(A/N : Flashbacks still continued! )
A few days later we were back on the battlefield, Reyes had my back as always. But I did manage to sustain injuries. I hadn't faced Angela in days and couldn't bring myself to do so even in the face of injuries.
" You should probably see the doctor" Reyes said as I winced in pain while putting away my gear.
" You should probably call back Krysta" I retorted as I motioned on his phone. He growled and sighed.
" You don't get it" he said.
" YOU could talk to me" I said.
" What difference would it make" he said with a defeated sigh, he doesn't do that much. Sighing? Yes! Defeated? No.
Then he smacked my side and as I winced, again he told me to see the doctor. I'd been avoiding her, and I know her staff was broken earlier this week so I'd just have to face her for a physical exam.
I tried to stall even longer but Reyes just rolled his eyes catching onto me.
" her shift ends in a few doesn't it? And you are trying to avoid her?! For what?! Just go—- ask her out, for fucks sake man! You led an entire group into battle but can't bother to ask her out!?"
" I know I—"
" no! No excuses! No holding back, you have to do it today, or I won't listen to another minute of this shit! I know I keep saying I won't. But I truly won't. You are a strong and brave man. But I'm beginning to lose some of that respect for you because my fuck! You can't bother to ask her out for a fucking drink alone! I can't keep inviting her for you, so go get patched up and patched up" he said with a laugh.
—-
( this is around their first date timeline from a BILLION CHAPTERS AND YEARS ago. )
" So you finally did it" Reyes said the next morning as we walked into the lockers.
" yeah, we went out that's it"
" that's it?!" Reyes said.
" yeah" I said, glaring at him. He just threw up his hands in a shrug.
" If you are happy then we can finally get some of these drills done with the new recruits" he said. I nodded and finished lacing my boots. I hadn't seen Angela yet today and planned to stop by her office at some point but for now my focus is strictly on the new recruits.
" well someone looks happy today!" Reinhardt shouted across the practice range.
" is this a bad thing?!" I asked Reyes who shrugged again.
" if it keeps you focused then it's good, if it's a distraction —- chances are it's bad, everyone can use a distraction now and then but uh—- those don't last" he said.
We walked through checking each practice dummy.
" Are you busy again tonight or did you want to grab something after this?" He asked as he slapped the control panel closed.
" we can hangout, what's the plan?" I asked as I almost instinctively checked his work. It's been—- less than ideal lately.
" the plan is—- I need a wingman and you are the only person I can think of"
" what happened with Krysta?" I asked and immediately regretted it. He slammed another panel shut noticing me glancing over it beforehand.
" That's done, been done" he says.
Odd considering the week prior but she did storm out.
" alright I'm in then"
" a certain Swiss miss won't be upset?" He asked.
" I don't see why she'd care either way" I said.
" alright then, good. Let's get these shits into shape then" he said as we walked towards the doors together.
The recruits weren't bad, they just needed some extra guidance. When Reyes was tough I was kind, and vice versa. We had a good routine of training, but this group was—- frustrating.
I noticed Reyes scowling more and more, you could see the higher ups doing checks above us in the view box.
I gave Reyes a look and he got even more upset when he noticed their presence. But we both remained visibly from afar calm.
" I hate this shit. I figured we were in charge, why's the UN constantly butting their heads into this?" He grumbled as we checked the emptied guns to make sure that their inspections went well.
One of the guns got stuck that Reyes was picking apart and it misfired into his foot.
A complete rookie mistake, and I just stood there kinda shocked while watching some blood ooze. Even he didn't notice at first.
Until a flurry of cursing and I glanced up to see if anyone was watching still.
" alright, give me a minute" I tossed a towel to him and spilled a water bottle that was left behind.
This he would get written up for, but not if I managed to get a medic in here without alerting anything.
" I'm going to go get—"
" it's not my fault it's—" he looked at the number on the gun and the list of names.
" I'll be right back" I said again and he grunted in complete annoyance.
I casually left the range and walked into the medical wing that still wasn't fully complete, Angela was typing something on her tablet when I walked up to her, she almost jumped but then her cheeks flushed when she saw it was me.
Which turned me into a stammering mess.
" hey" I said.
" hello" she replied.
I just stared at her blankly for a moment while she looked flustered probably because I'm not fucking saying a damn thing.
" I need you to come with me— it's urgent" I said.
" is it?" She arched a brow.
Fuuuuuck uhm.
" unfortunately, that kind of urgent" I tilted my head towards her staff.
" ah" she said as her face kinda fell.
Shit.
" I had a good time last night?" I said trying to make it up to her but at the same time making this situation awkward as hell.
She gathered her things while she replied " is that a question?"
