Full title is: Petitioner and Respondent Were Separated on January 27, 2065
Gabriel owns only one suitcase, a large, camouflage bag from his army days. It's lasted nearly three decades thanks to its sturdiness, and he anticipates it will hold for the rest of his life. He keeps it in the back of his closet in his civilian home in Colorado, tucked away behind a shoe rack and some dusty old boxes. He hasn't had need for it in years.
Last week his sister called him in near hysterics and told him she's having surgery to remove her gallbladder. She asked him to come to LA and help her out while she recovers. Gabriel has enough medical knowledge to know that gallbladder removal is an extremely safe, extremely routine procedure, and he knows Micaela well enough to know she's crying crocodile tears just to trick him into visiting. But he agrees to go anyway. As exasperating as his sister can be sometimes, he loves her too much to say no to her.
Besides, he could seriously use a vacation.
Gabriel goes through his wardrobe piece by piece as he packs his bag, sorting out what belongs to him and what doesn't. He and Jack are nearly the same size, and after being together so long all their clothes have blended together. Everything they own has blended together really. It's an impossible chore to untangle it all and decipher what's his and not theirs.
He holds up a pair of navy blue Overwatch sweatpants. It takes him just a second to determine they're Jack's. Definitely Jack's. Gabriel folds them back up and sticks them in the drawer. He doesn't even have to unfold the LA Lakers t-shirt to know it's his, and he packs it straightaway into his bag. He holds up a novelty guitar-print tie and cringes. It's his alright, but it's absolutely hideous so he opts to leave it behind.
Gabriel picks up and unfolds a crimson Harvard University hoodie and studies it for a few moments. For the life of him he can't remember which of them it belongs to. He starts to pack it, then decides to slip it over his head and wear it instead. The fabric is soft and comfortable, and it smells faintly of Jack's laundry detergent.
After Gabriel's examined everything, sifted through his entire wardrobe down to the last sock, he zips up his bag and slings it over his shoulder. It's lighter than he anticipated, and he's thrown off-kilter by the feel of contents shifting in empty space. He should have expected it since most of his and belongings are back at the Swiss HQ. Their house is just a glorified storage space for what doesn't fit in their quarters.
There is one exception to that, and it comes lumbering in on all fours through the open bedroom door. Eighty pounds of shaggy, white fur barks loudly at him and sniffs at his suitcase. They can't keep their dog on base, though that hasn't stopped Jack from trying. It's astounding the number of times he's spooked their dog-sitter with an empty house because he forgot to tell her he (illegally) brought the dog back to Europe.
"Roger, be quiet." Gabriel hisses. Roger in response licks his hand and rubs his head affectionately against his side. Gabriel relents and gives him a tiny pat on the back.
Gabriel looks across the hallway to the spare bedroom's closed door. Jack took up permanent residence there some time ago, he can't remember when. Gabriel hasn't seen him yet since he arrived last night. The only reason he knows he's here is because the curtains were open and Roger had an extra helping of food in his bowl.
Gabriel collects the rest of his things and tiptoes past the door so he doesn't wake Jack in the unlikely event he's actually asleep (when does Jack ever sleep these days?). His efforts are for naught as Roger keeps barking like he has something important to say. He creeps down the stairs and his stomach rumbles as he passes the kitchen. His last meal was on a hover-jet somewhere over the east coast.
Gabriel walks past the presumably empty fridge and opens up the pantry next to it. They can't keep anything that would spoil. Lucky for him, coffee doesn't have an expiration date. He deposits several servings of coffee into his laser coffeemaker, and crosses his arms and taps his foot as he waits an eternity for it to brew. The damn thing never worked right, even when it was new.
When it's finally ready Gabriel reaches into the cupboard for a mug, not really paying attention to what he's grabbing. After he's pulled it out he stares at the white calligraphy printed on it. La famiglia è la patria del cuore- home is where the heart is. He and Jack got it in Rome the first time they visited, about a year after they got married.
As Gabriel pours his coffee he hears the sound of bare feet padding down the stairs. A moment later Jack appears in the doorway. His hair is disheveled and he wears a grey robe and plaid pajama bottoms. He looks in his direction and blinks a few times, like he's not sure if he's actually seeing him in their kitchen holding a steaming mug of coffee or if he's still asleep and dreaming it.
