Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/
works/11371263.
  Rating:
      Explicit
  Archive Warning:
      Rape/Non-Con, Underage
  Category:
      M/M
  Fandom:
      Overwatch_(Video_Game)
  Relationship:
      Jesse_McCree/Reaper_|_Gabriel_Reyes
  Stats:
      Published: 2017-07-28 Chapters: 3/? Words: 5681
****** *Abandoned* Notes on Reyes/McCree ******
by MoneyBirdScreams
Summary
     Gabriel Reyes is undercover in Deadlock, where he meets a young Jesse
     McCree.
***** Chapter 1 *****
Reyes needed a break from Overwatch, from Jack, from Blackwatch. Creating it
all had been stressful. Jack being chosen over him had hurt more than he really
wanted to admit. Going undercover would help him remember what he was there
for, what he was doing this all for. Bust the bad guys. Bust Deadlock.
He was sitting in a room with two other people. The light flickered constantly
so the room was either too bright or dim; it was very annoying.
"Can't we just turn it off?" He grumbled to the man opposite him- who was
smoking. A pet peeve of Gabes was when people didn't bother asking if you
didn't mind a bit of smoke. Gabe could be asthmatic but this asshole would
never know because he didn't bother to ask. Filthy smoke filled the room and
helped to get rid of the damp smell, but Reyes had decided he'd prefer that
smell purely to spite this man. Not that he'd ever find out.
"And sit in the dark?" The man puffed "Just bear with it a few more hours. They
wont be any longer than that." Reyes eyed the third man in the room. He was
sitting on a couch on the other side of the room, messing on his phone. Reyes
had seen him a few times but never spoken to him and since he was bored as hell
and not interested in the jerk opposite, why not speak now?
"Did we ever introduce each other?" He said loudly, making it clear he was
speaking to him and not the jerk. The stranger tilted his head slightly but it
was hard to see if he was looking at him fully because of that big hat, and the
flashing light above.
"The name's McCree." Reyes blinked away his shock at hearing how young he
sounded.
"How old are you?" There was a pause. He obviously wasn't keen on the question.
"16." He replied eventually. 
"Damn kid. I seen you about, you seem to have a bit of respect for someone so
young." The man across from him snorted "What?" Reyes didn't mean to sound so
snappy, but he really didn't like this guy.
"Respect is a bit of a strong word, that's all." McCree didn't try to defend
himself. He went back to his phone.
"My name's Reyes." 
"How old are you?" McCree asked, not looking away from his phone.
"35." He replied with a smile. 
"Damn old man. I ain't seen you about, you don't seem to have much goin' for
you even at that age." Reyes laughed, half at the boys banter and half because
the man opposite looked disapproving.
"Shut up, Jesse. Don't encourage his smart mouth, it'll get him in trouble."
The man added to Reyes.
"A smart mouth can save a life in the right place, right time." He defended.
"Besides, don't be so stuck up. A bit of fun is a bit of fun." Their eyes met
and they accidentally made it clear to each other that there was a rivalry
between them now. Through the flashing light they stared until a bit of ash
fell on the jerks fingers. He stood up and walked over to McCree, who politely
put his phone away to give his full attention. 
"Open your smart mouth." He growled to him. Reyes couldn't see if he did it or
not, but he heard him yelp sharply and he stood up.
"The hell are you doing?" He demanded in vain, trying to see if McCree was
okay. The jerk was holding him, holding his mouth shut, so Reyes pulled him off
and let McCree cough out the cigarette that had been shoved in his mouth "What
the fuck is wrong with you?" 
"Sit the fuck down, newbie. McCree still struggles to know what respect is and
you don't know shit about him! Back. Off." Reyes couldn't afford to get on
someones bad side at this point in the game, or at least not so much that
there'd be reason to leave him out of things.
"Seems a bit extreme, though." Reyes swallowed his pride, something he'd been
doing a lot recently, to back down and sit back in his chair. The jerk didn't
go back to his chair. He sat on the couch by Jesse and pulled him close to
mutter to him. Reyes looked away. Don't get involved. Don't blow this.