" no! I did! I had a time! A good time! Great time actually—- I uh" I paused as she got her tablet " leave that" I said.
She looked slightly concerned while setting it back down. I could hear the screen lock and then motioned for her to follow.
Her heels clicked behind me so I slowed down to keep pace with her.
" I had a good time too" she said after a moment.
" good" I replied as I opened the door and led her over to Reyes.
" oh come on" he grumbled.
" just, deal with it. This will help" she said as she activated her staff. It was still being tested out but it's ability to heal faster was impressive.
Reyes' winced pain face turned back to scowling.
" she's not going to talk about this right?" He grunted at me.
I looked at Angela who shrugged in response.
" I need an actual answer blondie"
" I'm not a band, but I won't talk, just see me later and I'll check to make sure it's fully healed" she said with a frustrated sigh.
Probably not a good idea to ask the person you just started seeing to help you cover something up—- but. Reyes is my best friend, and he doesn't deserve to be written up for something so ridiculous.
She pressed on his foot for a minute until she was satisfied with the progress and stood up to face us again.
" if that's all?" She asked.
" yeah" Reyes said as he eyed her suspiciously. She glanced over at me and I nodded and said 'thank you' but she was already halfway to the door.
" Well I guess she will come in handy" Reyes said as he slapped my arm.
I heard the door slam a few seconds later. Those doors don't slam without force.
" did I fuck this up with getting her and—"
" nope! You are an idiot but she will probably forgive you—- maybe" said Reyes as he lightly punched my shoulder.
" I don't know how any of this works... I just figured—-"
" yeah, you can't ' figure' things out in this going in all dopey" Reyes said as we continued to check the guns.
" what do I do?" I asked.
He sighed as he emptied the chamber of another still loaded gun, angrily checking off on the record and then looking at me for a moment.
" you really don't know do you?" He said.
" I'm clueless" I replied as I emptied the chamber of another and marked that name off as well.
" well at least you aren't this pathetic" he shook out a number of bullets and we both sighed.
" It looks like we got a lot of pilots in training then" I joked.
" ha—- more like desk jobs—- hell even that might be too much" he added.
" anyways—- you were saying"
" just invite her out tonight, I'll find something else to do" he said with a sigh.
" but it seems like you needed the night out too—- there's no reason why we can't all go out" I stated.
" and be a trio? Do you need THAT much of my help?"
" You are right— bad idea" I said, glancing at the clock. It was only five—- I know she never eats lunch until like— never. And dinner is probably—- nothing.
" you know, I can handle this, I'll just— yeah. When did you want to meet up?" I asked him thinking out loud.
" ten, the usual..." he grunted.
" yeah that's fine, once we are done here then I'll work something out—- I think I can salvage this" I said.
" uh huh—-"
" what's that supposed to mean?"
" I get this odd feeling that she's going to be sticking around for awhile, and the only reason she even considered Overwatch was because of you"
" you think so?"
" it's obvious to me, but I know you, even if I've never seen you with another person"
" you don't think I forced her into joining?"
" no— I tried that, did not work. It was you, that's all on you"
We finished the inspection and were disappointed in the results, so many recruits that just weren't cut out. This was after numerous attempts and training. Sometimes it just doesn't work out.
I took a quick shower back in my room before changing into my normal wear. I wandered over to the shared office space to spy Angela glaring at another screen and slowly chewing half an apple.
" hey" I said.
She nodded and took another bite while turning back to her screen. Either she's ignoring me or lost in thought.
So I pretended to need something out of my drawer.
" You don't have to do that again" she said with an almost frustrated sigh.
" what!?"
" act like you have something to do, what is on your mind?"
" I didn't mean to offend you earlier" I said.
" it's fine"
" it's not, can I make it up to you?" I asked, trying to smile at her.
She glanced sideways at me and hid half a smile behind the core of her apple before she tossed it.
" so I can—- alright, what do you want?" I questioned.
" why?" She said.
" why what?"
" Why the secrecy?" She said.
" oh—- well if you come with me out of our office where we can talk freely. Then I'll explain" I said.
" ah" she replied before shutting down her system.
She took off her lab coat and hung it on her chair and followed me towards my room. Which feels incredibly bold to do. Actually I don't even think it's that clean, wait. It's clean—- because I never usually have anything out of place. Reyes is neat too—- and should be out of the room right now.
I opened the door and she cautiously stepped inside.
" Sorry, not the best" I said.
" it's the same as the rest so—" she said as she looked at me with her beautiful blue eyes. I want to kiss her but that's probably too bold.
The door slowly creaked shut behind us, I could see her eyes trying to find anything.
" something wrong?" I asked.
" no, I'm waiting for the answer you've dodged like ten times now" she states as she plants her hand on her waist in mild agitation.
