Chapter Text
Buzzing cuts through the last dredges of sleep that are caught in Jesse’s mind as he waits in front of his coffee maker the morning after a late night at the bar. He rubs at his eyes as he yawns, reaching for his phone lying on the small kitchen table shoved against the wall, and praying to the Lord above that it wasn’t Ana or Gabe already. He desperately needs a full pot of coffee before being able to deal with either of them yet. Checking the pot again, and seeing it only a fourth of the way full, Jesse takes a deep breath in before checking his screen.
He exhales heavily in relief when neither Amari or Reyes’ names appear on the screen, but rather Genji’s. Genji he could handle this early -- mostly just because the Shimada was mostly hung-over in the morning whenever he was up at all, and he was rarely in a chatty mood then unless he needed something.
It’s a text that Jesse can’t read fully in the lock-screen preview because of the length, which rules out the hangover. He yawns again, and with one last mournful look at his percolating coffee machine, takes a seat at the table before opening up the conversation.
Genji : hey do you have time to hang out today?? i wanna talk to you about something
Uh oh, that was never a good sign. Usually “talking about something” involved either Genji vigorously complaining about his family or trying to pull Jesse into another one of his schemes that always ended up going wrong. Neither of which were particularly bad, Jesse had to admit, as the two of them have bonded over their escapades and have gotten into plenty of trouble together that they both have roped the other into. No, Jesse’s main problem was just that he wasn’t sure how prepared he was to do any of these things today.
He had taken an extra shift at the bar he worked at the previous night, so he was already exhausted. Not only that, but he had promised Gabriel to come back home and help with packing away the rest of the house since he and Sombra were moving to another smaller house across town, and then that night he had another late shift at the bar again. Adding an adventure with his best friend into the mix just seemed to sap any energy he had left right out of him.
He thinks for a minute before he replies.
Jesse : what exactly does “somethin” mean? i’ve got a busy day darlin
Genji : it’s a surprise :P aka ill tell you if you can make it lmao
Another red flag. Which probably means it’ll have to do with getting Genji out of trouble. Jesse runs a hand through his unkempt hair and sets his phone in front of him as he thinks. While Gabriel wasn’t expecting him until around three, that only gave him a few hours to discuss and try and help out his best friend -- and he’s hoping that’d be enough, because he can’t blow off his family or he’ll never hear the end of it. He grabs his phone again.
Jesse : you ain’t in trouble are ya?
There’s a few seconds’ pause in which the little ellipse that represents Genji typing hangs in the corner of the screen, and the longer it’s there the more Jesse’s heart sinks lower and lower in his chest. If Genji really needed that much help, there wasn’t any way that two hours would cover it. Finally, the messages pool in.
Genji : no. well, not… exactly.
A pause.
Genji : its kind of complicated?
Another pause.
Genji : not a bad complicated though
Genji : ill... explain everything when you get here. IF you can get here. i promise
The messages finally stop after that. Jesse hums to himself, pleased to know that the situation Genji’s found himself in is not a bad one, but still unhappy there’s an issue at all. He takes a minute to looks up and check his coffee maker, and is thankful to see there’s finally enough in the pot for a cup. He pulls himself out of the chair he’s seated in and crosses the kitchenette to pour himself a mug, mentally mapping out his schedule for the day now that Genji’s gonna be a part of it too.
He takes a long gulp of nearly scalding black coffee and reaches for his phone again.
Jesse : i’ll be there to pick you up by 1 but i have somewhere to be at 3, ok?
The reply is instantaneous.
Genji : you are a lifesaver cowboy and ill start working off that debt with buying lunch
Jesse snorts and replies in thanks, checking the time before he sets his phone back down with his coffee. Nearly eleven thirty -- just enough time to get ready before he has to drive out to the Shimada manor. He pulls his arms over his head in a long stretch, and sets off to start the day.
A few hours later Genji is sitting across from him at one of the diners they frequent whenever Genji needs a pick me up. Sure enough, he’s sporting a pair of cheap sunglasses at the table even though they’re inside to fight against a raging hangover, nursing a green tea that he always complains is too sugary even though he orders it every single time. A pretty waitress that seems much too focused on Jesse’s hat and Genji’s flirty smile stumbles her way through taking both of their orders before scurrying off towards the kitchen, and it’s when they’re finally alone that Jesse brings up their impending conversation.
