[He lets out a sigh and gives another shrug, because for once he’s not really sure why he’s asking. Perhaps it had been to needle Jack at least a little, but right now there’s no real satisfaction in it. Jack won’t even look at him.]
I don’t know.
[He sounds honest, at least, and maybe a little remorseful himself, because he remembers feeling Jack’s sadness when they were piloting the shuttle. Gabriel’s shot at relationships had never ended well either, but he’s got his kid, same as Ana. Jack was the only one of the three of them who never got the chance to try. Maybe he feels a little guilty about it, now that it occurs to him.]
I guess I just never thought about it much. Now I am.
[The sacrifices they both made. They were both so busy, after all.]
[ It's true that all of them had been forced to give things up for the sake of Overwatch, but no one quite as much as Jack. It's not something he usually brings up, because it had been his choice (to some extent) and he doesn't need the pity. Nor is Gabriel usually the kind to offer pity to anyone. It's possible he'd recruited McCree in part because he'd felt for him, but there was always a practical side to his decisions too. ]
Well, there's not much to say. Anything I tried didn't last. It couldn't. You know how it is.
[ Even in Ana's case, as the one who'd kept the closest to her family, it hadn't ended well. She'd faked her death and sent her daughter a letter to explain herself years later, but hadn't yet made contact.
Really, it was only Torbjörn who'd pulled off the whole happy family thing, somehow. ]
And now, well... it's all gone anyway.
[ They're all that's left. Jack, Gabriel, and Angela. ]
[Gabriel is the last person who should be offering words of comfort. He rests his hand on Jack's knee in an attempt to be sympathetic, though he half expects the touch to be rejected. He's drunk too, just better at playing it off, but he can feel the heat in his face and the tightness in his chest. He hates feeling like he's not in control.]
I don't know how much it means to you anymore, but I'm still here.
[For as much as Gabriel has found himself frustrated with Jack, there's no setting aside everything they've been through together. In a situation like this, with almost everyone else asleep in pods and no guarantee of stopping the Storm, all they really have is each other.]
[ The hand at his knee is unexpected, and while Jack's leg twitches slightly, it's more due to surprise than because he has an actual problem with the contact. He should have a problem with it, probably, but he doesn't.
Maybe because they're stranded here on the other side of their universe, some of the last two people from their world, and he just doesn't have it in him to keep pushing back anymore.
It's extremely rare for Gabriel to say something that close to heartfelt, and Jack wishes that he could accept it gracefully. But there's still that tired, cynical part of him which rears its head first. ]
Yeah. I know. [ He looks back over, making eye contact and realizing just how close they are to each other. It shouldn't make a difference, but between the alcohol in his veins, the hand at his knee, and the comment he'd made earlier about Gabriel's good looks, it seems like there's a strange charge in the air. Something he's not sure he should even acknowledge. (He shouldn't. He's drunk.) ] But for how long?
[ That isn't just a reference to Reaper and what the future may hold. He'd let Ana in, and then she'd gone back into stasis just as soon. Reinhardt, McCree, and Lena had gone away too. It could be the same thing with Gabriel. ]
[It has to be the wine, he thinks--there's no other explanation for why he's suddenly unable to bite down an expression of feelings, something he usually works very hard to keep under wraps.
He shifts a little to face Jack more fully, seemingly fed up with Jack's refusal to look at him. Just as he makes a habit of needling him on a regular basis, Gabriel isn't going to let Jack get away with this.]
Might as well make the most of it, then.
[What do they have to lose, at this point? He has not forgotten that Jack called him attractive. Gabriel plants a hand on his chest.]
You ever think about this? Be honest.
[They've been friends for so long, maybe Jack firmly plants him in that category, but now Gabriel feels the need to satisfy his own curiosity.]
[ Make the most of it, huh? It's a thought that Jack himself has had in the past few days, in lieu of the time travel and that knowledge that it could have failed and they all could have died. He has no idea how much time either of them have left, and if Gabriel is going to turn into a masked madman who wants him dead, or just disappear, he has very little control over it.
When it comes to chances, this has to be his last one. He's cheated death so many times by now that it's getting ridiculous.
