"How long, Reaper? How long did you pretend to be him before Zurich?" 76's aim is shaking now and those blue eyes are growing glossy, misty, and once again he wishes he had his visor to hide the tears that will inevitably pour down his cheeks once he starts talking about then and what a blind fool he'd been to everything Gabriel had done, the roads he'd taken, using 76's love as a shield to hide behind when the reports started being leaked.
Who is Reaper? What does he mean before Zurich? Damaged as his vocal chords are Gabriel can hear it in his voice but like hell he knows what to say to make it right.
"I don't know what you're talking about. I'm sorry." Gabriel hates feeling helpless. Loathes it. But he can't brute force his way out of this one and if there's anyone he can show a little weakness to it's his husband. (Even if he's not sure how accurate that is, but he hardly has the time to juggle that thought about with all the other ones. He can figure out the specifics later. Right now he knows it's Jack and that's enough, because it has to be.)
"How long!?" 76's voice breaks when he yells, snaps, when fury takes him over and makes him switch his finger from the guard to the trigger, "How long did you go behind my back?! How long did you use me?!" Husband or not, heartache or not, 76 demands answers that his dream cannot provide, the questions keeping him awake for the past 7 years. He had loved Gabriel Reyes with his entire soul, body, and mind, only to have Gabriel... turn. Did it start with O’Deorain? Or go further back from even then?
Gabriel takes a breath, trying to calm down enough to think. This is bad. So fucking bad. He has no clue what the fuck this Jack wants from him but he's far more willing to shoot him than Gabriel would like. Both in general and especially from Jack, of all people.
"Jack, please." And it's an effort to keep his own voice from breaking. Still, it's impossible to keep the emotion out of it and even if 76 can't see him he's certainly able to hear him.
"I wish I knew what you were talking about. I really do." He wants to assure him he didn't-- he wouldn't. That he loves him and he doesn't want to hurt him in whatever ways 76 seems convinced he has. But Gabriel also doesn't want to get shot.
His throat feels like cotton, and it takes him a moment to dry swallow past his nerves and emotions before he can keep talking. "What do you want from me?" And God does he hope that doesn't get him a bullet in the brain, but he's out of ideas if Jack wont let him in on whatever the fuck is suddenly going on here.
Again, the pause between them is thick, tension coating every surface as 76's wheezing fills the air between them, his chest pumping oxygen into his blood desperately, but it's still not enough. 76 lowers his gun, coughing, bones rattling in his body as he tries so hard to focus through the rage. "I want to know things you'll never answer." 76 whispers, closing his eyes finally and choking back how much it hurts to hear Gabriel so upset.
"If you're going to kill me, do it. I'm tired of playing cat and mouse games with you, Reaper."
sorry your gabe is broken but he's past warranty so no returns
To say that hurts to hear is to put it gently-- it goddamn guts him. The part of his brain that's questioning how this is even possible shuts up for a moment, or maybe just drowned out by the part of his brain that's trying to wrap itself around the idea that he could ever want to kill Jack. That Jack has turned to calling him basically death itself. That Jack of all goddamn people could give up on him-- on them.
So he's not thinking about the fact that 76's gun was only a mere moment ago pointed at him or that it seems like 76 hasn't showered in God only knows how long. Any sort of logical reasoning has decided to fuck off and leave him trying not to cry like a goddamn baby. And it's Jack, yes, but even so he doesn't want to try and talk and make himself so embarrassingly obvious. Crying is the weakness he hates showing the most. Even if he wanted respond though he can't quite find the words; what does a person say after all of this?
Instead of any sort of self preservation or actions to deescalate the only just calming down situation he marches back over to him, not giving him time to shoot him before putting his arms around him and just anchoring himself there. By this point the tight embrace is as much for him as it is himself. No part of Gabriel was emotionally prepared for this level of bullshit. (It's half instinct; Gabriel's never been one to sit and talk about his feelings. He'd rather curl into a ball alone or cling onto Jack silently until it subsides enough and he can go on with his life rather than talk about it if he can help it.)