“So what do you need my help with?” Jesse asks, raising an eyebrow as he takes a sip of his third cup of coffee. When he picked up Genji that afternoon, he was strangely silent besides for the usual greeting: something was obviously weighing heavily on his mind. The quiet car ride over proved to Jesse that the two cups he had at home wasn’t gonna cut it for the day, so when they arrived at the restaurant he picked the extra caffeine over his usual order of sweet tea.
Genji sets down his drink and thinks for a moment before he runs a quick hand through the bright green of his hair, fidgeting incessantly with his hands. This something must be really bothering him. “It’s… well, it’s gonna be a weird thing to ask, so I need to give you a bit of an explanation first. Like I said before, it’s complicated.”
“I ain’t goin’ nowhere,” Jesse points out, crossing his arms and making a point to sit back in the booth to show he was calm and attentive. “Just tell what’s got you wound up tighter than a spring.”
There’s another pause as Genji pulls his thoughts together, rubbing at his temples. “So you know my relationship with the rest of my family is kind of… strained right now since Father is sick, right? They don’t like my lifestyle since they want Hanzo and I to take over different parts of the company in case something happens to him, even though I’ve stated to them all how I don’t want to stay in the family business.” He sighs, dropping his chin into his palm and letting his gaze drift over the dessert menus tucked in the condiment basket.
Jesse knows all of this. It’s been the hot topic of many of Genji’s anger fueled rants for years ever since Sojiro Shimada fell ill. He just nods and lets Genji continue.
“They keep talking to both Father and Hanzo about how I should start ‘taking responsibility for my actions’ so Hanzo has started criticizing me every chance he gets nowadays -- I hate it. It’s my life, why does it matter what I do?” He swirls the straw around in his glass for a moment, jabbing at the ice-cubes. “I overheard them the other night talking about how the only reason I sleep around so much is because I don’t have a stable relationship -- that if I had one I’d stop partying and all that.” Jesse can see him roll his eyes behind his sunglasses. “I’ve had plenty of relationships that have lasted longer than a one-night stand, but since my habits never changed they don’t really matter.”
“Surely your dad thinks that logic is horseshit, right? I mean, he’s always on your side,” Jesse interrupts, not liking where this issue is going. Genji groans and drops the back of his head onto the back of the booth behind him, raising a hand to his head again, like just thinking about the conversation is painful.
“ No , he actually thinks it’s a good idea. I think it’s because Hanzo’s too obsessed with work and taking over the business that he’ll never get married -- and he thinks the only way he’ll get grandchildren is through me .” Genji snorts bitterly. “He’s probably right, but I’m not ready for that yet. But when he told me they were gonna start looking for proper suitors...” He trails off with a sigh. “Unless I find a way out of this, I’m doomed.”
“ Christ ,” Jesse breathes, taking another sip of his coffee. Despite how much he disagrees with Sojiro’s idea, he still doesn’t know what Genji wants him to do about it. “I ain’t sure how you want me to help you out, hon. I sure as hell can’t convince your Pa to let you out of an arranged marriage . I’m just one of your friends.”
Genji is quiet for a few moments, staring at the ceiling of the diner. Finally, he takes a deep breath. “What if… you weren’t just my one of my friends?”
The words are barely above a whisper, but everything still strings together and Jesse nearly drops his mug of coffee as embarrassment washes over him. “Oh, um -- oh, Lord .” Genji raises his head curiously to watch as Jesse trips over his words and fumbles nervously with his hat. “I’m flattered, darlin’, I really am -- but I don’t really feel that way about you--”
Genji swears in Japanese before he’s shaking his head, laughing and waving his hands in front of him. “Oh God no, that’s not what I meant at all. What I’m asking you is--” he pushes his sunglasses up to rest on the top of his head for effect, lacing his fingers together and resting his chin on top of them. “Will you be my fake boyfriend long enough for my family to get off my back?”
“ Fake boyfriend?” Jesse echoes, frowning. Genji nods.
“If I prove to my Father that I’m already in a serious relationship, he’ll call off the suitors and leave me alone.”
It makes enough sense, but something feels off. “I’ll be honest, I feel like I should be one of your last choices for this kind of thing,” Jesse says warily. “I ain’t exactly Prince Charming. You really should choose someone your family approves of.”
