It had gotten late, at some point. There was still activity going on in some areas of the main base, but mostly the buildings and windows were dark and quiet save for the occasional whir of a passing cleaning bot. Across from the base, far across the docking bay, a dark practice field, and a testing ground surrounded by barbed wire and KEEP OUT signs, the garage buildings belonging to the junkers were lit up on the inside, the flashing blue of the television seen from the windows, and the familiar shriek of Junkrat's wild laughter sounding from within.

They were watching some game show from Japan, which Junkrat had been completely hooked on ever since Genji had turned one on in the common room. It depicted its unlucky participants having to answer questions or perform challenges, and although Mei was fairly sure Junkrat wasn't even reading the English translations, he laughed uproariously whenever one of them failed. The price of failure was severe and included frying pans being dropped onto heads, blow darts in the rear, pies smashed into the face, and (Junkrat's particular favorite) being hit in the testicles by a cartoon glove on a stick, wielded by a man dressed in a pig costume. He had already been reduced to hyperventilation several times that evening, and Mei had to hit pause multiple times to allow him to recover.

Roadhog sat in his chair, arms folded over his immense belly and occasionally rumbling his deep "Huh-huh-huh-huh…" chuckle or pointing to the screen. It seemed he also enjoyed the man in the pig outfit.

Mei lay wrapped in a blanket on the ragged sofa, head resting on Junkrat's thigh. She wasn't as taken by the slapstick as her companions, but the absolute bizarre situations they put their contestants in amused her more than it should have. And she was fairly sure that if she was on such a game show, she would have won the contest of trying to hold the most noodles in her cheeks, hands down. But it was getting late, and Junkrat finally took notice of her little glances towards the door as she started to unwrap herself.

He reacted as dramatically as ever, winding his good arm around her and pulling her back into his lap. "Noooooo!"

She sighed. "Jamison, it's almost one in the morning."

"Exactly! S'dark out there! Who knows what might be lurking out in the dark, ya know? And you're what, at least ten kilometers from the dorms? A hundred? Probably more. I can't let ya go out there, darl, for your own safety." He wrapped her up in his boa constrictor like grip, even as she sat with her face slightly smushed on one side and her eyes half lidded. "Come on, might as well stay the night."

She hesitated. The junkers' makeshift dorm areas weren't exactly what she was used to, and she'd only spent a few nights here before. They mostly lived in out of the converted storage garage that Roadhog had commandeered upon arrival. In her mind, it still looked more garage than house, and even though they had a couch and television and even a little makeshift kitchen, Hog's motorcycle and a veritable warehouse full of tools and scrap parts sat just behind them on the other side of the main room. Junkrat's room was literally a windowless spare supply closet that they'd shoved a bed and dresser in for the nights he didn't sleep in his trailer, and she had no idea what lay beyond Roadhog's bedroom door…not to mention, there was the memory of the first time she'd ever walked into their bathroom that still gave her nightmares…

Junkrat nuzzled himself adoringly against her bun, taking no notice of her hesitation, nor her snowflake pin jabbing him in the forehead. "We can head right on t'bed if you're tired, and then you can rack off during proper morning, eh? Maybe after brekkie? Whaddayasay?"

"Well…Is that okay, Mr. Roadhog?"

Roadhog was already lifting himself out of the sagging armchair, hiking up his pajama pants. He turned his masked face briefly to Mei, then tilted it very slightly to the side, half lifting one enormous shoulder. "Mm," was all he said, and Junkrat lit up at what must have been a relatively enthusiastic approval. The giant junker nodded to them both, then turned and lumbered slowly towards his room, the door shutting gently behind him a moment later.

Mei nodded and relented, and went about prying Junkrat's arms from her once more. "All right, all right. But I'll need to head back early tomorrow morning. And if you start kicking, I'm moving to the couch again."

"I'll be on me best behavior!"

She turned off the gameshow, yawning widely as she trailed Junkrat's limping gait towards his tiny sleeping quarters. He quickly shoved a pile of blankets into some semblance of order, offering her the cleanest ones, before sitting down on the squeaky mattress and prying off his mechanical arm and peg leg, tossing them carelessly onto the floor nearby. Still, even with one working leg, he managed to leap into the air and came down on the bed with force, his lanky body landing on one side with his head propped up on one arm, waggling his brows. "Ya knoooow, we coooould…"

She smirked at him, setting her glasses aside. "No, I'm tired. Not even the pose is going to work right now."

"Aw."