 
 He steadily grew more alarmed by the noises coming across the room. Wet
sounds, the creaking of the leather couch, the wrestling of fabric that could
only be clothes. Reyes bit his lip. It wasn't so bad really, though, was it? In
England 16 was the age of consent, so there's probably a good reason for that.
Even in the US the age of consent varied from state to state. Just because
Reyes was used to it being 18, didn't mean that was what was morally right. 
"Ow," McCree complained in a low murmur. Reyes clenched his fist. Not his
business. Don't get involved. Somehow he sat through the whimpers, the small
whines, the soft pleas. Maybe it was because McCree didn't fight back, maybe if
he did then Reyes would have intervened and beat the shit out of the other guy.
There was a pause in the creaking and the jerk threw McCrees' hat to the floor
so he could whisper venom into his ears. The creaking continued. As it got
faster, the cries got louder, they turned to wails but the kid still didn't
fight back. Eventually though, it was over. The creep had his orgasm and paused
to compose himself, before shoving the kid onto the floor. Reyes didn't know
what to do. He glanced at him briefly to see him reaching for his hat, but the
jerk kicked it away and pushed him into the floor.
"Stay." He told him and he obeyed. McCree stayed there (though not completely
motionless, behind their backs he pulled his clothes back on) even as the rest
came home with the packages of guns or drugs or whatever it was. A mix, Reyes
presumed, but the good part about his position was that he got to list all of
the shit they'd gotten. They needed a record to make sure they weren't being
stolen from and that they'd got what they were promised. 
"Do I write where they came from?" Gabe asked.
"Nah, there's a separate book for that. Just write the date and we'll know who
it is." Reyes realised they weren't as stupid as they looked. Or at least they
were suspicious of traitors, which meant he'd have to be careful. He would
definitely have enough information to put Deadlock away soon, but he wanted to
know their connections. Who dealt with them, if there were more Deadlock
members or gangs he didn't know about. It had only really been a month or so
and yet they trusted him enough to be looking at their goods... but perhaps
they weren't so worried about cops. After all, they were more concerned with
omnics and all of that crap. Reyes was glad he was just in a good old fashioned
evil gang that he got to take down. The politics were so simple in comparison. 
His process was quick while the others piled the goods into the basement and
locked it shut. Reyes finished so fast he even got to help them unload it
though a couple saw this as an opportunity to leave early. The jerk went
outside to smoke instead of helping and he came back inside just to put it out
on McCree's skin, who was still lying there obediently. Reyes very much wanted
to punch his lights out, but it was likely that he'd have to wait until the
arrest which could be months later. The rest of them didn't seem to notice or
care about the treatment of the kid. They did their job and fucked off until it
was just Reyes, McCree and this other guy.
"I gotta lock up," He warned them both "So unless you wanna sleep here I'd get
out." Reyes thought it was a joke, but McCree didn't move.
"McCree, are you alright? You're not really sleeping here are you?" Reyes asked
and the guy with the keys tutted slightly impatiently.
"He doesn't have anywhere to go. Just leave him." Gabe stared at the key man in
disbelief.
"Give me five minutes." He told key-man and knelt by McCree. The light was
still flickering, making it hard to make eye contact or see what the kid was
thinking "Are you alright?"
"I'm great." The kid replied quietly. Reyes paused.
"Please come home with me." McCree paused.
"You... Can I sleep in a bed?"
"Of course."
"Cool... what's the price?"
"Free." McCree eyed him suspiciously, clearly in disbelief "Free!" Gabe
insisted. McCree opened his mouth to protest, argue, demand the truth- but
something stopped him. He sighed and rolled onto his front with a groan and
Reyes fetched his hat. "Can you stand?" He asked as he handed him back the hat.
Even if he could, he was being too slow, so Reyes put a strong arm around his
waist and pulled him to his feet. He kept his arm of support as they walked out
of the place.
"If you start feeding the strays they'll come back for more." Key-man warned.
