You said yes , Mei told herself. You agreed to it so you don't get to complain.

Sitting in the passenger side of Zarya's SUV, Mei stared out the window and watched masses of trees fly by. She looked up and stared at the bright blue sky. The sun was hanging bright and uninterrupted by clouds. Mei groaned. Hopefully it would still rain.

Zarya was humming along to the radio, in the complete opposite mood as her girlfriend. She was excited about the day's upcoming events, and beamed when she saw that the weather was absolutely perfect. Quickly glancing at the seat next to her, she saw that her girlfriend was staring out the window. While Mei told Zarya she was up for it, the pink haired bodybuilder knew she was secretly dreading a certain aspect of this...double date.

"Oh, do not look so worried Mei," Zarya told her. "I know you are not fan of Mako's boyfriend, but maybe this will be good for both of you! Try to get to know each other more."

Mei sighed. "I watched him set a trash can on fire."

Zarya laughed. "Lots of character, that one! Mako must have so much excitement in his life."

Or headaches. Lots of headaches.

Mei had no qualms with Mako; he was a very reserved man who didn't speak much but was always respectful when Zarya invited him over to her and Mei's apartment. Zarya had met him at the local gym where they both frequented, and had been best friends and workout buddies ever since. Zarya never told Mei how they even began speaking to each other, but she was glad her girlfriend had a friend to spend time with regardless.

Then she found out who Mako was dating.

Zarya and Mei were one day on a shopping trip at the local food market. Upon entering one of the aisles, they spotted Mako pushing a cart and scanning the shelves. They exchanged hellos, and were in the middle of a conversation when a shrill voice cut through the air.

"Found the flour for th- Oho, who do we have 'ere?"

Suddenly Mei was forced to relive her dreadful high school years. That same messy haired, tall, blond, skinny white boy who always looked like he was ejected from a punk rock concert was standing right before her once more. Jamison had tossed the bag of flour into Mako's cart and leaned against the larger man, and that's when Mei knew she was truly in deep shit.

As Zarya slowed down a tad to make a turn, Mei spotted a large sign on the side of the road that was littered in pictures of balloons. The thick lettering read CARNIVAL in bold and bright colors, and a big red arrow pointing ahead sat underneath. While her girlfriend drove on, she spotted more and more cars parked on the side of the road and was even more fearful of what was yet to come. "We are here!" Zarya announced. "Tell me if you see them anywhere. I cannot check my phone for messages just yet."

Mei lifted her head up to look around the area outside of the carnival grounds, but so far could not pick anyone out of the crowd. There were numerous visitors, but the two men they were meeting up with were both very tall and not exactly easy to miss. Zarya found a parking space, turned the engine off and both women stepped out of the SUV. Determined to locate her pals, Zarya pulled out her cell phone that was way too small for her hands and dialed furiously. She placed the phone to her ear and waited. After a few rings, Mei began to wonder if they were even planning to show up.

"Hello to you, Mako!" Mei heard Zarya shout into the receiver. "We are here and you are not! Where are- oh- oh? Oh! Why didn't you say so? No, you did not text me! No you did not! You did?" Zarya paused for a moment to look at her phone and swiped the screen a few times. She stared at her phone screen for a few seconds, and then placed the phone back to her ear. "It appears you have. Phone is due for upgrade. We will see you soon, then! I will still make you do push-ups! Tell your boy to stop laughing at me, I can hear him! Good-bye!"

Zarya hung up the call and placed her phone in the pocket of her shorts. With a triumphant smile, she took a deep breath and exhaled as she stretched out her hand towards Mei. Mei placed her smaller hand into Zarya's, and they made their way into the carnival grounds. Their noses were immediately hounded by scents of cotton candy and popcorn, and were greeted by visitors walking amongst them towards different attractions. While it was easy to get caught up in the excitement, the two women had to find the other half of their double date group first. Mei wasn't looking forward to coming face-to-face with Jamison again, but she still agreed to this and promised to behave regardless. She was just gonna have to suck it up.

Soon enough, as they walked past the tilt-a-whirl they spotted a tall, skinny fellow with his head buried into a nearby trashcan. His shoulders would lift every now and then as he briefly sunk lower into the bin, implying that he was vomiting. Beside him was a gruff heavyset man with gray hair tied messily in a low hanging ponytail. His attention was focused onto the heaving man in the trashcan, arms crossed and expression hard to read. The two men were too occupied with their current predicament to notice someone approach, and jumped slightly when Zarya addressed them. "Jamison!" she bellowed with a laugh. "I see you and Mako have started without us!"

"HEEUUUGGGHHH GGUUAAAHH"

Jamison tried to lift his head and reply, but it appeared his stomach still needed emptying. Mako just shook his head. "Told him not to eat before he rode that thing," he said, gesturing to the tilt-a-whirl. "But you know how he is."

