Jamie Fawkes had grown to live off of his evenings with Sombra. Since his promise to Dr. Ziegler, hardly anything was fun; the only life he'd ever known, the life of crime, was stolen from him. During the day, he worked a flat, gray-and-beige job as a car mechanic - fun for the first few days, but tedious for the rest. During the day his head was in the clouds, his mind running on autopilot without the proper stimulation.
The only thing that seemed to get his blood pumping was when he was with Sombra. They had been dating two whole years, come this August, and she still made his heart pound whenever she walked in the room.
He would come home near six, grimy and greasy, and wash up quick as he could before making dinner. She'd often get home later than he did; her shift, as primary informant for Overwatch, could last anywhere from ten to fourteen hours a day. And so he'd rush to make dinner, and half of the time the food would go cold hours before she got home.
When she did get home, she was exhausted. Exhausted, but beautiful. Jamie loved it all - the purple circles, like bruises, under her eyes; the thin smile that she could barely force onto her face; her silence as she shoveled down three servings of food. She finished, and he swept her up in a warm and gentle hug. He pressed his lips to her forehead and she wrapped her arms around his waist. And they stood there, motionless, for minutes that stretched to years.
Then her eyes would droop closed. Jamie carried her to their bed and tucked her in like a child. She snuggled close to him, and he stroked her hair, and they fell asleep together in the evening glow of the city.
They only got one day off a week. That day was, Jamie thought, the reason he really kept going. Sombra made sure she spent the day with him. The whole day. Sometimes they went out, sometimes they stayed in and cuddled up on the sofa - Jamie didn't mind either way. As far as he was concerned, pretty much everything she did was a good idea.
It was one of those perfect dreamlike nights. The sun had set hours before, and the only light came from sparkling lamps that glittered lazily all along the street. The air was chilly and whipped Sombra's hair into her face as they backed out onto the sidewalk.
Sombra was grinning so wide she had to bite her lip to stop herself from screaming a laugh. Jamie, of course, should never have been allowed into the casino - he was like a raven, inexplicably drawn to anything that looked like gold. Oh yes, she knew that well - that was why she'd taken him. Though, she did not expect to be thrown out after he ripped off a bit of a machine and gnawed on it in front of a security guard just to see his reaction. He was such an idiot, she sometimes wondered why she even loved him.
Jamie, with a barely-smothered giggle, snatched Sombra's hand and towed her down the street, glancing behind them to see if they were followed. Someone was shouting at them from behind. Jamie took one last look, then hoisted Sombra into his arms and bolted for the nearest alley. She clung to him, arms around his neck, breathless. Jamie dove into the pitch-black shadow of a building and flattened against the wall. He pressed a finger to her lips, hushing her.
The security guard, an Omnic, jogged past the entrance of the alley a moment later. Jamie hesitated, frozen, for a long moment. Then the Omnic's metallic footsteps died away. The two of them collapsed into hysterics.
"Look!" Jamie said, barely able to talk over his laughter. "Look--" He stuck out his tongue. "Gold shavings." He plucked the little flakes off his tongue one by one and stuck them in her hair.
"You are so disgusting, Niño!" she shrieked.
"I try." He grinned at her, eyes dancing in the lamplight from the street beyond, then went suddenly quiet.
"Jamie?" she asked, her smile fading. "You okay?"
Jamie nodded. "Yeah. Just... thinking."
Sombra threw her legs around him, still sitting on his lap, and touched his chin with a finger. "If there's something wrong, I'm here to listen," she whispered.
The smile tugged at a corner of his mouth again, and his eyes focused slightly. "Thanks, mate." His chin dipped down and he kissed her on the nose. "Just memories, that's all."
"I'm sorry," she said.
"S'not your fault." He bent lower and kissed her lips this time. His warmth rushed around her and she took his face in her hands, trying to melt away his sadness.
It was a long time before she could bring herself to end it. They had slipped so deep that he had her against the brick of the building, his fingers on the hem of her skirt. With a great effort she tucked his hair behind his ear and murmured, "Not now."
