comes to him for advice on how to handle abuse of any kind he will adopt them on the spot

Also does meme reactions, sometimes has to have Brigitte explain what makes it funny

Has one video where he speaks quietly called “Grandpa reads a bedtime story” and it’s literally just him reading a bedtime story with soft music in the background

Roadhog

Toy unboxings

All of his videos are silent aside from the cute music he puts of them

The only part of him that’s ever on camera are his hands

Sigma

All his videos devolve into rambles about the universe

Other than that his channel doesn’t have a real theme

He tries to explain scientific principals but quickly turns into a shouting mess about the universe and gravity

Moira is the one to stop recording in the middle of his breakdowns

Soldier 76

Use to run a tutorial channel

Gabe called it “Dad Teaches you” and Jack hates that he’s not your father

He teaches you to cook basic meals and do simple repairs on a car

He talks in a very fatherly voice

Begrudgingly, he became his veiwers father

His channel died with Overwatch as well

Sombra

Gaming channel, but hacked

Does glitched speedruns on live stream

Clickbait thumbnails and titles

“How to get 1,000,000,000 free V-Bucks in Fortnite”

Steals kid’s Fortnite accounts

Symmetra

Stim channel

All of her videos focus on satisfying visuals

Someone asked her to do ASMR once and she hated it. The video existed for less than 24 hours

Torbjorn

Like Brigitte, runs a builder channel

It also doubles as a story time channel as he tends to ramble about the good old days

All his videos are 30+ minutes long

Somehow adds “and that’s how I lost my eye” to every story so no one knows how it actually happened

Bastion guest appears in a lot or Torb’s videos but only because he’s bored and wants attention

Tracer

Animated story telling

Makes animations of their missions and her day-to-day life

Thanks to her chronal accelerator animations take half as long

Still only uploads like two videos a month

Widowmaker

Food review videos

Hates everything, nothing gets high marks

Gets view ship cause she’s hot and very snarky

Winston

His channel is exactly like Mei’s

It’s more popular though because he’s a monkey and thus draws kid’s attention better

All of his viewers are elementary school science teachers and their class

Wrecking Ball

Tried to do a builder channel but all the comments were on how cute he is

Hates being called cute so he made his mech say swear words

He’s very popular with little boys

Also loves destruction and may destroy things for fun

“5000lbs wrecking ball VS Junkrat’s house”

Zarya

Vlogs but like... Work out vlogs.

It’s just time lapses of her at the gym

Insanely popular with lesbians for very obvious reasons

Encourages her viewers to take care of themselves and start slow

Blew a kiss at the camera once, became the most used image of her on the internet

Zenyatta

Most of his videos are relaxing music over beautiful visuals he recorded

The other half of his videos are meditation leadings and yoga

He’s also done videos on the omnic crisis and talked in length on his belief for the future

Has one video of him pranking Genji

[hotelofheroines]

Guest Muse: Satya Vaswani, aka Symmetra

A hard-light architect and spy for the Vishkar Corporation, and an agent of Overwatch. She is able to create an number of structures out of the hard-light projector in her robotic arm. Her vacation days have gone into excess, so the corporation is ordering her on a mandatory vacation. She chose the hotel at Sombra and Amelie’s suggestion.

Personal Information Occupation: Hard-Light Engineer and Spy Hobbies: Meditation, Yoga, Puzzles

Sexual Information Orientation: Bisexual Role: Submissive/Bottom Major Kinks: Shibari, Sensory Play, Praise General Kinks: Orgasm Control/Denial, Body Writing, Vibrator Control, Light Tickling

[readbythestarlight]

Undeadwood (e1)

I’m SO EXCITED YALL westerns are my JAM and everyone looks FANTASTIC!

LETS DO THIS GUYS ITS HIIIIGH NOON YEHAW

Please nobody kill the Reverend Mason I love him already

Also the set looks FUCKING FANTASTIC god I’m so proud of them look at how far they’ve come

[[MORE]]

“I like the burnt look. Gives it character.”

“Oh, we’ll... keep that in mind for... future... design plans....?????”

Wow Matt that’s not a McCree accent! I’m so proud!

KHARYYYYYYY MY MAN

Brian I don’t think they were called pimps in the Wild Wild West xD

I can’t remember guest lady’s character’s name but I like her

Travis: Reverend Matthew Mason

“Shaving accident” you liar

Marisha: Arabella Whitlock

Matt: Clayton Sharpe (that’s an excellent name)

Anjali Bhimani: Mrs. Miriam Landisman (HOLY SHIT SHE’S SYMMETRA’S VA?

Khary: Aloysius Fogg (I LOVE that first name)

I’m already very into Miriam can’t wait to see more of her

Also Arabella but that’s just because Marisha owns me

Western crime lord says gay rights?

Fogg, interrupting the ladies’ meaningful conversation: “that’s a real shame yeah sorry boss did you say there were ~women?”

F: “REVEREND! I got three of them in here are you sure??”

RM: “I’m sure! I’ve got my own three, the Father, The Son, and the Holt Spirit.” I fucking ADORE Travis

“Weird shit” please be ghosts

Oh my god is Marisha a werewolf PLEASE BE A WEREWOLF

Miriam is my new wife guys

She’s also the person who’s gonna keep them from getting killed

RM: “*whispering* oh, clandestine activities! I like it. I WILL BE LEAVING NOW. PEACE OF THE LORD BE WITH YOU.” I LOVE him.

Oh wait is Arabella a witch?

Hmmmmm, Fogg doesn’t go in. Suspicious. I know he’s a runaway slave but is he also a vampire??

C: “I’m a very experienced rider, been around horses most of my life, especially being from Texas.... I rolled a two.”

Travis makes the best faces

I’m just convinced that at least most of them are supernatural in some way

Snakes?? Regular snakes? Snake monsters??

Demons??

Matt’s face when Brian describes the fucked up mouth

So my money says the miners delved too greedily and too deep and unleashed a balrog bunch of snake demons (snemons)

Did he say tentacles

AHHHHHH

SNEMON

DONT GET THE REVEREND

MORE SNEMONS

The mechanics for this game are really interesting

First Travis now Marisha tolling snake eyes. Fitting, actually.

Oh no what if they were in the bodies like chest bursted from Alien and people threw the bodies in the pit and burned them

RM: “And He will BURN FUCKING SERPENTS WITH FIRE”

F: “There we go just make it up”

M: “I’m sure they haven’t read the good book he’s fine to just make it up”

RM: “SPEAK THROUGH ME LORD”

Y’all need to run!!

