They might not always agree on how far the other was pushing themselves, but they cared very deeply for the other. These moments of pressing together, of simple contact was an easy reminder that they would always be there for each other. He relaxed more with this united contact here than he had when trying to sleep against Gabe's back. Nothing felt right with the world around him, but everything was right with the bond between them.
He lay his head against Gabe's shoulder, flicking his eye to the recycle bin that the drink container was thrown to. He closed his eyes and savoured their close contact. "You sure? There's a bench, though it seems to be in the sight of two cameras from what I could see."
Would even fight at times about it, squabbles here and there that could get heated, but in the end they always managed something and ended up where they needed to be. Needed a little time occasionally, but they still would always be there for the other. Through the bond, physically, or both. It's how they worked, and they needed it that way at times.
Hand rested against the back of Jack's neck, fingers creeping to get at skin between helmet and clothing there. That little bit more of a physical touch of contact. "Yeah, I'm sure. Might be easier to wait until we pull off to camp."
They were bonded, not machines to the will of each other. They could fight and bicker like any other pair of people, but they always found common ground again. On some level, he thought he always understand Gabriel, even when they were arguing, even if it might not make sense at the time when tempers flared or hurt set in.
He closed his eyes, savouring the contact and returning his arm around the small of Gabe's back. His hand stroked up and down, mindful of the older man's wounds under those clothes. "Do you need me to take a try at the bike? Might be slower than you, but I can if you want a break."
No one understood him better than Jack, and no one ever would, even when at times he didn't know how to express himself clearly outside of something physical. Words difficult but actions always spoke loudly for Reyes. Moments where words just couldn't do, and at times relied heavily on actions and movements, the need for quiet for one reason or another ingrained in him to that point.
No one could pull him out of his own head like Jack, either.
His thumb stroked along the back of Jack's neck slowly, letting his eyes close for a moment and just... relaxed. "No, no. I'm good. Want you to have more rest under your belt, let your hand rest a bit more, too. Get you driving instead soon enough."
Gabriel was his soul mate, and without words, he understood the man on a level he couldn't expect anyone else to understand. They could lean like this together, and it soothed all the hurts and the anxiety of potentially getting caught fleeing. Still their own people, but damn he could be calmed by Gabriel in moments like these.
His hand snuck up the back of Gabriel's clothing so he could lightly stroke his palm over bandages and flesh. The skin on skin contact was what he needed most. "My hand is feeling better, but still not back in full order," he remarked, wiggling his fingers a little from the sling. "How's your breathing? Lung okay?"
They could sneak that bit of skin-on-skin contact here and now, quiet and alone to risk that much for comfort. Soothe that ache and hurt more than what was bone deep. "Let's give it at least another day, more of a chance to keep that progress than not that way," At least another day, if not another more. Be reaching the highway they needed to get to by then anyway, where it would be easiest for Jack to take over for a little while.
Gabriel did lean back a bit against Jack's touch, silent for a moment as if to gauge his breathing. Taking a slow and deep breath- "Yeah, feels alright for the moment. Little tender still, but not enough to give me trouble since we're not hiking this." Thankfully.
The hiking would come in before this trip was over, but by then Reyes hoped they were both in well enough condition to handle it.
"Alright," he agreed, albeit grudgingly. He always hated thinking that Gabe was doing the brunt of the work, but on this, he wouldn't put up a fight. The skin-on-skin contact definitely helped settling him down, and he appreciated having this moment. "Maybe I'll practice a bit in the morning and see how it feels."
He listened to the sound of Gabe breathe, searching for crackles, wheezes and muffles. It sounded okay, which was a big relief for him. Another collapsed lung could be catastrophic out here in the bush where they had even more limited supplies. "No marathons for you," he reminded softly, all affection.
Their bodies healed fast, but the damage they had suffered had been so wide spread, they would probably heal slower than they were used to.
