I heard someone refer as the growing use of Reaper and Mei in 2-2-2 as Snowblossom and why do they have such a cure pairing name?!
Mei is so easily forgotten as a member of the original Overwatch (probably because she was part of Overwatch’s ecological team rather than the combat operations), but really the part of her story that has her frozen for 5 years is SO GOOD for angst material for “Old Guard” ships--including Gabriel/Reaper.
Imagine Gabe meeting Mei for the first time when she signs on to join Overwatch’s science division and being completely charmed by her, then feeling responsible when Overwatch can’t meet the resupply window for EcoPoint Antarctica.
Imagine Gabe staring sleepless at his ceiling imagining Mei starving or freezing or worse on that base.
Imagine Gabe having Mei’s face at the back of his mind when he finally goes “Fuck it” in Venice.
Imagine Gabe still checking Mei’s journal in the years that follow, hoping for something, anything, but seeing that un-updated journal as both grave and ghost of her.
Imagine Reaper finally seeing Mei’s “We missed our resupply window, so we’re going to hibernate!” vlog when Mei finally manages to send a signal out from Ecopoint Antarctica--his stomach twisting in knots at the thought that her death was far more drawn out than previously thought--or worse, she came out of hibernation after he and Jack firebombed Overwatch to shit so it was their fault no infrastructure was in place for her rescue.
Imagine Gabe seeing Mei, alive and well after all those years, when he himself is now both living and dead.
