Work Text:
Jack let out a sigh as he reached up to push the glasses up off his nose and rub at his tired eyes. He had been up a good part of the evening working on work that could be done from his quarters. The holopad in his other hand dropped onto his blanket covered lap as he rested his head back against the headboard. Trying to convince himself to finish off just a little more work was a struggle. The only thing keeping him going knowing that his lover would soon be returning from a three-month long mission. Completing just a little more work now would free up his day tomorrow to spend with the man he loved so dearly.
Straightening up and finding a more comfortable position on the bed he got back to work. In the end he knew the exhaustion would be well worth the free time. Besides, the late night would mean he would be awake when the older man arrived home. Looking over at the clock on the bedside table he noted it to be 2200. Gabriel’s team would be arriving at headquarters within the next half-hour. The reports would have been written on the way home to be turned in immediately. Debriefs would wait for a day or two for everyone to recover. With a gentle smile on his face he returned back to his holopad to finish up his work.
It was about an hour later that he heard the front door of the apartment open and close, followed by heavy footsteps slowly making their way back towards the bedroom. He shut down the power to his holopad , setting it gently down on the bedside table before removing his glasses, folding them, and gingerly placing them on top. He had just swung his legs out of the bed, placing bare feet onto the floor when the familiar dark shadow of Gabriel Reyes appeared in the bedroom doorway.
He pushed to his feet as a heavy bag was dropped unceremoniously to the floor near the door. They met each other halfway arms wrapping around each other desperately. Strong arms wrapped around his waist as the older man tucked his head beneath his chin. He returned the embrace by wrapping his arms around his shoulders and allowing the man to lean into him heavily. He felt the tension melt away from Gabriel’s frame as he placed a kiss to his temple.
“Welcome home Angel,” he cooed softly. The arms around him just tightened their hold, finger s grasping at the back of black tee shirt he wore. Gently, he reached up and pulled the beanie from Gabriel’s head so that he could run his hand through the soft curls he knew he would find there.
They stood there just holding each other for a few moments before Jack made to pull back from the embrace. He had to ignore the pitiful whine from the tired man as he held him out at arm's length to get a good look at him. The light from the bedside lamp illuminated the Latino’s ragged and exhausted features. There were heavy bags under his eyes, his goatee was messy and in need of a trim, dirt and grim covered his face and clothing. He was also pretty sure that if he let the other man go now, he would just collapse to the floor.
“When was the last time you actually slept?” Jack asked softly. HIs only response was a shallow shrug before Gabriel was once against leaning into his chest and burying himself there. He let out a low chuckle knowing that trying to get any verbal answers would be useless. The man’s mind was already half asleep now that he was home and safe. They both had trouble sleeping without the other at their side. Add that to his mind never shutting off on a mission and sleep was a near impossibility for the older man. SEP might have made them far more resilient than any normal human but that did not mean they could keep on going forever without rest .
“Alright, come on Baby, we need to get you cleaned up.” An annoyed groan made its way up from his chest and he could not help but laugh. “I know you’re tired Sweetheart, but you know you’ll sleep better if you get washed up. You always regret it when you don’t.” He felt the older man let out a huff, his shoulders slumping forward in a sign of resigned agreement. He pressed another kiss to his boyfriend’s temple before pulling away once again. Keeping his arm firmly around the other man’s waist to keep the man supported and standing.
There was another annoyed groan that met his ears as he flipped on the bright bathroom light. He mumbled a soft apology before leading his lover over to the chair that they kept in the bathroom for just such occasions. Thankfully being the Strike-Commander had its perks when it came to designing the home that they were going to live in for the foreseeable future. After years and years of cramped quarters, shared bathrooms, and living out on the battlefield with little to no amenities; a large and well-equipped bathroom was a must.
Gently, he helped Gabriel take a seat on the chair. He assured the man would not tip over in his exhausted state before kneeling down before him to help remove the armored boots. With the task done he stood up with the boots in hand. “Alright, get your teeth brushed while I put these away and then it’s into the shower with you.” Jack instructed making sure to see the older man acknowledge the command before moving out of the bathroom to place the boots in their proper place by the front door. He was actually pleasantly surprised to find Gabriel standing at the sink and brushing his teeth, if a bit lethargically. A gentle smile crossed his lips as he made his way over to the shower, opened the door and turned the water on to warm up.
By the time he turned around Gabriel was rinsing his mouth out. The raven-haired man turned towards him, wobbling slightly, reaching out with a hand to steady himself on the sink. Shaking his head Jack stripped himself down before moving to help his sleep-deprived boyfriend. Upon removing his shirt, Gabriel placed his hands on his shoulders for balance as he kicked out of his pants and underwear that had been shoved off his hips and down his legs.
Assuring that Gabriel would not trip over his discarded clothing , Jack led the way to the shower. Thankfully one of the design elements he had fought for in this bathroom was a massive shower that could easily fit both their large frames with room to spare. The other saving grace was a built-in bench should his love lose what was left of his energy.