Yeah, a real stubborn asshole , Mei thought to herself.

Jamison finally leaned upwards, wiping his mouth with the back of his flesh hand. "Don't regret it! Definitely don't regret pukin' on th' bastard who said y'were 'too fat ta ride', either!" he said. Jamison whirled around and placed his arms behind his head. He was grinning from ear to ear despite puking his guts out just seconds before, but when he noticed who was standing with Zarya his expression turned into one of disinterest. "Oi, is Lil' Miss Ice Princess over 'ere gonna be glarin' daggers into me back all day or is she gonna play nice?"

Mei sneered at that. "Only if you promise to keep your mouth shut."

"Can't promise ya that!" Jamison replied with a toothy grin.

"Alright then," Zarya began as she stepped between them, "let's have ourselves some fun before you two snap each other's necks."

"Like to see that, actually," Mako said. Jamison cackled and slapped the older man's arm playfully. "Yeah, I betcha fuckin' would!"

Zarya shook her head at the both of them, but was smiling in amusement. "So what would you all like to do first? I think you are, heh, too 'whirled' out to go on this ride again," she said. Mei looked around at the different attractions that surrounded them, then her eyes caught side of the game booths. "How about we start slow with a few games?" the smaller woman suggested.

"Rather not have to hold prizes when we get in line for rides later," Mako pointed out to her. Mei nodded in understanding, but then a silly thought popped in her head. "It'll be okay, I think Jamison has a big enough mouth!"

Zarya barked out a loud laugh at Mei's joke, and they both laughed together while Jamison crossed his arms with a pout. The laughter was cut off suddenly when the girls heard Jamison say "and why are YOU laughing?"

Looking over at Mako, the larger man had turned his head away from the small group with a hand over his mouth and his shoulders shaking slightly. It was extremely rare for Mei to get that type of reaction out of him, but she was proud of herself regardless.

—-

The couples ultimately decided on going on rides first. They bought a large roll of tickets to share from one of the many ticket booths littered around, and got in line for the Pirate Ship ride. As they handed their tickets to the attendant, they made their way onto the long boat pendulum. The four of them were able to fit into one row, Jamison and Mei sitting at the ends of each side while Mako and Zarya kept each other company in the middle. Zarya leaned forward and swat Jamison on the chest.

"No throwing up on this time!" she said with a smile.

He stuck his tongue out at her, making the pink haired weightlifter giggle. As she adjusted herself back into her seat, she turned her head over to her girlfriend and noticed Mei was staring off into the distance. The ride was about to start, and Mei lifted her arms so the metal handlebar would go down, but her expression remained unchanged. Zarya pondered for a moment as she settled the metal bar against her chest, then smiled again. Just as the boat began to move, Zarya quickly ducked down and smacked a big, wet kiss on Mei's cheek. Mei jumped slightly by surprise, but when she looked over to see Zarya's beaming face she couldn't help but smile along with her.

The pirate ship slowly rose into the air, and everyone lifted their arms in the air to wait for the swing to fling backwards.

Just as it did, Jamison threw up again.

—-

Since Jamison's bowel movements were going to be unpredictable, they stuck with the carnival games for the time being. If they were to win any large prizes, they would just stuff them into their cars before going back onto rides. They walked around the colorful booths littered with giant stuffed animals, and watched as people of different age groups crowded around and filled the air with giggles and shouts. The people running the stands held their microphones high and called out to passerby to pull them in. The four had just reached the ring toss stand when the attendant pointed at Mako.

"You there, sir!" The male attendant with a poorly shaved beard shouted. "How about a round of ring toss with the wife?"

"No thanks, I'm gay," Mako replied, unimpressed. He grabbed Jamison by the elbow when he noticed the blond looking like he was going to jump the booth attendant for making an assumption, and they continued walking. Mei and Zarya followed suit while the booth attendant sputtered in embarrassment, Zarya hiding her mouth behind a hand in a fit of chortles while Mei shook her head.

Zarya spotted a water gun booth, and clasped her hands together in excitement. "There are four stools open! Let's go!" she exclaimed.

"Ah, I'll sit this one out. I'll just watch you guys play," Mei said.

"That is quite alright, Mei. How about you, boys?" Zarya asked as she got herself comfortable on one of the water gun booth stools.

"I'll hang back too," Mako said with a shrug. "Jamie's always up for a challenge, though."

"Fuck yeah I am!" Jamison exclaimed as he obnoxiously settled into a stool next to Zarya. "Gonna leave ya in th' watery dust, mate. Now let's get ta squirtin'!"

"Ahaha!" Zarya laughed. "That phrasing is terrible but I love the enthusiasm!"

