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"Goddammit Jack, ain't boy scouts s'pposed to be honest?" Jesse groaned, throwing his cards on the table as he lost yet another hand of poker to the other man. Even without his visor on, Jack had a surprisingly good poker face.
The two of them had spent the past hour playing poker, and the hour before that was blackjack, and the hour before that was war. Jesse's beaten up deck of cards had seen more use in the past day than it had in years, and all thanks to one botched mission.
What had started as a routine stakeout had turned south when Talon reinforcements arrived, forcing Jack and Jesse into a mad dash for a nearby safe house. Now the two of them were holed up, waiting for Athena to give them the all clear. It was too risky to use external communications, so that left them to entertain themselves. Unwilling to be vulnerable and sleep, Jesse had suggested cards.
"You know I was never actually a boy scout, right?" Jack said with a smirk as he shuffled the deck. "Besides, my old scout master was the one that taught me poker in the first place." He added, flicking a card towards Jesse.
"Hang on, old scout master? How did you have a scout master if you weren't a boy scout?" Jesse asked, scooping up his cards and looking them over.
"I was a girl scout, Jesse. And believe me, we weren't all that concerned with honesty when it came to playing cards." Jack said smugly, rearranging the cards in his hand as he planned his next move.
Jack could practically see the cogs turning in Jesse's brain. He had gone completely still, his eyes wide. Jack saw him mouth the words "Girl scout" slowly, still trying to put two and two together. He had to hold back a wicked chuckle as Jesse suddenly dropped all his cards, his mouth falling open.
"Holy shit- seriously?!" Jesse gaped, his eyes searching Jack to see if this was some kind of joke. It would be pretty tasteless if it was, but... Jack looked sincere.
"Serious as a heart attack." Jack said, picking up Jesse's cards and handing them back to him. "I was in the troop all the way through high school. They were the first people I came out to." He admitted fondly, thinking back on how accepting his old friends had been. Certainly more accepting than his family had been...
"I never woulda guessed. Damn, no wonder you were always so enthusiastic when Pride Month rolled around. I just thought you were trying to be gayer than Reyes." Jesse said, snickering as he took his cards.
"Don't get me wrong, I was trying to be gayer than Reyes. He might've been the King of Halloween but June was MY month." Jack said, grinning as he played his first hand. There was hardly any point in playing, he'd seen Jesse's cards, but he went through the motions anyway just to keep the conversation going. "But I'm allowed to be proud for more than one reason, right?" He said softly, still smiling.
"Oh no, I gotcha." Jesse wiped a hand down his face, laughing. "God, I still remember the time I walked into Reyes' office and the whole place was done up in rainbows! He was tryin' t'give me a serious ass-chewin' but he couldn't keep a straight face."
"I don't think he ever had a straight face, Jesse. Always looked pretty gay to me." Jack replied, sending Jesse into a fit of giggles.
"Like you have room to talk! Y'all were arguin' like an old queer couple since day one!"
"What are you talking about? We still argue like an old queer couple." Jack was laughing now too, the game long forgotten.
"Older and queerer than ever!" Jesse howled, slapping a hand on the rickety old table and sending their cards flying. They both burst out laughing, filling the cramped little safe house with the sound.
"Hoo-wee...! I ain't laughed that hard in a hot minute..." Jesse groaned, sweeping a tear from one eye. He grinned at Jack, more relaxed around the other man than he had been since before the Recall. "You got anythin' planned for when we get back to the Watchpoint? I figure the old place could use a little holiday spirit." A wicked smile split Jesse's face, and a matching one appeared on Jack's.
"I thought you'd never ask."