The Strength of Bonds
Title: The Strength of Bonds
Author: hunters_retreat
Warning: post-apocalyptic, Au world, non-related Sam and Dean
Summary: Sam had followed Dean out of hell and right back in to destroy a monster and he’d never once looked at Dean like he was incapable of doing the job. He stood strong and tall at Dean’s back and never once let his blind eyes make Sam think less of him.
Author's Note: written for the timestamp meme. This is a sequel to A Vision of Black Steel written for alldunn . Enjoy!
The Strength of Bonds
Dean Campbell stared up at the twisted sky with milky white eyes and cursed softly. It wasn’t enough that the sky was dark and damaged, but it was going to open up on them too. The air was heavy with moisture and Dean took a deep breath as he took a minute to pat his stallion’s neck. “Gonna be a wet night, Imp,” he said softly.
He heard a snort of laughter and looked over his shoulder to find Sam loping up beside him. Another horse followed behind carrying most of their provisions though it was supposed to be carrying Sam. The other man had a dislike of horses and Dean rarely got him up into the saddle. Not unless they needed to ride off faster than Sam could possibly run.
“Need to find shelter tonight. Looks like rain,” Dean said to his bondmate.
Sam looked up at the sky and shivered. Even as he did so, his body leaned in towards Dean for comfort. Dean reached out, letting his fingers curl in Sam’s long locks before running his thumb over the nape of his neck in a soothing gesture. It settled Sam and Dean couldn’t help but admit - at least to himself - that the small contact gave him comfort as well. Growing up, he’d never understood the importance of a bond. It wasn’t until he was much older and had learned to live on his own with only his second sight to guide him that he’d been taught about the psychic bond that was inherent in their blood. After years of fighting off possible partners that the Council of Elders threw at him, Dean had found a bondmate in the most unlikely of places.
It was probably appropriate that a blind hunter with second sight would find himself bonded to a wild psychic who had been raised by a demon. They made sense together in a way no one else could understand and Dean didn’t care. It’d been a year since he’d left the Keep of the Ordo Latro and he wasn’t looking to head back anytime soon.
“I’ll find something,” Sam said softly, pulling away from Dean’s embrace as he ran ahead into the wilderness.
Dean watched him go with a faint smile, unable to stop the pull of affection that came from Sam. Sam’s voice was still gravely and though Dean tried to get him to talk more, Sam was happy enough in his silence. Since they’d met, Sam had become better at using his voice, but Dean doubted he would ever talk enough to get over the disused sound of it.
True night was beginning to fall before Sam came running towards him, nothing haunted or panicked in his expression as he made his way closer so Dean relaxed.
“This way,” Sam said, nodding towards a path that led away from the main trail they were on. Dean got down from his stallion and walked behind Sam until they reached a grove of large trees. The high, interlacing branches would keep the grove mostly dry but even as Dean was tying Imp and Sam’s Stan to a branch to keep them close, Sam took his provisions from Stan’s back and pushed through the lower branches of one of the fern trees. Dean took his own things off Imp’s back, lightening the load for the stallion and followed Sam.
The heavy tips of the branches drug them down towards the ground, but there was plenty of room underneath for Sam and Dean to sit down and settle in for the night. Dean didn’t know how Sam found places like this but he had a better sense of survival than any hunter Dean had ever met. It probably had to do with his upbringing and the way he’d had to forage for himself for so long, always unable to leave the forest Azazel had raised him in but never safe from the demon’s demands. Dean hated bringing the demon up in conversation so he preferred to just believe Sam had a natural knack for it.
Dean settled his bedroll out onto the ground and allowed himself to lie back for a minute. They needed to eat still, but they’d been moving steadily for a few days and Dean felt tired from the road. A second later, he felt Sam burrowing into his side.
Dean smiled as he looked down at his bondmate. “Comfortable?”
“No. You have too much clothing on.”
Dean let out a laugh at that. Sam’s hand settled on his chest though, not moving to remove anything, content to take comfort in their closeness.
