Gabriel Knows Too Much (part 2)
Mar. 18th, 2013 08:55 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
moonshadowsGabriel was very grateful for his hoodie, but even more grateful for the griffin's mane. His hands were toasty, in distinct contrast to his face and feet, but he didn't want to cover his face. He wanted to see where they were going.
Seeing the Reaper's mansion (keep?) from the air was worth feeling like his nose was frozen solid. It gave him a sense for how big the place was, how big the grounds were, and weirdly, it gave him a sense of belonging. This was - or would be - his home. He belonged there. And this time, he promised himself, he would not start his occupancy as a sickly, patronized, ignorant pawn.
They landed in the courtyard, startling a golem who let out a squawk and started trundling back inside before Angela whistled to it.
"Jack and I need food badly," Gabriel announced as he forced stiff legs over the griffin's back and nearly fell.
Angela gave him a look he was pretty sure was disapproving. Jack shifted back to his human form and helped Gabriel steady himself.
"We were hiking all day yesterday looking for you," the griffin pointed out. "I can hunt in the woods, but Gabriel needs something less..."
"Raw," Gabriel added when Jack hesitated. "I could go for half a dozen cheeseburgers, some fries, and a bucket of Coke." What had Jack ordered that first time? Steak, but he couldn't remember how well done, or what else was with it. He turned to the griffin. "Jack?"
"Steak," the griffin announced. "Medium rare, with a glass of whiskey if you can, and a glass of water."
The golem chirped at Angela, and Gabriel didn't need to speak ancient harpy to know that it was basically asking if it should obey these strangers. She whistled and chirped extensively for a minute, and it nodded before trundling back inside.
"Follow me," she commanded the other two. "You will have time to eat while we prepare for Gabriel's ascension, and then Jack, you will wait in the room we have prepared for him."
The griffin's chin came up in a stubborn gesture. "I want to be there for the ascension."
Angela scowled. "I'm afraid that is quite impossible. No one else must be in the room, to ensure a smooth transition."
On the one hand, Gabriel thought, that was really fucking sweet of Jack. But on the other hand, he was pretty sure he remembered his ascension hurting like fuck. "How about he stays just outside the room until I've become the Mantle?"
The harpy hesitated.
"I consider that an acceptable compromise," Jack said evenly.
"Very well. Now, follow me, bitte."
Gabriel flashed Jack a smile as they followed the harpy out of the courtyard, and was heartened when Jack smiled back.
=
"You will be quite weak for several days," Angela said as Gabriel chewed on his fifth cheeseburger. "It is vital that you rest and regain your strength during this critical time."
Gabriel swallowed. "You want me on bedrest."
The harpy looked relieved. "Exactly."
Jack looked up from his third steak. "I'll be staying in Gabriel's room," he announced in a tone that brooked no argument. "If I'm going to be looking after him, I need to be accessible at all hours."
Angela frowned, but nodded. "I'll have a second bed moved into the room. Gabriel? Do you have any requests?"
Boy, did he. "Send So-" shit, he wasn't supposed to know about Sombra. "-meone to my apartment for my clothes, my laptop, and my phone. I've been missing for a few days now, and if Liao can't find me by mortal means, she's liable to start trying supernatural ones."
"How much do you know about Liao?" Jack asked him curiously.
Too damn much, he wanted to say. Instead, he answered, "More than she thinks I do. I've had my memories wiped at least once, but..."
"But the stress you've been through in the last few days would have weakened that," Angela supplied. "I'll send someone immediately. Anything else?"
Gabriel thought about accidentally teleporting to Paris wearing nothing but a flimsy silk robe. "This place is drafty and cold. What does the ascension ritual involve for clothes?"
"There is a ritual robe..."
"I want to be put in something warmer once the ritual is over, then."
Thankfully, Angela nodded. "I'll see that it's arranged. Gabriel, thank you for your cooperation thus far. The transition goes much easier on a willing host, although you will still suffer a few months of your body trying to reject the foreign entity it is hosting."
"That's a relief," he said honestly.
"If the two of you are done eating, I will have a golem show you to the room you will be occupying. You may rest until we are ready for the ascension ritual."
Jack shoved the last piece of steak into his mouth and washed it down with the last mouthful of whiskey. "I'm done. Gabe?"
As much as he wanted to eat that last cheeseburger, he really didn't think he had room for it. "Yeah. I'm done."
=
The room looked just the way he remembered it, only this time he was walking in of his own free will rather than waking up there. Jack looked concerned by the shackles waiting on the stone block, and not reassured at all when Angela informed him that they were there to keep new hosts from harming themselves inadvertently.
"Once he is no longer in danger of hurting himself," she said, "you may carry him to his room."
"Gabe, you're sure you want to do this?"
Jack's eyes were worried. Gabriel leaned in to hug him, and found himself hugged tightly in return.
"The Reaper has to have a host," he said quietly. "It wants me. If I can be a good Reaper, then that will be the best thing I've done with my life so far. This path led me to you. I'll walk it willingly, as long as you walk with me."
Lips on his damp hair - at least he'd gotten a hot shower out of the ordeal, this time - tugging lightly. Jack was preening him.
"Thanks," he whispered, a little surprised at how choked-up he was. He guessed that wearing nothing but black silk that didn't even have a belt to hold it closed sort of invited vulnerability.
"Gabriel?" Angela's voice. "It's time."
"See you on the other side," he joked as Jack released him.
The stone was cold against his back as he lay down on the slab, and he tried not to flinch as the shackles closed around his ankles and wrists. The click-click-click he remembered came from down the hall, and there was a tense silence before Jack squeezed his shoulder one last time and left the room.
Amelie looked worse than he remembered, but maybe that was because he knew what she looked like when she was healthy.
"Let me get to the point, Gabriel," she said, exactly the way she did in his future memories. "I am dying."
"And I'm here to become the next Reaper," he said shortly, "so how about we skip the chit-chat and get on with it?"
She jerked back, startled. "Are you aware that in order for you to ascend, I must die?"
With effort, he throttled back a host of sarcastic answers and simply said, "Yes."
"I still have several years of my life left to live," she seethed. "Goals. Ambitions. All of them shackled by..."
Gabriel rolled his eyes.
"...this thing."
"And now you've got buyer's remorse," he snapped. "Look, are you going to die or not? Because if you've figured out some way to get rid of the Reaper without dying, then you can monologue at me later but right now, I'd really like to just get on with it and I'm sure the Reaper's just as impatient."
Amelie recoiled in affront. "You don't care that I have found a way to cheat death?"
"I'm sure I'll care a lot more later," Gabriel said with more honesty than either harpy was likely expecting. "But right now? I'm laying on a stone block wearing nothing but see-through silk and my nuts are freezing, so can we please. Get. On. With. It."
"Hmph. Angela?"
The white-feathered harpy hurried around to stand behind the current Reaper. "This should only hurt a little."
Gabriel closed his eyes so he wouldn't have to see Amelie being murdered. He'd watched it once, and that was enough. The sounds were still horrific, though. When they quieted, he opened his eyes and smiled at the hovering, confused cloud that curdled in the air above his head.
"I know you are impatient," Angela said in a voice that shook slightly, "but would you mind if I resurrected Amelie before transferring the Reaper to you?"
Right. They were lovers, or would become lovers.
"As long as you don't monologue at me," he answered. "I'm serious about my nuts."
She laughed, just a little, and Gabriel went back to smiling at the black cloud that was his future. It drifted slightly lower, and he silently urged it to come down into range for him to try to inhale it. The fact that he was eager to be the Reaper (again? Fuck, that was still confusing) boggled part of him, but for the rest of him...it wasn't being possessed by an entity of rage and violent death. It was being complete again.
Finally, Amelie gasped sharply and then coughed. He could hear Angela fuss briefly over her before urging her to leave the room, lest the Reaper try to take her again. Clicking footsteps, the door opening and closing. Then Angela, her fingers bloody, was standing next to the stone slab again.
"Thank you for your patience," she said, a note of earnestness in her voice. "Are you ready to begin?"
Gabriel took a deep breath; the Reaper trembled and came slightly closer.
"Do it."
Angela's eyes began to glow a somber yellow, the light clinging to her fingertips, and the cloudy mass of the Reaper edged towards them. The candles seemed to dim, and insubstantial voices whispered things he couldn't make out. Those glowing fingers urged the seething cloud down towards Gabriel's face, and he opened his mouth as if he were waiting for a priest to place a communion wafer on his tongue.
The Reaper slithered inside, unnatural and cold, down into his lungs as he inhaled and then spreading through his blood, carried to every part of his body. As willing as his mind was, however, his body still protested the foreign presence. That same unimaginable pain exploded from every cell at once, and Gabriel started screaming.
===
Helplessly, Jack watched as Gabriel spasmed and jerked on the slab, screaming like he was being murdered.
"The pain will subside as soon as the Reaper fully embeds itself in his body and soul," Angela murmured. "None of my magic would make this process any faster or less painful. All we can do is wait."
"You're sure you did everything right," the griffin growled.
"I did it exactly the same way I did for Amelie. The way the ceremony has been always performed, as far back as the records go. It may," she conceded, "be harder on him because he is human."
Amelie slipped back into the room, averting her eyes from the griffin glaring coldly at her. "How is he?"
Gabriel's screams had been replaced with high-pitched sobs, tears streaming down the sides of his face, and his struggles were slowing.
"As well as can be expected," Angela sighed. "I am glad he was a voluntary host, at least. He won't be fighting us at every step." Her eyes slid over to Jack.
The griffin hmphed. "As long as you treat me well, anyway."
The other harpy glared at him. "I still don't think he should have been allowed inside, much less roaming freely."
"Well isn't that just tough luck for you," Jack snapped. "You're not the Reaper anymore; what you want doesn't count for nearly as much as what Gabriel wants."
"I was the Reaper," Amelie shot back. "I should have killed you."
"I should kill you," Jack said evenly. "For all the friends of mine you murdered."
"Try it. I may no longer be the Reaper, but I am by no means helpless."
"Gabriel can safely be moved," Angela cut in almost desperately. "Jack..."
