The Villain Wrangler | Overwatch

Chapter 17

"Hey, Athena?"

"Yes, Angelica?" the AI replied.

"Can you ask some of the guys to come here? I need them to move furniture because I don't want to." Angelica studied the utilitarian desk in her new office.

After a moment, Athena announced, "Your heavy lifters are on their way. I have also informed them of your lack of desire to help. Is there anything else?"

Angelica grinned. "Nope, just strong people to do the heavy lifting."

She heard Jesse laughing in the hall at that. "Is that all we are to ya? People to move heavy objects?" he teased as he got closer.

She smiled as she walked to the door. "Well, you could strip to the waist, first. Then you'd be doing double duty as eye candy." She tossed him a wink as he laughed, abruptly turning it into a cough as Gabe shoulder checked him.

Gabe glared at Jesse, but stopped when she swatted his arm. "Stop that. I'm single and allowed to ogle the help." Turning to Jesse, she continued, "That desk can go away but keep the chair. And there's another desk and some filing cabinets I want. They're down there," she waved vaguely down the hall. "I put sticky notes on the ones I wanted."

"Well, I'm glad you like it," Jack laughed as he walked in the direction she indicated, dragging Gabe along with him. She faintly heard Jack say, "Pay up", but ignored it.

Zarya and Reinhardt grabbed the Strike Commander's desk, taking it off to storage. She could hear them teasing each other as they walked. They had apparently struck up a fast friendship in the weight room, and enjoyed any competition of strength.

Jesse and Winston went in search of her filing cabinets. She could hear Jesse complaining good-naturedly about the fact that all the cabinets were in different offices, and how it meant more work for him. Winston was teasing him for getting lazy while he was on the run.

They spent most of the afternoon adjusting the furniture to her satisfaction, Gabe grumbling about her liking Jack's office and his old desk. Jack seemed to delight in teasing Gabe about it, though.

Once everything was settled, her heavy lifters decided to leave her to her own devices and sought their own amusements. She grabbed Jack's arm as everyone filed out, gesturing to Gabe to stay as well.

"I need to talk to you two a sec." She rubbed the back of her neck as the door clicked closed. "So, uhh... I kinda overheard the two of you talking." She rubbed the back of her neck and tried not to meet their eyes. "A few weeks ago. About me. And the two of you. And I was maybe thinking that... maybe..." she trailed off under the weight of their combined gazes. "You know what, it's stupid, let's forget it."

Jack had stiffened when she started speaking, and stood unmoving as stone when she stumbled to a halt. "I understand. It's OK."

Gabe had lounged against the door frame, arms crossed. "What were you thinking, Ange?"

"I mean, I had such a crush on both of you, and then I met you both and it was amazing, and now I'm here, and you're here, and-" she broke off, shaking her head. "And could I really have you both? I mean, be with you both? I mean, you'd both be OK with that?"

They both stared at her in silence.

"Yeah, I'm being stupid, let's just forget I said anything," she muttered as she made her way to the door, face crimson with embarrassment. She stopped when Gabe stretched his arm across the door. "Gabe, please," she almost whimpered.

"You know, it works better if you give people time to process what you said before you panic and run away," Gabe said, laying a hand along her cheek and leaning in close. "Are you sure?" he whispered, his breath tickling her lips.

She nodded, and then his lips were on hers and he was crowding her back into the office. She stopped when she felt warmth at her back, and Jack's arms were around her waist and his lips were on her neck.

Gabe pulled away and looked down into her dazed expression. Stroking her cheek with his thumb, he told her, "I'm in, what about you, Jackie?"

Jack nuzzled her neck for a moment longer, then replied, "Of course."

Angelica grabbed his hands in one of hers, resting her other on Gabe's cheek. "Really? I- really?"

Gabe turned his head to kiss her palm. "Absolutely."

Jack tightened his grip on her waist, and murmured into her neck, "No arguments here."

She enjoyed being held for a while, then reluctantly pulled away.

"I want this, but after everything with Brad...," she sighed, hanging her head. "I don't want to be hurt again."

Jack walked up beside her and pulled her close. "We can go slow. Whatever you're comfortable with."

Gabe reached out a hand, and twined his fingers with hers, bringing her hand up to kiss her fingers. "I'm OK with going slow, but are you OK with me and him?" he jerked his chin at Jack. "We've been together a long time, sweetheart. And we'd like to try again. You OK with that?"

She looked up at him, then back at Jack. "I think so. So, you two are picking up where you left off?"

Jack snorted. "Hopefully with less yelling and fewer explosions, but that's the plan."

Her eyes flicked back and forth between the two, and she sighed. "Yeah, I can handle it. But just the two of you. Either of you try for someone else, I'll feed you your spleen."

They laughed, and Gabe stepped forward to hug them both. She squirmed between them until she was comfortable, then swore.

"What?" Gabe asked.

"You're both old. And there's two of you." She dropped her head heavily onto Gabe's chest. "I'd lose my job if my boss found out."

"What do you mean, 'old'?" Jack demanded.

She twisted to look at him. "I'm turning 32 this year. You both were in the original Overwatch Strike Team 31 years ago. You've known each other longer than I've been alive. Ergo, you're old." She smiled as she straightened up and kissed him. "You look better as a silver fox than a golden boy, though."

Gabe hummed in agreement, then grabbed her chin and kissed her swiftly. "That makes you the trophy girlfriend, you know. The arm candy." She shivered as his gaze raked up and down her body. "It suits you."

She grinned and slapped at him and turned to Jack. "So, are we good?"

"Why can't your boss find out?" Gabe asked.

She sighed. "Shooting Star is a fairly conservative organization. Reps can't say or do anything that reflects poorly on it. So, this," she gestured between the three of them, "would get me booted so fast my head would spin."

Gabe and Jack exchanged a look. "Well, we've done that dance before. We can keep it open here, and not mention it publicly. It's how we did it with the UN," Gabe said.

Jack gave her a small squeeze. "We can figure everything else out as it comes."