" yeah, he's been written up a bit lately and that self injury—- not the best look" I said.
" he did it to himself?" Her face was shadowed in concern.
" oh no! It was. He— we have these new recruits and they left a loaded. Actually a lot of loaded guns. It got stuck and accidentally fired" I said with a slight stammer.
" ah— that's not that big of a deal then" she said with a nod.
" not really no— but I wouldn't want that to impact his chances at anything here" I said as I leaned against the closet.
" alright, is that it?" She said abruptly.
" yeah that's it" I replied.
" you have a goodnight then" she started to walk towards the door but before I could stop myself I caught her hand and lightly pulled her back.
My lips pressed against her forehead and the heat of her face blushing warmed my cheeks.
She smiled and tilted her head up towards me and I kissed her.
My hand brushed her cheek, but she pulled me closer to her, her hand pressed against my back. It was undeniable that I was attracted to her and she seemed into me.
" can we maybe uhm" she paused before nipping my ear and slowly walked me over to the bed. My entire body is on fire, I let her push me onto the bed, straddling me as I kept my legs planted on the ground in partial shock at how well this was going.
Her fingers slowly brushing the bottom of my shirt as a hand slowly crept up my abs, I shuddered in response and she had the softest giggle. Her kisses down my neck were so soft, I could smell her hair and feel her heartbeat. She was surprisingly calm, not jolting and pounding like mine.
" are you okay?" She whispered when she got to my collarbone.
" I'm wonderful" I replied.
" Your heart rate is alarmingly high" she said as she faced me with a smirk.
" Yeah well" I said as I looked into her eyes and blushed.
" no words from a man of so many?" She said softly.
I went for her lips and she knocked me onto my back. Our kiss never stopped, I slowly trailed my hand down her back and stopped at her waist. This is all happening extremely fast and I don't want her to get the idea that this is all I want. So after a few more minutes of making out and her toppling me over until I pinned her under me. Pausing to kiss her again before pulling away.
" hey" I said softly and she smiled at me.
" I don't— I don't want you to get the wrong idea about me" I said and her brow creased for a moment as she looked at me.
" I really care about you- like. I've had this thing for you since— hell since—" I was fumbling. Fuck this is so embarrassing. I moved away from her; but she rubbed my back.
" I really care about you too" she said before resting her head on my shoulder.
" I just didn't want you to get the wrong idea about me"
" and what idea would that be?" She said into my ear, her warm breath tickling me.
I held her hand and couldn't look at her.
" I have a reputation that I never earned" I mumbled.
" I don't think I've heard anything about you—- sorry!? Who are you?" She said with a soft melodic laugh that helped relax me.
" yeah yeah—- I'm not some playboy— I've never had a girlfriend and—"
" girlfriend?" She said as her voice was bubbly.
" yeah— sorry— I'm kinda a huge—"
" nerd? " she asked.
" no! I mean maybe! ? I don't know. I'm a wimp and a total romantic and I didn't want this" I gestured at the room.
" ah—- sure" she said in a bit of confusion.
" you sure?" I said apprehensively.
" it's all about your comfort"
" god no— that's not. I'm trying to say" I started to fumble again.
" it's fine! I'd rather not do it here either, everyone would know" she said as she kissed my cheek.
" is that a bad thing?" I asked.
" mmmm no! I just figure your reputation—-" she said with a cheeky grin.
I groaned and looked at her, completely feeling embarrassed. She gently rubbed my shoulders and laid back against my pillow, prompting me to lie down next to her, she cuddled me from behind. I glanced over at the clock and somehow it was already 9:30. Fuck.
" hey Angela—- I really and I mean. I honestly wish I didn't have to cut this short" I said noticing her hands stopped gliding over my sore muscles.
"ha it's fine! I'll get out of here" she said with an almost forced laugh.
" I don't want you too... fuck. I just promised Reyes that I'd go out with him for a drink, he's been having— that's not important. But I promised him I'd go out and—"
" it's fine, don't worry" she said as she sat up and adjusted herself.
" sorry about the boots on the bed. You will totally want to wash these sheets because those boots are dirty, Medical dirty" she frowned for a moment while brushing the wrinkles out of her pants. I just laid there admiring her.
" but for real sheets. Mess, my boots. Nasty"
" they can't be that bad" I said as I looked at them and they weren't.
" not to your eye, but remember I work with bodily fluids for a living. Including Reyes' foot blood. Speaking of which I never looked at his foot! So maybe tonight you could look at his foot— any swelling, sign of fracture, mottling, bruising— pus—- uhm " her cheeks flushed when she noticed she was rambling. " Oh, ich bin erbärmlich" ( oh, I am pathetic).
