An Adventure
Title: An Adventure
Author: hunters_retreat
Fandom: RPS
Pairing: Jared/Jensen
Warning: PWP, sex pollen, alpha/omega, boys in space au
Summary: “This can’t be happening,” Jensen whispered. Jared heard him though and looked at him, waiting for an explanation. “Heat.”
Author's Note: written for clwright2 for thespn_j2_xmas exchange! I tried to work in a lot of your likes. I hit (or at least sort of touched on)stories set IN SPACE, sex pollen, high school and colleges AUs, human knotting, alpha/omega dynamics,high school AU with characters coming to grips with their alpha/omega status. sort of. The high school part is a space academy but I figured when in Rome and all that :P Hope you enjoy!
Author's Note #2: There is now a sequel to this! Getting to Know You
“Is everyone alright?”
Captain Jensen Ackles held his gun at the ready but it seemed like the worst of the damage had already been done. Whatever the hell had triggered the giant vines to swing and take out half of the exploratory team had passed and the aggressive vegetation was quiet again. No one was dead, but there were injuries that couldn’t be left untreated.
“Murray and Carlson need medical attention but they can walk, Captain. Cohen will need help,” Chris Kane said as he helped drag Cohen to his feet.
Jensen took a look at the situation and, for a moment, hated that he was the one in charge. It was just supposed to be a routine check in on the terraforming events. Six months ago there had been nothing dangerous reported; just a winter storm and a lost Petty Officer with frostbite. Figures they got stuck on the summer trip and everything had decided to grow wild.
“Get them back to the ship, Kane.”
“Captain?”
“You heard me. Get the men back to the ship and report. We still have a mission to accomplish.”
He knew Kane wanted to argue with him but an order was an order. Chris was his best friend though, had been since he arrived at the Academy and realized he’d been fed nothing but lies since the day he heard about it.
Kane was two missions away from graduating out of the Academy and into actual space fleet service, just like Jensen himself. Their training missions were supposed to be milk runs, something to give them experience for when they actually went out into the field but this trip was turning into something else.
Kane was grumbling but Murray had his gun raised as he took point while Carlson took the rear guard so that Kane could handle Cohen. It didn’t look like Carlson and Murray had been hit by anything too serious, but this was a new planet with unknown plant life that had just decided to slash at their arms and legs. They’d broken skin and something was already making the two cadet’s skin blotchy. They had no way of knowing what sort of reaction to expect. Thankfully they’d left Medic Collins on the shuttle. He wasn’t a cadet, but a fully trained field medic and he’d know how to take care of Jensen’s men.
For now, Jensen had a mission to complete, most of his team down, and only an unknown quantity at his back.
“Padalecki, are you with me?”
Ensign Jared Padalecki was only a sophomore at the Academy but he’d shot straight through the ranks with his intellect, gracious manners, and warm smile. Jensen wondered what Padalecki’s life would have been like, if he hadn’t been a throwback. Some of their teammates were regular humans who had just screwed up bad enough that juvenile detention wasn’t enough anymore. Some of them were too poor to have another choice and signed their lives away at a chance to give their families the paycheck that active service would bring them. Others, like Padalecki - and Jensen - were throwbacks; people with animal biology and animalistic tendencies that needed to be culled from the general population. Padalecki had just been promoted to ensign and it was his first mission with them. Jensen didn’t anticipate a problem, but no one knew how they’d handle the pressure until they were under it.
“Yes sir, Captain Ackles.”
There was no waiver in his voice to betray a nervous reaction to the situation they found themselves in and Jensen appreciated the courage the younger man showed. He couldn’t have been more than sixteen and yet he was keeping his back straight and his head in the game.
“Let’s get the readings from the station and high tail it to the ship then. The sooner we can get out of here the better.”
**
The journey to the recorder was a couple hours walk through a forested area and Jensen and Padalecki were both tense. He could see it in the lines of the ensign’s shoulders and the way he jerked around quickly at every noise. Jensen reminded him to take it easy. Being that wound up was just bound to cause trouble. Padalecki seemed to relax at his words and Jensen felt himself relax a little with it too. He took a deep breath and accessed the parts of himself that he normally shut off. Every year he had to get a suppressant to keep the animal inside him from coming to the surface but it wasn’t complete. If he allowed himself to reach for it, the animal was still there, and in times like this Jensen was glad for it. His animal instincts were better tuned to survival and his senses were stronger than that of a normal human. Not everyone could still feel that part of themselves, Jensen had learned early on at the Academy, but Jensen thought it had more to do with the strength of his alpha part than anything else.
As feared as throwbacks were in the world, there had been a lot of research done and Jensen had been through a number of programs in his first days at the Academy. Unlike humans, throwbacks weren’t allowed to say no. They weren’t allowed to refuse the Academy either. They were supposed to live their life in service to humanity and accept their place. It didn’t sit right with Jensen - most of the Exploratory Fleet were made of people who had made choices that brought them there, unlike the throwbacks - but at least he was able to give something back to his family. When he went into actual service his paycheck would cover the majority of his family’s expenses and they wouldn’t be burdened with the stigma of a throwback in the family. No, to the world Jensen was dead and his family had mourned his passing the moment he’d gone into heat and revealed his animal nature.
