Pretty Paper, Pretty Ribbons
The prompt was cowboys, more like Brokeback Mountain, or something soft and domestic, like 'a flower shop au or something idk'. Which is, to be fair, a huge mood. Blasphemous as it sounds, I've never watched Brokeback Mountain but I figured adding sad gay cowboys pays homage to the classic.
This gift is for Shotgun-sinner! Merry Christmas!
XXXXX
Not for the first time, and definitely not the last that he cursed his alarm clock as it blared too close to his ear, and his shitty bed creaked under his shifting weight. It wasn't that it was something he wasn't used to, and perhaps that was the problem. He stared at the number accusingly. It was 6 A.M., and habit demanded of him to get an early morning run in.
With great displeasure and the unfortunate taste of his own mouth from getting just shy of drunk the night before off shit drinks, he cursed the way Reyes had trained him for all that time. With another shift, he made himself sit up and slap his alarm clock into silence. The room was still around him, and yet again he found himself wishing for the warm presence of a teammate over all this silence. And of course, once again, there was still nothing.
Instead of perseverating, he got to his feet and threw on his running gear, ignoring the amount of stares that running in a t-shirt this time of year in LA would get him. He ran too hot blooded to be bothered by the mild cold, and he was too used to drawing attention to really care about the stares. He crammed his feet into his worn out sneakers, and hopped down the four flights of stairs in his apartment building, the elevator still broken from the previous weekend.
He opened the door to his building, and was met with the softest sounds of city clamor the place ever offered him. He relaxed as the noise filled his ears and he was able to forget that there was supposed to be others beside him, doing this very routine. He shut off his brain as he started his run facing the eastern horizon.
The early morning weather was nice, at least. Like all his days since his life had changed and he'd moved out here, he mindlessly watched the sun rise over LA once again.
Jesse McCree had all an hour to get his thoughts together before he had to head into work for another day of the daily grind in his post-mess life. He didn't dare think about it as anything more than post-mess until he had more time to wake up.
Unfortunately for Jesse, for some fucking reason, he didn't find himself alone that particular morning.
He felt an uncomfortable prickle up the back of his neck that meant he had a tail, from all those fucking days training and working in his field.
He didn't spare a glance over his shoulder, almost inviting whatever it was that followed him like a ghost. He couldn't stop them, if they wanted something out of him. Maybe whoever it was would put him out of his misery, or maybe it was just his past coming to haunt him.
The even, if quick paced person behind him wasn't…actually a tail, he realized after a moment. The heavy-footed runner caught up with Jesse, and then passed him. He almost felt affronted- after all, though he was hardly in tip top shape anymore, neither was he out of shape.
The man who ran past him was muscular, a bit more so than Jesse himself was. He had white hair. Now that got him riled up- an old man passed him by?
Unconsciously, Jesse pushed himself to go faster, determined not to be outdone.
The other runner didn't pay him any mind, but they eventually broke off, their paths diverging. Jesse only relaxed a bit. They ran into each other, over and over. They didn't have the same path, but they ran a similar enough one that they met up fairly often.
It pissed Jesse off. This guy was able to run circles around him, it felt like.
Eventually they both stopped in a park, taking a water break. Jesse was sweating like a sinner in church, feeling absolutely pressed that it looked like the exertion was nothing to this guy.
Jesse didn't say a word, not half awake enough to want to deal with this, his fingers itching for a smoke- but that would negate the point of him going on his morning run, wouldn't it?
The man looked at him, seeming shocked to see him, and find Jesse staring.
He wasn't actually old, Jesse realized a bit belatedly. Middle aged, but so was Jesse. Now that was a terrifying thought. Man just had a shock of white hair, and a big ol' scar down the front of his face. Quickly, Jesse made his face blank as he could manage it, since he didn't wanna look like the asshole staring at someone's facial scars. Never mind how much of a hypocrite that would make him, considering his arm bein' the way it was now.
His arm went to his side, instinctively hiding behind him. The movement wasn't unnoticed by the other man, but he seemed just as…put upon as Jesse was. They shifted in the silence, before Jesse took off again, wanting to finish his run already.
XXXXX
After his run, his mornings always felt like he was really just going through the motions. Actually, apart from this strange encounter with the white haired dude, he felt equally disconnected from living during his morning run. It was just another obligation.
Make coffee, eat a piece of fruit and boring cheap white bread toast, smoke a shitty tasting cigarette because he was low on funds towards the end of the month and was too proud to ask for his paycheck any earlier. Take a lukewarm shower because he was too lazy and embarrassed to call up the landlord and ask him to show him how to fix the persnickety gas line again and besides, it wasn't a cold shower and he'd had plenty of those in his lifetime. Get dressed and wrap up in his serape to stave off the chill. Head out 10 til 8 to show up at work and actually get started on his real daily grind.
He showed up at Oddities and Ends, and took the keys out of his pockets, irritably noticing that Ashe was late, again. The store technically didn't open for another hour, but he and Ashe were usually there an hour beforehand to get things planned out and fix up displays and such. They were also the only two folks with keys, and Bars in particular needed the warmth inside the building and would show up mysteriously the moment it was opened.
As though on cue once McCree switched on the lights, the omnic showed up and scurried to the coffee bar they had set up in the middle of the store to make himself one.
"Mornin', Bars." McCree greeted after a moment of fiddling with the inside lock, making sure that nobody thought they were open early or something equally heinous.
The omnic looked up at him and offered a cool wave, his two-toned eyes staring at him owlishly. McCree could hardly blame the guy for keeping quiet- he was a rather lean omnic model, and usually needed the hour before opening to warm up and perform repairs on himself.
McCree didn't ask, and Bars didn't tell. It was a fine balance, looking at the bigger picture. He stretched out his neck, and headed to his own station, preparing to make calls to his supplier to make sure the delivery was on its way. He flopped down on one of the chairs in the back, and looked around his and Ashe's new business.
The place was considered a local gem, and perhaps that was both an insult and the best compliment possible. Their 'most helpful' yelp review remained a person who had visited in the first month it'd been open, and had written this:
Oddities and Ends has all the charm of the oddities store that start's a pick your own adventure novel. It has just about everything, from furniture to a little café styled after a saloon. If you are a fan of westerns, or at least are able to ignore the obnoxious cowboy themed backdrop, then drop on by and you won't be disappointed with what you walk away from, even if you happen to only leave with photographs you took.
They had naturally respondedwith, "What do you mean, themed?"
It had been open for almost a year and a half now, marking the almost two year anniversary of this part of McCree's life and the old one, and it had been far more successful than he thought it would be.
