While These Visions Did Appear (3/8)
Dean swore as he looked through the open window, watching and waiting for the right time. He knew the secret now, even if he hadn’t when they’d first found the small pack of vampires that was slowly draining the migratory working population. They’d been smart about it and it had just been happenstance that Sam and Dean were driving through to a haunting when they’d stopped for the night. They woke the next morning to a girl banging on their door asking if they’d seen her brother. Sam had noticed the other missing person notices plastered to the poles as they’d walked to the diner for breakfast. The girl was no older than fourteen but something about her made Dean think of Sam, or maybe what Sam would have been like if he’d woken in that motel room a year ago alone. It made him think of Sam lost and desperate and needing someone to take care of him. It made him look into the local disappearances and that had brought him to the vampires.
They’d caught three unaware but as much lore as there was about vampires, most of it seemed to be false. It wasn’t until they’d taken Sam and left someone behind to kill him that Dean learned the real trick of vampires.
It was almost dawn. He didn’t know if vampires were afraid of sunlight or not, but since most of their activities happened during the night he figured there might be something to the myth. Then again, as he watched them, it could just be that they liked to party late.
They had Sam tied to a concrete pillar at the back of the abandoned warehouse. It’d been a paper mill once, before the town had dried up to nothing. Now, it was just a hang out for vamps and their victims. One of the females moved across the room, all swaying hips and sexy stares as she approached Sam. He wasn’t the only victim strung up, but he was the newest and the only one that still seemed aware when they approached. She smiled seductively at Sam and though he couldn’t hear the words his partner spoke, he could see the way her smile turned into a hateful glare as she got closer. He wanted to cheer Sam’s bravado but he also wanted to strangle him. Did he really need to piss off the vampires when he had to know that Dean would be coming to get him?
It might have made her angry, but Sam’s words didn’t halt the vampire’s progress. She pressed a hand to Sam’s chest and Dean felt his jaw grinding in an effort to remain still. She pulled out a small knife and Dean found himself ready to move, damn the consequences.
“You going in there alone?”
Dean jerked away from the window to face the newcomer. The shotgun was pointed at him but Dean ignored it for the man himself. Older, with a grizzled face and graying beard, the man seemed more curious than angry.
“Unless you’re offering to join the party, it looks like I am.”
“You’d be a damn fool for it.”
Dean smiled. “Probably.” He looked back at the window and caught the glimpse of Sam’s shirt being cut from his chest and his anger hardened. “They have my partner in there and I’m going in to get him out.”
The other man pulled the ball hat off his head and settled it back in place. “Looks like you won’t be alone then. You know how to take these things out?”
“Beheading.”
“Yep. It’s a pretty messy business.”
Dean just looked at the man for a minute. “It’s about to get messier.”
The guy dropped the gun then and held his hand out. “Bobby Singer.”
“Dean Young.”
“Good to meet you Dean. Now, you got a plan?”
“Yeah, go in and get Sammy.”
The guy snorted and Dean looked up, a half smile on his face. “They’ll go to sleep soon. So long as they don’t mess with Sam too much before then, I figured I’d head in, let him go, then start chopping heads off.”
“And if they mess with the boy too much?”
Dean flinched at the term boy. He didn’t think of Sam like that really, not as someone too young for this life, but he was. Sam was just a boy, caught in a life he probably didn’t really want, and Dean was the lecher for keeping him close because he couldn’t stand the thought of being without him.
“I’ll kill them all before they get a chance to hurt him.”
The other hunter nodded as if he’d expected as much. “Alright. You keep an eye on the window. I got something a little better than that pig sticker you’re carrying around.”
The guy left and Dean didn’t bother watching. He wasn’t a vamp; he’d been watching them well enough to know their numbers. He wasn’t local either so Dean was more than willing to let him help, if only because it improved his chances of getting Sam out of there alive.
He turned his eyes back to the window and took a deep breath, steadying himself for the sight. They knew the routine. According to the medical examiner, the bodies all had multiple puncture wounds before the blood loss killed them. They liked to play with their food for a few days.
The fact that he knew they wouldn’t kill Sam just yet didn’t make it any easier though as he watched the woman wrapping her arms around Sam’s broad shoulders. One hand forced his head to the side while she sank her teeth into Sam’s neck. He made himself watch the pain that crossed Sam’s face, watched as the vampire writhed against him as she fed. It was more like sex than any feeding Dean had ever seen before, the way she licked at his open flesh, her hands dancing over the tanned skin of his chest, fingernails scraping over his nipples and causing his body to react. Sam jerked from the touch but the vampire threw her head back, laughing like it was a joke.
Cold metal touched his forearm and Dean looked up to find Bobby Singer staring into the window as well. His voice was gruff as he watched the scene. “Soon Dean. We’ll get him out and we’ll kill them all.”
"Remember boy, these things don't forget you. You go in there to kill because once they get your scent they'll never stop hunting you," Bobby whispered as Dean gripped the handle of the machete Bobby had brought back for him.
They crept in a small side door after Dean bent down and picked the lock. His fingers shook slightly as he did it and he repressed the loss he felt that Sam wasn't there to do it, his nimble fingers would have made much quicker work of it. When Dean looked up though, Bobby was giving him an approving nod.
