Even as Mei and Jamison had returned to her sub-degree office, she hadn't much to say, her attention still fully on the recording of Angela's phone call with Tracer, having played it a good few hundred times by now, still hinting for something that might have been used as a clue. While Fareeha was headed over to help, Tracer had yet to set off her tracker since her initial call to Winston after the bar attack, which would leave the soldier to have to scout out for Lena's location- a length of time that could become lethal were it to occur at the wrong instant.
As Mei hunched over her desk, her eyes never leaving her tablet, the whirring of a buzz saw filled the room behind her, sparks flying as Jamison silently tinkered on his own projects of theirs, taking the occasional glance over her shoulder toward Mei, a look of longing on his face before he returned to his own work, trying to remain content to be her assistant, if not anything more. On more than one occasion, he'd turned to watch her only to have his sight intercepted by the angry, digital face of Snowball, who seemed to have caught on at some point and resented his stares.
"Sorry mate," was all he'd mutter as he returned to his work, Snowball floating backward as the tiny saucer kept watch.
Eventually, just barely over the sound of his equipment, Jamison heard the clacking of Mei's headphones hitting the desk, stopping his torch and pushing the metalsmith's mask up over his head- a requirement, despite his skin having calloused beyond all reason by now. She ran her nails through her hair as she fell into her office chair, groaning in exasperation as if she'd already gone stir-crazy over the looping audio.
"Don't let it overtake ya, sheila," Jamison offered meekly.
She spun around in her chair, sulkily burying her face in her coat, "But I know there's something in there. There has to be. There always is. You should know as much as anybody; I go down to Australia so far behind anything to do with reclamation, I get kidnapped fifteen different times, and yet just stumble ass-backwards into the one flower that breaks the whole project wide open. There's always a break, somewhere; I just cant find it."
Her shoulders sagging as her eyes closed, deepening in thought despite her taking a break, mumbling to herself the words from the recording that were now ingrained into her brain, mulling over Jesse McCree's words as though his deep voice were soothing in itself, "you know that look of shock... You wore it after I showed you that man… A depraved sort of shock…"
She sighed weakly, not noticing Jamison making his way toward the couch and taking hold of one of the blankets there, "C'mon, ya get cold when you're not working on somethin'. Why don'cha just slow down, have a Captain Cook about it, and maybe find a diff'rent angle ta go about it."
"Have a…what?" she inquired, turning her face toward him with still-closed eyes.
"When I was a lad," Jamison began, draping the blanket atop Mei and standing back with his hands against his hips, "I'd get so frustrated ya know, doin' what I could to improve my leg, for one, but my mum 'n I weren't exactly well ta do, so unable to finish my schoolin', I tried making stuff ta sell or help out. With all that pressure, I'd drive myself mad trying to build somethin', eventually runnin' my body ta just fall asleep on the spot. After a nap or two, I came back 'n found that my mind must'a refreshed to a state where I could complete, and even improve, most of my projects."
"I guess," Mei frowned, "I don't like sitting here though; one of the best parts about working in the field is that there's always something to do. Even when you're sleeping, you're not exactly off the clock."
Jamison grinned, "Oh, right. Bet'cha you cashed in big time after that mess up in your old Watchpoint! Goodness knows how many hours ya accrued if that were the case!"
Mei's face flushed as she just caught herself in time, slowly burying her face beneath her blanket, "Y-You remember that..?"
"'Course I do!" Jamison declared proudly, "Not every day you meet somebody with two ages!"
She blushed further, "J-Just don't mention the higher one, please…"
Jamison crooked a wry grin, "I never took ya as so vain, y'know."
"Not vain!" Mei retorted before lowering her voice, "Being born forty years ago is just a very frightening realization, even if nine of them domt really count…"
"What was it like?" Jamison wondered, falling back into the couch, "Being in cryostasis for so many years, I mean."
Her mouth and nose concealed beneath her blanket, Mei's eyes shifted away evasively, "Nothing special. I mean, so far as I could tell. I suppose it's like a dreamless sleep- I don't even recall it seeming like such a long time, those nine years. It was just, you know…empty time."
Mei's arms curled around her legs as she pulled her feet into the chair before her, "I've often thought if…if that's what death is like. That area devoid of even the knowledge of being asleep or awake. Then I remember my partners who died in cryo…if they even knew what was happening to them when it happened…"
She shook her head, "Ugh. I think I preferred having my mind wrapped up in that phone call…"
"But I like hearin' about ya," Jamison assured with a smile, "I mean, not if hurts ya or anything, I just-"
He paused as Mei's sudden smile interrupted him, "Oh no, it doesn't hurt to think about them. I mean, I miss them, yeah, but… Before we all went into cryo, in our little 'last ditch effort' thing, we all said our possible goodbyes and all that. Rajyeshwar, our leader, he made sure to let me know that my smile and boisterous behavior had helped keep them warm as the blizzard worsened. So, in a way, just by being myself, it's sort of a tribute to them all."