"Get him out of those restraints," the griffin said darkly.
Angela touched each shackle, causing them to fall open. Jack had scooped Gabriel - still moaning weakly - into his arms almost before the last one opened, and turned towards the door with an expression that said he would walk right over Amelie if she did not get out of his way. With one last venomous glance, she threw the door open and stalked down the hall.
Jack followed Angela through the corridors to the transition room, where he laid Gabriel's limp body on the king-sized bed. A second, much smaller bed had been shoved into one corner. Angela rummaged in a wardrobe for a moment and came out with a flannel night shirt that would reach to Gabriel's knees and a pair of thick woolen leggings.
"I will leave the dressing to you," she informed Jack primly as she handed him the garments. "Be aware that we have cameras mounted in the room to better monitor our fledgling Reaper. There will be a golem stationed outside his door at all times; if he needs anything, don't hesitate to request it. I will be back in the evening to check on him."
Eyes averted, Jack nodded and Angela slipped out of the room. He recognized her from her Overwatch days, and he wanted to snap at her the way he'd lashed out at Amelie because apparently this is what she'd been up to when she vanished. She'd been complicit in the murder of people he'd cared about, people he'd thought were her friends, too, and he was still processing how he felt about that.
But that wasn't important right now. Gabriel was important, and carefully, Jack wrestled the woolen leggings onto him before taking off the silk robe and slipping the flannel nightshirt over his head. Then he pulled back the covers and laid Gabriel carefully in bed. His skin was cold, worryingly cold, and the griffin crawled into bed beside him. The covers weren't as warm as his feathers, but he couldn't talk to Gabriel in his natural form, so he'd make do.
With the fledgling Mantle in his arms, Jack settled down to wait and try not to worry.
===
Gabriel woke up surrounded by warm, heavy weight. His throat felt exactly like he expected it to, his mouth was dry, and while he felt a little delicate in the tummy area, he didn't feel like he was going to vomit black goo either. Cautiously, he shifted on the bed and swallowed a yelp when every nerve in his body flared up with sudden pain.
"Gabe?"
Some of the warm heaviness shifted and he realized Jack had been wrapped around him.
"Hurts," he choked out, doing his best to lay still and relax and being very thankful that he wasn't remotely as nauseous as his future-memories suggested he might be. "When I move," he clarified when he felt Jack freeze.
"I'm not surprised," Jack said quietly. "you were thrashing quite a bit. How's your throat?"
"Sucks."
The griffin chuckled. "Think you could keep liquids down if I hold the cup for you?"
That was a good question. "Sit me up first?" Gabriel rasped.
The bed shifted as Jack re-arranged pillows into a mound and then slowly, carefully, propped him up like an oversized doll. His stomach did a few somersaults, but then settled when nothing else happened. Cautiously, Gabriel opened his eyes.
Stone walls. Stone floor. Red rug. Bookshelf. Second bed.
Second bed?
"I'm thinking of asking the golems to take it out," Jack said, following the direction of Gabriel's confused scowl. "Unless you're not comfortable sharing a bed with me."
Part of Gabriel wanted to crack a joke. He told that part to go fuck itself.
"As long as you're comfortable with it," he said instead. "Um. I think I can hold down water. At least, let's start with water and see what happens?"
Jack smiled. "Alright. Be right back. Don't go anywhere."
"I'll try not to," Gabriel said solemnly.
He meant it; he didn't remember the sneeze-teleporting kicking in this quick, but if it did, at least he seemed to be pretty warmly dressed...except for his feet. Experimentally, he wiggled them and felt the prickling pain of abused nerves, but they didn't seem too cold. Just...
Fuck. He remembered that tickling sensation. And now he could feel it on his hands, too. Don't look, Gabriel, don't look. Just sit there like a doll and let your not-yet-boyfriend take care of you.
"Hey Jack," he said as the griffin turned away from the door and let it close again. "Are there any nice, thick socks in that wardrobe?"
Jack frowned. "I'll check. Are your feet cold?"
"Not while I'm under the covers," he answered honestly, "but the floors..."
"They are pretty chilly." Jack rummaged in the drawers and came out with a reassuringly thick pair of socks. "Want them on anyway?"
"No." Noooo. "Give them here, I'll just-" wait, no, hands doing the same thing. "Actually, can you stuff them in the pocket of this nightshirt? My hands...don't want to work right now."
Jack's eyebrows went up. "That's...mildly alarming," he said, but he rolled the socks up and tucked them in the pocket, as requested.
It would be more alarming if you saw what they were doing, White Bread.
Thankfully, the door opened and a golem came in bearing a tray...table...thing meant for eating in bed. Aside from the glass of water, there was also a mug of something that steamed and a bowl of something else that steamed. Jack thanked it and took the tray, setting it down over Gabriel's lap. Looked like the mug was tea, and the bowl was broth.
"Start with the water?" Jack asked, sitting beside him.
"Yeah. Thanks."
Jack held the glass while Gabriel took tentative sips, but the only effect it had on his stomach was to remind him that those cheeseburgers had been a while ago and that broth was smelling pretty darn good. When he voiced that to Jack, the griffin started feeding him like a little kid. It was just chicken broth, but damn if it wasn't fucking delicious and he ate every drop. The tremors set in almost as he swallowed the last spoonful, and he did not object at all when Jack took the tray away and hugged Gabriel to his chest.
In fact, Gabriel was feeling pathetically grateful the griffin was there holding him. Almost as grateful as he was that he wasn't suffering from nausea this time. Yeah, he'd probably be horking up black tar or bloody chunks later, but for now he was warm and safe and content.
Gabriel slept.
===
The feeling that his lungs were full of dust woke Gabriel some unknown length of time later. He supposed that even being willing, he couldn't weasel out of all of the side effects, and shifted a little to try to get a deeper breath.
"Gabe?" Jack murmured sleepily.
"I think I'm gonna need a bucket," he answered softly.
The griffin climbed out of bed and retrieved something from the floor. A metal bucket. Angela must've left it there. Gabriel struggled to sit up, noting absently that his hands seemed to have knocked it off with the rotting thing. He wondered if his scars were smoking, but this wasn't a good time to check for that. Jack hauled him up into a sitting position and handed him the bucket as the coughing got worse. The dark, chunky substance Gabriel hacked up and spat into the bucket made him recoil, and he almost laughed at the mental image of Jack as a big cat trying to back away from the slime he was coughing up.
A few minutes later, he spat out what seemed to be the last of it and let Jack take the bucket while he slumped, exhausted, against the pillows. Jack opened the door, said something he couldn't make out to the golem, then handed it the bucket before coming back to hold the glass of water for Gabriel to drink.
He sucked the whole thing down, glad to get the taste of his own shredded tissues out of his mouth, and his stomach growled.
"The golem should be back in a minute," Jack reassured him. "Anything in particular you want to eat?"
"What time is it?"
Jack blinked. "You know, I have no idea."
"Breakfast, then," Gabriel decided. "Fruit, eggs, waffles, sausage, the whole nine yards."
"You got it." Jack went back to the door, exchanged a few words with what had to be a second golem, then came back. "Angela was serious about there being a golem at all times. She really wants to make sure you stay here and have everything you need."
Gabriel chuckled weakly, remembering how uncooperative he would have been without his future memories. "Can't blame her. I hate being sick. I'd be climbing the walls without you here, Jack."
The griffin sat on the bed, but not next to him. "Gabe...can I tell you something? Something...private?"
Oh, he was all ears for this. "Anything."
"Griffin culture is very focused on being strong," Jack started slowly. "Especially male strength. A male is supposed to be strong, to take a mate and form a pride and fight off any threats. To defend his pride with life and limb. And male griffins who prefer male mates...are expected to overpower and almost subjugate their mates. Female griffins who take female mates are expected to do the same, and usually not given much flak because the assumption is that they fought themselves to a 'male' role and they get respect for that strength - as long as they beat the crap out of any male who looks at their mate the wrong way. But the 'female' role..." he looked away.
"I'm not judging," Gabriel said softly.
"The female role...is the caretaker. The one who sees to the male's needs, who puts aside their own desires to make sure the male doesn't have to worry about anything but defending the pride. The big spoon, curled protectively around their dominant mate."
Gabriel blinked. "Wait - being the little spoon is a dominant position?"
Jack nodded. "With griffins, yes."
"But you've been-" Gabriel shut his mouth suddenly, afraid of saying the wrong thing.
"I've been taking the supportive role," Jack said evenly. "And, Gabriel, I feel comfortable doing this for you."
Gabriel's heart jumped into his throat. "Do you..." he trailed off, unsure of what he wanted to ask.
"I don't want to be subjugated, but I don't think you're the type to do that anyway. I want to defend you, but I also want to support you."
"I don't see anything wrong with that," Gabriel said slowly. "Human relationships aren't that clear-cut. I mean, yeah, you find a chauvinistic asshole and he's gonna try to make it that way, but healthy relationships are more give-and-take. No one partner dominating the other. Both partners supporting each other. Equals."
Jack stared at the blanket for a long minute.
"If we ever visit my parents, we'd have to pretend to adhere to traditional griffin mated-pair roles. I don't want to ask you to put up with that, especially if my extended family is involved."
Gabriel thought about Jack's...uncle? cousin?...relatives treating him like he was Jack's fucktoy.
"If I act...less submissive than they're expecting, but then pretend to submit to you, would that make you look super strong and dominant for having supposedly tamed me?"
Jack's head came up and he pinned Gabriel with a piercing look. "You'd do that? You'd put up with my narrow-minded family?"
"You're putting up with me, Jack."
Slowly, Jack smiled and Gabriel felt like he was going to melt. Then the door opened, and a golem trundled in with a new bucket and a tray loaded down with the breakfast Gabriel's stomach had been dreaming about. Hot on its heels was Angela, wearing a fluffy white bathrobe. Jack took the tray and put it on Gabriel's lap, and then...actually, Gabriel had no idea what Jack was doing because he was stuffing fresh fruit into his mouth and trying not to voice any sounds of pleasure. He wasn't really aware of what anyone else was doing until he'd eaten the last bite of waffle and washed it down with orange juice.