It was helpful in the field though. It took a few minutes for Jensen to adjust to the deeper scents around him but he was able to take in the surrounding area and nothing stung at the back of his throat the way a predator would. He turned to Padalecki then, surprised at the other cadet’s scent. He was a throwback but there was no definite scent to him. He hadn’t been through his first heat yet. The ability to detect throwbacks before their first heat was both a curse and a blessing. It was new and Jensen had never met someone who had learned that way. It was a blessing in that throwbacks could understand what they were before their first heat. The drawback was that cadets were now being recruited into the Academy even younger and without knowing what their potential was. For an alpha, they were trained to use their extended senses and to control their aggressive tendencies. Betas were trained for support roles because of their need to follow orders - which rendered them ineffective in the field when orders from another source could render them impotent - and their natural ability to organize. They were administrators and educators and better left running the service than taking part in missions. The last of the throwbacks, the omegas were a different breed all together. They weren’t as instinct driven as alphas - except where they were mated - and they weren’t order driven either. Omegas could lead or follow and they were trained as such. Omegas had to be trained to deal with their empathy though, to learn to control their ability to push emotions on others and to keep others from influencing them too much. It was a hard balance and one that took years of training.
The new recruits like Padalecki had no idea where they should train. Instead they were simply thrown into the track people believed they would fall into. Padelecki was already on the fast track through the alpha training. He would be stunted until his first heat though, until they were able to formally place him.
It would have been nice to have another alpha at his back, someone who could rely on their senses to track danger the way Jensen could. He couldn’t fault the other cadet’s attention to his surroundings though and once he was settled down, he wasn’t acting as jumpy.
It had been a long trip and they were entering a small clearing when Jensen called a rest break. They both sat down on a fallen log and pulled out their canteens to hydrate.
“You think the others are alright?” Padalecki asked as he stared up at the blue-green sky.
Jensen took a deep breath, trying to figure out what to say. Padalecki needed reassurance from his captain and no matter that Jensen was feeling off balance, he had to give it. “They’re with Collins. If anyone can patch them up, it’s the Doc. Chin up, Padalecki. We just need to get the readings about the terraforming and seismic events and then we’ll be on the way home.”
“It’s Jared.”
“What?”
“My name. It’s Jared. We’re stuck out here on our own. Might as well call me by my first name.”
Jensen smiled at the easy going manner the cadet had. “Jensen. Unless the brass is around,” he said with a grin. “Then it’s Captain Ackles, sir.”
“Sir, yes sir.”
Jensen laughed and Jared smiled at him, dimples in full force. He’d seen the smile directed at the communications officer and the security officer on the ship but he’d never had it directed at him. It was, without a doubt, breathtaking. Jared had the kind of smile that could take your breath away. It made Jensen feel like he’d just done something amazing to earn that ray of light. It wasn’t a good feeling to have when it was a subordinate; a pre-heat throwback subordinate.
“How long until the geology and botany teams start documenting this place?” Jared asked as he got up and started walking around the clearing. He kept his weapon at the ready which was the only reason Jensen didn’t protest.
“Depends on the data we send back. They’ll want to get out here once they find out about the vines we encountered but they were already biting at the chomp to get their hands on this place.” Jensen said.
“Another green miracle,” Jared said, looking over his shoulder. “Just not for us.”
Jensen shrugged. “Maybe not, but it will be for my sister and her kids.”
“You buy into all that?”
Jared didn’t seem upset by it, simply curious. Not all throwbacks took to the Academy. No one talked about what happened to them but Jensen knew enough. He’d been on that track once upon a time. Before Beaver had kicked his ass to high heaven and taught him to control his alpha.
“It might not be a lot, but we only get two choices. The other one isn’t pretty so I think I’ll take the paycheck and be happy that no one else in my family is a throwback.”
Jared nodded. “Yeah, that’s how I took it too. They kept telling me how great the Academy was going to be, but if it’s all that great, why do they have to force me to go?”
Jensen didn’t have anything to say to that. There wasn’t anything he could say. He wanted to make sure Jared didn’t end up like he did though, tied to a post until his alpha receded and they’d starved him enough that Beaver could talk to him. Beaver wasn’t big on the program either, but they were all in the same boat. Toe the line or get strangled with it.
Jensen looked down at his hands and shook his head. He could go with the party line and tell Jared the benefits of being a throwback in the service; of mating rights and choice of suitable throwback partners. He could remind him of the paycheck his family would receive or the safety of a place to go through his first heat, of knowing about it beforehand and being prepared - which Jensen hadn’t had. All of it felt empty though. Yes, Jensen had his pick of partners when he was about to go into heat but he still didn’t have a mate and he had little chance to meet anyone that he wasn’t directly working with already. His family got the money, but each month Jensen got letters from his sister telling him how much she missed him, that she understood he wasn’t allowed to write but that she would rather have him than the money any day.
He ran his hand over his face and sighed deeply. There was something in the air that seemed sweeter with the breeze. He took a deeper breath to try to catch the scent again and licked his lips at the flavor. He opened his eyes and looked over at Jared who was slowly running his fingers over the petals of a yellow flower. “Jared, what are you doing?”
Jared turned to look at him, eyes wide and face flushed. He looked beautiful.
Fuck.
“Jensen?” Jared took a step closer to Jensen and he couldn’t help but scent the air again. It wasn’t something from the planet that smelled so good to Jensen. It was Jared. He was going into heat. His voice sounded wrecked and Jensen remembered how hard his first heat had been, alone and confused and needing something he couldn’t understand. Damn, he was hard just thinking about the first time his knot had formed, how it had felt that first time he’d found a beta to fuck during his-
Fuck.
“This can’t be happening,” Jensen whispered. Jared heard him though and looked at him, waiting for an explanation. “Heat.”
“Oh hell, I’m in heat?”
