"Come on, Satya!" laughed Lucio. "Have some fun for once in your life!"

Symmetra ignored him, her focus entirely devoted to the magazine she was reading. She simply could not understand why, in a society full of creature comforts like air conditioning and kitchen stoves, why anyone thought it would be a good idea to go out in the sweltering heat and cook in the most primitive way imaginable. Yet, whether she understood it or agreed with it, her hands were tied. The Overwatch Annual Pool Party was a mandatory endeavor, and Symmetra was stuck baking in the roasting heat of the sun along with everybody else.

To be perfectly frank, Symmetra didn't much mind the heat. She was born and raised in India, after all, so she was fairly used to considerably high temperatures. And most of the OverHouse knew well enough that Symmetra didn't like to be bothered in the best of times, so they should steer clear for the time being. While the rest of the House mixed and mingled, some frolicking in the pools while others chatted by the grill, the only person to join Symmetra in her sunbathing by the pool was Widowmaker, who also didn't especially want to be there. She had her own magazine to distract her, and no words were exchanged between the two for the full twenty minutes of them sitting poolside. Symmetra was almost enjoying herself, despite everything that stood in between her and a good time.

Then, Lucio swam along and tried to get her in the pool. He wore lime green shorts, bright yellow arm-floaties, and his trademark neon green shades. Everything about him made Symmetra angry on a fundamental level.

"What are you, a witch? A bit of water won't kill you." Lucio sent a splash of water at Symmetra, getting her feet wet. She peered over her visor, wishing she could murder the Brazilian rebel with just the power of her glare.

"If you splash me again, I will grab my Photon Projector and use it to boil your pool," snarled Symmetra.

"Oh, come on, Satty, just a quick dip! You won't regret it," said Lucio, giving his brightest, most genuine smile. "I swear, a little dip will flip that frown of yours."

"I will pass, dos Santos."

Lucio shrugged, then turned and swam further in to join DVa and Tracer near the other end of the pool. Symmetra sighed, then returned to her reading, hoping to keep her sanity for a bit longer than speaking with Lucio would allow. Before she got too far, she heard something metallic clatter into the beach chair beside her and, when she turned to see what it was, she was met with the purple light that signalled a Translocating hacker in the form of Sombra.

"Hola, mamacita," said Sombra with a wave. She had traded out her usual jacket and purple-black leggings for purple-green shorts and top. Just like when Lucio approached her, Symmetra wanted nothing more than to microwave the approaching threat and return to her reading.

"What do you want?" she sighed instead, deciding not to test her luck. Though Soldier: 76 was devoted to his grill and had his back to most of the party-goers, Symmetra knew that he could smell conflict and would bring the hammer down on anyone who dared tried to ruin the party.

"Just popped in to say 'hey'. Realise we haven't spoken much since I got here," said Sombra, wearing her trademark mischievous grin. "Thought I should fix that."

"Our lack of interaction was not unintentional," said Symmetra, horribly bluntly. "Our work rarely overlapped, and I had no desire to speak with you." She glanced up from her magazine and almost sarcastically added, "No offense."

"None taken. I'm a bit of a loner, myself. I feel for you, Symmy."

"Do not call me that."

"Satty?" Symmetra glared at Sombra with the heat of a thousand suns. "Symmy it is, then."

"Please, go away," sighed Symmetra. "If I wanted to speak Spanish with a anti-establishment, rebellious lunatic, I'd go back to chatting with dos Santos."

"First of all, Lucio only speaks English. Second, if English was his second language, his first wouldn't be Spanish. He's Brazilian, so he would speak Portuguese. And third…" Sombra tapped at the air, summoning little purple hexagons into the air. "Maybe you should consider being a bit nicer to me."

Because you're going to want to hear my offer.

The letters appeared directly onto Symmetra's visor, obscuring her vision with the large, blocky letters. She turned to glare at Sombra, who put her finger to her lip.

Don't react to these messages. Keep up the conversation. Can't have anyone overhearing our little Girl Talk.

"So, how're you liking the party?" asked Sombra. "Having fun?"

"Not especially," said Symmetra through gritted teeth. "I am not much for socializing."

"Hm. I guess I should've expected that." Sombra spoke as if she wasn't currently hacking into Symmetra's gear. "I'm thinking of hopping into the pool. You wanna join me?"

You don't much like Lucio, do you?

"No. I don't." That was an answer to both of Sombra's question, which the hacker knew for sure.

"Aw, that's a shame. I'd kill to see you in a bikini." She winked as she spoke, to which Symmetra's only response was a roll of the eyes. "What'd he ever do to you?"

"Our ideals are diametrically opposed, and that is an obstacle that neither of us care to or are able to overcome."

"That's probably the most boring way I've ever heard somebody describe a blood feud," chuckled Sombra. She glanced around, her grin growing sneakier and more mischievous with time. "¡Ay, está ardiendo aquí! I'm going to hit the cooler. Want something?"