She smiled proudly still, "I don't know, having the air so low in here, maybe that also sort of reminds me of them all. Plus, I get to bundle up in my coat and feel that comforting sort of warmth. almost like I'm back there with them, laughing over tin canned dinners while we waited."
"Wow," Jamison replied with subdued surprise, "You make it sound kind of nice. The cold, that is, not- uh."
"I get it, don't worry," Mei smiled, "You're very sweet to listen to some crazy scientist's ramblings, though. Most people around here wouldn't give me the time of day."
Jamison vigorously shook his head, "Oh! No way, sheila! It's great listenin' to ya! I mean, with all that I've known, you come from almost the exact opposite! Ya got a family, colleagues, a career, a sweet-fleein' robot that follows you around! I ain't got none of that; Roadie, I mean, he follows me around, but he ain't mindless, ya know?"
"Actually, Snowball-" Mei began to correct, though was interrupted by Jamison as he went along.
"You guys've got everythin' you could possibly want here, and if not, ya just get it shipping in within the hour! and just you, yourself, I mean, you're smart- ya've got, what, three languages in there? You can actually plan stuff out instead'a throwing junk togetha'. I run around lookin' like Junkenstein's monster, but you're so pretty- I mean, sometimes, I can barely keep my eyes-!"
In a second, having just noticed Mei's blushing face in his flurry of speech, Jamison caught himself, throwing a hand up to cover his mouth as his eyes went wide, "S-Sorry! I-I didn't mean- uh- Y'know, I was just, uh- S-Sorry!"
He leaned forward, his legs constricting against his arms as they fell toward the floor there in defeat, leaving Mei to attempt her recovery behind her reddened face. She watched Jamison as he shivered, his body so much more grossly aware of the frigid air surrounding him now that he no longer was looking in Mei's direction. She felt how insanely warm her face had become, wondering how to hopefully warm Jamison up in the same was as her lips twisted in apprehension, eventually speaking up.
"Back in Australia," she began, slowly, "You said beautiful."
"O-Oh, yeah. That," Jamison replied weakly, still with eyes locked on the floor, "I mean, I meant it both times, I guess."
As though simply thinking about it whisked his mind off on some abstract adventure, Jamison's face lit up as his speech began to brighten, having no tact whatsoever, especially now that he was looking away from Mei, "'N I get to see it every day now, y'know? sometimes to the point where I'll miss it some times 'cause it becomes that familiar, but then I'll remember it and thank god that I have it'n such excess that I can get that feelin', right?"
His mind just now going over his own words, his face bolted upright to look at Mei with terrified eyes, "I-I-I-I d-don't mean ta say you-! Th-That is t-ta say- I don't mean to say, y'know, anythin' about you bein' anything less than gorgeous at all times! I-I mean, I never fail to notice your messy hair when you wander around in your pajamas without a care in the world, or when your eyes light up after I make a breakthrough on a project 'a yours! I don't eva' forget to smile when ya talk to yourself in your work as though you're your own assistant- I still notice plenty!"
Again reeling from the effects of having spoken before thinking, Jamison quickly bowed his head once again in shame, horrified of the idea that he'd just paved enough roadway to bury himself beneath. Surely he'd overstepped his bounds, though it certainly hadn't been intentional, he knew! His eyes weren't even fixed on the floor beneath him this time- he'd shut his eyes ashamedly, so tight that he could feel the strain in the tendons behind them, shaking his head in self-disapproval.
Suddenly he flinched, nearly jumping high enough to hit the roof as he felt the couch adjacent to him sink as Mei took a seat there, smiling rather embarrassingly as she peered away, speaking softly, "You're helpless sometimes, you know that, Jamie?"
He bit his lip as he instinctively began to rise to his feet, "I'm sorry; I told you, I ain't eva'-!"
Mei grasped his arm and pulled him back onto the couch, smiling as she watching him with upturned eyes, though he remained focused on anything else he could rest his eyes on, "You said such sweet things."
"W-Well, I mean…" he began, though as warmth began to radiate through him from Mei's hand there, just beneath his elbow, Jamison felt a gently calm rushing over him as he continued, softer, "I meant it all."