Reyes glared at him "I'm just saying he's gonna come to expect it, but he's a
little shit you know. You'll want to have him out by the end of the week, I
bet." He ignored him and let them lock up while he supported McCree all the way
back to his flat, where he helped him sit on the couch. "Shower's in there.
Bed's in there. Kitchen is over here, and I'm hungry. You fancy somethin'
spicy?" 
"Sure... Can I... do I have enough time for a shower first?" 
"I'll keep it warm if you're not out in time. Towels are in the cupboard under
the sink." 
"Cheers." McCree was guarded, on edge. He didn't trust Gabe and he kept his
distance, but he didn't mind that. He was glad the kid was trusting enough to
come in the first place, though he wondered if it was less to do with trust and
more to do with necessity. He gave him the space he needed, letting him eat on
the couch while Gabe leaned on a wall next to the kitchen. He'd showered really
quick and toweled himself down quick, too, so he could redress. He didn't trust
Gabe to be naked for too long. After they finished eating, Reyes could see how
wary and tired the kid was. He clearly wanted to sleep, but didn't want to
mention the bedroom.
"My room has a lock on it."
"What?" 
"I can see that you don't trust me, McCree. My room can be locked. You can go
sleep in there, after you've brushed your teeth or whatever. The green
toothbrush in the pot is a spare. Never used it."
"Where are you gonna sleep?" Reyes couldn't see his face, it was hiding under
the hat again, but he could hear the tension in his voice easily.
"On the couch. I'll go grab a pillow and blanket now, if you like." He went and
did that "The room is yours. Sleep well." McCree didn't move for a moment,
before getting up and going to the bathroom. Reyes got him some water and put
it on the table in the living room. He notified him about it from across the
room when he came out "It's really dry in there. I keep waking up at night
feeling really thirsty. Take it." McCree did as he was told, but watched him
carefully. He shut and locked the bedroom door and Reyes didn't hear a word
from him till next morning. 
***** Buy Me Dinner First *****
Chapter Summary
     It's an awkward get-to-know each other day
McCree didn't come out of his room until he could smell bacon- a fry up was
happening. It was worth the risk. He stepped quietly and stood at the entrance
of the kitchen to watch Reyes cook, keeping a safe distance.
"Those aren't your clothes." The man didn't turn round but he somehow knew that
McCree had stripped off his smelly attire and stole- well, borrowed- clothes
from the drawer to sleep in. He forgot about changing out of them, but he
didn't really want to. They were fresh and comfortable, even if they were
massive and baggy on him.
"You said it was my room. So they are my clothes." McCree countered and Reyes
flashed him a grin.
"How do you like your eggs, kid?" 
"Cooked will do." 
"Fried it is." McCree waited patiently for his food and when he was finally
given a plate of goods he walked off.
"Bye." 
"You going back into the bedroom?" Reyes called after him.
"Yup!"
"McCree I'm going out to wash some of my clothes later- I'll need to come in. I
can wash your clothes as well if you like!" McCree didn't reply. He'd think
about it, but for now the door was locked and he had a bed, food, new clothes
and he'd showered last night. All in all he felt pretty good. Relaxed. He
wasn't really scared of Reyes, but if the man wanted to treat him like some
scared kitten then whatever. He was sure that soon the man would get tired of
him taking up his bed, scrounging off of his paycheck and all that, for now
though he was gonna take advantage. Fatten up while he could. Reyes was nice
enough, not that it mattered. Even if it turned out he had other agenda, it
would have been worth these moments of peace. After eating he settled into the
warmth of the bed to chill when there was a knock on his door "McCree, I need
my clothes. I'm gonna be out for most of the day. You wanna come with?" A whole
day of quiet sounded good. McCree unlocked the door and backed up to the bed
again. Reyes gave it a moment more before he came in and started collecting
things into a bag.
"I want to stay here." 
"Fair. This yours? Should I wash it?" McCree nodded "What about your hat? I
don't really know much about hat cleaning but it smells pretty shit." McCree
shrugged. He didn't mind as long as he still had it. "I'll ask at the dry
cleanery place." He surveyed the room for more laundry prey. "Can I take your
plate?" 