"I'm not--" His voice breaks and he shuts up, knows he can't finish that sentence without breaking down even more than he feels like he already has.
76 startles, trying to step away from Gabriel as his arms entrap him but finding Gabriel's grip too strong to pull away from, even as he begins to struggle, pushing at Gabriel's chest and twisting his own torso to try and find freedom. He can't accept a kind touch, not from Gabriel, not from anyone. He doesn't deserve it, and Jack's starved himself of human contact for so long he's scared of indulging, even in the confines of his own dreamscape.
"Let me go," 76's voice isn't strong, it wavers like Gabriel's does, it refuses to stay steady and 76 can't handle the emotional intensity of the situation. Reaper would never allow vulnerability, he'd never let himself be soft, honest, or true. The last person 76 had spoken to that had said a kind word to him had been Ana in Cairo, but even that seems like a fever dream that 76 came up with after a particular serious battle with a few bottles of scotch.
fair point. there's no hope of even getting store credit from this mess.
Fuck, and normally Gabriel's the difficult one. (It's almost ironic. It took Gabriel a long time and plenty of coaxing to feel comfortable enough with Jack to open up and be vulnerable with him and now here he is being literally pushed away. If he weren't so emotionally invested in all of this he'd laugh.)
"Fuck you." He tries to have some bite to it but absolutely fails, getting something short of wet and emotional instead. He wants to be angry, to be offended or anything but just hurt. Anything but wanting to apologize for things he didn't even do that helped turn his husband into whatever the hell he is now. Maybe Jack's rubbed off on him more than he realized because all he really wants is to fix this. He isn't even sure what that would entail, let alone if it's even possible. More than anything he doesn't want Jack Morrison to become the man he's clinging onto.
Slow, steady breaths. Clenching his fists into the worn fabric of 76's jacket. None of it's nearly enough time to collect himself fully, but it is just enough to let him talk without dipping into the waterworks, for whatever that's worth.
"I'm not going to kill you." He'll never be able to get the sound of that resigned request out of his head if the way it keeps playing in the back of his mind is any indication. Even just acknowledging it to deny it is enough to keep him rooted in place. "I wouldn't. I love you, you asshole." Just because he's upset in about every possible way doesn't make it any less true.
"If you really do love me, you'd have already killed me, you wouldn't have even hesitated." 76 lives in a perpetual state of redemption and revenge. Redemption for what he did to Gabriel, revenge against those that took Gabriel from him-- it doesn't matter if Gabriel left him long before, 76 would never be able to let the man go, not when Gabriel is etched into the very fabric of his being.
"After everything I did, it's the only thing I can still give you."
If there was anything sure to push Gabriel out of being sad it was ridiculous goddamn bullshit like this. He's sure as fuck not going to kill him but he's beginning to feel a little like punching him.
Instead he just pulls back from him, finally letting him go. He's upset and frustrated and annoyed.
"I don't know what you're fucking talking about." There's a whole hell of a lot of things Gabriel doesn't know but this is as good a place to start.
"Aside from this," he moves his arms out between them, referring to everything that's recently transpired, "the worst thing you've done is use all the hot water this morning." And it's not the same Jack but, fuck it. He's married. They're married. Whatever the fuck is going on and until he can make anymore sense of it all they're both his Jack.
"How many times do I have to say it before you hear me? All this shit you keep saying; none of it makes any sense to me. You wanna give me something? Stop saying shit like that or tell me what the hell you mean."
By now any dream would have turned, Gabriel would have become Reaper before his eyes, a manifestation of everything 76 did wrong, the nightmare that 76 has been plagued with for years; but no, the dream stays, following a linear path that 76 wishes he could deny. More and more the reality that this isn't a dream, this isn't something cooked up by his guilt and whatever liquor he got his hands on that day, begins to set in, and that frightens 76 more than anything Gabriel has said yet.
76 doesn't belong in the past. 76 ruins everything he touches-- he can't risk hurting what happiness ever possibly remained in his own life.
