iimvs-blog

[iimvs-blog]

uhh .. some self indulgence!!! 💦💦

[iimvs-blog]

this is the best screencap i’ve ever taken

[iimvs-blog]

is this something that we can fix?

Jack sat down in front of him. He leaned into gabe, enjoying the moment. The past he said. Yes it was the past, but it was one her regretted deeply. He closed his eyes for a bit. Resting against him

&& - QUIET sighs left Reaper in a slow and steady rhythm, hands resting around Jack and claws rubbing all kinds of patterns onto the man’s waist as he felt the other relax into him. “Te amo, mi luna. Always will.” It was the truth, though, unfortunately(?) for Reaper. He had long ago realized that he’d never really be able to kill Jack if he ever got the chance to- he’d had so many times, so many chance, where he could have easily killed the other man and yet he hadn’t- because of these feelings that refused to leave him alone.

[iimvs-blog]

heroes come and go

“ I’m sorry. ..that I took away your rest from you. .” He whispered. He knew that all the sorrys in the world couldn’t forgive what he did to him. But now that he was in front of him. Confronting gabe finally took away a little of the guilt he had been carrying for years

&& - PULLING away, Reaper quietly looked down at Jack as he spoke, his head slowly shaking from side to side. The ghost turned them around then slowly moved to sit on the ground, his back pressed to the wall as he slid down it. He kept his hands on Jack’s waist, fingers rubbing up and down them in reassuring motions. “Hush, mi luz. It’s in the past now, just rest- Deberias dormir, cariño... We can figure this out later, for now just rest.”

[iimvs-blog]

heroes come and go

“ gabe…..” jack said his name just above a whisper. How could he forgive him for what he did. He caused gabe his life. And…from what he recalled he begged angela to bring gabe back to him…..He made gabe this way. He was the one who wouldn’t let gave rest

&& - "SI, mi luna. Estoy aqui.” Hushes words spoken in Spanish were murmured against Jack’s forehead as the wraith pressed his lips against it, both arms now sliding down to hold the other man by his waist && pull him closer, comforting, reassuring- much like their younger days. “Estoy cansado, Jackie. I’m tired...”

[iimvs-blog]

with you, perhaps I’ll feel whole again

It felt as if Reaper - Gabriel - had needed this, in more than just one way. He probably hadn’t expected someone to react like McCree, to come close and not being afraid of what he had become, but here his former subordinate was, needing this just as much as the monster himself. And while Gabriel’s form had changed a bit, he still felt like the guy Jesse had hugged once back in the old days. Yes, they had hugged, but the situation had been an entirely different one than now - it had been the gunslinger’s turn back then to need and crave it, and his Commander had delivered that embrace to put the kid back down on his feet, so to speak.

The grip on his back hurt a bit at first but the gunslinger really didn’t care, only tightening his own hold around the other even more, swallowing thickly as his throat and eyes burned dangerously for a moment.

“I regret what I’ve done back then, Gabe.” It took a few moments until McCree felt calm enough to speak, voice still thin from the emotions rushing through him but at least he was able to form a few sentences without breaking, he assumed. The terrorist had deserved it to know the answer to the ‘why’, Jesse’s reason for leaving. After all, it seemed as if Reyes had suffered as much as the cowboy himself, and maybe he was right, maybe this moment was the only chance he had to explain himself.

“I regret that I left. I didn’ want to betray you - I jus’ couldn’ stand it to see my family breakin’ apart.” To speak about it hurt a lot more than Jesse had expected and he inhaled sharply, taking a few seconds to calm his nerves before continuing to speak. “I was weak back then, jus’ a stupid kid thinkin’ it was better to leave before the ship crashed against the ice berg. When I saw the news then, about the explosion, realizin’ that Jack and, even worse, you had died…” Fuck. McCree bit his bottom lip harshly to stop himself from sobbing like a child, could feel the copper taste spreading over his tongue a second later. A few shudders ran down his spine, a few breaths were taken, before he went on. “I couldn’ stand it to see the most important people in my life goin’ down like this. Couldn’ stand it seein’ you an’ Jack fighting. Couldn’ stand it to see Blackwatch fallin’ apart because of all the shit. It was my home, after you pulled my ass off the streets an’ away from the Deadlock Gang. I am so sorry…”

“But that doesn’ mean I didn’ think of you. One reason I came here - an’ faced my possible death. I needed to know when I heard about you, needed to see it with my own eyes. I wasn’ there when shit hit the fan, but I am here now at least. Won’ give you back what you once had, won’ undo my mistake… but I needed to see you. Even if you’d have killed me in the very first second. Even if you still wanna kill me.” Because he had promised - he would stay by Gabriel Reyes’ side. Gabe was his home, as Blackwatch once had been. He wanted to make things better.