" I'll somehow try to work that into conversation" I said with a wink.
" alright well— goodnight then" she said as she headed for the door, my room was so small she had already left before I could get another kiss.
I ran my hands through my hair in frustration. I don't want her to think that I don't like her. I thought I made that clear... fuck. Fuuuuuuuuck.
I kept obsessively scolding myself and going over every single moment. I rejected her advances, and made her leave so I could go out.
Not a good look, not a good look at all. She was in my fucking bed!
Oh my god.
I found Reyes in the lounge so we could walk together.
" What the hell is wrong with you?" He asked.
" I fucked up" I replied and then regretted it.
" yeah? How bad?" He asked.
" uh—- the worst"
" you called her someone else's name?" He said looking at me with sharp eyes.
" not like that. Worse on an emotional level" I said as we walked in the brisk night.
" you told her she reminds you of your mother?"
" what!? No!"
" well! Then it can't be that bad, cheer up. Help me scout chicks" he said as he opened the door.
It was busier than usual, I kinda felt guilty not inviting her— fuck. That's it.
And now I can't really cover for that because Reyes has us sitting with a bunch of other overwatch people. The town regulars are about and a few out of townies struggling to play pool.
" ah there's my shot" Reyes said as he excused himself to go help a lady hold her cue better.
Why am I here?... but Reyes wandered back over.
" hey so— she has a friend and doesn't want her to be—"
" nope" I replied, Reyes looked annoyed.
" you said you'd help me out- now come help me out, I'm not saying you have to like her. Just hang out" he begged.
I rolled my eyes and looked at him straight in the eyes.
" I left her in bed. For this?" I said.
And Reyes' eyes got huge.
" what the fuck is wrong with you?!" He nearly yelled.
" yeah well—-" I said as I shrugged.
" for fucks sake! Man. Look! I've abandoned you a million times for that shit—- you absolute fucking moron!" He nearly bit his lip with the absolute shock he was in.
" Yeah, so don't say I never did anything nice for you" I replied.
" man— I—- dammit you idiot. You big dumb idiot" he was still flabbergasted. His crumpled fist held against his forehead in complete shock and disbelief.
" it's fine, it's what friends are for, but she did ask me how your foot was—- any pus!?"
" pus?! Shit. Fuck. Give me your phone"
" you have pus?!" I said as I handed my phone over to him.
He nodded and I noticed he was calling Angela.
" yeah, no it's Reyes. Yeah look—- we are down at the bar—- yeah that one. Right. So he mentioned feet— you want to come look at my foot? Yeah—- yeah here— no you don't need your kit—- i would rather not send a photo—- I'm—" he paused and walked closer to the wall.
" I'm not sending you foot pictures—- no, you gotta come down here. "
I looked at Reyes and tried getting my phone back.
" okay see you soon! Wear something slutty!" And with that remark I had my phone back.
" she hung up before she heard that"
" do you really have foot problems?" I asked.
Reyes licked his lip and cracked up.
" fuck no—- I mean yeah it hurts but I got shot—- it'll be fine, you on the other hand—- have got to continue your night! Alright? "
" but what about" I vaguely gestured over at the women.
" I'll find someone else— there are plenty of other overwatch people here who would be interested in her horse laughter friend"
" dude really?"
" yeah—- I know. I do too much for you" he said, throwing his arm around me for a second.
" So are you coming or?" The brunette asked Reyes.
" Yeah, give me a second, I have a crisis situation to handle, official overwatch duties " he said. As he spotted Angela entering.
" You are walking fine" Angela said with a raised eyebrow.
" yeah I lied. This absolute JACK- ASS told me about what happened. He's an idiot. But the jackass likes you. if I have to listen to him self loathe any longer I will have to make sure the next misfire is into my own—"
" she gets it" I said as I turned red.
" so you dragged me out here to lie to me?" She said.
" oh I'm not lying about that part. The foot yeah, it was a ruse. Not a good one— but you are seemingly interested in my dumbass friend soooo! I'm working with what I've got" he said.
I must be completely red because Angela looked over at me and shook her head with laughter.
" You two are going to make me go grey way too early" she said with a sigh.
" you mean your hair isn't already white because of us? Amazing" he said as he twisted a strand around his finger and smiled.
" shocking I know!" She replied with a laugh.
He nodded and smacked our backs. Angela nearly fell into me and I caught her, she smiled and steadied her footing as we watched him walk away.
" You gotta talk for yourself sometime" she said with a shake of her head.
" working on it" I replied.
" You make so many speeches and normally can seem to talk to me... or I thought you could" she said as she ordered us drinks.
" I'm not that confident, you keep taking away my ability to talk like a human away" I said sheepishly as she handed me the glass.