Oh my god what’s happening

DUN DUN DUNNNNNN

That’s not good

“The dealer will see you now” hell yeah I like that

Idk what is happening but this is cool as fuck

“I saw a stampede of horses. I saw some men astride those horses, wounded, bleeding. I saw the stars above as I thundered through the night on my own horse. I saw the wilderness, barren towns apes and I moved through them. And I saw—“

Okay unfortunately I can’t keep up but I like this

So did her sister burn down the church?

It all comes back to the church and that’s fascinating

Maybe it was the only thing protecting Deadwood from some great evil??

Uh-oh now they’re out there in the middle of the night

The snemons gave her gun back that’s nice

“I would say for the purposes of this? ‘It’s hiiigh moon’.” xD

Wow just cut off the dead guy’s head Matt

They’re gonna get back and everyone’s gonna be dead

Or undead

Good lord the dealer needs to chill

AWW YISS HERE WE GO

If they weren’t monsters before they’re gonna be now!!

NOOOO that’s so short!!

Then again I suppose that’s more manageable than 4 hours and guarantees us the full 4 weeks of content so

Super cool tho I’m into it!!

[lewdladylily]

How about awesome dragon Sym saves pretty ladies from collections where they're kept as pet monsters by rich assholes? Some choose to stay with Symmetra for protection and the found family aspect, others choose to leave to go home? She could be the kind queen who has her favorites that she beds, but allow the others to stay in her territory, so you can have multiple ships in the story, but Sym acting like the one that brings them all together! (Also please Werewolf!Emily)

I like the idea that Satya rescued some women, got some information about another noble keeping "pets", leaves the others at her lair (Chateau Guillard style) to go get the others, and whe  she comes back they've started cleaning and repairing the castle. Lena catching fish in the lake,  Amélie repairing the roof at night, Emily in the kitchen, Fareeha fixing the furniture, Angela taking care of any who were injured etc. They make a small society/family on her island and she's like "wtf"

You all are going to make me turn my degenerate monster fucking bondage fic into something cute, aren’t you?

So in my original conception of this idea it was going to be a mix. It went like this:

We have a generally “good” dragon Sym, not actively going out to help people or anything but not being mean either, just sort of minding her own business. And she is looking for a new lair or something, I never quite figured that out, and she hears about this evil vampire lady eating people and generally doing vampire stuff, but most importantly the vampire has a nice big castle she operates from. So she is like “I am going to go take over her castle! It’s ok because she is evil!”

This vampire is Widowmaker, and of course the castle is Chateau Guillard.

So she does, but now she has this evil vampire to deal with and she doesn’t want to kill her but if she just lets her go she’ll go kill more people, so she decides she is going keep her as a servant to make sure she doesn’t get up to any more trouble. This inadvertently gets her a reputation as a good dragon that defeated the evil vampire that was terrorizing the local cities.

Now, there is something like a exotic slave trade for pet/slave monsters. So like, a rich asshole might have a slave werewolf, or a mermaid he keeps on display for his guests, something like that. One of them manages to escape and goes to the castle hoping to get her protection. I was thinking this would either be Emily or Fareeha. Sym is like “eh, why not” and takes her in and when the slavers come by and are like “hey she is ours! Give her back!” Sym is all “Why don’t you try to take her? That’s what I thought. She’s mine now. Fuck you.”

Anyway, this runaway then tells Sym about how she met another girl while enslaved (it was either going to be Lena or Angela, depending on who the first girl was) and they basically became a thing while enslaved together, and she wants Sym to go rescue her girlfriend. Maybe makes a deal for it or something? Depends on how hard I want to lean into the enslavement angle. Anyway, Sym decides yes, so she goes and rescues this lady, and now she has 3 beautiful women hanging around her castle.

It occurs to Sym she’s been around for several hundred years and has gotten bored of the usual hoarding of gold and stuff, but building a harem of beautiful monster women is interesting and new and fun. So she starts actively seeking out chances to add to her collection.

The only problem with this is that the whole “thematically appropriate bondage” for each monster lady thing doesn’t work quite as well. Like, for example, lets say Angela is an angel or something that looks like an angel. Some sort of thematically appropriate bondage might be Sym keeping her in a giant gilded bird cage. Stuff like that. But obviously if Sym isn’t an asshole she isn’t going to, say, make the werewolf wear a collar and act like her pet.

I mean, maybe if Sym is more along the neutral lines? Or maybe she specifically finds women into it for her collection?

Also I didn’t have any concrete plans for Emily, so she can be the werewolf, sure.

Here’s what I am thinking so far:

Sym - Dragon (obviously)

Widow - Vampire

Lena - Mermaid

Emily - werewolf

Angela - Angel or Devil or Harpy

Fareeha - Centaur

Sombra - Fae

Moira - Lamia (or other half serpent)

Ashe - Gorgon (more or less randomly assigned, I want a gorgon because it is one of my favorite monsters)

Echo - some sort of automaton, maybe a spirit inhabiting an artificial body?

D.Va - Maybe a demon? She has a demon skin in HOTS that is good.

Zarya - Not sure, I was thinking maybe a minotaur?

Mei - I literally have no idea, if anyone has suggestions I would love to hear them.

Bridgette - a paladin that, at some point, hears about all the poor enslaved girls and tries to rescue them, getting herself captured in the process. The token actually human girl.

I am not going to include Ana, at least not as part of the harem because that would mean both ana and Fareeha in the same harem which no thank you, I have no desire to humanize Orisa or write about her at all, and Efi is 11 so noooo thank you. Athena could be a possibility maybe, but I have no idea how, and the only major female character left I think is Katya Volskaya.

Also, if Sym is a dragon, she's likely never experienced someone having power over or control of her... Reckon she'd enjoy subbing or at least switching?

An interesting point, and yes for sure now because that sounds fun.

[mysteriousdreaming]

Symmetra had always had mixed feelings about flying. Something about being tens of thousands of feet off the ground in a large metal bird both intrigued and terrified her. Usually however when she flew for work with Viskar, the perks of first class helped soothe her anxieties. The private lounges, priority boarding, free drinks and spacious seats always helped to calm her nerves long enough for her to reach her destination.

Unfortunately Overwatch’s budget did not allow for such luxuries.

Winston had booked them last minute economy seats on a budget airline and the seats themselves were so cramped she almost felt as though she was sitting on the lap of the Junker next to her. Not that he was much more comfortable, his long legs were almost pressed up under his chin and he was fidgeting constantly throughout the flight. For once though she couldn't blame him. Thank god the flight to France had been a fairly short one and not a long haul journey. She was also thankful the Junker had been forced to clean up before the trip, the claustrophobic environment was bad enough without adding the Australians usual...musk. 