“Tell me why you wanted to be a hunter?” Sam asked quietly.
The question surprised Dean. Sam had never asked about his past. Occasionally something would come up about the Order and Dean’s place with it - and by extension Sam’s - but he’d never pushed. Not even after they’d found out that Sam’s father had killed Dean’s mother had Sam tried to learn more about his past.
“I just …” he’d been about to give a generic answer, something about always knowing, but Sam deserved better than that from him. Sam was everything to Dean. He’d followed Dean out of hell and right back in to destroy a monster and he’d never once looked at Dean like he was incapable of doing the job. He stood strong and tall at Dean’s back and never once let his blind eyes make Sam think less of him.
“When I was a kid, I didn’t have any psychic abilities. I was just this dumb kid hanging around the Keep, blind and unwanted. The only reason I think they let me be there was because my mom was a hunter and she’d died on their mission. I was maybe six when Bobby Singer showed up at the Keep, demanded access to the library and told everyone to leave him the hell alone. I’d never seen a hunter like that. Everyone at the Keep bowed to the Council and respected the way they did things. Bobby was something else though. I knew he was a member of the Council, but he wasn’t like them. So instead of leaving him in peace like everyone else did, I followed him everywhere.”
Sam let out a small huff against Dean’s chest and Dean let his fingers run a soothing circle up and down Sam’s back as he continued.
“No one else would have dared, but there I was. I had no idea what he was reading but I’d wait until he’d put something away and try to go find it. God knows if I ever even touched the right books, but one day I went to find the book and there was nothing there. I stopped and right in front of me was the Elder. He told me the book wouldn’t do me a damn bit of good since I couldn’t read it, but he wouldn’t mind someone to listen. He talked to me about what he was doing then, what he was up against. It was the first time anyone really talked to me about a hunt but it wasn’t the first time I’d heard things. Everyone forgot I was there and they said things in front of me because what use was I, anyway?”
“De,” Sam sounded affronted but Dean just shook his head.
“It was true back then. But as Bobby asked questions he realized I knew a lot about the things that were happening around the Keep. In the end, Bobby made me feel useful. He made me realize that being blind didn’t mean I couldn’t be something important. His next trip back to the Keep he brought books that I could read, a special alphabet that I was able to take notes in and leave behind for him that no one else could decipher. Bobby gave me something important to do with my life and I knew then that I was going to be like him.”
“And when your second sight came?”
“Bobby hauled me away from the Keep faster than the gossip spread. He helped me get a handle on it before I returned back to the Keep and had to face the Council of Elders. They wanted to keep me under observation but I knew I could do something more with my life so I did.”
“I like Bobby,” Sam said softly.
“Think we should head out his way when we’re done here?” Dean asked. They hadn’t seen Bobby since they’d left the Keep but Bobby and Sam had been keeping in touch, sending word back and forth through a series of Inns and hunters out in the world.
“He makes good stew.”
“Hungry?” Dean asked, but he knew Sam was just remembering his first visit to Bobby’s house, back when their bond was new and Sam had been little more than a feral creature.
Sam sat up then, his smile warm and mischievous as he leaned over Dean. “Mmmm, hungry , yes. Food, no.”
Dean laughed as Sam’s mouth captured his in a kiss but he wrapped his arms around Sam’s neck and pulled him closer. The sky was just beginning to let lose the rain and they had no place to go tonight. Dean was more than happy to let Sam work off his appetite. It’d been too long since Dean could claim his bondmate and as he felt Sam’s head tilt to the side, his neck in offering, Dean couldn’t help but make his mark and remind them both of the strength of their bond.
Author: hunters_retreat
Warning: post-apocalyptic, Au world, non-related Sam and Dean
Summary: Sam had followed Dean out of hell and right back in to destroy a monster and he’d never once looked at Dean like he was incapable of doing the job. He stood strong and tall at Dean’s back and never once let his blind eyes make Sam think less of him.
