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It’s always tough when there are kids involved. Jack stares through the glass at the interrogation room. Eleven years old, broad but underweight, hasn’t been to school in over two years. The house had been the kid’s mother’s, but she’d passed away nearly three years before, leaving the house empty for her boyfriend to move in and start dealing. He’s in charge of a small-time drug ring. He and his buddies call themselves Deadlock.
Jack hadn’t expected a kid when they’d busted things up. No one had said anything about a kid. CPS should have been on the house years ago, but it had slipped through the cracks. The kid wouldn’t talk to anyone, but did spit in Jack’s face when he tried to introduce himself. He can’t even make out a face behind the stupid oversized Dallas Cowboys sweatshirt they’re wearing.
He looks down at the clipboard in his hands, reading over the information again.
Yessica McCree. A clean record. As far as he’s concerned, all that means is that she never got caught.
Jack’s not stupid. There’s no way she could have gotten by in that house for three years without getting mixed up in the business. But he can’t blame the kid for doing what she had to to get by, he just wishes she would have come to them herself.
“Jackie,” A warm, familiar voice greets him. Turning, he pulls the other man into a short, tight squeeze.
“Gabe,” He grins, and leans out of the way when his boyfriend tries to kiss him. Not at work, he’s said before. Not because they’re gay, but because he doesn’t like the way everyone smirks at him after. Especially Ana. She and Gabe were in the same unit when they were enlisted, and she’s always giving him shit. He’s glad Gabe decided to teach instead of joining the force. Having both of them around would be too much. “Thanks for coming.”
“Sure thing.” Gabe replies smugly. The expression fades as he looks through the window. “That her? I told you, Jack, I don’t know if I’m ready for this…”
“Yeah. I know, but she’s a special case. You’re the only available foster who I think can handle her.” Jack lets his hand rest on Gabe’s lower back. “I don’t want to throw her into the trial, but I don’t want to send her right into the system either. I know that you were thinking about someone younger, but I think she deserves a chance. And she reminds me of you. She’s got spunk.”
“I don’t know, querido.” Gabe shakes his head slowly. “I--”
“She spit on me.” Jack says helpfully. “I offered her something to eat and called her sweetheart, and she spit in my face. It’ll be six months, max, until we find her somewhere more permanent. I’ll count down the days if you want.”
“Oh. You didn’t tell me that she spit on you.” Gabe snorts with laughter. “Sounds like a good kid.”
“I don’t know about that.” Jack shakes his head. “...but with the right people in her life, maybe she could be.”
---
Six months max, Jack says. Gabe decides he can do that, for the good of the kid.
The first day, Gabriel sits her down and explains to her what’s going down. “You need to decide what you want. If you want me to help you, I will. If you don’t, then I won’t. I ain’t gonna put my time into someone who doesn’t care what happens to em. And I’m not gonna do all the work. You want things to go good, you gotta make that happen. You understand, McCree?” She mutters a yes, but doesn’t look at him.
For the first week, Yessica is very loud. She stomps through the house and snaps back at everything that Gabe has to say. She only shuts up when she’s eating, and she eats like an animal. Her physical (which she had resisted kicking and screaming) shows that she’s underweight. Gabriel wasn’t surprised, he doubts that her mom’s boyfriend and his guys had put much into feeding her, or taking care of her at all.
How she’s gotten along as well as she has is a mystery. She has a few fading bruises, but no one has found proof of any serious abuse. It was mostly just neglect. Her time in that house with Deadlock has left the kid angry and distrustful, but it could have been a lot worse.
Gabriel can be patient. He lets her tire herself out instead of fighting back, and only snaps at her when she really pushes his boundaries. She keeps screaming that she’s going back to her mom’s house, that she doesn’t trust Gabe, that she doesn’t need anyone, that she’s going to leave. But she doesn’t. She knows better. Despite her exterior, Gabe knows that she’s smart. She couldn’t have survived in that house otherwise.
You run away, there’s nothing I can do for you. You might hate it here, but you’ll hate it a hell of a lot more wherever they send you, Gabe says every time her threats start to sound more serious. She keeps testing his limits. He knows that she expects him to snap. He sees her flinch when he stands up to suddenly, or turns quickly towards her after she says something he doesn’t agree with.