But despite the uncomfortable conditions they had got to the airport safely, slogged through security and baggage claim, and Symmetra was now sat in a taxi patiently waiting for Jamison to finish helping the driver load up their belongings. A minute or two later he joined her, telling the omic the address of their hotel before slouching back in his seat.

“Don’t trust being driven by a bot one bit.” He grumbled, earning himself a glare from the architect. He was looking very different to his normal self, almost unrecognizable (which she supposed was sort of the point of the whole mission). As well as the rarity of being clean and the welcome addition of some cologne, he was wearing a loose fitting shirt and a pair of black jeans along with a pair of sunglasses. After much protest before they left his usual scrap prosthetics had also been temporarily replaced with basic prosthetics Mercy had found in storage.

Her own appearance didn’t experience as much of a dramatic change. Casual clothes and a pair of shades was more than enough to make her look ‘normal’. Unlike Junkrat she was even able to keep her own prosthetic, thankfully giving them the ability to defend themselves with hard light if needed. 

She had to admit the ‘illusion’ worked, they looked just like a normal couple on romantic weekend to the city of love.  

The drive to the hotel was quick if not slightly awkward. Despite the drivers and her own best efforts any attempts at pleasant conversation were quickly shot down or ignored by the somewhat moody Junker. She was relieved when taxi finally pulled over at their destination and looked over to Jamison who seemed just as eager as her to escape.

“Love, can you grab our stuff? I’ll go check us in.”

Love. Obviously it was just a professional charade, one they had been partaking in for a few hours now, but she couldn't help but feel a little red all the same at how naturally he said it. She’d never thought of him as an actor, but Junkrat was putting on an almost too convincing performance for her liking. Still, she needed to keep herself together. Two days, one night, and they would never have to act like this again. She just hoped no one from Vishkar saw her in the meantime.

She grabbed the two bags, giving the driver a rather generous tip and a heartfelt apology. The omnic however didn't seem too bothered by Junkrats attitude and gave her a warm, but sad, smile "Your boyfriend isn't the first passenger to be hostile to me, and he won't be the last." He shrugged "I'm honestly more thankful he didn't throw anything at me or try and do a runner." 

"Does that happen a lot here?" She questioned, quickly correcting her abruptness "Sorry, I hope you don't mind me asking."

"All the time I'm afraid mademoiselle. It's been getting worse recently too. World's a scary place right now, ominc or otherwise."

Well, she couldn't disagree with that. Even if Talon weren't stirring things up for their own gain, tensions were still high. South Korea, Russia, the Outback, people were still hurting from the omnic crisis all these years later and without groups like the old Overwatch to help…

She didn't want to think how close order was to breaking…

With one final thanks to the taxi driver she grabbed the bags and made her way into the lobby.

The hotel they were staying in was far more luxurious than the plane they took to get there. It turned out that Winston had an old contact in Paris who had a close connection to the owner of one of the most classy five star hotels in the city. They had managed to pull some strings and got the pair a premium room free of charge, which Symmetra was immensely grateful for. The last thing she wanted was to also be sharing a small hostel room with the lanky arsonist.

The lobby itself was large and tastefully modern. There were several seating areas made up of plush sofas and coffee tables, long green hanging plants fell like waterfalls from the first floor balconies and a large chandelier was attached to the ceiling, filling the room with a warm orange glow. The lobby was also filled with quite a crowd of guests, talking, checking into rooms or just generally relaxing.

Waiting for her in one of the seating areas was a very pissed off Rat, sitting on a sofa and bouncing his leg viciously. What was wrong with him now? Regardless she sat down next to him, putting the bags at their feet.

As she sat down Junkrat nonchalantly put his arm around her shoulders, pulling her into a close embrace and whispering in her ear "Metra, Ah swear to god, when we get back to Gibraltar I'm gonna turn that monkey into a fucking rug."

Ignoring his use of that annoying nickname she pulled away from him a little in surprise, both at his words and at the physical contact, although she assumed the latter was due to the busy nature of the lobby "What? Why?"

He simply grumbled in reply, bouncing his leg a few more times before standing up and grabbing the bags "Ya’ll know in a minute. Come on, I've got the key and the room number."

His reply infuriated her. Why did he have to be such an over dramatic child? And why was she just expected to follow him? If it was something important to the mission that could compromise it she should be told, not strung along. If it wasn't for the crowds and their cover she'd put her foot down and call him out right there and then. But she had to bite her tongue...for now at least.

Instead she reluctantly followed him out of the lobby and up the flights of stairs to their room where Junkrat unlocked the door and made an exaggerated gesture for her to go inside. At first she couldn't see the issue. The room was large and spacious, exactly what Winston's contact had promised and more than enough for a weekend stay. There was a large TV mounted on the wall in front of a glass coffee table and a sofa with a fridge she assumed was fully stoked. At the far side of the room there was an open door leading to a big en-suite bathroom. Then she saw the bed.

The one bed.

Jamison must have noticed her expression from where he was leaning against the door frame as he let out a loud laugh. “Looks like we’re going to be getting quite cosy Metra” he smirked, although there was still a hint of anger in his voice.

She took a deep breath, bristling at the use of that nickname once again. It wasn’t that bad, was it? It was a ridiculously large bed after all, at least super king size or bigger, and it was only for one night. That would be fine right? As long as they stuck to their own sides…

Their own sides of the same bed. Her and the almost attractive Junker. In one bed

To her horror even the thought was making her face feel flushed. Pretending to be partners with a college for the sake of a mission was one thing, but sharing a bed with them? It was unprofessional. Yes that was it. That was why she was flustered, embarrassment and nothing more. “Is there not another room we can-”

“Nope!” he interrupted her before she could finish with another manic laugh. “This is one of the most popular hotels in Paris, we were lucky to get a room last minute at all.” However he seemed to (thankfully) mistake her expression for one of discomfort, and his own face softened a little “...Metra if you feel uncomfortable I can just sleep on the floor. I wouldn't mind.”

She quickly pulled herself together, taking another deep breath and smoothing out her dress before flashing Junkrat a smile “No, that wouldn't be fair on you. Besides, I'm sure we’ll manage, its big enough it’s practically two beds anyway, so no need to make a fuss.”

