#soldier 76 travelling: more sleep deprivation

[neonganymede]

"Boo" and "I thought you were dead". Reaper76 😘

Okay! Let’s hope I do justice to these two. But these two prompts just scream Reaper76, so I’m ready.

Btw, this really got away from me. I don’t know what happened, but it was a ride that I really enjoyed. 

48. “Boo.”

29. “I thought you were dead.”

Jack took aim at the training bot, entirely focused. It waslate, and he was still running high on adrenaline from today’s mission againstthe omnics. He took a deep breath, about to shoot, when two arms wrapped aroundhim.

“Boo!”

Jack responded instinctively, trying to throw what he perceivedas an attacker, but he was pinned to the ground before he could get a properhold on his enemy. He stared up into familiar brown eyes and felt his body beginto react. Gabriel grinned down at him, pleased to have caught him off guard,but Jack just gave him a stern look.

“You know better than to sneak up on an armed man. I could’veshot you!”

“Nothing Angela wouldn’t be able to fix up,” Gabe said,shrugging with nonchalance, still wearing that infuriating smile. Jack wantedto lean up and bite at it.

“And then we would’ve had to explain again why I put a bulletin you.” Jack tried to sit up, but Gabe leaned more weight on him to keep himdown. Jack relaxed, accepting this, and waited for Gabe to be done with him(though he knew from experience that this could take some time). “You’re goingto make people wonder why you stay with somebody who hurts you so often.”

“It’s none of their business. Besides, it’s not that often.”

“Just when you sneak up on me.” Jack couldn’t help smiling alittle. If Gabe was sneaking up on him, that must mean that it was time toleave the training center and let his partner unwind him instead. Gabriel’smethods were, admittedly, much more effective than shooting at training bots. “Didyou finish lecturing McCree?”

Gabe rolled his eyes. “I don’t want to talk about that rightnow.”

“Oh, it went that well?” Jack smirked at the sound of his partner’sscoff. “Okay, fine. What do you want to talk about?”

Gabriel braced himself above Jack and leaned down closer, hisbreath warm against Jack’s cheeks. Jack’s eyes began to slide closed inanticipation, and he could all but taste Gabriel’s next words. “Now, Strike CommanderMorrison… Who said anything about talking?”

Soldier: 76jerked awake, the memory of Gabriel’s lips on his own a ghost in the night. Hesat up, grunting as the weight of his rifle shifted on his shoulder, leavingsoreness in its wake. He felt bone-weary and exhausted, more in his mind thananything, and the last thing he’d needed was the tease of the past depriving himof restless slumber.

The skies ofDorado were dark and clear, cloudlessness giving way to the glory of thehalf-moon. He wasn’t sure why he was still here, save for lack of direction. Hehad no destination, no ambitions fora destination, and wandering for so long had begun to take its toll on him.

Not tomention lack of a proper bed.

76 stood up,his joints cracking from the uncomfortable position, and turned to glare at thealley corner he’d been resting in. Already, he couldn’t believe he’d managedeven a few hours of sleep in such an uncomfortable spot. Years on the roadwould do that to you, he supposed.

He began towalk toward the alley entrance, pausing once to stare at the old, tattered Overwatchad, crinkling at the corners and threatening to fall away. He stared at the blondcentered in the poster, long coat billowing in a moment of wind. A hero, urgingpeople to join.

A joke.

76 grabbedthe poster and ripped it from the stone, tore it to pieces, and tossed it tothe gravel, making sure to step on the shreds on his way out. There was no needfor an advertisement anymore. Overwatch was dead,and it should stay dead.

The same waythe blond man on the poster should have stayed dead.

76 wastired. So tired. He slouched as hewalked, not too sure where his feet were carrying him and too damn drained tocare. His pulse rifle was so heavy—it was a part of him now, and leaving itbehind would be akin to suffocating. He didn’t think he knew how to breathe withoutit anymore.

Maybe theday would come when someone would take it from him, and he could stop. Stopbreathing, stop wandering, endlessly,pointlessly.

Alone. Thatwas his penance. He deserved this.

At least,that was what 76 kept telling himself to keep his feet moving, one step at atime.

