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What was he doing here?
Oh, right. To check up on Morgan.
Or so that’s what he told himself. He could be anywhere else right now that frankly demanded his immediate attention, but instead he found his feet taking him to his old safehouse. Gabriel straightens his tie and then knocks on the door. She’s probably still awake, right?
He knocks again just to make sure. Except there’s one small problem. He’s not sure what to say.
The door opens and is it just him or does his breath catch in his throat?
The first thing he notices is that she’s still in her suit, minus the blue tie. Huh, weird. She’s not surprised to see him, in fact, it looks like she was expecting him. Slowly, one of her eyebrows arches up and one corner of her lips follows suit.
Ah, right. He’s staring.
“Good evening,” he says. “How are you?”
“I’m fine,” Morgan quietly says, pitching her voice lower, more gravely. She pauses and casually slides her gaze to Raquel before returning to his. “And you?”
Gabriel sighs and scratches his head, allowing his shoulders to lower by a fraction. He looks to his left and down the hall where the nearest exit is before turning to look at her again.
“It’s been a rough, sleepless night, but then again, that's what I expected when I took this job,” he says, letting the weariness of his whole body seep into the statement.
Morgan nods, slowly, before she asks, “When was the last time you slept?”
“I.. can’t remember. I try not to think about it,” Gabriel says.
She arches her eyebrow again and a small part of him shifts in discomfort. It’s not quite when Raquel glares at him for almost dying, yet again, but it’s something similar.
"I just came to check if you were okay. Megan knew where you and Mouse were staying, so I thought I'd come and make sure everything was all right," he says as he puts his hands into his suit’s pockets. "If you hear or see anything, please let us know. The Archangels take care of one another."
Morgan seems to consider something before she steps back in the doorframe and opens the door a little wider. Gabriel peeks inside a little bit, then he nods and sighs before looking at Raquel. "It's all right, Raquel, I'll see you back at the House of Fluff."
She purrs and then walks off to the elevator, leaving him alone in the hallway. Out of habit, Gabriel loosens his tie a bit as he walks through the door and takes a look around the place.
"You know…Raquel, Michael, and I used to live here," he says, chuckling. "An assassin came in one night and tried to kill Michael. They tried to get him while he was in the bathroom. Michael slammed their head against the toilet seat and broke it. That's why it was broken when you arrived."
He chuckles again as he stares at the bathroom door. "Sorry about that, by the way."
“It’s fine. Mouse and I got it fixed,” Morgan says, heading to the living room. “Mouse had already called the plumber when we realized we shouldn’t have our weapons out in plain sight. Bad for business, hm?”
Gabriel chuckles as he heads to a familiar end table.
"We used to hide weapons in the living room in case of emergency. We even had a revolver taped to the bottom of the sink in the bathroom,” he says and slams his fist on top of the end table. Just like he expected the tiny Ruger LCP is still there, but what he wasn’t expecting is the flashbang in the tray.
He looks at Morgan, surprised. She smiles back.
“In our line of work,” she says, slowly. “I expect we have more emergencies than most people. Doesn’t hurt to be prepared, wouldn’t you agree?”
He chuckles as pride warms his chest. Quiet falls between the two of them again as he looks around the room, contemplating, before he turns back to Morgan and says, “I shouldn't be wasting your time. I only came by to see how you were doing. I know this Archangel business is taking longer than anyone expected, and everyone's a little rough around the edges."
Wordlessly, Morgan gestures for him to take a seat on the couch. She leans on one of the arms as she pulls her legs up onto the seat, not caring that she’s wearing shoes. He gives the room one more cursory scan before taking a seat. With a deep sigh, Gabriel takes off his mask, letting it rest in his lap, as he lets himself sink into the cushion.
Out of the corner of his eye, he knows Morgan is looking at him, contemplating something. It’s only after the third time he’s scanned the room since sitting down when she gracefully rises to her feet and pads into the kitchen. He pauses his fourth scan and looks after her, puzzled, before he hears cabinets being quietly opened.
With a dip of his head, he closes his eyes and lets out a chuckle. “Usually, I’d be the one making the beverages here,” he notes.
Morgan comes back a few minutes later with two cups. She hands him his cup before taking her seat and sipping her drink.
“Oh, nice! This is my favorite,” Gabriel says with a smile. He leans over and takes a sip, letting the flavor linger on his tongue. He takes another sip and feels the tension melting away with the heat of his drink.
With a sigh, Gabriel sets the cup down as he leans back into his seat and lets his gaze wander. He notices the sapphire around her neck, smiles, and says, “I was right, it does look good on you.”
Morgan gives him an enigmatic smile as she takes another sip of her hot chocolate. The two of them sit in silence, sipping their respective drinks, before Morgan quietly sets her cup down and looks at him.
As he finishes the rest of his drink, Morgan asks him numerous questions, ranging from the Archangels’ plan for the Outfit, the history behind the Archangels, why she was picked as the Raphael, and the secrecy of it all. He answers as best as he can, but there’s only so much he can tell her. She occasionally nods and Gabriel can see the gears quietly turning as she listens to his every word.
He knows she’s talked to Rook and Bishop and he knows she helped Mouse when he went to Syn to uncover any loose ends about his identity. Most importantly, he knows she’s a mole. Lieutenant Deys, senior undercover detective for the NYC P.D. who transferred to the Chicago P.D. to assist in taking down the Archangels.
Then she asks him where he’s going and he pauses, looking up at Morgan. She returns his surprised look with her own calm yet curious expression. She sips her drink as he sets his cup down, gathering his thoughts.
“I’m looking for evidence of something,” he quietly says, confident enough in his own ability to walk the familiar line. “Something everyone in the world's apparently oblivious to. Something globally dangerous.”
He pauses.
“Something you'd probably never believe."
