Hanzo smiled as a warm wet tongue lapped at his cheek. “I was having a nice dream you know.” Opening his eyes to a pair of grey eyes and white fur. Reaching out, he scratched at Ama’s head which got a soft happy whine from the dog. “Seems you got in here again by yourself.”

Sitting up Hanzo looked at the clock and noticed it was near noon. He really slept in but then again he didn’t get home until three a.m. after his late night outing.

Grabbing his phone, he looked to see if he had any missed calls or messages. Seems he was popular during the time he was asleep as there were three message groups. The oldest being from Amélie. ‘Mon moitié. I’m going to be in Austria for a ballet performance next Saturday. Though I would like to catch up beforehand. I have a little free time this Friday before rehearsals start. Maybe we could go to meet at our favorite little spot for lunch? Around 1pm if that time is well with you.’

It had been a while since they had gotten together to just talk. ‘Anata, Sorry for replying so late to this as I was busy in Japan and arrived late last night. It will be good to talk to you again. That time is perfect for me. Meet you there.’

Next one was from Brigitte and it made Hanzo smile. He opened it to see her wearing the gift he had gotten her, they fit her even more than he imagined. She looked adorable in that oversized shirt that laid off her shoulder. ‘I opened your gift. Thank you so much, they are so pretty and I can’t wait to try the candies. :3’

It made Hanzo happy to see her enjoying it, quickly he responded. ‘I’m glad, they really look perfect on you. Also good afternoon, I hope you slept well. As for the candy, try it with some tea. I find that it makes it even more enjoyable.’

Hanzo took the time to just look at her picture more, hoping for an answer but she was probably still asleep. Then it was on to the third message which was from a person he hadn’t seen in some, his friend Jesse.

‘Hey partner, long time no talk! How’ve you been? Things have been nuts since the engagement with the darlin’ and of course my America tour. Well I’ll be dropping by to deal with the contract with Lucio. Want to get a drink or somethin’ next week? We can set up something after I land.’

‘Hello McCree. Things have been..’ Hanzo paused before typing more. Deciding on what to say since McCree tended to have a loud mouth on him. Though he knew he could trust his friend. ‘a bit stressful to say the least but some good things have occurred. I’d rather talk about it in person. I should be available that week except for Saturday. I’m glad to hear your engagement went well, send my wishes to Miss Amari.’

He put his phone down and ruffled Ama’s fur. A hint of anxiety hitting him again. “I’m really popular lately. Though at least it’s just my friends wanting to see me. I don’t think I can stand another family situation at the estate for a while...”

Ama gave another whine but this one sounded sad, then there was a knock at his door. “Hey bro, you awake?”

“Yes and you may come in.”

First thing that came through the door though was Yomi, who jumped on the bed and greeted Hanzo with kisses. He smiled and pet the dog. “Hello to you too.”

“Since you were staying in bed so long I thought I’d bring your breakfast in bed or would you call it lunch.” Genji said putting a tray with an omelet, some home fries and a cup of tea onto the bedside table. “You really slept in, guess you got in late last night.”

“Thank you.” Hanzo said, taking a quick bite of food. “I returned home around three in the morning.”

“No wonder, geeze.” Genji moved the desk chair over to sit. “So was it that bad this time?”

Hanzo stopped long enough to shake his head but Genji still could tell it wasn’t the full truth.

“Don’t have to tell me details now or ever but you can talk to me anytime.” Genji then changed the subject. “Since you needed the sleep, me and Zarya took the doggos out for the morning walk and made sure they had food. Zarya thought of making some BBQ for dinner tonight, if you're interested. OOH yeah, are you free tomorrow afternoon? We got invited to karaoke and dinner by Hana.”

“I am going, Miss Lindholm invited me.”

“How did she ask? You didn’t get back until way after I got asked unless she texted you.” Genji’s face turned to a look of curiosity.

Hanzo stayed in silence for a bit while he ate, contemplating his next words. “She asked me in person. When the plane landed, I dropped off the dogs and went to Sakura’s to get sushi. Then headed to see if Miss Lindholm was still at work, since she had the night shift. After that I drove her home.” His words drifted off to the memory of her kissing his cheek.

Genji whistled. “Late night sushi date, really moving up bro.”

“It wasn’t a date. I just..” Hanzo didn’t know why he fought it with that line

“Then how about you try to make a date next time. Take her to a play, concert, dinner or dinner with dancing. If she’s blown away by your piano skills, we both know you’ll sweep her off her feet with your dancing. Quite literally.” Genji suggested, stealing one of the potato chunks.

“I guess I could.” Hanzo started,then realized Genji was right. He had hid from this type of thing but he had his reasons. Though.. “You know what, I will.”

“That’s my bro.” Genji said, gently fist bumping Hanzo’s shoulder. “Need anything else?”

“No, thank you. I’m going to finish my meal, shower and then practice.”

“Mind if I join you later? We haven’t done just a friendly practice together just for fun in a long time.” Genji asked.

Hanzo blinked, surprised to hear that but smiled anyway. “Sure, I’d like that.”

“Well then bro, I’ll let you finish and shower.” Genji said as he headed for the door and pet Ama’s head.

After the door was closed, Hanzo went back to his food while also trying to get Yomi from eating it. He smiled more, glad that Genji gave him what he guessed was a pep talk. Despite their differences in a lot of things and even the teasing, Hanzo knew he could count on his brother.

--------------
“How's he doing?” Zarya asked, cleaning up to put the dishes away into the washer.

“Better but you can tell his trip was more draining than usual.” Genji said, scratching the back of his head. “Don’t blame him either for not wanting to talk about it either. Hopefully the karaoke thing will lighten his mood, if anything Brigitte will.”