&& - REAPER tightened his hold on the other’s back, but first, he discarded the gauntlets. They dropped to the ground with a thud && a clank followed right after as steel met the cement on the floor. Then he concentrated just enough to make his own claws disappear, normal human hands taking their place && he was gripping, grabbing, grasping Jesse’s back again, pressing him oh-so close to him while he spoke.

&& - “...I was dumb, Jesse... While I do still blame Jack for taking away what was rightfully mine, I shouldn’t have let my jealousy, my anger, get the better of me like that.” A laugh followed suit, the words rung empty as they rolled off his tongue && the wraith buried his face in the cowboy’s neck, breathing in the other man’s scent. “Shouldn’t have let it drive us apart the way it did, should have stopped it- should have-”

&& - WHAT left Reaper as he cut himself off was probably a sob, but honestly, he was unsure of what exactly it was && so he chose not to think too much into it. His fingers- so human-looking for once- scrabbled for purchase against Jesse’s back and he closed his eyes, the red disappearing behind eyelids as another shudder passed through his body, causing him to tremble && shake. After a moment, he opened his eyes again, && pulled away slowly- if only to look at Jesse properly again.

&& - “NEVER wanted to kill you... Sure, I was angry but...” He stopped, he wasn’t even sure what he wanted to say, so instead he just opted to place his head back onto Jesse’s shoulder, chin resting against it as another heavy, drawn out breath left him. “Even if you left me when I needed you the most, I- Somewhere inside of me, I understood...”

&& - “HOW can you not be afraid of me? Of what I’ve become? I’m a monster, Jesse.” Reaper’s- or was it Gabriel at this point?- arms slackened completely, the only thing holding them up now were his fingers holding onto the fabric of McCree’s serape. “Fuck, Jesse- I’m... I’m afraid of me...”

[iimvs-blog]

heroes come and go

Jack had cause him so much pain. Yet he still called him his moon. “ please….With how much pain I have caused….I…I don’t deserve to be called that” he muttered as gabe held him.

&& - Reaper pulled away a bit, only so he could move the hand that was at the back of Jack’s head to this chin and tilt it up slightly so that he could look into those beautiful blue eyes once again. “Shh... You’ll always be mi luna, por favor, Jack-” He nuzzled the other man, his hand at the small of the soldier’s back still rubbing soothing circles on it. “I know... I know you didn’t mean to do it.”

[iimvs-blog]

heroes come and go

Jack rests his head on gabes shoulder. He wrapped his arms around him and dug his fingers into the black fabric of his trenchcoat. “ ya…gabe…I’m tired….I’m so tired gabe” jack whispered just loud enough for him to hear.

&& - CLAWS gently caress the other man’s head, brushing through locks of white hair as an understanding sigh leaves Reaper. He understood, he understood, he was tired too- he was supposed to be dead so why was he still walking? A low rumble came from deep inside his chest, and he tightened his hold around Jack, fingers rubbing soothing circles on his back. “I know, mi luna. I know.”

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heroes come and go

His body shook. But he turned his gaze up to meet gabes. Gabe looked like this. ….because of him. But really all jack wanted was for gabe to hold him again. Like he use to. But he would never ask that if him now. Not with what he had done to him.

&& - BLUE. Reaper had always liked the color blue, from the moment his eyes had fallen upon Jack’s on the day of their first meeting, back in the SEP. The memory tugged at his chest, squeezed around his still heart and the wraith arms dropped from the soldier’s face to wrap around his waist && pull him closer, a sigh pushing past his lips after one hand moved back to gently cup the back of Jack’s head and hold him there. “We paid a funny price for saving the world, didn’t we?”