Gabriel pushes the physical contact, but unlike the way it usually goes between them, there's no fist-fighting or other violence here. Jack glances down at Gabriel's hand, and idly wonders if he can feel that his heart has started to beat a little faster, despite himself.
There's no avoiding eye contact now, but if Gabriel is using this as another way to try and push or needle Jack, then he's definitely strode into territory that's not exactly familiar to him. Jack, on the other hand, is quite familiar.
Knowing that this is one area in which he'll be willing to push harder on it than Gabriel, Jack can't resist the urge to press that advantage. Maybe it's that competitive streak between them coming up again, or maybe a part of him has thought about this before. Not ever in a serious way, but more as a passing thought.
And so he leans in, eyes still open as he stares Gabriel down until their faces are inches apart, and then less than that. Their noses brush, and when he speaks, his lips might ghost just slightly against Gabriel's mouth. ]
[Gabriel sounds less confident than he usually does. On some level, he knows he's backed himself into a corner--placed himself very firmly into one of Jack's areas of expertise. Perhaps he'd thought that Jack wouldn't rise to the occasion, but here he is, doing that and more. He wonders, briefly, if he's going to regret this. If it's all just the alcohol for both of them.
But he'd never back down from a challenge, even if it's one he initiated. Gabriel doesn't flinch. In fact, he finds that Jack getting so close to him is strangely welcoming, like he's finally fighting back after so many months of Gabriel working expressly to get under his skin.
It's a little more intoxicating than he expected, but he tells himself it's just the wine talking. He tilts his head a little, as if trying to appraise what Jack is planning to do, even though it's fairly obvious, at this point.]
I asked you to be honest.
[Something, it occurs to him, that Gabriel rarely does in return.]
[ It had been Gabriel's choice to take them down this road and to remain on this subject, so Jack doesn't feel particularly bad about the fact that they've ended up here. He's not entirely sure how he feels about it, honestly, but he isn't going to back down now. Gabriel hasn't tried to retreat (it's not in his nature, that goes for both of them), which means there's really only one place this can go.
Gabriel's testing him, just like he always does. If he thinks Jack is going to chicken out of this, drunk and inclined toward possibly bad decisions as he is right now, then he has another thing coming.
It doesn't have to mean anything. It can just be for tonight, if that's what they want. And right now, apparently it is what he wants.
For all that he's said more than he intended since they got back, now it seems like there's no need for words. The best way to answer Gabriel's question is by kissing him, and so that's what Jack does. His eyes shut as he leans forward those last few centimeters, pressing their mouths together as one hand lifts to frame Gabriel's jawline.
Stubble brushes against his face, and it's not unpleasant. But he doesn't press harder than that for now, still having the presence of mind to not want to do anything that Gabriel would outright hate.
As far as Jack's aware, Gabriel's always preferred women. He's not expecting this to be more than a dumb decision made on a strange night. ]
[For a moment he thinks Jack is going to make him do it, but he rises to the occasion well enough. Gabriel still isn’t sure where he’s going with this—the two of them generally spurn most physical contact, and he can’t remember the last time he allowed someone else to get this close to him. Then again, Jack has been the exception to a lot of his rules, even as time and conflict pushed them apart.
He still knows how to kiss, at least, and in the interest of not letting Jack get away with such a ballsy move, Gabriel kisses back without hesitation. This isn’t necessarily an answer he’s satisfied with, but it’s good enough for now.
There will be time for needling later, if he isn’t too caught up in his own head about this when he finally sobers up.
For now, he seems to be satisfied with this turn of events, leaning into the kiss and sliding his hand up Jack’s chest, a nonverbal affirmation that this is okay and can continue.]
[ Jack's not sure where he expected this to go, exactly, but such an immediate response from Gabriel does throw him off for a few seconds. They wouldn't have gone this far if Gabriel was completely repulsed by the idea of kissing him, but being so gung-ho about it is also a shock.
Then again, it might also be that Gabriel doesn't want to get beaten at his own game, even if he almost purposefully waded into a particular game that he doesn't know too much about.
But kissing is kissing, and they both know how to do that well enough. They'd been married to their work, sure, but they still have experience to pull from. Jack doesn't want to think too hard right now, and the alcohol clouding his head makes it pretty easy to just live in the moment. That warm hand sliding up his chest is encouragement, causing him to shift himself to more directly face Gabriel as he leans in.