"Did I wake you?" Gabriel asks. He sets his mug on the kitchen table and plops down in one of the wooden chairs.
Jack shakes his head. "I've been up for a few hours. Couldn't sleep." He patters over to the cupboard above the coffee maker, and reaches inside to retrieve a mug. "What are you doing here?" Jack asks as he pours himself a cup of coffee.
"I live here." Gabriel responds dryly.
Jack rolls his eyes at him. "I know that, but why are you here? I thought you were flying straight to LA from HQ."
"I wanted to stop and pick up a few things." He says, gesturing to his luggage next to the table. Jack turns to look at it and nods at him.
"How long do you think you'll be gone?" He asks.
"I don't know, a few days probably, maybe a week tops?" He responds gruffly before taking a sip from his mug.
"You're coming back, right?"
He scoffs. "Of course I'm coming back. Where else am I supposed to go?"
Jack looks at the suitcase, then backpack and box of miscellaneous junk, and raises an eyebrow. He doesn't comment before turning back around to face the counter.
"Is there anything you need me to do for you while you're away?" He asks as he adds two spoonfuls of sugar to his mug.
"Yeah, make sure McCree doesn't run Blackwatch into the ground while I'm gone."
Jack sighs. "I meant for your family, Gabe. I could come with you, if you want."
"Don't you have a job to do?" Gabriel asks, not meaning for it to sound as bitter as it came out. He pauses a moment and clears his throat. "We'll be fine. You know how Micaela is. She's just being her usual overdramatic self."
Jack nods and sits down across from him at the table. The wooden chair scrapes against the tile as he moves his chair in closer. He takes his holopad out of his robe pocket and he projects the screen into the air. He pulls up a mission briefing and Gabriel watches as Jack's eyes dart across the screen while he studies the maps and documents. He types a message to HQ into his keypad in between sips from his mug.
They both drink their coffee in silence until Gabriel gets to the last few drops in his mug and slurps them down. Jack looks up from his screen, shoots him a disapproving frown, then goes back to proofreading his message. Gabriel walks over to the kitchen sink to wash out his mug before taking out a green thermos from the cupboard and filling it with the remaining coffee.
"I should get going." He says as he picks up his belongings. "I've got a long drive ahead."
"Right. You do that. Thanks again for letting me know ahead of time you needed the car." Jack says, not taking his eyes off the screen. Gabriel rolls his eyes at the sarcasm in his voice, and doesn't say another word as he heads out the front door. He passes Roger, and sets down his box to give him a quick pat on the head. He tries to ignore his sad whining as he locks the door behind him.
It's still dark outside, the sun is just barely creeping over the horizon. The car headlights blinking to life provide him with just enough light to see what he's doing. There's a bittersweet feeling in his gut as he loads his things into the car. Gabriel shivers as he slams the trunk door shut, and he's not sure if it's from the cold winter wind or something else. He decides to ignore it, not wanting to stop and waste time to process his emotions. He opens the front door to the car and takes one long, last look at his house before getting in.
As he's rolling down the driveway he sees the front door fly open, and Jack comes running out after him. He's barefoot, his robe billows out from behind him, and he's holding something small in his right hand. Without hesitation Gabriel stops the car and runs over to meet him.
"You uh… you forgot this." Jack says. Gabriel can see his cold breath in front of his face. He shows him what he's holding, a pair of gold, aviator style sunglasses. Gabriel inspects them for a moment in the dim light, then purses his lips.
"Those aren't mine."
"Are you sure?" Jack says. He looks dumbfounded at the glasses, then back at him. Gabriel can hear his teeth chattering in the cold. "I could have sworn they were."
"Nope. They're not really my style."
"Oh."
For one silent, lingering, moment their eyes meet. The space between them could be filled with a continent. An ocean. Gabriel's suddenly reminded of times years ago when they would show up to their meetings disheveled, flustered, and late because they tried to squeeze in one last kiss- or more- before they had to leave. A strange and unwanted sadness creeps over him, and he can tell by Jack's pained expression that he feels it too.