The second week, she is very quiet. She regards him with extreme suspicion, and stares at him while she shovels food into her mouth. He doesn’t ask why her behavior has changed, just keeps cooking her dinner and supervising her while she helps him clean up. She spends all of her free time in her room--the guest room. He doesn’t know what she does in there. He doesn’t ask.
At the end of the month, Gabe finds out that her mom’s boyfriend and his friends have been sentenced to 15 years. Peace out, Deadlock. He tells Yessica, and she just nods and retreats further into the oversized sweatshirt she’s been wearing since before he brought her home, her face disappearing into the hood.
She’s been living with him for six weeks before she talks to him on her own. They’ve had a lot of conversations, but Gabriel’s always been the instigator.
“Why ain’t you hit me yet or anything?” She asks over dinner.
“Why would I hit you?” Gabriel asks, not so much as blinking at the question. Every time she talks, he’s surprised by her drawl. Yessica and her mother moved from the south when she was 8. The accent should’ve faded years ago.
“Because you don’t want me here.” She says like it’s the most obvious thing in the world. “I heard you talking to your man about how you thought you’d be fostering babies .” She scoffs. “...I know that no one wants kids old enough to be like me, that you’re only doing this as a favor. I don’t care.”
“Why would I have you here if I didn’t want you?” Gabriel asks calmly, watching her wring the sleeves of her sweatshirt together. “You think I let Jack boss me around that much?”
“Well, yeah.”
“Maybe I do.” He admits. “But I want you here, kid, as long as you’ll put up with me.”
“Fine.” She mutters, and that’s that.
---
“I want you to do something for me.” Yessica asks suddenly one night. She’s been curled up on the couch in his office for an hour reading. Placement tests have shown that even though her math and science skills are abysmal, she tests incredibly well in language arts. She’d pretended to lie about it at first, until Gabe showed her his office, and his books. Now she spends a few hours every day reading across the room from him.
“What is it?” Gabriel asks, shutting his laptop and looking at her.
“My hair.” She says quickly. As long as he’s known her, it’s been pulled back at her neck in a ponytail. “I...my ma always used to braid it, but I’m not good at it. I can’t get it tight enough. I saw pictures of your family, I know you know how.”
It’s strange to sit behind her in the couch, to brush out her long hair. Her curls disappear under the brush, fluffing out. He braids it just like he braided his cousin’s, tight and neat. He brushes her hair back longer than he needs to. It’s the first time he’s touched her, his foster daughter, and he knows that this is important.
“Thanks…” She said after, peering at her reflection in the window. “It’s good enough, I guess.”
“Any time, Yessica.” He says honestly, using her first name. She flinches at it, and he frowns.
“Jessie.” She says quickly, turning towards him. “My ma called me Jessie...everyone calls me Jessie. I don’t like Yessica.”
“Alright.” Gabriel agrees, and realizes that this is important, too.
---
“You need to get new clothes!” Gabriel is exasperated. “You can’t keep wearing this stuff, it’s falling apart!”
“I like my stuff!” Jessie snaps back. Since moving in with Gabriel, she’s been wearing clothes that she obviously took from her mother’s boyfriend and the other men living in the house. Everything is too big, and old. Every time he brings up shopping, she starts yelling at him. There have been more important battles to fight, like counseling and nutrition, so he’s let it slide. Until now.
“You’re going to school next week, you can’t look homeless!” The closer they get, the more that they fight. Gabriel doesn’t know what to think about that. It’s been six months already, and it’s time for Jessie to go back to school. She was supposed to be gone by now.
She’s been taking online classes, and even though she has a lot of catching up to do, she’s doing better than anyone expected. Gabe knows she’s smarter than she lets on.
“Why not? I am, ain’t I? I’m just a foster kid! I’ll just be homeless as soon as you get sick of me, and then they’ll take away all my stuff anyway! Only reason my ma’s man let me stick around was because I was a good runner and no one suspects little girls! He was gonna get rid of me soon as I got too big! You’re gonna get rid of me too!” She tries to slam the door in his face, but he grabs it and holds it open.