Stumbling back away from Gabriel, 76's back crashes against the wall and he pushes himself up against it hastily, eyes flicking back and forth across the room in obvious panic as tries to find a way out but only sees blurs and faint outlines of shapes-- where the fuck is his visor? His gun? He needs out-- he can't be here--!
"What year is it?" He manages to ask through his racing, wild heartbeat, fingers grasping at the wall as if it will keep him from falling down, "What year is it?!"
Hopefully this date is about right, the overwatch timeline sure is something
It's only 76 violently jumping back and away from him that keeps him from throttling him at this point. When did Jack get so goddamn bad at answering questions? That's a huge part of his job for Christ's sake.
Which is a thought he can only have if her entertains the notion his question evokes and, well. Fuck. There's something wrong in the way his mind supplies that, well, it would make the most sense. If there is anything he can point to that causes his need for an early retirement it will be this moment exactly.
"2062." He replies, uncertainly all the same. The fact that Overwatch has been funding Winston's work to finalize and stabilize the chronal accelerator is an uncomfortable fact in the back of his mind. It wouldn't be the first case he'd heard of about someone getting displaced in time, but there's still so much they don't know about it.
He walks toward him carefully, wanting to reach out as if to stabilize him but he's seen how well that goes. So instead he asks, carefully;
"What year do you think it should be?"
In some weird way 76's own frantic panic helps keep Gabriel somewhat calm. Someone has to stay grounded-- or maybe he's just too tired to get worked up again. At least this is almost familiar. They got Lena back, mostly. It wasn't perfect yet but she was more stable by the day. Not that Gabriel was keen to ship him off to whatever fucked up time he came from, but at least it was something, finally, that possibly made any amount of sense.
76 feels his blood go cold. He can't be here, he can't be here, he'll ruin everything. Gerard is still with them, Amelie is still Amelie, Mccree hasn't left and 76 will ruin it all--
His gun is heavy in his palm and the only thing he can think to do is lift it to his temple. 76 never wanted to go out this way, but if it means saving Gabriel from himself, then he'll do it. He's backed into a corner with only one choice left, but it's one he knows he can make.
"I'm sorry."
congrats jack that's not your gun anymore you can't have it back
Gabriel doesn't have time to consider the action but years of training and first hand experience in life or death situations have thankfully equipped him with instinct.
Instinct that boils down to punching 76. Maybe it's not fair (Gabriel can't tell how bad his vision is but he hasn't been moving or looking at him like someone with good vision does) and it probably hurts his jaw like hell but, fuck, it's better than a goddamn bullet.
Next thing he knows he's wrestling the gun out of his hand and putting some distance between the two of them. He may have the advantage of surprising him with the sucker punch but he's not taking any chances. Especially with how unpredictable and difficult 76 has been so far.
"What the fuck do you think you're doing?!" His hands are shaking too much to fiddle with and unload the gun so he settles for clicking the safety back on.
"What the hell, Jack!" If he was freaked out before it's nothing compared to this. He didn't think it could get worse than having the barrel pointed at him but, well, here they are. It's a sight he's not going to soon forget.
76's head snaps to the side when Gabriel punches him, pain blooming throughout his jaw because god, Gabriel is still a super soldier and still has all the strength in the world. If 76 weren't one too, then his jaw would certainly be broken.
The panic clears, thankfully, the pain a jolt to his brain that restarts the processes it had been trapped in, jerking him out of fight or flight and into something else, something closer to shock. 76 can feel his entire body begin to shake, the world becoming suddenly loud to all of his senses.
"I'll ruin it," 76 protests weakly, but his voice is shaking like a leaf, just like the rest of his body is.
Gabriel doesn't trust him enough to come near him again with the gun. So it takes him a moment as he puts it away in the same drawer as his own gun. Makes sure both have the safety on before he even considers going back over to him.
"And blowing your brains out in front of me wont?!" Panic subsides to anger now that the immediate threat has passed; Gabriel's hands shaking all the same. He doesn't even know what 76 means by ruining it but he can't imagine what he could do that's worse than the image burned into his brain or the what if aftermath he wishes he couldn't picture.