" liquid courage then" she said with a wink.
—
I still hadn't seen Angela yet, but Reyes was running over to me.
" how was your night?" I asked him.
" better than expected"
" glad that worked out"
" what about you? Did you fuck it up again?" He questioned as we went through the routine of setting up the range again.
" I don't know—- I don't think so but I don't know" I replied.
" do you need me to send you an educational video?"
" oh stop, it's not that—- anyways how are we going to handle letting the ones who didn't make it down?"
" I thought none of them made it"
" yup, so again. How do we go about dealing with that?"
" actually asking my opinion? Huh... don't you normally sit them all down fireside, and play your guitar while slowly letting them down?"
" no"
" how about we don't do anything... what about we just send them letters and that way they don't have to see us or plead with us?"
" normally we include letters but isn't it better to personally say something?"
" either way they failed whether they heard or saw it"
" true... " I'm happy they live off base, we've had some minor incidents before. But now that I'm seeing Angela, I wish I lived off base. No point in it though before. The structure and being around people I enjoy hanging out with was enough. But finally with the new wing opening I will have my own room and her office is fully completed. She kept making adjustments but I think now—- it was her way of still being around me.
" head in the clouds! Head in the clouds!"
" speaking of cloudy heads , what happened here yesterday?" Gérard asked as he joined us.
" what do you mean?" Reyes responded.
" well—- it looked like an injury happening, the camera is grainy but we noticed a few things on security—- mind clearing that up?"
" stubbed my toe ? That's all, dumbass recruits left some bullets in their guns, I jumped and stunned my toe" Reyes said.
" they aren't dumbasses. Just failed, I guess I'll talk to Angela about it—- speaking of Angela, Jack?" Gérard said pausing as I looked at him, it's not against the rules...
" you and her and —" he began prattling off a list of other recruits, he said we are headed to Numbani for the weekend to make sure a transition of power goes peacefully.
" what about me?" Reyes asked.
" I figured your toe will need time to heal" Gérard states.
And just as soon as he's arrived he's left.
" shit" Reyes growled as he nearly kicked a training bot but stopped himself.
" It's alright, this has happened before and you've got things I haven't gone on too" I said trying to boost his mood. But he just threw up his arms in frustration and stomped off to the lockers.
I continued to finish what we started, the bots all ready to go for the next group to train, but nothing else for me to do.
My phone went off with the mission briefing, my heart and stomach flipped when I saw her name. I know she was already there but it still brings me joy to see it. However, my best friend is pissed off—-
I drudged through the day, trying to check on him but he was always one step ahead of me. Until dinner when I finally caught up with him in the little cafeteria.
" what's wrong?" I asked.
" I talked to Angela and she confirmed that Gérard talked to her but she insists that she also said it was a stubbed toe. But I don't think I believe her, why else would I be kicked?" He asked.
" I'm pretty sure she wouldn't say anything" I stated.
" you've been fucking her for like twenty four hours. why would she cover for me?"
" because you are my best friend. Even if you are an asshole"
" yeah yeah, but she didn't get to where she is without being ruthless"
" she got to where she is because she's intelligent"
" intelligent enough to set an entire base against me so that—"
" you need to calm down"
" calm down! This is the second mission I've been booted from! I have to know if she said anything" He was trying to keep his voice down but he was seething with rage.
" you weren't booted, it's just security, you hate this shit anyways... it's nothing personal" I tried to calm him down.
" nothing personal! Gérard might as well leave his fiancé for you!" Reyes snapped.
" oh my god man... just calm down for a minute okay!? We will go talk to her again. I'm sure she will repeat what she's said" I replied, moving to get up.
He followed me, his loud boots thumping behind me as we walked into the freshly built office, the door was open and Gérard was standing near her desk and Reyes' eyes twitched.
Gérard had let out a laugh after Angela said something which I could tell was just setting Reyes off completely.
" gentlemen! Good to see you here—- Jack did you get the information? I didn't see confirmation?" He asked.
" yeah, must have slipped my mind, there was a note I wanted to make so I was working on writing that up"
" good! Good work then, I look forward to reading it. Angela was just telling me about Torbjorn's latest addition to her suit, might be the right time to test it out" he stated cheerfully.
" could be" I replied.
" Angela said your foot should be healed in a few days?" Gérard said, looking again at Reyes.
Reyes grumbled in agreement.
" but next time we get faulty boot investigated, I don't know why you wouldn't tell me"
" I was working on a new insole, he agreed to test it for me, honestly that was all on me, sometimes I get ahead of myself without testing or approvals—- I just I didn't realize that it would injure him— uhm " Angela stammered as she moved around some papers.
" here! It's my fault and he was doing me a favor" Angela said as she handed him a paper with a rough design on it.