They didn't speak as they entered, moving silently into position. Dean stood beside the vampire elder and watched as Bobby cut the rope that loosely bound Sam's feet to keep him from kicking out. When Bobby had his hands free Dean raised the machete high, bringing it down to sever the head cleanly from the neck.
The woman beside him woke in the wake of blood splattering across her. She threw herself at Dean but he was already swinging his arm around. She closed the distance between them too fast so the machete hit flesh but without the force he needed to hack through the bone. She fell to the ground screaming, clutching at her ruined flesh and Dean didn't give her another chance to recover. He ignored the sounds of another fight as he brought the blade down again, silencing her shrieks.
When he looked up Bobby and Sam were standing back to back, on the floor around them were the beheaded corpses of the remaining three vampires.
"Sam?"
"Yeah Dean.”
Dean was held in place by Sam, looking at the young hunter, trying to determine if he was okay, if this would be their last hunt, if Sam would ever trust him to watch his back again. He couldn’t look away, couldn’t stop imagining her hands on his chest and the way his body moved involuntarily.
Sam nodded as if he knew Dean was still in that place. “I'm good."
It brought Dean out of it and he took a deep breath as he started moving. "Let's get you the hell out of here."
Dean wrapped an arm around Sam's waist and felt relieved as Sam put an arm over his shoulder, letting him help him to the car. He grabbed the first aid kit and took care of Sam’s neck, dropping his bag of clothes on the seat beside him so he could get fresh pants and a shirt while Dean went back in to help Bobby. Bobby had already brought out two of the victims, still alive but not responding to anything. The other five victims were dead and Dean helped Bobby salt their bodies, leaving something to identify them with in a pile outside the warehouse beside the two live victims so their families would know some part of the truth. Dean went back inside after that, taking anything of interest and setting the fire on his way out. They called 911 for the two victims and waited around until they could hear sirens before leaving, turning down the old side streets to keep from being seen by any of the emergency vehicles.
They drove for a half hour before Dean felt safe pulling over. He ran into the gas station and got juice and water and any other snack he thought would help Sam recover from the blood loss. When he came out Sam had his long legs stretched out in front of him, talking to Bobby. He pulled a juice out of the bag and opened it, putting it in Sam's hand.
Sam looked tired and still pale but other than that he looked good, the distance between them and the vampire's lair making the earlier haunted look fade. Bobby looked them both over and Dean could see the question in his eyes over the way Dean stood protectively close to the younger man. He couldn't give an answer to that question so he ignored it.
"Bobby, thank you for your help back there."
Bobby took Dean's offered hand and smiled. "Gotta do something to keep the idjits at bay,” Bobby winked at Sam. "Don't think he'll tell you but I thought Dean was gonna go through the window a few times to get to you. It's not everyday you find a partner in this business that's so willing to back you up."
Dean glanced at Sam and couldn't help but feel warmed by the look of adoration there. "Yeah Bobby. I know how lucky I am," Sam said softly.
Dean cut off anything else by moving to the other side of the car. "We need to get some miles," he said as he opened the door. "Bobby,"
"You have my number. Call me if you need anything. And let me know you aren't dead every so often."
Sam pulled the older man close and Dean could see the embarrassment in the hunter’s face though he held Sam tight just a second and he knew the old man appreciated it.
They were barely five minutes on the road when Dean looked over to see Sam's eyes drooping. He forced the smile from his face. "Go to sleep Sammy. We'll stop early tonight, get some real food and you can stretch out on a nice bed."
"Thanks man."
It was the end of the conversation as Sam let himself go and Dean was left alone with his thoughts and too vivid memories.
Dean stopped them midday and took Sam in a family restaurant. It wasn’t the best place but it was better than diner grease and Sam could order one of those salads he liked so much. Dean ate his BLT more out of habit than hunger, but he kept at Sam to finish his food, reminding him he needed the nourishment more than usual. Sam rolled his eyes, but he kept eating.
When they headed back out, Sam’s color was beginning to return but he was asleep fifteen minutes later. Dean let him go; knowing Sam needed the time to heal and to deal with what had happened to him. Dean had been there, watching, and he knew he was going to have a hard enough time with it on his own.
When the sky turned dark around them, Dean pulled them into a steak house. They were both cleaned up well enough and though Sam looked sleepy, his collar hid the bandage well enough that no one would really notice anything different about them. They ate quickly, thick steaks with all the trimmings. Dean might have liked to have enjoyed it a little bit more, to take his time and make the most of the expensive meal, but Sam needed a bed more than the atmosphere and Dean really wanted to look at his neck again and make sure it was healing well.
The hotel was better than their usual fare as well, not high class but nice. Dean asked for a room at the back and then he was parking the Impala where it would be hidden from the road. They were on the second floor so they went up the stairs, Sam protesting as Dean took both their bags up.
The colors in the room were muted and there was a small refrigerator stocked with drinks. There was room service, blankets that were soft, and a shower with actual water pressure that looked clean enough to sit down in. Much nicer than their normal establishments.