Jack took the tray and handed it to the golem, who whistled and left the room. Angela had apparently brought in a chair for herself and now sat by the side of the bed while Jack sat awkwardly at the foot. Oh, right, this was going to be the talk about symptoms and duties and shit, wasn't it?
"You are doing very well so far," Angela told him brightly. "How are you feeling?"
"Uh...pretty good, actually."
"This is not the first time you've awakened since your ascension. How did you feel when you first woke up?"
"Throat hurt a lot. Everything hurt when I tried to move. Hands felt weird," Gabriel said, skirting the issue.
"Any nausea?"
Gabriel shook his head. "Only a little. It went away with some water."
That made her look relieved. "You're handling this very well. Let me tell you about some of the symptoms you might still get while your body adjusts..."
Gabriel listened, or at least pretended to listen, while Jack edged closer and soaked up every word. Then she described some of the Reaper's powers that might spontaneously manifest. He wasn't really paying much attention; not only did he know this all already, but he remembered how to do things. And Jack was cuddling him. He was full, he was warm, his griffin had brought up the idea of meeting his family and might already be thinking of him as 'mate', and it was probably the middle of the night. His eyes slid shut again, and he let Angela's voice wash over him as he drifted back to sleep.
===
The memory of having Zenyatta close his Sight, of finding out Jack was alive and feeling his sanity snap at that, of turning into smoke to escape his room, woke him.
Well, technically, the fact that he'd turned into smoke in his sleep woke him, and in his gaseous flailing around, he woke Jack, who froze and called his name uncertainly.
Fuck. How did he put himself back together, again? It seemed so instinctive, but he just couldn't-
Ah, there. Gabriel found himself sprawled, naked, across half the bed while Jack watched with the covers drawn up to his chin like a startled housewife. A quick check confirmed that he still had all his fingers and toes, but he was smoking slightly. Also, ravenous.
"I think I need to practice," he said in what was only half a joke. "I'd like to not be naked when I pull myself back together."
Jack didn't look amused. In fact, he looked pretty freaked out.
Gabriel frowned. "Jack? Jack! Hey, White Bread! Featherbutt! Earth to Morrison?"
The griffin shook his head and focused on him with effort. "Sorry, Gabe. That was...there's a difference between the way you smell normally, and the way you smell when you're using the Reaper's power. A big difference. I wasn't prepared for it."
Awkwardly, Gabriel sat up, doing his best to keep his groin covered. "You okay?"
"Yeah, just..." Jack averted his eyes and rummaged under the covers for the things Gabriel had been wearing. "It's...you're a bigger predator than me. It's kinda terrifying on a primal level. I've never been around the Reaper before, much less had someone I care about suddenly emanate Reaper energy from right next to me."
There was silence for a minute as Gabriel wormed his way back into his nightclothes, including the very warm woolen socks. He was going to seriously appreciate these when he accidentally teleported to Paris.
"Okay, so I need to practice so I don't re-form naked, and so you can get used to what it feels like. I don't want to freak you out. But first, breakfast. What do you think?"
Jack still wasn't looking at him. His fingers were kneading the covers anxiously. Gabriel crawled across the bed until he could wrap his arms around the faintly-trembling griffin and pull him against his chest. Then, remembering their berry lunch in the woods, he lowered his head and lipped at Jack's hair. A sigh slid out from between Jack's lips and he relaxed into Gabriel's embrace.
"Your eyes," he murmured after a minute. "They're red, and they kind of...glow. It's going to take some getting used to."
"They weren't red last night?" Gabriel asked quietly.
"Mm. They were more dark red, and they didn't glow."
Oh, right. "I think they glow brighter the more I'm drawing on the Reaper. Sorry about that, Jack. I'll completely understand if you don't-"
He didn't get a chance to finish, because Jack sat up so suddenly that Gabriel let his arms fall in surprise. Then he found himself being tightly hugged to Jack's chest, the griffin lipping at his hair.
"You're still part of my pride," Jack growled. "I'll get used to it."
Gabriel felt incongruously small and safe. No wonder he'd fallen for the griffin in less than a week.
"Thank you, Jack," he said in a small voice. "That really means a lot to me."
They cuddled like that for another minute or two before Gabriel's stomach complained loudly enough to make them both laugh.
"Okay," Jack said, releasing Gabriel. "Breakfast, and then practice."
=
Once he'd eaten, Gabriel lounged against the pillows and started small. One finger, two fingers, his hand. It was easier than he thought it would be, given how hard he remembered having worked on going to smoke, but he wasn't trying his whole body. Jack initially went still, frozen in primal fear, but either his instincts got tired or he convinced them that Gabriel wasn't a threat, because it didn't take more than an hour before he was cuddling Gabriel to his chest again. When Gabriel got used to his hand dissolving and re-forming, he went up to the elbow, then the shoulder. Suddenly he remembered the shadow scythes Liao had used to cut down Ojal, and froze with his right arm a slender lash of smoke.
Slowly, awkwardly, he reached out and plucked a book off the bookshelf with his smoke-whip-arm.
"Hey, pretty good, Gabe!"
He tossed the book into the air, sharpened the whip, and slashed.
Two neatly-severed half books fell to the floor.
"Okay," Jack said into the silence, his arms almost painfully tight around Gabriel, "that was fucking terrifying, not gonna lie."
Gabriel snapped his arm back into being an arm and curled up against Jack's chest. "No arguments here," he said in a tight voice. "Jack?"
"Hm?"
"I've never killed anyone."
Liao doesn't count. Liao doesn't count. I haven't killed her. I remember it, but it hasn't happened.
"As the Reaper," Jack said slowly, "you're going to have to."
Gabriel squeezed his eyes shut, trying not to see Liao's ruined throat, her blood on his hands. "I know. But I don't want to."
Lips on his hair.
"You're going to be fine, Gabe. You're a good person. Do you want to practice some more? It'll be hard for anyone to hurt you if you just turn into smoke."
"I think I need a nap, actually."
Jack tugged the covers up higher around them. "Go ahead and sleep, Gabe. I've got you."
God damn he loved that griffin.
===
"Gabe. Gabe!"
The warm surface he was sleeping on shook. Gabriel sat up, sleepy and sulky. "What?"
Jack practically leaped out of bed and came back with...a roll of paper towels? "You're bleeding."
Gabriel felt warmth leaking from his nose and sniffed, but that just made his sinuses sting. He took the paper towel Jack offered him and dabbed at his nose, not surprised when it came back with a black, tarry substance on it. Fuck, the sneezing. Was this-?
He sneezed into the paper towel, then made a face at the sheer amount of black goo on it. "Guh."
"You're telling me," Jack teased. Instead of taking it back, he held out the bucket. "I'm not touching that."
He thought about teasing the griffin. Then he looked at the goo again. "I don't blame you," he said, wadding the paper towel up and dropping it in. "Gimmie another one of those."
Three more sneeze-filled paper towels later, Gabriel sniffed experimentally and then blew his nose.
"I think that's over with," he said cautiously. "For now, anyway."
Jack handed him another paper towel and sat on the bed. "How are you feeling?"
"A little hungry. Relieved that I didn't spontaneously manifest another Reaper power. Gotta pee."
That made Jack chuckle. "Do you need help getting to the bathroom?"
That was a good question, actually. Carefully, using Jack as a support, Gabriel crawled out of bed and stood up. Damn, those socks were great. His legs were a little wiggly, but otherwise he was fine.
"I should be okay," he said. "I could really go for a roast beef sandwich with salt-and-vinegar chips and a Coke. How about you?"
Jack grinned at him. "I think it's a little early for lunch, but I'm not the one getting used to hosting the Reaper."
Gabriel frowned. "What makes you say it's too early for lunch?"
Instead of answering, Jack pointed to the little battery-operated alarm clock on one of the shelves. It read 10:45.
"Fine. Call it brunch. I'll be right back."
While Gabriel was in the bathroom, Jack talked with the golems. One went off to fetch the fledgling Mantle's brunch; it came back with Angela in tow. Gabriel listened with half an ear as she told him about Zenyatta, and how he had been waiting years to present the Shambali's case because Amelie had shirked her duties as Mantle. Most of his attention was on his meal. Idly, he opened his Sight.
Feathers and needles; Angela. Cold wind and strength; Jack. The two golems outside the door. Where was- Ah. The stillness and serenity of a mountain peak; Zenyatta. He still wasn't sure how to communicate through his Sight.
Hello?
My, my. This is a surprise. A curious and polite Reaper?
More like he'd already learned from his mistakes, but whatever.
You have met one of the Shambali already, then?
Well- yes and no-
But you have been gifted with a glimpse of the future. Or at least, a possible future. Zenyatta's mental voice was confused and concerned.
I think we'd better discuss this in person, Gabriel thought.
As you wish, Reaper. I will await your summons.
"Gabriel!" Angela was glaring at him.
"I was checking Zenyatta out with my Sight," he protested. "I want to talk to him soon. In person. Oh - Jack, hand me a paper towel, I'm going to-"
He snatched at it, fairly ripping it out of the griffin's hands. Just in time, because that was one monster sneeze and...
...wait...
The keep wasn't that drafty. Cautiously, he opened his eyes.
"Yeah," he sighed, wadding up the paper towel and being extremely grateful for his nice, warm socks. "We're not in Kansas anymore, Toto."
The Eiffel Tower glittered in the distance, golden lights shining brightly against the darkness of the dusky evening sky.
===
Right. He was in Paris, but this time he was wearing thick woolen socks, woolen leggings, and a flannel nightgown slash oversized shirt thing. And his eyes were probably glowing. At least his nuts weren't freezing.
Gabriel started looking around for someone talking on a phone. Humans seemed to almost not see him; supernatural creatures looked at him in fear and scurried away. Wait! That guy - that was the guy with the phone! He reached out and snagged the sleeve of the guy's pinstriped suit as he walked by, too deep in his phone conversation to notice that he was passing the Reaper.