"Yeah, that sounds good." No objection to letting Jack practice, because it was something they could need; let him get some rest from driving, and make sure that Jack was sure he could handle it. Didn't want him to push that hand, because he'd need it later. Gabriel worried, always would, but he knew when to compromise.
Now was the time for it, to help them both not feel useless or like some dead weight during all of this.
Fingers pressed with a dip under Jack's collar, a slow rubbing of skin in an affectionate way to make up for the fact the both of them having helmets on. "I'm sure you'll keep me to that."
He was going to need to be careful as more injury now could be completely to their detriment. After all, they had no idea where the ideas of the media were or worse, the governments and Talon. They had to be careful because they had no idea who their allies and enemies were, so making himself obvious might literally end with them dead. So practice and be realistic on what he could do.
His fingers stroked up Gabe's spine and then over to soothe the bruising that showed where Gabe's healing lung was kept. If he could heal the older man with touch, he would have long ago, but for now, just the comfort of sharing touch was enough. He felt soothed and probably better off for having some sleep under his belt.
"I'll break your knees if you try," he said with an old hint of humor.
They'd find out sooner or later just where pieces had landed, for better or worse; worry about it later of course since Gabriel's priority was definitely getting them both somewhere safe and sound as whole as possible. He'd still push himself, but it was very likely he would pull back if his bond did call him out on something. Being stubborn now, either of them, would be the line between life or death no matter what their bond did for them both.
The touch healed enough of his nerves that it was as good as anything, letting his own fingers rub some circle just between Jack's shoulders near the back of his neck. All the easier to believe they would get through this. Together.
Did snort a bit, some light bump of his helmet against Jack's in some mimicry of a kiss, "What a misery."
His priority was being as far away as possible to be able to regroup properly. They needed to rest and be safe, but he also was realizing that they couldn't be pushing themselves too hard or they might blow out their sutures or collapse a lung or worse. So, this was fine, reducing how stubborn they were for the sake of being safe.
He bowed his head forward to allow Gabe's hand to stroke down further, making a soft moaning noise of pleasure. His breathing was evening out and his eyes closed, not that he would go to sleep but that he was definitely relaxing in this quiet moment.
"You're a misery," he rebutted back, nudging his helmet against Gabe's in return. "But we'll be safe once we get to the place you have in mind. Then it's all healing and eating and sleeping." That sounded like heaven right about now.
Kept up the touch with a little added pressure meant to help work out any tenseness there, just to help ease Jack that much further in to relaxing as he stood there. Likely still had been a strain sleeping as he was, rope or no rope keeping them safely attached while going down the roads. Help him that much more before they had to get right back to it.
"I'm in misery," a little dryly, but some hint of a smile could still be heard in that tone of his voice. "Sleeping in actual beds that are miles above cheap motels and the ground."
He might be more awake, but he was still bone tired. He knew it would take more than clinging to Gabe's back to help him with that, and they didn't have the time or the luxury of just sleeping away days. It was dangerous when they weren't on the move, but the touch was definitely what the doctor ordered.
His own touch was smooth and light, quietly checking sutures he had put in place days ago and stroking over bruises he knew were present. He was perfectly fine standing there for the entire time of the charge just touching and being close to Gabe.
"That's days away, so we may as well just appreciate the bits of sleep we can grab wherever they happen to be."
"Still something to look forward to- sleeping in a bed actually big enough for the both of us," Voice kept low as fingers trailed to the back of Jack's neck again, rubbing there and back down in a slow and almost idle motion, "Clean, soft. Pillows and mattress that are actually supportive and mean some damn good deep sleep."
Talking even while bruises and sutures were being carefully checked, and maybe that was all the more reason to remind just what they'd have waiting for them. That they would be able to rest in something safe and comfortable at the end of all this camping. Snatching up what sleep they could get.
