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[dadication]

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[dadication]

He grunted from where he was laying at this whole arson quota business, but he couldn't seriously contest it either. "Sounds fake," was all he remarked about it. Because it did, but neither did he have the energy or the brain power to argue right about now.

At least they had a plan, even if it was a risk moving anywhere with all the shit going down where the Swiss base had once been. It wasn't an illusion of the mind that he had heard helicopters moving back and forth into the city, and he had no doubt that emergency response was in full force. That would make leaving a bit more dicey, but he figured they had made it out of worse situations. It's just that this time they both looked like they had been torn apart and that might be suspicious. They'd deal with it later, he decided.

Jack was aware of the bed shifting as Gabe rose and listened to the sound of progress for the bathroom. There was no sudden cursing or 'thud', so he assumed the older man had made it, not that he would actually be able to assist much. He hugged the blankets to him and lay quiet and shivering on the bed while he tried to listen for signs that Reyes was successful in having a soak in the tub. He figured it would be mostly good for the man, though nothing was ideal when it came to getting sutures wet.

He was bloody, dirty and gross himself, but there was no way he was attempting a soak. He'd probably accidentally drown at this rate.

[gr1m]

A low noise, "Not fake, a good rule to go by. Only allowed to set fire to one thing if anything at all." Unless it was a series of explosions but then that was an entirely different situational quota.

Any nearby towns and cities would likely be a mess, any area that had a decent hospital, everything. Probably swarmed with the news and media people soon enough, like vultures descending on something before everything cleared and things were still actively going on. Whatever they had to do to get the freshest hunk of something juicy they could spread for views.

There was going to be no soaking, Gabriel was literally going to lay down in an empty tub. Most he did was rip down the shower curtain and lay the least grimy side up before situating himself inside of it. Stupid and possibly childish? Yes, very much so, but he never said he was going to attempt any sort of cleanliness.

Just that he was going to go lay in the tub if Jack wasn't going to eat and keep up like that.

[dadication]

It took Jack a few minutes to realize that aside from the rustling shower curtain that there was no sound of water flowing. Not even of the tap to make him think that Gabe was rinsing himself down by hand, and even though the link between them seemed about the same, he slowly lifted his head from where he was uncomfortably situated on the bed. Still no sound of water. Was he not washing?

It didn't yet occur to him that Reyes was pouting in the bathroom because he wouldn't agree to eat. It also didn't occur to him that he might be pouting on the bed for being left alone.

He strained his ears to hear sounds of distress, didn't hear any aside from someone yelling in a different room, but he was slowly gathering himself. He managed to get to his hands and knees and crawl across Gabe's side, in such focus of finding out where the tank of oxygen was and the associated mask that he fell right out of bed and landed on his back. God that carpet had no give to it whatsoever.

He lay groaning softly to himself before managing to roll over to use the bed to haul himself up to his feet again, tottering his way to the bathroom and peer in at Gabe.

Gabriel Reyes. Laying on the clean side of a shower curtain. In an empty tub. Haggard and beat to shit. Using distance to punish him.

"...you could have just brought a bucket to the side of the bed if you were worried about puking..."

[gr1m]

At least the bathroom had some level of not being as thin walled as the rest of the room, much quieter in there. Even if the quiet just reminded him of the faint ringing in his own ears that still lingered. Or maybe that was still somewhere outside, and frankly he didn't have enough energy to mentally debate that.

Everything was really going towards his body trying to heal on what little it had to work on. Some water and a lot of pills, sure as hell wasn't enough for a grown man to really get what was needed but fuck.

Definitely pouting, but also too tired to do more than that. Didn't feel up to arguing to get Jack to eat, and hell if he felt like he could eat no matter how much he needed it. His own fault for only having pills in his stomach—

"This is easier." No it wasn't, and it was also cold. In a way it felt nice, but in another he was trembling a bit from said cold. "You should still be laying down?" A question because hell if he knew, maybe Jack needed to go again.

[dadication]

He was forced to lean on the door frame because not being in motion and not actually having a purpose being out of bed was just a new punishment at this point. At least he knew that Reyes wasn't drowning and wasn't actually in need of assistance. He noted the shivering, so similar to his own and knew that fever had set into them both.

If they died from an infection after all of this, he was going to be pissed beyond belief. Maybe it just wouldn't matter by then.

"...how is this easier? You're laying in a bathtub like a corpse," he remarked. They also couldn't guarantee that a corpse hadn't been in there at one point. "Do you... want me to bring you the blanket? And your oxygen?"