The starting bell of the water gun game went off, and Jamie and Zarya were sucked into their match. While they excitedly faced off against one another, Mei and Mako stood behind at a distance. Mei shuffled nervously next to the gray haired man, thinking of something to say. She looked back and forth between Mako and the game booth, then let out a small cough. "So, hm, uh, how exactly did you and Jamison meet each other?" she eventually asked. Mako slowly turned his head towards her, his expression unreadable. He placed his hands into the pockets of his shorts, and answered quietly with "At work".

Mei nodded. "Oh, right, at the, junkyard. He doesn't seem like the type to go to gyms, so I didn't think you would see him th-"

"Why do you care? Mako interrupted coldly.

The small woman was taken back by Mako's abrupt question. "Oh, you know, it's just, you two are just so widely different from each other, so I was curious as to how you two ended up, ah, getting to know each other? I suppose?"

Mako's entire body was facing Mei now, and he leaned forward to get closer to her face. "Here's a better question: what's Zarya doing with a mousy bookworm like you?"

Mei was confused, and slightly offended. Where was this coming from? Did she say something wrong to antagonize him? Either way, she was not going to let someone question her relationship.

"Zarya and I are well aware of our differences, but we love each other regardless. She encourages me to do what I want, and I do the same for her. She spends nights reading poetry beside me, and I attend every single weightlifting championship she's in to support her. Frankly Mako, I am appalled that you would say such a thing! Like we couldn't possibly be good for one another!"

Mako blinked at the now seething woman, then turned away with a smirk. "Well then, you just answered your own question."

Mei's face went to one of pure anger to one of bewilderment. "What do you mean? You were very rude about my relationship with Zarya, and so I-"

She paused mid-sentence as realization kicked in. She thought to herself about what she had asked of Mako, then about the response she gave when he threw it back at her. In retrospect, he wasn't exactly being the rude one in the situation.

"Did Zarya ever tell you how she and I became friends?" the large man asked.

"She said you two met at the gym and became workout buddies," Mei replied. "She called you a 'tough eggshell to crack' but you eventually warmed up to her. Why was that?"

Mako crossed his arms over his chest as he pieced the memory together in his mind. "She came up to me one day with that big dorky grin of hers, and tried complimenting my form or whatever. I told her to fuck off."

Mei's jaw dropped. "She was being nice, why would you speak to her that way?"

"Are you okay with random people annoying you at the gym when you want to be alone?" Mako asked with a sneer. "Anyways, she was persistent. Said to me, 'Ah! You are interesting. I hope to impress you somehow.' And then she proceeded to do a bunch of wild stunts on the workout equipment in front of me."

The image that popped into Mei's head made her giggle. "Yeah, that sounds about right. But was that enough for you to be nice to her?"

Mako shook his head. "Everyone else around us thought she was all that, but I still just wanted to be alone. So she did, for the most part. Always wanted to include me in the group activities that went on there." His eyes suddenly went downcast, which concerned the woman next to her. "But one day, she came in and wasn't herself. She looked so miserable, even I couldn't help but notice. She just sat on a bench and stared at the wall. Normally I don't give a shit, but it was so weird I had to go up and talk to her about it."

He paused the story to clear his throat. "Think she was too sad to be surprised that I approached her. Handed her a water bottle and asked what her problem was. Said something about a fight you two had."

Mei wasn't sure what fight he could be referring to, but for him to bring it up troubled her. "Zarya and I have wonderful communication, but like any couple we have our bumps in the road…"

"Hmm. Got me talkin' about my own shit to give her advice. Guess it helped, since you two are still very much involved obviously. We talked everyday after that, and now we're friends. She's one of the very few people in the world I can refer to as that."

Mei supposed that was flattering of him to say about her girlfriend. "Whenever you came over our apartment, you speak so much differently. I never knew you could also be so...forward," she said nervously.

"Keep myself in check around you out of respect," Mako said to her. "I expect you to do the same, if we're going to continue being around one another. I don't question Zarya about you because I've seen up front how much you mean to her, and she does the same for me. That's that."

"You're right Mako, sorry. I never thought of it that way."

To Mei's surprise, the man gently placed a hand on her shoulder. Looking up at Mako, his expression seemed that of...sincerity? It was hard to tell. But he didn't look judgemental anymore. "Relationships are weird. Don't always realize a lot of things right away."

She nodded with a small smile. She was unsure of how to continue the conversation afterwards, but she wouldn't need to as their significant others began to approach. Jamison seemed pretty pleased with himself, settling himself next to his boyfriend with an armful of small stuffed animals. Zarya only had a couple, but appeared to be in good spirits. "Those fifteen matches were an extraordinary battle!" she said. "It seems your aim is getting better after all."

"Those nights sluggin' scrap at the yard really made an impact, I think!" Jamison replied. "Look Mako, we finally got ourselves lil' ankle biters just like we always wanted!" he said as he gestured to his prizes.

"Wait, I'd actually like to hear more about these late night junkyard visits," Mei inquired. "You mean you guys go there with bats and just play baseball with metal pieces?"

