Coco

[moonshadows]

Gabriel wisped in while Jack was answering the door, one of his loyal Talon goons on the other side handing Jack the pizza, the cold bottles of soda, and the copy of Coco. When Jack turned back around, Gabriel smiled at him from the couch and got a brilliant smile in return.

“Let me get the movie on,” Jack said, “and I’ll be right there.”

Less than a minute later they were cuddling, blanket over them both, pizza balanced on their laps, watching the traditional pan shot of the Disney castle while the usual strains of ‘when you wish upon a star’ were replaced by a mariachi rendition of the song.

=

As the credits played, Jack buried his face in Gabriel’s shoulder until his breathing had evened out. Then he lifted his head and kissed his surprised sweetie with more passion than the other man had been expecting. After having been hugged to Jack’s chest multiple times during the movie, with at least two instances of Jack crying into his hair while Gabriel sniffled and failed to hold back tears of his own, being kissed so emphatically was not a reaction Gabriel had anticipated.

“Jack?”

“Remember me,” Jack breathed before kissing him again. “You sneaky little troll. God I love you.”

“I love you, too,” Gabriel murmured, “but you’re confusing me.”

“When you went on missions. You only sang the first verse.”

“Well…yeah.”

Jack hugged him tightly, cheek against the top of his head. “And the whole time. The whole time, you loved me. You weren’t just doing it to be a dick. You were telling me in a way you knew I wouldn’t understand.”

Over the years, Gabriel had wondered what Jack’s reaction would be when he eventually found out. This wasn’t one of the scenarios he’d imagined, and having his convoluted gestures understood and appreciated made him feel small and warm.

“Yeah,” he whispered.

“After the explosion in Zurich…I woke up in that ship and you were already…”

“Officially dead.”

“It broke my heart, sweetie. Whoever leaked Blackwatch to the press-”

“It was Moira.”

“Well, she only leaked the worst parts, and made you and Blackwatch sound absolutely horrific. And then you gunned down the council and it looked like the leaks were confirmed, like you were responsible for the bombs and you really were trying your best to destroy Overwatch and the UN. And you said you were protecting me, but I really didn’t understand what you thought you were doing. Especially not when one of the surviving agents said she saw you kill me.”

Gabriel frowned. “I what?”

“You had your hands around my neck.”

“Jack…” Gabriel sat up and hugged the other man to his chest. “Jack, Jackie, you died. The explosion knocked you into the doorway of your office, snapped your neck. There wasn’t time for anything else. I misted my fingers into your neck so my nanites could put your spine back together. I couldn’t leave you there, not with the moles, they’d have killed you if the explosions didn’t. So I took you with me. Ramirez was loading all our prototypes into the stealth prototype so I killed him and took it because fuck letting Talon have it all and I strapped you in because you were still unconscious.”

Jack buried his face in Gabriel’s chest. “I woke up and everything I’d loved was in flames, figuratively or literally, and everyone was saying you were the one who’d done it. I had no idea what the truth was, but I thought…whatever your plans for me had been, they didn’t matter because you were dead any everyone thought I was dead, too, and part of me wished I was because what did I have to go back to? Nothing but endless hearings on how you were the scum of the earth and a backstabbing traitor who had destroyed everything I thought we both held dear. I couldn’t face it, sweetie. So I ran away and became a vigilante, but every night…”

A broken, choked-off sob escaped him and Gabriel lifted his head to kiss him the way he’d kissed Gabriel so often: gently overwhelming him with tender affection.

“Every night,” Jack rasped, “I sang that damn song when I lay down to try to sleep.”

“Jack…”

“I stopped for a while after you slipped and said my name. Had a lot of feelings to sort through. Then, when I got shot and you saved my life again…I realized I wasn’t angry anymore. You were still the person you’d always been, and I still loved you. I tried to think of a way to tell you that when we saw each other again, but you went silent. Talon went silent. I holed up here, and I started singing again hoping that somehow, you’d just know.”

Gabriel kissed Jack’s hair. “I did know. I had the safehouse monitored. That’s why…the packages…”

Jack raised his head and they kissed for a long minute. “Stay the night,” he half-begged when the kiss finally ended. “I need to hold you for a while, now that I know.”

“Of course, mi amor.”

That got him kissed again.

“Fuck, Jack, I’m sorry about everything.”

“Nothing to apologize for,” Jack insisted as they settled back into cuddling.

“I should have told you about the nanites. I should have let you know that’s why I was turning you down, not just held you at arm’s length and done the cockteasing flirty bullshit I did. I should have fucking talked to you like a goddamn adult.”

“We just would have had to hide it from the UN,” Jack countered, sounding completely unbothered. “I looked forward to your post-party drunken shenanigans, you know. Do you remember them?”

“Even the things I claimed I didn’t.”

Jack’s lips were very warm on his ear, but he didn’t kiss or nibble. “I particularly loved the drunken handjob.”