Reyes shot me a look and I glanced over and then back at Angela who looked surprisingly calm.
" alright, well. Since it's between all of us, I don't think this needs to be written up. Just be more careful next time and don't use active soldiers to test things—- actually don't test things without approval. That should be first" Gérard said as he handed the paper back to her.
" of course" she replied.
He looked at us and then said goodbye and left.
" excuse me, what was that?" Reyes said.
" That was her covering for your ass" I stated and he frowned.
Angela shrugged and went back to her screens and scribbled.
" say thank you Reyes..." I muttered to him.
" thanks" he replied.
" for testing my insoles? I should be thanking you" she replied with a wink.
My notification went off and so did Reyes', I did the most awkward " talk to you later" to Angela as we left to go into a meeting.
It didn't last long, mostly about even more recruits, working on the strategy, budgeting and all the most boring things that come with everything.
" you sure that wasn't just a ruse?" Reyes asked as we walked back to our rooms.
" what would she have to gain by coming up with something that elaborate?" I asked with a yawn. Late meetings are never fun, it was odd for it to take place after dinner but—-
It's strange times with the uprising and all.
" I guess, well if she ends up fucking this up for me, you'll find another one" Reyes says as he goes into his room before I can respond.
I heard a familiar heel clicking behind me and slowly turned to see her sleepily walking towards me.
" hey, do you have a minute?" I asked as she hesitated at her door.
" of course" she said.
" like, not out here?" I said.
" Can we go for a walk?" She suggested.
I looked at her quizzically.
" my room is off limits, it's not in a state for company" she said.
I'd only seen glimpses, but judging by the way she 'organizes' things, I'm pretty sure I can imagine.
" It's worse than you think" she added as I hesitated.
" mine it is" I said as we walked a few doors down.
" I keep hoping to find a sock out of place but not you" she says as she enters my room.
" yeah, not me... but I had a question"
" if it's about his foot, it's been discussed into the uhm. It's been—" she paused exhausted and looking for a word.
" it is—- he wanted to make sure you weren't—"
" covering up another conspiracy? I'm a doctor not a wizard or ... something. I just came up with an easy write up with an old prototype. I dug it up, not that hard" she said with a frustrated sigh.
" I'm sorry" I said.
" me too, because I just want him to at least trust me a little bit. I'm not a great person. I'm very very flawed. But—" she held back her emotions. But I could see she wanted to cry.
So I pressed her against me, I could see how uncomfortable the entire situation was making her, so if she can just freely have her emotions without worrying, then it's a win.
" sorry, I'm very tired. And very much into self loathing tonight. So if I may?" She said as she squeezed me but then backed up wiping off a stray tear.
" Why are you loathing?" I asked her, tucking a tendril out of her eye.
" Just the nightly demons I have, I really must go get some sleep" she insists. I don't feel comfortable letting her leave like this but she gently pressed her lips to my cheek and I pulled her close again for a chaste kiss.
" night" she whispered before separating from me, then exiting the room, I saw Reyes peering out his doorway at this. But then he shut it immediately.
( months later)
Reyes really saved my ass on the last mission, but Angela had both of our backs.
The post mission briefing was louder than usual, nobody would quiet down for Reyes; who led the assault in the first place. The post mission brief was up to him, all on him. Angela was seated nearby and sorting through her documents, I could see the annoyance at how long everything was taking. She was up in the wee hours patching people up, still hasn't slept.
" Shut up you animals" Reyes chortled.
The room went silent, and waited as he paced and sighed.
" we can't have a repeat of yesterday, too many injuries, not enough people shielding or having each other's backs... hell you almost let Jack die out there! No thanks to any of you, except the doc, who also got shot" he paused and let out a longer sigh, pinched the bridge of his nose for a moment to calm himself down. But you could see the anger boiling beneath the surface.
" you lose the healer, you lose the people giving you marching orders and you are dead. That's what you are—- we are lucky we didn't have any casualties. We are lucky to have a doctor who can work through getting shot at—- but not everyone is as self loathing and masochistic as her—- " Angela's brows furrowed. He's not wrong though, she throws herself into dangerous situations. But he's not one to call her out, when he's the same way...
"we all have our health packs. We all have ways to heal ourselves until we can get medical attention, but disregarding orders? That's something that WILL get you killed! If you don't get an email within 24 hrs. Congrats. It's back to training for you!" He barked.
The room was so silent, everyone just kinda looked around at each other but Angela was eyeing Reyes cautiously. She had an intrigued but worried expression.
" You are dismissed" he growled. Everyone packed up quickly but Angela and I lingered behind.
" hey I got this" I whispered to her, and she nodded with a polite sigh.
" you okay?" I asked softly.