Jamie nodded, and pulled back to let her sit up. He crawled around to sit beside her, his back to the wall.
"What's on the agenda?" Jamie whispered, after a long moment.
Sombra shrugged. "You hungry?"
A smile tugged at his mouth. "I'm always hungry, mate."
"Right, I forgot." She stood up, her legs a little shaky, her face still flushed. Jamie stood quickly and took her arm. "Thanks." Sombra blinked a few times at the light beyond, feeling the heaviness of sleep drifting down on her mind. "I... I'm really tired."
"You've been working hard," he said, escorting her towards the street. "How bout a nice cuppa ice cream, hm?"
"Sure." She smiled at him, and he grinned back, squeezing her hand. In a sudden rush she pictured him by her side after a long, breathless night, and began to wonder... just a little... what he would say if she told him...
"Whatcha smiling about, love?" he asked, shaking her out of her thoughts.
Take the plunge, said a voice in her head. You've got nothing to lose.
"I was just wondering if... Well..." She was having trouble getting the words out, though she couldn't fathom why. "What would you think if I told you I..." She swallowed hard. Jamie was staring at her, his face flushing with excitement. Sombra took a deep breath. "I want to be your--"
But he was no longer looking at her. "Hold that thought," he said, then waved and shouted over her shoulder, "Oi! Roadie!"
Sombra almost choked. "I--what?" She whirled around in disbelief as Jamie rushed past her. Further down the street, Mako stopped in his tracks and gave a small wave. Sombra felt a spike of anger. What the hell, Jamie? Now she'd never have the guts to tell him. The idiot.
Sullen, she moved to follow. That was when she noticed the woman at Mako's side.
She knew that woman. The square jaw, the pink hair, the scar - infuriatingly familiar. It had been years since she'd had to dig up those memories, and so it wasnt until she was feet away from the pair that she realized.
Aleksandra.
Holy mother of--
Their gazes met. Aleksandra's eyes widened but Sombra's narrowed to slits. Jamie was already deep in conversation with Mako, but she snatched his wrist, making him stutter to a halt.
"We need to go," she said.
"What?" He looked thoroughly put out. "Mate, we just got here."
Sombra made a desperate effort to be discreet. "I'm not feeling well," she said. "I need to go home."
Jamie hesitated, watching her with an abrupt shrewdness. "It's okay," he said. "This is just Hoggo's girlfriend. Her name's Zarya."
"Jamie--" Sombra bit her tongue to keep back frustration. She stood on tiptoe and hissed in his ear, "She's been trying to kill me for the last three years. I don't want--"
Aleksandra interrupted her. "I do not feel well either," she said in a thick Russian accent. "Perhaps another time, Mako?"
Mako squeezed her hand, grunted his agreement, and Aleksandra edged away. But before she could slip off, Jamie, bouncing on his heels, said, "Now - hang on just a minute - maybe we can work this out?"
Sombra groaned. "Jamie, listen to me." She didn't bother whispering this time; she didn't have any more reason for discretion. "Volskaya hired this girl to hunt me down and terminate me. So I'd really much rather stay clear of her."
"No - hang on," Jamie pleaded, taking her by the hand. "You're not after her now, are you, Zarya?"
Aleksandra snorted. "Perhaps not," she said, "but if she continues to insult me I shall be more in the mood."
"See?" Sombra exclaimed. "Jamie, please, please don't make this any worse than it already is."
"Oh! You know what?" he said, and with a sinking despair Sombra realized that her words were going straight over his head. "I've got an idea," he said. "How bout this - we all go out to ice cream! And you two--" he pointed to them with two fingers-- "can try to make things up. I mean, you'll probably be seeing a lot of each other from now on. Might as well be friends for that, huh?"
Sombra closed her eyes and let out a long breath through her teeth. Not on my day off. She opened her mouth to protest but before she could say anything Jamie, once again, cut her off.
"Perfect," he said. "It's settled, then! Follow me now - I know where to go..."