✧Jack Morrison✧

gabriel "reaper" reyes moodboard.

jack "solder76" morrison moodboard.

Part 1

Gabriel 'Reaper' Reyes x Jack 'Solder76' Morrison

AU: Modern – Single Dad!Gabriel,Neighbor!Jack

Words: ~1150

Tags: slow burn, bisexual Gabriel, light domestic setting, first meeting.

Gabe hated moving.

No, seriously. The boxes, the tape, the somehow inevitable missing sock, the judging stares from neighbors as the movers grunted and hauled furniture into the two-story rental house. He could already feel their eyes, even if no one was out front, probably peeking from behind curtains.

“Sombra,” he called, pushing a sweat-dampened strand of hair back as he surveyed the jungle of boxes in the living room. “Where’s your brother?”

“Still in the car. Refusing to help.” Her voice floated lazily down from the stairs.

Gabe rolled his eyes. Typical. He stepped out onto the porch to grab one last box from the car before—

Oh.

Across the street, a man was bent over in the middle of his front lawn, sweat glistening on tan arms as he adjusted a hose. Blonde hair slightly messy, wearing a white tank top and shorts, calves strong and tanned. The sun caught on his jawline just right, like he was crafted by some divine landscaping god.

The man looked up. Caught staring, Gabriel stiffened for a second. The guy smiled. Not a smug grin, not forced, warm, confident, and just a little surprised. Like he hadn’t expected someone to be watching either.

“Hey there,” the stranger called. His voice was deep, with a little rasp. “New neighbors?”

Gabriel cleared his throat. “Uh. Yeah. Just moved in.”

“Well, welcome to the neighborhood.” The man crossed the street without hesitation, wiping his hands on a towel tucked in his back pocket. “Name’s Jack. Jack Morrison.”

Gabriel raised a brow. Jack? Of course his name was Jack. Of course he looked like that and had a name that sounded like it came out of a war novel.

“Gabriel Reyes,” he replied, shaking Jack’s hand. It was a solid handshake. Warm. Confident.

Behind him, the front door opened with a creak. “Papi, did you seriously make me come down just to stare at some dude’s abs?”

Jack choked on a laugh. Gabe groaned and turned. “Mija—”

She was already smirking, standing with one hip popped, arms crossed over her chest. She flicked her eyes toward Jack.

“Hi, I’m the daughter. Don’t worry, I’m only here to be annoying and judge everything.”

Jack offered her a mock-salute. “Good to know. I’ll be on my best behavior.”

“Don’t,” she replied. “Makes it less fun.”

Gabriel pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Go inside.”

“I am inside. Technically. The porch counts.”

“I stand corrected. Go deeper inside.”

Sombra rolled her eyes and disappeared back into the house.

“I see she’s in her teenage menace phase,” Jack said, his tone light.

“You have no idea,” Gabe sighed. “And I’ve got a son too. Smaller. Moodier. Hides behind his Switch like it’s a shield from the real world.”

Jack laughed again, more openly this time. It was a nice sound. Gabe hated that he liked it.

“Well, if you ever need a break from parenting, I live just across the street. No kids, just a dog who thinks he owns the house and a fridge that’s mostly beer and leftover noodles.”

Gabe blinked. “Tempting.”

Jack gave him a wink. “I’ll let you get back to unpacking. Holler if you need help.”

Then he turned and walked away, back to his lawn, his hose, and his sun-kissed arms.

Gabe stood on the porch a little too long.

⋆⊹ ⊹⋆⋆⊹ ⊹⋆⋆⊹ ⊹⋆⋆⊹ ⊹⋆⋆⊹ ⊹⋆⋆⊹ ⊹⋆⋆⊹ ⊹⋆⋆⊹ ⊹⋆⋆⊹

Later that night, after dinner (pizza, because no one had the energy), after dealing with a tantrum about Wi-Fi from his son - Alejandro, always dramatic and after Sombra had gone to her room and started blasting something that sounded like cyberpunk reggaeton, Gabe stepped out again.

The porch light buzzed. The night was warm. Across the street, Jack’s house glowed golden in the dusk, and for a moment, Gabe thought he saw him moving behind the curtains.

There was something quietly comforting about it.

A fresh start. A maybe. A stranger who smiled.