[iimvs-blog]

heroes come and go

“If…If I had just let you have the damn position. …” jack cursed himself. Guilt , fear, dread. All these feelings that he had kept bottled up for so long finally came bursting out. “ damn it! ” he hissed as his visor dropped from his had hitting the ground shattering. Fiberglass littered the ground as jack grabbed a fistful of his own snow white hair and clutched at his chest. It was his fault. Gabe was this way, looked like this because of him and his dumb ass needs.

&& - REAPER’S hands found their way to Jack’s face when the visor clattered to the ground, one moving to stop the soldier from ripping at his hair. “Yes... Well, that’s in the past.” Look at him, being all hypocritical. The wraith slid one clawed finger to Jack’s lips, pressing softly against it as a curious sound escaped him. “Calm down for now, Morrison. Don’t need you to lose any more hair, you already have so little.” There was a teasing tone to his words && his lips were pulled up into a grin.

[iimvs-blog]

the ingrate

Why. It caused Jesse to swallow thickly as he simply stood there, taking in as much as possible from his position - the way those eyes stared at him, the way Reaper pulled him close, almost as if he was hugging the gunslinger. The way he spoke, and then deflated like a balloon, suddenly loosing all of that strength that had been there first. It surprised the cowboy, of course it did, but it also hurt because… it meant that there still was Gabriel. That Reaper wasn’t, in fact, someone else but him. Reaper was Gabriel Reyes, and Gabriel Reyes was here now, after the facade of that bad terrorist had faded.

It hurt even more to listen to his next words, though, and McCree closed his eyes as that, pressing his lips together when he felt a wave of guilt crash down on him, hitting him to the core. He’d left Gabe behind, back then, and it indeed had affected the Commander a lot. Probably even more than the gunslinger had imagined. He had hurt his mentor, and even to this day Gabriel remembered it, even as Reaper he did, after everything that had happened to him. Whatever had happened really, turning him into the monster he was. It probably had been horrible.

They simply stood there then, where Jesse couldn’t bring himself to say anything, even though there was so much he needed to speak out - now seemed to be the right time. He wanted to apologize for leaving him behind, for not being there when Reyes had needed him, for not rescuing from whatever he had become. He wanted to tell how much he had missed this man - and still did - how much his death had affected him, how lost he’d been for over a year, much like back when he’d been a stupid kid.

Instead, he felt frozen. His throat hurt and the gunslinger wasn’t able to even speak a single word of all those thousand thoughts that were filling his mind. The guilt, sorrow and hate he felt was way too heavy on his shoulders, clenching around his throat as if it wanted to choke him.

There was only one thing he could do - but it still cost all of his remaining strength to do it. After a few seconds of heavy breathing Jesse moved, hand dropping away from Reaper’s wrist as he turned, facing the monster. Yet he wasn’t able to look into Gabriel’s eyes, not strong enough at this very second to see what was lingering in that broken gaze - he went directly for what he’d in mind, one arm wrapping around broad shoulders while the other slipped along a waist, chin coming to a rest next to the man’s neck as he pulled the terrorist close, into a very tight embrace.

&& - IT came as a surprise when he felt Jesse’s arms slide around him, one moving onto his shoulders && the other grabbing his waist && while he had frozen in place at first, the wraith let himself be dragged closer, eyes closing at the feeling of intimacy washing over him. Reaper didn’t know why or how but he heard, rather than felt, the strangely strangled sound spill forth from his lips && his eyes clenched shut as he grit his teeth; fangs gnashing against fangs as more sobs threatened to sound themselves.

&& - QUESTIONS of why and how kept running through his head, telling him he was weak- so weak to have given up so easily, to have let the other man break through his walls with so much ease. It was as if Reaper- as if Gabriel Reyes- had actually wanted to be saved from his current predicament, and honestly? He probably did. Whatever was left of the Blackwatch Commander he’d once been was fighting back and trying to push back the hatred that Reaper felt on a daily basis.

&& - A few minutes passed before Reaper’s hands were clutching at the gunslinger’s back, broken sobs dragging out from through clenched teeth && ragged breaths pushing out of his throat. Why, why, why? It took only a few more minutes until the wraith realized his claws had been digging into the other’s back and he slackened his hold enough to keep from hurting but not enough to miss the feeling of something solid pressed against his palms.