Jensen nodded. “So am I.”
“What? You aren’t supposed to be on a mission when you’re-“
“I know! That’s what isn’t possible. I have another two months before it’s supposed to come again. I think there is something here causing us to go into heat.”
“No, I can’t … I’m not … I don’t know what to do.”
Jensen let out a short bark of laughter. “You’ll figure it out really damn quick.” It didn’t matter that Jared didn’t’ know what he was. His body would let him know what it needed. As much as Jensen just wanted to sink away and fall into his own heat, he had to help Jared. It was his duty as Captain. Jensen just had to try to get them both through it. “Just tell me what you’re feeling Jared. I’ll try to help you through this.”
“Should we try to get back to the others?”
“You feel like walking?”
Jared bowed his head slightly and let out a shuddered breath. “Only towards you.”
“Yeah?” Jensen tried not to read anything into it but his alpha was taking notice of Jared in ways he didn’t think the other cadet would appreciate. “That’s alright.”
Jared took a few steps towards him and Jensen kept himself still. Everything pointed to Jared becoming another alpha so it was better for him not to make any sudden moves that Jared m might take as aggressive. Jared didn’t stop until he was closer though, close enough he could touch if he just reached his hands out.
Damn, did Jensen want him to.
“Jensen,” his voice was dry and cracked but he reached over and landed a hand on Jensen’s hip, pulling him closer. Jared dropped his head down and Jensen held still while Jared pushed his nose under Jensen’s ear, inhaling deeply. He had no idea what Jared would do next. He had a lungful of Jensen’s alpha scent though and their bodies were too close. The dormant traits in Jared’s nature were taking over and Jensen was preparing for a fight. He’d seen two alphas in heat before - they were shown videos to understand the importance of accurately reporting their heat cycles - and it could get violent fast.
“Jared?” He whispered the name. Jared was so damn close and though Jensen wanted to step back and give them both the distance they probably needed, he took advantage of Jared’s position and buried his nose in the other man’s neck. Jared moaned, his hand coming up to the back of Jensen’s head.
“Fuck, you aren’t an alpha,” he gasped as he took in the full, sweet scent of Jared. Jared’s grip on his hip tightened to the point of bruising but Jensen didn’t care. He wrapped his arms around Jared and pulled the man tight to him.
“Jensen?” There was a question in his voice but he wasn’t pulling away.
“Tell me what you want Jared.”
“You. I want you to … “
“Say it.”
“Bite me. Mark me. Claim me so I can fucking claim you.”
Jensen tilted his head back and as he did he felt the graze of teeth against his throat. “Fucking omegas.”
He’d never been with an omega but he was suddenly glad that they were alone. An untrained omega wouldn’t know how to control what he was feeling and he’d infect everyone else with it. It wouldn’t be the same as full blown heat but they would feel enough to cause a lot of embarrassment to a first timer.
“Strip for me.”
Jared hesitated and Jensen pushed him back a few steps, needing to take in the sight of the cadet. Jared’s face was still flushed and his pupils had a bare pinprick of black in the center. He knew his own eyes were probably the same from whatever had caused them to go into heat. He’d have to put this into his report - no throwbacks planet side on this one - but that was just a stray thought because Jared was unbuttoning his uniform jacket and Jensen was practically drooling to see what was under there. The jacket fell to the ground, followed quickly by the white shirt he wore underneath.
Jensen wanted to walk up and lick his way across the cadet’s abdomen but when Jared reached for his belt, Jensen decided he needed to get with the game. He started to undo the buttons of his own jacket and dropped it to the ground. He set his gun down with it before throwing his shirt on top of the pile. Jared had stopped down to untie his boots and was just kicking them off as Jensen watched him. When Jared looked up, their eyes met for a moment and Jensen could feel the desire building again.
It was strong today, stronger than any other heat he could remember and Jensen tried to take a deep breath to calm himself. It was Jared’s first heat and Jensen didn’t want to traumatize the guy, but the scent of arousal caught at the back of his throat and Jensen growled with the need to be inside Jared’s body.
Jared didn’t hesitate to drop his pants, boxers and all, and then kick them aside, standing naked and glorious in front of Jensen. Jensen still had his pants on and he watched the way Jared’s eyes took in his half naked form and the glint of lust that filled his eyes.
“Strip me.”
Jared was moving almost as soon as Jensen spoke, dropping to his knees in front of Jensen as he started to untie his boots. His hands were gentle but strong as he helped Jensen out of his boots and then ran his hands up the outside of his thigh. He brought his hands up to Jensen’s belt then and Jensen couldn’t help but bury his hand in Jared’s unruly mop of hair. Jared moaned as he tensed his fingers, scratching lightly at his scalp. Then Jared’s hands were undoing the belt and the button underneath it. Jared’s hands moved across the waistline of his pants to the back where he began pushing them down over the curve of Jensen’s ass. Jared moaned as his hands slowly slid down and he leaned forward, teeth nipping lightly at Jensen’s stomach.
Jensen let out a startled laugh, looking down at Jared who was staring back at him. “Fucking omegas,” he said again.
Jared’s smile was mischievous as he worked Jensen’s pants all the way off. When he finished, he tossed Jensen’s pants over with the rest of his clothes and straightened up, looking up at Jensen while he waited on his knees.
“You’re gonna be trouble, aren’t you Padalecki?”
The omega nodded. “More than you might know how to handle.”