Genji rolls his eyes again. “I’m not asking Angela or Zenyatta to help me with this. Angela would rip me to pieces for even considering it, and Zenyatta hates lying to people. Besides, I’m sure my father wouldn’t care what my partner did as long as I was happy.” He folds his hands together and bows his head. “So please: Jesse McCree, be my fake boyfriend long enough so I don’t have to get married. My social life is on the line.”
Jesse still isn’t sure if this is a good idea or not, but if it gets his best friend out of marrying someone he doesn’t want to, how can he refuse? He readjusts his hat and lets out another sigh. “Alright, alright, I’ll help you. Just long enough so your family stops nagging ya. I have no idea how you’re gonna get this to work, but I’ll follow your lead.”
Exhaling a huge burst of air, Genji’s face lights up in a smile and he leans forward and takes Jesse’s hand, squeezing it gratefully. “I’m so glad, thank you so much -- I can’t owe you enough,” he says in relief. “I honestly don’t know what I’d do without you.”
A wry smile fights it’s way onto Jesse’s face before he can hold it back. “You’ve gotten me outta plenty ‘a situations back in highschool. Time for me to return the favor in a big way,” he says, and Genji laughs while he nods and pulls his hands away. Still, there’s the nagging question back in Jesse’s mind he can’t shake. “Can’t say I ain’t surprised you asked me though. How come me and not someone new?”
Genji replaces his sunglasses back over his eyes and takes another sip of his drink. “You’re more familiar with me than anyone else, of course. I mean, we’ve been friends ever since I moved here.” He shrugs. “It’ll take less time to get our stories straight and everything.” The words sink in for a moment before he snickers to himself, stirring his tea again. “Well, not straight in our case, but you know.”
Jesse laughs at the small joke too. “What was your plan then? Just… show up and introduce me as your boyfriend or…?”
Genji shakes his head. “First we need to find a day or night where we can get together and make sure our stories match up. We can make something up about how we first started dating, and then after that’s decided I’ll take you to meet him.” He purses his lips to the side. “You... do understand it’s not just my family that we have to fool, right? We have to fool everyone. ”
That meant Gabriel and the rest of Jesse’s family. He swears colorfully as he drops his face into his hands. “Yeah. Already forgot about that,” he mumbles. “Sombra’s never gonna believe it without the two of us jumping through hoops; she’s sharper than a knife.”
Genji pats his shoulder sympathetically. “I completely understand. Hanzo’s gonna be pretty tough to convince too -- that’s why we have to take steps to make it as believable as possible. It won’t be as hard since we’re already friends, but it’ll still take some time. First, can I see your phone?”
Jesse nods slowly, confused, and pulls his phone from his back pocket and hands it to the man across from him. Genji makes a tsk noise when he takes it in his hands. “God, I forgot how ancient this thing is,” he mutters as he unlocks it without asking what the passcode is. Jesse frowns.
“How do you...” he trails off, and Genji just gives him a cheeky smile but doesn’t answer. Jesse blows his bangs out of his face and decides he’d rather not know, watching his friend as he taps away quickly and quietly before he hums.
“What petnames do you use for people you’re dating?” he asks. Jesse blinks.
“Sorry, what?”
Genji gestures with a free hand while he rolls his eyes again. “ You know-- you call me ‘darling’ and ‘hon’ already, so what would you call me if we were dating?” He twists the phone in his hand to show he’s changing his contact name in the device. “Like I said -- baby steps. This is really the only thing we can do until we get together and start planning for real.”
“By changing your name on my phone,” Jesse states incredulously, raising an eyebrow. Genji sighs loudly and looks up at the ceiling.
“People change the names of their partner on their phones all the time. You’ve never dated anyone in your whole life, have you?” he asks pointedly, and he groans when Jesse shakes his head. The reaction from the Shimada has Jesse feeling the color rising in his face as well as the need to explain himself.
“I never had the time for dating,” he says. “And I ain’t met the right person yet, alright?”
“You mean you’ve never met anybody ,” Genji corrects, grinning crookedly. “God, you’re so boring for someone who likes wearing cowboy clothes.”