With the smell of coffee brewing, McCree perked up out of his contemplative state, and stood, figuring he had to get to the menial tasks of running a business. "Make me one too, Bars." He ordered lazily, heading to his displays again, grabbing his phone out of his front pocket. Ashe had yet to text him, and he still had to go to the flower district and pick up stock.
That was probably the worst part of it all, and the best at the same time.
Ashe and McCree and those two other schmucks opened this place as a retail store that just sold a lil bit of everything and the 'experience'. Originally, their stock was from Ashe getting rid of her family's shit, and they had to come up with new
However, Ashe started selling little succulents and cacti because she saw online they were becoming a huge hit again, and McCree started gardening to produce them. This led him to having an actual garden in the otherwise empty and unused dining area of his apartment. On a whim, he'd then made a floral arrangement for the front desk out of plants he and Ashe remembered from home in the southwest. He knew he and Ashe's relationship left much to be desired, and it'd been almost an apology. But then someone had thought it was pretty, and they'd bought it.
And so, arrangement-by-arrangement, slowly McCree- ex covert ops operative, probably wanted in at least 10 states under one of his aliases, well greased machine made for killing with very few applicable skills anywhere- began selling flowers.
The irony of it didn't escape him, and in fact, it probably made the whole situation worse. If Reyes could see him now, he'd probably say this was Jesse's most successful cover job yet.
But unfortunately, Reyes couldn't see him now.
That was because Gabriel Reyes was dead.
And so apart from whatever he had left with Ashe, Jesse McCree was alone in the world.
XXXXX
For whatever reason, his tail turned fucking superhuman runner just keep running into each other, literally. Jesse shouldn't really feel this annoyed by the fact, but he ran this at this time in the morning because he wanted to avoid the people of LA. More than once, he found himself cursing out health nuts and their ilk in spades.
The guy who ran in the same general area seemed to notice him too, always seeming to squint when he passed him by like McCree was walking. Jesse had to hold back his immediate irked feeling at being passed, because the guy didn't seem…actively rude or anything. Just curious.
But that innocent feeling of curiosity wasn't exactly reciprocated by Jesse, who felt a jolt of irritation every time the stranger passed him so easily.
Eventually, Jesse stopped at the park that they both took a water break at. And the guy stopped too. It was O' Dark Thirty, and the sun wasn't even a wink in the distance- the clocks were about to be set back. The rest of the city mostly wasn't awake yet, and neither of 'em were dressed the way that LA thought they should be.
The muscled man shifted side to side, blue eyes seeming to contemplate him from a distance in the grey light of the early morning, before something seems to click.
The interloper spoke up, "You were military." He said, seeming to make his conclusion and seeming pleased by it. That meant the interloper probably was too. Jesse shrugged.
"Close enough, I guess," He shifted as well, holding his water bottle and staring at the empty thing like it could help him with the situation. He still felt a bit jilted at the fact he'd been surpassed again. The man picked up on his uncomfortable energy, and nodded, backing off some.
"Can't give me the details?" He guessed, hitting the nail on the head.
"Mm. Can't even afford to give the VA the details."
"Guessing you were involved in the crisis, then?"
"Close enough." Jesse gave another shrug, giving into the fact that he wasn't gonna let him stand here in silence and peace. "Supposed I only ever circled around its edges, though. Only thing I can say that wouldn't make my ex officer kill me is i was picked up in Arizona. We did stuff pretty much…everywhere though."
The man just winced and nodded because, yeah. The aftermath of the crisis was messy and the American Southwest was largely a lawless hell scape overrun with gangs thieves and honest men trying to make a living.
"Name's Jack." He introduced himself, offering Jesse a hand. He didn't hesitate long, before shaking it. Jack didn't flinch at the prosthetic wrapping its way around his hand, and Jesse started to relax.
"McCree," Jesse introduced back a tad more formally, something Jack clearly picked up on, raising a brow. "…Suppose now it's just Jesse, though. But what about you?"
Jack perked up at Jesse started to ask him questions too. It's clear the guy's just looking for a conversation partner, and even though Jesse wasn't exactly happy about being that this early in the morning, he wasn't gonna shut him down.
"I'm 'fraid I can't say much either." He admitted, a touch embarrassed. "But… American Midwest, and then…a few spells overseas." Jack shifted from side to side before he continued. "So, what are you doing now?" He asked, trying to change the subject from the awkward impasse of their service.
Jesse needed a smoke before he could talk about that seriously, and he held up a finger to make Jack aware he needed a hot second. He reached into his pocket and felt around for a cigarette and his lighter, holding the cigarette in his teeth as he lit it, before shoving the lighter in his pocket and taking a drag. However, this only prompted complete confusion from Jack.
He took another long drag, before he held the cigarette in his fingers. "I'm a fucking florist." He told Jack, dead serious.
It took a moment to register, but the way the skin at the sides of Jack's eyes wrinkled, and how he couldn't hold back some quiet chuckles at Jesse's expense told him that the idea was equally funny to Jack. Jesse understood fine, while he wasn't necessarily built like Jack was- that was, like a brick shithouse- neither did he look like a florist.
Staring slightly to the side of Jack, he took another drag before shrugging. "Hey, it pays my bills. What are you doing now, exactly?" He pokes a finger at him, jabbing the air.
That comment made the air between them feel a lot more like he'd cut a live wire, as Jack went stiff and pursed his lips. A bit too late, Jesse realized he might have hit a sensitive topic. Jesse almost groaned, but bit back the sound. He shifted, and stubbed out his cigarette, tossing the remnants in the lone ashtray by them. "Hey, 's not a big deal if you ain't got a clue yet." Jesse tried to ease the tension. "I only got this job 'cause an old friend of mine needed a business partner who was moderately reliable."
"Only moderately?" Jack asked, trying to at least add some humor back into his demeanor. Jesse felt like a real asshole. He knew how awful it was to have no clue what he was doing at any point in time. What would he have done if Ashe had told him to fuck off when they'd met up back then? Probably moped about Reyes being dead and be homeless.
"Eh, seeing as her only other options were flakier than me even factoring in our problems, she was willing to compromise." Jesse explained, rubbing his neck. "So yeah, moderately. She's the one who's late to work every day too."
Jack snorted, looking around the park. "Can't imagine you not making it on time when you're up this early."
Jesse nodded. "I get there just before 8 to set up house. We open at 9." His mouth moved before his head had a chance to catch up. "You should come by sometime- shop's called Oddities and Ends. We're a fun bunch."