It was a challenge and Jensen couldn’t help but respond to it. He gripped Jared’s hair and pulled him up until he could get to the man’s lips. They crashed together and Jensen growled into the kiss. Figured it would be an omega that got to him. A beta would have been nice and quiet and perfectly submissive but Jensen had always been easily bored and Jared was already proving to be more than a little surprising.
Jared’s body was pressed hot and hard against him and Jensen let his free hand roam over the expanse of naked flesh that was his to enjoy. He felt Jared shiver and remembered what was happening.
“Tell me Jared,” he reminded the other man. “Tell me what you want. What you feel.”
“Touch me,” Jared responded.
Jensen smiled as he brushed the hair out of Jared’s eyes. “Lay down for me.”
Jared did as he was asked and Jensen followed him down without making the omega wait. It was his first heat and the first was the worst. Or Jensen thought so until this so it had to be extra rough on Jared. “Gonna make you feel good Jared,” Jensen soothed as he pressed his lips to Jared’s skin. The omega moved into his touch and Jensen allowed himself a little time to play with his lips across Jared’s stomach. “So responsive,” he said without meaning to.
Jared moaned and then Jensen was sitting between his legs. He didn’t hesitate to take Jared into his mouth, lips open wide around his cock. Jared howled at the feeling and would have bucked into Jensen’s mouth if he hadn’t already been waiting for it.
He worked Jared on, knowing how much he was going to need tonight so he kept sucking on Jared as the cadet began to whimper. Jensen reached lower, cupping his balls and rubbing against the soft skin behind them. When he found Jared’s hole he was wet and Jensen couldn’t help but run his finger across the tight muscles that he knew would open so beautifully for him.
When he pressed a finger into Jared’s body - fucking omega already dripping for him - and Jared came down his throat without warning. Jensen swallowed it all, sucking and licking every drop from Jared as he worked a second and third finger in.
Jared was opening like he was made for Jensen and then Jensen knew he couldn’t wait any longer. He had to take Jared now or he risked losing himself completely to his alpha and then there was no guarantee what Jensen would do. He pulled his fingers free, ignoring Jared’s groan, as he positioned himself and pushed into Jared’s body.
Jared shivered around him and Jensen dropped to his elbows so that his body was almost resting on Jared, sharing the body heat and giving the cadet time to adjust to him. It didn’t take long for Jared to start rocking into him though and Jensen couldn’t hold himself back any longer. He began to fuck back and forth into Jared’s body, kissing him and murmuring soft words against his lips.
It wasn’t long before he felt his knot beginning to swell and Jensen pushed hard against Jared’s hole until he was pressed inside.
“Fuck! Jensen,” Jared didn’t sound hurt, just confused and Jensen shushed him with his lips.
“Jared,” he whispered as he felt his knot expanding to fit inside the omega.
“Fill me up Alpha,” Jared begged and Jensen let loose a primal scream, biting down on Jared’s shoulder to mark him as he painted Jared’s insides with his seed. Jensen bit down on Jared’s bottom lip to keep from screaming at how perfect it felt inside Jared, how much like home it felt.
He felt his knot fully formed and then his come was pulsing into Jared and Jared was staring up at him with a contented look and Jensen just smiled down at him.
“Gonna be at this a while,” Jensen admitted as he nipped at Jared’s bottom lip.
Jared laughed as he found Jensen’s hand and brought it between them to his cock which was hardening as Jensen wrapped his fingers around it. “About time.”
**
The readings were easy to retrieve once they managed to get dressed again and find the sensors. Their trip to the ship was a little strained as neither man knew what to do, but Jensen was a professional - almost - and he needed to get Jared to the medic for a check over.
Collins greeted them at the front of the ship with good news. The other men had just had an allergic reaction to the plant, it wasn’t poison, and they were already on the road to recovery. One look between Jared and Jensen and Collins just pulled them into the sick bay with orders for the pilot to get them off the planet.
It was almost night before Collins was done with the tests he needed to perform and Jensen was going out of his skin. He needed to move, needed to see to his men to be sure that everything was alright.
Yeah. That’s what he kept telling himself, but it wasn’t true. He needed to get to Jared and check on him but Collins hadn’t released him yet. Jensen was pacing along the sick bay when he finally felt the familiar tug of the cadet coming closer.
“Jensen? Um… Captain?”
The feel of Jared close was more than he could resist and Jensen smiled over at him as he walked closer. “Jared?”
“Sir, the medic says that I am fine to return to duty. My … um …. Heat seems to have been caused by the planet’s flora and I am not a danger to my fellow cadets.”
Jared didn’t know what to say, that was certain and Jensen found it cute. Damn. He was cute and an omega. Jensen was never gonna hear the end of this.
“Good to know. I wasn’t looking forward to holing up your quarters for the rest of the trip.”
“Captain?”
Jensen reached over, pulling Jared’s lips as close as they could be without actually kissing. “Mine Jared. You’re my mate and I’m not letting anyone else near you when you’re in heat.”
Jared’s eyes lit up and he smiled as he let out a shuddered breath. “Knew you were gonna be trouble, Captain Ackles.”
Jensen laughed at that and Jared joined him. “You have no idea Jared. Gonna have plenty of time to figure it out though Ensign Padalecki.”
“A whole life time?”
It wasn’t a temporary mating, Jensen knew that. The bond was forming between them already and he knew Jared wanted to know if Jensen was going to accept that or fight it. Jensen had been waiting a long time for a place to belong, to a person to belong with, and he couldn’t remember ever being happier. He might not be a normal person with normal hopes and aspirations, but he had a good life. Throwback or not, he found his mate and he was gonna spend the rest of his life making both their lives an adventure.