Jesse leans forward and smiles back just as wide. “Hey, as far as everyone else is concerned you’re dating this boring cowboy, sweetheart, so get used to it.”
Genji laughs whole-heartedly at that. “Shit, you’re right. I’m the fool who fell in love with the boring American cowboy.” He puts a hand over his heart and puts on a lovesick facade. “He just brought so much balance into my hectic life of partying and sleeping around.” They both dissolve into a fit of laughter, but when they quiet down Genji glances back down at Jesse’s phone again. “So. Nicknames?”
Jesse hums in thought. “I know Sombra loves snooping through my things, so that is a pretty good idea. If she sees anything out of the ordinary she’ll bring it up in front of Dad.” He shakes his head and sighs, reaching for his coffee he nearly forgot about. He makes a face when it goes down lukewarm. “Just put ‘sweetheart’. That’s simple enough.”
Genji nods and types it in. “I’m adding a heart emoji then too,” he says. “If she doesn’t buy it then you can tell her I did it.”
“That’s fair.” There’s a bang from behind them as the jittery waitress from earlier exits from the kitchen door with their tray of food, and Genji quickly finishes what he’s doing before handing Jesse his phone back and pulling his flirty smile back on. She accidentally gives Jesse the plate meant for Genji, and when Jesse responds by simply passing it over to him she quickly apologizes, her cheeks redder than a carton of strawberries.
Genji’s laugh is absolutely dazzling . “No harm done,” he says, definitely playing up his charm in order to get a cute laugh from her -- and that’s when Jesse sees a problem with their plan already. He doesn’t say anything until they receive the rest of their food and she leaves, bashfully smiling at Genji before retreating towards another table.
“There’s gotta be a set of rules we set for this to work, y’know. Like, one: you can’t be flirting with other people if we’re ‘dating’,” he says once Genji’s already digging into his fries, wiggling his fingers to gesture air-quotes. Genji sighs with a full mouth, but thankfully he finishes chewing and swallowing before he speaks.
“I know, I know. I wasn’t gonna do that when we actually came out to everyone.” He rolls his eyes. “Let me have my fun while I still can, Jesse.”
“You can’t be sleeping around either,” Jesse points out, and Genji’s jaw drops . Before he can complain, though, Jesse raises an extended finger to shush him. “Look, would you rather jeopardize getting caught with another lover and ending up having to marry some sutor when they find out we were never actually dating?”
A dark eyebrow raises above the pair of cheap sunglasses. “Okay, sure -- but have you considered: I like getting laid, McCree. ”
Jesse snorts and picks up his burger. “Looks like you’re gonna have to become reacquainted with your right hand then, sweetheart. At least for a couple months until this whole arranged marriage issue blows over.” He takes a bite, chews for a moment, and swallows. “Unless you want to marry someone your family picks out for you.”
“ Ugh , fine,” Genji snaps. “No hooks up. I get it. My right hand is my new best friend.” He stuffs a few fries in his mouth and reaches for his tea while he continues to mutter. “This plan better fucking work, or I swear to God I’ll go crazy doing absolutely nothing all the time.”
“Aww, it won’t be all bad, sugar,” Jesse grins. “You get to spend plenty of time with lil’ ol’ me for the next few months if this works out. That shouldn’t be too bad, right?”
“I already spend too much time with you,” Genji deadpans, but he cracks a bit of a smile at the end of his snobby remark. He returns to his food. “I’m gonna get sick of you by the end of this, just you watch. Neither of us will want to see each other for weeks when we finally break this off.”
“Which will be…?” Jesse figures there isn’t a date set in stone that Genji feels will be appropriate for their situation, but he still asks anyway out of curiosity, unfurling his fork from his napkin and poking at the dish of mixed vegetables to the side of his plate. Genji shrugs while he chews, and Jesse is already nodding in understanding before he can get a word in.
“Hopefully not longer than a month or two. I’m hoping this all blows over by October.” Genji frowns. “The sooner we get everything sorted away, the sooner we can get started. Your work schedule’s getting changed soon, right? Or are most nights still not good for you?”
Jesse directs a rueful smile in the Shimada’s direction. “Not everyone has the luxury of being able to survive on just a part time job since their Daddy still pays their bills, honey. I still work from eight ‘till whenever they send me home Tuesday through Sunday, unless specified otherwise. The co-worker who offered to switch shifts with me bailed.”