It isn't long before the closed-mouthed kiss becomes open-mouthed, and Jack slowly slides his tongue over Gabriel's bottom lip before pressing it in, still waiting for that moment when Gabriel decides this isn't what he wants and yanks away. It hasn't happened yet, though.
His hand moves down to settle at the side of Gabriel's neck, and his eyes remain tightly closed. It's surreal to be kissing someone he's known for this long, and someone he never thought he would ever kiss like this for a large number of reasons, yet to have it be so familiar all the same. He's been physical with Gabriel in other ways (they've fought, they've patched each other up in inconvenient places, they've even huddled together for warmth a time or two), and so it's not as foreign as it should be. ]
[The more time Jack spends not spurning his advances is time Gabriel spends wondering just where this is going. It's nice, he has to admit, but for once he's leading with his feelings instead of his head, something that's bound to get him in trouble sooner rather than later, especially for someone who meticulously plans his courses of action. He tells himself that despite the alcohol, Jack wouldn't be letting him do this in any capacity if for any reason he didn't actually want it.
That's enough to fluff his ego and embolden him through the uncertainty of whatever this is supposed to be. Gabriel parts his lips for Jack and tilts his head a little to get a better angle.
His hand is firm on Jack's chest, but after a few moments of letting Jack's tongue into his mouth he shifts, swinging a leg over and putting them face to face. The other hand finds Jack's shoulder, and he squeezes it gently as he lets his eyes slide closed.]
[ Every shift and movement they make is in the service of making this more comfortable, more enjoyable, rather than less so. It's a far cry from how so many of their recent interactions have been, and maybe that's part of the reason that Jack wants to keep it going. This can't end well, even now he knows that in the back of his head, but he also can't bring himself to care. At least not right now.
And so they're kissing, tongues in each other's mouths, hands gripping onto each other. Jack's own grip grows more firm, and his movements with his tongue that much more decisive, swishing through Gabriel's mouth with a sort of desperate experience. Because the second that one of them pulls away or lets go, this strange moment will be over and he has no idea what to do when they reach that point.
So he'll put it off, even if that means putting more heat and intensity into the kiss, his fingers kneading into the knotted muscle at the side of Gabriel's neck. Their foreheads press tight against each other as he deepens the kiss, exploring Gabriel's mouth with his tongue and learning just how he tastes.
His heart's pounding, his face is flushed, and it's been a long while since he's felt quite this alive. ]
[Gabriel is surprised at how natural this feels, how easily they slip into this even with the gulf between them and the amount of time it's been since he imagines either of them have let anyone get this close. At the same time, that's what makes the most sense. Of course it's Jack--he's been the one constant for most of Gabriel's life, and it's only circumstance that's prevented them from doing this sooner. Maybe it's the alcohol talking, or maybe he's just trying to convince himself that this is okay and not eventually disastrous, but in this moment, it feels okay. Like this is just the logical conclusion of the thirty years they've spent knowing each other.
Very quickly, however, just kissing is not enough. They've already started to undress from the party but put that by the wayside once they started talking. Gabriel is in a slightly greater state of undress but Jack is still wearing the dress shirt from the evening, and as he continues to deepen the kiss, he decides he's going to do something about it.
That hand on Jack's chest starts working at buttons, sliding inside the shirt and across his pecs as he gets the first two undone.]
[ Could it really be said that this is thirty years in the making? It's not as if Jack had spent any of that time considering this as a possibility, beyond random what-ifs that had flitted in and out of his mind just as quickly. Still, it was a long time to know someone, and it's not just a matter of being friends who'd kept up with each other and hung out from time to time. No, not like normal people. Their lives had been intertwined for most of those years, their friendship in so many ways serving as the backbone of Overwatch.
Which is why when one started to deteriorate, so had the other. It's hard at this point to say which had come first.
But that's a long history to build on, and also a long period of tension that they've been searching for ways to work through. Brawling each other was the usual method, but this isn't so bad either, is it?