Ever think of messing with him?

"Hm… Yes." Symmetra strangely found herself lowering her magazine. "I think I'd like that a lot, actually."

"Okay, Symmy. Beer or soda?"

'Atta girl. I've been itching to prank someone for ages! If you want in, ask for a beer.

Symmetra thought things over for a moment. There she sat, a genius architect, an agent of Vishkar, and she was considering playing a prank on a boy she didn't like. It was juvenile, foolish, and the exact thing she would've berated Lucio for. Then, she recalled every night of sleep gone because of his dreadful music blasting throughout the House, and every obnoxious attempt he made at conversing with her, and every time she went to retrieve her leftover curry only to find that it had been eaten and he swore that he didn't touch it.

"I wouldn't say no to a beer," said Symmetra, locking eyes intensely with her new partner-in-crime. Sombra just grinned, the gears in her head clearly turning.

"Be right back."

Symmetra sat, reading her magazine, as if her conversation with Sombra had never occurred. The hacker in question wasn't around at the moment, instead lounging near the cooler and chatting with McCree and Ana. 76 had run to the store to grab more hot dog buns after they mysteriously vanished. The coast was clear, the pieces in place. Now, all Symmetra had to do was play her part.

She sighed, sat down her magazine, and kicked off her shoes. Symmetra cautiously stood up and made her way to the pool, taking a seat at the edge and sinking her feet into the water. She scanned the scene, her eyes falling on her target. Lucio was floating near the corner of the pool, laughing with DVa about something Symmetra couldn't quite hear.

Symmetra waited, and waited, until, finally, Lucio turned and noticed her. He grinned and, after uttering some form of farewell as he swam over to meet with Symmetra. He waded by her feet, his grin as wide as ever.

"Finally getting your feet wet, huh?" chuckled Lucio. "Glad you finally decided to join us. I know we don't always see eye to eye, but that don't mean we can't party together."

"Hm. And I apologize for my behavior earlier." Those words tasted like vinegar in Symmetra's mouth, but she managed to get them out relatively easily. "It's been a difficult week for me, and I let the stress get to me. Forgive me."

"Nah, it's cool. I know what it's like to have a lot on your plate. That's why I've been trying to get you to just chill every now and then," said Lucio. "You should come kick it with us some time. Me, Lena, Hana and Winston do movie night on Fridays. You're more than welcome to join us."

Lucio's offer sounded extremely unattractive to Symmetra, who thought her Friday nights were better spent doing something actually important. She normally spent her weekends brainstorming on how to expand and improve the OverHouse, which was something of a full-time job. The House was Symmetra's baby, after all, and she vowed that she would be dead and buried before she let it degrade or become obsolete and outdated. As such, she focused much of her time on keeping the OverHouse at the forefront of architecture. This dedication left very little time for frivolous pursuits like movie night.

"But, y'know, I dig that you're busy. You probably have better things to do," continued Lucio. "Just think about it, okay? Drop by if you've got time."

For some reason, Symmetra wasn't as repulsed at the idea of spending an evening with Lucio and his friends. She still wasn't keen on it, and she wasn't about to instantaneously become best friends with any of them, but she did appreciate Lucio's respect for her schedule and the open nature of his invitation.

Not that that would stop her from pranking him into oblivion, of course.

"I may well take you up on that. Someday," said Symmetra. Lucio grinned, then pulled himself up next to Symmetra.

"Good, good. Hey, I know you don't like crowds, but you really should come hang out with us over there." Lucio pointed to Tracer and DVa, who waved from their end of the pool. "We're not really doing anything. Just a couple of friends chillin'. You down?"

"I'm not especially good at speaking to people. I suppose you could call it social anxiety. It's part of my… Ahem. My 'reality'." It wasn't easy for Symmetra to speak about her condition, even if it was for her own benefit like it was here. It was difficult to accept that, no matter how sharp and developed her mind was, there was something inherently wrong with it. "It's simply who I am."

"I get it, it's cool. Don't worry about it. If you feel yourself work up the courage, just drop on by," said Lucio, slipping back into the pool. "It was nice talking to you for once, Satty. Satya. Sorry." He smiled sheepishly. "Well, see you around."

There. Her opportunity presented itself, clear as day.

"Lucio, wait!" said Symmetra. Lucio paused, turning back to face. "I would… I would like to… Join you."

"Really? Awesome! C'mon, then!"

"Wait, I just…" Symmetra's breathing quickened, her breaths more shallow and frequent. "One moment. It's… Difficult for me to…"

"Whoa, girl, are you having a panic attack?" asked Lucio. Symmetra nodded frantically, and Lucio immediately leapt out of the pool. "What do you need? How can I help?"