Angry as he is, it's Jack. Even now, in some fucked up way, he's trying to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders. Gabriel takes a deep breath, exhales. Makes his way back over to him with cautious, slow steps. If he has any reason to think Gabriel might still have a go at him then punching him probably didn't help any.
"Stop shutting me out, Jack." If this is the reality, this being his Jack from who knows how many years later (he's too disheveled and worn to guess exactly how many years older he could be), then there's no way in hell Gabriel is going to just sit back and let whatever got 76 to where he is happen. He refuses to accept the idea that that's just how things will end up.
"This is the only happiness I get in life," 76 responds, answering everything and nothing at the same time, still refusing to look at Gabriel even if all he'll see is a indistinct swatch of colour against a hazy background.
76's jaw is so tight, as mechanical as it now is, that his molars hurt, and he can feel his blind eyes burn and sting.
God, he does not regret punching him. As much as he loves him and wants to help prevent whatever apparently happens he is already so tired of this bullshit.
"Well not anymore it's not." Nothing has gone to shit yet, not for Gabriel.
"I don't know what the hell has happened," not for lack of trying, he adds mentally. "But I'm here now. Let me help." He reaches out, grabbing his wrist just long enough to press the wedding ring (the one that was thrown at his feet, the one he's had in his pocket ever since 76 put a gun in his face) into the palm of 76's bare hand.
The heated metal of his own wedding ring finally makes the choked sob that had been building in the back of his throat release, a hoarse noise that 76 immediately tries to cut off but can't-- he can't hide how his shoulders begin to shake and his knees begin to tremble just holding up his own weight. The wall behind him once more holds the majority of his weight.
Then don't fucking shoot yourself are the words he manages to keep from coming out of his mouth, if just barely.
"I'm not going anywhere." As much as he's still frustrated that cracks his resolve. Seeing him break down like this tugs as his heart strings and as much as he wants to drive the point home he just doesn't have it in him to stay angry at him, not now. Not like this.
He's seen Jack through all sorts of danger and stress but he's never seen him break down like this. Whatever it is, whatever the fuck could have possibly gone down, he refuses to let it happen. There's no way he can go on and not do everything in his power to prevent everything from going to shit.
"We're married; we're a team." And honestly no matter what 76 says, no matter how hard he pushes him back and insists, Gabriel isn't budging.
"And if I fail you?" 76 asks, his voice barely beyond a whisper, the gravel making it barely recognizable as human. He coughs roughly, squeezing his eyes shut and tipping his head back against the wall, finally giving in and letting himself slide down the plaster until his ass hits the floor. "If I fail Overwatch?"
Jack is usually the one to give pep talks-- not just personally, but as the face of Overwatch. Gabriel has his own people to raise moral with, sure, but it's still a weird feeling to be the one consoling 76 like this. He's so unlike the Jack he knows.
"Would that be better than not trying?" He can't wrap his head around it, what could have gone so wrong and feel so inevitable that he's giving up before he's started. Or well, before Gabriel's started. And Gabriel can't help but wonder now what he's tried, what all has failed before.
Gabriel's worse at this than he thought.
So instead he settles himself on the ground too. Sat close enough that he could reach out and touch him if he wanted but he keeps his hands to himself, still a bit weary of him lashing out. He seems to have calmed down but he's no less unpredictable for him.
"Look, just... don't worry about it right now, alright?" He doubts it'll be that simple if just because nothing so far has been with 76, but still.
"Let's take it a step at a time, alright?" And sat so close and being something relatively close to calm lets him get a good look at him, see what a mess he really is. It tugs at his heart, hurts to imagine his husband turning into this. Stings a bit to know that he does. (No, that he could. Gabriel wont allow it.)
"And what step might that be?" 76 bites out angrily, snapping where he doesn't mean to before laughing at himself in a cruel, displeased way. Gabriel is Blackwatch, always has been, always will. 76 already knows the first step because he knows how Reaper works.