Gabriel gets bolder, more exploratory with his hands, and as his rough palm slides over the bare skin of Jack's chest, Jack makes a noise in the back of his throat, mainly borne from surprise but also interest -- a noise that's caught in Gabriel's mouth. Jack's face has been flushed, but that heat begins to move down to the rest of his body, making him almost uncomfortably hot all over.
He doesn't stop Gabriel, instead shifting his hips to move himself closer, making him easier to access. The kissing continues, Jack pulling back only enough to scrape his teeth over Gabriel's bottom lip before sliding his tongue into his mouth yet again. ]
[Gabriel is doing his very best to seem confident, especially considering that Jack theoretically has more experience at this than him. The good news is that he's very good at pretending, and he can feign expertise for as long as he wants. Jack is receptive, at least, but he's not sure if it's because they're both scared of what might happen when they stop.
By now, however, it's far too late to back down, and if Gabriel is good at anything, it's improvising.
He's still straddling Jack, and Jack isn't telling him to stop, so he starts to try his luck. With the buttons going one after another, he's quick to start sloughing Jack's shirt, sliding it off his shoulders and down his arms. He'll let Jack finish the rest of it, immediately moving his hands back to his chest.
There are scars he doesn't recognize, and though part of him thinks he should maybe back off, Gabriel can't get enough of it. He needs to learn all the differences between the Jack he knows and this new Jack, and doing it with his hands is the easiest way to do it.]
[ This is going a lot faster than Jack ever could have guessed, but maybe he should have known that Gabriel would opt to double-down in a situation like this, rather than admitting that he was in over his head. There's no such thing for Gabriel Reyes, apparently. Or that's what he wants everyone to believe, anyway.
The point remains that removal of clothing is now part of the equation, and that's just one more step in a direction he's not sure either of them are actually ready for. Jack's pretty sure he'll know when it's time to put an end to this, but it seems they're not quite there yet.
He pulls back from the kiss just long enough to wriggle his arms and get the shirt the rest of the way off, the sleeves pushing past his wrists until he can grab for the garment and toss it aside. Then he leans back in to Gabriel's touch, mouths meeting again as rough hands move over rougher skin.
It doesn't take long for Jack to realize what Gabriel is doing. It's subtle, but his hands linger in the places where there are new scars, evidence of injuries that Jack sustained after Overwatch. Some of them, like the ones on his face, are from the explosion. But when Gabriel's hands loop around to Jack's back and land on a particularly tender scar that's there, Jack goes immediately stiff and jerks back, away from his touch.
His eyes squeeze shut as the memories rush back. The hot Cairo sun beating down on him, Reaper's gravelly voice, and Ana's face when she got a glimpse of the wraith's face. A single word, uttered in horror: Gabriel? ]
[Ah. Well, Gabriel expected this to happen sooner or later. For as nice as this felt, the two of them have too much combined baggage to sustain this for more than a few minutes. He'd like to continue, but it was inevitable that they'd get caught up in their heads about it. Jack was just the one who broke first, but the way he jerks back is a little unexpected.]
What?
[It's difficult to hide the disappointment in his voice. His hand is hovering over the scar tissue he brushed over a moment ago, and he's surprised to feel a little bit concerned. Is it sensitive? Did he hurt Jack, touching the old wound? The other hand is firm on his shoulder.]
[ It's just as strange for Jack to hear the concern in Gabriel's voice and to see it on his face when he manages to open his eyes again. It's a rare thing, though it has happened before: back during the Crisis when all of them were catching their breath after escaping a barrage of Omnic gunfire, or during the Overwatch days when Jack had walked into Gabriel's office looking a little more weary than usual.
At this point, Gabriel's certainly shown that he still cares in his own way. From looking after Jack when he'd been transformed, to remaining at his side when things came to a head with the Storm, and now this. ]
It's nothing.
[ That's a big fat lie, but Jack definitely isn't in a mindset where he can explain what killed the moment. He half-turns from Gabriel again, reaching to grab for an undershirt he'd left on the bed earlier when they'd changed for the party. Gabriel will get a glimpse of the ugly scar on his back before Jack pulls the shirt on, covering it up again. ]
[Gabriel's not stupid, and Jack has never been particularly good at lying to him. The sheer physical reaction says enough, and he doesn't push for any more physical contact. He sits on the bed, watching Jack get his clothes and pull the plug on the whole thing.