76 shouldn’thave been traveling when he was so tired, though. Not when he had to struggleto keep his eyes open, let alone pay attention to his surroundings. He kept tothe alleyways, to the shadows, in search for another spot to rest his eyes.

He was so tired,he didn’t notice the footsteps behind him. Several sets moving quietly,accustomed to the streets of Dorado in a way that 76 was not. Just a few thugs,but ones that had the element of surprise.

The momenthe realized he was being followed, the gang struck, knocking him from his feetand kicking away his rifle. He rolled away from an oncoming boot aimed at his stomachand reached for his gun, only for a foot to come down on his hand. He groundhis teeth against the pain and glared up at the man.

“Nice gunyou got there, old man,” the thug said thoughtfully, his eyes straying from 76 tothe pulse rifle.

76 scoffed. “That’snot a gun you could handle, punk.”

“I don’treally think that’s any of your concern anymore. Right, boys?”

76 glancedover his shoulder, taking stock. There were four of them, including the assholestepping on his hand, and 76 didn’t have his gun. Only a slight disadvantage.

He grabbedthe thug’s ankle and squeezed until he stepped back, and then 76 was on hisfeet. Almost immediately, the other three were on him, knives flying out tofind purchase in his flesh. He deflected the first, redirecting it to plungeinto his friend’s gut. The injured one dropped his knife, and 76 rolled to grabit. In the process, he crashed into the third thug, dropping him to the ground,and plunged his newly acquired blade into his chest. The kid groaned in pain,blood gurgling up to his lips, but 76 didn’t stay to watch the light leave hiseyes.

By now, thefirst thug had recovered and started toward him, knife raised and red with hiscompanion’s blood. 76 caught his wrist, bending it back until he dropped theweapon, and fell him to the gravel with a few choice punches to his gut.

Then heturned, his eyes finding the barrel of his own gun pointed to his face. Theleader had foregone his thugs in favor of 76’s weapon, and Soldier realized itdidn’t matter if the kickback knocked him to the ground. That wouldn’t keep 76from eating bullets, not at this range.

Did 76 haveany regrets? A few. Dying in a dirty alleyway in Dorado was definitely one ofthem, but he didn’t feel like he had any control over his fate. Not anymore.

He glared athis pulse rifle, his mind straying to his memory in what he thought would behis last moments. To the taste of Gabriel’s laugh on his tongue, the feel ofhis hands carding through his blond hair. To the sounds of his taunts as he snuckup behind him, risked getting shotjust to get Jack in his arms.

Gabriel. Gabriel was his one regret, and hecouldn’t do a damn thing about it.

The thugsmirked, having seen 76’s resignation. His finger moved toward the trigger.Then—

“Boo!”

The thugdropped, his neck snapped, and 76 caught his rifle. He rolled and aimed at thenew arrival, his heart thundering at the sight of the Reaper. The wraith wastedno time in pulling out his shotguns, ready for the impending fight that 76 wasanticipating.

Somethingkept him from firing outright, though, and led him, instead, to lowering hisgun. He stared up at Reaper, who was regarding him curiously with aim that didnot falter.

“Why?” 76demanded tiredly.

“Maybe Iwant to be the one who ends you,” Reaper growled, his voice sliding over 76 andmaking him shiver. Reaper sounded nothing like Gabriel, far too brash, too guttural.Then again, 76 doubted like he sounded much like Strike Commander Morrison, either.

76 slumpedback against the wall, his rifle resting in his lap. “Well, here’s your chance.Go for it.”

“You’re notgoing to fight me?” Reaper asked, mildly disappointed.

“Tired offighting.” 76 was just tired in general. He didn’t want to fight Reaper, not withthe memory of who was behind that mask still so fresh in his mind.

Reapercautiously lowered his shotguns. “I’ve waited a long time to kill you, and you’retaking the fun out of it. What’s wrong with you? I’ve never known Strike Commander Morrison to take itlying down. Outside of the bedroom, that is.”

76 stared upat him, frustrated at the familiarity of this conversation. Gabriel would’ve saidthe same thing to him—probably had,in fact—and just then, he couldn’t take it. Not with the night he’d beenhaving. He reached up and removed his visor, blinking to reacclimate to the worldwithout the red, and dropped it to his side.