As soon as Gabriel stepped under the stream of hot water, he let out a sigh of relief and what tension was left in his body melted away. His shoulders slouched, his head falling forward allowing the water to run over him and begin to remove the grime that clung to his skin. Jack watched him for a few moments before stepping into the shower and shutting the large glass door to keep water from splashing out onto the floor.
Reaching out Jack grabbed a washcloth from the rack on the wall and wet it down with water. He then used the other hand to turn Gabriel’s face up towards him. He gently began to wash the grime from his lover’s face, earning him a contented hum at the show of affection. Upon finishing tired amber eyes opened to look at him, placing a small smile on his face. This show of trust and vulnerability would be something that he would always cherish. Setting the cloth onto the rack for now he snatched up the shampoo that Gabriel used and placed some into his hands.
Rubbing his hands together to spread it out more evenly he began to massage the suds into soft, raven hair that he loved so much. He watched as Gabriel’s eyes closed in contentment. His blunt nails scratched at his lover’s scalp breaking up the dirt that had built up there. Another gentle rumbled, hum emitted from the older man as he let himself get taken care of. Though it did take a little gentle coaxing from Jack to have him tilt his head back into the stream to rinse out his hair. Once free of suds the same treatment was given to use of conditioner. With the second rinse he made sure to run his fingers through the raven hair to assure no knots were to be found.
Pulling his hands away he assured his lover could stand on his own before snatching up the cloth once again, this time applying body wash. Working the cloth together to get it soaped up he began to scrub his lover down from head to toe. By the time he was done Gabriel was swaying with visible exhaustion , hands placed upon Jack’s broad shoulders to help maintain his balance . “Almost done Baby, just a little longer.” Jack cooed gently as he reached over to turn the water off and lead his lover out of the shower.
Snatching up a large, fluffy towel he tossed it over Gabriel’s head earning him an annoyed grunt as he took to rubbing his hair down with both hands. Pulling the towel back he could not help the chuckle that escaped him at the petulant look he received. Leaning forward he placed a gentle kiss to the tip of his lover’s nose earning him a small smile. By the time he finished getting them dried off Gabriel was leaning on him heavily, seemingly unable to hold himself up any longer.
The dark-skinned man let out a whine as he was scooped up into powerful arms in a bridal carry. He tucked his chin under the younger man’s stubbled chin and curled up into his chest. A kiss was placed onto the top of his head as he was carried from the bathroom and towards the bed. “I know you’re sleepy baby. You did so well.” Jack praised as he set his lover down into their bed. He gently pulled the covers up around the man’s shoulders and began to pull back when a strong hand latched onto his wrist. Amber eyes stared balefully up into his own, pleading silently for him not to leave.
“I’ll be right back I promise.” Jack chuckled as he leaned down to place a kiss to his lover’s forehead. “Just let me get everything cleaned up so we don’t have to worry about it in the morning. Then we can snuggle all you want. Just a few more minutes.” He continued to coo promises and comfort to the tired man until he finally released his wrist. He placed a second kiss on his forehead as thanks before moving off into the bathroom to toss the dirty clothes as well as the used towel and washcloth in the hamper. He quickly brushed his teeth as well before shutting out the light and make his way back into the bedroom.
Gabriel had not moved from the position that he had been placed in. His chest rose and fell evenly before the dark-skinned man would take a deep breath in an attempt to keep himself awake. Amber eyes peeked over at him as he made his way over to the bed. A dopey smile crossed the older man’s lips as he flipped over the bedside light and climbed under the covers. Immediately he found his arms full of his lover.
Before he got a chance to adjust himself to a more comfortable position plush lips were pressed against his own in a gentle kiss and he could not help but hum in amusement. Though it was short lived as the other super-soldier flopped down onto his chest forcing air out into a grunt. Almost immediately he could tell that Gabriel had fallen asleep. His god night kiss received he was no longer able to force himself to stay awake. That last thing he needed to be able to let sleep take him.
Gabriel was funny like that; he was not big on routine and structure. But when he came home from a mission he lived for the little things. He was horrible with self-care which is what lead Jack to helping get these routines in place once he had become Strike-Commander of Overwatch. Getting cleaned up and shedding the mission off was something that was easy to achieve. Then, at the very end he was welcomed back and kissed goodnight letting him know that he was safe now in the arms of the man he loved.
Jack nuzzled into the raven hair that had started to gently curl at the top of his lover’s head. He shifted to get more comfortable as he slipped one arm around the other man’s back holding him in place against his chest. His other hand came up to rest easily against the bicep of the arm thrown over him. With their legs already tangled together they were nearly as close as humanly possible. Closing his eyes, he let his own exhaustion take him with thoughts of waking up to Gabriel in his arms once again.