He can't say he's not disappointed, so when Jack turns around and reveals the scar on his back, Gabriel reaches out and tries to take him by the arm. He doubts the physical contact will make him feel any better, really. That's a scar Gabriel doesn't recognize, so he knows where this is going. The only question is whether or not Jack will tell him the truth about who gave it to him.]
[ When Jack feels Gabriel's touch at his arm, his immediate urge is to shove him away, but he manages to bite down on it. Really, this isn't Gabriel's fault, even though it also kind of is, but he knows that lashing out at him for something he hasn't yet done won't fix anything. If he's learned anything over these months with Gabriel here, it's that. ]
No.
[ He shakes his head, slowly tugging his arm away from Gabriel's touch instead. It'd be easier if Gabriel would just move back to his own bed so they can act like none of this ever happened, but he isn't going to let go that easily. Jack heaves out a sigh and bows his head, rubbing at his eyes.
The scar had ached for a good few days after he first got the wound, but it doesn't anymore. It's been years at this point, strange as that is to realize. ]
It was a pain in the ass when I got it, though.
[ Which might be enough for Gabriel to put two and two together. ]
[Jack might not act on the impulse, but Gabriel feels his arm tense and that's enough. He withdraws, and doesn't try to touch him again. The minimal space between them suddenly seems yawning, and he's not sure what he should be doing. His hands drop uselessly to his side.]
Looks like it was from a shotgun.
[So, that settles that. Gabriel knows he shouldn't feel guilty for things he hasn't done yet, and will likely never do given their displacement, but the fact is that he can't expect Jack to separate past from present. With that realization, he finally moves to the other bed, letting the mattress sink beneath him.]
[ Yes, it was from a shotgun. Gabriel would know exactly what that kind of scarring would look like, having inflicted those wounds more times than he can properly recall now. He's obviously figured it out, but Jack's fighting a tightness in his chest that makes it impossible for him to respond in any verbal way.
It's not like there's much to say, after all. They both now know what happened to throw a wrench into what they'd been doing, and no matter how many hurdles they leap over in their relationship, there's always going to be others that they trip over.
Jack can't bring himself to say that it's fine or all right, and he knows the words would come out sounding hollow. So he just shakes his head, relieved for the distance between them now that Gabriel's retreated to the other bed. ]
We should just... get some rest.
[ He draws his hand across his eyes and then leans over to extinguish the candles that had been providing the small room some meager light. Then he stretches out on the bed and turns his back to Gabriel, eyes shutting as he wills himself to fall asleep. Thankfully, the alcohol helps with that. Once the room stops feeling like it's spinning, he's out. ]
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I don’t know.
[He sounds honest, at least, and maybe a little remorseful himself, because he remembers feeling Jack’s sadness when they were piloting the shuttle. Gabriel’s shot at relationships had never ended well either, but he’s got his kid, same as Ana. Jack was the only one of the three of them who never got the chance to try. Maybe he feels a little guilty about it, now that it occurs to him.]
I guess I just never thought about it much. Now I am.
[The sacrifices they both made. They were both so busy, after all.]
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Well, there's not much to say. Anything I tried didn't last. It couldn't. You know how it is.
[ Even in Ana's case, as the one who'd kept the closest to her family, it hadn't ended well. She'd faked her death and sent her daughter a letter to explain herself years later, but hadn't yet made contact.
Really, it was only Torbjörn who'd pulled off the whole happy family thing, somehow. ]
And now, well... it's all gone anyway.
[ They're all that's left. Jack, Gabriel, and Angela. ]
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[Gabriel is the last person who should be offering words of comfort. He rests his hand on Jack's knee in an attempt to be sympathetic, though he half expects the touch to be rejected. He's drunk too, just better at playing it off, but he can feel the heat in his face and the tightness in his chest. He hates feeling like he's not in control.]
I don't know how much it means to you anymore, but I'm still here.
[For as much as Gabriel has found himself frustrated with Jack, there's no setting aside everything they've been through together. In a situation like this, with almost everyone else asleep in pods and no guarantee of stopping the Storm, all they really have is each other.]