The moment is broken when he feels something small and cold land on his shoulder. He looks up to see bright, white snowflakes starting to swirl around them.
"Man, I can't wait to get away from all this." Gabriel says.
"Yeah, I bet LA's nice and warm right about now." Jack says. His nose and ears are starting to turn red. He pulls his robe tighter around his torso. "Call me when you get in?"
Gabriel nods. "I will."
The corners of Jack's mouth twitch. Gabriel wonders if he has more to say, but he doesn't have time to wait for him to fumble out the words. Without saying anything else, Gabriel climbs back into the driver's seat of their car and starts to roll back down the driveway. He takes one last look at Jack, his hands wrapped around body as he heads back inside, before he turns the corner. He almost thinks he can hear Roger howling in the distance as Jack and their house fade away from view.
With distance comes clarity. As he drives through the Utah desert he remembers that those sunglasses actually were his. He bought them on a mission in Rio, after his original pair got smashed in a fight. And the hideous guitar-print tie had an equally hideous keyboard-print companion. They were gag gifts from Reinhardt for their 10th wedding anniversary. Jack "lost" his when he "accidentally" left it behind at a hotel in Reykjavik.
When he passes Las Vegas it hits him that the Harvard hoodie he's still wearing belongs to Jack. It was a thank you souvenir from them after he gave the commencement speech six years ago. When Gabriel realizes this he feels his body temperature spike, and he has to pull over to the side of the freeway so he can take the hoodie off. Breathing heavily, he throws it into the back of his car.
He stays on the shoulder a few moments, catching his breath and clutching the steering wheel so hard his knuckles turn white. Everything hits him all at once. How much his departure this morning felt like goodbye. A permanent goodbye. How he doesn't have just a few days' worth of clothes in his suitcase, he has his entire wardrobe. Anything he would want in that house now rests in the trunk of his car.
He wasn't being honest when he said he was coming back, and they both knew it.
After ten hours on the road he finally parks on the street next to his sister's house. He breathes a sigh of relief that he was able to make it before rush hour traffic froze the freeway to a halt. He steps out of the car and stretches his arms up high. Though the sun is setting it still feels warm and wonderful on his skin.
He hears a chorus of excited screams and counts all six of his nieces and nephews rushing out the front door to greet him. With broad, elated smiles on their faces they dogpile onto him and nearly knock him to the ground.
Gabriel laughs after he's caught his breath, and wraps his arms around them. "Good to see you too guys."
"Woah kids, let's give Uncle Gabriel some breathing space." Trailing behind is his brother-in-law Sebastian. He looks like Gabriel remembered, short and stocky, with a receding hairline and a fading tribal style tattoo wrapped around his right bicep.
"I stopped and got dinner." Gabriel says. The kids' faces light up as he pulls three white bags of In-N-Out out from inside the car.
"Awesome! Did you get milkshakes too?"
"Now what kind of Uncle would I be if I didn't get shakes?" He says, laughing. He hands the paper bags to Sebastian and motions to the cardboard cup tray on the passenger seat. "I'll let you kids fight over who gets what flavor, except I'm saving this one for your Ma." He swipes a strawberry milkshake from the tray, and looks around to hand it to his sister, except he doesn't see her. She's strangely absent from his welcome wagon.
"Micaela's out back on the patio." Sebastian says. He sets the bags down on his car hood to break up a scuffle between the kids. "Want me to let her know you're here?"
He shakes his head. "I'll go around to meet her."
Gabriel walks to the side of the house and unlatches the gate to the backyard. Immediately he sees his sister sitting by the poolside. Her legs are submerged in the water and her back is turned to him. Her long hair is greyer than he remembers, and she looks thinner than the last time he saw her, which was nearly a year ago now that he thinks about it. He wonders if her gallbladder problems took more of a toll on her than he realized.
Gabriel clears his throat, and the sound prompts her to turn around. Her eyes are surrounded by dark circles, but they're warm and brown as ever. She beams at him, the gap between her two front teeth visible, and flies over to his side. She's so tiny compared to him, she has to stand on her tiptoes just to kiss him on the cheek.
