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The chill of the far north never bothered the two of them. Past experiences and partially their upbringing let them weather the blistering cold like true champs. The northernmost outpost of Overwatch, near the Arctic Circle on the Canadian coast, gave them plenty of opportunity to enjoy some quiet time together.
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The sound of heavy boots crunching against fragile snow filled the quiet night air as the pair slowly made their way back to the outpost. They had been out for most of the day, repairing the old sensor grid that had once made the outpost so valuable before the Fall. Their path led them to the main door of the facility, thick metal having been replaced by hard pine as the old door had been blasted open to gain access to the base within
Broad, thick shoulders needed only to beat once on the frozen door as a smaller gloved hand clicked open the door's lock. With pure harmony they stepped inside quickly, shutting the door quickly behind them as the heat inside the base began to leak. They paused for a moment, looking at one another through thick glowing goggles before smiling beneath their scarves.
Zarya pulled off her scarf and goggles, thick hat being thrown on top of a crate as she got on her knees to assist her companion. Strong hands helped the small mittened ones open up the thick parka, mingling with the sweater underneath before she pulled back, pulling off her own.
The mittens slowly came off, revealing smooth fingers. Mei's hands drifted to her own hat and scarf pulling them off not nearly as quickly as Zarya had, laying them gently on top of a box. She shrugged out of her parka, smiling at Zarya as she assisted the latter’s fumbling hands with her somehow incredibly tiny buttons.
Their hands intertwined gently as they remained silent with one another. Zarya's coat came off with a flutter as it fell to the ground, her thick sweater underneath contouring to her strong body. Mei stood up slowly, giving snowball a quick pat as he came to rest on her shoulder. Zarya, moved slowly as well, eyes locked with Mei's as they stayed close.
Earlier on in the mission, they had arrived to the abandoned outpost to find most of the systems down, leaving them without power. In addition, they had been left with a severe lack of heat. Their first days had been filled with close proximity and plenty of wood fires in a furnace they had found.
They walked quietly down empty hallways, still wearing their boots. They had regained power, but not enough to heat proof the entire base. They made their way deeper into the base, eventually coming to the small room they called home.
The small room was barely 3 meters across, a small bed shoved against one wall to make room for a small workbench in one corner, with the small furnace they had found sitting against the opposite corner. They shuffled in, Mei going over to the desk and dropping off her things, Zarya shuffling over to the bed.
Zarya kicked off her boots, tossing them on the floor as she lowered herself in front of the furnace. She reached around the furnace, pulling out some wood logs and throwing them in, an electric starter inside catching them with ease. She smiled and nodded to herself, pulling the bundle of blankets on the floor around her as she leaned back against the bed.
Mei fiddled with the papers on the desk, goggles reading in her writing and storing her notes digitally as she quickly logged her work. With a nod she sat down on the bed for a moment, taking off her heavy boots with some exertion. She sighed as she rolled her feet around in their thick socks, finally free from their capture.
Mei slided off the bed into Zarya’s waiting arms, snuggling against the bear-ish woman’s chest. They shared their heat as they had before, being close while sitting before their small fire. Zarya’s massive arms curled around Mei’s form, pulling her into the blankets as they rested before the fire.
For a good while they sat there, simply watching the fire as they warmed each other. Mei tapped Zarya on the arm, causing the pink haired woman to look down. Mei sat up, pulling Zarya down for a quick smooch, blushing all the while. Zarya flushed, looking back at the fire as Mei giggled at her embarrassment.
The two sat there, in perfect harmony as they smooched the night away in front of the warm fire. They fell asleep eventually, cuddled together among a mess of blankets and clothes, as peaceful as could be. The snow bears slept as their fire roared on.
