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[dadication]

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[dadication]

"No, not better," he said softly, but he eased forward to head over to the bed slowly. The shower had eased some stiff muscles, but he still moved gingerly for the sake of not tensing up all over again. "Burnt itself out, I guess." He eyed Reyes with the continual dead tone. That was never a good sign.

He seated himself on the edge of the bed, noting the discarded mask and oxygen tank. It seemed that they tired very easily once they weren't high on their emotions, but he also suspected they were hiding some of their emotions from each other. He reached up and carefully rubbed the towel over his hair, but he ended up stopping when he worried he'd dislodge scabs there.

"...I'll pass. You finish it up."

[gr1m]

"Figures." Never a good sign, but he just didn't feel like putting in the effort to change how he sounded. "Were in there long enough," for it to burn out.

The tank was on empty, hadn't really been a whole lot of it left, but it had lasted well over half an hour at the very least. Been no reason to keep it on when it wasn't helping any, and Gabriel just... hadn't felt like hooking up the last one there. Why bother? If his lung was re-filling with blood it would have been wasting air.

That plastic spork was tapped against the package, "Can't." Finish it up.

[dadication]

He grunted softly at the comment about being in the shower long enough. He probably should have kept it brief for the sake of his wounds, but the water had only run clear at the end. He had to wash slowly with one hand anyway. "Probably a bit of hot water if you want it," he murmured back.

Maybe Reyes should sleep instead, if that dead tone of voice was any indication. He pulled himself up on the bed and made his way over to the opposite side to where he had sat, taking up the spot he had slept in, except sitting there and leaning his toweled head against the wall.

"...still nauseous or just exhausted?"

[gr1m]

"Don't trust me in a shower just yet," at least it was some admittance to how he felt? Even if that wasn't great on it's own, but he knew himself. Worried he'd be out of it if he got too hot even i only in a slightly heated shower. With how exhausted he was all over again.

Gabriel fell silent for a moment, listening to Jack move and partially just thinking over an answer.

He ended up holding the packet of still warm mac and the spork in one hand as if just silently asking it to be taken. "Mix of both."

[dadication]

"You'd probably topple," he agreed. It didn't look like Reyes was about to get up and wander around. Hell, he wasn't certain the older man would make it back to the bed without assistance and he had no idea if he had the ability to actually be useful in helping either. They were such a mess. "We can clean you up tomorrow morning before we leave."

He was exhausted all over again crawling back into bed. He also ached, but that was the new normal too.

It took him a moment to recognize the gesture of holding up the package, and he struggled to lean forward to take it from Gabriel's fingers, setting it on the bedside table next to him instead. Best not to leave such items on the floor. "Come back to bed and rest?"

[gr1m]

There was a slight sound of agreement there,because really, "And I doubt you're in any condition to deal with me if I get another concussion from falling in the shower." Not at the moment anyway. "Yeah, be more rested and you can probably help me keep my footing better," so at the very least he wasn't refusing help. That apology had gone a long way it seemed.

He let his hand fall back down on to his lap, legs stretched out in front of him, still sitting on the floor, back rested against the side of the bed.

"Give me a minute- and we still have to check you over and redo any of your stitches that popped." Of course he was going to be sticking to that. "Did you fuck up your knuckles again?"

[dadication]

"Don't think either of us are in any condition to deal another concussion at this point," he agreed. He wasn't certain he had the strength to hold Gabriel up or pick the older man up if fallen in a shower. "It will feel better when you're clean, I imagine," he added softly, though it would have to wait until tomorrow.

He should apply bandages to some of his injuries again, but that took energy that he didn't have. Already, his head was dipping towards his chest, and he almost regretting choosing to remain seated. They also probably didn't have enough supplies for lengthy bandaging, so it was better to save their supplies.

"It's not bleeding anymore," he grunted. It would heal. He would heal. He glanced at his knuckles which were swollen bruised and obviously broken. "They'll heal like everything else. Might need to hold off driving stick for a few days."

[gr1m]

Definitely agreed with that point, too. They were still in the beginnings where all of it was so fresh, and had to get it through both their thick skulls that they needed to try and take it easy, let themselves heal before running off to do shit. "Probably," but right now he couldn't chance it.

Gabriel let out a slow breath, head falling back to rest against the bed, looking up at Jack. His eyes were... not quite glassy, but somewhere just before it as if to match that dead tone of his voice. Exhausted, tired, hurt in more ways than just physically. Both of them were such a fucking mess and as much as they wanted to do something now... It wouldn't help anything. Wouldn't help either of them like this.