Jack gave him a bewildered look at the invitation, but nodded. "Alright then. I'll see if I'm able to, then." He said, smirking as he gestured to Jesse's legs, "But, we were both running, and I think we've rested a bit too long, you're gonna cramp up bad."
Admittedly, Jesse was relieved at the reprieve. He put his water bottle away, and waved goodbye, before taking off in a warm up jog, trying to settle back in the routine, but feeling how that was already thrown way out the door.
XXXXX
When Ashe finally showed up for work that day, she leveled McCree with a flat stare, and her sunglasses dipped down her nose to analyze him with that suspicious red look of hers.
"You're in a good mood today, Jesse." She announced, definitely trying to pick that statement apart even as she said it.
Was he? Jesse tilted his head in that way Ashe hated, almost like a dog, and she rolled her eyes, setting her nearly empty Starbucks cup down on the table in the middle, before joining him on the old sofa he loved so much. Ashe licked her lips carefully, arms crossed.
McCree pondered that a moment. He still did all his boring things in his routine.
Breakfast hadn't been such a sordid affair since he hadn't had to nurse his coffee quite so desperately when he'd been forced out of his early morning cranky mood by a surprise conversation. He supposed that was the root, and it just followed that he'd managed to finagle the shower into using actually warm water, which had been accompanied by an almost sexually pleasurable shower.
"Out with it. You're usually in a piss poor mood, and you brood in your corner. It's part of your appeal to a whole lot of ladies who pass through here." Ashe explained her thoughts, leaning back.
"Mighta met someone interesting." He guessed, and Ashe lifted an eyebrow at that.
"Interestin' how, McCree?" She pressed for some details, almost acting like they were teenagers playing cards around a table.
McCree didn't know how to put words to that. "Well, he was ex-military too, for a start." He began, and Ashe narrowed her eyes, before groaning and standing.
"Alright, then I'm guessing you met this person on your morning run. Here you had me thinking you had done something fun last night instead of moping in your apartment." She chastised him, grabbing her coffee off the table, finishing it off. "I'll leave you to your devices then, if you don't have any juicy gossip."
"Always subtle, Ashe," Jesse joked, rolling his eyes. "Don't worry, the second I get laid is the second you won't be able to shut me up."
"At least save it until the customers get here. Did you know there's Fanfiction about you now out there? There's only one story, and they got way too many details right for my comfort, but it exists now. How's it feel to be a local cryptid, Jesse?"
Jesse made a face at that. "Gross, where'd you even find it?"
Ashe gave him a smirk. "Internet," She said, noncommittally, as B.O.B. came in with several boxes of shipment. "Anyways, you have work to be doing. Christmas season is in full swing, and we'll need your hands on deck to help decorate."
"Well, then it's a good thing I sent the triplets to the market for me this morning." Jesse admitted, standing as he heard the truck blare its horn from outside. "I'll have more time after I get some holiday arrangements set up to show off what we have."
Ashe seemed satisfied by his answer, even if she didn't enjoy her authority being undercut by giving the triplets extra hours in the morning. She let him go about his business again. He propped open the door for the triplets to be able to come in and out, satisfied with the haul they'd pulled in for him from the floral district he liked to go to first. He gladly pitched in a hand, grabbing the nearest box full of the potted plants to carry in himself.
XXXXX
It actually took a few days for Jack to take him up on his offer. It wasn't that they left off on an awkward note, just that Jesse had to do a little more hunting than usual to get the things he wanted for his winter arrangements that decorated the shop. The best times at the floral district was always early in the morning, and that meant that he had to move his morning run to 4 am, and sometimes, cancel it entirely.
That might have sent a weird message to Jack, so Jesse was surprised when he turned up at the storefront with an almost comically small dog on the leash attached to his owner. Realistically, the animal wasn't that small- it was just that he was large. It seemed to be a greyhound, one of the smaller sorts. Jack cleaned up alright, in a light coat to fit in the same way that McCree did in the face of all these folks without any fuckin' blood. He pushed open the door when he saw that dogs were allowed inside, and seemed taken aback by the appearance of the place.
"What's with the Wild West theme?"
Immediately, Jesse and Ashe had to respond in tandem. "What do you mean, theme?" They stated with faux outrage, before Jesse tipped his hat at the bewildered man. Their more seasoned customers giggled from their place at their café, or from where they shopped inside.
Jesse made sure no one was paying too close attention to him, before he approached, going quiet.
"Hey, you had me starting to think that you weren't gonna take me up on the offer." Jesse said with a lazy grin.
"I thought you said you were a florist." Jack finally managed to say, raising eyebrows at him as he looked around again. "I didn't mean to take this long, it was just…well, I've not seen you on your morning runs."
"I am a florist." Jesse said, hand over his heard in false hurt as he held up the flowers he was working on arranging. "The shop's just a bit more complicated than that." He gestured around. "The Missus over there's Ashe, Bars is the one serving coffee, the big one's B.O.B., and the triplets work wherever they gotta."
"McCree, the chatter's fine, jus' remember that that order you have there needs to be completed for this afternoon," Ashe reminded from across the way, arms crossed as she sized Jack up herself.
In the light of day, it was a lot easier to see Jack's scars, but it was just as easy to see McCree's. The tiny lil dog even seemed to have on one of those jackets that denoted it was a working dog. He looked around the store, a bit amazed.
"You know, I thought I was a fan of this sort of stuff, but you guys really put me to shame," He admitted, looking up and down Jesse. "And-" he paused at his shoes. "Oh, come on, you're even wearing cowboy boots and a hat! There's no way this wasn't a marketing decision." Jack argued with him, in disbelief.
"Nah, we're both just of that disposition." Jesse chuckled, rolling his eyes playfully as he returned to working through his Christmas bouquet design. "My ex-officer would kill me if I said the full truth, and so would my coworker here, but it was what we woulda looked like if we had stayed put down there. Keeps us popular in the meanwhile, but we didn't decide to do this because it'd be popular."
"If anything, we're popular in spite of the getup!" One of the triplets chimed in, bringing the vase McCree had asked for to complete this order. His accent was about as thick as Ashe's, and Jack raised an eyebrow.
"You're missing an accent." He noted, interested.
McCree shifted, before shrugging. "I suppose it ain't as thick as Ashe's, or the others, but…well, I like to think I still have enough of one. If I don't it's because of my old boss."
Jack nodded, following him with interest. He stared at the still in-progress creation, and his hands fidgeted at his sides, the dog standing placidly at his side. "What got you into gardening?" Jack asked, staring at it curiously.