1. Torture 2. Questioning. 3. Repeat until desired effect is achieved.
When all those files had been leaked to the public, when 76 had watched them and read them all with his own eyes, he'd refused to believe it until he realized all his faith had been placed in the wrong man. Gabriel had changed without 76 even realizing it.
Somehow his words have less of a bite to them while he's still sat on the floor, barely recovered from his breakdown. Enough so that Gabriel can ignore them and not give in to the urge to react.
"How about a shower?" They always helped him feel better and clear his mind after a long, disgusting and tiring day.
Besides, it has to have been awhile since 76 has had one. It's obvious, just not one of the high priority concerns on Gabriel's radar.
76 instinctively growls at the idea of being stripped vulnerable in front of Gabriel, without his armour to protect him and hide him from the other's scrutiny. All of him wants to say no, wants to fight until he's free again, but he's so fucking tired that his body has all but given up on him, the tremors hidden under lays of leather and kevlar. "You have to be joking."
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you're breaking my heart but also i love it
"I don't know what you're talking about. I'm sorry." Gabriel hates feeling helpless. Loathes it. But he can't brute force his way out of this one and if there's anyone he can show a little weakness to it's his husband. (Even if he's not sure how accurate that is, but he hardly has the time to juggle that thought about with all the other ones. He can figure out the specifics later. Right now he knows it's Jack and that's enough, because it has to be.)
its what im best at (peace sign emoji)
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"Jack, please." And it's an effort to keep his own voice from breaking. Still, it's impossible to keep the emotion out of it and even if 76 can't see him he's certainly able to hear him.
"I wish I knew what you were talking about. I really do." He wants to assure him he didn't-- he wouldn't. That he loves him and he doesn't want to hurt him in whatever ways 76 seems convinced he has. But Gabriel also doesn't want to get shot.
His throat feels like cotton, and it takes him a moment to dry swallow past his nerves and emotions before he can keep talking. "What do you want from me?" And God does he hope that doesn't get him a bullet in the brain, but he's out of ideas if Jack wont let him in on whatever the fuck is suddenly going on here.
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"If you're going to kill me, do it. I'm tired of playing cat and mouse games with you, Reaper."
sorry your gabe is broken but he's past warranty so no returns
So he's not thinking about the fact that 76's gun was only a mere moment ago pointed at him or that it seems like 76 hasn't showered in God only knows how long. Any sort of logical reasoning has decided to fuck off and leave him trying not to cry like a goddamn baby. And it's Jack, yes, but even so he doesn't want to try and talk and make himself so embarrassingly obvious. Crying is the weakness he hates showing the most. Even if he wanted respond though he can't quite find the words; what does a person say after all of this?
Instead of any sort of self preservation or actions to deescalate the only just calming down situation he marches back over to him, not giving him time to shoot him before putting his arms around him and just anchoring himself there. By this point the tight embrace is as much for him as it is himself. No part of Gabriel was emotionally prepared for this level of bullshit. (It's half instinct; Gabriel's never been one to sit and talk about his feelings. He'd rather curl into a ball alone or cling onto Jack silently until it subsides enough and he can go on with his life rather than talk about it if he can help it.)
"I'm not--" His voice breaks and he shuts up, knows he can't finish that sentence without breaking down even more than he feels like he already has.
jack voided the warranty a long time ago anyways
"Let me go," 76's voice isn't strong, it wavers like Gabriel's does, it refuses to stay steady and 76 can't handle the emotional intensity of the situation. Reaper would never allow vulnerability, he'd never let himself be soft, honest, or true. The last person 76 had spoken to that had said a kind word to him had been Ana in Cairo, but even that seems like a fever dream that 76 came up with after a particular serious battle with a few bottles of scotch.
fair point. there's no hope of even getting store credit from this mess.
"Fuck you." He tries to have some bite to it but absolutely fails, getting something short of wet and emotional instead. He wants to be angry, to be offended or anything but just hurt. Anything but wanting to apologize for things he didn't even do that helped turn his husband into whatever the hell he is now. Maybe Jack's rubbed off on him more than he realized because all he really wants is to fix this. He isn't even sure what that would entail, let alone if it's even possible. More than anything he doesn't want Jack Morrison to become the man he's clinging onto.