Sam walked straight in and dropped onto the mattress of the second bed, sighing deeply as he stretched his arms up above his head. Dean’s eyes slide to the patch of skin that showed beneath Sam’s shirt and he looked away quickly before Sam could catch it. He grabbed the first aid kit out of his bag and dropped it on the night stand.
“Let me take another look at that.”
Sam stretched a minute longer before sitting up. He pulled his shirt off over his head and Dean kept his eyes on the kit, pulling out the tape and bandage he’d need to knit the kid back up again.
Dean knelt between Sam’s legs and began gently pulling the old bandage off. He kept his attention focused and didn’t allow himself to dwell on the mangled flesh or how close he’d come to losing Sam this time. Steady fingers gently redid the bandage and as the last piece of medical tape was applied, Dean let his fingers trail softly across the wound. He couldn’t help himself then as he turned his hand, the back of his knuckles brushing across Sam’s exposed collarbone. He heard Sam’s quick intake of breath but couldn’t look up. His fingers travelled the path the vampires had earlier but Sam’s body was leaning into his touch where he’d pushed away from her. He let his nails scrape over Sam’s nipples and then down his abs until he was gripping Sam’s hips in his hands.
“Dean,” Sam’s voice was shaking as he said it, a prayer and a plea.
He allowed himself to look up then, to see the man in front of him. Sam’s eyes were wide in surprise but there was no doubting the heat that waited for him. When Dean leaned up, Sam met him half way, lips crushing together as Dean tangled his fingers in Sam’s hair, angling his head into a better position.
Sam’s arms wrapped around Dean, pulling him closer. When he licked his way into Sam’s mouth the younger man moaned, his lips opening to Dean’s ministrations. When Sam’s arms pulled him, Dean went up onto the bed and found himself on his knees, still between Sam’s legs, his body pressing the other man down into the mattress.
“Sammy,” he tried to stop himself, tried to pull away from what was happening. He’d fought so hard to control this thing between them, warred with himself for the last year, knowing that once he did this there was no going back for Sam. At first, they hadn’t known each other, just two strangers waking up in a bed together, but over time he’d come to understand Sam, to know that if he let this thing happen that he was tying Sam to him irrevocably.
He looked up at Sam and saw the one thing he’d refused to let himself see before. Sam was already tied to him, every day, every hunt, every injury, every thing that Dean did tied the younger man closer to him. Just as he understood that since the moment they woke up, Dean had tied himself to Sam. There had never been any denying this, not for the long term.
“Dean, please,”
When Sam’s hand wrapped around his neck and pulled him back down, Dean went willingly. He kissed Sam gently, enjoying the ebb and flow that was so dynamic between him and Sam, something he never allowed himself to do in random one-nighters. He learned the taste and feel of Sam’s lips, explored his tongue and teeth and delved as deep into his mouth as he could before drawing back and tracing the path of his jaw. He moved down, kissing across Sam’s collarbone and then learning the path of skin that lead to his nipples. He licked across one, using the flat of his tongue and Sam arched under him. He used the tip of his tongue to circle the flesh again before sucking lightly, loving the feel of the hardened nub against his tongue.
Sam was writhing underneath him and Dean continued until he was sure the vampire’s touch was completely gone from his mind. He trailed Sam’s abdomen with his lips, leaving a trail of warm breath and moist kisses across his skin until he could bite at the curve just above Sam’s hipbone.
“Christ, Dean,”
Dean looked up at Sam and smiled at the wrecked look on Sam’s face. The heat between them seared the air as Sam’s white knuckled fingers clutched the blankets. His eyes were blown wide, the green-gray almost lost to the blacks and his lips were beautifully bruised.
Dean didn’t say anything as he looked his fill, didn’t say anything as he realized Sam was staring at him just as intently. When Dean reached down and began to work open the button of his jeans though, Sam’s eyes closed and he bit his bottom lip.
Dean worked the pants over slender hips, taking all of his remaining clothes with them. He left a pile of clothes at the foot of the bed and then Dean was leaning back to where he’d been, licking at Sam’s hip before moving lower. He reached out with one hand, taking Sam’s cock with it, licking across the head as Sam began to swear.
He licked his lips and paused, looking up the younger man’s body. Sam was staring at him and Dean smiled mischievously as he opened his mouth and took Sam’s cock into his mouth. Sam’s head dropped back to the bed and he moaned loudly as Dean’s warm, wet mouth encompassed him. He worked his way down the length, licking and sucking until Sam was pulled at him, pulling him up and to his lips.
“Wanna come with you inside me.”
“Gonna come now if you keep saying things like that,” Dean teased, but Sam’s hands were already working his shirt off his shoulders. He pulled the tee shirt off quickly while Sam was undoing his pants. He stood and let them fall to the ground in the puddle of Sam’s clothes.
He grabbed his bag quickly, feeling the press of Sam’s eyes on his body as he moved to get the condoms and lube from his bag. Sam didn’t say anything when Dean dropped them onto the foot of the bed, but pulled him back into his kiss.
Dean reached out blindly for the lube and cracked it open without looking. He’d never been with a man before, but he’d seen enough porn in his life to know how this worked. He coated his fingers liberally and then he was reaching between them, fingers teasing small circles around Sam’s opening.