"W-water!" Symmetra pointed weakly to the cooler, trying and failing to control her breathing. "Please…"

"Back in a flash." Lucio ran to grab Symmetra the drink she needed, at which point Symmetra dropped her act. She watched as Lucio made his way to the cooler, were Sombra was innocently waiting. The two locked eyes, Sombra giving a wink, which told Symmetra that it was time to put the finishing touches on the prank. She aimed as carefully as she could, and, as soon as Lucio kicked open the cooler, snapped the fingers on her prosthetic arm, sending forward a Photon Barrier at about ankle level.

Near-simultaneously, Sombra began her hacking. She usually only hacked her targets weapons and abilities off, but, with a bit more time and knowledge of how they worked, she could hack them to be controlled remotely. She did this now to Lucio's Sonic Amplifier, which she had stashed in the cooler a while ago. When Lucio opened the cooler to grab a water bottle for Symmetra, he was met with a Soundwave blast from his own weapon, which sent him flying backwards. Sombra laughed hysterically as Lucio stumbled backwards, tripped over the low-flying Photon Barrier, and tumbled headfirst into the pool.

"GAH!"

Sombra couldn't stop laughing, even as she Translocated beside her accomplice and offered her a high-five (which Symmetra had no intention of reciprocating).

"Nice work, mamacita," chuckled Sombra. "We got him good!"

"I suppose that was amusing," said Symmetra with a small smirk. She stared at the water, her smirk slowly falling away into nothing. "Should he not be coming back up by now?"

"Hm? Oh, yeah. Might've knocked him out or something. I don't know the exact settings he puts his gun on," admitted Sombra. "So I put it on max specs. That might have been a bit much."

"You did what?! You could've killed him!"

"Oh, don't be dramatic, he's fine. Look, he's swimming back up."

Lucio was indeed swimming back to the surface. His swimming soon became flailing, which became what was undoubtedly drowning. Symmetra's eyes went wide, her rival crying for help in the water before her.

"Sombra! You knocked off his floaties with that blast! He's drowning!" snapped Symmetra. "Save him!"

"I can't swim either, mija." Sombra shrugged her shoulders. "No use in us both drowning."

Symmetra swore under her breath and dove into the pool, swimming as quickly as she could. She knew she didn't have long before the water began to negatively impact her prosthetic arm, and she needed to at least have Lucio in her grasp before her arm gave up on her. She managed to make it to him and begin her backstroke to land before her left arm sparked and fell limp to her side, entirely useless. By this point, it was more unpleasant than difficult to drag Lucio through the water and back to land, where Sombra pulled him out and laid him out on his back. Symmetra joined them in time to hear Lucio cough weakly, his body limp and almost lifeless.

"Dos Santos! Are you okay?" demanded Symmetra. "Don't you dare die!"

"Satya… I don't know if I'm gonna… Oh, this isn't good…" croaked Lucio. "There's something I gotta tell you…"

"Shut up! Someone get this man a Healer!" Symmetra shouted wildly, looking over her shoulder for some sort of help. "Mercy! Ana! Anyone!"

"Satya… C'mere…" Lucio looked to be on death's door, any word he spoke liable to be his last. "I've always… wanted to tell you something…"

"Dos Santos…" Symmetra leaned in, squeezing Lucio's hand in her own. "What is it?"

"I just wanted to tell you… Tell you that you're… You're so…" Lucio sat up suddenly, unable to keep his laughs under wraps any longer. "Ha! You're so gullible!"

Symmetra felt her eye involuntarily twitch, and the wrath of the gods brew in her heart.

"I… I beg your pardon?" said Symmetra. Lucio chuckled, high-fiving Sombra.

"Bit of advice, Satty," said Lucio with a grin. "Never prank a prankster. Thanks for the help, Sombra."

"The pleasure was all mine," said Sombra, matching Lucio's smile. "Now, if you excuse me, this party's only just getting started. I still have to mess with Gabe. ¡Adios!" Sombra vanished, leaving the two rivals alone to hash out their problems.

"You ruined my arm," said Symmetra flatly.

"Ah, it'll dry out. Or Winston can fix it. It's no biggie," said Lucio dismissively. "Well, I'm gonna bounce. That invite wasn't just for the brank, by the way. If you wanna hang, all you gotta do is ask."

Lucio dove back into the pool and swam back to join his friends, who were waiting and laughing along with him. Symmetra, meanwhile, was steaming angrily at fact that she had been outsmarted by some low-class, anarchist, so-called "freedom fighter".

"I'm going to kill him," said Symmetra to herself. Outloud, she shouted, "One moment! I'm coming!"

Author's Note: This chapter is something different than usual, because it's the start of an interconnected arc. The Pool Party will be a series of chapter revolving around the Overwatch Annual Pool Party. There's 25 Heroes in attendance, and countless numbers of stories to tell at this one party. Hope you enjoy.