He shivered at the thought. The hotel bed had been lumpy and uncomfortable, but it had been a bed and he had been hurt and exhausted. The thought of a real supportive mattress with clean sheets and a comforter he could sink under and be warm. It sounded too good to be true at this point, and the temptation was fierce. "You're torturing us both with that kind of talk. We're so far away from a bed like that."
He was satisfied that Gabe was still held together and not in too much pain. Once he had made his rounds through touch, he returned to stroking Gabe's back, soothing at warm skin. He nudged his helmet against the older man's as well. "Camping should keep us afloat for now."
A low hum, "Less torture and more a promise of one thing waiting at the end of the road for us, Jack." Sinful as it all sounded then and there with their situation, he knew it was right there, somewhere secure and safe where they could bunker down and get what they needed. Time to heal and regroup. More than just MREs stocked up; still things that could sit for a while, canned goods and all, but it would do.
Bumped his helmet back carefully. "It will, and we've got enough to eat here and there so we're not making something worse." Eating with their medication, mostly.
"Sounds like torture. I could sleep for a week in a soft supportive bed," he remarked with a low tortured groan for effect. He pressed in carefully closer to Gabe's side, both for the warmth and the support. There was comfort when they were close, especially when healing. Now more than ever. It was slowly but surely dawning on him how close he had come to losing Gabe or maybe the other way around.
He nodded, aware they would push limits despite themselves but not enough to cause too much harm. He wanted them safe, but it would take miles of road and towns between then and now. "Too bad teleportation technology doesn't exist."
"We're going to, no doubt." An arm kept tucked around Jack to help him fit in closer, craving that contact while still keeping watch on that charger from the corner of his vision. Wanting this to last as long as possible until they did have to move again. Holding on. Still had that much, needed more but this was all that could be risked for them.
Did snort a little bit. "Yet, someone somewhere is bound to be working on it." Didn't help them here and now, but that wasn't the point. Just some easy harmless conversation for the two of them.
"Assuming we get there before we pass out in a stream," he said with a faint shake of his head. He tucked in, looking for where they were on the charge, knowing that without rest, they should get back on the road to put more distance behind them. They would have to camp when it was dark and then he would try his hand in the morning at seeing if he could drive safely to give Gabe a break.
"Yeah, but that doesn't help us now. Without it here and now, we have to drive to a soft bed instead of just being there." He might even take a shitty hotel bed at this point, but it wasn't worth the risk.
There was a squeeze of Gabriel's arm around Jack, a little bump of helmets- "And here I thought I was the pessimistic one between us." More a tease than anything else, and at least t was distracting him from his idea of driving through the entire night if Jack somehow dozed off against his back again.
... He absolutely would if he thought he could get away with it, honestly.
He grunted at the comment, tipping his head a little down. "I get pessimistic when I'm not healing fast enough. You know I hate feeling like dead weight." He knew Gabe was teasing him, urging him to keep his chin up, but he was tired and sore like his bond. The confusion of not knowing where they would go, what would be waiting for them and what kind of life they would have left only added to that burden.
He knew he would have to try to sleep more on Gabe's back once they were back on the road. He wasn't certain he would accomplish it well, and damn, he would be furious if Gabe drove them without a rest.
"I know, even if I never think of you as dead weight," especially not in this situation, "It's hard not to feel that way when things have gone to Hell and seem to keep going." Which was why he picked up the spot that usually belonged to Jack despite himself, until his bond was back in a state to fill it back up. It was what they always did, as the other needed them, ready and willing even if it wasn't always a mindful switch of positions.
Reason they worked to well together, or at least one of the reasons.
A smaller nudge then, after a moment, "Charged up."
"Yeah. We normally cope better than we have on this one," he remarked tiredly, slapping on the back of his helmet as if convincing himself to stay awake. "I guess we don't normally lose everything but each other all at once before." They were also fighting different elements like isolation, injury and a lack of information. He would need to get back into form, couldn't just wallow in self-pity. It had never been his way.