“Jesus Christ, kid! What the hell do I have to do to convince you I want you here?”
Jessie just glares at him.
After dinner, he calls Jessie’s social worker, a beast of a man named Winston, and says that he wants to adopt her.
---
After that, things start to get easier. Jessie hates being in court, and counseling, and going to school, but she doesn’t give up. She still likes loose clothes and sticks to Gabe like a shadow whenever they leave the house together, but things are better. He starts taking her fishing with him and Jack. He gets her a phone, a bike, and a library card and lets her go wherever she wants as long as she’s home by dark.
Her teachers say that she easily makes friends despite her quirks, but she never talks about them or asks to visit them or go to parties. Gabriel decides not to worry about that yet. Things aren’t perfect. They still fight. She still acts out. But it’s better, and he’s proud of her.
He introduces her to his old friend (and Jack’s co-worker on the force) Ana, because he thinks she needs a woman in her life. Jessie resists at first, until Ana offers to take her to the shooting range. Gabe is the one who resists that, but Ana puts him in his place. You have guns, Gabriel! If you don’t teach her how to use one, she could get hurt! Are you that stupid? They go every Saturday, and apparently his girl is a natural.
His girl.
She even gets along with Ana’s daughter, Fareeha. She’s only five, but Jessie loves wrestling with her and having water balloon fights in the backyard. Ana pays Jessie $10 to watch her at Gabe’s on Friday nights for her date nights with Reinhardt.
Her twelfth birthday comes and goes, celebrated with Jack and Ana and Fareeha. A few months later, it happens. It’s almost been a year since he took her in, and he can’t remember life without her. It’s the middle of the night. Gabe wakes up because the shower is running at 2 a.m. That’s not normal.
“Jessie?” He raps on the door. “Jessie!”
“Go away!” Jessie’s voice is high-pitched and ragged, and Gabe knows that something isn’t right.
“You tell me what’s wrong or I’m coming in!” He threatens. No response. One, two, three, and--the door isn’t locked. He steps in, and sees bloody tissues stuffed into the wastebasket. Her pants are on the ground. Blood there, too. “Jessie! Are you bleeding?” He rips open the shower curtain, and cold water hits him.
There’s Jessie, curled up under the water, looking incredibly small despite the growth spurt she just went through. She’s wearing her pajama shirt but her legs are bare. She’s crying. There’s still a little blood underneath her, circling the drain. He turns off the water and grabs a towel, scrambling after her into the bathtub and wrapping her up tight, pulling her in close. She’s so cold.
“¿Jessie, que haces?” He asks, squeezing her tight. “You coulda got me, it’s ok, it--”
“No!” She keeps crying, and shaking, her legs pressed together. “No!”
“You want me to call Ana?” He asks, not letting go because she’s not pulling away.
“No!”
“Mija, respira. I know it’s your first one, but it’s okay . This is normal.” He’s pulled her into his lap by now and grabbed another towel. His pants are cold and wet and sticking to him, but he doesn’t care. All that matters is the scared girl in his arms. Her clammy face is buried against his neck. “This happens to every girl, you’re okay.”
After that, she refuses to say anything. She lets him dry her off, and takes the box of pads he gives her (he’s not stupid, he knew this was coming). He puts her down in his bed, and stays up cleaning her sheets and making sure that there’s no more blood in the bathroom. He wants to call Ana, but he doesn’t.
The next morning, she still looks small.
“I know you don’t want to, Jessita, but we need to talk about it.” He says gently at breakfast. It’s the first time she hasn’t inhaled the food in front of her.
“I don’t want to.” She whispers, looking down at her toast.
“Then what do you want to do?”
Jessie doesn’t answer right away. She strokes her long ponytail (he hasn’t braided it yet today) for a few seconds before she speaks.
“Quiero cortarse el pelo.” She finally says, wincing as she looks up, like Gabe is going to be angry.
“Okay. You wanna go now?”
“You’re not mad?”
“No. It’s your hair.”
“...my ma never let me.”
“I ain’t your ma.” He huffs back, and that makes her smile a little.
The woman at the salon looks shocked.