Genji grimaces. “Shit, that sucks.”
“Eh, it’s my own damn fault I didn’t take that mechanic job right after I finished school. I’d’ve been makin’ twice as much as my hourly rate now.” He rolls his shoulders. “It’s only been weighing me down lately ‘cuz the time that usually goes into resting and recovering from shifts has been going to my family. I’ve been helpin’ Gabe and Sombra move. I still keep a lot of my shit at home and I gotta help with somethin’ after all.”
Genji seems to open his mouth to ask a question before, suddenly, he swears before his hands dive into his pockets for his phone. “I almost forgot,” he mutters, swiping across the shiny and clean screen of his newer device and aims the camera at the table. “I have to start adding vague pictures of us to my Instagram.”
It’s another wildly random statement that means little to nothing in Jesse’s eyes, but it’s still not the strangest thing he’s heard all day. Still, he wants to try and understand where Genji is coming from. “Pardon?” Genji doesn’t answer and takes a few pictures of their food, pauses to place a few of the things like plates or cups in a position more to his liking. When everything looks perfect and he’s taken as many as he wanted, he hums in concentration as he picks through them all while looking for the best one. It’s not until he’s deciding on filters that he speaks again.
“I know you don’t have one, but that’s going to change pretty soon since I’ll post a lot about you there. Most of our friends follow me there, and also my brother, so vagueing about you and I being an item will definitely start gathering some traction.” He shows Jesse the photo and waits for approval: a simple one with a lunch date aesthetic that only shows off the middle of Jesse’s chest and arms seated at the opposite side of the table with their food in a black and white filter. It’s nice, he has to admit, so he nods wordlessly and Genji smiles and returns his attention to writing a caption.
“I’m not going to show your face until Father gets to meet you, don’t worry.” Another sly grin worms it’s way onto his face. “ Or until I make you get an account of your own so I can tag you in everything .”
Jesse tries his best not to grimace too hard. “Uh, how ‘bout we tackle one thing at a time instead? We can get together on Monday and you can do whatever you’d like with me.”
The sly grin grows even more devious at Jesse’s choice of words, which he’s realized just a little too late were the wrong ones to use when he’s talking to Genji fucking Shimada. Genji finishes his Instagram post and puts his phone away, winking. “Barely fake dating for ten minutes and already want a piece of me? What can I say, you have excellent taste. Expensive taste, but still excellent.”
The choice of words nearly makes him choke on his food. “You gonna charge me, sugar? Your fake sweetheart?” Jesse asks, and Genji hums quietly, eyes raised upwards in an expression that showed he was pondering the situation.
“Hmm. Depends on how much you have, I suppose.”
Jesse snorts before he lets out a hearty laugh. “We’ll see how much I can spare on Monday, but I doubt it’ll be enough for you.” He shakes his head, still smiling as he returns to his lunch. “And y’say I have expensive tastes.”
The pink of Genji’s tongue pokes out from his pursed lips at the jab, but his eyes fail to hide his amusement and ever-growing relief. Jesse reckons that’s from knowing the threat to his freedom has diminished somewhat now that he’s agreed to this crazy plan, and seeing it actually reducing the stress that he saw burdening Genji earlier on the ride over makes Jesse feel like their plan will end in a success. He ignores a nagging in the back of his head, and solidifies his plans with Genji for Monday so they can put their plan to action while they finish up their lunch. Afterwards, Genji pays the check and surprisingly, he doesn’t flirt with the waitress as he hands her tip to her, even though she still turns red to the tips of her ears and thanks him repeatedly when she sees how exorbitant it is. He makes sure to send Jesse a spiteful grin when they head outside.
“That better, honey ?” he snickers, linking arms with Jesse as they step into the hot summer air. Jesse rolls his eyes and decides against bringing up the fact that even though Genji tipped well, he gave extra to the staff he had an eye for, and he didn’t miss the extra ten tucked away in the bills he handed her to pay with.
“I’ll be honest, I didn’t think you had it in ya. I’m so proud.” He rummages through his jean pockets for his keys as they walk across the parking lot to get to his truck as Genji laughs. He’s about to unlock the vehicle when Genji tugs on his arm, muttering a “wait, wait, wait” as he reaches into Jesse’s back pocket for his phone. Jesse sighs. “What do you need with my things, now?”