On to the sequel: Getting to Know You
Author: hunters_retreat
Fandom: RPS
Pairing: Jared/Jensen
Warning: PWP, sex pollen, alpha/omega, boys in space au
Summary: “This can’t be happening,” Jensen whispered. Jared heard him though and looked at him, waiting for an explanation. “Heat.”
Author's Note: written for clwright2 for thespn_j2_xmas exchange! I tried to work in a lot of your likes. I hit (or at least sort of touched on)stories set IN SPACE, sex pollen, high school and colleges AUs, human knotting, alpha/omega dynamics,high school AU with characters coming to grips with their alpha/omega status. sort of. The high school part is a space academy but I figured when in Rome and all that :P Hope you enjoy!
Author's Note #2: There is now a sequel to this! Getting to Know You
“Is everyone alright?”
Captain Jensen Ackles held his gun at the ready but it seemed like the worst of the damage had already been done. Whatever the hell had triggered the giant vines to swing and take out half of the exploratory team had passed and the aggressive vegetation was quiet again. No one was dead, but there were injuries that couldn’t be left untreated.
“Murray and Carlson need medical attention but they can walk, Captain. Cohen will need help,” Chris Kane said as he helped drag Cohen to his feet.
Jensen took a look at the situation and, for a moment, hated that he was the one in charge. It was just supposed to be a routine check in on the terraforming events. Six months ago there had been nothing dangerous reported; just a winter storm and a lost Petty Officer with frostbite. Figures they got stuck on the summer trip and everything had decided to grow wild.
“Get them back to the ship, Kane.”
“Captain?”
“You heard me. Get the men back to the ship and report. We still have a mission to accomplish.”
He knew Kane wanted to argue with him but an order was an order. Chris was his best friend though, had been since he arrived at the Academy and realized he’d been fed nothing but lies since the day he heard about it.
Kane was two missions away from graduating out of the Academy and into actual space fleet service, just like Jensen himself. Their training missions were supposed to be milk runs, something to give them experience for when they actually went out into the field but this trip was turning into something else.
Kane was grumbling but Murray had his gun raised as he took point while Carlson took the rear guard so that Kane could handle Cohen. It didn’t look like Carlson and Murray had been hit by anything too serious, but this was a new planet with unknown plant life that had just decided to slash at their arms and legs. They’d broken skin and something was already making the two cadet’s skin blotchy. They had no way of knowing what sort of reaction to expect. Thankfully they’d left Medic Collins on the shuttle. He wasn’t a cadet, but a fully trained field medic and he’d know how to take care of Jensen’s men.
For now, Jensen had a mission to complete, most of his team down, and only an unknown quantity at his back.
“Padalecki, are you with me?”
Ensign Jared Padalecki was only a sophomore at the Academy but he’d shot straight through the ranks with his intellect, gracious manners, and warm smile. Jensen wondered what Padalecki’s life would have been like, if he hadn’t been a throwback. Some of their teammates were regular humans who had just screwed up bad enough that juvenile detention wasn’t enough anymore. Some of them were too poor to have another choice and signed their lives away at a chance to give their families the paycheck that active service would bring them. Others, like Padalecki - and Jensen - were throwbacks; people with animal biology and animalistic tendencies that needed to be culled from the general population. Padalecki had just been promoted to ensign and it was his first mission with them. Jensen didn’t anticipate a problem, but no one knew how they’d handle the pressure until they were under it.
“Yes sir, Captain Ackles.”
There was no waiver in his voice to betray a nervous reaction to the situation they found themselves in and Jensen appreciated the courage the younger man showed. He couldn’t have been more than sixteen and yet he was keeping his back straight and his head in the game.
“Let’s get the readings from the station and high tail it to the ship then. The sooner we can get out of here the better.”
**
The journey to the recorder was a couple hours walk through a forested area and Jensen and Padalecki were both tense. He could see it in the lines of the ensign’s shoulders and the way he jerked around quickly at every noise. Jensen reminded him to take it easy. Being that wound up was just bound to cause trouble. Padalecki seemed to relax at his words and Jensen felt himself relax a little with it too. He took a deep breath and accessed the parts of himself that he normally shut off. Every year he had to get a suppressant to keep the animal inside him from coming to the surface but it wasn’t complete. If he allowed himself to reach for it, the animal was still there, and in times like this Jensen was glad for it. His animal instincts were better tuned to survival and his senses were stronger than that of a normal human. Not everyone could still feel that part of themselves, Jensen had learned early on at the Academy, but Jensen thought it had more to do with the strength of his alpha part than anything else.
As feared as throwbacks were in the world, there had been a lot of research done and Jensen had been through a number of programs in his first days at the Academy. Unlike humans, throwbacks weren’t allowed to say no. They weren’t allowed to refuse the Academy either. They were supposed to live their life in service to humanity and accept their place. It didn’t sit right with Jensen - most of the Exploratory Fleet were made of people who had made choices that brought them there, unlike the throwbacks - but at least he was able to give something back to his family. When he went into actual service his paycheck would cover the majority of his family’s expenses and they wouldn’t be burdened with the stigma of a throwback in the family. No, to the world Jensen was dead and his family had mourned his passing the moment he’d gone into heat and revealed his animal nature.