“Are you sure?” She asks. “But your hair is so pretty!”
“I don’t care about being pretty.” Jessie said defiantly. “If you don’t cut it off, I’ll make him do it. He look like he can cut hair, ma’am?”
“Well, no.” She admits, and that’s that.
On the way home, Jessie won’t stop running her hands through her short hair and stating in the passenger’s side mirror. He’s never seen her this happy. Never.
---
Gabe sits her down the next day.
“You obviously don’t wanna talk, so I will.” She’s hugging her knees to her chest on the couch in his office, sitting as far away from him as she can. “Look, McCree. You know you’re my kid, right?”
That has her attention.
“Yeah, that’s right. Doesn’t matter if you don’t believe me. You’re stubborn, and a pain in the ass, and you’re my kid. You’d have to do a helluva lot to change that, because we’re family now. Just because we haven’t had the adoption hearing yet don’t make it untrue.
“We’re family, that’s all that matters. But there’s one thing I gotta ask you, and the answer won’t change how I feel about you. It won’t change that I wanna adopt you. I’m gonna ask you that question now, and you gotta answer. You understand?” Jessie nods, so Gabe goes ahead. “I know you’re my kid...but are you my daughter, or are you my son?”
---
The skittish, angry girl is replaced with the most annoying, boisterous boy Gabriel’s ever met in his life. He buys Jesse all new clothes, and transfers him to a new middle school where no one knows him. It’s in the same neighborhood as the elementary school he teaches at, which is convenient considering how many calls he gets every semester from the principal’s office.His chosen family, Jack and Ana and everyone else, don’t question the change.
Ana still takes him shooting. Jack and Gabe still take him fishing. Fareeah still wrestles with him and calls him names. Jesse starts getting in trouble in school for distracting other students. Gabe pretends to be angry, but he’s really just glad that his boy is finally being himself.
The year Jesse starts high school, three very important things happen.
First of all, they have their adoption hearing. Jesse is finally Gabe’s son, and between his and Jack’s connections they manage to get his first name changed too, even if his gender marker is still wrong. Yessica McCree officially becomes Jesse McCree Reyes.
Second, Jesse gets his first testosterone shot. Gabe does it for him. He holds down Jesse’s thigh and does it under the doctor’s supervision. Jesse was angry about not being ready to do it himself, but Gabe doesn’t give a damn. He just wants his boy to be happy. The doctor, a woman (trans herself, which made Jesse buzz with excitement) by the name of Angela Ziegler who specializes in queer youth, smiles, gives them a thumbs up, and sends home with more little vials of what Jesse starts referring to as his “man juice”. This kid, Gabe thinks to himself. This fucking kid.
Third, Jack moves in. It’s about time, Jesse says, turning up his nose. Ya’ll’ve been together since the dinosaurs, right? But if you get married, I’m not adding Morrison to my name. It’s long enough already. Gabe puts him in a headlock, and they break a vase. Jack, holding his suitcase, stares and asks what he’s gotten himself into.
Gabe just laughs, and pulls them both close. This is forever. This is his family.
---
Moving in with Gabe ( finally , says everyone) gives him new insight to his longtime lover’s relationship with his new son. He hadn’t realized just how similar the young man and his foster father are. Once Jesse officially starts his transition, that doubles. The kid becomes a menace. Between him and Gabe, Jack is always getting pranked and teased.
All Gabe does is complain about his son. Jack has never seen him so happy. That’s why he asked to move in. It hurt too much to go home and know that he was missing such an important part of Gabe’s life.
Even though he says he’s glad that Jack is moving in, the kid gets in his face about it. He becomes territorial, and interrogates Jack about his intentions with Gabe for about a week after he starts paying rent. It’s as if Jesse thinks he’s known Gabe longer. It gets on Jack’s nerves, but they get through it with minimal fighting. Jack knows that it’s an adjustment, for all of them.
---
“Jack, I need to talk to you.” Jesse corners him one morning when he’s supposed to be getting ready for school. He looks nervous. His voice is dropping, and it’s difficult to take him seriously. It cracks even when Jesse is trying to sound serious, or angry.