"Well, what really pushed me was when Ashe here started selling all those mini cacti in the shop, and it really ain't that hard to farm em. But I suppose that's only 'cause my Pa owned a farm."
"Your dad owned a farm?" Jack's eyes lit up. "My family did as well, actually. I kinda miss it, but…I don't really know if I wanna return to Indiana anymore to run one."
"Oh, so we got a couple of farmer's boys here, and so we both know that means I didn't grow up on a ranch, yeah?"
Jack snorted, nodding as he relaxed some more. "I mean, we had chickens, but…"
"Not cattle." Jesse finished, smirking. "I'm guessing your folks grew corn?"
"And soybeans, don't forget those." Jack rolled his eyes as he joked mildly. "What about your folks?"
"Far as I can recall, we had a big ol' nursery outside of Santa Fe, I remember though, that Pa sold a lot of chilies at the farmers market." Jesse rubbed his arms, nostalgic. "I don't precisely recall all the details, but it was Pa's livelihood."
Jack sobered, saddening some. "Ah, you would have been young when the crisis hit, wouldn't you…?"
Jesse felt the petals of a peppermint lily. "I was 7, yeah. There wasn't really a place for a chili farm after that, and…well. You know how it was." Jesse deflected. "I met Ashe and we hit it off real swell, so it wasn't like I was alone."
Jack looked to Bars and B.O.B., seeming curious. "You don't mind working with… them, then?"
Jesse looked between Jack and the omnics busy at work. "You know? Not really, at all. I worked with plenty back in the day, it'd be nice to see some of the ones I spent a lotta time with, and its not like they're responsible for whatever happened. Not to mention, B.O.B. is practically my weird uncle, since he might as well be Ashe's dad."
Jack was bewildered by that fact, but wisely, he didn't ask.
"McCree, I don't see a whole lotta work going on there!" Ashe yelled back, probably irritated with him for bringing up their shared past so casually. "If you wanna strike up a friendship, invite him to poker or something! Off company time."
McCree sighed, and Jack looked sheepish. "I'm sorry for distracting you." He apologized, dipping his head apologetically.
Jesse waved a hand to ease his guilt. "Nah, it's my fault- she has a few sore spots. But uh, like she said. I'm here basically every day, and on weekend nights we run poker games. Be warned though, we're a group of card sharks here."
Jack seemed interested, but he shifted awkwardly. "Is there a money pool, or somethin?"
"Now why would we have one of those?" Ashe asked as she approached them to get things settled again, wrapping an arm around McCree in a way that made Jack's eyebrows go up in surprise. "That would be illegal." She said innocently, a smirk on her face. McCree rolled his eyes.
"We won't do one if you come, how about that?" Jesse muttered, removing Ashe's arm from his shoulders, and Ashe glared at him, and she coughed to draw his attention to the customers who all seemed rather interested. "Or if anyone comes aside from our staff. Because that'd be illegal." Jesse finally gave in, both he and Ashe put out as they saw some people take out phones to mark some night or another.
"Alright." Jack admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'll... see if I have time." He finally managed, and picked up the extremely well behaved dog off the floor. "I'll see you around, Jesse." He murmured, before ducking out of the store.
Ashe watched him as he went. "Now that's an interestin' fella you have there McCree." She folded her arms. "He the man you met?"
Jesse frowned at her, before he sighed, figuring he'd dipped into her business, and she was just returning the favor. "Yeah, that was him, Ashe. Play nice."
"I was plenty nice." Ashe defended herself, gesturing to the flowers on the table. "You were getting distracted, I had to refocus you. But I gave him another opportunity to see you, you should be more grateful." Ashe rumbled out quietly, shaking her head at him. "Get cracking, she already called to ask if it was done."
McCree cursed under his breath, gathering up the rest of his flowers and cursing as he realized he had to really finish this before he was late on delivering it.
XXXXX
Jesse and Jack didn't see each other as often as they had before they'd spoken on their morning run. However, they were back to spotting each other, at least. It wasn't quite the same thing, usually they were minutes off the mark from a run in, and Jack sometimes looked like he wanted to say something, and McCree sometimes did too.
When they finally met again at the park, Jack trotted over to him, looking more than a little awkward.
"I was starting to think you were avoiding me." Jack admitted softly, shifting from side to side.
"Nah." Jesse shook his head. "It's just holiday season. Ashe's got the whip cracked and I am in the weeds." He stretched to shake off any residual nerves. "I'm a grown ass man, I'm too old for the avoiding weird conversations mess." He tried to soothe, and Jack snorted quietly.
He bent at the waist to stretch his back, and craned his head up to look back at Jack. "Are you gonna come to poker night?" He asked, out of curiosity. "We have the main one advertised for Saturday night, so Friday oughta be dead by comparison." He gave him an out for being too shy to say he was too shy to mess with a big crowd vying for Jesse's attention.
"Could I bring some friends?" Jack asked, surprising Jesse some. "Well, one friend, and the other…well, I don't even know if bring with is the right word, but she'd come maybe a bit after I arrived. She's just…worried about me, she might ask you some invasive questions."
Jesse laughed. "Ah, one of those types huh?" He recalled a certain blonde doctor who patched him up with many rude words. "But yeah, sure. The more the merrier. Just no cops, please."
Jack relaxed some, and he looked out to the horizon. "So you're running earlier, then?"
"I have to run to the flower districts first thing, that's why." Jesse admitted. "Really, I should get going."
"A flower district?" Jack seemed interested. "Mind if I tag along?"
"Yeah, sure." Jesse allowed, figuring it'd be harmless. "Let's stop by my apartment. You just can't judge it, alright?"
"Fair deal."
XXXXX
"You know, when you asked me to hold off on judgment, I'd expected a mess. Maybe some beer bottles on the floor, dishes not done, laundry sprawled across the floor. But this? This is beyond asking to hold off judgment. This is 'you need an intervention' level bad, Jesse McCree."
"Eh, who needs a dining table anyway?" Jesse shrugged, stepping over the seedlings he had planted in his garden and whatever leftover black ops supply that he left lying around.
"Most people, typically," Jack countered, eyes wide as he hung back by the door, seeming afraid of the place, looking like he thought that if he tried to trapeze through like Jesse was, the whole place would come crashing down like a stack of cards.
"That's just the man keeping us down." Jesse bantered back. "Dining tables? Useless. God gave us all tables in our very form. Look at these things." Jesse smacked his lean muscular legs for Jack, the sound reverberating in the apartment. "Capitalism is evil, and so I ain't gonna buy a whole ass table and chair set just for eating when I can do that just as easily on my couch."