Sam’s legs fell wider apart, giving Dean better leverage to play and as he pressed one finger slowly in, Sam pulled his head back, leaving his lips at Dean’s temple. He could hear the shaky breath that escaped Sam as he pressed in up to the first knuckle.
He pulled back and nudged at Sam’s nose with his own until those green-gray eyes met his. He worked slowly, easing his finger in and out before he added a second. Sam’s hips were rocking back and forth into him and Dean had to keep himself from rubbing himself off against Sam’s pale skin.
“Dean, now,”
He didn’t question Sam, but he pressed a kiss to his lips as he removed his fingers, wiping them across the bedspread as he reached for a condom. Once he had it on, he leaned forward, one hand beside Sam’s head, the other guiding him into Sam’s body.
He could see the pain in Sam’s eyes but before he could pull back, Sam clamped a hand around Dean’s arm, keeping him in place. “Want this,” he said softly, his voice deeper than Dean had ever heard it.
Dean nodded and Sam let go of his arm, running his hand up the expanse of his neck and shoulders. Dean pushed in again and bit back a groan at the feel of Sam’s tight warm heat encompassing him. He let his eyes skim over Sam’s body, took in the way his fingers bit into Dean’s skin as he pressed in, the way his hips raised to meet him, the way his tongue wet his lips. It was too much and as he pressed in the final distance, he crushed his lips to Sam’s.
Sam’s arms pulled him tight and then Dean was catching the moan from Sam’s mouth as he slowly rolled his hips. When he pulled out most of the way, he pushed back up to watch Sam’s face. He pressed inside again and Sam closed his eyes with the movement. There was no pain in Sam’s response and Dean pulled out again, snapping his hips back into his lover.
“Fuck Dean, yeah,” Sam’s reaction to Dean’s harder thrust made him repeat the action, pulling out slowly, feeling every inch of drag and give, before slamming in hard. Sam was gasping underneath him, his words a slurred litany of ‘God, yeah, Dean’ and ‘fuck, harder, want it’. Sometimes it was in English and sometimes Latin. Sometimes he couldn’t tell if it was a language or just a blend of sounds as he pounded into the tight heat of his body.
His own words weren’t much more coherent. It was all ‘Sammy’ and ‘fucking perfect’ and ‘fuck, need this’ because even this far gone he wasn’t sure he could tell Sam how much he needed him there with him. He knew Sam understood, knew without the words, just like Dean knew Sam felt the same. It was just too much to say it and now they had one more way to express it.
Dean could feel the pleasure building and he reached between them, stroking Sam’s cock as he changed his angle, hitting just the right spot to make him arch up off the bed.
“Dean, fuck, please…”
He leaned closer, catching Sam’s eyes again and he watched as his lover’s orgasm hit. The look in his eyes, the love and trust that lay in those depths was enough to send Dean over. He tried to lean down and kiss Sam, but his lover’s hands were on his face, holding him still, their eyes connecting as Dean’s hips continued to press into him, their orgasm pulsing between them.
When Sam’s eyes finally closed, Dean’s whole body was shaking with the exertion to keep himself upright. He slowly pulled out of Sam’s body and got up, disposing of the condom before cleaning himself up. He looked into the other room and saw Sam still on his back, one hand scratching idly at the space beside him, as if contemplating if Dean would take his customary place in bed that night.
Dean looked back into the mirror, wondering when he’d lost control of all of this so completely. Had he always been so completely lost when it came to Sam? Or had he lost his ability to handle him when he’d lost his memories? When had his intention to keep Sam safe become partnering for hunts and sleeping with him? When had Dean lost his moral compass so completely that he was willing to sleep with an underage boy who had nothing else in the world to lean on, but Dean and a life full of nastiness he should be protected from?
His hands grabbed for the wash cloth and he found himself wringing it out under warm water. He was at the edge of the bed before he realized what he was doing, but taking care of Sam seemed to be as ingrained in him as breathing. Part of him wanted to run, to find the nearest bar and the nearest pair of arms and forget the feel of Sam, to try to gain back that small part of himself that he’d been able to keep, but he already knew it was useless.
Anything he’d had to hide from Sam had been in his eyes the moment Sam had held him close, there for Sam to witness.
Instead, he took the warm cloth and began wiping across Sam’s abdomen. He ignored the way Sam was watching him but he couldn’t help the shiver that wracked his body as Sam’s long fingers began to stroke up and down his back.
He threw the wash cloth into the bathroom, heard the wet splat of it as it fell from the edge of the counter onto the floor. He got up and moved to the other bed, pulling back the crisp white sheets and slid between them, taking a moment to enjoy the soft fabric before he looked over at Sam.
His lover was watching from the other bed, disappointment clear in his eyes. Dean gave Sam a small smile, the most he was capable of just yet, and pulled back the blanket and sheets. “Don’t know about you, but I’d rather sleep in the clean bed.”
Sam’s smile was brilliant, dimples coming out in full force and Dean figured that right there was where his so-called control had disappeared to. Sam jumped out of the other bed and climbed in beside Dean, his head resting over Dean’s heart as he relaxed.
“Not going anywhere Sam,” he said, pressing his lips against Sam’s temple.