“So talk to me.” Jack crosses his arms and looks down at the teenager in front of him. Jesse is getting taller. It’s strange. He wonders if he’ll get taller than Gabe one day. There are plenty of tall women in the world, no reason why Jesse can’t end up big. Not that he’s a woman. Ah--Jack’s overthinking it again.
“I need you to buy something for me.” Jesse is puffing his chest out like he’s trying to look bigger. Gabe just bought him his first binder a few months ago, Jack remembers. He can see the outline of it under Jesse’s t-shirt, but only because he knows to look for it.
“What?” Jack asks, legitimately curious.
“A pregnancy test.”
“What?” Jack’s a good detective, but he didn’t expect that. “Jesse, what the hell?”
Face red, the kid stamps his feet and bites his lip.
“You heard me!”
“Why can’t you get one yourself? Or--why didn’t you ask Gabe, I--”
“Gabe’s gonna hate me! And if I go by myself, they might know it’s for me ! I can’t do that, Jack!” Jesse snaps. “And he’s going to be mad at me! It’s enough that I’m trans. I don’t wanna tell him I’m gay, too! He--”
“You dumbass.”
“Excuse me?” Jesse almost puts up his fists, but before he can, Jack pulls him into a quick but fierce hug, roughly ruffling the teen’s hair. There are a few hairs on his chin and upper lip. They make him look just as stupid as all of the other boys in his freshman class.
“First, nothing could make Gabe hate you. He loves you. You’re his son. Second, you think he gives a shit if you’re gay? He’s gay, Jesse!” Jack puts his hands on Jesse’s shoulders. “Third, do you think you’re the only teenage boy who’s made a dumbass mistake?”
“No, but--”
“The only boy who’s had to buy a pregnancy test because he fucked up?”
“Yeah, but not--”
“It’s okay, Jesse.” When the kid starts to cry, Jack pulls him in again. “I’ll buy it for you...and you’ll be okay. I’ve got you.”
He drives Jesse to Walgreens. The kid waits in the car with his arms crossed, slouched back so far it’s hard to see him. At the counter, the cashier gives him a grin.
“You and your lady trying for a baby?” She asks.
“Ah, no.” Jack shakes his head, his grin white and wide. “I’m gay, actually. This is for our son.”
“Oh.” Her face reddens, and she mumbles an apology as she bags up the test. “Good luck! I-I think...” She adds as he walks through the automatic doors.
Jesse fidgets throughout the whole drive home, changing the radio constantly from jazz to country. Normally, Jack would smack his hand away and say that the driver controls the tunes. Today, he doesn’t.
When they get home, Jack grabs the back of his shirt before he can vanish into his room.
“Hey. Do you wanna do it now, or wait for Gabe? I can tell him if you want, or he never has to find out. It’s up to you, Jess.”
“I don’t want to wait for Gabe. I want to get it over with.” Jesse mutters, snatching the bag from Jack and slamming the bathroom door. He comes out a minute later, wiping wet hands on his jeans, and looks at Jack’s feet.
“...I gotta wait three minutes.”
“Okay, I’ll wait with you.” Jack sets the alarm on his phone, and leans back against the wall. “You wanna tell me how this happened? I know Gabe put stuff under the bathroom sink for you.”
“Well, obviously I didn’t use it this time.” Jesse kicks the door frame lightly. “I know it was dumb, you don’t gotta lecture me.”
“I’m dating your dad, Jess. I get to lecture you.”
“Not about this.”
They fall silent after that. Jack puts a hand on Jesse’s shoulder. The kid doesn’t move away, but he doesn’t lean in. The timer goes off, but Jesse doesn’t move.
“If you need me to get it, I will.” Jack offers. “...but you peed on it, so you’ll owe me.”
“Okay.” Jesse’s confidence is fading with every ring of Jack’s phone. His tan face is bloodless. “You go.”
“Okay.” Jack goes into the bathroom. Before he looks, he takes a deep breath. There’s no way, he tells himself. Jesse’s been on T for over a year, and one mistake shouldn’t be enough. It’s probably just his cycle sorting itself out. He looks down at the little stick on the sink, and everything changes.
