Cruel games
PREVIOUS
“Jen?” his soft whisper breaks the silence. His lips brush my ear with every word, speaking so softly that I know for sure that the ‘man up there’ won’t be able to hear us. “Do you think this is it?”
Curling closer to him and sliding my arms around his waist, I whisper back, “No, I know we’re going to get out of here. I know it, Jare.”
“I…” he clutches me tightly, “Jen… the rule… the rule’s kill or be killed…. That means… if… if you…”
Frowning, I flip us over, pressing him down into the mattress, “Don’t even think that, Jay. Not going to happen. Not now, not ever.”
His eyes are warm, his fingers gentle as he reaches out to trace the side of my face, “Jen… just… I’m sick, okay… My arm’s infected… and you… you can get out of here… let people know what happened, let our families know… I just… both of us don’t have to…”
Unwanted tears begin trickling hotly down my face, but I can’t do anything to stop them. The thought of losing Jared, the thought of killing Jared, is so terrible I can barely breathe. And the fact that Jared is offering his life up for mine just makes me want to cry harder.
Shaking my head furiously, splashing teardrops over Jared’s bare chest, I can’t stand it anymore. Burying my face in the dip of his neck, I wrap my arms around his shoulders, pressing him tightly to me, and whisper hoarsely, “No, Jay. We get through this together or not at all… You hear me? You hear me?”
“But-”
I cut him off, “No. Jared, just stop it, okay? You think I want to make it out of this if you’re not with me? You think my life would be anything without you?”
“Jen…” he chokes, his voice trembling.
Unable to stand it any longer, I lift up, gazing down at his tear-streaked face for a few moments before I move forwards, pressing our lips together.
He gasps against my lips, his eyes wide and glistening as they lock on mine, “Jen?”
“Don’t you ever even think about leaving me again, you hear me?” Leaning down again, I crush our lips together brutally, and growl, “Don’t you ever.”
Then I brush my lips gently over his cheeks, his nose, his forehead, every bit of him that I can, showing him just how much he means to me. Just as I’m sliding back down to his lips, the sharp static comes on.
“Well, I always knew you were a sick bastard, Dean. I just didn’t realise how sick. And Sammy, how’s it feel knowing that your brother lusts after you? How’s it feel knowing that he’s been watching you all your life? Wanting you for as long as he can remember. How does it feel to know that your own brother wants to fuck you?”
Jared fists my shirt to stop me from pulling away, “Don’t… Just… just stay…”
“Okay,” I breathe back, relaxing and curling tightly around him, wanting to shield him from the eyes.
“I love you,” he whispers softly, sounding terrified.
Feeling my heart swelling and about to explode with happiness, I hug him tightly to me, “You too, Jare. So much… So fucking much…”
*
I sit up, scrubbing at my eyes sleepily and automatically finding Jensen. He’s busy doing something in the corner of the room, leaning the couch against the wall and shifting other items around. He puffs as he slides the cabinet across.
“What…” I yawn widely, “What are you doing?”
He looks up, grinning happily, and making my heart stutter so much that I nearly miss his reply. “… hiding place…”
My eyes widen and I take a second look at the structure. The couch is flipped sideways, held up by the wall and the cabinet, making it completely sturdy. There’s a hollow inside, enough for…
Glancing back up at him, I can’t stop the grin from spreading over my lips.
“Come on, bring the mattress over,” Jensen continues happily, and I quickly oblige, watching in amazement at he slides it under, making the perfect shelter even more perfect.
“Get in,” he murmurs softly, nodding his head towards the opening.
“Why didn’t we do this ages ago?” I shuffle towards the back, my eyes relieved at the darkness that’s been denied for so long.
A few moments later, he crawls in with the blanket, grinning at me as he throws it over the both of us, pulling me into his arms and whispering, “I don’t like him watching you.”
Hugging him tightly, I correct him, “I don’t like him watching us.”
Smiling against my cheek, he nods, “Yeah, watching us.”
“Man, when we get out of here, I’m going to find us the biggest steaks ever and we’re going to have a huge barbeque.”
“And we’ll buy you all the candy you can eat, even those damn gummi bears.”
“And sour Twizzlers?”
Jensen lets out a sigh, “And Twizzlers.”
Grinning, I bury my face in the side of his neck, “But first we’ll shower… we’ll shower forever. With shampoo and soap.”