She climbed in after him, ignoring his grumbling and pulling herself up to nestle into the warmth of him. She'd probably wake up overheated later, but there was nothing better for falling asleep than the furnace that was his body. His grouching finally ceased as he pulled her up against his chest, breathing in the scent of her hair as his scorched lashes fluttered shut and his breathing became deep, and it was not long before the both of them drifted off together.

It wasn't the heat that woke her up, but a loud clanking noise she heard somewhere either in her dreams or outside the door. She moaned a little and pulled herself away, her body clammy and a bit sweaty where she had been pressed against the slumbering Junkrat. She needed water, nice cold water, and staggered up off the bed to grab her glasses, quietly opening the door to make her way to the sink.

But something made her pause. The living room was dimly lit by a single sputtering bare bulb hanging from the ceiling. And over on the other side of the work area, stood the slightly blurry, familiar figure of Roadhog. It couldn't have been anyone else but him, anyway. He was over seven feet of imposing fat and muscle, and for some reason he was just…standing there…fully armored and clothed in the middle of the night, with his back to her and head slightly bowed. She sat lingering in the open doorway, rubbing at her eyes behind her lenses. Her brain was still foggy from slumber, but something about all this seemed off. He hadn't taken notice of her yet, and didn't seem to be working late or doing much of anything. Just…standing in the dark? What was happening?

She stood there as well, frozen and unsure of what to do. Maybe it was just the remnant of a bad dream, but there was an unpleasant prickling under her skin, some instinct started to nip and bite at her senses. Something seemed wrong.

Licking her dry lips, she took a step forward. Roadhog still loomed before one of the windows, though she couldn't tell if he was looking out. Starting to lift a cautious hand, she exhaled a breathless little noise before starting to offer a soft "M-Mr? Ro-"

She saw Roadhog's head move slightly, barely starting to tilt back towards her. But then there was suddenly cold metal clamping across her face, digging almost painfully into her jaws as it latched over her mouth. She was being dragged backward, taken right off her feet, into the darkness of the room behind her. She didn't even have time to kick, trying to inhale against the metallic hand as that familiar pair of arms wrapped around her. She wrenched her head to the side and looked up, eyes wide, and could barely make out the features of Junkrat's face just above hers. He was similarly wide-eyed, irises burning red-yellow and little veins of pink visible against the sclera's white, bloodshot, above a clenched jaw bared with suddenly very sharp-looking teeth.

He slammed the both of them back into the far wall of the tiny dark bedroom, still holding her tightly enough that she realized it hurt, and she made a little muffled noise of confusion and protest. "Mmgmf!? Hmmh!"

He slid downward with his hand still clamped over her mouth, watching the open doorway. When she tried to speak, he turned his bared teeth down to her, eyes still blazing and voice a low hiss. "Quiet! No, quiet! Shut up!"

She narrowed her gaze, though her brow furrowed soon after. Junkrat had always spoken rather harshly, with liberal use of Australian slang and no small amount of creative cursing. But never, not in all their time together, had he ever spoken harshly to her. But he'd just snarled for her to shut up and looked on the verge of panic. Something was definitely wrong here, no time for hurt feelings now. She twisted a little in his grasp but remained silent, and he finally released her mouth, allowing her to gasp in a quick breath as he warily sidled forward, peeking out of the door before trying to shut it as quietly as possible, wincing at the click of the knob before reaching under his mattress, snapping on a tiny flashlight.

She expected an explanation, but merely received a hastily whispered, "Y'need to go." He was still barely looking at her, leaving her to nurse her bruised jaw as he reached under the bed. "You gotta leave, right now."

"Jamison? What's happening?" She reached down to touch his shoulder, but was quickly shrugged off. "Jamie, please?"

"Nothing! Ya just gotta leave!" he snapped, seeming taking no notice of her distressed expression. He found what he was looking for under his bed, pulling out one of his spiked traps and a length of chain ending in a small metal clasping hook. "I'm gonna open the doors, you get outta here, got it?"

"Jamie-"

"I said fuck off!" He nearly snarled, turning fully upon her. This time he faltered, as he found Mei staring back at him and even shrinking away, like he was almost about to strike her. His snarl fell into a grimace, panicked gaze turning downcast. "N-no, love, I didn't mean…I'd never-"

They both paused at the sound of heavy footsteps and the jingle of metal outside. Junkrat went abruptly quiet, spreading both arms and placing himself between Mei and the door, teeth baring once more. Harsh words or no, it was clear that he was intent on protecting her from whatever it was that was outside…protecting her from Roadhog? The heavy footfalls thudded away from them, and Mei breathed out, hurrying to pull on her boots. "Jamie, what's wrong? Did something happen to him?"