It’s positive.
---
“Fuck!” Jack swears out loud, and Jesse pokes his head through the doorway.
“What does it say?” He asks quickly, gripping the doorframe like a lifeline. “What does it say?”
“I’m sorry, Jesse.” Turning to Gabe’s son, he holds up the stick, not caring that the kid pissed on it. “...I’m sorry, but one of us needs to call your dad.”
Jesse starts shaking. Jack drops the test and rushes to him, holding him up and taking a few deep breaths, encouraging him to do the same. “It’s okay, Jesse. It’s all going to be okay. We’ll fix this. You want me to call Gabe?” Jesse nods, his eyes a little unfocused as he abruptly pulls away from Jack and throws up into the toilet.
“...okay. Come on.” Jack hauls him up and through the house, Jesse about as useless as a ragdoll as he’s deposited on the couch. “I’ll be in the kitchen. You hang tight. We’ll figure this out, Jesse. I promise.”
Once he’s alone, he takes a few seconds to collect himself before pulling out his phone. This is bad. Kids make mistakes, but Jack hadn’t been expecting this from Jesse. He’d never heard about any boyfriends, or girlfriends, or anything. Hell, they almost always knew where the boy was. When had he even found the time? Taking a deep breath, he makes the call. It should be lunchtime at the school where Gabe teaches. Hopefully he’s in the teacher’s lounge and not with students.
“Hey, Jackie.” Gabe’s voice rumbles out through the speaker. “What’s up? Want me to pick up dinner after work?”
“No, Gabe.” Jack leans back against the kitchen counter. “It’s Jesse.”
“What?” The tone of his boyfriend’s voice changes instantly. “What’s wrong? Is he hurt? What did he do?”
“You want me to tell you now, or you want to come home first?” Jack asks. Even through the phone, he knows that Gabe is standing up from his lunch and starting towards the door. There’s nothing he cares more about than his family, and if something is wrong, nothing is going to get in his way.
“Tell me.” His voice is commanding. Jack wonders if this is what he sounded like in the army.
“He’s pregnant.” Jack doesn’t say it very loudly, not wanting Jesse to hear from the living room. “...he just took a test, and it’s positive.”
“I’ll be home in fifteen minutes. Call Angela, tell her we’re coming in. Don’t take no for an answer.” There’s a dial tone, and Jack lets out a sigh.
“Jesse, we’re going to see Angela. She’ll know what to do.” He calls out through the hall. Jesse grunts in response, which is more than Jack expected, honestly. It only takes fifteen minutes to get through the hospital’s front desk to Angela once he insists it’s an emergency, which is a miracle considering how hard it usually is to get anything done when it comes to healthcare.
“Hey, Ange.” Jack says slowly. He and the doctor have actually known each other for years. They volunteered at the same clinic back in college. “...we gotta come in today. It’s an emergency. I know you’re busy, but it’s important.”
“What’s wrong with Jesse?” She asks quickly and clearly. “Just tell me, Jack.”
“...we think he might be pregnant.” Jack explains, lowering his voice again for their son’s (when had he become their son, anyway?) benefit. “He just took a test and it was positive. Gabe’s coming home right now. Do you have time to see us?”
“My break starts at 12:30, I will put you into my schedule. Don’t be late.” The line goes dead. Jack makes his way back to the living room, and finds Jesse curled up on the couch watching wrestling.
Jack sits with him, and that’s how they stay until Gabe gets home. He and Jesse have a quick talk in Spanish that Jack can’t follow, Jesse starts crying, and they all end up in Gabe’s truck.
“I’m sorry.” Jesse keeps saying, seated in the small middle seat between Jack and Gabe.
“I made sure you had protection, talked to you about it, trusted you on your own.” Gabe replies. “...but I get it. You’re a punk-ass kid, and you’re an idiot. That’s part of what makes you my son, but I can’t pretend I’m okay with your choices right now.”
“I know you’re mad, Gabe, but--”
“Mad? I’m not mad, Jess, I’m your dad, and I’m scared. Te amo, mijo .”
Jack feels very uncomfortable. He knows they’re all part of the same family, but this feels like a conversation that should just be between Gabe and Jesse.