He nodded at the information that they were charged and ready to go, pushing himself from leaning against Gabe and the hoverbike. "You need to do anything before we get back on the road?" He was already swinging a leg over to take up the secondary seat.
His arm squeezed around Jack, knowing exactly how dire their situation was that it certainly didn't need repeating. They'd lost everything but each other, and anything else they had on hand then and there was because they'd taken it out of need. Who knew how much more of that would be required of them before they were at the end of this particular road in both a metaphorical and literal sense.
At least Gabriel was certain that they would have supplies, shelter, and safety where they were headed. They would be okay, no doubt about it, even if the definition might have to be tweaked a little to get there.
His head was shaken, climbing back on to the bike once the charger was disconnected from the bike. "No. Get yourself secured again and we'll be off." Of course Gabriel would help tie that cord before pulling out and getting back on to the road for a few more hours.
He nodded his head as he slid out of his jacket again so that he could use the rope to secure himself to Gabriel again. He knew that he should sleep more, pack on the hours so that he would be better for his time of watch tonight when darkness fell. He went about it gingerly, but once he was secured, he pulled his jacket to cover the ropes.
Likely it would look strange on any cameras that were recording, but at this point, maybe they would look like very odd tourists. It wasn't as if they were stealing or damaging anything.
"All set," he murmured as he came to rest himself securely against Gabriel's back and curling his good arm around the older man's waist. He knew it would be a long drive, that they still had much distance to go, but eventually they would get that bed they so desperately wanted.
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He lay his head against Gabe's shoulder, flicking his eye to the recycle bin that the drink container was thrown to. He closed his eyes and savoured their close contact. "You sure? There's a bench, though it seems to be in the sight of two cameras from what I could see."
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Hand rested against the back of Jack's neck, fingers creeping to get at skin between helmet and clothing there. That little bit more of a physical touch of contact. "Yeah, I'm sure. Might be easier to wait until we pull off to camp."
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He closed his eyes, savouring the contact and returning his arm around the small of Gabe's back. His hand stroked up and down, mindful of the older man's wounds under those clothes. "Do you need me to take a try at the bike? Might be slower than you, but I can if you want a break."
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No one could pull him out of his own head like Jack, either.
His thumb stroked along the back of Jack's neck slowly, letting his eyes close for a moment and just... relaxed. "No, no. I'm good. Want you to have more rest under your belt, let your hand rest a bit more, too. Get you driving instead soon enough."
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His hand snuck up the back of Gabriel's clothing so he could lightly stroke his palm over bandages and flesh. The skin on skin contact was what he needed most. "My hand is feeling better, but still not back in full order," he remarked, wiggling his fingers a little from the sling. "How's your breathing? Lung okay?"
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Gabriel did lean back a bit against Jack's touch, silent for a moment as if to gauge his breathing. Taking a slow and deep breath- "Yeah, feels alright for the moment. Little tender still, but not enough to give me trouble since we're not hiking this." Thankfully.
The hiking would come in before this trip was over, but by then Reyes hoped they were both in well enough condition to handle it.
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He listened to the sound of Gabe breathe, searching for crackles, wheezes and muffles. It sounded okay, which was a big relief for him. Another collapsed lung could be catastrophic out here in the bush where they had even more limited supplies. "No marathons for you," he reminded softly, all affection.
Their bodies healed fast, but the damage they had suffered had been so wide spread, they would probably heal slower than they were used to.
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Now was the time for it, to help them both not feel useless or like some dead weight during all of this.
Fingers pressed with a dip under Jack's collar, a slow rubbing of skin in an affectionate way to make up for the fact the both of them having helmets on. "I'm sure you'll keep me to that."
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His fingers stroked up Gabe's spine and then over to soothe the bruising that showed where Gabe's healing lung was kept. If he could heal the older man with touch, he would have long ago, but for now, just the comfort of sharing touch was enough. He felt soothed and probably better off for having some sleep under his belt.
