Overwatch x Reader

Reaper x Reader: The Time We Have Left

Reader and Reaper are coping with his impending death... yea its short and angsty.

It's hard to pinpoint where everything fell through. Maybe it was the mission brief that just seemed too good to be true. You get to knock down the old Overwatch strike commander, and Reyes couldn't pass up a deal like that. There were reinforcements, Sombra and Laquoix made a point to be there. I went with them, and I allowed Reyes to split the team up. I didn't know that he'd end up on the ground, bleeding out onto the dirt with his mask broken and scuffed. My heart dropped to my stomach, seeing him in so much pain on the way back. He was hulled out into the med bay, Moira pushing the stretcher while I tried to keep up.

"Agent, I suggest you leave. You'll just be in the way." Moira hissed, not out of malice but from her own stress.

"I have to be there for him, Moira." She just had to let me stay with him, I couldn't leave his side in good faith.

"Y/n, I'm trying to save your man's life. Give me the space I need to operate and I'll let you see him as soon as I'm done." She spoke sternly, leaving me in the dust as she sped past me while my feet were glued to the tiled floors. Was this going to be the last time I see him again? No, Y/n, don't think the worst or the worst might just happen. He's escaped death once before, he can do it again. Right?

Waiting in the waiting room made me doubt it. Sitting in a stiff chair, twiddling my thumbs as I watched the corridor for that redhead to signal my sprint towards Gabe's hospital room. You never think that it would be like this, you never think that someone you have could be easily lost. I couldn't bring myself to cry, couldn't ease myself to sleep. I just lied awake for hours sitting on a crappy ass chair waiting for a miracle to happen. My eyes closed for a moment and I was woken up by the shake of a hand on my shoulder. I turned to see Moira, looking just as exhausted as I was.

"You can go see him now." She said.

"Is he ok?"

Moira opened her mouth to say something but shut it immediately.

I shot up out of my chair. "Moira, is Gabe ok?"

"He should be the one to tell you." She answered, "I'll be in my office." And just like that, she scurried away. I sighed, now I have more reason to worry. I jogged towards Gabe's room, remembering the room number in the back of my head. Something didn't feel right, and I couldn't shake it. Just touching the cold door handle left me with chills. Moira would've just told me if it wasn't serious. It would've been easy to just say 'he'll be fine' before letting me into his hospital room. Unless things weren't that simple to begin with. I breathed in and exhaled my doubts before twisting the door handle. I had to save face for Gabe, no matter how scared I am. I opened the door, seeing him stare blankly at the ceiling like he was contiplating something. His mask was off, but his face looked pale. Scarred arms covered in small bandages, small scabbed scratches, and purple bruises. My heart sank lower, but I kept the tears from flowing. Carefully shutting the door, I grabbed what could only be Moira's spinny chair as I sat beside him on his bed. He didn't seem to register my presence, eyes pink and puffy. I took hold of his calloused hand, the tips of his fingers cold and gray.

"Is everything ok, Gabe?" I asked in a quiet whisper.

He quietly sighed, "I don't know." He grimaces, "I hate saying that, but Moira's none the wiser."

"What does that mean?" My mind automatically assumes the worst.

"She said that my body isn't regenerating fast enough from the injuries. The wounds are too deep now, it's only a matter of time until-"

"No, don't say that." I held his hand tightly in mine, tears blurring my vision as I tried to hold them back, "You'll get through this."

He shook his head, "Baby, you know there's no guarantees in this life."

I blinked the tears, feeling them run down my cheeks. "No, please Gabe don't-"

"I'm saying this because I don't want to lie to you," he explained, "I made a deal with Jack- an unspoken oath that we wouldn't hesitate to kill one another next time we see each other. He won, I don't have it in me to fight back anymore."

"What about me? Why not fight for me?" I begged, looking into his eyes to find any glimmer of an answer.

"Y/n, I've been in pain long before Jack kicked my ass. The experiments Moira puts me through... they won't stop unless I die."

"We could run away."

"Talon wouldn't let us get away without a fight. The last thing I want to do is bring you down into my mess."

"I'm already a part of it!" I exclaimed. "I don't care if I'm being selfish, I don't want to lose you!"

"The reality is that you are losing me! You can't jump back into your fantasy world and pretend that I can be saved because we both know I can't!" He yelled, his eyes widened as he immediately regretted what he said. I sobbed, pulling myself away from him before the grip on his hand kept me in place. "Baby, I'm sorry." He begged, "Please, stay with me. Please?" I felt his hand cup my cheek, wiping away the tears.

"I know... I know I'm going to lose you, Gabe. I just wish we had more time." I sniffled.

"I do, too." He nods, "It's not death I'm afraid of, it's leaving you behind." Even in the worst of situations, he still thinks about me.

I gave him a small smile, "Don't worry about me, Gabe, you know I'll be fine... It will hurt more than a bullet to the side but, I'll find peace in knowing you're not in pain anymore."

He lifts my hand to his lips, planting a kiss on the back of my hand. "I love you, mi amor."

I lean closer to him, kissing his lips. "I love you, more than you'll ever know."

It was bittersweet, this moment of knowing the inevitable truth. Death was around the corner, seeking to make Gabe its victim. There was no telling when it would happen, when the scythe would strike. I feared the person I'd become when Gabe left the world, having to live on without him next to me. He wasn't my lifeline, but he was my comforter, like a blanket hugging over me. Without him, I'd be left in the cold. But even in the cold, I'd bare my teeth and keep going. Because what is life but perseverance.