" It's nothing" she said as she touched my arm lightly and headed towards the door.
" Angela? Anything wrong?" Reyes boomed.
" It's nothing, I promise... just tired" she said.
" if you say so" he replied and she nodded and left, the door closing behind her.
" Maybe next time don't wear her out before a mission" Reyes jokes.
My hand slapped the back of my own neck as I concealed the redness in my cheeks.
" I promise, that isn't it. She's just got a lot on her schedule right now" I replied.
" yeah sure, so what did you think of that?"
" a little harsh— I think stern talking too would have been sufficient"
" stern talking to's cost lives. You know that, she knows that" he grumbled.
" I don't disagree—- just all the way back to basic training?" I questioned.
" for Holmes and Edwin? Absolutely. I looked over their sheets lately and it's not looking like they've learned anything"
" Reyes, Holmes didn't screw up, he was back with Angela, Edwin probably did need the talking too— and probably more training but Holmes was doing fine, homesick but fine" I said.
" well, he can take the time he needs to get his shit together, maybe he's not cut out for this" Reyes said.
" he has initiative!" I argued.
" Jack! This was my mission, and I'm calling this one. I don't want two hapless recruits out on the field"
" then send them on guard duty, use them for that—- basic training is so"
" humiliating?"
" yeah..."
" good! I'm not here to hold hands and sing songs, trust me. I made the right call" he stated with assurance. His face softened from the fierce scowl.
" anyways, drinks? You look like you could use one" he said.
" yeah sure" I replied as he packed up his notes.
We headed for the door, passing Angela's office on the way, she was glaring at her computer.
" you want to tell her that she's pushing overtime or?" Reyes asked.
" Like that ever stops her" I replied.
Reyes banged on the glass and she looked up startled and then weakly smiled.
" drinks?" He shouted.
Angela got up after a moment and came over to the door.
" I've really got to finish—"
" don't make me beg" Reyes said as he tapped her chin with his finger.
" ugh fine" she grumbled.
" That's what I like to hear" he replied as I mouthed " sorry" to her.
She hung up her lab coat and asked if we were headed out or in.
" in—- just come to my room, I got lots of shit" Reyes said.
We followed him, I would nonchalantly bump into her and she'd let out a small giggle. The door of his room opened and it was as organized as ever.
It's weird not sharing anymore, but definitely nice, Especially considering all the after hours checkups I've been having with a certain doctor.
" Have a seat, ladies always get the couch, but if she will allow you, you can join her" Reyes said with a laugh as he opened his alcohol cabinet.
He poured three huge glasses of tequila and set them on the table in front of us.
" cheers" I mumbled as we tiredly clinked glasses.
" So I was talking to Jack and he thinks I acted rashly towards the soldiers—- what are your thoughts" he asked Angela.
" I uhm, I'm not a soldier. I always think tone is important" she said.
" so was it my tone?"
" You asked Jack, my opinion doesn't matter" she said as she took another swig to avoid talking.
" I wanted your opinion, as someone who is already in the position to disapprove of everything 'war' related" he made hand motions and she softly cleared her throat.
" then I stand by the fact that your tone was a bit much, but they are risking their lives so, it's important to make sure they are trained, if I failed at something medically I'd retake the course—"
" but you never did" Reyes states.
" no, not exactly"
" because you have some sort of genius brain, so— that is why I value your opinion" his tone was firm as he refilled her glass.
" oh I'm—"
" you aren't even tipsy, you will be fine, no work tomorrow" he said.
Angela nodded at him, politely thanked him, while he refilled his own cup. I was still working on the first one because—- well it's not my usual beverage and I'm already feeling the slightest bit tipsy.
" see, Jack—- all you had to do was to be completely honest with me" he said.
" I was" I replied.
" you sugar coated it, you can't do that with lives on the line, Angela and I both understand that"
" you have a point, I don't approve of a lot of the handling but the outcome should be better for them with more training, I didn't think returning to basic training was wise. Instead I thought back to security and back up, not the strike team" I said.
" Well that makes sense" Angela said and Reyes scowled.
" Yeah yeah... they'll thank me when they aren't dead or causing the deaths of you two" Reyes said into his glass.
" again, I understand where you are coming from, this isn't a debate "
" we should be on the same page"
" we don't have to be! We just need to talk this over if we are working together. This was your lead and your call, not mine" I stated.
Angela looked visibly uncomfortable, she finished the cup and Reyes went to refill it again but she held her hand over the top.
" I'm fine, thank you, I really need to head to bed, this already cost me finishing my research for the evening, so I'll need to do that tomorrow—-"
" it's your day off-" Reyes started.
" It would have been, now I have something to do" she said as she stood up.