Snorting softly, Jensen’s strokes a hand up and down my back, “Together?” he asks quietly.
I lift up in time to see his heated blush, and I can’t help laughing. He looks away, a glimmer of hurt in his eyes. Immediately, my smile dies and I gently grip his jaw, forcing him to look at me. Pressing my lips over his, I reply without breaking eye contact, “Together.”
His eyes lighten up and a small smile plays on his lips as he reaches out to card the hair out of my eyes. Then a frown creases his forehead, and his fingers slide down my arm, lightly brushing over the cuts. I can’t help flinching, and his sad eyes look up into mine, “But first we’ll go get you checked out.”
Guilt joins the swirls in his eyes, making my chest ache painfully. “Not your fault, Jensen. Don’t even think of blaming yourself. It wasn’t you.”
“It’s my hand, Jared. I did this; I hurt you. God, how can you even stand to look at me? I… hurt you... Jared… I fucked you… I… I as good as… as raped you…” he chokes out brokenly.
Moving to lie completely on top of him, I press him down firmly, “Jensen. Stop it. Stop it, okay? It’s not you. I know it’s not you. And you never… never raped me. That man made you do it. Made us do it. It’s not your fault, just like it’s not my fault.”
There are now tears in his eyes, and he sounds completely lost as he murmurs, “It was your first time, Jared… It was… you’re not… you’re not even gay… you said so yourself… I… shit, Jay… I took that… took that away from you…”
“Jen… I…” I don’t know what to say to make him understand. “Listen to me, Jensen… I know… I know I’ve never been with a guy before this… but… I’m glad… glad that it was you…. No one… no one else… Just you…. And… I gave it to you… you never took anything, okay?”
When he doesn’t meet my eyes, I realise just how much he’s beating himself up about this, so I gently brush my lips over his, “Jensen… I love you…. Please… just trust me when I say it’s not your fault… none of this is…”
“Jared…” he murmurs urgently, “I… I’ve…” he twists his head away, “I wanted you… loved you… even before… before this… I… I’m sorry… I’m so sorry, Jay… I never… I never would have… I’m sorry…”
This makes me pause for a few moments as the words sink in. Jensen wanted me. Before all this happened. Before, when life was normal. He wanted me.
“Why didn’t…” I clear my throat, “Why didn’t you ever tell me?”
He laughs hoarsely, “Jared… you’re… you’re like, the straightest man I know… I couldn’t just tell you… you would’ve hated me… you would’ve… you would’ve…”
“Jensen… I would never have hated you… you’re my best friend, man… Sure… I would’ve freaked out a bit…” I laugh softly, “But… we would’ve worked it out…” I bite my lip before continuing, “I… in a way… I’m glad… glad that… that this happened… well, not glad glad, but… I never would’ve… never would’ve realised… I mean… I probably would’ve tried to find a way to let you down gently… if you’d told me before… now…” I press our lips together gently, “Now… it’s different…”
Smiling up at me, his hands gently slide around to grip my waist, holding me tighter to him. “We forgot something important… Our barbeque will need beer.”
Letting out a surprised laugh, I duck my head against his shoulder, “Ass… there I was spilling my guts and all you can think about is beer…. Oh, God, yeah. Tons of beer.”
We fall silent for a few moments. I’m trying to wrap my mind around the fact that there is still a world outside of this. I can barely remember it.
“Jen…” I whisper softly, making him flip us over and curl around me.
“Yeah?”
Despite myself, I feel my eyes prickling, “Do you think… do you think our families are okay?”
He inhales sharply, and pulls me tightly to his chest, spooning me. “I know they’re worried about us… I know they’re missing us and looking for us… but I also know that they’re together… they’re looking out for each other… they’re okay…”
I laugh shakily at myself for being such a wuss, “Eric’s going to kill us…”
Jensen yawns sleepily, “He can try… man, I hate not knowing what time it is…”
“Mmmm,” I murmur softly, closing my eyes and leaning back into his solid chest.
“Night, Jay…” he whispers.
“Night, Jen.” I thread my fingers in his and press our entwined hands to my chest, slipping into the first peaceful sleep I’ve had in a while.
*
It’s like the man can tell exactly when we’ve just fallen asleep. He lets out a loud roar, “Get out from under there, you worthless bastards!” Jared jerks awake in my arms, tensing.
“Get out from there or you’ll be sorry!”