"No." It was his closest thing to a weapon. Just in case.
"Alright then, take it to the kitchen when your done with it. Put it in the
sink." He left and shut the door. A little while after that he left the flat,
but McCree waited for 5 minutes just in case he was pretending and it was a
trap. He left his room cautiously, holding the plate, but once he knew it was
safe he put it in the sink like he was told. He had a cheeky look through the
fridge and cupboards to see what was there but it wasn't anything too
promising. He sat in the living room and turned on the tv. It was an older one,
a bit thick, but it showed all the same shit. He half-watched an animal
documentary while he let his phone charge... it technically wasn't his since he
mugged some kid for it- It even still had the numbers for their parents. Jesse
didn't delete them. 
He jolted as the door of the flat opened and Reyes walked in with big shopping
bags, which he quickly put in the kitchen.
"Just a quick visit, hey, bye. If you're bored please put the cold things in
the fridge!" The door shut and he was gone again. Jesse rifled through the
shopping eagerly, looking for snacks. He found some crisps and sat by the
shopping to eat, but then got bored and decided to put the cold things in the
fridge like Reyes suggested. Then he went and sat on the couch and listened out
for any footsteps so he couldn't be sneaked up on again. They came about half
an hour or so later, and Reyes came in wearing (or rather, balancing) Jesse's
hat on his head and with the large bag he'd left with. He paused at the door to
grapple with the contents of the sack. "Here's ya stuff. Your hat's been
cleaned as well, sweatband was a bit smelly but it's fresh enough now. A bit
small for me." He added as he took it off and handed over to McCree. "Are they
your only clothes?"
"Yeah."
"We should go buy more some time." 
"Maybe." 
"You don't want more clothes?" Jesse didn't know how to answer him. He did but
if he got clothes and then got kicked out he'd have a bunch of clothes and
nowhere to put them. 
"Not yet." That was probably the best answer. Who knows, he might stay long
enough that getting more clothes would make sense. Not that he was getting his
hopes up or anything.
"Can I ask you something personal?" Reyes was hesitant, but trying to be
polite.
"Is it about yesterday?" McCree's tone hinted that he didn't want to talk about
yesterday.
"No." McCree frowned at him curiously so he continued "Where are your parents?"
Oh, typical. 
"Dunno."
"When did you last see them? Do you remember them?" 
"Yeah." Jesse paused "Omnic war. We got separated." His favourite conversations
were the ones that tried to dig into his painful memories. For the record, they
had been about to get on a train and go somewhere safer and then people were
screaming and rushing and pushing and his parents were gone. Did they get on
the train? The train started to move but Jesse wasn't on it. Someone grabbed
his arm and they ran away from the screaming. He didn't remember the details
very well. 
"How old were you?"
"6?" Jesse shrugged. "I'm not sure." Reyes looked like he wanted to say more
but perhaps he saw how uncomfortable he was making McCree feel because he
decided to leave it there. He unpacked his clean clothes into his room and
unpacked the shopping into the cupboards before calling to his guest.
"You want to come down to the range with me? Do you know how to shoot?" Jesse
snorted to himself softly. What a stupid question.
 
"Well, colour me impressed." Reyes grinned at him as he came around from his
booth "Do you have your own gun?"
"No, people let me practice with theirs at the diner. John says I'm too young
for my own." 
"John? Who the fuck is that?"
"You sat with him for 3 hours or so yesterday." McCree pointed his gun at him
to punctuate his words but Reyes quickly and firmly pushed his arm away.
"Don't point a gun at something you don't want to shoot at. Accidents happen
all the time." McCree scowled. He wasn't an idiot, he wouldn't shoot him. "I'm
serious, kid. When we get home I'm gonna make you watch compilations of people
accidentally shooting themselves. It's sad but hilarious. Anyway." Reyes led
them out of the main bit of the range and they took their ear muff things off.
"Why does John get a say in what you do?"
"He's the one that gets me food, convinces people I'm worth keeping." Reyes
didn't say anything, but McCree could feel his bad mood. "What do you want from
me?" Jesse asked him, slightly annoyed himself. 
