Sum of the Parts (Chapter One)
Chris looked at him for a second, and then nodded. “Not saying I approve,” he said softly, “but I don’t necessarily disapprove either. I’ve seen a lot of crazy shit since the world went to Hell. If they treat you alright, then I’ve got no problem with them.”
Jensen smiled then, because that was the Chris he’d always known. Protective as hell, but open minded enough to let people have a shot at proving themselves. “Fair enough. Come on; let’s see what Dean is doing.”
When they reached Dean, Alec had already raced off the other way. “There’s a good cave up here to set up camp,” Dean said, pointing out the entrance that was hidden behind the boughs of a tough pine tree. “Alec saw signs of a game trail and decided to see if he could find anything.”
“Fire?” Jensen asked.
“Yeah. You wanna see if you can find something to burn?” Jensen nodded. “Chris, you can help me set up camp. Show you the way we do things around here,” Dean said as he walked back towards the cave.
Chris smiled at Jensen, “Guess I have to prove myself too.”
“Looks like,” he said, grateful that Chris understood and was taking Dean’s attitude in stride. As he watched Chris follow his lover though, he realized that Chris and Dean weren’t all that different. They were gonna test the hell out of each other, and he just hoped he lived through their overprotective natures without having to kill one of them to make a point.
The thought made him smile fondly though and he turned away to complete his task and keep himself from following them, just to see what they would do next.
**
Camp was set up easily enough. The cave had a natural chimney out the back and was well hidden, so Dean wasn’t worried about prying eyes. They made a fire pit under the chimney and set out bedrolls around it. There wasn’t anything to use as seats in the place so the rolls would have to do. He’d had a lot less comfortable bedding but he was looking forward to his own bed - and his bedmates.
Dean wasn’t the type to keep his lovers from having friends, but Chris’s possessive act towards Jensen was getting under his skin pretty quick. He was doing his best to calm his knee jerk caveman reaction - wouldn’t Sam be proud to know he could - but it didn’t mean he liked the way Chris was taking up Jensen’s time. Even if he had encouraged Jensen to talk to him.
They didn’t talk when Jensen was gone, Dean just watched him as he worked. When Jensen got back Dean sat at the other end of the cave, pretending to look for Alec when he was really watching Jensen and Chris. Jensen made quick work of the fire and there was a look on Chris’ face, something like understanding, that this man wasn’t the same man he’d known before.
Dean knew that Jensen had changed a lot and he was a part of that, trying to force him into a role the other man had never wanted. He’d been a survivor when Dean met him thought and Dean had trained him to be a soldier. As much as he hated seeing Jensen in that light, it was what he was.
Jensen took a seat on the bedroll, apparently not paying attention to the fact that he was sitting on Dean’s, as he dug out their rations. Whatever Alec was doing tonight, it was too late for dinner. Besides, Alec preferred to put out traps rather than kill outright. He said it kept the trails from ‘feeling hunted’ and generally, when Alec was odd about something, it was best to humor him. It would mean showing up at the base with more than just rumors about Sam; anything Alec caught would be welcomed in the kitchens.
He heard the telltale whisk of feet moving closer on the cave floor and didn’t bother to turn around. “I told him you won’t bite,” Jensen’s voice was almost a whisper as he came up behind Dean. “I don’t think he believes me, though.”
Dean was more than a little surprised to feel Jensen press up against him, eyes scanning the growing darkness as his hand gripped Dean’s hip lightly.
“You really shouldn’t be making promises you can’t keep,” Dean said as he turned his head slightly, eager to see Jensen’s reaction.
Jensen laughed as he looked at Dean. “Play nice. Chris is pretty excited to see B-base. Haven’t seen him this excited since he got that record deal.”
“He’s a musician?”
Jensen rolled his eyes. “Yeah, maybe I’ll get him to play something when we get home. Some music might raise morale.”
Dean shrugged, not willing to concede that the guy might be useful until he actually did something useful. “Maybe. Or I could just parade you around naked. That always helps morale.”
“I wasn’t talking about your morale.”
“Well, there are other things that need lifting if you’re-”
Jensen’s laughter cut off his words, but that was all he needed. He felt Jensen pull back and when Dean watched him walk away he could see the look on Chris’s face. Jensen had made a point, and Dean was more than happy to see the acknowledgement of that in the other man’s eyes.
He looked back into the night before he could give anything away himself. He didn’t want to admit how much he’d been afraid Jensen would try to hide what they were. He knew Alec couldn’t care less what people thought, and while Priestly did care, it would never stop him from doing what he felt was right. Jensen was a lot harder to read though so he’d been waiting to see what his lover would do.