&& - “WEAK.” The singular word forcefully shoved itself past quivering lips that were pulled into a tight, thin line, voice threatening to break at the slightest provocation. Reaper was talking about himself, mocking himself for not being able to hold on to the facade he’d created to keep himself from breaking down at the slightest pain. Whatever part of Gabriel was still inside of him at this moment was trying to convince Reaper that maybe, just maybe, Jesse could lessen the pain he currently felt in his hollow chest, where his heart should be beating but no longer was.

&& - “ALWAYS was weak when you were concerned...” He finally managed to speak after a long while && while the words were strained and there was still that underlying threat of his voice breaking if he even dared so much as speak louder, there was also a certain sadness to his tone. His hands clutched slightly tighter again as a shaky sigh rolled off his lips && then reaper stilled completely, though on the inside the nanites were convulsing while they tried to figure out what to do with this newfound feeling.

&& - REAPER’S fits never lasted longer than a few seconds, and this time it was no different. When the pain finally subsided enough for the monster to open his eyes again that’s just what he did. He made no move to move, only opened his eyes to stare almost emptily in front of him as most of his weight leaned onto McCree. His body mass had lessened considerably compared to before he became the monster he was now, considering his body was now mostly a mass of nanites and smoke.

[iimvs-blog]

we’re more alike than you think

Battles that went wrong were part of the job, and despite his excellent abilities, Genji knew he wasn’t beyond making the tiniest mistakes that would compromise his objective.

Tonight, Genji was on a mission to investigate some shady business that caused terror among the local population. He hid in the shadows and spied on the activities of that literal “mafia”, with the intention of getting the most informations he could to ensure an advantage should he return there later with some of his colleagues. But when one of that group’s members came with what looked like an hostage begging for their life, the cyborg didn’t hesitate to reveal himself and engage the criminals in battle.

Except it wasn’t a hostage.

It was a trap and he ate it all up. Bait, line and rod. They knew a group like Overwatch was investigating them, and they found the perfect way to bring the intruder out.

When he managed to pull the man away from his captors, Genji realized something was wrong when instead of relief and gratitude, all he saw in the other’s eyes were malice and bloodlust. He couldn’t say anything when a metal bat was thrown across his face, shattering his mask.

For a few minutes, all the ruffians of that group ganged up on him, using various weapons. Oh, Genji put up a fight alright. He managed to take many of them down as he defended himself. But even after he felt close to reaching his limit, he knew he was still grossly outnumbered. Ignoring the pain from his various injuries, he ran away into the night.

He only allowed himself to collapse against a wall in some back alley and let the pain overwhelm him after he put some distance between the enemies and himself. That’s when he could take a first good look at his injuries. He could feel a certain number of bruises and broken bones under the surface of his implants, and noticed a certain number of bullet holes on it that hopefully didn’t get through the metal. The most concerning wounds were on his shoulder and his abdomen, where he received explosive shots at point blank. His metal alloy had crumbled, and gaping red holes clearly dug into his flesh, along with disconnected robotic parts which he guessed were the reason he could no longer feel part of his arm.

He laid back against the wall, trying to steady his breath. He mentally blessed Angela for being the one who kept him alive once more. The only reason he couldn’t thank his doctor right away was simply because the communication device embedded into his helmet didn’t survive the beating. Seemed he was going to have to return to their outpost on his own and tell the others the mission was a disaster.

He took another deep inspiration and closed his eyes. He was going to be fine. He guessed. At least he was still alive.

However, when he opened his eyes again after hearing what he thought was the wind, he felt something dropping in his guts. He was no longer alone.

Looming over him was Reaper. The assassin of Talon all of them were warned about. No. Not now. Not when he couldn’t fight back. Not when he was so vulnerable.

The desire to escape. Words of regrets. Conflicting emotions… : A vortex of sensations that were all too familiar swirled up inside of him. A familiar combination he had also felt the day he saw Hanzo rising a sword over his head. The fear of death.

The feeling, however, somewhat stopped growing as Reaper dropped his weapons and leaned closer to him. While his voice still sent chills down his spine, his words replaced the cyborg’s terror by utmost confusion. He felt the ominous wind run through him again, his vision blurred, and he was heaved up by the other man. Genji tried to resist it, of course, but more than his wounds, the shock was still holding his strength back, and all he could do was meekly attempt to push Reaper away.

When his vision came back, it seemed he had been transported to a dimly lit room. Reaper’s next words came as he put him down onto a couch. This was merely an act of pity, he said. After taking a few moments to get his mind back together, Genji tried to rise straight up, only for a jolt of pain to run through his body again because of the sudden gesture. He looked at his host disappear in the shadows at the other end of the room.