Morgan simply raises her eyebrow at that as she waits for him to continue. He pauses and silently questions himself again. Should he tell her? How much should he say? Would it be better for her not to know?
He takes the plunge.
"What I’m looking for is the truth. Something that could get you killed if you knew too much about it."
Morgan hums and nods. He sighs, looks around the room for a few moments, sets his now-empty drink down, stands up, slips his mask on, and tightens his tie again. "I should leave, you need the rest and I have work to do."
Reluctantly, Gabriel pulls his sleeve back and checks his watch. "Right, then. Have a good night, Morgan."
He doesn’t want to leave. This couch, this room. For once, he wants to indulge and stay five more minutes, but duty calls and he must answer. He forces himself to walk to the door anyways and -
“Gabriel.”
He pauses and turns to look at Morgan over his shoulder. She walks up to him, gaze intense and inscrutable.
“There’s something I’ve been meaning to say.”
She’s quieter than before almost like she doesn’t want him to hear what she has to say, but her face is determined. He turns around and faces her fully.
“I like you.”
That… was not what he expected. Wait, what did he expect her to say again?
Gabriel cocks his head at her and says, “Well, thank you. I like you too, you've been a great friend and a great asset to the Archangels."
Morgan closes her eyes and exhales, slowly, before she opens her eyes again. Apparently that wasn’t the right thing to say. He feels something tug at his chest and for once it’s not one of his many injuries. Gabriel once asked her if she was related to Raquel. He knows they’re not, but it’d be easy to think they are by how little they talk sometimes.
She sighs quietly as she gives him an assessing look before she steps forward and gently pulls him into a hug.
"I, um…hi! How are you? You're hugging me,” he says, frozen and confused, as he looks around, searching for an answer. "Um…well, it really has been quite stressful planning everything these last few days. I g-guess I could use a hug."
He chuckles and very slowly wraps his arms around her as he leans down into the hug. As the moments tick by, Gabriel feels himself relaxing and he’s tempted to close his eyes, just for a moment.
"This…feels good, actually,” he says, attempting to fill the silence. It’s not the first time she’s hugged him. It’s just… not a gesture he’s familiar with. It feels nice all the same though. With a sigh, he pulls her closer and thanks her. He’s not ready to leave, but he has to. She probably wants to -
“Would you mind staying the night?” Morgan quietly asks as she pulls her body away. Curiously, her arms linger. Even curiouser, he doesn't mind. Gabriel blinks and stares at her as he turns his thoughts over in his head. He dismisses the first ones that pop into his mind and settles for the fifth one. She’s probably just concerned with everything going on and that’s why she’s asking him, no other reason.
“Very well then. I’ll sleep on the couch and make s -”
“That’s,” Morgan says, amusement and exasperation coloring her voice, and he goes quiet. “Not what I meant. Gabriel.” She pauses. “I love you.”
His face goes hot as he looks away and around the room, searching for another answer. There isn’t any because he’s looking in the wrong place. The answer is right in front of him, in his arms. His hands fidget and he forces them still as he meets Morgan’s hopeful gaze.
“I—I'd like that," he says as smiles at her, lifting his hockey mask off of his head. Hopeful. But reality taps at the back of his mind with the same sharp insistence that his injuries sometimes like to use. "However, we're criminals. I myself am on a mission. We won't have much time for each other, and this won't be the smoothest of rides."
His chest twists and Gabriel finds himself tugged in multiple directions. He immediately recognizes two of those directions. On the one hand, he wants this. On the other hand, well… it’s like he said. He doesn’t want her to get hurt or die. Gabriel might be all too familiar with death but he’s not ready to see Morgan become equally familiar with it.
Traitorous, his mind flickers back to the times when Morgan has returned from her heists with more injuries than he’s comfortable with. His hands tighten out of reflex and he forces them to relax as he asks her a question.
“Morgan, are you sure about this?”
She goes quiet. He’s dimly aware how her face shifts as she considers the possibilities, but he can’t ignore how the beating of his heart is more pronounced. A calm overtakes him. A familiar feeling. He’s felt this a hundred times before whenever he heads into danger.
“I’m sure,” she quietly says.
He nods and smiles, letting out a low breathy chuckle.
“Michael's going to kill me…but I honestly don't care right now,” he says as he leans in and then kisses her, tasting the hot chocolate on her lips. He closes his eyes and lets his lips linger on hers before he pulls a tiny bit away, opening them again.
Morgan opens her eyes and smiles as she gently nudges his nose with hers. She giggles as she briefly looks away, a blush coloring the back of her neck, before she meets his gaze again.
“I've always wanted to do that. I never like mixing my feelings with work, which is why I tried my best not to show it, but…" Gabriel says, trailing off, as his fingers trace on her collarbone. "I do have feelings for you. Lots of them.”
He tugs her towards her bedroom as he drinks in everything about her. His thumb traces circles into her hip and she shivers. He reaches out and turns the light off before he gently kicks the door shut behind him.
Gabriel hugs her and kisses her again as he guides the two of them to her bed. He reaches up and pulls his mask off his head and gives her another kiss. She goes still and Gabriel pauses, knowing this is unexpected, intent on letting her process this.
Morgan breathes again and he feels her fingers trace his scars. He shivers and kisses her again, pulling her into another hug, before he sheds his clothes one by one and pulls her down on the bed. Her hands trail down his face and she follows the curve of his neck, fingers brushing against the scars and wounds on his chest. Gabriel pulls her into his arms again, savoring the realness of her bare skin against his.
“Morgan,” he says. “I’ve been meaning to say.” He kisses her again, tender. “I’ve always loved you.”
And like that, Gabriel feels like something’s been unlocked and a box has been opened. He’s searching for them, searching for the truth. But here and now? He’s found a different truth and he couldn’t be happier.