I’m actually surprised it’s taken him this long to yell at us.
Slowly, I slide out from our tent-like structure, smiling as a rumpled Jared staggers out and crashes into me. He doesn’t raise his head from the dip of my shoulder, leaning heavily against me as if he’s drifting back asleep. I wrap my arms around him and hold him upright as I wait for the ‘man upstairs’ to do his worst.
“Dean, because of your little stunt. I’m going to make little Sammy pay. Doesn’t that sound fun?”
Cursing the man with everything I’ve got, I tighten my arms around Jared’s shoulders, wanting more than anything to kill the man up there.
“Now, now, Dean. Why the long face? Go to the door, I left a present for you there.”
Reluctantly pulling away from Jared, I head towards the door, finding a packet of salt and immediately clenching my hands into fists. “No.”
“Yes. Give Sammy a taste of the burn. See if any of his demon blood will burn.”
Kicking angrily at the door, I yell, “We’re not the Winchesters! Goddammit! We’re actors who play them. Look us up, Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki! How fucking insane are you?”
“Be careful, Dean. You’re not the one who gets punished by your own disobedience. Or maybe you like hurting Sammy? Is that it, Dean?”
Immediately falling silent, I return to Jared, who’s slumped at the edge of the bed, staring at the floor.
“I want you to pour the salt onto Sammy’s arm. I want to see it coated, you hear me? And then, I want you to press it down and then pour more and wrap another strip of cloth tightly around it. You understand, Dean? You’ll get two bottles of water for this.”
Jared just looks up at me, holding out his arm. After clenching my eyes tightly shut for a few moments, I carefully unpeel the bloodstained bandage, being sure to stand close enough to hide the fact that it isn’t Dean’s name.
“I’m sorry, Jay…” I murmur, before tipping the packet, pouring the salt over the bloody, tender skin. Jared’s head drops, his hand clenching on his knee. He doesn’t make a sound.
When his arm is coated, I stand back, calling out, “There, you happy?”
“Yes, very. Now press it in.”
Hating myself, and hating that man, I place my hand flat against Jared’s arm, pressing slightly.
“That’s pathetic, Dean. Press harder!”
Unable to do anything else, I do.
Then I quickly head over to the upturned couch, grabbing the knife and cutting another strip of cloth. Silently returning to Jared, I quickly pour more salt, and then tie the bandage around his arm.
Grabbing the two bottles of water, I carefully slide an arm around Jared’s shoulders; helping him up and steering him back towards the small shelter. I won’t have the man watching Jared in pain.
Once safely inside the dimly lit interior, I carefully tilt up Jared’s face, brushing the bangs aside. What I see nearly makes me burst out crying. His face is deathly pale, his eyes blank, and blood trickling from where he’s bitten his lip.
“God, Jared,” I breathe out, moving forward to wrap my arms around him, squeezing him tightly against me. “Fuck, I’m going to kill him, I’m going to… fuck…”
After a few moments, I regain a hold over myself, and pull back, opening one of the bottles and holding it to Jared’s lips, helping him drink a few sips.
Then I carefully unwrap the bandage on his arm, wincing at how much the salt has seeped into the weeping wounds. I heard somewhere that salt helps fight infection, I can only hope that it’s true. This much pain has to be worth something, right?
Roughly wiping the moisture from my eyes, I dampen a corner of the bandage with a tiny bit of water, and gently dab at the salt.
Jared’s eyes squeeze shut and I bite my lip, wondering whether I’m doing more harm than good.
His hand wraps around mine, squeezing softly, “It’s okay, Jen. I’m okay.”
How the hell can he be this strong? Dammit, he hasn’t uttered a sound and I’m on the verge of tears. He always was the strong one. Shit.
“I’m sorry,” I murmur back, continuing to wipe the salt away.
Shaking his head slightly, his pale face lifts up, his eyes meeting mine, “Stop saying that… it’s not you… I know it’s not you…”
When I’m finally done, I wrap the bandage carefully around his arm and pull him up against me, lying down.
“Wait,” he whispers softly, reaching out for the bottle. He presses it to my chest, “You must… you must drink too…”
A droplet of moisture escapes my eyes and I feel like hiding away, hiding away or screaming at Jared about how the hell he can be so perfect even when he’s in utter agony. Instead I surge forwards pressing a furious kiss to his lips, “I love you. I love you so fucking much, you have no idea.”