“I… don’t want your pity.” He groaned, holding his shoulder as he found himself forced to lie down again. “I refuse to be indebted to the likes of you.”

&& - REAPER didn’t respond instantly to Genji when words were groaned out, instead he pulled out some things to help with fixing the other man up && only after a moment did he turn back && stalk over to the man on the couch, red eyes glaring at him from behind the mask. “Don’t recall asking you for your opinion.” He growled a reply, all six eyes narrowing for a moment before he dropped to a crouch in front of the couch.

&& - CLAWED hands slipped onto Genji’s torso, one pressing down almost threateningly while the other moved over to experimentally tug at his shoulder, albeit carefully && making sure not to hurt the cyborg more than was necessary. He extended his shadows, forming something along the likes of a tendril && brought the necessary tools to get started on fixing the ninja’s most lethal wounds, at least.

&& - AFTER a few minutes, the wraith released his hold on the other man && shifted his gaze down to stare at the revealed face for a moment before a small chuckle pushed out of his throat. Reaper got to his feet && his tendril placed the tools back in the chest before going back to join the mass of shadows around him.

&& - “CONSIDER yourself lucky that my mood isn’t foul, cabron.” He spoke after a few seconds passed && moved to pick up the kit to place it back where it came from- his boots making ample noise against the tiles of the floor despite the fact that they were obviously heavy boots. “Seems you ended up being indebted to the likes of me anyways.”

[iimvs-blog]

the ingrate

This time, when Reaper formed behind him once again, claws digging into his waist, Jesse had been somewhat prepared for it and didn’t flinch as much. It seemed as if the terrorist liked it to stay close to him, whatever the reason was for that kind of behaviour. It was odd, in a way, that feeling of the other pressing against him and holding him close, caused so many mixed feelings to boil up inside the gunslinger. How much had he missed the man who’d saved his life as a teenager, and how much had it hurt to know he died? It couldn’t be put into simple words, as this whole situation couldn’t be put into a word either.

Jesse told himself to stay collected, frowning deeply, not turning his head, hazel eyes simply watching an imaginary point in front of him, somewhere, not focussing on it entirely. The claws digged through his clothing into his skin, next to his armor, missing the plates, going for the soft chub only hidden by a layer of soft fabric and he knew that these sharp things were definitely able to not only rip his shirt apart but his skin as well. Though, the terrorist tried his best - Jesse McCree was still not afraid. He had respect, yes - but he wasn’t frightened.

“Does it really surprise you?”, he asked after a while, voice low as the gunslinger spoke. His arms hung down by his sides uselessly, though his gloved hand twitched, as if it wanted to get a hold of Peacekeeper - but he didn’t move, didn’t allow this instinct to kick in. “That I was willin’ to walk into my sure death? Maybe it’s not exactly what Gabe once taught me but, my curiousity always got me into trouble.”

A pause followed where McCree inhaled, head finally turning a bit, keeping his gaze averted. Metal fingers moved to settle around the Reaper’s one wrist, not pulling the claws away, just getting a firm hold on that armor. Why he did this? Maybe it helped to steady him a bit, maybe it was a simple action of defense - one didn’t know. Maybe the cowboy himself even didn’t know. He did know though, that yes, he had done mistakes. He had left his Commander behind instead of fighting by his side. And yes, he wanted nothing more than to make up for that shit he’d done.

He sighed.

“I may have left, but it won’ stop me from lookin’ out for Gabriel.”

&& - REAPER didn’t react much when a hand moved to grab his wrist, the only thing leaving his lips was something that could be considered a growl- though it was more of an automatism rather than an attempt at scaring the other away or keep him from touching him. His free hand slid further around McCree, pulling him closer and wrapping around his waist in an attempt to steady the both of them- to keep him pinned against the wraith as they spoke.

&& - “GUESS not, no.” Words were breathed against Jesse’s cheek, smoke billowing out from his parted lips, && his gaze slid over his features to look at the man now that they were closer again. Eyes took in the sight like a starved hound would devour anything that could be considered food in a desperate attempt for survival- && it was surprising even to Reaper, himself, that he realized how much he’d been needing this.

