Today was a day that left Brigitte feeling anxious over the past several years. Not for herself, though. Today was the anniversary of her sweet girlfriend’s father’s death. He was killed in a Gwishin attack when Hana Song was only 15, leaving the sweet girl by herself as her gaming career was just starting to take off. In Hana’s words, it was the day Hana died and D.Va was truly born. For years, Hana hid behind her mask, allowing D.Va to radiate confidence almost to the point of arrogance, never showing anything but a smirk to anyone. Anyone, that is, except her closest friends, namely Brigitte. Hana herself had started to heal now, especially since she had her Overwatch family. But even they couldn’t take away the pain of losing your only family in such a tragic event.
Brigitte woke up earlier than usual, her anxiety pushing sleep away. She found herself alone, with no small Korean next to her. Checking the clock, she saw it was 3am. There were only a handful of places Hana could be hiding. After throwing some pajama pants and her cat slippers on, Brigitte double checked the bathroom just to be certain Hana wasn’t in the room. Then it was on to the next place. She made her way out of the room and a few doors down, to Hana’s actual room. Hana pretty well only used it for streaming or recording new content to send to her editor, but she still had her own room. Brigitte knocked twice softly to announce her presence before slowly cracking open the door. The room was dark, with curtains covering both windows and no night lights or anything of the sort. Everything was dark, except for the computer monitor, which revealed a small form wrapped in blankets staring at it.
“Hana? May I come in?” Brigitte asked softly, waiting for her response. If Hana had told her to leave, it would kill her. But Brigitte would do anything she asked, especially today. When Hana finally gave a small nod, Brigitte let loose a breath she didn’t realize she was holding. She slid through the door and shut it quietly behind her before crossing the room. She stood behind Hana’s chair and put her arms on the sides of it. “Is it okay if I touch you?” Brigitte asked. Hana once again nodded, her face showing very little emotion as she focused on the screen. Brigitte wrapped her arms around the chair and Hana, and she could feel the small girl release some of the tension in her body.
Looking at the screen, Brigitte expected to find Hana distracting herself with a game or looking through her saved content, but that was not the case. Brigitte saw several tabs opened, one being a picture folder and another a string of messages. They were between her and her father from years ago when Hana got her first endorsement. Her father had been ecstatic, so proud of his little girl. “He was always so supportive,” Hana said, more to herself than to Brigitte. “He never missed a single stream, was always the first view on any of my videos and made sure I had everything I ever needed. One time, I had a manager who was an absolute ass hat. Appa sent her packing after he heard her talk to me badly. She had said I needed to not eat, staying bone thing. Appa wouldn’t have it. I already had an eating disorder, and he wouldn’t let anyone make me feel bad for how I looked.”
Brigitte listened to all the stories of the kind man who raised Hana by himself. Tears rolled down Hana’s face as she scrolled through message threads and old photos, telling Brigitte of every good memory she could. When Hana finally started to work herself up, Brigitte shushed her and rubbed her arms as Hana began to sob. “I know Hana, don’t worry. I’ve got you,” Brigitte said. She pulled Hana’s chair back and turned it so she could lift Hana bridal style, carrying her to the bed. Brigitte pulled the covers back and sat, pulling Hana into her lap. Hana curled into herself, pulling her knees to her chest.
“Try to take deep breaths for me please,” Brigitte said, one arm rubbing circles in Hana’s back while the other held her tightly to her. After a few minutes, Hana’s breathing became steadier, and the tears slowed down. Through it all, Brigitte just rubbed Hana’s back and rocked her, humming an old song her mother used to hum when she got like this. Hana laid her head over against Brigitte, breathing her in. Brigitte continued to rock the girl for a few more minutes until she was sure the sobbing was over. She pulled herself out from under Hana, and moved to lay down in the bed. Hana whined softly. “One second Kanin,” Brigitte said as she nestled down and grabbed one of Hana’s many stuffed bunnies. “Come her my little Kanin,” Brigitte said, patting her lap as she laid on her side. Hana crawled into the bed and nestled up to Brigitte’s chest, grabbing the offered bunny and squeezing it tightly.
“Today we can do anything you want bunny,” Brigitte said. “But first you need to try and get some more sleep. I’ll take care of you, and I’ll hold you the entire time. Do you think you can do that for me?” Brigitte asked as she stroked Hana’s hair. Hana nodded. “That’s a good little bunny,” Brigitte said, moving her hand to rub comforting circles in Brigitte’s back. Hana moved her face from Brigitte’s chest to look up at her. “Thanks Bri,” she said with a sad little smile. Brigitte kissed her softly and nipped at the tip of her nose playfully. “Anything for you, Kanin.”