"At last wrap your hand with something, sunshine." Trying, but he just didn't have the energy to pick himself back up. Couldn't hide the sound of his voice like he could keep the feelings going through the bond. "Don't do this to yourself."

[dadication]

Had they even made twenty-four hours yet? He doubted that they had. It wasn't as if they were two guys that sat still much for anything, and there was no one in medical to nag them into bed or lock them down to it. No, they were fully capable to be reckless stressed idiots that still believed there was some mission or another to partake in. He figured the only reason they were still here in one place was because of a combination of exhaustion and a deep need to take care of the other when severely injured.

His eyes were on his knees mostly, half closing as he fought the urge to just shut them completely and nap like this. He would definitely live to regret it if he did. With the bond between them narrowed so his emotional state didn't cross, he was somewhat unaware of Reyes' own suffering. He had felt much of it before Gabe had previously locked down their link, suffered in the same way his bond did.

He shifted and lifted his head a little then shrugged. "No point. You can't cast a broken hand and bandaging it will waste our materials." Apparently they were back to pet names now, or Reyes was too exhausted to notice at this point. "I already did this to myself. I'll live with the consequences."

[gr1m]

"We'll get more- remember the bunker? Well stocked in case of emergencies." Because Gabriel Reyes was a paranoid bastard and always wanted to prepare for the worst. This was not the Worst that he had planned for, however. "We can use this and stock back up there, and your hand will heal or at least feel a bit better if there's some sort of... reinforcement to stabilize it."

It was easier to concentrate on Jack rather than himself, even if he sounded so very detached due to the dead tone. Only stating things instead of... well.

"Consequences will effect the both of us now, not just you and not just me."

[dadication]

"And who knows how long we'll be there with the way we're pulling our stitches," he remarked, even if he finally gave in and shifted on the bed to lay on his back. It was so much easier, even if he curled on one side to take the strain off of some of his incisions. He would have liked to encourage Reyes on the bed with him, but he understood that such a feat required energy. "It's fine as it is. I just need to leave it suspended. It's too swollen for a bandage and I doubt you grabbed splints."

He hadn't looked that deeply into their medical supplies aside from what they had needed in the now of putting each other back together. After all, he'd crawled out with a sprained wrist and so maybe he had added to that with the busted knuckles. Reyes was concerned, he understood, but he just... wanted to lay here and not do anything anymore.

"Bigger consequences if you can't even muster energy to get back into bed. What's a hand compared to that?"

[gr1m]

Eyes closed, Gabriel tired of staring up at Jack and towards the ceiling, seeing more of it than him anyway. "Can make do, done it before with even less at our disposal," Not like they could keep full supplies while moving during the Crisis. Supplies running short, separated and holed up in some blown out building. How were those almost better times than what had been happening around them lately? Things had been circling, hadn't they?

Shoulders slumped and he couldn't even hold the slight block on his end of the bond, the exhaustion and... everything flooding through without him even realizing. Detached and running on practically nothing. The bit of food just enough to all go towards his own healing. Body taking every last thing it could for it.

"Two hands are pretty useful."

[dadication]

Their situation now was a little like the Crisis where they were constantly on the move and had limited supplies to get them through. Unlike the Crisis, they had no idea who to trust or how to deal with injuries. They had been assigned medics here and there thankfully. "I know. We'll make it like we always do."

He was still able to reign in emotion on his side of the bond, but he was aware that Reyes' side was opening again, bleeding through utter defeat and exhaustion to him. Gabe needed sleep, food and limited stress. How the hell were they going to be able to move by the morning hours? He had no idea.

"You should get up into bed or you're going to end up sleeping down there and be even more stiff and uncomfortable when you wake," he murmured, ignoring the comment of two hands. He didn't have that right now, wouldn't even with a bandage on the broken one. "I can help you if you need it."

[gr1m]

At the very least there wasn't the constant patrol of weaponized omnics to worry about. Just had to find a way to slip out of the city and get out to the bunker. Steal a car, maybe? Would have been a bad idea to keep the ambulance, and maybe a bike would be better. Easier to ditch than an entire car. Especially out near any wilderness— "Just have to work together."

And not go running out alone on an emotion fueled one man mission that would be suicide for someone who could die easily. Still incredibly stupid for either of them, but at least he wasn't of the mind or mood to think it.