He smiles gently, stretching out on the mattress, “Love you too, Jen.”
*
We jerk awake as complete darkness floods into the room. Immediately seeking Jared’s warmth, I pull him against me, scared to lose him. Carefully crawling out the shelter, I stand shoulder to shoulder with him.
“What… what do you think happened?” I ask quietly.
He silently shifts to stand behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist and leaning his forehead against the nape of my neck, comforting me more than he knows. “The bulb probably blew,” he murmurs, sounding exhausted.
Suddenly the intercom goes on and an urgent voice comes on over, “Jared, Jensen, you there?”
Jared’s arms tighten around me as we both yell back in the affirmative.
“Oh, thank, God. I’m Detective Vanso. I’ve been investigating your case for a while now. Please stand back from the door, the medics are on their way.”
I spin around in Jared’s arms, pulling him tightly against me, “Jay. God, we made it! They’re here. They’re here.”
*
They took Jared away from me. They pulled him out of my arms. I miss him so much; I can’t stand it.
After prodding and poking me and putting an IV in my arm, they’ve all left me alone to stare up at the bright ceiling. I’m going crazy.
Finally footsteps approach, and a few moments later, I’m surrounded by crying family members.
“Mom… Mom, it’s okay. It’s okay…” My voice is so hoarse it’s painful. Everything aches, but my mom’s here. My dad’s here. Both my siblings are here. Chris is behind them, grinning widely beside Steve. They’re all here.
Determined not to cry, I just hug them back tightly. “Have you heard about Jared… is he okay? Where is he? What are the doctors saying? Have they checked his arm yet? It looked pretty infected and-”
Chris cuts in with a grin, “Dude, you’re boy’s being looked after just fine. He’s in ICU, but the doctors say he’s going to be okay. Now, how are you?”
“I…” I don’t really feel like talking about myself, “I’m fine…. When can I see him?”
They all burst out laughing happily, just as Mrs Padalecki walks in with a grin, “That’s exactly what he’s been yelling at the doctors for the past half an hour.”
She hugs me tightly and I feel more moisture prickling at my eyes, “He’s okay?”
“Yeah, he’s got a mild case of pneumonia, and his arm’s been stitched and cleaned. He’s getting pumped with antibiotics and fluids, but he’s okay,” she laughs softly. “And apparently, if the doctors and nurses hear him demanding to see you one more time, they’re going to kill him.”
It’s the best news I’ve heard in ages. Relaxing for the first time, I sag back into the pillow. “Oh, good.”
“They’re going to transfer him here as soon as they’re done with him.”
“Awesome,” I murmur, finally allowing myself to drift off.
*
Someone’s fingers are brushing through my hair. The warmth of the person’s hand is nice, soothing. Familiar.
I feel heavy, as if something’s pressing me down or like I’m over twenty feet under water. I don’t know where I am. I’m so tired.
“…get your ass out of bed soon else… finish off all the beer… barbeque won’t work…” Someone’s talking.
But they sound so far away.
Vaguely, I hear myself calling out for someone, reaching out for someone. But I’m soon swept under again.
*
Jensen’s freckled nose is the first thing I see when I wake up. I can’t help the snort that escapes me. He just has so many freckles.
His green eyes blink open, soft and sleepy as he gazes at me. “Hey,” he whispers, his voice croaky and froglike. I let out a giggle and he raises his eyebrow. “Dude, you’re stoned.”
I let out another giggle, unable to control myself.
Shaking his head at me, Jensen rolls his eyes, “Man, the drugs those doctors have you on really are making you loopy.” But he’s grinning so I know he’s not mad.
Pointing up at him, only just avoiding hitting him in the face, I send him a lopsided smile, “You said ‘loopy’.”
“You are loopy… How’re you feeling?”
“Huh?” I look up at him in confusion.
He gestures towards my arm. Which is bandaged. “Huh,” I huff, wondering why… “Oh…” I point back up at him, “You cut me… you cut me again and again…”
When he turns away, shoulders shaking, I realise I’ve said something wrong. I’ve hurt him by accident. Stumbling out of the bed and narrowly avoiding landing on my face. I head towards him, throwing my arms around him and earning a surprised gasp.
“Jare, you shouldn’t be out of bed!”