Slow, steady breaths. Clenching his fists into the worn fabric of 76's jacket. None of it's nearly enough time to collect himself fully, but it is just enough to let him talk without dipping into the waterworks, for whatever that's worth.
"I'm not going to kill you." He'll never be able to get the sound of that resigned request out of his head if the way it keeps playing in the back of his mind is any indication. Even just acknowledging it to deny it is enough to keep him rooted in place. "I wouldn't. I love you, you asshole." Just because he's upset in about every possible way doesn't make it any less true.
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"After everything I did, it's the only thing I can still give you."
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Instead he just pulls back from him, finally letting him go. He's upset and frustrated and annoyed.
"I don't know what you're fucking talking about." There's a whole hell of a lot of things Gabriel doesn't know but this is as good a place to start.
"Aside from this," he moves his arms out between them, referring to everything that's recently transpired, "the worst thing you've done is use all the hot water this morning." And it's not the same Jack but, fuck it. He's married. They're married. Whatever the fuck is going on and until he can make anymore sense of it all they're both his Jack.
"How many times do I have to say it before you hear me? All this shit you keep saying; none of it makes any sense to me. You wanna give me something? Stop saying shit like that or tell me what the hell you mean."
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76 doesn't belong in the past. 76 ruins everything he touches-- he can't risk hurting what happiness ever possibly remained in his own life.
Stumbling back away from Gabriel, 76's back crashes against the wall and he pushes himself up against it hastily, eyes flicking back and forth across the room in obvious panic as tries to find a way out but only sees blurs and faint outlines of shapes-- where the fuck is his visor? His gun? He needs out-- he can't be here--!
"What year is it?" He manages to ask through his racing, wild heartbeat, fingers grasping at the wall as if it will keep him from falling down, "What year is it?!"
Hopefully this date is about right, the overwatch timeline sure is something
Which is a thought he can only have if her entertains the notion his question evokes and, well. Fuck. There's something wrong in the way his mind supplies that, well, it would make the most sense. If there is anything he can point to that causes his need for an early retirement it will be this moment exactly.
"2062." He replies, uncertainly all the same. The fact that Overwatch has been funding Winston's work to finalize and stabilize the chronal accelerator is an uncomfortable fact in the back of his mind. It wouldn't be the first case he'd heard of about someone getting displaced in time, but there's still so much they don't know about it.
He walks toward him carefully, wanting to reach out as if to stabilize him but he's seen how well that goes. So instead he asks, carefully;
"What year do you think it should be?"
In some weird way 76's own frantic panic helps keep Gabriel somewhat calm. Someone has to stay grounded-- or maybe he's just too tired to get worked up again. At least this is almost familiar. They got Lena back, mostly. It wasn't perfect yet but she was more stable by the day. Not that Gabriel was keen to ship him off to whatever fucked up time he came from, but at least it was something, finally, that possibly made any amount of sense.
the ovw timeline is basically calvinball
76 feels his blood go cold. He can't be here, he can't be here, he'll ruin everything. Gerard is still with them, Amelie is still Amelie, Mccree hasn't left and 76 will ruin it all--
His gun is heavy in his palm and the only thing he can think to do is lift it to his temple. 76 never wanted to go out this way, but if it means saving Gabriel from himself, then he'll do it. He's backed into a corner with only one choice left, but it's one he knows he can make.
"I'm sorry."
congrats jack that's not your gun anymore you can't have it back
Instinct that boils down to punching 76. Maybe it's not fair (Gabriel can't tell how bad his vision is but he hasn't been moving or looking at him like someone with good vision does) and it probably hurts his jaw like hell but, fuck, it's better than a goddamn bullet.
Next thing he knows he's wrestling the gun out of his hand and putting some distance between the two of them. He may have the advantage of surprising him with the sucker punch but he's not taking any chances. Especially with how unpredictable and difficult 76 has been so far.