"I'll break your knees if you try," he said with an old hint of humor.
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The touch healed enough of his nerves that it was as good as anything, letting his own fingers rub some circle just between Jack's shoulders near the back of his neck. All the easier to believe they would get through this. Together.
Did snort a bit, some light bump of his helmet against Jack's in some mimicry of a kiss, "What a misery."
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He bowed his head forward to allow Gabe's hand to stroke down further, making a soft moaning noise of pleasure. His breathing was evening out and his eyes closed, not that he would go to sleep but that he was definitely relaxing in this quiet moment.
"You're a misery," he rebutted back, nudging his helmet against Gabe's in return. "But we'll be safe once we get to the place you have in mind. Then it's all healing and eating and sleeping." That sounded like heaven right about now.
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Kept up the touch with a little added pressure meant to help work out any tenseness there, just to help ease Jack that much further in to relaxing as he stood there. Likely still had been a strain sleeping as he was, rope or no rope keeping them safely attached while going down the roads. Help him that much more before they had to get right back to it.
"I'm in misery," a little dryly, but some hint of a smile could still be heard in that tone of his voice. "Sleeping in actual beds that are miles above cheap motels and the ground."
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His own touch was smooth and light, quietly checking sutures he had put in place days ago and stroking over bruises he knew were present. He was perfectly fine standing there for the entire time of the charge just touching and being close to Gabe.
"That's days away, so we may as well just appreciate the bits of sleep we can grab wherever they happen to be."
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Talking even while bruises and sutures were being carefully checked, and maybe that was all the more reason to remind just what they'd have waiting for them. That they would be able to rest in something safe and comfortable at the end of all this camping. Snatching up what sleep they could get.
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He was satisfied that Gabe was still held together and not in too much pain. Once he had made his rounds through touch, he returned to stroking Gabe's back, soothing at warm skin. He nudged his helmet against the older man's as well. "Camping should keep us afloat for now."
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Bumped his helmet back carefully. "It will, and we've got enough to eat here and there so we're not making something worse." Eating with their medication, mostly.
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He nodded, aware they would push limits despite themselves but not enough to cause too much harm. He wanted them safe, but it would take miles of road and towns between then and now. "Too bad teleportation technology doesn't exist."
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Did snort a little bit. "Yet, someone somewhere is bound to be working on it." Didn't help them here and now, but that wasn't the point. Just some easy harmless conversation for the two of them.
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"Yeah, but that doesn't help us now. Without it here and now, we have to drive to a soft bed instead of just being there." He might even take a shitty hotel bed at this point, but it wasn't worth the risk.
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... He absolutely would if he thought he could get away with it, honestly.
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He knew he would have to try to sleep more on Gabe's back once they were back on the road. He wasn't certain he would accomplish it well, and damn, he would be furious if Gabe drove them without a rest.
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Reason they worked to well together, or at least one of the reasons.
A smaller nudge then, after a moment, "Charged up."
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He nodded at the information that they were charged and ready to go, pushing himself from leaning against Gabe and the hoverbike. "You need to do anything before we get back on the road?" He was already swinging a leg over to take up the secondary seat.
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At least Gabriel was certain that they would have supplies, shelter, and safety where they were headed. They would be okay, no doubt about it, even if the definition might have to be tweaked a little to get there.
His head was shaken, climbing back on to the bike once the charger was disconnected from the bike. "No. Get yourself secured again and we'll be off." Of course Gabriel would help tie that cord before pulling out and getting back on to the road for a few more hours.
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Likely it would look strange on any cameras that were recording, but at this point, maybe they would look like very odd tourists. It wasn't as if they were stealing or damaging anything.
"All set," he murmured as he came to rest himself securely against Gabriel's back and curling his good arm around the older man's waist. He knew it would be a long drive, that they still had much distance to go, but eventually they would get that bed they so desperately wanted.
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