The lanky arsonist didn't seem too convinced himself but nodded along anyway, running a hand through his hair absentmindedly. “Yeah...guess it is only one night…”

“Exactly. And we're professionals and teammates. No need to act like teenagers. We should be getting ready to head back out”  She motioned for him to place the bags on the bed and began looking through her things for her toiletries. She could worry about the nights arrangements later, for now they had a job to do.

Junkrat was starting to see why this was the only mission ol’ Angel face would let the ape send him on. At first the little scouting mission he’d been tasked with alongside Symmetra wasn't half bad, they’d landed in Paris in the early morning and, after a minor hiccup with their hotel room, had left to begin scouting out the spots Winston had listed for them.

He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t enjoying being undercover. After all, for two days he wasn’t Jamison Fawkes, Junker, missing half his limbs and currently on the verge of dying. He was Victor Norman, a normal guy with a girlfriend, probably a normal job and a normal family he could visit on the weekends.

The name ‘Victor’ had been Metras idea. The night before she had come to find him tinkering away in the workshop and had stood in the doorway, her arms folded over the front of a light blue nightie. “Shouldn't you be heading to bed soon? We’re scheduled to leave at 4am”

He’d shrugged, waving her away with a hand “Ah’ll sleep in a minute. Just gotta tweak this first. '' His attention was focused on a modification to his Riptire. The things were far too big to make and tinker with while in his room and had fallen annoyingly behind when it came to upgrades and improvements compared to the rest of his gear. 

“Have you packed? Got the temporary prosthetics from Angela? Thought of an alias?”

He absentmindedly nodded along until she got to the last thing “An alias?”

Symmetra rested her palm on her forehead and sighed, giving him a disappointed look that made him squirm a little “Yes. A name to go by for the mission.” she paused “We’re meant to be undercover, surely you realised you couldn’t go by Junkrat? Or even Jamison-”

“Yeah yeah I knew that.” He winced, not wanting her to say his full name out loud. “Just ma brain didn’t fill in the bit between not using that name and me needing a new one…” The Junker finished faffing with the tire for now and span his chair around to face her. “You got one thought out?”

“Of course” She smiled “Saffron Sharma. I quite liked the ring of it. The forename is that of an old acquaintance at the academy, and ‘Sharma’ means joyfulness”

He liked it too, it was elegant and formal. Although he much preferred ‘Satya Vaswani’. The way it flowed, the way it rolled off the tongue. A cracking name for a beautiful lass.

Once again the strange fuzzy feeling in his belly returned and it took everything inch of his will not to turn bright red when he realized he’d been sat staring at her for several seconds. “It’s not bad.” He finally forced out with an awkward cough. “I’m fresh out of ideas for me self though.” For fucks sake, pull yourself together Rat. If you can’t deal with this you won't survive the next few days…

Life was a lot easier before he fixed that fucking clock…

Symmetra moved to sit in her own chair for a moment thinking, crossing one leg over the other and staring at the floor. The architect stayed like this for a few moments before smiling and looking back at him “How about Victor?”

The suggestion took him back a little at first. It wasn't something he would have chosen himself, but it wasn't bad, he actually quite liked it. “Why Victor?”

“Its a Latin name. Quite a popular in Christian countries.” She paused, going a little red with embarrassment “Well, that and it’s the name of a mad scientist in a literary classic, one of my favorites… Actually a retelling of the original has become quite popular in recent years.”

The Junker leaned back in his chair, resting his arm on the work top and wiggling an eyebrow at her teasingly “Fancy me a bit of a mad scientist then Metra?”

“Its Symmetra please. And I guess I do, well more mad inventor, but it's close.” She smiled “Is it suitable? If not I can try and think of another.”

It was more than suitable, and the fake passports and other documents had been printed ready for them in the morning.

He was brought back to the present by a light shake from the architect sat next to him. “Junkrat you need to focus, stop daydreaming” She whispered annoyed, her voice low enough that no one would hear her using his ‘real’ name. “I know you're finding this boring but please just pay attention”

The junker slouched in his chair grumbling to himself, picking up the boba tea he’d brought and taking a long, angry drink. He looked around him at the tourists sat outside the same little cafe. As with the last two locations, no one looked suspicious or was doing anything anywhere close to talon-y looking things. Hell the worst ‘crime’ they'd even seen was when some stupid Parisian 14 year old's had wolf whistled at Metra.

A chilling glare had soon sent them scarpering

 Again, at first he hadn’t minded the slow pace scouty shit. Sitting in the sun in somewhere as appealing as Paris wasn't the worst way to spend a weekend after all. But the longer the day went on the more and more bored he got. Halfway through the second location he began fidgeting, and by the time they got to their third and final destination Symmetra seemed to be growing tired of his antics.

He had better things to be doing for fucks sake! He wasn't a scout, he was a fighter! An Inventor! He should be tinkering in the workshop on his riptires, working on new designs and schematics or even just blowing shit up. He was even starting to doubt if there had been any talon sightings, or if it was just all one big plan by his trio of baby sitters to get him out of the house. It was all a waste of time, and he didn’t know how much of that he was working with anymore…

Jesus mate. Where the fuck had that thought come from? 

Then again...It wasn’t exactly wrong was it? Hadn't Mercy had said so herself just over a month ago? If this poison she was pumping him full of didn't work he had about year, 12 months, 52 weeks, 365-

The Junker shook his head, trying to rid himself of the morbid thoughts. No. He was fine. Angela Ziegler was a top crack doctor, one of the best in the world. If anyone could fix what the Outback had done to him it was her, and in a years time he’d look back on this and laugh that he was ever even worried.

Once again Symmetra brought him out of his daydreaming, although this time it was with a soft touch on his arm and a concerned expression, her dark eyes studying his face carefully. “Are you ok?”

He froze up for a moment at how softly she asked the question before quickly throwing on a smile and bolting upright “Course I'm alright! Just off in me own little world ah guess!” He laughed quickly. “Just thinking up some new bomb ideas is all.”

She seemed satisfied enough with his response, picking up her own tea cup and drinking from it while taking a break from scanning the area to look at her watch. “We’re almost done here, don't worry.”

As she moved sparkle from her wrist caught his attention and, without really thinking, he gently grabbed her arm to get a closer look. She had a bracelet he never noticed before and sitting in the middle was a tiny Rat charm. “Hey, when did you get this? It’s pretty.”

To his surprise she didn't try to pull away from him, although she did still tense up a little at his sudden touch “I made it myself, quite a while ago now actually. Apart from the charm of course, that was brought during a day out with Lena.” she took another sip from the cup and eyed him almost suspiciously “With your love of shiny things I'm surprised it took you so long to notice.”