It was helpful in the field though. It took a few minutes for Jensen to adjust to the deeper scents around him but he was able to take in the surrounding area and nothing stung at the back of his throat the way a predator would. He turned to Padalecki then, surprised at the other cadet’s scent. He was a throwback but there was no definite scent to him. He hadn’t been through his first heat yet. The ability to detect throwbacks before their first heat was both a curse and a blessing. It was new and Jensen had never met someone who had learned that way. It was a blessing in that throwbacks could understand what they were before their first heat. The drawback was that cadets were now being recruited into the Academy even younger and without knowing what their potential was. For an alpha, they were trained to use their extended senses and to control their aggressive tendencies. Betas were trained for support roles because of their need to follow orders - which rendered them ineffective in the field when orders from another source could render them impotent - and their natural ability to organize. They were administrators and educators and better left running the service than taking part in missions. The last of the throwbacks, the omegas were a different breed all together. They weren’t as instinct driven as alphas - except where they were mated - and they weren’t order driven either. Omegas could lead or follow and they were trained as such. Omegas had to be trained to deal with their empathy though, to learn to control their ability to push emotions on others and to keep others from influencing them too much. It was a hard balance and one that took years of training.
The new recruits like Padalecki had no idea where they should train. Instead they were simply thrown into the track people believed they would fall into. Padelecki was already on the fast track through the alpha training. He would be stunted until his first heat though, until they were able to formally place him.
It would have been nice to have another alpha at his back, someone who could rely on their senses to track danger the way Jensen could. He couldn’t fault the other cadet’s attention to his surroundings though and once he was settled down, he wasn’t acting as jumpy.
It had been a long trip and they were entering a small clearing when Jensen called a rest break. They both sat down on a fallen log and pulled out their canteens to hydrate.
“You think the others are alright?” Padalecki asked as he stared up at the blue-green sky.
Jensen took a deep breath, trying to figure out what to say. Padalecki needed reassurance from his captain and no matter that Jensen was feeling off balance, he had to give it. “They’re with Collins. If anyone can patch them up, it’s the Doc. Chin up, Padalecki. We just need to get the readings about the terraforming and seismic events and then we’ll be on the way home.”
“It’s Jared.”
“What?”
“My name. It’s Jared. We’re stuck out here on our own. Might as well call me by my first name.”
Jensen smiled at the easy going manner the cadet had. “Jensen. Unless the brass is around,” he said with a grin. “Then it’s Captain Ackles, sir.”
“Sir, yes sir.”
Jensen laughed and Jared smiled at him, dimples in full force. He’d seen the smile directed at the communications officer and the security officer on the ship but he’d never had it directed at him. It was, without a doubt, breathtaking. Jared had the kind of smile that could take your breath away. It made Jensen feel like he’d just done something amazing to earn that ray of light. It wasn’t a good feeling to have when it was a subordinate; a pre-heat throwback subordinate.
“How long until the geology and botany teams start documenting this place?” Jared asked as he got up and started walking around the clearing. He kept his weapon at the ready which was the only reason Jensen didn’t protest.
“Depends on the data we send back. They’ll want to get out here once they find out about the vines we encountered but they were already biting at the chomp to get their hands on this place.” Jensen said.
“Another green miracle,” Jared said, looking over his shoulder. “Just not for us.”
Jensen shrugged. “Maybe not, but it will be for my sister and her kids.”
“You buy into all that?”
Jared didn’t seem upset by it, simply curious. Not all throwbacks took to the Academy. No one talked about what happened to them but Jensen knew enough. He’d been on that track once upon a time. Before Beaver had kicked his ass to high heaven and taught him to control his alpha.
“It might not be a lot, but we only get two choices. The other one isn’t pretty so I think I’ll take the paycheck and be happy that no one else in my family is a throwback.”
Jared nodded. “Yeah, that’s how I took it too. They kept telling me how great the Academy was going to be, but if it’s all that great, why do they have to force me to go?”
Jensen didn’t have anything to say to that. There wasn’t anything he could say. He wanted to make sure Jared didn’t end up like he did though, tied to a post until his alpha receded and they’d starved him enough that Beaver could talk to him. Beaver wasn’t big on the program either, but they were all in the same boat. Toe the line or get strangled with it.
Jensen looked down at his hands and shook his head. He could go with the party line and tell Jared the benefits of being a throwback in the service; of mating rights and choice of suitable throwback partners. He could remind him of the paycheck his family would receive or the safety of a place to go through his first heat, of knowing about it beforehand and being prepared - which Jensen hadn’t had. All of it felt empty though. Yes, Jensen had his pick of partners when he was about to go into heat but he still didn’t have a mate and he had little chance to meet anyone that he wasn’t directly working with already. His family got the money, but each month Jensen got letters from his sister telling him how much she missed him, that she understood he wasn’t allowed to write but that she would rather have him than the money any day.
He ran his hand over his face and sighed deeply. There was something in the air that seemed sweeter with the breeze. He took a deeper breath to try to catch the scent again and licked his lips at the flavor. He opened his eyes and looked over at Jared who was slowly running his fingers over the petals of a yellow flower. “Jared, what are you doing?”
Jared turned to look at him, eyes wide and face flushed. He looked beautiful.
Fuck.
“Jensen?” Jared took a step closer to Jensen and he couldn’t help but scent the air again. It wasn’t something from the planet that smelled so good to Jensen. It was Jared. He was going into heat. His voice sounded wrecked and Jensen remembered how hard his first heat had been, alone and confused and needing something he couldn’t understand. Damn, he was hard just thinking about the first time his knot had formed, how it had felt that first time he’d found a beta to fuck during his-
Fuck.
“This can’t be happening,” Jensen whispered. Jared heard him though and looked at him, waiting for an explanation. “Heat.”
“Oh hell, I’m in heat?”
Jensen nodded. “So am I.”