She began again, "Sorry if I was blind to it all. I'm not much socially outside of this room- there are some days where I talk to Snowball more than to any Hominidae. I know what you said back then…believe me, I recall those words more often than you might ever know. I just wasn't smart enough to know-"
"Oh, you're plenty smart!" Jamison objected.
"Not socially," Mei grinned.
His face darkened, "Oh. Well that ain't so bad. I can't tell my left foot from the right if we're talkin' about social stuff; how do ya think I became to hated by tha Junkers?"
"But," Mei began, "Isn't one of your feet a peg-leg?"
Jamison wore a crooked smirk as he answered, "I know. It's that bad."
Mei returned with a grin of her own, her hand slowly rolling down his hand until it met with his, resting there gently as a blush washed over her, "So, uh… If we're both so socially inept, uh, would it be better if we just…said what we were feeling?"
"Maybe," Jamison replied, almost quizzically, "Unless it's somethin' I might not want to here, I suppose…"
She smiled weakly, "I think you'll like it."
Amidst everything earlier than this, Jamison hadn't the awareness to fully bring a blush upon his face. At those words, however, his cheeks lit up like a brake light, his teeth biting at his bottom lip as he finally noticed Mei's hand atop his through the layer of numbing, calloused skin. He eyed her only evasively, though summoned the courage to lift his fingers, sliding them between Mei's own digits before trying to entwine them all together, eyes shifting.
"I kinda like you," he managed, shallow, as his voice became caught in his throat.
She smiled, lowering her head to watch their fingers twisted together, his rough skin forcing a sharp tingling to run down the back of her neck, sending her shivering until Jamison spoke again, "I was so terrified of…ya'know…skipping straight to friendship when all I wanted ta do was look at how pretty you were."
"I mean, there's no reason why we can't be friends still," Mei replied, reaching up with her free hand to pull herself closer toward him with a gentle clutch of his shoulder, "I'm sure there's a place for some things, though."
With a sweet apprehension, Mei remained just before his lips for only a moment before closing the gap, her eyes closed to hide her embarrassment while Jamison's went wide in contrast, their faces matching very much in redness. His eyes struggled to remain focused, lost in such a feeling as he'd never known before- that same comforting warmth he'd learned from her hand, though this time, there was a softness to it that made his insides quake in nervousness. He watched her eyes tighten, closing so greatly, before watching the rest of what he could see of her face. Her skin was so perfect, he thought, and her nose was rather cute.
She pulled away slowly, a nervous smile replacing her pursed lips as she laughed weakly, "How- How's that for taking a break to relax? My heart won't stop racing."
"I know you don't like taking breaks; I merely said to take your mind off of what you were doing," Jamison's voice answered with a shaky tone, treading unknown waters, certainly not wanting to misstep and end this heaven of his.
Mei blushed, holding her elbow to her torso as she covered her lips with a fist as she thought quietly, "I, uh, hope it wasn't bad. I've never kissed anybody before, so if it was terrible- just-"
"I've never done any of this either," Jamison explained, his shoulders slumping, though he was unable to hide a tender smile at the thought of this chaste solidarity, "I mean, as far as I know, you're tha best kisser there is."
She grinned, "You're always stoking my ego."
"I've been told I'm a good 'yes man'," Jamison smiled, "It usually is followed up by a comment on how gullible I am."
Mei smirked as she allowed her body to lean toward his, though this time, Jamison assisted in closing the gap, his own free hand reaching over to pull her close, his opposite hand spinning around beneath hers so that their palms met, allowing their fingers to close between one another's. They met one another with peck after peck, their lips remaining fully pursed as they progressed, leaving Mei to pull away in analysis.
"Okay," she nodded knowingly, "Symptoms of kissing seem to resemble a myriad of other conditions. Though I can't help but feel that we're simply skimming the surface here."
His mind immediately wandering off beyond the next fifteen steps in the process, Jamison blushed at her words, though she clarified herself, quickly enough, "In my dramas when they kiss, they aren't so…you know. They're more…open."
Jamison grinned, pulling her closer once again, "Well I'd hate ta leave research untested."
She giggled, "My jokes are rubbing off on you."
With no time to reply, Jamison merely met her lips once again, that comforting warmth now turning into a near-searing flame at his lips as he was met with Mei's enticing breath, their lips exploratorily grasping one another's, instinctively sucking at each other's lips. Every time Mei felt the need to pull away and further explain her findings, she couldn't help but find a blank mind, simply returning for another kiss, Jamison's lips proving to be too gently and soft in contrast to how rough the rest of him was. They matched his gentle words, every kiss of his feeling like poetry to her.