“Guess I’ve just been spending more time in me room not the workshop..” And when he had been there he was never really in the right mind to notice, with him either being sick from his treatment or far too engrossed in his work.

Not wanting his mind to drift back to...that.. He tried to change the subject “Ah didn’t know you were a fan of Rats.”

She gently pulled her arm away from his grasp “I'm not. It’s actually a mouse. Something about it called to me, so I bought it.” The architect put the now empty tea cup back on the saucer with a smile “I tend not to make impulse purchases, but for this little guy I had to make an exception.”

The lanky arsonist gave her a cheeky grin “Well, I’m gonna say its a rat anyway. Like a little me as a good luck charm.”

“I don’t feel your much of a bringer of luck. Maybe a bringer of chaos”

Junkrat put his hand to his chest in mock offence, drawing in an exaggerated gasp “How dare ya! I feel I’ve been a pretty good luck token so far. Stopped you from getting blown to giblets didn't I?...even if it was my grenade…”

He got an eye roll for that, but he could see the shadows of another smile pulling at her cheeks all the same. “Come on, we best get going” She stood up, neatly tucking her chair under the table before turning and begin to walk away. “The restaurant at the hotel is meant to be quite marvelous and it would be a shame for us not to get a table. The earlier we get there the quieter it will be.”

Us? The words made him freeze for a moment, and he had to perform an awkward running hobble to catch up to her “Hang on, you wanna grab dinner together?”

She stopped walking to allow him to catch up and looked back at him confused. “Why is there something wrong with that?”

The Junker shook his head, going to pick at his prosthetic arm out of habit but not finding any paint to pull on. “Nah, Just thought you were more the ‘eat alone’ type that’s all”

“While I do prefer my own company on most occasions, dinner with a coworker can always be pleasant as well. Particularly one who may not have experienced much fine dinning” She blushed slightly out of what he assumed was embarrassment “Well, at least I assume you have not…”

He laughed rubbing the back of his neck “Nah, not many 5 star eateries in Junkertown. Most of the fancy suit places on our crime spree wouldn't let me and hog in either, always said something about a dress code.”

Symmetra stifled her own giggle with a hand and Junkrat quickly felt the fuzzy feeling once again. That laugh, it was just music to his ears and he wanted to stand here cracking jokes just to hear it again and again. And here she was, actually wanting to spend time with him as well, even if it was only as professional friends.

“Well then I guess it’s time to change that isn’t it?”

[alphawave-writes]

Evil actions and good intentions Chapter 5: The eyes of the beholder Sigma x Harold Winston

Synopsis: Sigma and Harold touch down on Oasis, as new potential recruits into the Ministries. Symmetra is also there. Angst stuff happens. 

Read it below or find it on AO3. For more Sigrold fluff, check out my other fics ‘Under the Milky Way’ and ‘It only takes a (Christmas Eve) moment’. Also check out my Sigma series ‘The universe sings’

-

Oasis is beautiful. That’s the first thing that filters into Sigma’s mind when he touches down into the city. It touts itself as a city of science, and it can clearly be seen in the elegance of its architecture and the studious intelligence of its people. The streets are clean and orderly, without a speck of dirt and dust. There’s a healthy mix of urban skyscrapers and charming gardens, highlighted by the crystal clear river that runs through the city’s centre. Skyscrapers shoot for the stars, desperate to be one with the stratosphere. It truly is a beautiful city. It might even beat Den Haag as the most beautiful city he's ever seen.

Sigma is dressed a little bit out of his comfort zone, decked out in the blues and whites and golds that is typical of the Oasis garbs. An intricate white bodysuit surrounds his figure, hugging his body tightly. Lines of soft blue cloth run their course over his body, accentuated by a blue and gold vest. It’s all a bit extravagant in his opinion, but he needs to make a good impression if he wishes to get the Oasis position. Following the city’s dress code is a good start. At least the dress code doesn't require him to wear shoes.

“These clothes really don’t fit me,” Harold mumbles beside Sigma, tugging at his collar.

Like Sigma, Harold had also decided a good first impression was important and reluctantly put on the outfit set out for him. It’s the same colour scheme as Sigma’s own outfit, and just as formfitting. A golden jacket is placed over white leggings, glowing blue lines running downward, highlighting every delicate part of Harold’s physique. Neon blue glasses are placed over his face, making his dark eyes sparkle with electricity. Bangles hover over his wrists and ankles, an exotic touch that makes his hands look stronger and softer somehow, like he could hold the world in his hands and caress it with loving touches and soft whispers.

Harold notices his stares and tilts his head to one side. “Tell me honestly, Siebren, do I look weird?”

He looks gorgeous, Sigma thinks. Perhaps too gorgeous. He clears his throat in a futile effort to hide his blushing cheeks. “Y-you look fine.”

Harold smiles. “Sounds like you think I look better than fine.”

“It’s not my fault I’ve never seen you in clothes that weren’t covered in moth balls,” Sigma pouts.

“This is coming from the man who doesn’t wear shoes.”

Sigma gasps in mock offense. He almost expects Moira to cut in with a cutting remark but instead she’s conversing with Sanjay Korpal, her attention completely unwavering. The subject of their conversation is beyond him, involving numerous names that Sigma’s never heard of before. The name that pops up the most is Vishkar.

The dark whispers rumble disconcertedly in his mind and Sigma suppresses a grimace. Despite the failed mission, his mind had been rather clear for these last couple of weeks and he hoped against all hopes that this was a sign of recovery. But then, only a few hours ago when he boarded the airship, the black hole sang its worrisome melodies. Danger it sings to him, but what kind of danger he does not know. He’s yet to master the universe’s language.

He only wishes that it’s just the result of his overactive imagination, that his mind is playing tricks on his mind, but one glance at Harold’s concerned expression fills him with worry. He’s not the only one who thinks something’s wrong, and that terrifies him.

Danger, release me, danger.

“Hold it together,” he grumbles to himself, too quiet for anyone to hear.

From the landing zone, they take the elevator down to the ground floor and walk outside onto the streets. At this time of day it’s bustling, people of all creeds and cultures going about their day, masks obscuring their eyes. If anyone is disconcerted by Sigma's floating, no one says anything, jostling and bumping into him like he is any other bystander on the street. The three men struggle to keep up with Moira, who parts the crowd with a wave of her hand like she is the second coming of Moses. A few people even bow to her. While Sanjay does his best to keep up, Harold sidles up to Sigma. They maintain a respectful distance away.

