Work Text:
Gabriel disassembled his shotguns to clean and check them, placing the parts on the table in the Overwatch workshop. He started the work, when Olivia in her typical manner, began to look over his shoulder, almost touching his shoulder with her chin.
"Whatcha doin'?" she asked him loudly, despite seeing the process, so that Lena, who was nearby, could hear her mocking the latter's accent.
He frowned for a second at her volume, then ignored her, knowing it was a deliberate action from her to annoy him and receive his attention because she was bored and searching for some entertainment, or maybe because she wanted something from him.
When he finished, he turned to her. "Now I might have a little time to listen if you have anything important to tell me."
"I need your help, Gabe."
Amélie stopped her work on her venom mine located on the table nearby to comment on this line. "I thought a 30-year-old girl like you, Ombre, can solve her problems by herself. Or am I mistaken and, maybe, occasionally, you should rely on others to deal with obstacles?"
Olivia shrugged. "I prefer that things were done by professionals and I'm not sure I'll be able to correct the situation alone this time." She looked grave and not her usual playful self.
Lena smirked. "I'm surprised that there are things our almighty hacker is unable to do." Saying these words, she felt a little uneasy thinking it might be slightly rude, but then decided it was an appropriate response to Olivia's behaviour earlier. She had been trying to tone down her emotional replies since Winston had reprimanded her for that after the recall, but it was difficult sometimes.
"So, what are you talking about?" Gabriel asked impatiently. He wanted to leave the workshop, to check the shooting skills of the Overwatch members with Jack.
Olivia went to her room and returned with a teddy bear. It was an old toy that barely held onto its left arm and had a hole in its stomach through which the stuffing could be seen.
"My Arturito requires healing. This little bear has always been with me and I want to continue that way."
"Why can't you fix him by yourself?" Amélie asked her with amusement.
"I can, but Gabe can do it better and faster."
Lena smirked. "You can simply say you are too lazy to do it."
"Miss Time-traveller, you should know that there is a difference between repairing clothes and mending stuffed toys."
"I will fix your teddy bear right now, but promise me you are going to ask me or anyone else to teach you the proper sewing technique. My price for this work is the following — you won't annoy me, at least for one week."
Gabriel held out his hand to Olivia, who shook it.
"Let’s move to my place where I keep everything for sewing." He and Olivia went to his room, which he shared with Jack.
Olivia sat on Jack's bed, which was perfectly made, as well as Gabriel's. She knew from their military records that both Jack and Gabriel had had this neatness since the army, and, probably, before that. Dumbbells, kettlebells, a skipping rope and a sport mat were all stacked tidily on Jack’s side and both Jack and Gabriel had posters from the old Overwatch days. It was comforting to see that she wasn’t the only one holding on to the memories.
Gabriel said he should prepare that teddy bear for the "operation". He used small scissors to open seams on the spine, limbs and head. Then he took out the stuffing with pliers. After that, he went into the bathroom where he scrubbed soap into the fur with a brush, and manually washed the toy. The water was rinsed several times.
The toy was dried with Amélie's hair dryer and the fur was fluffed. After that, new stuffing scrounged from an old chair was added, and the gaps in the fabric were closed up by ladder stitches, the needle pulling through one side and towards the other. Olivia noticed that when the holes were patched, the stitches weren't visible anymore. While they had looked too loose in the beginning, they became nice and tight at the end.
Gabriel returned the restored toy to Olivia.
The latter replied with a smile, "Thank you." Then she hugged him and later put her teddy bear in her bed.
Passing by, Lena noticed that the teddy bear looked like the stuffed animal she received from Overwatch’s humanitarian branch during the war — dark brown fur, surrounding more lighter areas, and a faded Overwatch logo on the chest. For her and Olivia, that quality plushie helped to concentrate their thoughts on how to prevent another crisis by reminding them of the cost of the war.