Jack shook his head in amused disgust. "You're gonna have a rat problem one of these days, and it'll be exactly because of that." He told him off, leaning against the door. "But you need to change. Hurry, I don't want to get dragged under one of your trash piles and eaten by whatever monster lurks there."
"Hey, that's just uncalled for." McCree said, frowning. "But I getcha, I getcha. Just let me change." He removed his running shirt- an old t-shirt that wasn't grey when he'd bought it with some forgotten phrasing on it, and pulled his runner's shorts down his hips, thoughtlessly, and Jack sputtered. McCree looked to him, raising a brow in surprise. "C'mon, we've both seen this shit before." Jesse countered. "We were both military."
Jack's face was bright red, and he held up a hand to cover where McCree's body hair started trailing down into pubic hair. "Go get dressed, McCree." He managed, voice a bit higher than it had been before. Jesse snickered, sauntering off lazily.
"It's what you get, implying I need a dining table." He rolled his eyes with a lazy smirk, before getting to his room, grateful for a brief reprieve. Jesse had meant it, when he said Jack was fine to come along, but now it was like his whole…routine was off schedule. Nothing was how he'd been doing it to pull through, and that left McCree unsettled.
The other thing was, Jack sounded a lot like he thought Gabe would. This felt like when he'd argue with Gabe about his lifestyle, and it had when Jack had seemed bewildered by his civilian look. He was positive Gabe would have a thing or two to say about his get-up, and none of it would be positive.
And yeah, the reminder hurt. He took a deep breath.
Jack wasn't Gabe- he had to keep that straight. Even if they were both ex-military, it wasn't smart of Jesse to try to strip like that. Jack was a stranger who he was in the process of becoming friends with. He had to remember he wasn't quite friends with him yet, and Jack clearly had been…well, weirded out by that.
He threw on his button up, and the rest of his gear. He rubbed his hand over peacekeeper from where she sat on his dresser, before heading back out, putting his hat on as he dipped back into the common area.
Jack snorted as he saw the hat, seeming to have calmed down as well.
"Let's get this show on the road, then, bud." Jesse announced, wrapping his serape around his shoulders as he waltzed back across the room.
XXXXX
For however weird Jesse had made it for Jack, when they got to the flower district it was like they were both kids in a candy shop. Jesse wasn't lying when he said that in spite of the massive irony, he did really enjoy his job.
"You know, in spite of how I think you really need to clean your house up, it's…nice to see that you have such a nice garden." Jack murmured, hands ghosting over some of the various flowers on display as they walked through, Jesse carrying his list of orders he wanted to place with his wholesaler and things he needed to buy that day.
"Oh, yeah." Jesse rubbed the nape of his neck. "I mean, I don't have a dog, so I just…well, gardening was a solution. I knew how to do it, and I could always reap the benefits of it. I didn't expect to become a floral designer, but, well, I've not really known what life had in store for me since I was a teenager."
Jack hummed in agreement, following him through. Jesse had to break off quite a few times to place orders, and he also wound up using his serape to carry things he needed for that day with them.
"They don't sell vegetables here, do they?" Jack asked, interested as Jesse tied off his serape and slung it over his shoulders, the flowers neatly stored there so they wouldn't get bunched up too badly on transport.
"Nah, wish they did. They do have a farmer's market to go to though, but it's only on Saturdays." Jesse hummed, feeling…oddly domesticated as he said that. "Why?"
"I think I might try…to do what you're doing." Jack murmured, shifting. "But flowers can be toxic to dogs, so…a vegetable garden, that'd be nice."
Jesse paused, not letting his smile drop too far off his face, but definitely taken aback by this.
Because…oh no.
That was cute.
XXXXX
Thinking that the dude he had met like a week ago that he was becoming friends with over morning runs and a somewhat intangible military history past was cute was probably just a phase, Jesse McCree told himself firmly as he finished ringing up his arrangement sales for the day. Yep. Probably just another low point in a life that was wholly defined by low points- from when McCree founded a gang with Ashe, to when he was caught red handed by Gabe, the whole mess of Genji's not-quite-corpse, losing his arm, moving to LA and living here like an absolute madman… Yeah. Finding this newcomer cute was probably just a symptom of whatever it was he'd fallen into.
It had to be, because Jesse didn't rightly know what he'd do if it weren't just another low point and it was actually a case of feelings developing in him.
"Thank you for your business, Ma'am." Jesse said politely, and the woman gave him a placid smile.
"They're wonderful, you charmer." She said appraisingly. "Who made this for me?" She asked, and McCree recalled vaguely hers had been one of the online orders. He flushed, grateful that his darker skin meant the pink color was darkened as well.
"That'd be me, Ma'am." He explained, smiling at her before checking her out with a practiced motion. Behind them, Ashe and the triplets helped Bars break down the coffee bar into something more usable.
It was Friday, and that meant it was poker night.
The customer in front of him seemed amused as B.O.B. finally had to step in and lift up the piece of equipment in question, and Jesse rolled his eyes at the scene. "Uhm. Have a good night, happy holidays- tonight's poker, feel free to stay if you'd like." He managed, before making a gesture like he was going to help them.
The woman did decide to hang around; keeping a sharp eye on Jesse that had something odd crawling up his back. It reminded him of when he felt like Jack was a tail, or something.
Speak of the devil, right as they all finally managed to get their ducks in a row and the poker table set up right in the middle of the now-emptied out café, Jack walked in.
"Hey Jesse!" He greeted as he bustled through the door, making a beeline towards the older woman. "I see you've met Ana."
Jesse raised a brow at that, and Jack looked at her and frowned. "You didn't introduce yourself?" He chastised, before sighing. "She was my coworker, in the army."
Ana extended a hand towards Jesse. "I was just waiting for you to get here. I didn't want to 'weird him out' like you said I would," she teased Jack clearly as he and her shook hands, Jesse keeping a firm grip. "Can our friend not make it, then?" She asked, looking at Jack carefully.
"No, she'll have to join us later." Jack lamented, sighing. "She was held up at work tonight. But that's alright, I'm sure this'll be fun and she won't mind if she can't be dealt in."
Ashe seemed awfully unimpressed from where she stood, staring at the lot of them skeptically. "You sure do like bringing military types around Jesse." She told him carefully, undoubtedly remembering their bust in the same, clear way Jesse himself did.