He let out a deep sigh, hating that he’d doubted Jensen even for a minute. It wasn’t doubt really. He knew that Jensen cared for him, more than Dean thought possible. Sometimes the words were right there, at the tip of Jensen’s tongue, but Dean had never found a way to let him say them. Hearing it would mean it was real, that it was something that could be taken from him. He’d rather live a lifetime in love without the words than have it ripped away once the words were spoken. And, face it, he was Dean Winchester. The things he loved were always ripped away from him.
Dean could see Alec’s figure moving in the background and waited as he moved silently through the night, faster than any human could have possibly covered the distance. He normally tried to hide his extraordinary abilities, but Alec wasn’t above using it when he needed to.
He was almost to the entrance when Dean called out, “How many traps did you set?”
Alec smiled as he approached. “Five. I figure I’ll head down at dawn and check in while you guys eat. Catch up on the trail.”
“Or?” Dean knew his voice was sharper than he’d intended but Alec knew better.
Alec’s smile widened in a way that made Dean’s breath catch. There was so much affection in the transgenic, and it came out with the smallest provocation. Like Dean refusing to leave him behind. He realized then that Alec had made the suggestion just to see Dean’s concern.
“Or, I’ll go check while you’re eating and you’ll wait for me here?”
“Knew they must have given you a brain with all those good looks.”
“Good thing Priestly got the modesty in the group,” Alec said as he moved into the cave.
Dean followed, and then took the rations Jensen handed him as he sat down beside him.
“Who is Priestly?” Chris asked, sitting across the fire from Dean and Jensen.
“He’s like us, only…”
Jensen seemed to be lost for words on that and Dean smiled, “Only greener.” He looked at Alec and frowned. “Or Bluer. What color is he gonna be when we get back?”
“He’s trying for red. It if doesn’t work I’m guessing purple to cover it.”
“I’m not sure I want to know,” Chris said, though his tone was teasing.
Jensen laughed, “Oh, I have no doubt you’ll see him soon. He wasn’t too happy about being left behind.”
Alec snorted and Dean just shook his head, “If he’d do the damn training he could have come.” Alec’s mouth dropped open and Jensen stared at him. “What?” Dean asked.
“You’d actually train Priestly the way you did me?” Jensen asked.
“Probably less rewards,” Dean said with a wink, “but I’d rather see him trained and not use it, than need it and not have the skills. I just haven’t been able to get him away from the two of you to do it.”
“Huh,” Alec said with a shake of his head. “He thought you wouldn’t train him.”
“He told you that?” Dean was surprised by that because the only times he’d talked to Priestly about training it’d been to encourage him. Somehow Priestly only wanted to be trained when Dean was in the middle of something though.
“He told both of us,” Jensen confirmed.
Dean thought about it for a few minutes and realized that Priestly probably wasn’t as far off the mark as he seemed. Yeah, he’d encouraged Priestly to train with him, but whenever he was available Dean found something else to do. He hadn’t intentionally left Priestly out, but in hindsight he could see that he’d been looking for reasons not to train him. Dean leaned back on his side of the bedroll, ignoring the way Jensen was sitting on half of it. Jensen leaned back, putting both his arms on the other side of Dean’s hips and resting his back against Dean’s body. Dean relaxed a little more with Jensen’s touch and ignored the new guy for the time being. “Guess I’m gonna have to make the time when we get back, if I can.”
“Maybe I’ll take care of it,” Alec offered. “If things pan out you might have your hands full when we get back.”
Dean nodded. If Chris’ words were true, if Sam was really being moved, then yeah, he’d have his hands full trying to get everything together to save his brother. Alec would be in the thick of it, too, though, and he knew his lover was just trying to take a burden off his shoulders.
Dean smiled, “Alec you got first watch. I’ll take second.”
“Dean,” Jensen sounded exasperated and Dean just sighed.
“Fine, you can take the third.”
“I can stand watch too,” Chris said immediately.
Dean looked at him for a minute and shook his head, “Sleep while you can. Jensen’s friend or not, I don’t trust you at my back. We’ll wake you when it’s time to go.”
Chris looked like he was about to say something, but a subtle shake of the head from Jensen had the man shutting his mouth. Dean was grateful for that as he felt Jensen get up and he was finally able to slide into the bedroll. He was even more grateful when Jensen pulled his roll up next to Dean’s, burrowing into his lover as he normally did when it was just the two of them.
Across the fire, he could feel Chris’ eyes on him, though, watching. Assessing.