“One last piece to set things up,” he replies cryptically, grin on his face. He swipes open the selfie camera and holds it out at arm’s length before he jerks Jesse’s head down so they can press their cheeks together, but before Jesse can fumble out another question Genji says, “Smile!” and presses a kiss to his cheek.
There’s a few clicks, as Genji takes a couple, but he pulls away and looks through them all before deciding on the best one of the bunch and deletes the rest -- and Jesse takes a moment to get over the feeling of being tongue tied. It takes a few seconds, flapping his mouth open and shut before he just settles for readjusting his hat. “Warn me next time, would ya, Genji?” he mutters, and Genji finally looks up and starts laughing hysterically when he sees how flustered Jesse’s become.
“Holy shit , are you serious? That wasn’t your first kiss now, was it?”
“Of course not!” Jesse snaps, fumbling with his keys to open the truck. “Just-- get in the damn truck so I can take you home. If I’m late getting home Gabe’ll be awful sore with me.”
Genji’s not done with his teasing as he gets in the passenger’s side. “You can’t be serious right now, it was just a kiss on the cheek , dude! You’re acting like I whispered something completely dirty in your ear.”
“You caught me off guard! I had no idea that was what you were planning!” Jesse doesn’t even know why he feels like he has to defend himself over this -- especially if the person he’s defending himself against is the same person he’s had to taxi back home blackout drunk and half naked on more than one occasion. “I’d have been fine if you’d just asked , alright?”
Genji is trying to hold back more giggles, but his snorting is proving he’s not doing a good job. “Alright, alright -- I will next time. Hate to break it to you, but if people are going to believe we’re dating, you can’t act like a swooning southern belle every time I try to kiss you from now on.”
Jesse groans and drops his head against the steering wheel. “I won’t if you warn me next time,” he repeats and Genji snorts again in disbelief. Jesse shoots him a glare. “God help me, I’ll make you walk home if you keep it up.” He really won’t, but he’ll do anything to get over his embarrassment. Genji gives him a look that proves he doesn’t believe it for a second, but doesn’t push it any further and returns to whatever he was doing with Jesse’s phone with a wide smile.
“I’m setting this as your background, by the way. And sending it to myself so I can too, because the look on your face is fucking hilarious.”
Jesse sighs. “Of course you are.” He watches Genji work for a moment before he plugs his keys into the ignition turns on his truck. Before he pulls out of the lot, he mutters, “But I ain’t a swooning southern belle” and Genji cackles.
Sombra’s waiting outside the house for him when he pulls into the driveway, arms crossed and leaned up against the open garage. Gabriel is inside the garage, sorting through a stack of unlabeled cardboard boxes and trash bags gathered at his feet.
“You’re late!” Sombra calls as Jesse turns off the ignition, smile as smug as it can be. Jesse tries his best not to grimace too hard when he checks the clock in his truck and sees she’s right. Curse the accident that slowed his trip back from Shimada Manor to a near dead-stop on the free-way.
“I got held up with, uh--” he tries to think about what to call Genji now that they’re already pretending to be secretly dating and fails at coming up with anything that doesn’t sound too suspicious. His phone feels heavier in his breast pocket. “I got held up with a friend. I’m only fifteen minutes late, Liv, Christ.” He steps out of his truck and shuts the door, raising an eyebrow. “You’re not even doing anything.”
His adoptive sister sports a lazy grin. “I told Dad I wasn’t starting until you got here.”
“Well surprise, there he is. Both of you get your asses in here and help me,” Gabriel grumbles, and both Jesse and Sombra quickly step inside the garage. The older man gestures to the collection of things around him. “You can start by going through all your toys and deciding what to pitch and what can be donated -- any indiscernible stains and it goes.”
“No welcome home hug?” Jesse snarks, and Gabriel looks up from a box of gardening tools to shoot him a look that shows he isn’t amused.
“I would have given you one if you were here on time. Now get to work.”
Jesse laughs but does what is asked of him, making his way over to the side of the garage where Sombra’s at to see her picking through bike helmets. “Why do we even have these still?” she complains, picking up one of them. It looks like it’d fit a five year old. “I think the last time I saw this was when I was seven .”