"No! S'fine, it's just…you gotta get outta here when you get the chance, understand?"

She looked unsure. "Is it Roadhog? Maybe we can get to the door without him noticing? Then we can go get Winston or Angela, maybe they can help-"

"I'm staying, you're leaving. And you don't tell nobody nothing, hear it?" He tensed, gaze still wary. "This ain't their business."

"I'm not going to just leave you here with- Would you please just tell me what's wrong?"

He bit his lip, the shadows from the tiny light exaggerating all the worst parts of his strange narrow face, both angry and grief-stricken at once. He made one of his little noises of frustration, a high-pitched rattle he could barely muffle before answering. "Look, sometimes, Hog forgets where he is. Arright?"

Mei was silent for a rather long time before whispering, "Forgets? What does that mean?"

"I don't fuckin' know, Mei! He just forgets where he is and he gets in a bad way! It ain't his fault!"

"What does he…do?"

"Nothin'! I said not to fuckin' worry about it! I've got it under control!"

There was that anger again flaring its ugly head again, but this time Mei didn't back down. Things were starting to fall into place. "Does he forget who people are too? Jamison, does he hurt you? That time when you were 'sick' for a few days and you came back and were all bruised and hurt…That wasn't an accident like you said, was it? Was it because-"

"It ain't like that! It ain't his fault! Me and him, we're mates! Even if he don't know it sometimes. We've always handled it. I didn't...I'd never let ya over if I'd thought...Usually he acts weird before it. But he always gets himself back to normal, y'just gotta wai-"

There were footsteps again, and the both of them went silent as Junkrat clicked off the flashlight. The soft glow coming in under the door flickered softly, a shadow passing in front of it. There was the familiar sound of loud, wheezing breath, grinding through the mechanical air filters of a mask. Once again, Junkrat narrowed his eyes and hunched low in front of Mei, back arching like an anxious cat as the smaller woman peeked out from behind his bony ribcage, both of them locking their focus on the closed door and holding their breath.

Junkrat was already moving when Roadhog's fist tore through the cheap plywood with a loud crash. The door didn't stand a chance, splintering and cracking as Hog's immense body followed his fist, stepping through the wreckage as the barrier barely proved an afterthought. Junkrat launched forward in swift retaliation, slamming full force into the larger junker and barely halting his forward momentum. Rat's smaller chain swung around his partner's neck and he pulled it taut…but Roadhog barely seemed to notice its choking grip, enormous hand shooting forward to grasp Rat by the entire scrawny torso, squeezing cruelly so that the younger man uttered a painful rasping wheeze as the breath was forced from his crushed lungs, before he was haphazardly tossed over Hog's shoulder and out of sight into the main room.

What was most unnerving was how silent Roadhog was despite his rampage. She distantly heard Junkrat's snarling and scrambling somewhere behind him, but Roadhog was as quiet as he normally was, save for that filtered breathing of his. He tried to squeeze the rest of the way into the closet-sized room, as Mei pressed herself up against the wall away from him, his thick fingertips nearly brushing her front. Then his hand dropped suddenly, and even his unfathomable weight was pulled backward. The chain was still wrapped around his neck, and Junkrat had thrown the other end around one of the garage's metal weight-bearing poles. His lanky arms pulled, and the leverage was at least enough to half drag him back out the door. "Hog! Hog, it's me, mate! Come on, I got ya! We don't gotta-"

Roadhog turned his masked face towards his partner, and Mei could only watch as he lurched after the other junker, the both of them moving out of sight. She heard a crash, saw the chain that had been around his neck go slack, then taut again. And as she finally gathered her wherewithal to react and run for the door, she heard a noise of pain and saw Roadhog grasping onto the chain around his neck and pulling, Junkrat's grasp on it causing him to stagger forward…directly into Roadhog's waiting grip. There was a brief wrestling match where Junkrat was a whirlwind of gangly limbs and biting teeth, but he was overpowered within seconds and pinned against the dirty floor, as his bodyguard knelt over him and brought his spiked fist into Rat's face.

"Liú xià tā yīgè rén! Mr. Roadhog, stop! Please, it's us!" Mei flung herself onto his arm, pulling with all her strength to stop him before the next blow. But she was shaken off with barely a thought, tossed aside and sent staggering. She heard the sickening crunch of another fist against bone, and in desperation, searched for something, anything that she could use. Without Snowball or her endothermic blaster in hand, her fingers curled around the next best thing- a dirty frying pan from the kitchen table, crusted with old stir-fry. She leapt back into the brawl and swung it with all her might, and there was a satisfying clang as it landed broadside against Roadhog's head.