"What the fuck do you think you're doing?!" His hands are shaking too much to fiddle with and unload the gun so he settles for clicking the safety back on.
"What the hell, Jack!" If he was freaked out before it's nothing compared to this. He didn't think it could get worse than having the barrel pointed at him but, well, here they are. It's a sight he's not going to soon forget.
:( its his safety blanket
The panic clears, thankfully, the pain a jolt to his brain that restarts the processes it had been trapped in, jerking him out of fight or flight and into something else, something closer to shock. 76 can feel his entire body begin to shake, the world becoming suddenly loud to all of his senses.
"I'll ruin it," 76 protests weakly, but his voice is shaking like a leaf, just like the rest of his body is.
too bad sit in the corner jack you're in time out
"And blowing your brains out in front of me wont?!" Panic subsides to anger now that the immediate threat has passed; Gabriel's hands shaking all the same. He doesn't even know what 76 means by ruining it but he can't imagine what he could do that's worse than the image burned into his brain or the what if aftermath he wishes he couldn't picture.
Angry as he is, it's Jack. Even now, in some fucked up way, he's trying to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders. Gabriel takes a deep breath, exhales. Makes his way back over to him with cautious, slow steps. If he has any reason to think Gabriel might still have a go at him then punching him probably didn't help any.
"Stop shutting me out, Jack." If this is the reality, this being his Jack from who knows how many years later (he's too disheveled and worn to guess exactly how many years older he could be), then there's no way in hell Gabriel is going to just sit back and let whatever got 76 to where he is happen. He refuses to accept the idea that that's just how things will end up.
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76's jaw is so tight, as mechanical as it now is, that his molars hurt, and he can feel his blind eyes burn and sting.
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"Well not anymore it's not." Nothing has gone to shit yet, not for Gabriel.
"I don't know what the hell has happened," not for lack of trying, he adds mentally. "But I'm here now. Let me help." He reaches out, grabbing his wrist just long enough to press the wedding ring (the one that was thrown at his feet, the one he's had in his pocket ever since 76 put a gun in his face) into the palm of 76's bare hand.
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"I can't lose you again."
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"I'm not going anywhere." As much as he's still frustrated that cracks his resolve. Seeing him break down like this tugs as his heart strings and as much as he wants to drive the point home he just doesn't have it in him to stay angry at him, not now. Not like this.
He's seen Jack through all sorts of danger and stress but he's never seen him break down like this. Whatever it is, whatever the fuck could have possibly gone down, he refuses to let it happen. There's no way he can go on and not do everything in his power to prevent everything from going to shit.
"We're married; we're a team." And honestly no matter what 76 says, no matter how hard he pushes him back and insists, Gabriel isn't budging.
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"Would that be better than not trying?" He can't wrap his head around it, what could have gone so wrong and feel so inevitable that he's giving up before he's started. Or well, before Gabriel's started. And Gabriel can't help but wonder now what he's tried, what all has failed before.
Gabriel's worse at this than he thought.
So instead he settles himself on the ground too. Sat close enough that he could reach out and touch him if he wanted but he keeps his hands to himself, still a bit weary of him lashing out. He seems to have calmed down but he's no less unpredictable for him.
"Look, just... don't worry about it right now, alright?" He doubts it'll be that simple if just because nothing so far has been with 76, but still.
"Let's take it a step at a time, alright?" And sat so close and being something relatively close to calm lets him get a good look at him, see what a mess he really is. It tugs at his heart, hurts to imagine his husband turning into this. Stings a bit to know that he does. (No, that he could. Gabriel wont allow it.)
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1. Torture
2. Questioning.
3. Repeat until desired effect is achieved.
When all those files had been leaked to the public, when 76 had watched them and read them all with his own eyes, he'd refused to believe it until he realized all his faith had been placed in the wrong man. Gabriel had changed without 76 even realizing it.
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"How about a shower?" They always helped him feel better and clear his mind after a long, disgusting and tiring day.
Besides, it has to have been awhile since 76 has had one. It's obvious, just not one of the high priority concerns on Gabriel's radar.
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