He probably should be laying down, but minding after Gabe and making certain everything was alright was more pressing.

[gr1m]

"At this point I feel like one," or more like the completely opposite. Death warmed over was more like it, but he wasn't moving other than the slight shiver. Eyes closed simply for the fact he felt like he opened them again the bathroom would start spinning. Head tilted back and arms at his sides.

He did dare to crack an eye open after a moment, once he was sure his head had tilted in the right direction where Jack was standing. "Weren't you cuddling with the blanket?" Well alright then, that little comment came back to mind with the question, a hand lifting to move over his face. Oh. He hadn't... brought that. Hm.

"You should go lay back down, I'll be... fine." Probably fine. Maybe fine.

[dadication]

It seemed to him standing there that Gabe was probably unable to get up anymore and would have to sleep off the effect of pills and pain alike. He also suspected the older man was suffering from worse vertigo than he had, which made him wonder if Gabe had a head injury. All that rubble falling on them, it was impossible that both of them had made it out alive with all their brain cells intact too.

He sagged against the door frame and then grunted at the pointed question. "Like you, it doesn't want to cuddle with me," he said as he gathered himself.

He shuffled away as if he were actually listening to instructions to go lay down. Because neither of them made anything easier on the other when they were in such a state of injury, he managed to pull the blanket off the bed, drag it back with him to the bathroom and throw it into the bathtub with Reyes.

"You're shivering," he grumped to his reason for doing so. Then he was off tottering back to retrieve the oxygen and mask, dragging them along with him until he set the tank behind the bathroom door where it wasn't liable to fall over and dropped the mask down onto the partner of his life. "Rest, heal. I'm going back to bed."

[gr1m]

A concussion was damned likely, but the fact he was still alive at least meant it wasn't enough to kill him. Rattled his brains around good for sure, but he needed to rest and keep still for once in his goddamned life if he had any sense in him—

"You're the one that said you'd rather cuddle with a blanket than eat, so I took you at your word." God dammit Reyes, for once in your life....

—When did Jack get the blanket? He might have drifted for a moment, wincing as he shifted a bit at the sudden bit of extra weight and what nearly felt too hot against his skin. Fuck if he didn't hate fevers. Supposed to eat and drink when feverish to try and help it pass, but like fuck he was going to be the only one to eat anything if Jack was refusing.

Yet fingers curled around Jack's wrist loosely before he could head back out the door, even if Gabriel didn't quite notice his own movement- "Tub's more comfortable than the bed."

[dadication]

Apparently neither of them had much good sense since they did keep moving around rather than laying in bed sleeping the whole time. It wasn't exactly in their characters to be passive with anything and it seemed to him that they were at an acceptable activity level for their usual idiocy when wounded. Or maybe they were lucky that they were so wounded all over their bodies that they were more willing to lay around in different places. Like a bathtub.

"I cuddled it for awhile, but now you have it to cuddle under," he said simply, planning on returning to the much wider but just as questionable bed to spread himself out in.

Reyes never had been a lead by example commander when out of combat situations. He was too dramatic, willing to hurt himself to get his way and Jack was just plain used to it by now. Most times he gave in to save them both a long, drawn out contest of stubborn will, but he was sore, cranky, upset and febrile so was going to dig in himself to the detriment of them both.

He paused at the feel of fingers on his wrist, and he eyed the tub dubiously for a few seconds. "I don't think both of us is going to fit in there even if it is. I'm not laying on you," he said with as much reasoning as he could muster. Reyes needed the freedom to breathe easy and them cramming into a single bathtub was likely not a good choice for that purpose.

[gr1m]

A couple of idiots that didn't think twice about pushing themselves, but fretted like hell over the other. Seemed about right, and at times it worked together enough that they at least got enough of a rest that they healed and didn't feel like complete shit- other times not so much.

There was a moment where it looked as if Gabriel was about to say something, but it died somewhere before lips had even parted to speak, head turned to look away and that cracked open eyes simply closing again. Hand dropping a little too easily from Jack's wrist, fingers slipping from too loose of a grip, arm left hanging over the side of the tub. Didn't bother with the blanket, leaving it be as it had been draped over him.

Only thing more he really did was put the oxygen mask in place without needing to look here it had been dropped on him. Giving up far more easily than he ever had whenever he went this route? Very much so, going quiet that much more quickly as well. Usually tried to argue or even make a couple other low-blow attempts but he simply... stopped.