Hugging him tightly, I whisper loudly in his ear, “You cut me… to get water, to get food… We’re still alive because you were strong enough… Now stop moping and come lie down with me…”
His eyes are bright when he spins around, and I’m only given a second’s warning before he pulls me into a crushing hug, nearly lifting me up off the ground, and I’ll have you know, I’m no lighty.
“Jen,” I laugh as I bat him away, “Come on, I’m…” I let out a wide yawn, “’m tired…”
“You’ve been sleeping for two days,” he complains, but he obediently follows me towards the bed.
When he hesitates, I let out a loud whine, “Jeeeen, I need my pillow, here.”
Grinning fondly, he shifts to lie down, making himself comfortable and stretching an arm out for me.
Immediately rolling closer, fitting myself in the crook of his arm and slinging an arm over his chest, I breathe out happily.
Laughing, he presses his lips to my forehead, “I don’t know what these doctors gave you, but I’ll be sure to ask where I can get more. You’re so stoned, it’s hilarious.”
Pouting at him, I dig my chin in his chest, making him squirm away, “You’re just jealous.”
“Sure.”
*
Jared’s mom sneaks in just moments after he’s fallen asleep, and I blush as she eyes the sleeping arrangement. When she simply smiles at me, I grin back at her, “He was kind of out of it, with the meds or something.”
“Yeah?” she laughs, “The doctors mentioned that. Said it would wear off after a few hours. His body just needs to get used to it.”
“Thank god for that, normal Jared is hyper enough.”
She smiles warmly at me as she takes a seat beside the bed, “I know what you mean.”
It’s slightly awkward talking to her while her son is currently conked out in my arms, but there’s not much I can do about it.
“Jensen, I…” she pauses, leaning forwards to brush the hair from Jared’s face. The kid just lets out a snuffled noise and buries his face further into the side of my neck, holding me tighter. “The officers told me what… what happened… what you were forced to do…”
Her fingers brush over Jared’s bandaged arm, beneath which, lies the branding of my name. When she looks up again, there are tears in her eyes, “I just… I just want you to know how grateful I am… I’m just so glad it was you he was with… I… I wouldn’t have trusted anyone else to look after him… Just… thank you…”
“Ma’am. I think Jared was the one who was looking after me the whole time… I wouldn't have gotten through without him…”
She chokes out a laugh, brushing tears from her eyes, “Look at this, you rascal. You made an old woman cry, you should be ashamed.” But her smile is warm as she squeezes the arm I’ve got wrapped around Jared. “Not many friendships could’ve survived this… I’m so proud of you both…”
Then she gets to her feet, leaning over to press a kiss to my forehead, then she ducks down to press one over Jared’s, making him let out a muffled whine of protest, hiding further into me, and making me and Sherri exchange fond smiles.
She heads towards the door, pausing to murmur, “The doctors say they’ll discharge you this afternoon, you might want to head back to the house for a shower or something.”
Shaking my head with a small smile, I stroke my fingers up Jared’s back, “Nah, I’m going to wait for Jay… We’ll get out of here together…”
More tears well up in her eyes and she wipes them away with the back of her hand, “I’m so… I’m so glad he has you…”
Before I can reply, she leaves the room, leaving me blushing furiously. Burying my face in Jared’s soft curls, I inhale deeply and murmur, “Dude, your mom really knows how to embarrass me, you know that?”
Obviously, Jared’s only response it to let out a soft, murmured sigh, his lips brushing against the tender skin of my neck and sending shivers through me.
Then, still fast asleep, he breathes softly, “Jen…”
Squeezing him closer, I whisper softly in his ear, “Yeah, Jay…”
*
The first thing I do when I wake up is search for Jensen. Once I’ve established that he’s currently my pillow, I relax again, tucking my nose back into the groove of his shoulder.
He laughs, his whole chest vibrating, “Nuh, uh. Lazy fucker. You’ve been sleeping for ages, man. Come on, it’s time to wake up.”
Groaning, I lift up enough to glare at him. His smile doesn’t falter, “I want to get out of here, don’t you?”
“Wait… we’re allowed to go home?”
Jensen shivers slightly at my words, his hands coming up to rest at my waist, “We can as soon as we sign the papers.”
Realizing I’ve forgotten something important, I clutch at Jensen’s shoulders, “They… the cops got him… right? The man who… the man who…”
Soothing fingers trace up my sides, right up to rest against my shoulder blades, and Jensen nods his head, “Yeah, they got him. Well, they got them. There was more than one. A father and son, both mentally instable and the officer mentioned incest. Apparently the mother is the father’s sister or something like that.”