&& - THERE was another sigh pulled from him in response to McCree’s && he digs his claws slightly deeper against the gunslinger’s hip, still not quite drawing blood but definitely adding pressure to it. “Why?” The question was spoken into the air, almost being carried away by the tense atmosphere around the two of them, nothing but a hushed whisper as it spilled from pursed lips, && red eyes narrowed && brows furrowed in confusion.

&& - WITH a frown tugging at his features, Reaper can really do nothing but let out a disgruntled sound- so confused and at this point the wraith can’t even make heads or tails of his own feelings anymore. Not even a full day around Jesse McCree and he could already feel the walls he’d spent so long building up around him just collapse as they were slowly chipped away at until nothing would remain.

&& - “WHY do you always have to ruin my plans, Jesse?” With a voice that sounded strained, && so pained, Reaper slumped slightly, the hold on the cowboy’s hip lessening considerably, to the point where his hand might have fallen back down had it not been for the other’s hold around his wrist. “I felt abandoned when you left me and yet I can’t bring myself to hate you. Why?”

[iimvs-blog]

troublemaker

“…I…” She held her hoodie, and absently stretched them-she kept them hidden away to much; she missed flying but they were a reminder of better times…and worst times. 

“…Guess the easiest…explanation…is I’m not….entirely human.” Her normally confident tone, had become very…tired…shy… and she couldn’t meet his gaze-her jaw was visibly tight. She was afraid. 

After she let them stretch out for the last time before they tucked themselves up against her back as tightly as she could, and awkwardly put the hoodie on-the wings disappearing into nothing. “…Did you ever play D&D?” 

She finally looked up at Gabriel, a nervous laugh escaping her; before she leaned down and picked up a few fallen feathers, and tied them into her hair with a practice hand. “…Gabriel…” 

She never used his first name, she’d always been pretty formal-even when she was being a little shit under Morrison’s command-or Jesse. Jesse and her fought like they’d been brother and sister- but somehow still got any task they shared done. “…You can’t…say anything.” 

Butterfly still held one white feather in her hand, and she held it towards him. “…Please.” 

&& - GABRIEL moved to lean against the wall closest to them, auburn gaze burning into Butterfly as she started to speak. Not human? Well, gee, Gabriel hadn’t noticed that when the wings came popping up out of nowhere. He kept his mouth shut though, held his tongue, didn’t use any of the sass that was just itching to come out and try to soothe the awkwardness of the situation. It would only make said situation more tense if he did use his usual sass.

&& - CONCERNING the question of him ever having played Dungeons & Dragons, Gabriel didn’t really answer, instead he opted to just raise an eyebrow at her, urging her to continue when she finally looked up at him. The usage of his first name had Gabriel take this so much more seriously because Butterfly never called him by it.

&& - THE commander curiously watched her as she came closer, a single white feather in her hand and he looks from her face down to her hand, then back up to her face, eyes almost burning holes into hers. “I don’t see anything going well for either of us if I do tell anyone.” He spoke after a moment’s pause, a hand reaching out to gently take the feather from her.

&& - HE brought the feather up to his face slightly, examining it more closely- yep, this was a 1oo% real feather- before he looked back over at Butterfly, the curiosity still not quite leaving his expression. “You trust me, don’t you?”

[iimvs-blog]

the ingrate

Their bodies were pressed together after Reaper had stepped close to the Cowboy once again, claws holding his chin, red eyes staring down into Jesse’s very soul. At least it felt like that, and McCree swallowed thickly as they just stood there, staring, for some long moments, Reaper’s voice echoing between them - low, quiet and dangerous, but also demanding, wanting to know what was on the other’s mind.

It told that part of Jesse had betrayed him, his feelings, and very clearly shown them even with all that surprise going on. But to his defense - to see someone who died years and years ago, someone who once had been a very important person in your life, someone you should have stayed with but decided to leave which was regretted heavily - of course it would mess with Jesse’s feelings, even though he had told himself he could handle whatever he would see. Because he was a bounty hunter, old enough to stand his ground, had seen shit, so how hard could this be? Apparently, much harder than he had expected.

But, something inside him snapped when the other started to mock him again - about letting it out, and about something he wanted to say. While the terrorist wasn’t wrong with what he said - he was very much right, to be precise - it was that moment that gave McCree some of his strength back and he frowned deeply, moving back in a swift motion, causing Reaper’s claws to leave his chin and their bodies to be separated once again.