“I love you, too.” Jesse says quickly, and the rest of the ride passes in silence.
Before long they’ve shuffled into the hospital, and into an examination room in Angela’s clinic.
Angela is professional as she greets them.
“I’m going to do a blood test, and we will go from there.” She explains as she takes Jesse’s arm. Gabe and Jack are both holding onto his other hand like mother hens, unwilling to let go of their boy. “False positives are rare, but there is no reason to panic until we know for sure.”
All three men mutter quick affirmatives. Jesse winces a little as the needle goes in, but soon enough there’s a bandaid on his inner elbow, and the three of them are left alone.
“...don’t worry, Jessito.” Gabe seems calmer now, and he smooths back Jesse’s hair and smiles. “We’ll figure this out.” He lets his son sag against him, and leans back into Jack so that they’re all touching. “...you gonna tell us what happened?”
“You know what happened.” Jesse mutters back, his face red.
“You’re a smart kid, Jesse. You know what I mean. You didn’t do this by yourself, and I’m your dad. Jack, too. Can’t blame me for wanting to know.”
There’s a quick pause, and then Jesse is spilling his guts.
“There’s this new kid, real handsome, knows about trans stuff. I like him--liked him, I guess. We were fooling around after the football game last Saturday. I brought condoms and he put one on, but I guess he took it off before...yah know.”
“What?”
“The fuck!”
Both Gabe and Jack sit up at that, and Jack knows that his partner is just as angry as he is.
“He took it off.” Jesse explains, brow furrowed a little as he looks between the two adults. “You guys know about stealthing, right? It’s this new dumb thing guys--well I guess anyone with a dick can do it, but it’s mostly guys--do where they take off the condom before they stick it in.”
“What the fuck.” Jack cuts in before Gabe can blow up. “Jesse that’s not...stealing or whatever you said--you consented to using protection, and he didn’t do it. That’s not sex, that’s r--”
“Shut up!” Jesse cuts in, pulling away from his dads. “Shut the fuck up, Jack--”
“Don’t talk to him that way!” Gabe snaps, angry as Jack’s ever seen him, but he knows he’s not mad at Jesse.
“Boys!” It’s at that point that Angela opens the door, and they all quiet under her gaze. “What’s going on?” She receives no response, and the room is silent except for her low heels as she walks across the room. “Are you ready to behave, or should I leave again?” Again, no response, so the doctor continues.
“Jesse, you’re not pregnant.” She announces, and the teen’s eyes widen.
“Are you sure?” He asks quickly.
“Yes.” She responds. “...but I am surprised. False positives are very unusual.” She looks to Jack. “You said you bought the test, correct? Do you have the receipt?”
“Uh, yeah.” Jack fumbles with his wallet, and hands her the slip of paper. “Does brand matter? I got the most expensive one because I didn’t want it to give a wrong result...but I guess that didn’t work. If it was wrong can I return it? I--” he knows he’s rambling, but he shuts up when he sees Angela’s lips go thin.
“Jack…” She says slowly, holding up the receipt and pointing to it. “...this is a receipt for an ovulation test. Did you not read the box?”
“I, uh…”
“Men!” She hisses, stomping her foot a little. “You put your boy through all of this because you couldn’t be bothered to read!” Still, she dotes on Jesse (he’s crying again) for a few seconds, wiping his tears and patting his hair. “Let this be a lesson to all of you! Jesse, you have to be more careful! And you two...read!”
Jesse doesn’t say anything for the entire ride home. Not when they get in the car. Not when Gabe stops and gets them all huge chocolate shakes. Not when they get home. It’s only when Jack’s making dinner (he knows he owes Jesse now, and is making his favorite meal) that he hears a shout from the other end of the house.
There’s a scuffle and a crash. They’re wrestling again, Jack realizes, and lets out a breath he hadn’t known he was holding in. Things are going to be okay.
---
There are no more pregnancy scares, thank god. Jack’s pretty sure that the first one almost turned Gabe gray. They have a long, awkward talk with Jesse about consent, and their son starts bringing home the boys that he likes. None of them last very long. Jesse’s still figuring himself out, and doesn’t really have room for relationships, even though he tries.
