A/N: A birthday present for my friend, Duncan from my AO3 account.
Grumpy bastard is one phrase that could be used to describe Strike Commander Reyes. Many saw him as a hard ass with an iron fist but those closest to him knew he could be the exact opposite. To those he considered family, Gabriel Reyes was beyond compassionate. Though he had odd ways of showing it. But his family meant the world to him. Even Overwatch was second best to them. Though, he had one person he held above all else; Blackwatch Commander Jack Morrison. Jack fuckin' Morrison. Despite leading Overwatch's covert ops and having to deal with some...not so pleasant things, the man still managed to remain so sweet and friendly and it infuriated Gabriel to every extent. Though, it didn't stop the Strike Commander from loving him.
Blackwatch missions were always dangerous. There were no two ways about it and Gabriel couldn't help but worry every time he sent them away. Both Jack and Jesse meant a lot to him (though Reyes would still never admit it) and the though of either of them coming back in a body bag scared him shitless. He couldn't lose either of them. He'd already lost too many people. Gabriel constantly tried to suppress his worry and be rational about it but it was impossible.
So when he saw the Blackwatch agents step off the ship, he swore his blood had run cold. The first person he saw was Jesse. Cocky, confident and determined Jesse McCree. But the cowboy didn't seem anything like that now. No, he was deathly pale as his teammates helped him off of the ship. The Strike Commander quickly began to scan him over for injuries. Then his eyes fell on Jesse's arm or lack of one. Where his arm should of connected to his shoulder, there was nothing. Jesse was missing his damn arm. Before he could even think about what he was doing, Reyes found himself sprinting towards the boy. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Doctor Ziegler seemingly doing much the same. Though, he paid her little heed
"Fuckin' hell, McCree," he breathed out once he reached Jesse. The cowboy seemed to be in some state of shock and that scared the hell out of Gabe. "What...What happened?" He demanded as he watched Jesse's eyes been flutter. "Damn it, ingrate! Stay awake!"
A weak laugh escaped his lips as he glanced at Reyes. "I...I'll be fine. It ain't nothing. Only...Only my arm, right?"Gabriel couldn't help but notice how hysterical the seventeen year old was. Where the hell had Angela gone? The doctor had been going towards Jesse, right? Unless...Gabriel was suddenly filled with a sense of dread. "There...There was an explosion. T-The boss...He..." His eyes began to slip closed before he could finish speaking. Gabriel began to panic at that. Jack. What the hell had happened to Jack? If Jesse was like this then he could only imagine the state the Blackwatch Commander was in. No, he couldn't think like that right now. Jesse McCree needed him.
With a great sigh of reluctance, he carefully scooped Jesse up into his arms whilst ignoring his whines of complaint. "C'mon, kid." He murmured. "Let's get you out of here."
Gabriel Reyes was certain Angela Ziegler was a miracle worker. The doctor had spent hours upon hours stabilising both Jack Morrison and Jesse McCree and , like always, she had managed it. Jesse had been coherent enough to leave the medbay after a couple of days with Angela using her friendship with Torbjörn to convince the engineer to create a metal prosthetic. But Jack...It had been weeks and he still hasn't shown any signs of waking Ho. The Commander was truly comatose and the Strike Commander had refused to leave his side. During this time, Angela had been bringing him food, coffee and blankets. She knew how impossible it would be to get Gabriel to leave Jack's side. But that didn't mean Gabriel was unaware of his surroundings. He saw how much she was exhausting herself.
If he was honest, Gabriel wasn't sure the last time Angela had slept or eaten and, by the amount of coffee she was drinking, he doubted she knew either. The room Jack was in consisted of two beds, an en suite and a table. Nothing but the best for the Strike Commander's lover. When Angela next brought him food, he was determined to get her to rest. "Sit." He noticed her curious look and explained further. "You need to rest, Angie. You're not helping anyone like this." A cold look silenced her protests. "Now." With great reluctance, the young doctor sat on the bed next to him. "Now, we're both going to eat then you're going to sleep before you collapse." He sighed. "You need to look after yourself, Angie."
Angela looked down at that. "I know. I just...I want to spend as min time as I can gelling people." It was a weak excuse and both of them knew it. But Gabriel found himself unable to be angry at her. She was, after all, just trying to do the right thing and help others.
Neither of them spoke as they ate. Instead, Gabriel watched her carefully whilst he ate slowly. He'd finish his meal when he was certain she'd eaten her fill. Once they had finished, the Strike Commander got to his feet. He could see how much her eyes were drooling and and sighed. "Get some rest." He told her seriously. Rather than argue, the doctor simply stretched out on the bed and closed her eyes. Satisfied she was trying, Gabriel began to pace.
He felt as if everything that could go wrong had gone wrong. Jesse was missing his arm, Angela had worked herself into complete exhaustion and Jack...he was laying unmoving on the hospital bed...It broke his heart. During his morbid musing, Gabriel didn't notice his lover's eyes flicker open but he did notice when a very familiar voice rasped out his name. "Gabe..."
In an instance, Gabriel was by Jack's side. "Jack..." He breathed out softly. He hardly believed what he was seeing. After weeks of pure hell, Jack Morrison was awake. "Don't you ever do that to me again. Understand?" He asked sternly, staring into his eyes.
Somehow, Jack managed to give a soft smile. "I promise, Gabriel." With some slight struggling, he ma ever to sit up and press their lips together.
Gabriel happily sunk into the kiss. "Te amo, Jack." He breathed out. For once, things didn't seem to bad. His nightmare had ended.