"I need to borrow your phone," Gabriel said, prompting the guy to stammer something into the phone, hang up, and thrust it at him. He took it with one hand, still holding the gyu's sleeve. "Don't go anywhere," he growled, and the man nodded in terror.
Quickly, Gabriel typed Ana's number into the phone and hit the call button. The numbers flashed gold and flowed into Ana's spidery handwriting and he held the phone to his ear.
It rang. And rang. And rang. Gabriel anxiously counted the rings. At seven, the line picked up.
"Hello?" Ana said.
"Ana! It's me, I don't have much time so listen closely. Do not let Genji out of your sight, I'm probably going to be dropping in. I'll try to explain more when I get there."
A brief pause, no longer than a breath. "Okay. We will see you soon, then."
As he pulled the phone away from his ear, Gabriel could hear Ana yelling for Hanzo. He jabbed the end call button and handed the phone back to the terrified...vampire? Yeah, there were the fangs. "Thank you, sir. You have a business card?"
The vamp shook his head. Just as well, Gabriel thought. He was probably going to sneeze himself into the ocean next.
"Merci," Gabriel said, knowing he'd probably butchered the pronunciation but not caring. "The Reaper owes you a favor. Have a good day."
A sneeze was building; he let go of the vamp's suit and readied his paper towel. Please not underwater! Frantically, he imagined the Sydney Opera House as seen from close to shore.
Splash!
The Sydney Opera House loomed before him. Grateful beyond words, he sucked in a lungful of sea air. The water wasn't actually that cold, something else he was grateful for as he started treading water. Of course, the flannel nightshirt made that harder, but he only had to hold on until...
He sneezed.
Coils of black smoke wreathed him, and he found himself dripping on the floor of...some room in the Shambali monastery.
"Oh my," said a soft voice from behind him, and he turned to see...Mondatta. Of course. "I wasn't expecting you quite so soon."
That was either a polite fiction or an outright lie, but Gabriel decided to play along for the moment. "You were expecting me?"
"Of course," the djinn said in his melodic wind-chime voice. "You are the Reaper, are you not?"
"Oh, am I? That would explain the sneezing out black goo and teleporting and...are my eyes glowing?"
"Yes," Mondatta said mildly.
"Yeah, the glowing-eye thing. Look, sorry for the sarcasm, but I'm soaking wet and fucking freezing."
Recognition dawned in all nine of the djinn's eyes. "Of course. Come into the sanctum; I'll prepare you some tea and give you dry clothes."
Gabriel followed silently, swallowing all the biting comments he wanted to say. He remembered how nice and warm the Shambali robe and boots were going to be and he did not want to jeopardize his chances of wearing those.
"My name is Tekhartha Mondatta," his host announced. "I am the leader of the Shambali. At present, you are in our monastery."
"Zenyatta is your emissary?"
Mondatta smiled at him. "Indeed! Had I known you would be visiting, even inadvertently, I would not have bothered to send him to your doorstep."
Gabriel doubted that.
Eventually, they came to a small, homely room with a fireplace in one corner. Gabriel wasted no time edging close enough that its heat was almost painful.
"I will be back with a robe and tea," Mondatta assured him. "Please, do not be bashful about shedding your wet clothes. None will spy upon you."
Only the flannel came off; the woolen leggings and socks warmed up, and Gabriel mentally congratulated himself on that. Mondatta came back with tea and a robe, which he helped Gabriel into, giving the tea time to cool down a bit.
"So you're a djinn," Gabriel said, remembering the conversation that led to him getting really warm boots, "but not the type that grants wishes."
Mondatta laughed. "I could. Do you want a wish granted?"
"No."
"No?" the djinn repeated, laughing with surprise.
Gabriel shrugged. "If magic could really solve problems, the Reaper wouldn't be necessary."
"Wise and astute." Mondatta gave him a measuring look. "If you could have a wish granted, what would it be?"
"Some nice, warm boots."
Another peal of laughter from the djinn. "A practical wish! Very well. Please, warm yourself and drink. I will be right back."
Smirking into his teacup, Gabriel basked by the fire and enjoyed the sweet tea. Mondatta returned a few minutes later with fur-trimmed boots. Gabriel gulped the rest of his tea and shoved his feet into the boots just as his nose began to tickle.
"Ah, excuse me, I'll be back later," he said hurriedly.
Gabriel sneezed. Times Square. Sneezed again, the front porch of the Morrison home, with Jack's dad freaking out and trying to get away as fast as physically possible. Sneezed a third time, and found himself standing on Ana's couch. On his rug, Jesse surged to his feet and let out a terrified howl that brought two vampires and an elderly witch running in the time it took Gabriel to climb down.
"You're alive!" Ana cried joyfully, hugging him tight.
"You are the Reaper," Hanzo pointed out calmly.
"I am, and Genji, don't even fucking think about my blood. You may not live to regret it." Gabriel pulled out of Ana's grasp and gave the vampire a threatening glare. "I'm still learning the Reaper's powers - I'm gonna teleport out of here if I sneeze again - but I can more than defend myself." He paused. "Also, I met a djinn named Zenyatta. If you're good, maybe I'll take you to see him."
The effect on Genji was startling. His sulky, bratty demeanor melted away, leaving him looking eager and almost innocent. "Master Zenyatta!"
"Still working on getting a cell phone," Gabriel apologized to Ana. "Had to borrow one from some random guy when I sneezed and found myself in Paris." His nose started to tickle. "Uh...hold that thought. I'll be ri...right..."
Gabriel sneezed. Zarya and Mei looked up from making out on the couch, various degrees of anger and surprise on their faces.
"Who are you?" Zarya demanded.
Shit. He hadn't met Mei.
"Gabriel Reyes, former LAPD under Liao," he said quickly, hands up. "I'm not a threat-"
He sneezed, and Mondatta said, "Welcome back."
"Hold that thought," Gabriel told him, feeling the unsatisfied tickle in his nose.
A flurry of sneezes, and then he was in a misty field with a herd of cows. Great. He remembered this. The friendly cow - Mugir, he'd named her - came up to say hello and he petted her for a few minutes until the herd began to go back to the dryad.
"Hey, do you mind if..."
Mugir knelt down, lowing almost cheerfully.
"You are a queen among cattle," he told her as he straddled her broad back. "Thank you."
Once again, for the first time, he found himself riding a cow. This time, he was determined to not pull the naiad's soul out and almost eat it.
===
Unexpected bonus to the woolen leggings: he didn't have to adjust himself nearly as much while he rode the cow and tried to talk things over with the Reaper.
No soul-eating. Soul-eating bad. Souls were not food. Yes, it was created to eat souls, but not just any souls. Construct souls. And then only if they'd been bad.
Gabriel found himself wondering what Mondatta's soul would taste like. Okay, the Reaper knew Mondatta's significance and didn't like him. Gabriel supposed that was fair, considering that Mondatta - and his rebellion - was literally the reason the Reaper had been created. Of course, it didn't like Liao either, and Gabriel remembered uneasily that the Reaper didn't like Mantles who took the position for personal power or vengeance.
Fuck. It had to have learned that from Liao, meaning there was probably no chance in hell she could be swayed from her hatred of constructs. Could the Reaper pull her soul out and swallow it? Probably not; it would be like a snake swallowing its tail. But then if she was immortal...how did that work, exactly? Could he slice her to ribbons the way she murdered Ojal, or put a bullet between her eyes? Would she heal like Wolverine? Would she get back up, like the Highlander, with no sign of injury? He'd have to ask Jack about the family not-cat.
He was seriously considering the murder of a woman who, a week ago, he would have called his closest friend. But then again...she'd kill him in a heartbeat if it got her the Reaper. She was thousands of years old, a decade was barely enough time to get fond of someone. She probably saw him more like a pet, he thought, remembering a conversation that didn't happen about him moving in with her. Or a young blowhard who reminded her of herself when she was younger. Only he was also bait for the Reaper. Or at least, he had been.
Now he had everything she wanted, and the only chance any of them had to take her out was to (temporarily) give her the Reaper. God, he was not looking forward to that.
As unsettling as his thoughts were, they kept him from falling asleep until the cows started galloping the last little bit to the clearing where he would meet-
"Where are they?"
-the dryad, Satya.
"Hi," he said brightly before she could say anything else. "I'm the new Reaper. Your cow was kind enough to give me a ride. You have a problem you need me to mediate?"
The dryad frowned, but gestured for the cow to follow. "I do."
As she led the cow down a narrow path, she explained how the naiad, Hana, refused to keep her river clean. They arrived at the river bank soon enough, and Gabriel carefully climbed off the cow and shook himself out. He could do this. He was the Reaper.
"Hana! There is someone here to settle this," Satya called imperiously.
The naiad surged up from under the water, and Gabriel could see the trash from junk foods that littered the pebbled river bottom. She stared at him in shock.
"You got the Reaper?" she squeaked at Satya, going slightly pale.
Satya's chin went up, satisfaction dripping from her expression. "Yes, I did. He'll clean up your act."
Here it comes, Gabriel thought with an internal eyeroll.
"Yeah? You don't scare me!"
His right arm dissolved into a whip of smoke that wrapped around the naiad's chest, pinning her arms. He tugged sharply, forcing her a few steps closer, enough that he could reach out and touch her with his left hand if he so chose. Instead, he leaned down into her face, seeing the reflection of his blazing red eyes in her pupils.
"I should," he growled, feeling the familiar surge of the Reaper taking notice. "Your river is filthy. You are not worthy of it."
Hana was trying to babble something, some form of defiance, but her eyes were wide with terror.
"Clean it up," Gabriel said, deadly quiet, his left hand sliding along her collarbone to hover just over her heart. "If you do not..."
He reached into Hana, fingers sliding through her body as if it were water, closing around her soul but not removing it. She sucked in her breath and held it, almost too afraid to think.
"If you do not," he repeated, "I will eat your soul and let someone else claim your river."
With a bit of effort, he let go of her soul and removed his hand, snapped his arm back into being an arm and shoved her gently. She staggered back a few steps and fell backwards to sit in her river, crying in complete and utter terror.