Gabriel seals up the box he was searching though with a roll of packaging tape he has tucked in a pocket and carries it across the garage to place it in a growing stack. “You should know nobody around here throws any shit away.” He reaches her side and picks up another one, which looks a little larger but there’s a bunch of scrapes and scuff marks on it. He raises an eyebrow. “This one must have been yours, Jesse.”
“Couldn’t’ve been,” Jesse says, grinning. “I never wanted to take my hat off, so you made me wear my helmet underneath. Whenever I crashed on my bike, the hat was the thing that got torn up, not the helmet.” Sombra snickers and Jesse catches the fraction of a smile that flickers on Gabriel’s face.
“That’s right, how could I forget.” Gabriel holds it for a moment longer, running a thumb over one of the scrapes before sighing and throwing it over his shoulder towards a garbage pile. “As long as they aren’t too bad looking, Olivia, just donate them. That goes for everything else in here. As for you, Jesse, I need your help with these boxes.”
That’s how Jesse ends up spending the rest of his afternoon, sorting through boxes upon boxes of things and moving those boxes to wherever Gabriel wanted him to put them. It’s a good way to get his mind off the whole dating thing with Genji, but it’s also slow work, as the Reyes household just seemed to be the place where everyone’s things seemed to end up. Jesse laughs to himself when he finds something that belongs to Fareeha Amari among the mess, and when asked what to do with it Gabriel just motions to a box that has her name on it.
“She’s coming to get that stuff before we move, or I told her I was going to sell it,” Gabriel explains as he untangles a line of Christmas lights. Or at least, he’s attempting to. “Hana’s a different story. Sombra’s gathering and of her things she finds and we’re just taking it with us since we’re all going to the same place.” He shrugs and says nothing more, but Jesse frowns.
This is the topic that Gabriel likes avoiding: the fact he’s not just moving because of work or to downsize now his kids were growing up. No; the real reason was because he and his longtime friend, on and off again sweetheart Jack Morrison were moving in together. He wasn’t lying when he told Genji how Gabriel and Olivia were moving, he just left out the fact of why -- mostly because with how hot and cold the relationship Gabriel and Morrison has always been gives him whiplash when he thinks about it, and he doesn’t want to explain if things go south ( again ) in a couple months and he has to help them move somewhere else. Jesse chews his bottom lip as he rummages through Christmas decorations before he thinks about how he’s going to bring it up without Gabriel turning into a brick wall.
“Are… are you sure you two are ready for this?” he finally asks. Gabriel tenses, but doesn’t answer and tugs a little too hard on a knot in the string of lights he’s working on. Jesse tries again, trying to sound casual about everything. “I mean, moving in is a big deal for you guys. I just want to make sure you aren’t doing anything you’re not prepared for.”
Finally, Gabriel gives up with the impossible knot in the lights and stuffs them in a bag as he sighs. “We’ve talked about this, Jesse. We’re going to be fine. With both Sombra and Hana going off to college this fall, we think the houses will be too empty for us to be living by ourselves. If we really want to make this work….” He runs a hand down his face and that’s when Jesse realizes how heavy this is weighing on his father’s shoulders. “It’s now or never.”
With a breath, Jesse nods. “I know how much this means to you, Dad,” he says quietly, taping up the box he’s sorting through and setting it at his feet. “I know how much you want to make this work.”
A anxious laugh punches itself from Gabriel’s lungs. “ Dios , I do. You can’t even imagine how badly I want this to work out for us. You say you’re worried, I’m fucking terrified . But then again, I’m so tired of not doing anything either.” He shoots Jesse a wry smile. “I’m heading into my late fifties -- there’s no need for me to keep acting like a child when it comes to who I love. You can see how far that got me after all these years.”
Jesse grins back. “I’m taking notes on what not to do, Pops. Don’t worry.”
Gabriel snorts and returns to his work. “I’d hope so. Whoever you end up meeting, kiddo, I hope to God you don’t make as many mistakes as I have. I only want the best for you.”
Jesse tries not to flinch when he remembers Genji and the promise he made him earlier that day. We have to fool everyone. He exhales quietly, and hopes someday that he’ll be able to explain everything to his adoptive father. “I know you do,” he says, and goes about finishing his work for the day with questions echoing in his mind.