[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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no subject
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.]
no subject
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? ]
no subject
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?
no subject
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.
no subject
[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?
no subject
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. ]
no subject
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.
no subject
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. ]