“You said she’s the Minister of Genetics?” Harold whispers. “Is that a fancy title here or…?”

“Oh, I forgot. You wouldn’t know about Oasis.” Sigma frowns, calculating the best possible way to explain the concept. “Are you familiar with the Ministries?”

Harold’s eyebrows furrow. “Sounds familiar. It was this collective of scientists, right?”

“Correct. They made this city a long time ago, a short while after your…” Sigma clears his throat loudly. “L-long story short, they are still around today, and govern this city. If I recall, there are 6 ministries, each for a different field of science. To be a minister for any one of them is a great honour—or at least, so they claim.”

“I suppose you’d fit right in, wouldn’t you?”

“It’s a good opportunity, sure, but that is the only reason I am here.” He looks at an advertisement for the Ministries' newest initiative and frowns. "They offered me a position here once before, but I refused. We had different goals. Thus, I remained in Den Haag."

“You’re not a fan of the university?”

“They’re just scientists,” Sigma spits the word ‘scientist’ out like it’s a cyanide pill. “To split up all of science into six crude fields, they must not be able to see the intrinsic interconnectedness between disciplines. I mean, your research into the effects of space colonization on apes embodies many distinct fields. You’re probably qualified for three of the different ministries here. And that’s the problem with a society of scientists, they don’t see beyond their narrow points of views. All they care about is themselves, and their own research.”

Harold’s lips thin. “But we’re scientists, Siebren.”

“But we know our place in this world is to discover the undiscovered. We see the bigger picture, we see the possibilities unexplored. We’re not like them, foolishly thinking that we make a blip of impact in the microcosm that is the universe.”

Harold goes uncomfortably silent. His eyes stare forward, gaze sharp but hollow. Beyond his irises, within his soul, memories of a decade past play in a continuous loop. A younger Harold fawns over the mysteries of the universe, about the impact his research could have on the world. Eager words spill from his lips like the sweetest honey, his heart on his sleeve.

In the real world, Harold sets his jaw tight. “I see,” he replies emotionlessly.

Sigma’s eyes widen. “H-Harold, you’re not like that—”

“No. You’re right. I didn’t see the bigger picture.” Harold scowls. “I know better now.”

Sigma frowns. “This was not a comment on you at all.”

“I know, Siebren, but…” Harold stops to let out a harsh breath. He turns his head forward to the masked crowds. “I know exactly what narrowminded naivety can do. It killed thousands during the Omnic Crisis. It almost killed me too.” There’s a pregnant pause before Harold shakes his head roughly, ridding his mind of sad memories. “But you’re wrong about one thing, Siebren. One person can make a difference. We are living examples of it.”

Sigma stares at Harold’s eyes, tinted by the blue lens of his glasses. In a moment he thinks he sees warm chocolate irises turn golden, sees the broken blood vessels that stain his neck suddenly glow with ethereal power, warm and safe like the light that saved him that day. But Sigma blinks, and the light is gone, and Harold keeps his gaze forward like nothing happened, a mirage in the desert. But Sigma knows he hadn’t imagined it. That was real. He feels the currents shift in the air, pushing and pulling against the strings of gravity he wields, beating together in perfect harmony.

Sigma opens his mouth to ask, but Moira and Sanjay slow to a stop in front of a massive building—the tallest building in the world, in fact. The tall skyscraper is an indulgent monument to human ingenuity, a glistening tower of Babel that pierces the clouds and grins at its own hedonistic brilliance. In front of the construction site is a lithe young woman with dark skin and even darker hair. Her right hand taps rhythmically into her left bicep which, Sigma realizes, is completely prosthetic.

“You’re early,” Sanjay comments.

“Which is to be expected. Punctuality is important.” Her eyes narrow as they shift between Harold and Sigma. Links and connections run through her mind, coming up blank.

“They are guests of this city, Satya. Soon to be prominent scientists within the Ministries, we hope.”

Satya nods curtly. “I understand.”

Moira turns to Sigma and Harold with a terse smile. “Sanjay and I have a lot to discuss. Miss Vaswani here has been instructed to show you around the university in the meantime.”

Satya throws her prosthetic hand in front of her body and a blue hologram appears, lithe fingers making intricate patterns out of strings of light. At her feet, a circular device swirls and blossoms, an oval portal slowly rising from the base. She takes one step towards the portal, stops, then beckons them forward. “Come. Take my teleporter. We move swiftly.”

Satya disappears into the portal, Harold following shortly behind. Sigma takes a few deep breaths, his head turned towards Moira and Sanjay disappearing into the crowd, fake smiles disappearing into harsh frowns before his body is surrounded by cold blue light. He can’t help but think this light felt wrong and icky on his skin. It’s not warm and safe like Harold’s light.

When he steps through, he finds himself in front of a small garden. Pillars of stone rise from the earth, footsteps marking the paths between buildings. Satya does not wait for them to get used to their surroundings, walking forward with purpose. Harold barely scrambles to catch up with her, while Sigma continues floating forward.

She shows them around the campus, giving historical anecdotes about each individual area. She explains the creation of the university, the six different departments within the Ministries, the expectations that comes with being a scientist under such an eminent university. As a tour guide, she is droll but informative, precise with how she wields her words. She does not open up much about herself unless asked, and even then it is bare bones and vague. All she reveals is her name, Satya Vaswani, and her career, an architech of Vishkar.

Sigma doesn’t really pay attention to her words. Instead, he watches Harold’s emotive face, eyes wide in curious fascination, the glimmer of excitement in his smile. There have been days long past where Sigma longed to capture that smile, to let it grow and flourish for all eternity, beyond the bounds of time and space. Now he enjoys it for its brief warmth, because he knows it will soon disappear. He knows what will happen before he’s even aware of it.

“I’m sorry, I never actually introduced myself,” Harold interrupts as they pass by the administrative office for the Ministry of Geology. He sticks his hand out. “Dr. Harold Winston. Pleasure to meet you, Miss Vaswani.”

Satya suddenly stops to stare at Harold’s hand, then at his face. Her expression is quizzical, concerned. Like she’s looking directly at a ghost.

“Harold Winston of…Lucheng Interstellar?”

And just like that Harold’s easygoing expression falls. “You know who I am?”

Her lips dip into a frown. “Please do not jest with me. If this is a coincidence, I find it quite far-fetched.”

“I’m not jesting, I…” Harold’s lips press tight. “Where did you hear my name from?”