Yet he was going to still stay right where he was, either out of what remained of his stubborn streak or it being too much effort to even bother with trying to get up again.

[dadication]

For a moment there, Jack thought that Gabe was about to fall unconscious, a spike of panic lancing through him as he felt the older man's grip loosen and slip away from his wrist. He made a soft sound of concern, but it became clear a moment later that Reyes had instead just... given up. That as such a rare thing that he peered at the older man in the tub, febrile and probably uncomfortable.

"Gabe..." he murmured softly, looking at the floor to consider sitting down there so he could be with the partner of his life a little more closely than if he ventured to the bed. The floor was questionable at best, and he was worried sitting down there meant he wouldn't be able to get up again.

He shifted his weight on his feet and then moved a step closer so he could rest his hand on the side of the tub. He moved slowly and painfully to lower himself down on the floor next to the tub, ignoring that this small bathroom made it cramped. He didn't care; he would stay near the older man for as long as he could manage it.

A hand reached out to search out one to try to lace their fingers together.

[gr1m]

Being in the tub itself at least helped with some... balance? Something of being too hot and too cold with the blanket there on top of him. Even if he still shivered it meant he wasn't feeling too hot, or at least not enough to budge the blanket. Probably wasn't good for him but it was.. something? Something. Not comfortable, but no worse than the bed in his mind.

Didn't make him look or feel any less like death warmed over, but breathing a little better with the mask back on. Too tired to fight any longer, the entire movement in dragging himself in here having taken more than he thought out of him. That or the pain pills on an empty stomach were doing a number on him finally.

Gabriel jumped a little at initial contact with that hand seeking his own, but fingers did lace with Jack's a little loosely as he let out a slow breath. "You' be more comfortable on the bed than trying to fit on the floor in here." Still enough energy for that, apparently. That bit of worry and concern.

[dadication]

The floor of the bathroom was cold and leaning on the tub wasn't much better, but it was going to have to do for the time being. He lounged there as much as he was physically able, watching Gabe struggle to find that happy medium between too hot and too cold, but it seemed that the oxygen was still helping. Maybe he should consider breaking in somewhere to grab more tanks? It would take some time for that lung and all the surrounding damage to heal.

His eyes closed once he had Reyes' fingers between his own, like they were an insurance policy to knowing the older man would be alright. He made a sound of acknowledgement to the advice, but leaving now meant having to get himself up and he was done for the time being. All this over a refusal to eat.

Instead, he shivered and pillowed his less damaged cheek on a forearm and sighed as he tried to shift into a comfortable spot. "Doesn't matter. I'm taking care of you," he remarked even if he was basically doing no such thing. He was here to offer a sort of moral support, and right now, that's all he could offer. So he'd stay because being near Gabe was as much of a comfort for him as it likely was for his bond.

[gr1m]

"Should be takin' care of you," words just a little slurred, as if he was that much closer to going unconscious. Likely due to the pain medications, and the energy draining as everything was pushed towards healing. Not eating, no extra energy. Was just taking a lot out of him. Didn't doubt that it was taking a lot out of Jack as well since they were very much in the same slowly sinking boat.

All the more reason he wanted Jack to eat so badly, reason he didn't want to eat if the other wouldn't. Juvenile as that entire thought process was, he wasn't firing on all cylinders when it came to thought.

Just enough to keep them both alive and healing at all. "Going to hurt all th'more when you move."

[dadication]

"Mmmmm, you saved me out there, doctored me up here," he murmured, his voice also starting to fade. He nestled his cheek on his arm, allowing his eyes to close again, and taking comfort in the loose grip of their fingers together. His own doses of medications were kicking in and if he had wanted to get back up, it was too little, too late now.

He gave Gabe's fingers a light squeeze. "Hurting now anyway," he mumbled, breathing starting to even out even as he shivered. "Take care of you," he breathed then faded off to sleeping again. It was better for them to rest no matter where that might actually be.

[gr1m]

Felt like he could have done more, even if it was just telling himself that in the back of his mind. Should have been doing more now, but hell if he could get his mind wrapped around it well enough and push himself anymore. Was still early enough in the day, they both needed more sleep and to eat but they were still them and stubborn as hell.

Gabriel squeezed Jack's hand, even if it was a bit weaker could still be felt. "Love you," now that was clear even if it was still mumbled and not really a reply, but it was the truest thing he could have said at the moment and- well. Gabe was tired and they'd both feel how falling asleep in the bathroom would feel soon enough. Some bit of consciousness before being thrown back in to it that wasn't being just rudely shoved awake because of a call of nature.