"You, uh, taste good," Jamison muttered between kisses, earning a fierce blush across Mei's face as she shook nervously, though still unwilling to remove herself from such a new feeling.
Her heart racing to dangerous levels, she thought, Mei pulled away to lay down for a breather, though she hadn't figured Jamison would follow along, the two of them falling back onto the couch as their lips parted, Mei's blushing reaching maximum levels as she lay there with Jamison above her, his eyes wide with shock as though he had just awoken into quite the odd predicament.
While their lips had parted, their eyes continued peering into one another's, both of them watching the other's chest rapidly pulsating in their periphery, Mei speaking up quietly, "I think you know more than you let on, Jamie."
Jamison looked away nervously, a nervous smile appearing as he stroked his hair, "W-Well, I mean, I've stumbled across stuff in my day. I'm not entirely helpless."
"No, you're not," Mei confirmed with a smile, her eyes lowering to the top of her coat just beneath her chin, "You said you'd gotten used to looking at me, right?"
"No!" Jamison cried out in protest, though quickly reclaimed himself, "W-Well- I mean, I guess in so few words it may have sounded like that, but- But I didn't mean it! I just-!"
His words came to an abrupt halt, his mind suddenly growing blank as he watched Mei's hand reach up to her zipper, her thumb and finger to daintily grabbing ahold of the tiny bit of metal before she slowly pulling it away with a quiet undoing of the metal tracks. Jamison's eyes widened in shock as her coat separated effortlessly the further her zipper went, almost as though her very clothing were presenting her body with the pulling of stage curtain.
Jamison's eyes could pull away, even after her completely freed coat fell to her sides, fully exposing her body beneath just a thin tank-top. She quickly covered her face with both hands, her nerves overtaking her as Jamison watched worriedly from above.
"S-Sorry!" she apologized hurriedly, "I know I'm not the tiniest thing in the world- You deserve to know what you're getting into, I think, and I know what you said, but you might not have had any idea just how much I-!"
Jamison quieted her with a gentle hand at her wrist, slowly pulling her shield away, frowning at the tears that had welled up in her eye. She carried herself as such a care-free person; he hadn't any idea she's had such insecurities. Still, he couldn't help but lean down toward her, giving her a gentle kiss at her cheek to catch a stray tear that had run there.
"I think you're gorgeous, Mei," he spoke quietly with a smile.
All she could do was squeak in reply.
He grinned, turning his head down to look at her wonderous body, "I've gone my whole life livin' on scraps 'n never having quite enough ta satisfy me. I'd be much too happy ta have some extra, now."
Another squeak, though this time, it was followed with Mei's voice, "You're gonna make me cry, stop."
Jamison smirked, "Trust me, I'm quite overwhelmed myself."
"M-Maybe just a change of scenery will do…" she spoke up as she wormed her way out from underneath Jamison, leaving him to push himself up so that he was on his knees stop the couch.
He watched her, nearly worriedly, "Where ya goin'?"
Having removed her coat, she smiled back at him as she reached out to direct him, leading him backward to that he was laying there on the couch before Mei brought her knees to either side of him, crawling up to where their faces were matched as she smirked, "I'm just coming on top of you; it's nothing- PFFT!"
She immediately began to giggle, quickly reaching up to politely cover her face as she did so, unable to see Jamison's confused look up toward her as she did so. Her throes of laughter subsiding, she finally eyed him with a curious glance of her own, Jamison's lips pulling to one side nervously as he spoke up, obviously out of the loop.
"Y'know, it's another one of my puns," she explained sincerely, "Since we're…you know."
Still met with a blank stare, Mei frowned, "Wow, we're both so much in the realm of the unknown here, huh?"
"Sorry…" Jamison offered quietly, "I know ladies like guys who know-"
"Hush," Mei smiled, placing her index finger against his lips, "That's nonsense. I was always kind of busy, so I never really had the urge to, y'know, myself… Except a few times, like, I'd be watching one of my Korean soap operas, and this one guy, he'd show up every now and then and just exude this air of- hmm. Like, I'm getting a bit riled just thinking about it! They'd have him walk in and, his love interest, Tokko, he'd just take a handful of her shirt and just tear it off! Like he was-!"
"Do you think I'm… Ya know…" Jamison asked, weakly.
Mei watched him at first with a look of surprise, though her face quickly softened into one of knowing, her body lowering to match his as she went in for another kiss, "I think you're all that and more, Jamie."
"Well shucks…" he grinned.