The morning would bring the truth, though, and Dean could give the guy the benefit of the doubt. For Jensen, he could try at least.
On to Chapter Two
Jensen smiled then, because that was the Chris he’d always known. Protective as hell, but open minded enough to let people have a shot at proving themselves. “Fair enough. Come on; let’s see what Dean is doing.”
When they reached Dean, Alec had already raced off the other way. “There’s a good cave up here to set up camp,” Dean said, pointing out the entrance that was hidden behind the boughs of a tough pine tree. “Alec saw signs of a game trail and decided to see if he could find anything.”
“Fire?” Jensen asked.
“Yeah. You wanna see if you can find something to burn?” Jensen nodded. “Chris, you can help me set up camp. Show you the way we do things around here,” Dean said as he walked back towards the cave.
Chris smiled at Jensen, “Guess I have to prove myself too.”
“Looks like,” he said, grateful that Chris understood and was taking Dean’s attitude in stride. As he watched Chris follow his lover though, he realized that Chris and Dean weren’t all that different. They were gonna test the hell out of each other, and he just hoped he lived through their overprotective natures without having to kill one of them to make a point.
The thought made him smile fondly though and he turned away to complete his task and keep himself from following them, just to see what they would do next.
**
Camp was set up easily enough. The cave had a natural chimney out the back and was well hidden, so Dean wasn’t worried about prying eyes. They made a fire pit under the chimney and set out bedrolls around it. There wasn’t anything to use as seats in the place so the rolls would have to do. He’d had a lot less comfortable bedding but he was looking forward to his own bed - and his bedmates.
Dean wasn’t the type to keep his lovers from having friends, but Chris’s possessive act towards Jensen was getting under his skin pretty quick. He was doing his best to calm his knee jerk caveman reaction - wouldn’t Sam be proud to know he could - but it didn’t mean he liked the way Chris was taking up Jensen’s time. Even if he had encouraged Jensen to talk to him.
They didn’t talk when Jensen was gone, Dean just watched him as he worked. When Jensen got back Dean sat at the other end of the cave, pretending to look for Alec when he was really watching Jensen and Chris. Jensen made quick work of the fire and there was a look on Chris’ face, something like understanding, that this man wasn’t the same man he’d known before.
Dean knew that Jensen had changed a lot and he was a part of that, trying to force him into a role the other man had never wanted. He’d been a survivor when Dean met him thought and Dean had trained him to be a soldier. As much as he hated seeing Jensen in that light, it was what he was.
Jensen took a seat on the bedroll, apparently not paying attention to the fact that he was sitting on Dean’s, as he dug out their rations. Whatever Alec was doing tonight, it was too late for dinner. Besides, Alec preferred to put out traps rather than kill outright. He said it kept the trails from ‘feeling hunted’ and generally, when Alec was odd about something, it was best to humor him. It would mean showing up at the base with more than just rumors about Sam; anything Alec caught would be welcomed in the kitchens.
He heard the telltale whisk of feet moving closer on the cave floor and didn’t bother to turn around. “I told him you won’t bite,” Jensen’s voice was almost a whisper as he came up behind Dean. “I don’t think he believes me, though.”
Dean was more than a little surprised to feel Jensen press up against him, eyes scanning the growing darkness as his hand gripped Dean’s hip lightly.
“You really shouldn’t be making promises you can’t keep,” Dean said as he turned his head slightly, eager to see Jensen’s reaction.
Jensen laughed as he looked at Dean. “Play nice. Chris is pretty excited to see B-base. Haven’t seen him this excited since he got that record deal.”
“He’s a musician?”
Jensen rolled his eyes. “Yeah, maybe I’ll get him to play something when we get home. Some music might raise morale.”
Dean shrugged, not willing to concede that the guy might be useful until he actually did something useful. “Maybe. Or I could just parade you around naked. That always helps morale.”
“I wasn’t talking about your morale.”
“Well, there are other things that need lifting if you’re-”
Jensen’s laughter cut off his words, but that was all he needed. He felt Jensen pull back and when Dean watched him walk away he could see the look on Chris’s face. Jensen had made a point, and Dean was more than happy to see the acknowledgement of that in the other man’s eyes.
He looked back into the night before he could give anything away himself. He didn’t want to admit how much he’d been afraid Jensen would try to hide what they were. He knew Alec couldn’t care less what people thought, and while Priestly did care, it would never stop him from doing what he felt was right. Jensen was a lot harder to read though so he’d been waiting to see what his lover would do.