"The floor's softer than the bed, or so it feels at the moment." Or he was just that tired, snorting a bit. "You should be trying to eat- at least one of us should."

[dadication]

There were great challenges to face, likely one of those being that the world might assume that they were dead. It allowed a different narrative to be written against them, and he felt helpless to stop it. They had faced all manner of terrifying, deadly situations and somehow this one seemed to suck the air right out of his lungs if he thought too much about it. "As you say. Somehow make everything better together."

He would still take that mission someday. His temper ran lower than most, but it smoldered for a long period of time. Morrison's never forget slights against them or theirs. He would let the suicide mission go for now, but he wouldn't forget that it required his attention in future.

"Your ass is lying to you. That floor couldn't be soft if it tried," he replied, as he considered getting up to haul Reyes back into bed. "When I came out, you were eating, so that's one of us." He shifted slowly and painfully, using his elbow to force his way to seated position and then he shuffled off the bed to come to where Reyes was seated, looking down at the older man. "Let's get you back into bed, alright?"

[gr1m]

A narrative that was false and just meant to tie everything up in a bow, but it also meant they would have a large amount of freedom to move if they did things just right. Use it to their advantage, even if they couldn't live anything close to a normal life; Gabriel didn't plan on settling down with all of this anyway. "We're a force to be reckoned with together," two man army.

Gabriel didn't plan on just leaving things like that, but he knew they needed to focus on healing and other things before diving in to combat the story. Couldn't just go in guns blazing, they had to take out as many people involved as possible all at once, and that would take time and planning.

Eyes rolled more at the second statement than the first. "You need to eat as much as I do- didn't we have a deal? I eat only if you eat, or you going back on that." How he remembered that one was something, and he sounded more mildly grumpy than anything, even if it died in that continued hollowed out tone. He glanced up at Jack once noticing he was there looking down at him, a hand placed back against the bed and only the other offered up.

"Fine."

[dadication]

Jack didn't think he was built for an under-the-radar life, the secret shadow creeping one. He honestly didn't think that he would be good at it, least of all after spending so much time in the limelight for the last twenty-five years. He understood he might not have a choice, that results would be more effective if he wasn't in front of a camera, but it was a big change of pace to consider and he was already dealing with everything else. "Always are."

They could, but it wasn't wise. His anger was the only thing he had left that was strong right now, but ruining his hand meant he literally couldn't go out on his own. Not until he had use of it again. It made life hard all around, but he would cope.

"Wasn't that before we had our latest temper tantrum and stormed away from each other to mope in separate rooms?" At least he could be honest about it. After all, eating hadn't been priority when Reyes shut him out of their link like a punishment. He shook his head slightly at the offered arm and leaned down to slip one arm around Gabe's back and the other under the man's knees to simply lift him. It didn't look like Reyes had to energy to get up even with a pull. He struggled and strained to hoist the other, but he got him up enough to sit on the edge of the bed. Might have popped another stitch along the way, but Gabriel was up and in a far more comfortable place.

"There. Lay down and rest."

[gr1m]

"Always will be," even if they had to take it easy for a while, but that wasn't stopping Gabriel's mind from planning ahead. What they could do, but most importantly what they needed to do. How they were going to get out of this city and where they could go after the bunker. Anything to keep them both going and safe until they could plan something more.

There was a slight narrowing of eyes, but the affect was sort of lost with how glassy those normally dark yet warm brown eyes looked. Mixture of exhaustion and pain just making everything a mess. "You mean trying to punish me after your tantrum like I was the one in the wrong, me retaliating because that was damn well crossing a line in your anger, and then you went off to mope and re-break your hand." Could say it was a temper tantrum before that yes, emotions running high and fear a spike through the pit of his stomach of how it could all go wrong if Jack had gone out that door. Didn't fight the help up.

Gabriel figured if he struggled it would just be worse on Jack, catching him by the wrist of the not ruined hand. "You need to let me take care of you, or else this isn't going to work." Any of it.

[dadication]

Even he grudgingly admitted in his sour depressed mood that they were a good team, and they would survive. One couldn't die without the other. Even still, he knew that time for planning their great assault on their enemies was not now, what with them being basically unable to retain their feet for longer than thirty minutes at a time. The futile emotional turmoil didn't make their injuries heal any faster.