"Clean up your river," he commanded again, noting that even Satya seemed more scared than smug. "Don't make me come back."
He'd timed it right; a sneeze climbed up his nose. It exploded out of him, and then he was gone.
Seeing the Reaper's mansion (keep?) from the air was worth feeling like his nose was frozen solid. It gave him a sense for how big the place was, how big the grounds were, and weirdly, it gave him a sense of belonging. This was - or would be - his home. He belonged there. And this time, he promised himself, he would not start his occupancy as a sickly, patronized, ignorant pawn.
They landed in the courtyard, startling a golem who let out a squawk and started trundling back inside before Angela whistled to it.
"Jack and I need food badly," Gabriel announced as he forced stiff legs over the griffin's back and nearly fell.
Angela gave him a look he was pretty sure was disapproving. Jack shifted back to his human form and helped Gabriel steady himself.
"We were hiking all day yesterday looking for you," the griffin pointed out. "I can hunt in the woods, but Gabriel needs something less..."
"Raw," Gabriel added when Jack hesitated. "I could go for half a dozen cheeseburgers, some fries, and a bucket of Coke." What had Jack ordered that first time? Steak, but he couldn't remember how well done, or what else was with it. He turned to the griffin. "Jack?"
"Steak," the griffin announced. "Medium rare, with a glass of whiskey if you can, and a glass of water."
The golem chirped at Angela, and Gabriel didn't need to speak ancient harpy to know that it was basically asking if it should obey these strangers. She whistled and chirped extensively for a minute, and it nodded before trundling back inside.
"Follow me," she commanded the other two. "You will have time to eat while we prepare for Gabriel's ascension, and then Jack, you will wait in the room we have prepared for him."
The griffin's chin came up in a stubborn gesture. "I want to be there for the ascension."
Angela scowled. "I'm afraid that is quite impossible. No one else must be in the room, to ensure a smooth transition."
On the one hand, Gabriel thought, that was really fucking sweet of Jack. But on the other hand, he was pretty sure he remembered his ascension hurting like fuck. "How about he stays just outside the room until I've become the Mantle?"
The harpy hesitated.
"I consider that an acceptable compromise," Jack said evenly.
"Very well. Now, follow me, bitte."
Gabriel flashed Jack a smile as they followed the harpy out of the courtyard, and was heartened when Jack smiled back.
=
"You will be quite weak for several days," Angela said as Gabriel chewed on his fifth cheeseburger. "It is vital that you rest and regain your strength during this critical time."
Gabriel swallowed. "You want me on bedrest."
The harpy looked relieved. "Exactly."
Jack looked up from his third steak. "I'll be staying in Gabriel's room," he announced in a tone that brooked no argument. "If I'm going to be looking after him, I need to be accessible at all hours."
Angela frowned, but nodded. "I'll have a second bed moved into the room. Gabriel? Do you have any requests?"
Boy, did he. "Send So-" shit, he wasn't supposed to know about Sombra. "-meone to my apartment for my clothes, my laptop, and my phone. I've been missing for a few days now, and if Liao can't find me by mortal means, she's liable to start trying supernatural ones."
"How much do you know about Liao?" Jack asked him curiously.
Too damn much, he wanted to say. Instead, he answered, "More than she thinks I do. I've had my memories wiped at least once, but..."
"But the stress you've been through in the last few days would have weakened that," Angela supplied. "I'll send someone immediately. Anything else?"
Gabriel thought about accidentally teleporting to Paris wearing nothing but a flimsy silk robe. "This place is drafty and cold. What does the ascension ritual involve for clothes?"
"There is a ritual robe..."
"I want to be put in something warmer once the ritual is over, then."
Thankfully, Angela nodded. "I'll see that it's arranged. Gabriel, thank you for your cooperation thus far. The transition goes much easier on a willing host, although you will still suffer a few months of your body trying to reject the foreign entity it is hosting."
"That's a relief," he said honestly.
"If the two of you are done eating, I will have a golem show you to the room you will be occupying. You may rest until we are ready for the ascension ritual."
Jack shoved the last piece of steak into his mouth and washed it down with the last mouthful of whiskey. "I'm done. Gabe?"
As much as he wanted to eat that last cheeseburger, he really didn't think he had room for it. "Yeah. I'm done."
=
The room looked just the way he remembered it, only this time he was walking in of his own free will rather than waking up there. Jack looked concerned by the shackles waiting on the stone block, and not reassured at all when Angela informed him that they were there to keep new hosts from harming themselves inadvertently.
"Once he is no longer in danger of hurting himself," she said, "you may carry him to his room."
"Gabe, you're sure you want to do this?"
Jack's eyes were worried. Gabriel leaned in to hug him, and found himself hugged tightly in return.
"The Reaper has to have a host," he said quietly. "It wants me. If I can be a good Reaper, then that will be the best thing I've done with my life so far. This path led me to you. I'll walk it willingly, as long as you walk with me."
Lips on his damp hair - at least he'd gotten a hot shower out of the ordeal, this time - tugging lightly. Jack was preening him.
"Thanks," he whispered, a little surprised at how choked-up he was. He guessed that wearing nothing but black silk that didn't even have a belt to hold it closed sort of invited vulnerability.
"Gabriel?" Angela's voice. "It's time."
"See you on the other side," he joked as Jack released him.
The stone was cold against his back as he lay down on the slab, and he tried not to flinch as the shackles closed around his ankles and wrists. The click-click-click he remembered came from down the hall, and there was a tense silence before Jack squeezed his shoulder one last time and left the room.
Amelie looked worse than he remembered, but maybe that was because he knew what she looked like when she was healthy.
"Let me get to the point, Gabriel," she said, exactly the way she did in his future memories. "I am dying."
"And I'm here to become the next Reaper," he said shortly, "so how about we skip the chit-chat and get on with it?"
She jerked back, startled. "Are you aware that in order for you to ascend, I must die?"
With effort, he throttled back a host of sarcastic answers and simply said, "Yes."
"I still have several years of my life left to live," she seethed. "Goals. Ambitions. All of them shackled by..."
Gabriel rolled his eyes.
"...this thing."
"And now you've got buyer's remorse," he snapped. "Look, are you going to die or not? Because if you've figured out some way to get rid of the Reaper without dying, then you can monologue at me later but right now, I'd really like to just get on with it and I'm sure the Reaper's just as impatient."
Amelie recoiled in affront. "You don't care that I have found a way to cheat death?"
"I'm sure I'll care a lot more later," Gabriel said with more honesty than either harpy was likely expecting. "But right now? I'm laying on a stone block wearing nothing but see-through silk and my nuts are freezing, so can we please. Get. On. With. It."
"Hmph. Angela?"
The white-feathered harpy hurried around to stand behind the current Reaper. "This should only hurt a little."
Gabriel closed his eyes so he wouldn't have to see Amelie being murdered. He'd watched it once, and that was enough. The sounds were still horrific, though. When they quieted, he opened his eyes and smiled at the hovering, confused cloud that curdled in the air above his head.
"I know you are impatient," Angela said in a voice that shook slightly, "but would you mind if I resurrected Amelie before transferring the Reaper to you?"
Right. They were lovers, or would become lovers.
"As long as you don't monologue at me," he answered. "I'm serious about my nuts."
She laughed, just a little, and Gabriel went back to smiling at the black cloud that was his future. It drifted slightly lower, and he silently urged it to come down into range for him to try to inhale it. The fact that he was eager to be the Reaper (again? Fuck, that was still confusing) boggled part of him, but for the rest of him...it wasn't being possessed by an entity of rage and violent death. It was being complete again.
Finally, Amelie gasped sharply and then coughed. He could hear Angela fuss briefly over her before urging her to leave the room, lest the Reaper try to take her again. Clicking footsteps, the door opening and closing. Then Angela, her fingers bloody, was standing next to the stone slab again.
"Thank you for your patience," she said, a note of earnestness in her voice. "Are you ready to begin?"
Gabriel took a deep breath; the Reaper trembled and came slightly closer.
"Do it."
Angela's eyes began to glow a somber yellow, the light clinging to her fingertips, and the cloudy mass of the Reaper edged towards them. The candles seemed to dim, and insubstantial voices whispered things he couldn't make out. Those glowing fingers urged the seething cloud down towards Gabriel's face, and he opened his mouth as if he were waiting for a priest to place a communion wafer on his tongue.
The Reaper slithered inside, unnatural and cold, down into his lungs as he inhaled and then spreading through his blood, carried to every part of his body. As willing as his mind was, however, his body still protested the foreign presence. That same unimaginable pain exploded from every cell at once, and Gabriel started screaming.
===
Helplessly, Jack watched as Gabriel spasmed and jerked on the slab, screaming like he was being murdered.
"The pain will subside as soon as the Reaper fully embeds itself in his body and soul," Angela murmured. "None of my magic would make this process any faster or less painful. All we can do is wait."
"You're sure you did everything right," the griffin growled.
"I did it exactly the same way I did for Amelie. The way the ceremony has been always performed, as far back as the records go. It may," she conceded, "be harder on him because he is human."
Amelie slipped back into the room, averting her eyes from the griffin glaring coldly at her. "How is he?"
Gabriel's screams had been replaced with high-pitched sobs, tears streaming down the sides of his face, and his struggles were slowing.
"As well as can be expected," Angela sighed. "I am glad he was a voluntary host, at least. He won't be fighting us at every step." Her eyes slid over to Jack.
The griffin hmphed. "As long as you treat me well, anyway."
The other harpy glared at him. "I still don't think he should have been allowed inside, much less roaming freely."
"Well isn't that just tough luck for you," Jack snapped. "You're not the Reaper anymore; what you want doesn't count for nearly as much as what Gabriel wants."
"I was the Reaper," Amelie shot back. "I should have killed you."
"I should kill you," Jack said evenly. "For all the friends of mine you murdered."
"Try it. I may no longer be the Reaper, but I am by no means helpless."
"Gabriel can safely be moved," Angela cut in almost desperately. "Jack..."
"Get him out of those restraints," the griffin said darkly.