If anything it'd be a loud call of sirens going by the area, a little fleet of them that were likely ambulances taking a shortcut to one of the medical centers spotted around the area.

[dadication]

He was already asleep when Gabe made the final quiet proclamation, but he had known that they loved each other a long time ago and knew nothing about that would ever change. That assurance was always with him, with or without the words to back it up. It was the same on how he felt about Reyes, the partner of his life who had so easily won him over all those years ago.

Sleeping in a bathroom had never been comfortable even when he was young and healthy. It was cramped and cold and too many odd angles to have to try to fit into. Sleeping in one at the odd angle while older, bigger and far more wounded than he had been the last time he had tried it was a huge mistake. He was shivering harder than ever, his ass was basically asleep and his body was stiff and sore even with the residual pain medication.

Yet, it was the sirens that woke him, sounding like more than one. He lifted his head from where he had pillowed it on his hands and winced as he tried to stretch his shoulders and ended up hitting the pipes under the sink and then turned to look and nearly smoked his head on side of the tub as he pitched thanks to his body not responding. He was freezing to the point where his teeth tried to chatter.

Still, he waited to hear if the sirens passed, too out of it to determine if the pitch and frequency was to which particular emergency type vehicle. If it stopped, he assumed it was police coming for them and they were going to have to bust out of this place in their underwear and abandon any attempt at healing with any manner of comfort in the way of their stolen supplies.

However, the ambulances moved on without even a pause, and he was left struggling to find any sort of comfortable way of sitting.

[gr1m]

Gabriel had jerked awake himself, head hitting the inside of the tub hard enough that he was seeing stars for a moment. Gripping the sides of the tub and breath caught in his throat, stiffened up and the aches screaming in his limbs but he didn't move other than that. Listening to the sirens as well, and only moved when they had passed, catching sight of the state Jack was in.

Didn't think twice before he was forcing himself up, draping that blanket from on top of him on to Jack, leaning over to do it if he needed- "You stubborn asshole," voice a bit rough, "Feel like ice." Even if he was running a temperature.

That oxygen mask was pulled off as Gabriel forced himself out of the tub, and even if Jack tried to struggle he was using what strength he had to bundle the man and lift—

Had Jack bridal-style as he was going to stumble out of the bathroom and head back towards the bed. Didn't care if he might have looked completely ridiculous getting out of that tub, how drowsy he still was after being jerked out of sleep and in to a mental high alert. Jack getting back on that bed was his 'mission' and was damn well going to try and help.

[dadication]

He jerked a bit to peer at Gabe trying to obtain more of a head injury than they had in the fall of Overwatch. He almost reached out in sympathy, to check for blood but his fingers weren't working right from where they had been curled to fists. It mostly frustrated him than anything, and he made a noise of concern when Reyes was jumping up and out of the tub so quickly.

Instinctively, he lifted his head and strained to hear for sounds that would lead towards a forced entry into their room, thinking he had missed something over the way his teeth had tried to chatter. He had his jaw clenched tightly by that point, and he didn't hear anything. He gawked at Reyes suddenly throwing that blanket over him, and then he couldn't help the squawk that managed to slip passed his lips as he was bundled up and hauled right off the floor.

"M'okay," he managed, but by then, he was already in Gabe's grip. He struggled feebly, more concerned for the older man's injuries than his own state of freezing. "Put me down. I can walk, and you need your oxygen," he protested far too late to do anything about the fact he was being carried from the bathroom and settled on the bed all over again.

He seemed to blink his eyes and was suddenly back on the bed, but his shaking hadn't abated any in the process. He shifted to make room for Reyes, but he was tangled up in the blanket and unable to easily find his way back out. "You have to lay down with me."

[gr1m]

"I'll get it when I got you set down," the oxygen mask. Right now it would have just gotten in the way of getting Jack somewhere better than the cold bathroom floor, keeping a good hold -or good enough hold- to at least not fail against weak struggling.

Only place Gabriel was going to be putting him down would be on that bed- which he did, hunched over and hands braced on the mattress as he tried to catch his breath, had lifted enough to look back at Jack. Blinking a few times. "Got you down. Happy?" Just a light sort of tease before he was moving to straighten up.

Lay down wit him- "Let me get the tank and mask and I will. Okay?" Let Jack know he was going to be right back then, staggering his way back to retrieve it. Soon enough sinking on to that bed and moving close against Jack, mask pulled over his mouth and nose as he finally took a deeper breath.