“It’s all over the news. Lucheng Interstellar is trying to regain contact with Horizon One lunar base after all these years.” Satya shakes her head. “I think it’s rather unnecessary. The images I’ve seen show such signs of disrepair and chaos. I do not know how they think they can salvage it in its current state.”

“Who’s running this mission?” His tone is frantic, his eyes are wild and crazed. “Who’s running Lucheng?”

“Why are you so insistent on knowing?”

Harold stares at Satya for the longest time. Recognition dawns slowly like the sunrise. She takes a step back, nearly tripping on an uneven brick, but quickly recovers herself.

“I see,” she mumbles, her quiet tone laced with unease. “My earlier accusation was rash.”

Harold frowns. “Is it common knowledge that I…that Dr Harold Winston died on Horizon?”

“You are a dead man walking,” she comments. Her eyes narrow. “What is your purpose here?”

“I’m just a scientist,” Harold utters. “Nothing more, nothing less.”

"Your presence here cannot be a coincidence." Satya crosses her arm protectively over her body. "What is Sanjay planning?"

Though Harold tries to mask it, Sigma see the sadness behind his smile. He approaches Harold silently, resting his hand on Harold’s back. There’s tension on Harold’s shoulders, but there’s also something else, a dormant power waiting to burst, a demon quelled by sheer willpower alone.

Sigma turns to Satya. “I think the two of us are just going to roam around.”

“I have strict instructions to show you to your rooms and—”

“Please,” Harold implores.

Satya stiffens. Her eyes dart between the two men, trying her best to connect the dots. After a few seconds, she hefts a heavy sigh. “So be it. Roam around if you wish, but I must tell you that your presence is expected at dinner in Dynasty Hall at 6pm. I trust you shall not be late.”

“We will not, thank you, Miss Vaswani,” Sigma says, leading Harold away. His hand remains firm on Harold’s back, a small gesture of comfort.

They walk the paths in silence, down the brick roads of territory unknown. Sigma is not sure if it’s the time of day or some other factor he has yet to consider, but without other people roaming the campus, the university feels cold and lifeless, not unlike the ruined Horizon One base. He turns to Harold, expecting a forced joke, a pained admission of his worries, some insight into the swirling expanse that is Harold Winston’s mind, but Harold is unnaturally silent. He knows better than to talk now. Even if it pains him, he must embrace the silence and let Harold come to his own conclusion. They continue forward without a direction in mind.

Minutes later, Harold stops to sit at a lone bench. It sits beneath a large evergreen tree, a small but welcome protection from the harsh middle eastern sun. Sigma sits down next to him, close and far at the same time, his hands clenched at his side. Harold takes off the blue tinted glasses and folds them into his jacket, his gaze low. Sigma holds back the instinct to take Harold’s hand into his own and kiss it. This isn't a fairy tale, he has to remind himself. They are old men.

“You know, I didn’t completely believe you," Harold says quietly. "The first time, I mean, when you told me you thought I was dead. I mean…I think it’s better to say that I didn’t think it was such public knowledge. It’s so weird hearing your own name said like that. Like you don’t exist. Like you're not alive.”

“It’s part of the reason why I don’t go by Siebren anymore,” Sigma admits. “In a way, Dr. Siebren de Kuiper died on that international space station. I’m just Sigma, the stranger with all his memories, living his life in his honour.” The other reasons are too painful to discuss now.

“You never told me about that accident. Was that how you got your powers?”

“I figured out the secret to harnessing a black hole. Or at least I thought I did. But something went wrong, and a miniature black hole was formed and then mass and density and force all collided. I lost my mind.” Sigma stares at his knees. “Everyday I fear losing it again.”

“At least you look like you have some control,” Harold murmurs.

“It took a long time for me to master my abilities. I learned early on that my powers were dictated by my mental stability. Mind over matter, you could say. After the accident, I was sent to a special government facility. They were supposed to look after my condition but they manhandled me and they injected me with so many things and they carved implants into my skin and…” Sigma has to stop and breathe, stop and breathe. The dark whispers sing their horrid song in his ears. His hands shake.

Harold places his hand on his shoulder and squeezed softly, a welcoming distraction. Sigma focuses on the slight pressure of Harold’s fingertips, the faint body heat that emanates, and feels the tension siphon away from his body. The dark whispers are swept away with the breeze, leaving him feeling lightheaded. His body has already succumbed to Harold Winston's touch.

“I was tortured too,” Harold admits quietly, his throat tight with emotion. “I used the genetic therapy meant for Specime—Winston—and it changed my body. On Horizon Two, they healed me up initially, put me through rehabilitation, but I knew their intent. They were the B-team, living off breadcrumbs. If they can steal my research for themselves, they can get more funding and further their existence. And when I refused to divulge my secrets, they were forced to utilize…other means.”

Sigma is not completely surprised to hear this, but it does little to quell the cold dread that sweeps through his veins. He’s had his suspicions. Harold, honest and kind to a fault, hides his pain behind a smile. He doesn’t keep secrets, and the few that he does, it’s usually for good reason.

Harold’s hand trails down from Sigma’s shoulder, past his arm and down to his hand, prone and wanting. Sigma stares at their conjoined hands, feels that familiar push as gravity turns his head for him, casting his gaze onto Harold’s face. And Harold looks up at him as the connection deepens and Sigma knows deep in his bones that Harold feels the same strings of gravity pulling them together. The universe wants them to be together. It yearns for the day the two planets collide into one another with explosive force. Sigma yearns for it too. Perhaps for years. Maybe even decades.

Harold runs his thumb in circles around Sigma’s hand, his touch gentle, affectionate. “We’ve changed so much,” he whispers.

“We have,” Sigma murmurs. “But it doesn’t feel different between us. It still feels the same.”

“We haven’t changed enough, have we?”

“No.” Harold’s thumb slides up to his wrist. The movement is so delicate and fragile. Sigma suppresses a shudder. “Perhaps not enough.”

Memories resurface in that moment of the last time Harold touched him like this. Years ago, back on Horizon One, they shared a tearful goodbye before Siebren must fly back down to Earth. That final night, they traced constellations on hands, and then on faces and arms and chests and hips. Their kisses burned with the light of a dying star. Their breaths condense into stardust before their very eyes. It was the last time they saw each other before the fateful rebellion up on Horizon One lunar base. The last time they'd see each other until many years later, after a decade of thinking the other one dead.

“I-I thought you were gone," Sigma admits.

“And I thought you forgot about me,” Harold smiles weakly. “I’m not going anywhere.”