"Look, I already apologized, but you cutting me out was cruel," he snapped, temper still bubbling. They'd bicker. They always bickered when angry, always looking to shove blame around until they settled down with the reality that both of them were better off agreeing to settle in close and comfort one another rather than be angry about it all. Took time, more time than it should. "You were moping just as much. Don't claim you weren't." Not that he could have been able to tell what with the link cut to bare minimum.

He paused from hobbling away at the grip on his wrist, looking at Reyes. He was trying to hide the fact that he was trembling, but of course he couldn't. "You already took care of me," he said stiffly, gesturing vaguely at his face. "And you warmed me up. This was my turn. We share duties like that, remember?"

[gr1m]

"It was cruel, and I did it for a reason that you know because you apologized for it." Both for turning that anger on him as he was starting to do again, and to make a point he wasn't about to voice just yet. "Which you're getting dangerously close to again, because you're just as goddamn stubborn, if not more, than I am. More so when it's cutting this damn personal for the both of us," A warning and an acknowledgement all in one. "I'm not going to claim shit, because I don't have the energy to argue over this petty shit with you—"

Wasn't about to be letting go of Jack's wrist either, despite how damn horrible he looked and sounded, that was a strong grip.

"—More so when you're standing there actively bleeding, you fuck. It's not just taking turns, but doing for each other when it's needed."

[dadication]

Jack narrowed his eyes, aware he was being unreasonably angry and aware that he was throwing it all on Reyes whom had seemingly took it in stride when he needed to rant and tirade around. Now they only had each other, but their tempers were frayed, mentally hurt and worn. He curled a lip in a snarl of a reply, but he held his tongue. He also kept his end of the link from allowing his emotions to reach Gabriel and add fuel to their fire. "Fine, we'll leave it be."

He moved to twist his wrist free of Reyes' hold, wanting to have space, to lay down again and nurse his wounds until it was time to leave.

"This coming from the guy coughing up blood," he retorted and pulled at the hold on him. "Couple of blown sutures is fine. It will heal." Never mind his broken hand.

[gr1m]

"If this is how you're going to act," spoken very slowly, as evenly as he could manage without leaving room for argument, "each and every time I voice concern and want over you? When we're both injured, nearly died, or anything like that... The moment we're both healed, it may be best if we part ways."

Then he let go of Jack's wrist, shifting to turn his back on the man so very much like Jack had done to him, and simply laid on his side.

[dadication]

Jack stiffened at the suggestion that they part ways once things had settled, and he experienced a creeping cold walking up his spine and spreading through his limbs. If it were possible, he paled to an ashen white. With his wrist free, it slipped back to his side, and he stood wounded and dumbfounded, shock evident in his expression. He opened his mouth to retort but he couldn't make the words come out.

He slowly reached down and pulled the edge of the blanket and set it over Reyes so he wouldn't get cold, touching lingering for a second too long and then he backed off to sit on the edge of the bed.

[gr1m]

The only thing he had been able to keep back from the connection was every bit of hurt that Jack's own words and the way he was acting dug deeper than anything else. This wasn't like those arguments, and he was in no state of mind or emotion to be some easy target for the anger. The sheer unwillingness to work with him that Jack was now expressing in everything. Fighting him at every step.

They couldn't work together like that, and if it was going to continue he couldn't do it. It would break him. All he could do was make it as clear as he could if this kept up... he would leave once he was able. Blunt and probably cruel, but it needed to be said.

Even Gabriel had sucked it up and let Jack do what was needed for him, relented because even his own stubbornness and anger wouldn't help them. Then he'd continued on, acting as if he didn't need Gabriel, refused to let him help— He couldn't keep this up, he couldn't. When they needed to come together all Morrison was doing was pushing him away and it burned more than the fire, hurt more than every injury currently healing.

So he remained still and silent, eyes closed tightly. Keeping all of that pain locked up tight.

[dadication]

Neither of them were in a good state of mind, and it was showing through. He sat quiet and numb, the prospect of potentially losing Gabriel on top of everything else hitting as hard as his own stubbornness. Without his soul bond, he didn't know what he'd do. Even thought of it paralyzed him.

Fact of the matter was that Jack needed Gabe, needed him more than anything. So he remained seated at the head of the bed and listened to the sound of their breathing, more tuned into Reyes because of that lung. And he ached because they had both shut down the emotional side of their bond to each other.

He rolled his shoulder so the towel on his head slipped off to the bed, and he closed his eyes and leaned his head on the wall.