"We're not doing anything illegal." Jesse snipped back at her. "Calm your horses and get B.O.B. to play dealer." He gestured to the poker table. "Shall we?"
XXXXX
The night was uneventful, if very fun. They managed to get through several rounds of Texas hold'em without any strife, and though Jack wasn't very good, Ana was a fellow card shark who gave Jesse and Ashe a real run for their money more than once. That really was saying something too, given that they both weren't exactly beginners at the game.
At some point, things died down as they poured drinks, nothing for sale of course, Ashe had reminded, but as it was a quiet night Jesse felt fine about offering drinks to friends. After the whiskey and spinach dip came out, that meant it was more or less story time, and the cards and chips were forgotten on the table.
McCree gestured wildly as he felt good, buzzed, talking about his past like this. That was a change in pace, usually Ashe woulda shut him up about his stint in the military, but this story seemed to be making her laugh just as well.
"Now, see, the car we got was a fucking pull lawn mower that could go 110 miles an hour. And we'd be going that speed and then a person in a Lamborghini would pass us and look like what the hell are you doing driving a lawn mower, in the left lane, no less." McCree said, giving his best attempt at an Italian accent, the company before him in stitches. He took a moment to take a swig out of his flask, shaking his head in amusement. "Really though, the left lane was just the side that was closer to the mountain in that case."
"And we drove that thing 90 miles up the hill- because, you know, it couldn't quite handle the slope. But us three stooges on our own decided that, due to the weather, we wanted to get off the road as fast as possible. So we took the shortest route. Problem was, it went right up the pass." McCree paused, using his prosthetic arm to show them the angle of ascent.
"And we got there, going 90 miles an hour in a lawn mower no bigger than this table- with me, my coworkers Genji, Fio and even the fucking lanky giant Moira, all in it. The four of us on both sides, all of our gear stuffed between us like we were in a clown car from hell." we get to the top of that pass and…the car won't go." Jesse savored the moment as they started howling, his hand teetering in its gesture of the car at the top of the mountain. "And then, it starts sliding backwards."
"So Genji, Moira, Fio and I all have to turn around because the stupid rust bucket won't pass the top of the hill! And then we have to drive another 3 hours going the other way. Remember, we were all so excited, going to Europe, we were expecting a Porsche, a Lamborghini, a Ferrari, you know. Some sort of luxury rental car- Genji had my hopes all up about how we were black ops, it was a guarantee we'd get the coolest damn car to drive through Europe! And remember! My boss got something real nice but us? Nope, we got the shittiest damn car in the lot! It had wheels! It was like he told the staff to give us something that was cheap to insure and they took it as a challenge!"
"You drove it?" Jack asked, in teary-eyed mirth. "Remind me not to take a ride with you."
Quietly, a bell rang in the background. Jesse barely registered it over the sound of laughing around him, and he just figured that that must be Jack's doctor friend coming in.
"I drive fine!" Jesse protested. "Hell, I even can drive a motorcycle! I had to drive anyways since Moira's legs didn't fit with the steering wheel, and neither she or I could fit into the back seat! It was a European clown car from hell! Even now, I can't believe that-"
"Jesse?"
His entire body seized up at the familiar voice. Soft, feminine, concerned blue eyes reading him like a book as the entire room noticed how quickly the energy had been drained out of him, leaving a frozen shell.
Angela Ziegler was staring at him, dressed in a soft sweater and now she looked concerned, as did everyone else in the room. Jack and Ana seemed equally shocked at his response, that Angela knew him in the first place.
The spell broke when she tried to take another spell towards him, and he and Ashe sprung into immediate action, since Jesse ain't never had a reaction like this. Ashe stood defensively, throwing her keys to him. He almost didn't catch em, but he managed, stumbling out from behind the poker table, chips falling as he shook the table.
"Jesse, wait," She pleaded as she took another step forward into Ashe's waiting form, but Jesse had spent too much time running to face her here, like this.
Jack sat helplessly as Jesse ran once again.
He shoved the keys into Ashe's bike out back, tears now starting to drip down his face at being forced to see her again. The pieces were starting to come together for him, and they were likely coming together for all those out there.
"Jesse… I'm sorry. He… he's not going to make it." Angela had told him softly, eyes sympathetic, as though she hadn't told him something that had ruined his whole life.
"He's not going to get better. He's brain dead. I need to bring him to our parent organization… they've already ordered the disbanding of…this branch." She tried to say delicately, but Genji practically looked like he was melting in guilt.
"You knew." Jesse said, looking to them both, his voice cracking. He wanted to slug Genji's face as the guilt darkened there.
"I've already been moved into the parent organization." Genji said quietly. "They didn't want to risk absorbing the entirety of us considering…what we did and who we were before… and the crisis is mostly won. I'm sorry, Jesse."
They kept saying these words like it would make it any better. "So not only is my boss dead, but I'm out of a job, huh?" He laughed, the sound watery. His hands shook as he took desperate drags from a cigar.
His feet started moving on their own, and in spite of Angela and Genji telling him to wait, he ran. It was to be the fate of all of Gabe's forces. They were all out of work, and from the sound of it, asking for severance pay was gonna get them into a lot more trouble than it was worth.
He felt absolutely frozen inside as he revved the bike, the picture of him and Ashe playing poker on the front reminding him how far he had come since he'd been a 20 something year old arms dealer with her and had been made something out of by Gabe.
He held back his sob until the sound was lost in the noise of the engine, and took off like a bandit in the night.
XXXXX
Jesse drove his way clear past of the California state line. He of course texted Ashe that he wouldn't be in for work Saturday, as he'd gotten a hotel out in Arizona, needing the desert to whip around him like an old forgotten friend before he could even manage to think clearly about this.
Ashe texted him back, the noise of it the only thing he heard out in the desert with him. 'Christ. That bad, huh? Military types left right after you did, I think they went to your place.'
'I brought jack over once. s' why I bolted'
'Don't be gone too long, Jesse. I know we've gotten by without discussing any of this, but this has to do with you showing up drunk and crying at my home back then, doesn't it?' It took her two texts to ask this, and Jesse sat on it as he stared up at the empty Arizona night sky.
He closed his eyes, before he leaned against her bike.
'it might. they didn't explain it?"
"Nah, they got the fuck out of dodge when the new blonde tried to chase you."
'Blonde's the one who told me I was outta a job cause the main organization didn't wanna associate with my type of person. In the same breath as she said my boss was brain dead when he'd taken a shot meant for me.'
'Eesh.' There was silence for a long time, and Jesse stood up, deciding it was past time to get to bed.