Gabriel laughed, but it was more bitter than amused. “I’m surprised I even remember how to stroke it.”

“You…” Jack sat up and looked at him in alarm. “I know you said no relationships, and after seeing what your…not-cum…does, I can’t blame you, but you don’t even…?”

“Not unless you’re sick or hurt,” Gabriel said quietly, looking away. “Or sometimes if I’m very drunk and I figure I’m going to suffer anyway.”

“Sweetie?”

“SEP didn’t want us losing our nanite swarm to dumb shit. I have no gag reflex, I can’t throw up, and having an orgasm gives me an hour of dry, throbbing headache and pins and needles all over my body.” He closed his eyes and scowled before adding, “Not ejaculation. Orgasm. I’ve never been able to turn that off, and trust me, I tried. I thought…if I could work out how to orgasm without ejaculating, I’d come clean with you and confess my feelings, but…”

Jack’s arms wrapped around him, his head on Gabriel’s shoulder. “I understand. I wish I could do something to help.”

“Jack?”

“Mm?”

Gabriel lifted Jack’s hand and kissed his fingers. “I can’t experience anything sexual. That doesn’t mean you can’t.”

“Sweetie, what-”

The words dried up as Gabriel sucked one finger into his mouth and treated it to the sort of attention that whispered, blowjob.

“Ohhhhhh. I won’t say no, but are you sure?”

“After all the times you swallowed what came out of my dick?” Gabriel teased, making Jack laugh. “It’s only fair.”

As Gabriel started sliding from the couch to the floor, Jack said, “Sweetie? If I fuck up and use your name, I’m sorry in advance.”

He paused with his hands on Jack’s thighs, the blanket draped over him held up by his head and the other man’s legs. “If I make you shout my name, that will probably be the most worthwhile use it’s ever been put to.”

Whatever Jack might have said to that was interrupted by Gabriel unzipping him. The next several minutes were a symphony of inarticulate sounds as he sucked and bobbed, licked and hummed, and teased Jack by diving all the way down but only for a handful of seconds at a time. When he started sounding desperate, fingers moving from clutching at the couch to flitting over the head between his legs, Gabriel dove down again and licked at Jack’s balls while his throat milked Jack’s shaft.

“Oh god, Gabe!”

He hummed in smug satisfaction as Jack climaxed, swallowing and sucking gently as he disengaged and tucked Jack away. He was curled up comfortably against Jack by the time the former Strike-Commander could scrape his brain back together, every bit as cuddly and pliant as Gabriel was any time he’d been kissed into submission.

“Ohhhhh, sweetie, that was amazing. What did I do to earn that?”

“You put up with me being a needy wreck,” Gabriel answered dryly.

“Sweetie, you’re not-”

“Jack, in the first month of our relationship I freaked out and ran away when you French kissed me, felt up my ass, used my actual name while half asleep, tried to take me out to dinner, nibbled my ear, fingered my nipple, and waggled your eyebrows at me when you said spend the night.”

Jack frowned. “Those were my fault. I should have thought, I should have talked with you first.”

“No. I was the one who said second base and then couldn’t handle what that entailed.”

“You’re the who died doing for the world what it so desperately needed, who takes bullets for his men and makes sure that the man he loves feels loved, even when circumstances don’t allow them the freedom to express or act on their feelings.” Jack held Gabriel’s head gently, thumbs stroking his cheeks. “You’ve been through hell, sweetie. We both have. Neither of us have really been in a relationship before, so we’re both learning. But you’ve been there for me every time I needed you, and I’m going to be here for you. I’ll be the one…to hold you,” he sang roughly, “and make sure that you’ll be alright.”

Gabriel laughed. “More Backstreet Boys, Jack?”

Grinning, Jack kissed him. “You’re not allowed to tease me if you recognize it without being told.”

“Fine.” Gabriel leaned against Jack. “Thank you for…being here for me. For understanding.”

“You’re welcome, sweetie,” Jack murmured. “Really, it’s not that different from the relationship we’ve always had. Only now, there’s a lot more hugging and kissing and an increased chance of getting you in bed with me.”

“And more sexual favors in your future.”

Jack turned to kiss his forehead. “I will never say no to anything sexual you want to do to me. But speaking of bed…”

“You need to hold me,” Gabriel murmured. Then he grinned against Jack’s neck. “And make sure that I’ll be alright.”

“Because my fear is gone,” Jack agreed, hugging tighter. “And I want to take you from darkness to light.”

“Jack?”

“Mm?”

“Get in bed and kiss me.”

Gabriel flowed out from under the blanket, hearing the laughter and grumbling from the living room as he solidified in bed, under the covers, wearing nothing but his boxers. Jack appeared in the doorway moments later, and it was the work of seconds to strip down to his briefs. Then he slid under the covers and pulled Gabriel into his arms, and it was nothing but the warmth of skin against skin and soft kisses.