"What do you mean? I don't want anything from you." Yeah right.
"Everyone wants something. No one does something for nothing." The kid glared
at the man, daring him to deny it.
"I guess. There's a restaurant across the road, you wanna eat?" 
"I want to know first."
"Know what?"
"What do you get in return? What do you want?" Jesse stared him down
stubbornly, until Reyes gave in.
"You might have noticed that I'm a bit new." He began "Maybe I just want a
friend-" Jesse opened his mouth to tell him to stop with the crap but he spoke
faster, firmer "Someone who can tell me what's what, who's who, how to stay
outta trouble and how to get in with a high paying job or some such. You've
been with Deadlock awhile now, right? Couple of years?"
"Yeah, something like that. I don't know how much information I can give you
though." McCree felt more at ease, like they were on the same page, but also
uncertainty. "What happens if I run out of people to warn you about?"
"Someone with information is useful. You never know when they'll come in handy,
but you'll be glad you picked them up when they do." Reyes smiled at him and
held his hand out "My first name is Gabe, by the way." Jesse snorted, ignoring
the hand.
"Alright sweetheart, buy me dinner first, won't you?" He walked ahead, quietly
enjoying the laughter of the man behind him.
***** Shop and Drop *****
Chapter Summary
     Reyes makes a shopping trip, John makes a dropping trip
McCree proved useful pretty quickly. Reyes was meeting a lot more people in
Deadlock and finding out a whole lot more about them than he could if he was
alone. He had a mini partner who didn't want much attention or care. When they
were at home he'd watch TV or stay on his phone or go in his room. He still
didn't want clothes and he kept close to Reyes; they both avoided John or
whatever his name was. For Johns sake as much as McCree's, in Reyes' opinion.
"I'm sorry." McCree mumbled on the way home from another one of his
connections.
"The hell are you sorry for?" Reyes had found out loads of shit. It was an
amazing opportunity, like a bridge to more land or something.
"This is like the 10th guy we've seen and you still haven't gotten a better
job." His sincerity made the man laugh.
"Don't be so impatient! We'll get there in time." He looked over and saw that
the kid was still upset, doubtful of his use "McCree, think of it like we're
building a pyramid. We're building our foundations first, we don't have to be
at the top yet. As long as we have enough money to keep buying bricks we'll get
there." He wrapped a large arm around the teen and squeezed his shoulder
comfortingly, but as he stiffened Reyes remembered that this kid wasn't ready
for contact like that. He quickly dropped his hand "Sorry."
"The hell are you sorry for?" McCree really seemed to enjoy throwing his words
back at him. Perhaps it was that copying form of flattery he kept hearing
about, rather than the kid trying to one up him all the time. 
"I'm not freaking you out when I try and hug you and stuff, right? You don't
talk much, it's hard to tell what's on your mind." 
"Maybe I like it that way."
"Sure, but I don't want to hurt you or anything. You can tell me if I'm doing
something that you don't like." Reyes glanced at him "Even if I'm doing
something that's just a bit annoying, like humming. Clicking."
"Or listing things?"
"You find that annoying? Can I still make grocery lists?" McCree smiled at his
stupid reply.
"Sometimes I like it when you're annoying. It's kind of funny."
"Well, that's obviously not the type of annoying I'm talking about. If I'm
upsetting you, speak up." They walked in silence for a bit "When do you want to
buy some clothes?"
"After I get you a job."
"Don't be like that. Besides, I'm sure it'd help if you weren't maturing that
smell of yours with those clothes. Branch out a bit, it won't hurt." McCree
still looked unconvinced and Reyes sighed "I'm vetoing your disapproval. We're
going shopping." And so they did.
Jesse didn't feel comfortable being told 'get whatever you want', anything a
bit pricey he avoided like the plague. Pricey meaning above $10. Frustrated,
Reyes started to intervene, following his gaze and watching his reaction to the
clothes carefully. Jesse flipped the label of one of the jackets he was looking
at and saw it was a whopping $25. He tried to move on but was stopped.