“She seems to do miracles for him, even in just the little time they’ve known each other.” Zarya leaned against the counter.

“Yeah...” Genji really hoped it would end up as more than just a friendship but at least he’d indeed have a friend. He’d never really seen Hanzo this infatuated with anyone in a long time and he wanted his brother to be happy. He’d been around the block enough times to see it coming a mile away that Brigitte felt something of the same too and that was from meeting her once. And it felt genuine.

“I’m probably overstepping my bounds considering essentially your family are my employers but I have a question.” Zarya looked over in the corner of her eye as Genji jumped up on the counter next to her.

“You’re pretty much family enough for me and Hanzo, so speak your mind.”

“Why are your parents so obsessed with arranging marriages for Hanzo? Zarya asked. “I’m not trying to eavesdrop but I hear things and it feels stupid. The conversation between your parents at his concert alone unnerved me somewhat.”

Genji sighed and looked up to make sure nothing was heard down the hall. “It’s a long standing tradition in our clan to make sure the firstborns that will take on the head mantle marry into other clans of good standing or same ‘social circle’. I admit it has worked out for some but others...there are some on off horror stories never really said out loud in our history. The ones I know personally, is a woman that literally tried to get into good money by using Hanzo.”

“What do you mean?” That pissed Zarya off.

“Just keep this between us because Hanzo doesn’t need to go through this story again.” Genji pleaded.

“Nothing leaves my lips about this.”

“A while back, after his breakup with Amélie, Hanzo was interested in this girl from one of the high society families that mother and father introduced him to. Seemingly she was the same in her interest. After they began ‘courting’, I felt something was off because I started seeing her around clubs I went to. At first I thought it was nothing. Until I saw her fooling around with a lot of men. She even tried to silence me with bribery when I went to confront her.” After that Genji took a furious intake of breath. “That was the angriest I have ever been in my life. I may be a lot of things but in no way would I ever backstab my brother. Well after that fiasco she went viral and the paparazzi ate it up. Of course our family squashed it fast but not fast enough. Hanzo was devastated and spiraled inward for about a year, focusing all on his music. Thankfully we helped him get out enough that he functioned, especially after adopting Ama and Yomi but I don’t think his wounds ever completely healed.”

Genji smiled just a little. “Seeing him come out of his shell for Brigitte, even if it’s tiny steps, makes me really hope that my instincts are right. That she’s as good as she seems. He deserves to be happy and not forced into anything that will just put more bullshit on his shoulders. This is why I want the presumed ‘good matches’ thing to end, because of the supposed good match Hanzo had his heart broken.”

Zarya ruffled Genji’s hair. “He’s lucky to have a brother like you.”

“I think I’m the lucky one to have a brother like him. With all the crap I pull.” Genji chuckled before kissing her hand. “And also, thank you.”

Zarya blushed a little. “I’ve done nothing really.”

“You’ve stuck by us and that means alot.” Genji said and slid off the counter. “When Hanzo’s done, we are gonna practice together so I better get ready. How about you come watch. Think of it as a private concert for you.”

-------------

Brigitte shifted under the covers, slowly opening her eyes. She thought she heard her phone go off and it disrupted her dream. The dream made Brigitte feel warm and tingly, even if she couldn't remember details. Next to her was a sleeping kitty, which she pet for a little bit.

Though first Brigitte reached over and checked her phone to see if it really was what woke her up. Smiling at the lock screen before noticing ‘2 missed messages and 1 call’ appeared in the notifications. So it was her ringtone that made the noise, since the time stamp was just a few minutes ago and it was from her Mama. Another message popped up and it was from her too.

‘Hello sweetie, I hope I didn’t disturb you. I have a few questions about Christmas and New Years plans. So just call me when you can. Love you’

Then it hit Brigitte in her half awake state that it was near Christmas and the Lindholm family party. Thankfully she scheduled her holiday break time with Mr. Muller. ‘Hey mama. I just woke after a really late shift at work ^^;. Let me get something to eat and a shower, then I’ll call you back!’

Seeing the next text was from Hanzo, excitedly Brigitte tapped on it.

‘I’m glad, they really look perfect on you. Also good afternoon, I hope you slept well. As for the candy, try it with some tea. I find that it makes it even more enjoyable.’ She blushed reading it, more than she probably should have.

‘Thank you again. I’m just going to drown you in that set of words aren’t I lol. I’ll make sure to try them with tea. I slept really nicely and I hope you slept well too. I look forward to tomorrow and can’t wait to see you.’ With the last words, Brigitte hoped she wasn’t too forward. Though the kiss she placed on his cheek was pretty forward in itself.

Continuing going through the messages, one was Hana. ‘Hey Briggy. I’ll be gone alot of the day with Lucio to discuss stuff with my tour manager. So you’ll have the day to do anything you want, so have fun ;). We’ll bring some dinner on our way home. Just text back what you’d like!’

Brigitte laughed a little, of course Hana would phrase it like that. ‘Alright. I guess I’ll take some chilli and fried potatoes from Sammy’s. Take care :P ’

Putting the phone back down she finally got out of bed. After a few stretches, Brigitte stripped herself of her night clothes and grabbed a pair of clean panties and an oversized shirt. Figuring she wasn’t going anywhere today there was no sense in getting fancy. Quickly brushing the tangles out of her hair, Brigitte got into the shower and turned it to hot. The water stung a little until getting used to the heat but it always helped her wake up. Her mind wandered a lot; through things for work to what all she had to do to prepare for holiday plans.

Though they finally went to a certain Japanese man. The way his hair framed his face, his soft smile, the comforting rumble of his chuckle, his passion for music, the way his brown eyes lit up.