To her relief, it seemed to have stunned him, his fist still raised as he paused. Slowly, he turned his pig-masked face towards her, still kneeling over the bloody and battered younger junker on the ground.

She lifted her pan again menacingly. "Get off of him! I'm warning you! Don't make me do this!"

Junkrat coughed up a mouthful of red on the ground, reaching out a hand in warning as Roadhog started to lift off him. "Mei!"

Roadhog lunged for her, and Mei swung. She felt the pan hit its mark, and this time, nothing happened. He barely seemed to notice the impact, and before she could recover to swing again…Roadhog's fist swung too.

Pain blossomed in the side of her skull, and it felt like her brain was being broken in two and sloshing like a cracked egg. She was dimly aware that she was airborne, her prone body sailing across the room, and she vaguely thought that she must have been hit with quite severe force to cause it. Her shattered glasses spun in the air after her, little shards of her lenses twinkling merrily in the light. How strange. She had been watching game shows and laughing with this man only hours earlier. And now…this? She didn't even feel the landing, even when her back slammed into a rack of tools and she went skidding across the floor in a loud metal clatter of wrenches and screws.

She lay there, her vision fogged with black around the edges, unable to move. She heard someone roaring her name, saw that Junkrat had managed to rally and was fighting Roadhog once more, though she could only make out a chaotic melee of body parts, and Junkrat snarling and snapping like a rabid thing. But despite his best efforts and true to their namesakes, there was little that a rat could do against an angry swine. He took several punishing blows from all directions before being carelessly pummeled back onto the ground again, and Roadhog leaned down, winding his bloodied fist back once more.

But before he could swing another blow, Junkrat sprang back up. One of his steel traps lay where the younger junker had fallen, and it sprang up and clamped shut on Roadhog's leg as the larger man bellowed in enraged pain. There was the clank of metal and its chain winding around a nearby pole and she somewhat expected the sound of accompanying explosions, but for once the self proclaimed 'mad demolitionist' seemed loath to use them. Rat managed to kick his way out of his errant bodyguard's range, scurrying over to pluck Mei up and out of the wreckage in the garage, stumbling with her in both arms. Her head spun as she was hauled across the room before being unceremoniously dropped, as the both of them collapsed behind the couch. She could feel herself swaying even when trying to sit.

Rat's face was bruised and bloodied, starting to swell, and she could see he was missing his gold tooth when he spoke. "Don't be mad! Don't be mad at 'im! He don't mean it!"

Gingerly, she lifted her fingers to her temple that was still radiating with pain, and they too came away red. "We n-need to go…get help…"

"No! He'll come back, always does, I just gotta wait it out and stay outta his way!" His voice was high pitched and desperate, trying to wipe the blood away from her face with his fingers and only managing to smear it more. "You need to leave, get back safe to your room, arright? And then…Ya can't tell nobody, arright? It's gonna be okay. Here, I'll distract him, you head for the door-" He paused as there was the screech of twisting metal. Roadhog was pulling at his leg in the trap, and it was already starting to give way.

"Jamison! He'll kill you! We have to go!"

There was nothing they could do to hope to stand against someone like Hog, and with Mei involved, things had gone even more out of control than usual. Junkrat looked out of his mind, his eyes darting wildly between his frenzied partner and the injured woman. Seemingly coming to a decision, he snatched her up once more, throwing himself forward into a staggering run as he went for the door. "Gotta make sure he don't get out! You gotta leave! You gotta-"

They hadn't even reached the door when there was another booming noise. And this time, it didn't come from Roadhog's rampage. Someone was knocking on the door, and Junkrat nearly fell over as his foot scrabbled for balance and his peg almost went out from under him, still clutching Mei against his chest as he went skidding to a stop. It was loud, clearly someone using their entire fist…and it sounded like a large fist. The sound caused even Hog to pause, lifting his masked head slowly. There was another flurry of angry knocking, so hard that it seemed like the metal itself would start to dent inward, then a muffled voice.

"Впусти меня!"

Mei's eyes widened, flailing her way out of Junkrat's grasp even as he struggled to keep hold of her, sputtering a "What the fuck- Wait! Wait, don't let 'em in! Don't let-"

She dropped to the floor, her vision still blurred and colors smearing to one side as she listed dangerously to her left, but managed to dive for the control panel to the main entry. Even as Junkrat leapt after to stop her, she slammed a fist down onto it, as the door beeped and hissed open.

A large figure loomed up out of the darkness outside, stepping into the yawning entryway and the dim light within, illuminating the track suit, bright pink hair, and angry features of one extremely displeased Russian woman.