He was about to fall into bed when his phone rang again.
'I'm sorry, Jesse. I'll see you Sunday'
He sighed, and agreed. He had a day to get himself back under control. He could do that easy. He had to.
XXXXX
Sunday morning, Jesse showed up to work, quieter than normal. Bars offered him a coffee that he took real quiet. He had orders to fill, a few which were a day late now. He had no time to think about if Jack or his friends would come back for answers.
Ashe came in, and she held up a hand for her keys, which he tossed to her thoughtlessly. She pat his back to try and reassure her in that awkward way he'd done for her that day, and Jesse somehow felt torn open in a new kind of way.
None of them came to the store that day, and he wasn't told if any of them had tried to find him on Saturday.
The days ticked down towards Christmas, sure as time always did. Jesse was almost thankful that his routine was thrown outta whack from the new schedule, but he didn't like wondering what Jack thought about this now. He knew he'd said he wasn't big on avoiding, and he wasn't. He'd needed the desert to bring himself to terms with the fact that somehow, Jack and Ana were connected to Angela, and that meant they more than likely were all apart of the parent organization that had turned him out.
And anyway, he was back now, he was working and back to taking lukewarm showers in his shitty apartment and having shitty breakfasts and mourning his life before more than he had in ages since he left that place and wandered, and wandered until 4 years later he happened across a familiar face that had a proposition he accepted.
6 years since his old life had died with Gabe, 4 years since he'd lost his arm, 2 years since he'd joined Ashe.
He somehow felt heavier as he wondered if any of em knew Gabe like he did. Missed Gabe like he did. Cared about him even now like Jesse did. He wondered about Genji, since he'd run off and joined the circus, and he wondered about Fio, and he wondered about Echo and even Moira. All of his old coworkers.
If this was what he'd become, he wondered what became of them.
He finished his last order, and knew it had to be delivered. He carefully wrapped the vase in delicate white paper, and his hands shook as he tied the blue ribbons around it in a way that only demonstrated how far off he was from his old life.
With silver marker pens he wrote in elegant cursive the message the order had requested on its tag.
Now that it was done, the Christmas rose arrangement finished, he had to head out into busy LA. He bid the gang a good night, and headed out into the nippy wind, holding the gift carefully in his arms.
There were only 3 days until Christmas left, and that meant the streets were absolutely jam-packed. Thankfully, he had an air about him that meant most folks parted for him like the red sea.
While he was on his way, he caught sight of a familiar face, the man sitting on a park bench on Jesse's way. Blue eyes caught his, and Jack held his dog closer to his chest. He seemed to be asking Jesse to stop for him.
Jesse shifted, debating that for a long moment, before he pressed forward. He had to get there before he was late.
He delivered his package uneventfully, and headed out to a bar to try and get his mind off the fact of the matter. He spent hours like that, before he finally had to get his ass home, trying to ignore the way Jack had looked like he very desperately wanted to talk to him.
As he stepped into his wrecked apartment on December 22nd, he thought Gabe would find him to be a pretty shitty legacy.
Jesse closed the door behind him, and kept the lights off, uncaring as he settled for the couch inside of the bed, and he passed out, already past drunk.
XXXXX
He'd turned off his alarm the next morning as soon as it had the audacity to ring, but he was sadly disturbed by someone having the audacity to knock on his door minutes after he'd slammed it off.
He rolled onto his back, staring up, and wondering why he'd been too lazy to just get to the bed. There was another round of furious knocks, and Jesse snarled at the door.
He stood in his boxers and marched over to the door, yanking it open.
Jack was facing him, seeming determined.
"What do you want?" Jesse grumbled, just short of outright aggression.
The man before him seemed a bit taken aback by the morning Jesse, but he crossed his arms. "You've been skipping your morning run." Jack told him like it was obvious. "Get clothes on. We're going now."
"You're not my boss." Jesse pointed out, eyebrows flat.
"No, but Gabriel was." Jack said with renewed determination. "Now get your clothes on."
"Gabriel's dead." Jesse bit out, angry that he now knew that Jack knew his old boss, removing any remaining doubts about where Jack had worked.
"I know."
"There's no point to doing this."
"I know."
"I haven't wanted to do it since y'all brought up those memories back up."
"I'm sorry Jesse."
People just kept apologizing to Jesse. He didn't know why. Gabe was dead 'cause of him.
Jack pushed his door open at his continued silence, scar glistening in the moonlight pouring in from Jesse's window. "Get on your clothes. We're going. You're in a pissy mood. And you always seem better after doing this."
Jesse spluttered, and Jack turned to him with a threatening finger pointed at his face. "Get clothes on, or I'm going to start cleaning."
That got Jesse moving, body performing the motions it'd gotten used to in the years since Gabe's been gone.
Jack forced him up off his ass and forced him to get out the door under threat of going through his shit around his house, and damn if it wasn't effective.
They ran side by side for once, and Jesse hated knowing Jack was going purposefully slow- he'd seen him run often enough to know Jack could easily outdo him, outpace him. But instead he stuck close to his side.
They reached the park.
"Why are you doing this?" Jesse lashed out, angry. "What do you get out of this?"
Jack seemed uncertain of how to answer him. He shifted from side to side for a long moment.
"Is it because you miss him?" Jesse snapped, looking at him for answers that he wasn't getting. "I can't change what he did for me. God knows I would have already tried."
Jack seemed distressed by that insinuation, and he shook his head. "Of course, I miss him, but Jesse," He tried, but Jesse wasn't having any of it.
"Do you feel guilty about what happened to me? I'm sure Angela told you what happened afterwards." Jack's face broke into more open concern at that, and he seemed mute, and Jesse walked to the side, fingers beyond itching for a cigarette.
"Of course I do. I made the decision. I didn't know…what it would do, I was just trying to do right by Gabe." He attempted, and that incensed Jesse to no end.
"Right by Gabe? Right by Gabe? I can't go to anyone with what I served for." Jesse said, angry at the world and especially with Jack. "I lost my damn arm and I had to pay for it my damn self, since there's no fucking VA that would believe I served! How's that right by Gabe?"
Jack licked his lips, head hung low.
"That was 10 years of my life that I have no connection to anymore." Jesse tells him with all his pent up rage. "And I can't change that Gabe got himself shot for me. I can't change what I did before Gabe picked me up. But I do what I have to in order to get by, and I don't want Angela Ziegler coming in and trying to insert herself back in where she wrecked it all before."
