A Six Any Day

Author's notes:

As soon as I discovered the Junkrat/Symmetra ship, I thought, "they would really bond over a game of cricket." So I made it happen.

This story takes place after my longer piece, Overwatch: the Second Omnic Crisis, ends. So avoid if you don't want to know how the Junkrat/Symmetra plotline ends.

Apoligies if you don't know the rules of cricket

"It's coming our way!" Jamie shouted as the ball was struck into the air. "I'm gonna catch it!"

The ball did not go as far as he hoped as it landed on the grass, rolling to the boundary. The audience still cheered, but not Jamie.

"That ball had no chance," Satya replied rubbing Jamie's shoulders. "Consider yourself lucky that was a four. I'd imagine Australia would take anything at this point."

"All they need is a string of sixes and we'll be smooth sailing."

"Australia is down by 100 runs with 10 overs left. It seems very unlikely."

"Just wait. One of your Indian guys will make a mistake and then the runs will come."

The Rajiv Gandhi stadium in Hyderabad was packed to the brim with Indians cheering the home team on. India had put on a terrific showing when they were up to bat, managing to hit 202 in their 20 overs with only 4 wickets against them. Australia had quite the hill to climb.

When Satya invited Jamie to come to India to see each other, with the cricket match at part of it, he was hesitant. Jamie knew how the game was played, but wasn't much of a fan. Personally he preferred Australian football and rugby and was quite the skilled athlete. Back before he lost his hand and leg.

But still, with everything she done for him; saving the Junkers from Talon, taking them into Overwatch, and using her Vishkar skills to create a proper town for the remaining Junkers to live in, he at least owed her a visit. They still talked to each other over the internet, and when she came back to Australia to build the town, he gave her the grand tour of the country, driving her down to Adelaide, Sydney, and Melbourne. Plus, he had never been to India before. Not even for a heist.

Satya insisted they not go to Utopaea, where the VIshkar Corp. was based. Instead, she wanted to go to Hyderabad, where she grew up. Satya rented a room for the two of them so she wouldn't have to stay with family.

An Australian batter hit the ball that ended up in the air. It was basically a guessing game as to which Indian fielder would catch the ball. It came down, was caught, and the crowd screamed at the wicket taken. Only 5 more to go.

"Jamie, can I ask you something? Satya asked loudly so Jamie could properly hear her.

"Sure, what is it?" Jamie replied. The crowd had calmed down, so they could hear each other now

"What did you think of my family?"

"Well, . . they weren't what I was expecting."

"I'm sorry if anything was awkward between us. I haven't seen them in a long time."

"Oh no, I just thought, . . that."

"You thought what?"

One of the Australian batters hit another four.

"I just thought they'd be a lot like you, you know? All uptight and into fancy technology like you are. I didn't think they'd,"

"You didn't think they'd live in squalor?"

"Yeah. Pretty much on the same level the junkers lived in."

"Most Indians still live like that Jamie. The Vishkar Corporation worked to build new cities out of nothing. To pull India in a proper future. But some parts flat out rejected the designs. I even tried designing a house for my parents to live in. But they didn't take to it."

"Why wouldn't they? Your designs are the bomb."

Satya tried her best to ignore the obvious pun and move on. "They felt it lacked tradition. That it was part of something that rocked the status quo too much. And I was enabling it."

"But that's pretty much what your whole job is, ain't it?"

"Believe me, I tried explaining that to them many times. How Vishkar is very much indebted to tradition and order."

The Indian bowler threw the ball and the Australian hit it. The ball went straight back into the bowlers hand. Another wicket taken, another round of cheering. Four more to go.

"Do you know why I stress order over every detail in something I'm working on?"

"Satya, you know me. I don't give two fucks about order."

"Well Mr. Fawkes, in India, there is something called the Varna, or Caste, system. It stresses societal order over all else by dividing people into social classes. The priests are at the top, the rulers are after them, the businessmen are in the middle, the farmers below them, and at the very bottom are the untouchables. By maintaining this system, everyone has their place, fulfills their lives' duty, and contributes to a better society."

"Sounds like a fools dream to me."

"It was stressed very much in my household, which is why it stayed with me for so long. I can see the value in it, but it still has flaws."

"So does everything trying to put people in their place."

"In the Varna system, you are born into what class you are and have to fulfill your duty. There's no chance for an untouchable to do anything other than be scorned from society. They won't have the same chances I had to design great landscapes. It's something I hope to change."

"So where would I be on this Varna scale of yours?"

Satya gave him the once over. "Considering the life you ended up with, you would probably be an untouchable."

"Ah, that sounds dangerous. Just the way I like it."

The Australian batsman hit the ball so it went behind him. It flew all the way beyond the boundary. 6 runs. Silence from the Indian crowd.

"Of course it's dangerous Jamie. They're essentially street beggars."

"Yeah, but scorned from society? Sounds like they can be free to do whatever they want."

"You're lucky we live in a time where that's not as openly enforced. But trust me, those people suffer."

The Australian batsman hit a ball along the ground that reached one of the Indian outfielders. That gave him 50 runs for this innings. The crowd applauded and he raised his bat in salute.

"Satya, can I ask you something?"

"You can ask me anything Jamie."

"Why do you like me so much?"

Satya was taking aback by the question. She wasn't expecting something so direct from the junker. Granted he was a very direct person, but he did skirt around some personal things.

"What do you mean by 'so much?'"

"It's just that, after all we been through with Talon and Overwatch, and you giving us all those homes, which was way to generous on your part."

"Jamie, I just wanted to help."

"And then you invite me to your hometown, take me to a cricket match to see my country play yours, take me to where you grew up. I don't mind at all, it's just, we're clearly on a date right now."

"Well Jamie," Satya said as he placed a kiss on his cheek. "I kind of see a little bit of myself in you." Another kiss on his other cheek. "So much ambition coming out from a place long forgotten by society." A kiss on the lips. "I think that if I was never discovered by Vishkar, I might have ended up like you."

"You mean to tell me I would've been you if I wasn't poor?"

"Maybe, if you had the proper mindset back then,"Satya planted another kiss on the Australian's lips.

The Indian bowler threw the ball, and the Australian batsman missed. The ball hit the wicket stumps behind him. Another wicket down. Another explosion rom the crowd.

"So what is this now, Satya? What are we doing?"

"We're enjoying a lovely game of cricket. That's what we're doing."

"No, I mean this. Us."

"Are you not fine with how it is now?"

"No I'm not. I . . suppose I want something more. More than just talking through a screen and wondering when we're going to do it again."

"Jamie, Jamie," Satya replied with another kiss. "How about we discuss this more back at our room?"

"Oh, I like the sound of that."

The last over was about to start, but Australia was still losing by fifteen runs.

"How about we leave early? Australia's gonna lose anyway," Jamie recommended.

"Just what I was thinking," Satya said, giving Jamie another kiss as they stood up to leave their seats and make their way to the exit.

"You disappointed you didn't get to catch any balls?" Satya asked with Indian cheering starting to build up back in the stadium. The two of them felt their mechanical hands intertwine.

"Nah," Jamie replied. "I feel like I'm always scoring sixes when I'm with you."

A brief summary of the rules of cricket mentioned with their baseball analogies

Six Runs - A home run

Four runs - when the ball is hit to the grounds' boundaries, but not into the stands

Bowler - the pitcher

Batsman - the batter

Wicket - how a batsman gets out. The bowler can either hit the wicket stumps, the ball can be caught before it hits the ground, or the ball hits the batsman as they block the stumps.

Over - a series of six balls bowled.

Innings - the only chance a team has to bat and score runs.