“Was it allso bad?” he asked, weary. When Reaper tilted his head to the side, 76 gestured betweenthe two of them. “Before it all went wrong, was it all really that bad?”

Reaperstared at him for a long moment. 76 couldn’t see his eyes, but he could feel them scrutinizing him cautiously.Like this was all a trick, and 76 was about to start firing any minute. Deliberately,76 took his hand off his gun and let it fall to his side, a mirror of the onestill holding the visor.

A long timeago, he never would’ve thought twice about being so vulnerable in the presenceof Gabriel Reyes, but this was no longer the Gabriel he had once known. Then again,the same could be said for 76.

Finally,Reaper snarled, low and angry, “Why didn’t you look for me?”

“I thought you were dead!” 76 glared up at him, fire rising up within him. Tossinghis gun to his side, he stood up, pointing an accusing finger at Reaper. “You thinkI wouldn’t have looked for you if I had any idea you were alive? Do you reallythink so little of me, Reyes?!”

Reaper tooka step back, having not expected his outburst. He dropped his guns, his breatha rumble of fury as he rose to the challenge. He grabbed 76 by the front of hisjacket and shoved him up against the wall, almost knocking the wind right outof him. “You really expect me to believe you didn’t know? Don’t make me laugh,Jack.”

76 reachedup to grab Reaper’s wrists, squeezing them tightly and hating how familiar thisall felt. He couldn’t get his head out of the past tonight, so it only feltnatural to yank Reaper just a little closer. He stared into the face of themask, trying to imagine those big, brown eyes that Jack used to stare into forhours.

“JackMorrison died the same day that Gabriel Reyes did.”

Reaper releaseda long, heavy breath that 76 almost took for a sigh of relief. He leaned forward,pressing in on 76 and boxing him in. 76 should’ve felt threatened, caged, but hedidn’t. He actually felt like he could breathe for the first time in years.

“Jack.”Reaper was close, too close, all 76 could do was try to pull him closer. “Closeyour eyes.”

76 thoughtto argue. He should’ve argued. Thiswas Reaper, his enemy, who he should’vebeen fighting with. Instead, they were having a heart-to-heart chat, and now he was being asked to give trust hedidn’t think Reaper had truly earned.

76 didn’targue. He shut his eyes and waited. For what, he wasn’t sure, but he was so tired. Too tired to argue. Too tired todo anything but stand there and take whatever Reaper intended to give him.

What he hadn’t been expecting, however, was akiss.

Reaper’smouth was cold and aggressive, not warm and soft as 76 remembered. 76 grabbed hisshoulder, thinking he should push him away, but only yanked him closer. Hepulled Reaper’s icy body tight against his and took everything he could get.

And he got so much. 76 had forgotten just how aggressiveGabriel could be, how dominating, and how desperatefor it 76 had been. 76 was pliant, caught between the wall and a hard place andpretty sure there was no other spot he’d rather be.

When Reaperpulled away, he reached up to cover 76’s eyes with one black-gloved hand. “Idon’t want you to see me.”

“I let yousee me, and I look like shit.”

Reaperscoffed. “I look worse.”

“I don’t care.I want to see you.”

“What makesyou think I care what you want?”

“You neverchange,” said 76, realizing all at once the truth of that statement.

Reaperdisagreed. “Maybe I’ve changed too much.”

All at once,76 was alone. He opened his eyes to see Reaper bending to pick up his shotguns,his mask back in place and leaving 76 with a pang of bitter emptiness. He didn’tmove, just watched Reaper stow away his weapons and turn slowly back to him.

“You’dbetter be ready next time we meet, Jack. I won’t spare you again.”

76 bent toretrieve his own mask, sliding it back into place. “Maybe you should trysneaking up on me. That always worked sowell for you, Gabe.”

Reaperlaughed, a low, ominous noise that rubbed 76 in all the right ways. 76 had tofight the urge to go toward him again.

But thenReaper was gone, leaving 76 completely alone, save for the dead thugs who hadpicked a fight with the wrong man. With a chuckle of his own, 76 reached downto pick up his rifle, less tired, less breathless now. He glanced over thebodies, a smirk on his lips as he shouldered his rifle and began walking again.

Stupidpunks. If only they’d known that 76 had a ghost on his trail, and that ghostwould stop at nothing to keep the soldier all to himself.