To say that Jack Morrison didn't like Gérard Lacroix was a bit of an understatement. He wouldn't go as far as to say he hated the man, but disdain seemed to boil up towards the Frenchman any time Jack was forced into the same room with him for more than five minutes. Most people - Ana specifically - liked to laugh it off as jealousy because of a short lived affair between Lacroix and Gabriel but it was more than that.
Sure he didn't like that immediately after their breakup Gabriel began dating Gérard (and Jack knew it was immediately because they'd been separated for less than a year and Gérard sent back a box of Gabe's stuff from where they had been living together), but he was a little insulted people thought that that mere incident would be the reason for his ire. Yes originally he had thrown a huge hissy fit (bigger than he'd like to admit) when finding out about Gabriel's rebound relationship after it was already through, but Gabriel having a relationship with another person was not reason enough for Jack to dislike someone. In truth he disliked Gérard because Gabriel disliked Gérard.
It was hard to notice if you didn't know Gabriel, because the two were very friendly both in public and in private - in fact Gérard might not even know Gabriel disliked him - but it was there. Almost like Gabriel had to actively not dislike Gérard. He wouldn't automatically smile if he saw Gérard, he stood at least two feet apart from the man if he could, and if Gérard touched him Jack could see Gabriel fighting the urge to pull away. So Jack kept them separated to ease Gabriel the needlessness of pretending to like the man and let Ana chalk it up to insecurity. Jack never asked what had happened to cause such behavior but you didn't come out of a relationship trying to convince the world nothing had happened if something didn't happen, and he could never like someone who hurt Gabriel in such a way.
Unfortunately he couldn't very well explain this to Jesse without outing Gabriel's pretence so he left and let Ana snicker as he walked out.
Finding out Gabreil kept the breakup letter was a bit of a punch in the gut for Jack. Well, not that the letter was kept (Gabriel had the right to keep what he wanted from previous relationships, Jack had plenty of things from his high school years between him and Vincent), but that it was kept framed on Gabriel's desk. Gabriel's office was his private quarters and a place he wouldn't have to pretend to like Gérard Lacroix so learning that Gabriel kept the letter in a picture frame on his desk instantly made Jack's stomach drop. It meant that maybe Gabriel hadn't been pretending to like Gérard and Jack might have been reading the signs wrong and made him feel like he'd just been trying to justify some sort of subconscious defensiveness.
"It wasn't hurting you until you found out." Gabriel threw back in his face. It hadn't been hurting him, he didn't even know about it because he never paid enough attention the few times he was in Gabriel's office and apparently it was so obvious Jesse and Genji knew about it.
"But why him, Gabriel? Gérard's married. To a woman." Jack asked, trying not to sound desperate or resentful. Did Gérard really mean that much to Gabriel? Had Jack really been that blind?
"I introduced him to said woman, I know." Gabriel hissed. That was new, Jack certainly didn't know Gabriel had introduced the two. Was that the reason he and Gérard had broken up? But then why did he keep the letter if the relationship had ended on such a sour note?
"Then what's so important about that stupid love song?" Jack came off more harsh than he meant to. Gabriel's shoulders slumped like he was exhausted and he looked tiredly up at the ceiling.
"Because Jack, maybe it's one of the few romantic things done for me and- and maybe I wanted to keep and remember it." Gabriel's words cut Jack like a knife. They weren't a romantic couple. Hell, the only reason they were even technically affianced was because Gabriel had started talking one night about finally settling down with some kids or a dog when they were released and Jack hadn't contradicted him in the assumption they'd get married. There was no ring or even a formal proposal, just a realization the next day and an agreement that yes they would eventually get married.
Jack said nothing and lunch was finished in awkward silence.
Jack braced himself as he knocked on the door to Gabriel's office. The piece of paper in his pocket felt like lead weighing him down while trying to swim. Normally he'd finish work after a meeting until dinner but he needed to see Gabriel before that.
"Jesse, just come in. You know you're in trouble and Genji too-" Gabriel began to say but did a double take when he saw Jack. "What happened Jack?" worry in his voice prominent. When had it gotten to the point where they only saw each other when there was a crisis?
"Nothing I- I wanted to see you before dinner," Jack stuttered, walking up to Gabriel's desk. "I- about lunch." Gabriel's eyes suddenly zipped to the two picture frames and Jack's eyes followed, one was Gérard's fancy calligraphy and the other was a picture from one of the end of the war galas. They looked so happy in the picture (and very drunk). It was one of the last times they'd had together before Jack's promotion and their relationship got pushed to a back burner.
"Look Jack, I'll put the song away. I didn't mean to hurt you by keeping it out in the open-"
"I'm sorry-" Jack accidentally cut him off speaking at the same time, Gabriel looked at him confused and waited for him to continue. "...I'm sorry, I shouldn't have snapped at you during lunch. You're right, it's not hurting anything and I don't have the right to dictate how you care about past relationships."
"I don't really care about Gérard," Gabriel admitted, "well not that way I just… I didn't have anything to replace it with." He wouldn't meet Jack's eyes.
"I'm sorry we're- I'm not more romantic," Jack apologized earnestly.
"I don't care that we're not romantic Jack, because if we were, well we wouldn't be us." Gabriel got up and walked around his desk, standing in front of Jack and wrapping his arms loosely around Jack's neck. Jack automatically moved to loop his arms around his partner's waist. "Gérard- he… he ended up meaning more to me than I did to him… he acted so romantic I guess it led me to misread the situation. But his romance led to something that didn't last. We're more than romance Jack."
"Is that why you just pretend to like him?" Jack asked.
"You noticed that?" Gabriel asked, surprised.
"'Course I did, I know you Gabe, I know when something's off."
Gabriel sighed, "Yeah it's why. I didn't want things to be weird, it's not his fault I took something the wrong way."
"Well it's not your fault either," Jack said, leaning in to give Gabriel a soft kiss.
"Is that why you kept us separated? And here you let Ana tell everyone you were jealous."
"Well I couldn't very well tell Gérard you didn't like him, could I?" Jack teased, he didn't care what other people thought. It was only people close to them that knew what he was doing anyways.
"And you say you're not romantic, but you sacrificed your own public image for me. Sounds pretty romantic if I do say so myself." Gabriel pointed out, returning the kiss Jack gave him.
Jack chuckled, then reaching into his pocket and presented the folded up piece of paper to Gabriel. "But um… speaking of not being romantic. Well I- I thought I'd try."
Gabriel took it curiously and opened it, Jack's dog tags fell out. "Jack your dog tags-" Gabriel began, skimming what was written on the paper. ""New Year's Day?" How did you- what is this?"
"Well I- I thought I'd give you something of my own to frame. I know you love the song, always had a thing for blonde hair and blue eyes. And the dog tags- well…" Jack felt his face grow hot and scratched his neck nervously. Gabriel didn't need any more explaining, he grinned and removed his own dog tags, placing them around Jack's neck. Jack took his dog tags and did the same for Gabriel.
(Jack was maybe a little too smug when he saw that Gérard's song had been replaced by his on Gabriel's desk, he'd have to find a way to point that out to Ana if Jesse hadn't already told her.)