He let out a deep sigh, hating that he’d doubted Jensen even for a minute. It wasn’t doubt really. He knew that Jensen cared for him, more than Dean thought possible. Sometimes the words were right there, at the tip of Jensen’s tongue, but Dean had never found a way to let him say them. Hearing it would mean it was real, that it was something that could be taken from him. He’d rather live a lifetime in love without the words than have it ripped away once the words were spoken. And, face it, he was Dean Winchester. The things he loved were always ripped away from him.
Dean could see Alec’s figure moving in the background and waited as he moved silently through the night, faster than any human could have possibly covered the distance. He normally tried to hide his extraordinary abilities, but Alec wasn’t above using it when he needed to.
He was almost to the entrance when Dean called out, “How many traps did you set?”
Alec smiled as he approached. “Five. I figure I’ll head down at dawn and check in while you guys eat. Catch up on the trail.”
“Or?” Dean knew his voice was sharper than he’d intended but Alec knew better.
Alec’s smile widened in a way that made Dean’s breath catch. There was so much affection in the transgenic, and it came out with the smallest provocation. Like Dean refusing to leave him behind. He realized then that Alec had made the suggestion just to see Dean’s concern.
“Or, I’ll go check while you’re eating and you’ll wait for me here?”
“Knew they must have given you a brain with all those good looks.”
“Good thing Priestly got the modesty in the group,” Alec said as he moved into the cave.
Dean followed, and then took the rations Jensen handed him as he sat down beside him.
“Who is Priestly?” Chris asked, sitting across the fire from Dean and Jensen.
“He’s like us, only…”
Jensen seemed to be lost for words on that and Dean smiled, “Only greener.” He looked at Alec and frowned. “Or Bluer. What color is he gonna be when we get back?”
“He’s trying for red. It if doesn’t work I’m guessing purple to cover it.”
“I’m not sure I want to know,” Chris said, though his tone was teasing.
Jensen laughed, “Oh, I have no doubt you’ll see him soon. He wasn’t too happy about being left behind.”
Alec snorted and Dean just shook his head, “If he’d do the damn training he could have come.” Alec’s mouth dropped open and Jensen stared at him. “What?” Dean asked.
“You’d actually train Priestly the way you did me?” Jensen asked.
“Probably less rewards,” Dean said with a wink, “but I’d rather see him trained and not use it, than need it and not have the skills. I just haven’t been able to get him away from the two of you to do it.”
“Huh,” Alec said with a shake of his head. “He thought you wouldn’t train him.”
“He told you that?” Dean was surprised by that because the only times he’d talked to Priestly about training it’d been to encourage him. Somehow Priestly only wanted to be trained when Dean was in the middle of something though.
“He told both of us,” Jensen confirmed.
Dean thought about it for a few minutes and realized that Priestly probably wasn’t as far off the mark as he seemed. Yeah, he’d encouraged Priestly to train with him, but whenever he was available Dean found something else to do. He hadn’t intentionally left Priestly out, but in hindsight he could see that he’d been looking for reasons not to train him. Dean leaned back on his side of the bedroll, ignoring the way Jensen was sitting on half of it. Jensen leaned back, putting both his arms on the other side of Dean’s hips and resting his back against Dean’s body. Dean relaxed a little more with Jensen’s touch and ignored the new guy for the time being. “Guess I’m gonna have to make the time when we get back, if I can.”
“Maybe I’ll take care of it,” Alec offered. “If things pan out you might have your hands full when we get back.”
Dean nodded. If Chris’ words were true, if Sam was really being moved, then yeah, he’d have his hands full trying to get everything together to save his brother. Alec would be in the thick of it, too, though, and he knew his lover was just trying to take a burden off his shoulders.
Dean smiled, “Alec you got first watch. I’ll take second.”
“Dean,” Jensen sounded exasperated and Dean just sighed.
“Fine, you can take the third.”
“I can stand watch too,” Chris said immediately.
Dean looked at him for a minute and shook his head, “Sleep while you can. Jensen’s friend or not, I don’t trust you at my back. We’ll wake you when it’s time to go.”
Chris looked like he was about to say something, but a subtle shake of the head from Jensen had the man shutting his mouth. Dean was grateful for that as he felt Jensen get up and he was finally able to slide into the bedroll. He was even more grateful when Jensen pulled his roll up next to Dean’s, burrowing into his lover as he normally did when it was just the two of them.
Across the fire, he could feel Chris’ eyes on him, though, watching. Assessing.
The morning would bring the truth, though, and Dean could give the guy the benefit of the doubt. For Jensen, he could try at least.
On to Chapter Two