"What's wrong with that? You don't want to try it on?" Gabriel picked it up and
held it up to him "It looks cool! Don't you like it?"
"It's a lot of money." He mumbled back.
"Are you joking?" It was clear by his voice that Gabriel knew he wasn't joking
and was instead mocking him for being cheap.
"What if the connections don't lead anywhere and you end up spending all this
money on me for nothing?" Jesse burst out.
"It's not for nothing!"
"It is!" He insisted, pushing the shirt away and trying to walk off again.
"McCree, I didn't want it to come to this..." This caught his interest. He
stopped to listen "But you're a teenager. Do you know what they're famous
for?" 
"Being... angsty?" 
"Being smelly. You can't wear the same stuff over and over, it's killing me.
Please buy at least five shirts, at least one pair of jeans and at least one
jacket." He held up the jacket again and waved it about. "Ooh, jacket." 
"Fine. I will get the jacket." McCree was clearly embarrassed for being called
out so sincerely on that, so Reyes tried to chill out with the teasing for the
rest of the trip. He managed to find 6 shirts that he liked the look of and
tried on different jeans but he complained they were uncomfortable so they
ended up just buying the shirts and the jacket. Reyes noticed the kid almost
wince at the final price of it all: $87. The anxiousness radiated off him and
made the man feel a bit guilty. Maybe buying that much at once wasn't a good
idea after all, but Reyes really wanted to try other shops for jeans. Perhaps
another day. 
"We could get some deodorant on the way back, as well." Reyes suggested and
continued after a silence "The guys are going out to a bar tonight, you could
come and be all fresh and new."
"Do I...? Am I really that bad?" He asked self consciously. "Do I really
smell?"
"Well- Not really. I just needed an excuse, didn't I? It's not good; not
hygienic to wear the same stuff over and over." Reyes patted the kids back in
comfort but stopped when he flinched "You smell as much as a teen who wears the
same clothes every day smells! But worry no longer. You have a jacket now."
McCree sighed, irritated. "Will you wear your new stuff tonight?" The man
nudged him excitedly "Please?" 
 
He wore a blue shirt with highly stylized golden angel wings on it, a bit
trashy for Reyes' liking but he encouraged any enthusiasm he could squeeze out
of the kid. He seemed to like it. Over the top of the trashy shirt was the
infamous black jacket, cotton with leather sleeves. It fit him well, he seemed
comfortable in them. He'd showered and put on deodorant and put on his new
clothes. 
"How do you feel?" Reyes asked as they walked to the bar. McCree smiled.
"Guilty." 
"What?!" Gabriel frowned "Is this about the money?" The kid nodded "I wanted to
spend money on you! Look at me! It was my money, I choose what to do with it!"
McCree got out his phone and held it up to him.
"Say that first part again?"
"I wanted to spend money on you. You have no reason to feel guilty. I don't
regret it and neither should you!" McCree put his phone away "Did you film me
or something? Did it make you feel better?"
"Yeah. I feel better now." McCree went back to his silence with a slight smile
on his face, he looked much more relaxed, so Reyes let him be and didn't
question the phone thing. 
 
They entered the bar and despite McCree's insistence that you could trick the
bar tender by saying both the drinks were for Reyes, he only got some orange
juice. A couple of regulars recognized them and complimented Jesse's new gear
as they walked to a booth.
"At least next time can I have apple juice so it's not... obvious that I can't
drink yet." Gabe grinned at him from behind his beer. The kid was way more
chatty and confident than usual. At home he was like a house mouse- quiet and
out of sight but still leaving messy clues that he lived there.
"Deal, save drinking for adulthood though, huh?"
"It's way too late to be sayin' that to me now." He laughed. Laughed! And at
his own joke too. For about an hour they happily chatted together and with some
of the other barmen as well, but then a familiar face entered and Jesse shrunk
deep into their booth. John, was it? Reyes eyed him as he walked up to the bar.
Scumbag. Hopefully he chokes on his beer. 
"Are you alright, McCree? You wanna go home?" Gabe asked but Jesse only shook
his head.