“Ew…” I make a face, “Wait… why did they… why did they want to hurt us?”
“According to the police, the father in The Bender’s episode looks like this man’s father. And his head’s so fucked up that he thought is was actual footage of his father’s death, us - the Winchesters - being the cause of it.”
“God, that’s so screwed up….”
“Yeah,” Jensen murmurs, “Tell me about it…. The cops say that there’ll be a trial in a few months time, but they pretty much caught the men red-handed, video cameras and everything set up… They should get twenty or so years at least…You ready to get out of here?”
I nod, my eyes sliding shut as I move forwards to rest my cheek against his chest, “I want to go home. I want to shower, and I want to curl up in front of the TV and watch movie after movie until I can’t keep my eyes open anymore. Then I just want to sleep.”
“Well, hell. You know I’m in,” he whispers back softly, his fingers carding through my hair softly.
A voice comes from the doorway, “Well, if you two lovebirds are quite finished… our Dads have the cars ready.”
Meg grins from the doorway, holding up a container like a peace offering.
“Is that what I think it is?”
Mac appears at her shoulder, “Yup, we baked it ourselves for our annoying, dorkface brothers. But Mom says you can’t have any now, you have to wait till after we’ve dropped you off at your house.”
“Awww,” I pout, “But that’s just mean.”
Laughing happily, Jensen slides out from beneath me, “Come on, I want to get home too.”
*
I’m relieved when the family doesn’t stay long. To be honest, I’m completely exhausted, and I can tell that Jared is as well. The sound of the door clicking securely behind us is such a relief that we exchange smiles.
“God,” Jared murmurs, reverently running his fingers over a nearby cabinet, “I never realised how much I love this place.”
“How’s your arm feeling?”
He turns towards me, “It doesn’t hurt so much now. I guess it’s healing well. The doctors say it’s going to scar though.”
“You could get the scars removed, you could-”
Interrupting me with a warm hand on my chest, he steps closer, “I’ve been thinking about it… The thing is… the thing is that I don’t mind… It’s your name on my skin… I don’t see how that can be a bad thing…”
“You…” shaking my head to stop myself from being sappy, I close the distance between us instead, running my fingers along his arm, imagining how it’ll look when it’s healed. Imagining how my name will look, branding him as mine.
Kissing him softly, I grin against his lips, “I think you promised me a shower.”
“I did? Really?” Jared grins back, “Well, I guess I better follow through.”
*
When we tumble into bed, we’re utterly exhausted, but we’re clean, we’re safe, we’re home and we’re together. That’s the most important part: we’re together.
“I love you,” Jensen breathes into the darkness, making me grin stupidly.
“You’re such a sap,” I roll on top of him, “Good thing I love you, else I wouldn’t be able to stand it.”
“Bitch,” he laughs happily.
“I should wash your mouth out,” I whisper back, promptly doing so with my tongue, making him moan against my lips and arch up to get closer.
His eyes are so warm as he gazes up at me, his hands framing my face as his thumbs stroke gently over my cheeks, that I can barely breathe.
“Love you, Jare…” he murmurs quietly, seriously.
Drawing him up into a brutal kiss, I kiss until oxygen becomes an issue, then I pull back enough for him to look me in the eye. “You know I love you, don’t you?”
When he doesn’t reply, I grip his shoulders tightly and shake him, “Jensen, you know I love you. You know that this isn’t just because of the ‘trauma’ or whatever crap people spout. Right?” My voice breaks slightly, “You know that.”
Taking a shuddering breath, Jensen nods, “Yeah… I know that… Sorry, I just… I do know that… I’m just… I just don’t want to lose you…”
Grabbing his hand, I guide it towards my arm, pressing it down over the bandage, not wincing despite the pain, “What do you think this is, Jensen? For as long as I have your name on my skin, I’m yours. And I’m not going to have it removed, so that means I’m yours. I’m yours, Jensen.”
Sliding his fingers reverently over the bandage, he looks up at me with eyes filled with so many emotions I can’t name them. “Mine,” he breathes like a promise. “Mine.”
Curling up against him and pulling his arms around me, I press a kiss to the dip of his collarbone, “Yours.”
**