"You okay?"

Goddammit, Gabe.

[dadication]

He made a noise that was clearly not happy, but he wasn't about to protest the fact that he was back in the bed and off the freezing floor. He was stretching out and trying to work out the kinks from sleeping in such an odd position, but he ended up just more tangled in the blankets, kicking his legs futilely. He shouldn't be this weak and this out of it; he needed to be on alert! They should be taking turns on watch.

Instead, the very need to be paranoid left him the moment that Gabe returned to the bed, slipping in under the blanket next to him. The older man felt like a blast furnace compared to how deeply cold he was, and there wasn't a single thought for how cold his skin might be as he immediately pressed back into the warmth and stability of Gabe's body. He shivered and shook where he lay, seeking out an arm to wrap around himself like a far more secure blanket than the one covering them.

"So cold," he mumbled, having to clench his teeth from them chattering. "Did we forget to turn up the heat?"

[gr1m]

Kept that arm wrapped around Jack and pressed close, all the better to share his body heat and help re-adjust Jack's own, try and get him warmer. Cuddled in close as possible while still being careful of healing injuries, almost tucking the other against his chest. Protective.

"Dunno, worry about this right now. Check it later," if there was even a thermostat in the room they could use to turn up the heat. Or on. Whichever. "Also eat later, even if I have to force feed you an energy bar," but not right now.

Tucked his chin against the top of Jack's head, Gabriel slowly relaxing once a comfortable enough position was found. "Gonna be okay," as if the reminder was needed.

[dadication]

Shivering up against Gabe was alarming, aware that the other was wounded and needed to rest as much as he did. He hadn't the energy to pull away though, instead tucking into the safety and warmth of Gabe's reach around him. His eyes were open, peering the way of the door and single window of the room, waiting to see if shadows moved beyond it as if to indicate they were going to have to move.

Aside from the distant sound of sirens and the occasional sound of a sex worker at their trade, he heard nothing alarming. "You're so warm," he said, sounding like it was a compliment. "'m still not hungry." Food was currently the last thing on his mind; his brain was hard-pressed to keep up the list of bad decisions they liked to make when too worried about each other.

He closed his eyes, just willing himself to be warm. He even tucked his cold bare feet against Gabe's far warmer feeling calves, not even ashamed of the cheap move. His toes felt like ice. "I know. Someone has to nag your stubborn ass into healing up."

[gr1m]

The aches and pains felt so very unimportant as Gabriel focused himself on just helping Jack warm up. Be fine after that, just re-check if something tore again later once both of them had a little more to them to go on. Wasn't about to let go of Jack either, curled around him almost under that blanket, free hand making sure it was tucked snugly enough around them both.

His nose wrinkled a little, "Mm, and you're cold." Which he was going to fix. "You're going to eat because I'm going to eat and you can't stop it," because he would literally force feed Jack something and then eat himself if it ha to go that way. Even if he'd rather it be more of a taking turns sort of thing.

At least the sirens were growing distant, and it wasn't hard to guess exactly where they were going still. Gabriel growled a little at the cold feet, but didn't move to get them away. "You're no better, so going to get your ass nagged at right back."

[dadication]

"I don't know why I am. I've never had problems regulating my temperature since SEP," he remarked as if he couldn't understand why his body was suddenly betraying him in this way. Never mind the fact that he and Gabe were in a bad way, their supplies limited and their damage extreme at this point. There was only so much his body was willing to take, but on his mind, it should be handling sleeping in a cold bathroom just fine. How dare it betray him like this! "I'm just so damn cold."

He was still shivering violently, letting the warmth of Gabe's body soak into him, but he had become chilled and at his core, he was cold. He made a noise of protest to the idea of eating, but it seemed to him that refusing had gotten them both into this mess to begin with. This was clearly where being stubborn was a detriment to them both, since he suspected Gabe had not woken up comfortable sleeping in a bathtub of all places.

And this point, he had no doubt that Gabe would actually force feed him; there was just that edge in the older man's voice. "I'm not hungry," he said softly. "Just cold." But if he was forced to, he would try to chew something small. "You could just eat and feel better and leave me out of it."

He lifted his head a little from where it was resting on the mattress, listening for the sirens and then trying to snuggle back more firmly against Gabe, if that was at all possible. "You're the worst at nagging. You just get all stubborn and storm off." Case in point.