"We can't. If he figures out that we're avoiding him it'll just be worse. We-
uh. I... gotta see him sooner or later." The kid watched Reyes glare at John
viciously and sighed "You know. He's not that bad." Jesse tried not to flinch
at Gabe's outraged look back at him "I'd be dead if it weren't for him."
"He's using you. You're just a kid." Jesse bristled.
"I'm not just a kid. I'm sixteen, first of all, and second I'm mature for my
age." Gabe raised an eyebrow "Everyone says so."
"I've met mature kids. They don't try to convince adults that they're mature.
In fact, they're aware of their age and what it means. They especially don't
try to get me to buy them beer."
"I'm a new breed of mature."
"Yeah, you're like cheese." Gabe grinned at the un-amused boy opposite "Mature
cheddar." They were so busy winding each other up that they didn't notice John
come up to them.
"Jesse." He said simply, the disapproval rolling off him "Haven't seen you in
awhile." 
"I've been helping Reyes meet people." He replied nervously.
"Yes, I heard you'd been living with him. New clothes, too? How... cosy." John
glanced at Reyes briefly "Looks like you're well looked after." Jesse didn't
say anything. He looked a bit pale.
"It's about time he was, huh?" Gabe faked a cheery attitude and nudged John
"Everyone's been saying how good he looks! And John, have you seen him shoot?
It's amazing! I've been thinking about getting him a gun..." It was supposed to
be a sly threat - 'don't mess with Jesse he'll fuck you up', but it didn't
quite roll that way.
"You are? Really?" The kid perked right back up, practically forgetting who was
next to him for a moment.
"Yeah, but you're so young..." He half teased.
"I'm not! Oh my God!" 
"Maybe when you're older."
"REYES." Jesse was exasperated, distraught at having that dangled in front of
him and then ripped away. John suddenly made a noise of disgust and they both
looked at him as he glared Jesse down.
"I don't know why I ever bothered with you." It wasn't what Jesse expected to
hear. He looked shocked, stunned as John walked away. He started to wriggle out
from the booth, but Reyes put a hand out on the table in front of him to catch
his attention.
"Don't go after him. That's what he wants." He told him quietly.
"What do you mean?" The kid replied, distressed.
"He can see that you're happy, that you don't need him and it pisses him off.
He wants you to need him. You don't, Jesse. You don't need him. You deserve
better than how he treated you." Jesse wasn't used to Reyes calling him by his
first name. It threw him off. He wanted to go after John and say sorry and do
whatever he wanted him to do.
"I wanna go home." He said eventually. If he stayed he'd definitely go after
him. He had to go. Reyes was quick to get up and they both left without another
word. They went home in tense silence and prepared for bed in silence. Reyes
handed him a glass of water like always, but paused.
"You're a great kid, Jesse." The kid said nothing in reply and took the water,
but as soon as he closed his bedroom door he burst into tears. Gabe stood
behind it in shock, trying to figure out what to do. Eventually he knocked on
the door and entered his room. Jesse had curled himself around a pillow and was
soaking it with tears, and Gabe quickly came and sat by him, rubbing his back
soothingly "You did nothing wrong, Jesse, you're amazing. You're an amazing
guy, you know that? He had no right to say that to you." He didn't reply, just
kept crying and sobbing. Eventually he started to choke out some words and
Reyes positioned himself closer so he could hear.
"I l-loved him. He looked after me! Wh.what have I? Done...?" Reyes stroked his
hair and wrapped an arm around him and Jesse turned to curl into his chest
"Why! I don't... I just?"
"You did him a favour, McCree. Even when you were doing what he said, was he
ever happy with you?" Jesse cried in response "You weren't right for him, but
he couldn't see that and it was making you both miserable. You never did
anything wrong. This is on him. You did the right thing. You're a good boy,
Jesse. You saved him." Reyes cradled him until he calmed down a bit, and then
he handed him some water "Here, drink." He said softly and then went back to
cradling him until they both fell asleep.  
Please drop_by_the_archive_and_comment to let the author know if you enjoyed
their work!