Chapter Text
The lights are low in the apartment, news feed a background hum. The setting sun casts the open room in warm ochre tones. Jack adjusts the brightness on the tablet he’s reading. Feightly, he hears the lock slide open on the front door. He tips his head over the back of the couch to peer down the length of the hallway. Cooper gets up from his sun spot, stretches and the pads down the hall as Gabriel walks through the front door.
Jack watches him drop his PT bag and offer his arms up for Cooper to jump into. Some days the senior kitty will indulge that but today he just ducks and runs a figure eight in between Gabriel’s legs as he kicks his boots off.
Gabriel walks down the hallway, carefully trying to avoid tripping on the cat. The closer he gets to Jack’s spot on the couch the more dramatically he starts to pout. He walks behind it and drapes himself over the back.
Jack locks the tablet and sets it on the side table. “What love?” He says as he leans his head back.
“I let Jesse pick the music today,” Gabriel says, voice muffled by the couch.
Jack makes a face, “Yikes. Why would you do that?”
“I was trying to be fair.” Gabriel said, straightening up to move closer to Jack. He reaches over and cups the side of Jack’s face, who leans up to meet him for a quick kiss. “I’m going to take a shower.”
Cooper still tries to stick close to Gabriel as he turns to walk back to their room. Jack brought his attention back to the book he was reading on the tablet. He’s just getting back into the right focus when—
“Honey!” Gabriel shouts from the room. Jack sighs. “Can you bring me my PT bag!?”
Jack ignores him, tries to pretend he didn’t hear it for a few moments longer. Just enough to finish the page he was on when the tablet dings and a series of notifications pop up.
>sweetheart
>bby
>HONEYBUNSS PLEASE
Jack gets up from his spot and shuffles down the hallway to the foyer. When he makes it to the room with the bag Gabriel is down to his boxers and making faces at Cooper who is perched on the counter.
“Why are you following me?” He says, scratching behind the cats ears. “I didn’t even want you. I wanted a dog”
Jack drops the bag near the doorway and leans against the frame, crossing his arms.
“Don’t be mean to me. I had a bad day.”
Jack only gives him his best deadpan expression. Gabriel moves closer and puts his hands on Jack’s waist, “Thank you baby.” When he leans in a little further Jack drops his arms. They share a gentle kiss.
Gabriel leans back a fraction, “Come take a shower with me?”
Jack gives him one more quick peck, “Okay”