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Maybe because they're stranded here on the other side of their universe, some of the last two people from their world, and he just doesn't have it in him to keep pushing back anymore.
It's extremely rare for Gabriel to say something that close to heartfelt, and Jack wishes that he could accept it gracefully. But there's still that tired, cynical part of him which rears its head first. ]
Yeah. I know. [ He looks back over, making eye contact and realizing just how close they are to each other. It shouldn't make a difference, but between the alcohol in his veins, the hand at his knee, and the comment he'd made earlier about Gabriel's good looks, it seems like there's a strange charge in the air. Something he's not sure he should even acknowledge. (He shouldn't. He's drunk.) ] But for how long?
[ That isn't just a reference to Reaper and what the future may hold. He'd let Ana in, and then she'd gone back into stasis just as soon. Reinhardt, McCree, and Lena had gone away too. It could be the same thing with Gabriel. ]
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He shifts a little to face Jack more fully, seemingly fed up with Jack's refusal to look at him. Just as he makes a habit of needling him on a regular basis, Gabriel isn't going to let Jack get away with this.]
Might as well make the most of it, then.
[What do they have to lose, at this point? He has not forgotten that Jack called him attractive. Gabriel plants a hand on his chest.]
You ever think about this? Be honest.
[They've been friends for so long, maybe Jack firmly plants him in that category, but now Gabriel feels the need to satisfy his own curiosity.]
no subject
When it comes to chances, this has to be his last one. He's cheated death so many times by now that it's getting ridiculous.
Gabriel pushes the physical contact, but unlike the way it usually goes between them, there's no fist-fighting or other violence here. Jack glances down at Gabriel's hand, and idly wonders if he can feel that his heart has started to beat a little faster, despite himself.
There's no avoiding eye contact now, but if Gabriel is using this as another way to try and push or needle Jack, then he's definitely strode into territory that's not exactly familiar to him. Jack, on the other hand, is quite familiar.
Knowing that this is one area in which he'll be willing to push harder on it than Gabriel, Jack can't resist the urge to press that advantage. Maybe it's that competitive streak between them coming up again, or maybe a part of him has thought about this before. Not ever in a serious way, but more as a passing thought.
And so he leans in, eyes still open as he stares Gabriel down until their faces are inches apart, and then less than that. Their noses brush, and when he speaks, his lips might ghost just slightly against Gabriel's mouth. ]
Have you?
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[Gabriel sounds less confident than he usually does. On some level, he knows he's backed himself into a corner--placed himself very firmly into one of Jack's areas of expertise. Perhaps he'd thought that Jack wouldn't rise to the occasion, but here he is, doing that and more. He wonders, briefly, if he's going to regret this. If it's all just the alcohol for both of them.
But he'd never back down from a challenge, even if it's one he initiated. Gabriel doesn't flinch. In fact, he finds that Jack getting so close to him is strangely welcoming, like he's finally fighting back after so many months of Gabriel working expressly to get under his skin.
It's a little more intoxicating than he expected, but he tells himself it's just the wine talking. He tilts his head a little, as if trying to appraise what Jack is planning to do, even though it's fairly obvious, at this point.]
I asked you to be honest.
[Something, it occurs to him, that Gabriel rarely does in return.]
no subject
Gabriel's testing him, just like he always does. If he thinks Jack is going to chicken out of this, drunk and inclined toward possibly bad decisions as he is right now, then he has another thing coming.
It doesn't have to mean anything. It can just be for tonight, if that's what they want. And right now, apparently it is what he wants.
For all that he's said more than he intended since they got back, now it seems like there's no need for words. The best way to answer Gabriel's question is by kissing him, and so that's what Jack does. His eyes shut as he leans forward those last few centimeters, pressing their mouths together as one hand lifts to frame Gabriel's jawline.
Stubble brushes against his face, and it's not unpleasant. But he doesn't press harder than that for now, still having the presence of mind to not want to do anything that Gabriel would outright hate.
As far as Jack's aware, Gabriel's always preferred women. He's not expecting this to be more than a dumb decision made on a strange night. ]
no subject
He still knows how to kiss, at least, and in the interest of not letting Jack get away with such a ballsy move, Gabriel kisses back without hesitation. This isn’t necessarily an answer he’s satisfied with, but it’s good enough for now.