“What? You aren’t supposed to be on a mission when you’re-“
“I know! That’s what isn’t possible. I have another two months before it’s supposed to come again. I think there is something here causing us to go into heat.”
“No, I can’t … I’m not … I don’t know what to do.”
Jensen let out a short bark of laughter. “You’ll figure it out really damn quick.” It didn’t matter that Jared didn’t’ know what he was. His body would let him know what it needed. As much as Jensen just wanted to sink away and fall into his own heat, he had to help Jared. It was his duty as Captain. Jensen just had to try to get them both through it. “Just tell me what you’re feeling Jared. I’ll try to help you through this.”
“Should we try to get back to the others?”
“You feel like walking?”
Jared bowed his head slightly and let out a shuddered breath. “Only towards you.”
“Yeah?” Jensen tried not to read anything into it but his alpha was taking notice of Jared in ways he didn’t think the other cadet would appreciate. “That’s alright.”
Jared took a few steps towards him and Jensen kept himself still. Everything pointed to Jared becoming another alpha so it was better for him not to make any sudden moves that Jared m might take as aggressive. Jared didn’t stop until he was closer though, close enough he could touch if he just reached his hands out.
Damn, did Jensen want him to.
“Jensen,” his voice was dry and cracked but he reached over and landed a hand on Jensen’s hip, pulling him closer. Jared dropped his head down and Jensen held still while Jared pushed his nose under Jensen’s ear, inhaling deeply. He had no idea what Jared would do next. He had a lungful of Jensen’s alpha scent though and their bodies were too close. The dormant traits in Jared’s nature were taking over and Jensen was preparing for a fight. He’d seen two alphas in heat before - they were shown videos to understand the importance of accurately reporting their heat cycles - and it could get violent fast.
“Jared?” He whispered the name. Jared was so damn close and though Jensen wanted to step back and give them both the distance they probably needed, he took advantage of Jared’s position and buried his nose in the other man’s neck. Jared moaned, his hand coming up to the back of Jensen’s head.
“Fuck, you aren’t an alpha,” he gasped as he took in the full, sweet scent of Jared. Jared’s grip on his hip tightened to the point of bruising but Jensen didn’t care. He wrapped his arms around Jared and pulled the man tight to him.
“Jensen?” There was a question in his voice but he wasn’t pulling away.
“Tell me what you want Jared.”
“You. I want you to … “
“Say it.”
“Bite me. Mark me. Claim me so I can fucking claim you.”
Jensen tilted his head back and as he did he felt the graze of teeth against his throat. “Fucking omegas.”
He’d never been with an omega but he was suddenly glad that they were alone. An untrained omega wouldn’t know how to control what he was feeling and he’d infect everyone else with it. It wouldn’t be the same as full blown heat but they would feel enough to cause a lot of embarrassment to a first timer.
“Strip for me.”
Jared hesitated and Jensen pushed him back a few steps, needing to take in the sight of the cadet. Jared’s face was still flushed and his pupils had a bare pinprick of black in the center. He knew his own eyes were probably the same from whatever had caused them to go into heat. He’d have to put this into his report - no throwbacks planet side on this one - but that was just a stray thought because Jared was unbuttoning his uniform jacket and Jensen was practically drooling to see what was under there. The jacket fell to the ground, followed quickly by the white shirt he wore underneath.
Jensen wanted to walk up and lick his way across the cadet’s abdomen but when Jared reached for his belt, Jensen decided he needed to get with the game. He started to undo the buttons of his own jacket and dropped it to the ground. He set his gun down with it before throwing his shirt on top of the pile. Jared had stopped down to untie his boots and was just kicking them off as Jensen watched him. When Jared looked up, their eyes met for a moment and Jensen could feel the desire building again.
It was strong today, stronger than any other heat he could remember and Jensen tried to take a deep breath to calm himself. It was Jared’s first heat and Jensen didn’t want to traumatize the guy, but the scent of arousal caught at the back of his throat and Jensen growled with the need to be inside Jared’s body.
Jared didn’t hesitate to drop his pants, boxers and all, and then kick them aside, standing naked and glorious in front of Jensen. Jensen still had his pants on and he watched the way Jared’s eyes took in his half naked form and the glint of lust that filled his eyes.
“Strip me.”
Jared was moving almost as soon as Jensen spoke, dropping to his knees in front of Jensen as he started to untie his boots. His hands were gentle but strong as he helped Jensen out of his boots and then ran his hands up the outside of his thigh. He brought his hands up to Jensen’s belt then and Jensen couldn’t help but bury his hand in Jared’s unruly mop of hair. Jared moaned as he tensed his fingers, scratching lightly at his scalp. Then Jared’s hands were undoing the belt and the button underneath it. Jared’s hands moved across the waistline of his pants to the back where he began pushing them down over the curve of Jensen’s ass. Jared moaned as his hands slowly slid down and he leaned forward, teeth nipping lightly at Jensen’s stomach.
Jensen let out a startled laugh, looking down at Jared who was staring back at him. “Fucking omegas,” he said again.
Jared’s smile was mischievous as he worked Jensen’s pants all the way off. When he finished, he tossed Jensen’s pants over with the rest of his clothes and straightened up, looking up at Jensen while he waited on his knees.
“You’re gonna be trouble, aren’t you Padalecki?”
The omega nodded. “More than you might know how to handle.”
It was a challenge and Jensen couldn’t help but respond to it. He gripped Jared’s hair and pulled him up until he could get to the man’s lips. They crashed together and Jensen growled into the kiss. Figured it would be an omega that got to him. A beta would have been nice and quiet and perfectly submissive but Jensen had always been easily bored and Jared was already proving to be more than a little surprising.