He breathes out the sorrow and pain of years gone by and concentrates on the hand on top of his own. Slowly he shifts, intertwining his fingers with Harold’s. Harold was gone for so many years, but he’s here now. It’s not a dream, not an illusion. He is real. What they have is still real.

“I’ll always be here for you, Harold. Until the end of time itself.”

Harold squeezes his hand. "Until the end of time," he whispers.

They watch as the sunsets over the buildings, nestled beneath the shade of the tree. The rhythm of life throbs in their veins, a small smile spreading across their faces as they lean into each other. As Harold rests his head on Sigma’s shoulder, his head on top of Harold’s, he hears the rise and fall of Harold’s chest, the whip of the wind, the staccato thumps of a human heart. Oasis is beautiful, he thinks, but it’s nowhere near as beautiful as Harold Winston.

Dynasty Hall has a grand buffet and a classical string quartet and is stock full of intelligent, like-minded individuals, but Sigma cannot enjoy it. Above the music, above the chatter, he hears the dark whispers sing to him their fears and worries. They taunt him just as much as they warn him, their voices shrill and high in their menacing serenade.

He does not have anyone to comfort him. Not Moira, not Harold. They are talking to the members of the Ministries of Genetics and Biology respectively, chatting along to the topic of the day, Sigma suspects. Sigma sits at his assigned table, sipping the non-alcoholic champagne, watching the scene unfold before him with veritable unease. Much as he loves food and drink, not even that simple joy can distract him. He sees Harold laugh at something, maybe a terrible pun or a silly joke, and it’s like the black hole is swallowing him from the inside out.

He can’t stay here. He doesn’t belong. Not anymore.

He finds his way to one of the university’s libraries and grabs a computer. It’s relatively empty, save for a few stray staff and students. The library is prestigious enough to offer a pair of headphones for his needs and he puts them on, adjusting them so they fit snugly over his head. He needs a distraction, something to take him away from his thoughts, something to drown out the whispers.

Sigma starts searching for songs that he liked. The genre didn’t matter, as long as it’s not too depressing. But typically,when it came to searching the internet, it doesn’t just end at songs. News articles pop up on current events. A celebrity died. Omnic tensions are on the rise once more. A musician named Lucio released a new album. He scours through them all. He’s searching for something, but he does not know what it is until he finds it.

It’s innocuous enough. Rumours have sprung that Overwatch was possibly reforming in defiance of the Petras act. The news website asks its viewers to vote on their opinions. The majority are uncertain about Overwatch's return.

Didn’t that article say that Winston was part of Overwatch?

Before he can stop and reconsider, his fingers are already flying over the keyboard. Nestled nearly within the internet is the story of Winston's life, his rise to fame, his scientific endeavours, his disappearance after the fall of Overwatch. A myriad of different emotions bubble within Sigma's chest. He remembers when Winston was just a baby, so small he could fit on his arms. And now they live on, continuing Harold’s memory. Sigma wonders how Harold would feel. Proud, he thinks. He always did love the little chimp, even if he never admitted so out loud. Secretly, Sigma did too .

He scrolls through, looking through everything until he come to a single news report that takes his breath away.

Primal Punch! Gorilla from the moon saves the day!

The picture is of Winston fighting a man known as Doomfist the Successor. There’s no mistaking it. It’s an older photo but it is definitely Akande.

"Doomfist?" That couldn't be right. Akande is big and intimidating, but the article called him a terrorist. Sigma reads on.

The incident was over five years ago, when Doomfist starts a fight on the streets of Singapore. Overwatch is called in, but they are no match. They talk of a fist fight, in which Winston won, and Doomfist is incarcerated. In the comment section is a list of all his other crimes. Murder, larceny, destruction of property, among others. At one point, he even had a wanted poster.

“This cannot be.”

Suddenly the computer glitches violently before the screen turns black. From the dim a purple sugar skull symbol glows in the centre. Within a few seconds, light filters in, revealing a private message app that Sigma’s never encountered before.

It’s your very best friend. Took a while to find it, didn’t you, Sigma?

“Sombra?” Sigma tries to type a message in response, but the keyboard doesn’t work. Nothing seems to be working. His head whips around but there’s no one in sight, no staff or students. The timing is too convenient. He stares at the cameras. Is it just him or does it look like the camera is winking?

On screen, a text bubble shows three dots.

You didn’t tell me Dr. Winston was your boyfriend

Should’ve figured though. You make a cute couple. Talk about an old married couple, eh?

“Get to the point,” Sigma mutters under his breath. If Sombra really is watching him from the cameras, he hopes his blush isn’t too obvious.

I happen to know how to get ahold of the gorilla.

He’s doing this recall thing. Trying to reform Overwatch again.

Bit silly in my opinion, but I’m not one to judge

Either way, his communication lines are all yours. Say the word and I’ll let you talk to him.

What do you say?

A small line flickers in and out to a silent rhythm. Sigma notices that he’s finally got control of the mouse and keyboard. His fingers glide over the keys and hesitate. Shouldn’t this be for Harold? They are the ones who share the name, Harold was the one to look after Winston like a father.

Tick tock tick tock Sigma

He was never a fast typer, but he gets his message out quick enough.

You should be asking Harold, not me

You don’t wanna know the truth?

After a few seconds, Sigma decides not to type a reply. He doesn’t have an answer to give Sombra. The whispers seem so much louder all of a sudden, as if threatening to consume his body. They murmur in dissent, dissatisfied with his decision.

Well, if you change your mind, I’ll know.

This is a limited time deal, though. You’ve got a week to talk this over with your boyfriend

I won’t peek on your conversation with the gorilla, I promise ;P

The sugar skull symbol appears flashes before his eyes and suddenly the computer is normal again. The article is in front of him, Winston’s gruff looking portrait peeking out from the corner. He can’t bare to look at it anymore. He closes the article and turns off the library computer and presses his fingers into his scalp. Songs and formulas fly through his head, but they give him no comfort. In his mind’s eyes, all he sees is Harold and Winston’s faces, smiling and laughing. It makes his heart wretch and his head ache and he doesn’t know why.

As Sigma sits alone in the library, his eyes squeezed so tight no tear could ever stain his cheeks, the universe hums him a tune of its own creation. It tells him the story of the future. There will be pain, and sacrifices must be made, but if he makes the correct decision, the rest of his life will be a happy one. But alas, he does not understand the universe’s language. If he did, maybe he wouldn’t be so nervous. Maybe then he could prepare. Until then, he is a puppet, acutely aware of the strings that pull at his limbs.

He doesn’t cry that day, but it’s the closest he’s come since Harold’s death.