There will be time for needling later, if he isn’t too caught up in his own head about this when he finally sobers up.
For now, he seems to be satisfied with this turn of events, leaning into the kiss and sliding his hand up Jack’s chest, a nonverbal affirmation that this is okay and can continue.]
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Then again, it might also be that Gabriel doesn't want to get beaten at his own game, even if he almost purposefully waded into a particular game that he doesn't know too much about.
But kissing is kissing, and they both know how to do that well enough. They'd been married to their work, sure, but they still have experience to pull from. Jack doesn't want to think too hard right now, and the alcohol clouding his head makes it pretty easy to just live in the moment. That warm hand sliding up his chest is encouragement, causing him to shift himself to more directly face Gabriel as he leans in.
It isn't long before the closed-mouthed kiss becomes open-mouthed, and Jack slowly slides his tongue over Gabriel's bottom lip before pressing it in, still waiting for that moment when Gabriel decides this isn't what he wants and yanks away. It hasn't happened yet, though.
His hand moves down to settle at the side of Gabriel's neck, and his eyes remain tightly closed. It's surreal to be kissing someone he's known for this long, and someone he never thought he would ever kiss like this for a large number of reasons, yet to have it be so familiar all the same. He's been physical with Gabriel in other ways (they've fought, they've patched each other up in inconvenient places, they've even huddled together for warmth a time or two), and so it's not as foreign as it should be. ]
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That's enough to fluff his ego and embolden him through the uncertainty of whatever this is supposed to be. Gabriel parts his lips for Jack and tilts his head a little to get a better angle.
His hand is firm on Jack's chest, but after a few moments of letting Jack's tongue into his mouth he shifts, swinging a leg over and putting them face to face. The other hand finds Jack's shoulder, and he squeezes it gently as he lets his eyes slide closed.]
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And so they're kissing, tongues in each other's mouths, hands gripping onto each other. Jack's own grip grows more firm, and his movements with his tongue that much more decisive, swishing through Gabriel's mouth with a sort of desperate experience. Because the second that one of them pulls away or lets go, this strange moment will be over and he has no idea what to do when they reach that point.
So he'll put it off, even if that means putting more heat and intensity into the kiss, his fingers kneading into the knotted muscle at the side of Gabriel's neck. Their foreheads press tight against each other as he deepens the kiss, exploring Gabriel's mouth with his tongue and learning just how he tastes.
His heart's pounding, his face is flushed, and it's been a long while since he's felt quite this alive. ]
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Very quickly, however, just kissing is not enough. They've already started to undress from the party but put that by the wayside once they started talking. Gabriel is in a slightly greater state of undress but Jack is still wearing the dress shirt from the evening, and as he continues to deepen the kiss, he decides he's going to do something about it.
That hand on Jack's chest starts working at buttons, sliding inside the shirt and across his pecs as he gets the first two undone.]
no subject
Which is why when one started to deteriorate, so had the other. It's hard at this point to say which had come first.
But that's a long history to build on, and also a long period of tension that they've been searching for ways to work through. Brawling each other was the usual method, but this isn't so bad either, is it?
Gabriel gets bolder, more exploratory with his hands, and as his rough palm slides over the bare skin of Jack's chest, Jack makes a noise in the back of his throat, mainly borne from surprise but also interest -- a noise that's caught in Gabriel's mouth. Jack's face has been flushed, but that heat begins to move down to the rest of his body, making him almost uncomfortably hot all over.
He doesn't stop Gabriel, instead shifting his hips to move himself closer, making him easier to access. The kissing continues, Jack pulling back only enough to scrape his teeth over Gabriel's bottom lip before sliding his tongue into his mouth yet again. ]
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By now, however, it's far too late to back down, and if Gabriel is good at anything, it's improvising.
He's still straddling Jack, and Jack isn't telling him to stop, so he starts to try his luck. With the buttons going one after another, he's quick to start sloughing Jack's shirt, sliding it off his shoulders and down his arms. He'll let Jack finish the rest of it, immediately moving his hands back to his chest.