Sam sighed and Dean could feel him smile against his skin. “Me either Dean. We’re in this together.”
It said so many things, but mostly that Sam understood Dean and he couldn’t help but pull Sam tighter to him in response.
When he fell asleep that night with Sam breathing against his neck it was to the feeling that everything in the world was finally going his way and the opposing fear that it was all about to fall apart under his feet.
On to Chapter Four
They’d caught three unaware but as much lore as there was about vampires, most of it seemed to be false. It wasn’t until they’d taken Sam and left someone behind to kill him that Dean learned the real trick of vampires.
It was almost dawn. He didn’t know if vampires were afraid of sunlight or not, but since most of their activities happened during the night he figured there might be something to the myth. Then again, as he watched them, it could just be that they liked to party late.
They had Sam tied to a concrete pillar at the back of the abandoned warehouse. It’d been a paper mill once, before the town had dried up to nothing. Now, it was just a hang out for vamps and their victims. One of the females moved across the room, all swaying hips and sexy stares as she approached Sam. He wasn’t the only victim strung up, but he was the newest and the only one that still seemed aware when they approached. She smiled seductively at Sam and though he couldn’t hear the words his partner spoke, he could see the way her smile turned into a hateful glare as she got closer. He wanted to cheer Sam’s bravado but he also wanted to strangle him. Did he really need to piss off the vampires when he had to know that Dean would be coming to get him?
It might have made her angry, but Sam’s words didn’t halt the vampire’s progress. She pressed a hand to Sam’s chest and Dean felt his jaw grinding in an effort to remain still. She pulled out a small knife and Dean found himself ready to move, damn the consequences.
“You going in there alone?”
Dean jerked away from the window to face the newcomer. The shotgun was pointed at him but Dean ignored it for the man himself. Older, with a grizzled face and graying beard, the man seemed more curious than angry.
“Unless you’re offering to join the party, it looks like I am.”
“You’d be a damn fool for it.”
Dean smiled. “Probably.” He looked back at the window and caught the glimpse of Sam’s shirt being cut from his chest and his anger hardened. “They have my partner in there and I’m going in to get him out.”
The other man pulled the ball hat off his head and settled it back in place. “Looks like you won’t be alone then. You know how to take these things out?”
“Beheading.”
“Yep. It’s a pretty messy business.”
Dean just looked at the man for a minute. “It’s about to get messier.”
The guy dropped the gun then and held his hand out. “Bobby Singer.”
“Dean Young.”
“Good to meet you Dean. Now, you got a plan?”
“Yeah, go in and get Sammy.”
The guy snorted and Dean looked up, a half smile on his face. “They’ll go to sleep soon. So long as they don’t mess with Sam too much before then, I figured I’d head in, let him go, then start chopping heads off.”
“And if they mess with the boy too much?”
Dean flinched at the term boy. He didn’t think of Sam like that really, not as someone too young for this life, but he was. Sam was just a boy, caught in a life he probably didn’t really want, and Dean was the lecher for keeping him close because he couldn’t stand the thought of being without him.
“I’ll kill them all before they get a chance to hurt him.”
The other hunter nodded as if he’d expected as much. “Alright. You keep an eye on the window. I got something a little better than that pig sticker you’re carrying around.”
The guy left and Dean didn’t bother watching. He wasn’t a vamp; he’d been watching them well enough to know their numbers. He wasn’t local either so Dean was more than willing to let him help, if only because it improved his chances of getting Sam out of there alive.
He turned his eyes back to the window and took a deep breath, steadying himself for the sight. They knew the routine. According to the medical examiner, the bodies all had multiple puncture wounds before the blood loss killed them. They liked to play with their food for a few days.
The fact that he knew they wouldn’t kill Sam just yet didn’t make it any easier though as he watched the woman wrapping her arms around Sam’s broad shoulders. One hand forced his head to the side while she sank her teeth into Sam’s neck. He made himself watch the pain that crossed Sam’s face, watched as the vampire writhed against him as she fed. It was more like sex than any feeding Dean had ever seen before, the way she licked at his open flesh, her hands dancing over the tanned skin of his chest, fingernails scraping over his nipples and causing his body to react. Sam jerked from the touch but the vampire threw her head back, laughing like it was a joke.
Cold metal touched his forearm and Dean looked up to find Bobby Singer staring into the window as well. His voice was gruff as he watched the scene. “Soon Dean. We’ll get him out and we’ll kill them all.”
"Remember boy, these things don't forget you. You go in there to kill because once they get your scent they'll never stop hunting you," Bobby whispered as Dean gripped the handle of the machete Bobby had brought back for him.
They crept in a small side door after Dean bent down and picked the lock. His fingers shook slightly as he did it and he repressed the loss he felt that Sam wasn't there to do it, his nimble fingers would have made much quicker work of it. When Dean looked up though, Bobby was giving him an approving nod.
They didn't speak as they entered, moving silently into position. Dean stood beside the vampire elder and watched as Bobby cut the rope that loosely bound Sam's feet to keep him from kicking out. When Bobby had his hands free Dean raised the machete high, bringing it down to sever the head cleanly from the neck.