"Jesse." Jack said firmly, eyes finding their renewed determination. "I didn't come because of Gabe. I came because of you. You- you're inspiring." He finally managed. "You're still going in spite of it all."
That made Jesse calm down, forced to stop in his tracks.
Jack shifted from side to side, before he took Jesse's silence to be permission.
"I've just…gone from place to place, since our shut down." Jack admitted quietly. "I've not held down a job. I've just had Trooper, and Ana checks in on me to see if I'm ever gonna move on, and we were both convinced that no, I wasn't. Its been 30 years since I had met Gabe and we tried to save the damn world together, and 6 years since Gabe left me to do that by myself." His hands clenched. "And I haven't been able to move forward at all. And then one day I meet someone here, someone in the same damn boat I'm in, and not only are they putting their life back together, but they're doing a damn good job of it too."
"So, I'm doing this for you, Jesse." He said firmly. "Now come on. You needed a shower, like…yesterday…"
XXXXX
While Jesse showered, Jack started taking the first steps to cleaning the path out of his apartment by packing up all his old equipment and putting them back into their proper places.
He exited, half naked, and Jack pushed him to his bedroom to get dressed. He still felt rather…dumbfounded by all this, but he didn't know how to turn Jack down. His words still were ringing in Jesse's ears, and he was taken aback by the sheer earnest way Jack forced him to put his head back on straight.
It wasn't until Jesse was at work that Jack let him off the hook, and he opened the door to find that it was already unlocked. Ashe was waiting for him, for once, and she seemed equally surprised, eyebrows raised high as she handed him a coffee, watching Jack head off into the distance.
She turned to McCree and crossed her arms, seeming to resolve something in herself before she spoke. "Now that, looks like a keeper McCree." She told him with a touch of amusement in her voice. "Now start talking- what went down that took you from brooding asshole cowboy to gob smacked like you are now."
McCree just wished she wasn't so right. He felt something hard in his chest skip a beat as he watched Jack turn back toward the store with a soft glance and something like care in his expression.
"Yeah, I think he might be one too."
XXXXX
Though they didn't see each other that evening, the next morning Jesse met Jack out front of his apartment complex, and the two ran side by side once again. It was…significantly less tense than it had been before. That morning, Jesse needed to go to the flower district, and he invited Jack there once more. Jack happily agreed, smiling at Jesse with quickly relaxing ease.
The place was crowded from people buying the last minute things for their homes, wreaths and holly and such. Jack seemed at ease walking through the place with him. Jesse was buying a handful of items for the Christmas party that night, when the seller in front of him smiled, her eyes lighting up.
"Oh, look who's under the mistletoe!" She pointed up above Jack and Jesse's head.
The two of them stared at each other, and Jack went extremely flush. Jesse hadn't even realized that Jack had been watching him, but before he had a moment longer to question it, he leaned forward and caught Jack's lips in a chaste kiss.
He drew back, and Jack's eyes were wide like saucers, his face an even darker red that trailed down to his neck. Jesse gave him an easy smile. "Oh, c'mon." He snorted. "You keep looking that cute and I'm gonna have to kiss you again." He teased, turning back to his business as Jack sputtered.
They eventually had to get going, with McCree's arms laden with flowers and stuff for work. Jack seemed embarrassed, but he had to ask. "You like…uhm, you like guys?"
"I reckon I do." McCree teased, snorting. "How old are you, Jack, to ask me it like that?"
Jack stammered, before he sighed. "I don't have a lot of experience, okay? I was too busy with work to really…do much like that." He eventually said, swallowing. "…you think I'm cute?"
"Well, attractive, really, but yeah." He gestured to Jack's body. "You're built, you've got the personality behind the looks, and there's a certain appeal to a man who can call me out when I'm on my shit again." He told Jack plainly.
They approached the store, and Ashe was waiting for them. Jack seemed unsure of what to say, and McCree didn't know if that meant Jack was interested in him too, or if he was just unused to such direct flattery.
Ashe eyed Jack appraisingly, before she spoke and stood tall once more. "Tonight there's a Christmas party. Come on down, it'll be fun. McCree typically doesn't run off like a dog with its tail between his legs." She teased him, opening the store for them. "And don't be shy if you want a coffee sometime, soldier boy."
Jack went real flush at that, and McCree rubbed the back of his neck. Ashe rolled her eyes, grumbling about hating having to play wingman, before she moved around and pushed them into the doorway, where there was another thing of mistletoe.
"He's single, and I need more people who can pull his head out of his ass for me." Ashe told Jack, arms crossed. "Now y'all get on with it, please, I have a business to run."
Jack seemed absolutely taken aback once more by that, and McCree softened. "You don't gotta, if you don't want to." He whispered to him, and Jack licked his lips, suddenly looking rather determined.
"Is she…serious?" Jack asked, seeming amused now. "Well…hm. I'll have to think about it…" He paused, before he pulled Jesse into a soft kiss. "You know, if you thought I was cute, you could have been…direct about it sooner."
Now it was Jesse's turn to sputter. "I've been real busy!" He pointed out, gesturing wildly. "Are you gonna come or not?"
"I'll come." Jack agreed, voice soft. "And we can…well, talk about this. I'm not a guy who you can just kiss and tell on, alright? I expect a date. And please, leave the cowboy getup at the door."
That comment made Jesse belt out a loud laugh as he protested, "It's not a get up! What happened to your talk of me being inspiring!" He exclaimed, shaking his head in disbelief.
"You definitely are a sight." Jack teased, a more natural smile on his lips. "All of you is. Then…is it a date?" He asked, blue eyes hopeful.
Jesse pulled Jack into a hug, separating and taking his hands into his own. "You know it. I'll see you tonight." He squeezed his hands, before releasing them. "And Merry Christmas!"
"We're seeing each other tonight, Jesse!" Jack chuckled as he waved, shaking his head as an irrepressible smile formed on both their faces while Jack walked to his apartment to get his own life started. "It's not even Christmas yet!"
As Jesse headed into Oddities and Ends, he knew that his problems weren't solved, and that he still had a lot of shit on his plate. But he felt lighter, somehow, and even though he hadn't been made to do things like this, and even though it was maybe wrong of him to try to be so soft after being so hard all those years, that there was a reason he kept pushing forward.
He bet he'd never seen a Christmas Cactus that was actually from New Mexico before, he thought as he put a scarf and Santa hat on the fully grown cactus in the corner of the store.
With newfound happiness, he called on the triplets help and got right to work decking their western-styled oddities stores up for the holiday party that night, already feeling eager to see Jack's reaction to what he could pull off next.