There are scars he doesn't recognize, and though part of him thinks he should maybe back off, Gabriel can't get enough of it. He needs to learn all the differences between the Jack he knows and this new Jack, and doing it with his hands is the easiest way to do it.]
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The point remains that removal of clothing is now part of the equation, and that's just one more step in a direction he's not sure either of them are actually ready for. Jack's pretty sure he'll know when it's time to put an end to this, but it seems they're not quite there yet.
He pulls back from the kiss just long enough to wriggle his arms and get the shirt the rest of the way off, the sleeves pushing past his wrists until he can grab for the garment and toss it aside. Then he leans back in to Gabriel's touch, mouths meeting again as rough hands move over rougher skin.
It doesn't take long for Jack to realize what Gabriel is doing. It's subtle, but his hands linger in the places where there are new scars, evidence of injuries that Jack sustained after Overwatch. Some of them, like the ones on his face, are from the explosion. But when Gabriel's hands loop around to Jack's back and land on a particularly tender scar that's there, Jack goes immediately stiff and jerks back, away from his touch.
His eyes squeeze shut as the memories rush back. The hot Cairo sun beating down on him, Reaper's gravelly voice, and Ana's face when she got a glimpse of the wraith's face. A single word, uttered in horror: Gabriel? ]
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What?
[It's difficult to hide the disappointment in his voice. His hand is hovering over the scar tissue he brushed over a moment ago, and he's surprised to feel a little bit concerned. Is it sensitive? Did he hurt Jack, touching the old wound? The other hand is firm on his shoulder.]
What is it?
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At this point, Gabriel's certainly shown that he still cares in his own way. From looking after Jack when he'd been transformed, to remaining at his side when things came to a head with the Storm, and now this. ]
It's nothing.
[ That's a big fat lie, but Jack definitely isn't in a mindset where he can explain what killed the moment. He half-turns from Gabriel again, reaching to grab for an undershirt he'd left on the bed earlier when they'd changed for the party. Gabriel will get a glimpse of the ugly scar on his back before Jack pulls the shirt on, covering it up again. ]
We shouldn't be doing this.
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[Gabriel's not stupid, and Jack has never been particularly good at lying to him. The sheer physical reaction says enough, and he doesn't push for any more physical contact. He sits on the bed, watching Jack get his clothes and pull the plug on the whole thing.
He can't say he's not disappointed, so when Jack turns around and reveals the scar on his back, Gabriel reaches out and tries to take him by the arm. He doubts the physical contact will make him feel any better, really. That's a scar Gabriel doesn't recognize, so he knows where this is going. The only question is whether or not Jack will tell him the truth about who gave it to him.]
Does it hurt?
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No.
[ He shakes his head, slowly tugging his arm away from Gabriel's touch instead. It'd be easier if Gabriel would just move back to his own bed so they can act like none of this ever happened, but he isn't going to let go that easily. Jack heaves out a sigh and bows his head, rubbing at his eyes.
The scar had ached for a good few days after he first got the wound, but it doesn't anymore. It's been years at this point, strange as that is to realize. ]
It was a pain in the ass when I got it, though.
[ Which might be enough for Gabriel to put two and two together. ]
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Looks like it was from a shotgun.
[So, that settles that. Gabriel knows he shouldn't feel guilty for things he hasn't done yet, and will likely never do given their displacement, but the fact is that he can't expect Jack to separate past from present. With that realization, he finally moves to the other bed, letting the mattress sink beneath him.]
Sorry, I shouldn't have--just forget it.
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It's not like there's much to say, after all. They both now know what happened to throw a wrench into what they'd been doing, and no matter how many hurdles they leap over in their relationship, there's always going to be others that they trip over.
Jack can't bring himself to say that it's fine or all right, and he knows the words would come out sounding hollow. So he just shakes his head, relieved for the distance between them now that Gabriel's retreated to the other bed. ]
We should just... get some rest.
[ He draws his hand across his eyes and then leans over to extinguish the candles that had been providing the small room some meager light. Then he stretches out on the bed and turns his back to Gabriel, eyes shutting as he wills himself to fall asleep. Thankfully, the alcohol helps with that. Once the room stops feeling like it's spinning, he's out. ]