Angela touched each shackle, causing them to fall open. Jack had scooped Gabriel - still moaning weakly - into his arms almost before the last one opened, and turned towards the door with an expression that said he would walk right over Amelie if she did not get out of his way. With one last venomous glance, she threw the door open and stalked down the hall.
Jack followed Angela through the corridors to the transition room, where he laid Gabriel's limp body on the king-sized bed. A second, much smaller bed had been shoved into one corner. Angela rummaged in a wardrobe for a moment and came out with a flannel night shirt that would reach to Gabriel's knees and a pair of thick woolen leggings.
"I will leave the dressing to you," she informed Jack primly as she handed him the garments. "Be aware that we have cameras mounted in the room to better monitor our fledgling Reaper. There will be a golem stationed outside his door at all times; if he needs anything, don't hesitate to request it. I will be back in the evening to check on him."
Eyes averted, Jack nodded and Angela slipped out of the room. He recognized her from her Overwatch days, and he wanted to snap at her the way he'd lashed out at Amelie because apparently this is what she'd been up to when she vanished. She'd been complicit in the murder of people he'd cared about, people he'd thought were her friends, too, and he was still processing how he felt about that.
But that wasn't important right now. Gabriel was important, and carefully, Jack wrestled the woolen leggings onto him before taking off the silk robe and slipping the flannel nightshirt over his head. Then he pulled back the covers and laid Gabriel carefully in bed. His skin was cold, worryingly cold, and the griffin crawled into bed beside him. The covers weren't as warm as his feathers, but he couldn't talk to Gabriel in his natural form, so he'd make do.
With the fledgling Mantle in his arms, Jack settled down to wait and try not to worry.
===
Gabriel woke up surrounded by warm, heavy weight. His throat felt exactly like he expected it to, his mouth was dry, and while he felt a little delicate in the tummy area, he didn't feel like he was going to vomit black goo either. Cautiously, he shifted on the bed and swallowed a yelp when every nerve in his body flared up with sudden pain.
"Gabe?"
Some of the warm heaviness shifted and he realized Jack had been wrapped around him.
"Hurts," he choked out, doing his best to lay still and relax and being very thankful that he wasn't remotely as nauseous as his future-memories suggested he might be. "When I move," he clarified when he felt Jack freeze.
"I'm not surprised," Jack said quietly. "you were thrashing quite a bit. How's your throat?"
"Sucks."
The griffin chuckled. "Think you could keep liquids down if I hold the cup for you?"
That was a good question. "Sit me up first?" Gabriel rasped.
The bed shifted as Jack re-arranged pillows into a mound and then slowly, carefully, propped him up like an oversized doll. His stomach did a few somersaults, but then settled when nothing else happened. Cautiously, Gabriel opened his eyes.
Stone walls. Stone floor. Red rug. Bookshelf. Second bed.
Second bed?
"I'm thinking of asking the golems to take it out," Jack said, following the direction of Gabriel's confused scowl. "Unless you're not comfortable sharing a bed with me."
Part of Gabriel wanted to crack a joke. He told that part to go fuck itself.
"As long as you're comfortable with it," he said instead. "Um. I think I can hold down water. At least, let's start with water and see what happens?"
Jack smiled. "Alright. Be right back. Don't go anywhere."
"I'll try not to," Gabriel said solemnly.
He meant it; he didn't remember the sneeze-teleporting kicking in this quick, but if it did, at least he seemed to be pretty warmly dressed...except for his feet. Experimentally, he wiggled them and felt the prickling pain of abused nerves, but they didn't seem too cold. Just...
Fuck. He remembered that tickling sensation. And now he could feel it on his hands, too. Don't look, Gabriel, don't look. Just sit there like a doll and let your not-yet-boyfriend take care of you.
"Hey Jack," he said as the griffin turned away from the door and let it close again. "Are there any nice, thick socks in that wardrobe?"
Jack frowned. "I'll check. Are your feet cold?"
"Not while I'm under the covers," he answered honestly, "but the floors..."
"They are pretty chilly." Jack rummaged in the drawers and came out with a reassuringly thick pair of socks. "Want them on anyway?"
"No." Noooo. "Give them here, I'll just-" wait, no, hands doing the same thing. "Actually, can you stuff them in the pocket of this nightshirt? My hands...don't want to work right now."
Jack's eyebrows went up. "That's...mildly alarming," he said, but he rolled the socks up and tucked them in the pocket, as requested.
It would be more alarming if you saw what they were doing, White Bread.
Thankfully, the door opened and a golem came in bearing a tray...table...thing meant for eating in bed. Aside from the glass of water, there was also a mug of something that steamed and a bowl of something else that steamed. Jack thanked it and took the tray, setting it down over Gabriel's lap. Looked like the mug was tea, and the bowl was broth.
"Start with the water?" Jack asked, sitting beside him.
"Yeah. Thanks."
Jack held the glass while Gabriel took tentative sips, but the only effect it had on his stomach was to remind him that those cheeseburgers had been a while ago and that broth was smelling pretty darn good. When he voiced that to Jack, the griffin started feeding him like a little kid. It was just chicken broth, but damn if it wasn't fucking delicious and he ate every drop. The tremors set in almost as he swallowed the last spoonful, and he did not object at all when Jack took the tray away and hugged Gabriel to his chest.
In fact, Gabriel was feeling pathetically grateful the griffin was there holding him. Almost as grateful as he was that he wasn't suffering from nausea this time. Yeah, he'd probably be horking up black tar or bloody chunks later, but for now he was warm and safe and content.
Gabriel slept.
===
The feeling that his lungs were full of dust woke Gabriel some unknown length of time later. He supposed that even being willing, he couldn't weasel out of all of the side effects, and shifted a little to try to get a deeper breath.
"Gabe?" Jack murmured sleepily.
"I think I'm gonna need a bucket," he answered softly.
The griffin climbed out of bed and retrieved something from the floor. A metal bucket. Angela must've left it there. Gabriel struggled to sit up, noting absently that his hands seemed to have knocked it off with the rotting thing. He wondered if his scars were smoking, but this wasn't a good time to check for that. Jack hauled him up into a sitting position and handed him the bucket as the coughing got worse. The dark, chunky substance Gabriel hacked up and spat into the bucket made him recoil, and he almost laughed at the mental image of Jack as a big cat trying to back away from the slime he was coughing up.
A few minutes later, he spat out what seemed to be the last of it and let Jack take the bucket while he slumped, exhausted, against the pillows. Jack opened the door, said something he couldn't make out to the golem, then handed it the bucket before coming back to hold the glass of water for Gabriel to drink.
He sucked the whole thing down, glad to get the taste of his own shredded tissues out of his mouth, and his stomach growled.
"The golem should be back in a minute," Jack reassured him. "Anything in particular you want to eat?"
"What time is it?"
Jack blinked. "You know, I have no idea."
"Breakfast, then," Gabriel decided. "Fruit, eggs, waffles, sausage, the whole nine yards."
"You got it." Jack went back to the door, exchanged a few words with what had to be a second golem, then came back. "Angela was serious about there being a golem at all times. She really wants to make sure you stay here and have everything you need."
Gabriel chuckled weakly, remembering how uncooperative he would have been without his future memories. "Can't blame her. I hate being sick. I'd be climbing the walls without you here, Jack."
The griffin sat on the bed, but not next to him. "Gabe...can I tell you something? Something...private?"
Oh, he was all ears for this. "Anything."
"Griffin culture is very focused on being strong," Jack started slowly. "Especially male strength. A male is supposed to be strong, to take a mate and form a pride and fight off any threats. To defend his pride with life and limb. And male griffins who prefer male mates...are expected to overpower and almost subjugate their mates. Female griffins who take female mates are expected to do the same, and usually not given much flak because the assumption is that they fought themselves to a 'male' role and they get respect for that strength - as long as they beat the crap out of any male who looks at their mate the wrong way. But the 'female' role..." he looked away.
"I'm not judging," Gabriel said softly.
"The female role...is the caretaker. The one who sees to the male's needs, who puts aside their own desires to make sure the male doesn't have to worry about anything but defending the pride. The big spoon, curled protectively around their dominant mate."
Gabriel blinked. "Wait - being the little spoon is a dominant position?"
Jack nodded. "With griffins, yes."
"But you've been-" Gabriel shut his mouth suddenly, afraid of saying the wrong thing.
"I've been taking the supportive role," Jack said evenly. "And, Gabriel, I feel comfortable doing this for you."
Gabriel's heart jumped into his throat. "Do you..." he trailed off, unsure of what he wanted to ask.
"I don't want to be subjugated, but I don't think you're the type to do that anyway. I want to defend you, but I also want to support you."
"I don't see anything wrong with that," Gabriel said slowly. "Human relationships aren't that clear-cut. I mean, yeah, you find a chauvinistic asshole and he's gonna try to make it that way, but healthy relationships are more give-and-take. No one partner dominating the other. Both partners supporting each other. Equals."
Jack stared at the blanket for a long minute.
"If we ever visit my parents, we'd have to pretend to adhere to traditional griffin mated-pair roles. I don't want to ask you to put up with that, especially if my extended family is involved."
Gabriel thought about Jack's...uncle? cousin?...relatives treating him like he was Jack's fucktoy.
"If I act...less submissive than they're expecting, but then pretend to submit to you, would that make you look super strong and dominant for having supposedly tamed me?"
Jack's head came up and he pinned Gabriel with a piercing look. "You'd do that? You'd put up with my narrow-minded family?"
"You're putting up with me, Jack."
Slowly, Jack smiled and Gabriel felt like he was going to melt. Then the door opened, and a golem trundled in with a new bucket and a tray loaded down with the breakfast Gabriel's stomach had been dreaming about. Hot on its heels was Angela, wearing a fluffy white bathrobe. Jack took the tray and put it on Gabriel's lap, and then...actually, Gabriel had no idea what Jack was doing because he was stuffing fresh fruit into his mouth and trying not to voice any sounds of pleasure. He wasn't really aware of what anyone else was doing until he'd eaten the last bite of waffle and washed it down with orange juice.