“As if you know.”, he scoffed, gritting his teeth together as a hand came up to pull the cigarillo away from between his lips. Jesse threw it to the ground and stomped on it, turning his head to spit on the floor a second later, hazel eyes then returning to that very familiar and also unfamiliar face. He counted to ten inside his head, calming himself, steadying his being, before sighing heavily but quietly.

“Don’ sass me, Reaper. I’m not afraid of you. Never will be. If you wanna kill me here now, then do it. Don’ need to wait for me say some bullshit stuff, right?” McCree’s usual defense mechanism worked at this moment, snarky comments mixed with rebellious behaviour - something even Reyes’ hadn’t been able to take off him after he’d pulled him away from the Deadlock Gang. And even now, so many years later, Jesse still was the same guy somewhere. Grown, a bit wiser, an adult, but still Jesse McCree.

Once again, though, it only acted as a cover for what really was burning inside of him. The heavy weight of regret on his shoulders. Sadness, sorrow. That ‘I should have been there’ whispering inside his head. ‘I could have rescued Reyes, but instead I ran away’. A delicate topic.

&& - REAPER made no move to follow McCree as he stepped back && away from him, his hand stayed suspended in the air for a moment until it dropped down. A slightly surprised expression flitted over the wraith’s features but it was soon replaced with a grin, lips stretching && parting to reveal pearly white fangs more clearly now.

&& - “NOT afraid of me? Oh! But you should be.” He took a step forward then stilled completely, crimson hues glaring at the other man but his grin only grew. “However... If I wanted to kill you, I would have done so already.” His head tilted sideways, allowing him to eye McCree much like a predator would to its prey- specifically a bird of prey when it saw its dinner for the night.

&& - ONE hand moved up to his own face, a claw idly tapping his chin as he curiously examined the other man. After a few minutes passed- felt more like hours, though- Reaper’s grin turned into a mysterious smirk instead && his body collapsed into a pile of shadows, the black mass slithering forward and reforming behind the cowboy. Hands move to grab at Jesse’s waist, keeping him there as talons dig into the skin- not hard enough to draw blood, but definitely hard enough to make it known he could.

&& - “TRULY? You’re not frightened of the monster I’ve become, Jesse?” His voice was soft, words strangely tender && lacking the usual darkness, but it was still terrifying in a way; it dripped with a certain deadliness && danger. Claws gripped slightly harder at the other’s hips, pulling him closer as Reaper moved forward in turn, chin resting on a shoulder && smoke puffing out with every breath took.

&& - “YOU would willingly walk to your possible death just to convince yourself that I’m really dead?” Purring, the monster’s smile vanished only to be replaced with pursed lips and a contemplative expression. His hands never left McCree’s waist, though, perhaps he was craving for physical contact, for touch, to know that he was still alive somewhere in the ghost he had become.

&& - “OR is it that you’re trying to make up for past mistakes?” The words slipped past his lips before Reaper could really think twice about them, red eyes closing as something akin to sadness washed over him, and he parted his mouth if only to exhale a sigh. “Jesse McCree, I thought I taught you better than this.”

[iimvs-blog]

heroes come and go

“ you had been acting strange for months. Give us…giving me the cold shoulder. Taking missions on by yourself. Then when I confronted you about it. You blew up. ” he could feel the old scars sting like they were fresh and reopened “ after the explosion…. you were put in critical care. But not for long…about a week into treatment your hospital room as ransacked and destroyed. And your body had vanished. Soon overwatch disbanded and me…well..I went searching. I didn’t lose hope that. .you…had…” his words stopped. He cast his eyes downward. Had didn’t even realize that the floodgates had opened when he was telling Reyes of the past. Tier tracks stained his cheeks. After all….Gabe was this way ….because of him. The guilt that he had held for years had finally rose to the surface.

&& - CHUCKLES left Reaper at Jack’s words. Acting strange? Jack had taken what rightfully belonged to him, he had a right to at least be hurt about it. They stopped however, when he noticed the tears slipping down the soldier’s face && his hand slid over to his eyes to wipe them away before moving to slip his own mask off.