"Gabriel, mi hermanito! You came to me during my hour of need!" She sighs and flails her arm dramatically over her forehead like she's some soap opera actress.
Gabriel scoffs. "Hermanito? Micaela I'm five minutes younger than you. And stop being so melodramatic, you're not dying."
She frowns at him. "You don't know that? What if I did die tomorrow? What would you say then, huh?"
"I'd say good riddance."
She swats at his chest. "Wow, rude."
Gabriel rolls his eyes and puts his arm around her shoulder. He feels her muscles relax a little from underneath him. "Really though, you've got nothing to worry about. You're going to be fine."
A gentle smile forms on her face, and she points at the cup in his hand. "Is that for me?"
"Mhmm." He hums. She starts to reach for it, but just as she's about to grab it he hoists it up high in the air, just out of her reach.
"Who's the hermanito now sis?" He teases. She scowls at him, and he relents.
Micaela takes a long sip from the straw. "Mmmm.. this is so good. God I can't wait until I'm able to eat normally again." She rubs her stomach. "Every time I have fast food these days it's nothing but indigestion and diarrhea."
He grimaces. "Ugh… TMI Micaela."
She laughs. "We're family Gabriel, nothing is TMI."
Adrian, his oldest nephew, opens the backdoor and sticks his head out. He's wearing one of the white, paper In-N-Out hats Gabriel got with their meal. "Ma! Uncle Gabriel! You guys want to come in for dinner?"
"Coming mijo." Micaela says. She slides her feet back into her sandals and the two of them walk through the screen door into the kitchen.
"Hey Uncle Gabriel, is Uncle Jack coming to visit too?" His youngest niece Natalie asks him as he sits down at the table.
"No. He can't make it." He replies quickly. He feels his shoulders tense up, and he busies his hands with opening up a ketchup packet.
Natalie sticks out her lower lip. "Aw man I miss him. We never see him anymore."
"Tell him he needs to visit soon." Adrian says, barely intelligible through a mouthful of hamburger. "He's gotta tell the story about when he was battling the Omnics in Russia and he was outnumbered by Bastions 10 to 1 and-"
"No, no it was 15 to 1!" His other nephew Mateo cuts in, and with that the kids start bickering over a story that Gabriel knows was actually 20 to 1.
Micaela leans over and starts to speak to him, loud enough so he can hear but not audible to the rest of the table. "Jack called me about an hour ago. He wanted to know if you got in okay."
Gabriel sighs. "He always underestimates LA traffic."
"He sounded kind of sad over the phone Gabriel."
He shrugs. "He's probably just tired. I don't think he sleeps anymore."
She narrows her eyes at him. "You know if there wasn't so much going on in my own life I'd be prying deeper into yours."
"I wouldn't expect anything less."
She pats him gently on the cheek. "Call him Gabriel. Whatever it is you two can work it out."
"Right now?" He gestures to the commotion at the table. Adrian, Mateo, and two of his other nieces are still arguing over that story, and Sebastian is chastising Natalie and her younger brother for playing with their food.
She rolls her eyes. "No dumbass, but sometime tonight. Promise? I know if you don't you'll spend the whole night brooding about it."
"Sure, whatever." He says before stuffing his face with fries.
Instead of calling Jack that night, Gabriel calls a real estate agent. Three days later he signs the lease on a condo a half hour west of his sister's place. Two bedrooms, a whirlpool bathtub, in-unit laundry, and a balcony that overlooks the ocean. Nice perks for a place he'll only visit a handful of times a year.
The first thing Gabriel does when he arrives back at the Swiss HQ is knock on the door to Jack's office.
"I uh… I won't be needing these anymore." He says without introduction or fanfare, and hands him the folded up Harvard hoodie with his old house key on top.
Jack nods at him and takes the pile from his hands. The sides of his mouth twitch again, like he wants to say something but can't translate his thoughts into words. Instead he silently, wordlessly, slides the door shut.
I've only been to LA once, all I remember about it is traffic and In-N-Out.
I couldn't decide whether I wanted Gabriel's sister to be older or younger, then I got hit with the idea of a twin sister and immediately fell in love with it.