The woman beside him woke in the wake of blood splattering across her. She threw herself at Dean but he was already swinging his arm around. She closed the distance between them too fast so the machete hit flesh but without the force he needed to hack through the bone. She fell to the ground screaming, clutching at her ruined flesh and Dean didn't give her another chance to recover. He ignored the sounds of another fight as he brought the blade down again, silencing her shrieks.
When he looked up Bobby and Sam were standing back to back, on the floor around them were the beheaded corpses of the remaining three vampires.
"Sam?"
"Yeah Dean.”
Dean was held in place by Sam, looking at the young hunter, trying to determine if he was okay, if this would be their last hunt, if Sam would ever trust him to watch his back again. He couldn’t look away, couldn’t stop imagining her hands on his chest and the way his body moved involuntarily.
Sam nodded as if he knew Dean was still in that place. “I'm good."
It brought Dean out of it and he took a deep breath as he started moving. "Let's get you the hell out of here."
Dean wrapped an arm around Sam's waist and felt relieved as Sam put an arm over his shoulder, letting him help him to the car. He grabbed the first aid kit and took care of Sam’s neck, dropping his bag of clothes on the seat beside him so he could get fresh pants and a shirt while Dean went back in to help Bobby. Bobby had already brought out two of the victims, still alive but not responding to anything. The other five victims were dead and Dean helped Bobby salt their bodies, leaving something to identify them with in a pile outside the warehouse beside the two live victims so their families would know some part of the truth. Dean went back inside after that, taking anything of interest and setting the fire on his way out. They called 911 for the two victims and waited around until they could hear sirens before leaving, turning down the old side streets to keep from being seen by any of the emergency vehicles.
They drove for a half hour before Dean felt safe pulling over. He ran into the gas station and got juice and water and any other snack he thought would help Sam recover from the blood loss. When he came out Sam had his long legs stretched out in front of him, talking to Bobby. He pulled a juice out of the bag and opened it, putting it in Sam's hand.
Sam looked tired and still pale but other than that he looked good, the distance between them and the vampire's lair making the earlier haunted look fade. Bobby looked them both over and Dean could see the question in his eyes over the way Dean stood protectively close to the younger man. He couldn't give an answer to that question so he ignored it.
"Bobby, thank you for your help back there."
Bobby took Dean's offered hand and smiled. "Gotta do something to keep the idjits at bay,” Bobby winked at Sam. "Don't think he'll tell you but I thought Dean was gonna go through the window a few times to get to you. It's not everyday you find a partner in this business that's so willing to back you up."
Dean glanced at Sam and couldn't help but feel warmed by the look of adoration there. "Yeah Bobby. I know how lucky I am," Sam said softly.
Dean cut off anything else by moving to the other side of the car. "We need to get some miles," he said as he opened the door. "Bobby,"
"You have my number. Call me if you need anything. And let me know you aren't dead every so often."
Sam pulled the older man close and Dean could see the embarrassment in the hunter’s face though he held Sam tight just a second and he knew the old man appreciated it.
They were barely five minutes on the road when Dean looked over to see Sam's eyes drooping. He forced the smile from his face. "Go to sleep Sammy. We'll stop early tonight, get some real food and you can stretch out on a nice bed."
"Thanks man."
It was the end of the conversation as Sam let himself go and Dean was left alone with his thoughts and too vivid memories.
Dean stopped them midday and took Sam in a family restaurant. It wasn’t the best place but it was better than diner grease and Sam could order one of those salads he liked so much. Dean ate his BLT more out of habit than hunger, but he kept at Sam to finish his food, reminding him he needed the nourishment more than usual. Sam rolled his eyes, but he kept eating.
When they headed back out, Sam’s color was beginning to return but he was asleep fifteen minutes later. Dean let him go; knowing Sam needed the time to heal and to deal with what had happened to him. Dean had been there, watching, and he knew he was going to have a hard enough time with it on his own.
When the sky turned dark around them, Dean pulled them into a steak house. They were both cleaned up well enough and though Sam looked sleepy, his collar hid the bandage well enough that no one would really notice anything different about them. They ate quickly, thick steaks with all the trimmings. Dean might have liked to have enjoyed it a little bit more, to take his time and make the most of the expensive meal, but Sam needed a bed more than the atmosphere and Dean really wanted to look at his neck again and make sure it was healing well.
The hotel was better than their usual fare as well, not high class but nice. Dean asked for a room at the back and then he was parking the Impala where it would be hidden from the road. They were on the second floor so they went up the stairs, Sam protesting as Dean took both their bags up.
The colors in the room were muted and there was a small refrigerator stocked with drinks. There was room service, blankets that were soft, and a shower with actual water pressure that looked clean enough to sit down in. Much nicer than their normal establishments.
Sam walked straight in and dropped onto the mattress of the second bed, sighing deeply as he stretched his arms up above his head. Dean’s eyes slide to the patch of skin that showed beneath Sam’s shirt and he looked away quickly before Sam could catch it. He grabbed the first aid kit out of his bag and dropped it on the night stand.
“Let me take another look at that.”
Sam stretched a minute longer before sitting up. He pulled his shirt off over his head and Dean kept his eyes on the kit, pulling out the tape and bandage he’d need to knit the kid back up again.