Jack took the tray and handed it to the golem, who whistled and left the room. Angela had apparently brought in a chair for herself and now sat by the side of the bed while Jack sat awkwardly at the foot. Oh, right, this was going to be the talk about symptoms and duties and shit, wasn't it?
"You are doing very well so far," Angela told him brightly. "How are you feeling?"
"Uh...pretty good, actually."
"This is not the first time you've awakened since your ascension. How did you feel when you first woke up?"
"Throat hurt a lot. Everything hurt when I tried to move. Hands felt weird," Gabriel said, skirting the issue.
"Any nausea?"
Gabriel shook his head. "Only a little. It went away with some water."
That made her look relieved. "You're handling this very well. Let me tell you about some of the symptoms you might still get while your body adjusts..."
Gabriel listened, or at least pretended to listen, while Jack edged closer and soaked up every word. Then she described some of the Reaper's powers that might spontaneously manifest. He wasn't really paying much attention; not only did he know this all already, but he remembered how to do things. And Jack was cuddling him. He was full, he was warm, his griffin had brought up the idea of meeting his family and might already be thinking of him as 'mate', and it was probably the middle of the night. His eyes slid shut again, and he let Angela's voice wash over him as he drifted back to sleep.
===
The memory of having Zenyatta close his Sight, of finding out Jack was alive and feeling his sanity snap at that, of turning into smoke to escape his room, woke him.
Well, technically, the fact that he'd turned into smoke in his sleep woke him, and in his gaseous flailing around, he woke Jack, who froze and called his name uncertainly.
Fuck. How did he put himself back together, again? It seemed so instinctive, but he just couldn't-
Ah, there. Gabriel found himself sprawled, naked, across half the bed while Jack watched with the covers drawn up to his chin like a startled housewife. A quick check confirmed that he still had all his fingers and toes, but he was smoking slightly. Also, ravenous.
"I think I need to practice," he said in what was only half a joke. "I'd like to not be naked when I pull myself back together."
Jack didn't look amused. In fact, he looked pretty freaked out.
Gabriel frowned. "Jack? Jack! Hey, White Bread! Featherbutt! Earth to Morrison?"
The griffin shook his head and focused on him with effort. "Sorry, Gabe. That was...there's a difference between the way you smell normally, and the way you smell when you're using the Reaper's power. A big difference. I wasn't prepared for it."
Awkwardly, Gabriel sat up, doing his best to keep his groin covered. "You okay?"
"Yeah, just..." Jack averted his eyes and rummaged under the covers for the things Gabriel had been wearing. "It's...you're a bigger predator than me. It's kinda terrifying on a primal level. I've never been around the Reaper before, much less had someone I care about suddenly emanate Reaper energy from right next to me."
There was silence for a minute as Gabriel wormed his way back into his nightclothes, including the very warm woolen socks. He was going to seriously appreciate these when he accidentally teleported to Paris.
"Okay, so I need to practice so I don't re-form naked, and so you can get used to what it feels like. I don't want to freak you out. But first, breakfast. What do you think?"
Jack still wasn't looking at him. His fingers were kneading the covers anxiously. Gabriel crawled across the bed until he could wrap his arms around the faintly-trembling griffin and pull him against his chest. Then, remembering their berry lunch in the woods, he lowered his head and lipped at Jack's hair. A sigh slid out from between Jack's lips and he relaxed into Gabriel's embrace.
"Your eyes," he murmured after a minute. "They're red, and they kind of...glow. It's going to take some getting used to."
"They weren't red last night?" Gabriel asked quietly.
"Mm. They were more dark red, and they didn't glow."
Oh, right. "I think they glow brighter the more I'm drawing on the Reaper. Sorry about that, Jack. I'll completely understand if you don't-"
He didn't get a chance to finish, because Jack sat up so suddenly that Gabriel let his arms fall in surprise. Then he found himself being tightly hugged to Jack's chest, the griffin lipping at his hair.
"You're still part of my pride," Jack growled. "I'll get used to it."
Gabriel felt incongruously small and safe. No wonder he'd fallen for the griffin in less than a week.
"Thank you, Jack," he said in a small voice. "That really means a lot to me."
They cuddled like that for another minute or two before Gabriel's stomach complained loudly enough to make them both laugh.
"Okay," Jack said, releasing Gabriel. "Breakfast, and then practice."
=
Once he'd eaten, Gabriel lounged against the pillows and started small. One finger, two fingers, his hand. It was easier than he thought it would be, given how hard he remembered having worked on going to smoke, but he wasn't trying his whole body. Jack initially went still, frozen in primal fear, but either his instincts got tired or he convinced them that Gabriel wasn't a threat, because it didn't take more than an hour before he was cuddling Gabriel to his chest again. When Gabriel got used to his hand dissolving and re-forming, he went up to the elbow, then the shoulder. Suddenly he remembered the shadow scythes Liao had used to cut down Ojal, and froze with his right arm a slender lash of smoke.
Slowly, awkwardly, he reached out and plucked a book off the bookshelf with his smoke-whip-arm.
"Hey, pretty good, Gabe!"
He tossed the book into the air, sharpened the whip, and slashed.
Two neatly-severed half books fell to the floor.
"Okay," Jack said into the silence, his arms almost painfully tight around Gabriel, "that was fucking terrifying, not gonna lie."
Gabriel snapped his arm back into being an arm and curled up against Jack's chest. "No arguments here," he said in a tight voice. "Jack?"
"Hm?"
"I've never killed anyone."
Liao doesn't count. Liao doesn't count. I haven't killed her. I remember it, but it hasn't happened.
"As the Reaper," Jack said slowly, "you're going to have to."
Gabriel squeezed his eyes shut, trying not to see Liao's ruined throat, her blood on his hands. "I know. But I don't want to."
Lips on his hair.
"You're going to be fine, Gabe. You're a good person. Do you want to practice some more? It'll be hard for anyone to hurt you if you just turn into smoke."
"I think I need a nap, actually."
Jack tugged the covers up higher around them. "Go ahead and sleep, Gabe. I've got you."
God damn he loved that griffin.
===
"Gabe. Gabe!"
The warm surface he was sleeping on shook. Gabriel sat up, sleepy and sulky. "What?"
Jack practically leaped out of bed and came back with...a roll of paper towels? "You're bleeding."
Gabriel felt warmth leaking from his nose and sniffed, but that just made his sinuses sting. He took the paper towel Jack offered him and dabbed at his nose, not surprised when it came back with a black, tarry substance on it. Fuck, the sneezing. Was this-?
He sneezed into the paper towel, then made a face at the sheer amount of black goo on it. "Guh."
"You're telling me," Jack teased. Instead of taking it back, he held out the bucket. "I'm not touching that."
He thought about teasing the griffin. Then he looked at the goo again. "I don't blame you," he said, wadding the paper towel up and dropping it in. "Gimmie another one of those."
Three more sneeze-filled paper towels later, Gabriel sniffed experimentally and then blew his nose.
"I think that's over with," he said cautiously. "For now, anyway."
Jack handed him another paper towel and sat on the bed. "How are you feeling?"
"A little hungry. Relieved that I didn't spontaneously manifest another Reaper power. Gotta pee."
That made Jack chuckle. "Do you need help getting to the bathroom?"
That was a good question, actually. Carefully, using Jack as a support, Gabriel crawled out of bed and stood up. Damn, those socks were great. His legs were a little wiggly, but otherwise he was fine.
"I should be okay," he said. "I could really go for a roast beef sandwich with salt-and-vinegar chips and a Coke. How about you?"
Jack grinned at him. "I think it's a little early for lunch, but I'm not the one getting used to hosting the Reaper."
Gabriel frowned. "What makes you say it's too early for lunch?"
Instead of answering, Jack pointed to the little battery-operated alarm clock on one of the shelves. It read 10:45.
"Fine. Call it brunch. I'll be right back."
While Gabriel was in the bathroom, Jack talked with the golems. One went off to fetch the fledgling Mantle's brunch; it came back with Angela in tow. Gabriel listened with half an ear as she told him about Zenyatta, and how he had been waiting years to present the Shambali's case because Amelie had shirked her duties as Mantle. Most of his attention was on his meal. Idly, he opened his Sight.
Feathers and needles; Angela. Cold wind and strength; Jack. The two golems outside the door. Where was- Ah. The stillness and serenity of a mountain peak; Zenyatta. He still wasn't sure how to communicate through his Sight.
Hello?
My, my. This is a surprise. A curious and polite Reaper?
More like he'd already learned from his mistakes, but whatever.
You have met one of the Shambali already, then?
Well- yes and no-
But you have been gifted with a glimpse of the future. Or at least, a possible future. Zenyatta's mental voice was confused and concerned.
I think we'd better discuss this in person, Gabriel thought.
As you wish, Reaper. I will await your summons.
"Gabriel!" Angela was glaring at him.
"I was checking Zenyatta out with my Sight," he protested. "I want to talk to him soon. In person. Oh - Jack, hand me a paper towel, I'm going to-"
He snatched at it, fairly ripping it out of the griffin's hands. Just in time, because that was one monster sneeze and...
...wait...
The keep wasn't that drafty. Cautiously, he opened his eyes.
"Yeah," he sighed, wadding up the paper towel and being extremely grateful for his nice, warm socks. "We're not in Kansas anymore, Toto."
The Eiffel Tower glittered in the distance, golden lights shining brightly against the darkness of the dusky evening sky.
===
Right. He was in Paris, but this time he was wearing thick woolen socks, woolen leggings, and a flannel nightgown slash oversized shirt thing. And his eyes were probably glowing. At least his nuts weren't freezing.
Gabriel started looking around for someone talking on a phone. Humans seemed to almost not see him; supernatural creatures looked at him in fear and scurried away. Wait! That guy - that was the guy with the phone! He reached out and snagged the sleeve of the guy's pinstriped suit as he walked by, too deep in his phone conversation to notice that he was passing the Reaper.
"I need to borrow your phone," Gabriel said, prompting the guy to stammer something into the phone, hang up, and thrust it at him. He took it with one hand, still holding the gyu's sleeve. "Don't go anywhere," he growled, and the man nodded in terror.