Jared’s body was pressed hot and hard against him and Jensen let his free hand roam over the expanse of naked flesh that was his to enjoy. He felt Jared shiver and remembered what was happening.
“Tell me Jared,” he reminded the other man. “Tell me what you want. What you feel.”
“Touch me,” Jared responded.
Jensen smiled as he brushed the hair out of Jared’s eyes. “Lay down for me.”
Jared did as he was asked and Jensen followed him down without making the omega wait. It was his first heat and the first was the worst. Or Jensen thought so until this so it had to be extra rough on Jared. “Gonna make you feel good Jared,” Jensen soothed as he pressed his lips to Jared’s skin. The omega moved into his touch and Jensen allowed himself a little time to play with his lips across Jared’s stomach. “So responsive,” he said without meaning to.
Jared moaned and then Jensen was sitting between his legs. He didn’t hesitate to take Jared into his mouth, lips open wide around his cock. Jared howled at the feeling and would have bucked into Jensen’s mouth if he hadn’t already been waiting for it.
He worked Jared on, knowing how much he was going to need tonight so he kept sucking on Jared as the cadet began to whimper. Jensen reached lower, cupping his balls and rubbing against the soft skin behind them. When he found Jared’s hole he was wet and Jensen couldn’t help but run his finger across the tight muscles that he knew would open so beautifully for him.
When he pressed a finger into Jared’s body - fucking omega already dripping for him - and Jared came down his throat without warning. Jensen swallowed it all, sucking and licking every drop from Jared as he worked a second and third finger in.
Jared was opening like he was made for Jensen and then Jensen knew he couldn’t wait any longer. He had to take Jared now or he risked losing himself completely to his alpha and then there was no guarantee what Jensen would do. He pulled his fingers free, ignoring Jared’s groan, as he positioned himself and pushed into Jared’s body.
Jared shivered around him and Jensen dropped to his elbows so that his body was almost resting on Jared, sharing the body heat and giving the cadet time to adjust to him. It didn’t take long for Jared to start rocking into him though and Jensen couldn’t hold himself back any longer. He began to fuck back and forth into Jared’s body, kissing him and murmuring soft words against his lips.
It wasn’t long before he felt his knot beginning to swell and Jensen pushed hard against Jared’s hole until he was pressed inside.
“Fuck! Jensen,” Jared didn’t sound hurt, just confused and Jensen shushed him with his lips.
“Jared,” he whispered as he felt his knot expanding to fit inside the omega.
“Fill me up Alpha,” Jared begged and Jensen let loose a primal scream, biting down on Jared’s shoulder to mark him as he painted Jared’s insides with his seed. Jensen bit down on Jared’s bottom lip to keep from screaming at how perfect it felt inside Jared, how much like home it felt.
He felt his knot fully formed and then his come was pulsing into Jared and Jared was staring up at him with a contented look and Jensen just smiled down at him.
“Gonna be at this a while,” Jensen admitted as he nipped at Jared’s bottom lip.
Jared laughed as he found Jensen’s hand and brought it between them to his cock which was hardening as Jensen wrapped his fingers around it. “About time.”
**
The readings were easy to retrieve once they managed to get dressed again and find the sensors. Their trip to the ship was a little strained as neither man knew what to do, but Jensen was a professional - almost - and he needed to get Jared to the medic for a check over.
Collins greeted them at the front of the ship with good news. The other men had just had an allergic reaction to the plant, it wasn’t poison, and they were already on the road to recovery. One look between Jared and Jensen and Collins just pulled them into the sick bay with orders for the pilot to get them off the planet.
It was almost night before Collins was done with the tests he needed to perform and Jensen was going out of his skin. He needed to move, needed to see to his men to be sure that everything was alright.
Yeah. That’s what he kept telling himself, but it wasn’t true. He needed to get to Jared and check on him but Collins hadn’t released him yet. Jensen was pacing along the sick bay when he finally felt the familiar tug of the cadet coming closer.
“Jensen? Um… Captain?”
The feel of Jared close was more than he could resist and Jensen smiled over at him as he walked closer. “Jared?”
“Sir, the medic says that I am fine to return to duty. My … um …. Heat seems to have been caused by the planet’s flora and I am not a danger to my fellow cadets.”
Jared didn’t know what to say, that was certain and Jensen found it cute. Damn. He was cute and an omega. Jensen was never gonna hear the end of this.
“Good to know. I wasn’t looking forward to holing up your quarters for the rest of the trip.”
“Captain?”
Jensen reached over, pulling Jared’s lips as close as they could be without actually kissing. “Mine Jared. You’re my mate and I’m not letting anyone else near you when you’re in heat.”
Jared’s eyes lit up and he smiled as he let out a shuddered breath. “Knew you were gonna be trouble, Captain Ackles.”
Jensen laughed at that and Jared joined him. “You have no idea Jared. Gonna have plenty of time to figure it out though Ensign Padalecki.”
“A whole life time?”
It wasn’t a temporary mating, Jensen knew that. The bond was forming between them already and he knew Jared wanted to know if Jensen was going to accept that or fight it. Jensen had been waiting a long time for a place to belong, to a person to belong with, and he couldn’t remember ever being happier. He might not be a normal person with normal hopes and aspirations, but he had a good life. Throwback or not, he found his mate and he was gonna spend the rest of his life making both their lives an adventure.
On to the sequel: Getting to Know You