Dean knelt between Sam’s legs and began gently pulling the old bandage off. He kept his attention focused and didn’t allow himself to dwell on the mangled flesh or how close he’d come to losing Sam this time. Steady fingers gently redid the bandage and as the last piece of medical tape was applied, Dean let his fingers trail softly across the wound. He couldn’t help himself then as he turned his hand, the back of his knuckles brushing across Sam’s exposed collarbone. He heard Sam’s quick intake of breath but couldn’t look up. His fingers travelled the path the vampires had earlier but Sam’s body was leaning into his touch where he’d pushed away from her. He let his nails scrape over Sam’s nipples and then down his abs until he was gripping Sam’s hips in his hands.
“Dean,” Sam’s voice was shaking as he said it, a prayer and a plea.
He allowed himself to look up then, to see the man in front of him. Sam’s eyes were wide in surprise but there was no doubting the heat that waited for him. When Dean leaned up, Sam met him half way, lips crushing together as Dean tangled his fingers in Sam’s hair, angling his head into a better position.
Sam’s arms wrapped around Dean, pulling him closer. When he licked his way into Sam’s mouth the younger man moaned, his lips opening to Dean’s ministrations. When Sam’s arms pulled him, Dean went up onto the bed and found himself on his knees, still between Sam’s legs, his body pressing the other man down into the mattress.
“Sammy,” he tried to stop himself, tried to pull away from what was happening. He’d fought so hard to control this thing between them, warred with himself for the last year, knowing that once he did this there was no going back for Sam. At first, they hadn’t known each other, just two strangers waking up in a bed together, but over time he’d come to understand Sam, to know that if he let this thing happen that he was tying Sam to him irrevocably.
He looked up at Sam and saw the one thing he’d refused to let himself see before. Sam was already tied to him, every day, every hunt, every injury, every thing that Dean did tied the younger man closer to him. Just as he understood that since the moment they woke up, Dean had tied himself to Sam. There had never been any denying this, not for the long term.
“Dean, please,”
When Sam’s hand wrapped around his neck and pulled him back down, Dean went willingly. He kissed Sam gently, enjoying the ebb and flow that was so dynamic between him and Sam, something he never allowed himself to do in random one-nighters. He learned the taste and feel of Sam’s lips, explored his tongue and teeth and delved as deep into his mouth as he could before drawing back and tracing the path of his jaw. He moved down, kissing across Sam’s collarbone and then learning the path of skin that lead to his nipples. He licked across one, using the flat of his tongue and Sam arched under him. He used the tip of his tongue to circle the flesh again before sucking lightly, loving the feel of the hardened nub against his tongue.
Sam was writhing underneath him and Dean continued until he was sure the vampire’s touch was completely gone from his mind. He trailed Sam’s abdomen with his lips, leaving a trail of warm breath and moist kisses across his skin until he could bite at the curve just above Sam’s hipbone.
“Christ, Dean,”
Dean looked up at Sam and smiled at the wrecked look on Sam’s face. The heat between them seared the air as Sam’s white knuckled fingers clutched the blankets. His eyes were blown wide, the green-gray almost lost to the blacks and his lips were beautifully bruised.
Dean didn’t say anything as he looked his fill, didn’t say anything as he realized Sam was staring at him just as intently. When Dean reached down and began to work open the button of his jeans though, Sam’s eyes closed and he bit his bottom lip.
Dean worked the pants over slender hips, taking all of his remaining clothes with them. He left a pile of clothes at the foot of the bed and then Dean was leaning back to where he’d been, licking at Sam’s hip before moving lower. He reached out with one hand, taking Sam’s cock with it, licking across the head as Sam began to swear.
He licked his lips and paused, looking up the younger man’s body. Sam was staring at him and Dean smiled mischievously as he opened his mouth and took Sam’s cock into his mouth. Sam’s head dropped back to the bed and he moaned loudly as Dean’s warm, wet mouth encompassed him. He worked his way down the length, licking and sucking until Sam was pulled at him, pulling him up and to his lips.
“Wanna come with you inside me.”
“Gonna come now if you keep saying things like that,” Dean teased, but Sam’s hands were already working his shirt off his shoulders. He pulled the tee shirt off quickly while Sam was undoing his pants. He stood and let them fall to the ground in the puddle of Sam’s clothes.
He grabbed his bag quickly, feeling the press of Sam’s eyes on his body as he moved to get the condoms and lube from his bag. Sam didn’t say anything when Dean dropped them onto the foot of the bed, but pulled him back into his kiss.
Dean reached out blindly for the lube and cracked it open without looking. He’d never been with a man before, but he’d seen enough porn in his life to know how this worked. He coated his fingers liberally and then he was reaching between them, fingers teasing small circles around Sam’s opening.
Sam’s legs fell wider apart, giving Dean better leverage to play and as he pressed one finger slowly in, Sam pulled his head back, leaving his lips at Dean’s temple. He could hear the shaky breath that escaped Sam as he pressed in up to the first knuckle.
He pulled back and nudged at Sam’s nose with his own until those green-gray eyes met his. He worked slowly, easing his finger in and out before he added a second. Sam’s hips were rocking back and forth into him and Dean had to keep himself from rubbing himself off against Sam’s pale skin.