According to his counselor (Jack and Gabe get to go to his sessions every few months, when Jesse wants them there) he’s going to take time to catch up to his peers, but he’s doing very well. He grows a full face of scruff, and even gets his driver’s license. Gabe finally gets a new truck, and Jesse lights up like the Fourth of July when his dad tosses him the keys to the old one.
Then, suddenly, Jesse’s graduating. Jack doesn’t know where the years went. It feels like the three of them have always been a family, have always been together. Against all odds, Jesse’s done pretty damn well for himself. He’s on the baseball team, his grades are more than decent, and most importantly he’s happy .
Not only that, but he’s talented. He’s not the smartest kid in his class, but apparently he’s a helluvah writer...good enough that he gets almost a full ride to a state school only an hour away from Gabe and Jack. Gabe tries to pretend that he doesn’t care, that he wants Jesse out of the house, but Jack can tell how happy he is.
They both bawl at his graduation. Angela, Ana, and Fareehah all laugh at them. Reinhard grins and slaps them on the back so hard that they almost choke. Jesse’s graduation party is small, but plenty of friends show up. Too soon, Jesse is packing up Gabe’s old truck, and it’s time for him to go.
“I love you.” Jesse says seriously as they all stand outside of the house. “Both of you. You’re the best dads any punk-ass kid could ask for.”
If Jack squints, he can still see the angry little girl he pulled out of that house years ago, but it’s hard. He never thought that Jesse would stick around more than six months. Back then, he wasn’t even sure that he and Gabe were in it for the long haul. He never thought any of this would happen. He’s crying again, but both his boys are hugging him so it’s easy to hide it.
They wave until they can’t see the truck anymore, and then their boy gone.
---
Articles that Jesse’s written for the school paper are carefully arranged on the fridge. There are magazines throughout the house with dog-eared pages. Jesse might think that he’s getting away with writing under a pseudonym, but Gabe knows his kid. He knows that Joel Marricone is Jesse.
It’s been three years since their boy went off to college, and he’s excelled. The first year was rough, but after that, much to Gabe’s surprise, Jesse started to flourish. He still visits at least once a month, though, and for that both of his dad’s are grateful. They know he’s busy, especially now that he’s a senior.
This visit is different. For the first time, Jesse’s brought someone home to meet them.
Genji Shimada is an exchange student from Hanamura, Japan. He’s shorter than Jesse, who is 6’1” in heels and inserts. He wears tight jeans and stylish shirts, which makes him look odd next to Jesse in worn flannels and jeans. His hair is bright green, which Jack marvels at through the glasses that his doctor had forced into his hands after his exam.
Despite how different they are, Gabe’s never seen his boy so happy. He can tell that this one is serious, so he does his best to be accommodating...well, he drills Genji about how he’s treating his son as soon as Jesse goes to the bathroom, and makes sure that the kid knows that Jack is a cop and he’s a retired sergeant, but he’s still more polite than he could have been.
After the kids go to Jesse’s room (Gabe doesn’t want to know what they’re doing in there) he sits with Jack in the kitchen sipping decaf and looking at him.
“I might be half blind, but I know you’re staring.” Jack raises an eyebrow, and looks over at his partner. “What are you thinking about?”
“I just realized something.” Gabe says.
“What’s that?” Jack asks, his brow furrowed.
“...I’ll kick my own ass if Jesse gets married before we do.” Gabe explains.
“Huh. We better get on that, then.” Jack replies, unable to stop himself from smiling, just a little.
“I guess so.” Gabe agrees. “Bout time you made an honest man of me. Gotta show Jesse how it’s done.” He pauses. “...back then, did you know any of this would happen? Me adopting the kid, us being where we are now?”
“No.” Jack admits with a smile. “...but I sure am glad it did.”
Sitting there at the table with the man who was always meant to be his husband, Gabe can’t help but grin. This is his happy ending, he realizes. Him, Jack, and Jesse. This is all he ever needed. As for the kid, he doesn’t know what the future has in store for Jesse McCree Reyes, but he knows that he gave his boy a hell of a good start.