"Oh yes!" Zarya told her. "Regular baseball with regular ball is too boring. Not much challenge. Hitting flying metal, now that is a challenge!"

"That's so dangerous! And yet, that is very much like you, Zarya."

Zarya placed one of her stuffed animals prizes into Mei's hand, and kissed her on the forehead. "You always get me," she whispered with a smile. "We would have been done with our game earlier, but you and Mako seemed to be having such a good conversation! So we left you be."

"Ooh right, probably tellin' Mako 'bout I'm the spawn of Satan's asshole, or somethin'," Jamison said sarcastically as he cuddled up under one of Mako's mighty thick arms. "No worries, he already knows!"

"Actually Jamie," Mei began. "You're secretly a lot nicer than you lead on to be."

Without warning, Jamison suddenly collapsed onto the ground, stuffed animals surrounding him as he clutched at his chest. Mei and Zarya gasped in shock, but for some reason Mako appeared unfazed. "Oh my God, are you alright?!" Mei asked with much worry.

"I...I jus'...can't believe I just got a compliment from the Queen of Cold herself…" Jamison said through exaggerated heavy breathing.

"Do you always have to be so dramatic?" Mako asked his boyfriend as he helped him off the ground.

Zarya's shock turned into amusement, and she laughed as she slapped Jamie on the back. "Oh, you had me for a moment there! Don't ever do that again or I will kill you!" she laughed.

Mei had wanted to be angry at Jamison for scaring her like that, but as she watched the display before her she decided it wasn't worth it. In fact, she couldn't help but smile along with them. She had come into this double date thinking she would get nothing out of it, but as the day went on she began to realize that there was still a lot about Mako and Jamison she didn't understand. She spent a lot more time around Mako than Jamison, but only because their get-togethers were through his friendship with Zarya. The conversation she had with Mako had put many things into perspective, and she had not only learned more about him, but also about the type of impact Zarya had on others. It was what she loved about Zarya; she was so much more than her brawns.

As they walked towards their cars to safely store their prizes, Mei watched the way Mako and Jamison interacted with one another. Clearly Jamison spoke enough for the both of them, but it was the little details that caught her attention. The way Mako leaned close, how the corners of his mouth would quickly curl into a smile when Jamison said something extra silly in that booming voice of his, that look in his eyes...she had yet to fully understand how Jamison could be the way that he was, but it was evident that there was something about him that Mako found endearing. It made her think about her own relationship with Zarya, and how Zarya and herself managed to fall in love despite their differences. How important Jamison appeared to be to Mako reminded her of why Zarya was important to her herself.

—-

"I hope you boys aren't afraid of heights," Zarya said as the two couples stepped off a giant swing ride. "Because we are hitting the big wheel next!"

"Good thing those boxes only sit two people," Jamison replied. "Mako 'ere makes a damn good pillow. Maybe I'll sneak us some snacks, how's that sound lovey?" he asked his boyfriend.

"I'm not having you puke in my lap," Mako replied, placing his hand over Jamison's. "We can get whatever you want after the ride."

"You sayin' you care about me?" Jamison asked with a sly smile. Instead of giving him a verbal answer, Mako ducked down and left a swift peck on Jamie's nose. The kiss left the blond in a fit of giggles as he buried his face into Mako's shoulder. That was the first time Mei saw Mako show Jamison a public display of affection, and admittedly the special sweet gesture had placed a warm feeling in her chest.

They had just reached the line for the ferris wheel, and Zarya leaned in to converse with her small girlfriend. "I hope we get stuck at the top," she said. "The sun is going down. The view will be absolutely beautiful."

"I hope so too," Mei agreed. "It would be such a lovely way to end the day."

Zarya snorted. "Knowing Jamison though, he will probably ruin beautiful moment with a bad joke."

"Only cuz you brought it up!" Jamie turned his head over his shoulder to say.

"Make sure it's a really bad one," Mako said. "So bad they have to shut down the ride."

While the two men shared a laugh, Zarya put her focus back on Mei. "You have been having a good time, yeah? You have even started being nicer to Jamison. What a miracle! I was afraid that this double date would be a failure. I was worried you would not have fun. But everyone is happy, and that makes me happy," Zarya explained as she watched Mako and Jamison board a carriage in front of them.

"It's because I care about making you happy," Mei told her over the sound of the ferris wheel slowly rotating. "It's only fair since you do it for me."

When it was their turn to climb on board, Zarya stepped to the side to let Mei sit down first. When she accompanied her, the small door was closed by an attendant and the two girls were being lifted from the ground. As they ascended, Zarya turned to Mei and placed a hand over hers. "Mei-Ling Zhou, there is nothing in this world I wouldn't do for you!"

"The same goes for you Aleksandra," Mei said as her free hand slid over her left pocket, rubbing at the metal ring inside.