Quickly, Gabriel typed Ana's number into the phone and hit the call button. The numbers flashed gold and flowed into Ana's spidery handwriting and he held the phone to his ear.
It rang. And rang. And rang. Gabriel anxiously counted the rings. At seven, the line picked up.
"Hello?" Ana said.
"Ana! It's me, I don't have much time so listen closely. Do not let Genji out of your sight, I'm probably going to be dropping in. I'll try to explain more when I get there."
A brief pause, no longer than a breath. "Okay. We will see you soon, then."
As he pulled the phone away from his ear, Gabriel could hear Ana yelling for Hanzo. He jabbed the end call button and handed the phone back to the terrified...vampire? Yeah, there were the fangs. "Thank you, sir. You have a business card?"
The vamp shook his head. Just as well, Gabriel thought. He was probably going to sneeze himself into the ocean next.
"Merci," Gabriel said, knowing he'd probably butchered the pronunciation but not caring. "The Reaper owes you a favor. Have a good day."
A sneeze was building; he let go of the vamp's suit and readied his paper towel. Please not underwater! Frantically, he imagined the Sydney Opera House as seen from close to shore.
Splash!
The Sydney Opera House loomed before him. Grateful beyond words, he sucked in a lungful of sea air. The water wasn't actually that cold, something else he was grateful for as he started treading water. Of course, the flannel nightshirt made that harder, but he only had to hold on until...
He sneezed.
Coils of black smoke wreathed him, and he found himself dripping on the floor of...some room in the Shambali monastery.
"Oh my," said a soft voice from behind him, and he turned to see...Mondatta. Of course. "I wasn't expecting you quite so soon."
That was either a polite fiction or an outright lie, but Gabriel decided to play along for the moment. "You were expecting me?"
"Of course," the djinn said in his melodic wind-chime voice. "You are the Reaper, are you not?"
"Oh, am I? That would explain the sneezing out black goo and teleporting and...are my eyes glowing?"
"Yes," Mondatta said mildly.
"Yeah, the glowing-eye thing. Look, sorry for the sarcasm, but I'm soaking wet and fucking freezing."
Recognition dawned in all nine of the djinn's eyes. "Of course. Come into the sanctum; I'll prepare you some tea and give you dry clothes."
Gabriel followed silently, swallowing all the biting comments he wanted to say. He remembered how nice and warm the Shambali robe and boots were going to be and he did not want to jeopardize his chances of wearing those.
"My name is Tekhartha Mondatta," his host announced. "I am the leader of the Shambali. At present, you are in our monastery."
"Zenyatta is your emissary?"
Mondatta smiled at him. "Indeed! Had I known you would be visiting, even inadvertently, I would not have bothered to send him to your doorstep."
Gabriel doubted that.
Eventually, they came to a small, homely room with a fireplace in one corner. Gabriel wasted no time edging close enough that its heat was almost painful.
"I will be back with a robe and tea," Mondatta assured him. "Please, do not be bashful about shedding your wet clothes. None will spy upon you."
Only the flannel came off; the woolen leggings and socks warmed up, and Gabriel mentally congratulated himself on that. Mondatta came back with tea and a robe, which he helped Gabriel into, giving the tea time to cool down a bit.
"So you're a djinn," Gabriel said, remembering the conversation that led to him getting really warm boots, "but not the type that grants wishes."
Mondatta laughed. "I could. Do you want a wish granted?"
"No."
"No?" the djinn repeated, laughing with surprise.
Gabriel shrugged. "If magic could really solve problems, the Reaper wouldn't be necessary."
"Wise and astute." Mondatta gave him a measuring look. "If you could have a wish granted, what would it be?"
"Some nice, warm boots."
Another peal of laughter from the djinn. "A practical wish! Very well. Please, warm yourself and drink. I will be right back."
Smirking into his teacup, Gabriel basked by the fire and enjoyed the sweet tea. Mondatta returned a few minutes later with fur-trimmed boots. Gabriel gulped the rest of his tea and shoved his feet into the boots just as his nose began to tickle.
"Ah, excuse me, I'll be back later," he said hurriedly.
Gabriel sneezed. Times Square. Sneezed again, the front porch of the Morrison home, with Jack's dad freaking out and trying to get away as fast as physically possible. Sneezed a third time, and found himself standing on Ana's couch. On his rug, Jesse surged to his feet and let out a terrified howl that brought two vampires and an elderly witch running in the time it took Gabriel to climb down.
"You're alive!" Ana cried joyfully, hugging him tight.
"You are the Reaper," Hanzo pointed out calmly.
"I am, and Genji, don't even fucking think about my blood. You may not live to regret it." Gabriel pulled out of Ana's grasp and gave the vampire a threatening glare. "I'm still learning the Reaper's powers - I'm gonna teleport out of here if I sneeze again - but I can more than defend myself." He paused. "Also, I met a djinn named Zenyatta. If you're good, maybe I'll take you to see him."
The effect on Genji was startling. His sulky, bratty demeanor melted away, leaving him looking eager and almost innocent. "Master Zenyatta!"
"Still working on getting a cell phone," Gabriel apologized to Ana. "Had to borrow one from some random guy when I sneezed and found myself in Paris." His nose started to tickle. "Uh...hold that thought. I'll be ri...right..."
Gabriel sneezed. Zarya and Mei looked up from making out on the couch, various degrees of anger and surprise on their faces.
"Who are you?" Zarya demanded.
Shit. He hadn't met Mei.
"Gabriel Reyes, former LAPD under Liao," he said quickly, hands up. "I'm not a threat-"
He sneezed, and Mondatta said, "Welcome back."
"Hold that thought," Gabriel told him, feeling the unsatisfied tickle in his nose.
A flurry of sneezes, and then he was in a misty field with a herd of cows. Great. He remembered this. The friendly cow - Mugir, he'd named her - came up to say hello and he petted her for a few minutes until the herd began to go back to the dryad.
"Hey, do you mind if..."
Mugir knelt down, lowing almost cheerfully.
"You are a queen among cattle," he told her as he straddled her broad back. "Thank you."
Once again, for the first time, he found himself riding a cow. This time, he was determined to not pull the naiad's soul out and almost eat it.
===
Unexpected bonus to the woolen leggings: he didn't have to adjust himself nearly as much while he rode the cow and tried to talk things over with the Reaper.
No soul-eating. Soul-eating bad. Souls were not food. Yes, it was created to eat souls, but not just any souls. Construct souls. And then only if they'd been bad.
Gabriel found himself wondering what Mondatta's soul would taste like. Okay, the Reaper knew Mondatta's significance and didn't like him. Gabriel supposed that was fair, considering that Mondatta - and his rebellion - was literally the reason the Reaper had been created. Of course, it didn't like Liao either, and Gabriel remembered uneasily that the Reaper didn't like Mantles who took the position for personal power or vengeance.
Fuck. It had to have learned that from Liao, meaning there was probably no chance in hell she could be swayed from her hatred of constructs. Could the Reaper pull her soul out and swallow it? Probably not; it would be like a snake swallowing its tail. But then if she was immortal...how did that work, exactly? Could he slice her to ribbons the way she murdered Ojal, or put a bullet between her eyes? Would she heal like Wolverine? Would she get back up, like the Highlander, with no sign of injury? He'd have to ask Jack about the family not-cat.
He was seriously considering the murder of a woman who, a week ago, he would have called his closest friend. But then again...she'd kill him in a heartbeat if it got her the Reaper. She was thousands of years old, a decade was barely enough time to get fond of someone. She probably saw him more like a pet, he thought, remembering a conversation that didn't happen about him moving in with her. Or a young blowhard who reminded her of herself when she was younger. Only he was also bait for the Reaper. Or at least, he had been.
Now he had everything she wanted, and the only chance any of them had to take her out was to (temporarily) give her the Reaper. God, he was not looking forward to that.
As unsettling as his thoughts were, they kept him from falling asleep until the cows started galloping the last little bit to the clearing where he would meet-
"Where are they?"
-the dryad, Satya.
"Hi," he said brightly before she could say anything else. "I'm the new Reaper. Your cow was kind enough to give me a ride. You have a problem you need me to mediate?"
The dryad frowned, but gestured for the cow to follow. "I do."
As she led the cow down a narrow path, she explained how the naiad, Hana, refused to keep her river clean. They arrived at the river bank soon enough, and Gabriel carefully climbed off the cow and shook himself out. He could do this. He was the Reaper.
"Hana! There is someone here to settle this," Satya called imperiously.
The naiad surged up from under the water, and Gabriel could see the trash from junk foods that littered the pebbled river bottom. She stared at him in shock.
"You got the Reaper?" she squeaked at Satya, going slightly pale.
Satya's chin went up, satisfaction dripping from her expression. "Yes, I did. He'll clean up your act."
Here it comes, Gabriel thought with an internal eyeroll.
"Yeah? You don't scare me!"
His right arm dissolved into a whip of smoke that wrapped around the naiad's chest, pinning her arms. He tugged sharply, forcing her a few steps closer, enough that he could reach out and touch her with his left hand if he so chose. Instead, he leaned down into her face, seeing the reflection of his blazing red eyes in her pupils.
"I should," he growled, feeling the familiar surge of the Reaper taking notice. "Your river is filthy. You are not worthy of it."
Hana was trying to babble something, some form of defiance, but her eyes were wide with terror.
"Clean it up," Gabriel said, deadly quiet, his left hand sliding along her collarbone to hover just over her heart. "If you do not..."
He reached into Hana, fingers sliding through her body as if it were water, closing around her soul but not removing it. She sucked in her breath and held it, almost too afraid to think.
"If you do not," he repeated, "I will eat your soul and let someone else claim your river."
With a bit of effort, he let go of her soul and removed his hand, snapped his arm back into being an arm and shoved her gently. She staggered back a few steps and fell backwards to sit in her river, crying in complete and utter terror.
"Clean up your river," he commanded again, noting that even Satya seemed more scared than smug. "Don't make me come back."
He'd timed it right; a sneeze climbed up his nose. It exploded out of him, and then he was gone.