" Whatever, thank you for hanging out" Reyes said.
" Thank you, goodnight sirs" she said as she quickly made her escape.
" whelp, sorry about that " he said with a chuckle.
" That's fairly standard" I said slowly, finishing mine.
" so it's just like thanks for the fuck, gotta go?"
" ha! I meant she will leave mid conversation on a regular basis—- you know that"
" yeah but she was hanging out, can't she—- you know what? I don't care. I've already spent months on this. Now you two are together so that's dealt with. But now I feel like we can't get on the same page"
" we've never been on the same page, that's what makes our leadership work. We have strategies that work alongside each other, you don't need to stress out" I said.
" yeah well, your numbers are better than mine " he grunted.
" that doesn't matter"
" of course it fucking matters!" He barked.
' sorry for leaving suddenly, I had a feeling you two needed to talk, and I am honestly tired' Angela's text popped onto my phone.
" It really doesn't, what matters is the result so you are looking real good by the outcome of a lot of these missions" I emphasized.
' don't worry about it' I replied to Angela before turning back to Reyes, he was already refilling his glass.
" you don't understand, they've been overly cautious about all my decisions lately"
" you've had a few mistakes with new recruits, it happens" I replied.
" not to you" he muttered into his glass.
" anyways, you should go be with her tonight—- instead of my miserable self" he said gruffly.
" she's probably asleep, we all know she drops at a moment's notice. I'm here to listen" I said.
" I'm all out of shit to say, thank you for stopping by... you can go now"
" you sure?"
" Yeah, I gotta call Krysta anyways" he said with a sigh.
" Good luck with that"
" I'll need it" he said, tossing back the rest of his drink. I felt bad leaving him but he basically pushed me out.
The hallways were flickering, they shouldn't be— we just did the lighting. Realizing I left my tablet in my office space I went to retrieve it. But the light on in Angela's made me pause.
' wait— are you in your office still?' I messaged her, the blinds were drawn but you could see light from within.
Once I collected my tablet I saw her reply.
' possibly'
I rolled my eyes and knocked on the door, I think I heard a slight crash followed by the door opening.
" hey" she said.
" hey, what are you still—" I started but she pulled me into the office, the door locking behind us.
" are you okay?!" I asked.
" fine—- exhausted. But it's easier to talk when I'm in a mode" she said as she slumped back into her chair.
" Ange, you are drunk, you probably shouldn't be working" I said.
" slightly tipsy, not enough to affect my writing. It's just research anyways" she said as she purses her lips.
" alright, well... I guess I'll head to bed then" I said.
" how was he?" She asked, suddenly turning from her screen and facing me. Her eyes soft as they canvassed my face.
" self loathing. That's about it"
" ah— he's still upset then?"
" yeah, but at least he agreed to talk to Krysta again"
" that's wonderful" she replied, in between typing.
" alright, night angel" I said.
" hmmmm" she said softly.
" what?"
" nothing"
" Ange—-"
" Jack" she says with the same tone.
" but—-"
" don't worry about it, just kiss me goodnight" she said as she lowers her lashes.
I obliged, obviously. Lifting her up in the process as her legs laced behind my back.
" I thought this was just supposed to be a kiss" I said before kissing her again.
" oh it is—- I just needed to make sure you really regret that" she whispered.
" I'm beginning to rethink your name"
"Ha!" She replied as she unhooked her legs and dropped to her feet.
" Goodnight Jack" she said.
" goodnight angel" I replied before leaving her to do her paperwork.
I noticed Reyes heading down the hallway, probably to go meet Krysta off base.
But he almost had a drunk stumble to his stride, he keeps picking on Angela about this shit but here he is—
" hey" he called out. The sound echoed in the hall.
" heading out?" I causally questioned.
" yeh, She's willing to—- never mind. We are going to talk" he said.
" that sounds—"
" like something you'd do? Oh Angela! Let's discuss key operating tools during bullet removal! Oh Angela you know how hot your scalpel makes me"
I groaned and glared at him as he let out a laugh that seemed to last in the walls. Luckily no rooms nearby.
" seriously?"
" no ones around. Doesn't matter, you can do anything you like" he said gruffly while stuffing his hand into his leather coat. The other holding an open bottle of something.
" you probably shouldn't—" I started to state but he waved his hand in my face as a goodbye and marched off.
Confused and concerned I returned to my own room to finally get some sleep.
A/N: Apologies for more flashbacks, I feel like i left out a lot of this, and it's been bothering me a lot.
Thank you again for reading this. Shoutouts to : Kirabeta, TheMdogs,ayumiiishinozakiii, robot584, dragontear365, CyborgNinja777,jfm76, Trokxy, Chaosdynasty,and L0rdOfThEMemes