&& - SIX eyes closed && blinked && opened as they slowly grew accustomed to the change in lighting && then focused on the other man in front of him, the hand slipping back to cup Jack’s face, a purr almost leaving the wraith. He hadn’t even done anything && he was breaking down already- it tugged at something within him, squeezed around the heart in his chest that was no longer beating.

&& - “OH, I did die, Jackie.” He leaned backwards only to motion at his body- not quite solid but not gaseous either- stuck in a limbo between the two states for God knows how long. His revealed features- so humanoid yet still so very monstrous; six crimson eyes, fangs visible through the gash in his cheek, smoke rolling off him in waves- were momentarily ceased by a look of concern before he was back to his usual expressionless self.

&& - “I was just pulled right back out of it and forced into living like this- not quite dead, but definitely not alive either.”

[iimvs-blog]

the ingrate

It was truly shocking to see this - not only because this really was a monster speaking to him, having more than just two eyes, red and dangerous, looking at him with a gaze cold as ice, almost like the monsters described in childrens books but way more intimitading and real - but also because of the few human parts that had remained.

And those human parts shocked McCree more than the rest of Reaper, and he found himself stumbling back a few feet as his wide eyes took in the sight for long, long minutes, unable to speak, unable to react in any other way. He took a sharp breath once his lungs started to protest, and even if he would have tried to hide the surprise from his features - no chance to do so. His own mask cracked, partially revealing the true gunslinger, the one who was affected, who felt more than just curiosity, who wasn’t as strong as he tried to be.

Gabriel. Gabriel Reyes.

It was him. It at least was his face, clearly changed by whatever he had become but he was there, and the knowledge of him being here and not dead somewhere almost caused Jesse to choke on his own spit. It was overwhelming, after all these long, long years, to finally see the man he’d missed so much, he’d cried about, he’d tried to drown in Whiskey and way too many cigarillos. It affected the Cowboy way more than he’d imagined, more than he wanted to admit, and it took all his strength to swallow back a pathetic sound - a mixture of a wheeze and a sob - before it could break free, prosthetic hand rushing up to hide his mouth.

His Commander lived. Somehow. As… something. As a terrorist, a frightening creature, having too many eyes and sharp fangs, ripped skin and a black tongue. But he fucking lived. He was there, right in front of Jesse.

A grown man like him shouldn’t feel that weak all of a sudden… right? He should be old enough to handle this. Old enough to get his shit together. He couldn’t.

“Gabriel.” McCree’s voice was weak, barely there as his breath rushed out between his lips to form that one single word in utter disbelief - but there was more hidden in that tone. Longing, perhaps?

&& - REAPER didn’t even flinch when the other man stumbled back, didn’t even blink when a hand moved up to hide his mouth, didn’t even react when his name, the one he no longer used, was spoken. At least not instantly. The wraith took the same amount of steps forward that McCree had stumbled backwards, the mask slipping from his hold and falling to the ground in a clatter, forgotten for now.

&& - “THAT’S me.” He spoke after a moment of silence, red orbs still locked on the cowboy as his mouth moved to formulate the words. With every word that slipped past his lips, the black tongue followed suit, passing over his lips and moisturizing them. He took another pause, if only to gather himself before he continued. “Or should I say that was me?”

&& - HIS hand reached up to grab Jesse’s chin gently, keeping him there while he let his eyes gaze into the other’s. A small twisted smile spread onto his lips, but it was far from filled with the malice it usually held, instead, it was more or less just a strangely curious smile- only twisted because of his current appearance. “No... I guess that’s not quite right either. I guess I’m still Gabriel Reyes, just... different.”

&& - THE wraith was pressed flush against the cowboy again, the hand that held onto his chin tilted his head up slightly so he could peer into those eyes some more. He was curious, curious as to why there had been such hope, such longing, in the cowboy’s voice when he had been the one who left him in the first place. Yet, despite this- despite knowing that Jesse had left him- Reaper couldn’t bring himself to hate the other. He’d always had a soft spot for McCree && he supposed it was only proven time and time again, today was no different.

&& - “THERE is something that pikes my curiosity in your gaze. It’s like you wish to know more yet you’re still frightened. Then there’s the obvious disbelief that masks something else entirely in your voice. Pray tell, vaquero, what it is you wish to tell me since there is obviously something that you want to say.” Another pause. A breath. Smoke rolling off his lips with every breath. Then he continued.

&& - “LET it all out, Jesse. It may be the only chance you get to do so.”