“Dean, now,”
He didn’t question Sam, but he pressed a kiss to his lips as he removed his fingers, wiping them across the bedspread as he reached for a condom. Once he had it on, he leaned forward, one hand beside Sam’s head, the other guiding him into Sam’s body.
He could see the pain in Sam’s eyes but before he could pull back, Sam clamped a hand around Dean’s arm, keeping him in place. “Want this,” he said softly, his voice deeper than Dean had ever heard it.
Dean nodded and Sam let go of his arm, running his hand up the expanse of his neck and shoulders. Dean pushed in again and bit back a groan at the feel of Sam’s tight warm heat encompassing him. He let his eyes skim over Sam’s body, took in the way his fingers bit into Dean’s skin as he pressed in, the way his hips raised to meet him, the way his tongue wet his lips. It was too much and as he pressed in the final distance, he crushed his lips to Sam’s.
Sam’s arms pulled him tight and then Dean was catching the moan from Sam’s mouth as he slowly rolled his hips. When he pulled out most of the way, he pushed back up to watch Sam’s face. He pressed inside again and Sam closed his eyes with the movement. There was no pain in Sam’s response and Dean pulled out again, snapping his hips back into his lover.
“Fuck Dean, yeah,” Sam’s reaction to Dean’s harder thrust made him repeat the action, pulling out slowly, feeling every inch of drag and give, before slamming in hard. Sam was gasping underneath him, his words a slurred litany of ‘God, yeah, Dean’ and ‘fuck, harder, want it’. Sometimes it was in English and sometimes Latin. Sometimes he couldn’t tell if it was a language or just a blend of sounds as he pounded into the tight heat of his body.
His own words weren’t much more coherent. It was all ‘Sammy’ and ‘fucking perfect’ and ‘fuck, need this’ because even this far gone he wasn’t sure he could tell Sam how much he needed him there with him. He knew Sam understood, knew without the words, just like Dean knew Sam felt the same. It was just too much to say it and now they had one more way to express it.
Dean could feel the pleasure building and he reached between them, stroking Sam’s cock as he changed his angle, hitting just the right spot to make him arch up off the bed.
“Dean, fuck, please…”
He leaned closer, catching Sam’s eyes again and he watched as his lover’s orgasm hit. The look in his eyes, the love and trust that lay in those depths was enough to send Dean over. He tried to lean down and kiss Sam, but his lover’s hands were on his face, holding him still, their eyes connecting as Dean’s hips continued to press into him, their orgasm pulsing between them.
When Sam’s eyes finally closed, Dean’s whole body was shaking with the exertion to keep himself upright. He slowly pulled out of Sam’s body and got up, disposing of the condom before cleaning himself up. He looked into the other room and saw Sam still on his back, one hand scratching idly at the space beside him, as if contemplating if Dean would take his customary place in bed that night.
Dean looked back into the mirror, wondering when he’d lost control of all of this so completely. Had he always been so completely lost when it came to Sam? Or had he lost his ability to handle him when he’d lost his memories? When had his intention to keep Sam safe become partnering for hunts and sleeping with him? When had Dean lost his moral compass so completely that he was willing to sleep with an underage boy who had nothing else in the world to lean on, but Dean and a life full of nastiness he should be protected from?
His hands grabbed for the wash cloth and he found himself wringing it out under warm water. He was at the edge of the bed before he realized what he was doing, but taking care of Sam seemed to be as ingrained in him as breathing. Part of him wanted to run, to find the nearest bar and the nearest pair of arms and forget the feel of Sam, to try to gain back that small part of himself that he’d been able to keep, but he already knew it was useless.
Anything he’d had to hide from Sam had been in his eyes the moment Sam had held him close, there for Sam to witness.
Instead, he took the warm cloth and began wiping across Sam’s abdomen. He ignored the way Sam was watching him but he couldn’t help the shiver that wracked his body as Sam’s long fingers began to stroke up and down his back.
He threw the wash cloth into the bathroom, heard the wet splat of it as it fell from the edge of the counter onto the floor. He got up and moved to the other bed, pulling back the crisp white sheets and slid between them, taking a moment to enjoy the soft fabric before he looked over at Sam.
His lover was watching from the other bed, disappointment clear in his eyes. Dean gave Sam a small smile, the most he was capable of just yet, and pulled back the blanket and sheets. “Don’t know about you, but I’d rather sleep in the clean bed.”
Sam’s smile was brilliant, dimples coming out in full force and Dean figured that right there was where his so-called control had disappeared to. Sam jumped out of the other bed and climbed in beside Dean, his head resting over Dean’s heart as he relaxed.
“Not going anywhere Sam,” he said, pressing his lips against Sam’s temple.
Sam sighed and Dean could feel him smile against his skin. “Me either Dean. We’re in this together.”
It said so many things, but mostly that Sam understood Dean and he couldn’t help but pull Sam tighter to him in response.
When he fell asleep that night with Sam breathing against his neck it was to the feeling that everything in the world was finally going his way and the opposing fear that it was all about to fall apart under his feet.
On to Chapter Four