Author's Note: written for the timestamp meme. This is a sequel to A Vision of Black Steel written for alldunn . Enjoy!
The Strength of Bonds
Dean Campbell stared up at the twisted sky with milky white eyes and cursed softly. It wasn’t enough that the sky was dark and damaged, but it was going to open up on them too. The air was heavy with moisture and Dean took a deep breath as he took a minute to pat his stallion’s neck. “Gonna be a wet night, Imp,” he said softly.
He heard a snort of laughter and looked over his shoulder to find Sam loping up beside him. Another horse followed behind carrying most of their provisions though it was supposed to be carrying Sam. The other man had a dislike of horses and Dean rarely got him up into the saddle. Not unless they needed to ride off faster than Sam could possibly run.
“Need to find shelter tonight. Looks like rain,” Dean said to his bondmate.
Sam looked up at the sky and shivered. Even as he did so, his body leaned in towards Dean for comfort. Dean reached out, letting his fingers curl in Sam’s long locks before running his thumb over the nape of his neck in a soothing gesture. It settled Sam and Dean couldn’t help but admit - at least to himself - that the small contact gave him comfort as well. Growing up, he’d never understood the importance of a bond. It wasn’t until he was much older and had learned to live on his own with only his second sight to guide him that he’d been taught about the psychic bond that was inherent in their blood. After years of fighting off possible partners that the Council of Elders threw at him, Dean had found a bondmate in the most unlikely of places.
It was probably appropriate that a blind hunter with second sight would find himself bonded to a wild psychic who had been raised by a demon. They made sense together in a way no one else could understand and Dean didn’t care. It’d been a year since he’d left the Keep of the Ordo Latro and he wasn’t looking to head back anytime soon.
“I’ll find something,” Sam said softly, pulling away from Dean’s embrace as he ran ahead into the wilderness.
Dean watched him go with a faint smile, unable to stop the pull of affection that came from Sam. Sam’s voice was still gravely and though Dean tried to get him to talk more, Sam was happy enough in his silence. Since they’d met, Sam had become better at using his voice, but Dean doubted he would ever talk enough to get over the disused sound of it.
True night was beginning to fall before Sam came running towards him, nothing haunted or panicked in his expression as he made his way closer so Dean relaxed.
“This way,” Sam said, nodding towards a path that led away from the main trail they were on. Dean got down from his stallion and walked behind Sam until they reached a grove of large trees. The high, interlacing branches would keep the grove mostly dry but even as Dean was tying Imp and Sam’s Stan to a branch to keep them close, Sam took his provisions from Stan’s back and pushed through the lower branches of one of the fern trees. Dean took his own things off Imp’s back, lightening the load for the stallion and followed Sam.
The heavy tips of the branches drug them down towards the ground, but there was plenty of room underneath for Sam and Dean to sit down and settle in for the night. Dean didn’t know how Sam found places like this but he had a better sense of survival than any hunter Dean had ever met. It probably had to do with his upbringing and the way he’d had to forage for himself for so long, always unable to leave the forest Azazel had raised him in but never safe from the demon’s demands. Dean hated bringing the demon up in conversation so he preferred to just believe Sam had a natural knack for it.
Dean settled his bedroll out onto the ground and allowed himself to lie back for a minute. They needed to eat still, but they’d been moving steadily for a few days and Dean felt tired from the road. A second later, he felt Sam burrowing into his side.
Dean smiled as he looked down at his bondmate. “Comfortable?”
“No. You have too much clothing on.”
Dean let out a laugh at that. Sam’s hand settled on his chest though, not moving to remove anything, content to take comfort in their closeness.
“Tell me why you wanted to be a hunter?” Sam asked quietly.
The question surprised Dean. Sam had never asked about his past. Occasionally something would come up about the Order and Dean’s place with it - and by extension Sam’s - but he’d never pushed. Not even after they’d found out that Sam’s father had killed Dean’s mother had Sam tried to learn more about his past.
“I just …” he’d been about to give a generic answer, something about always knowing, but Sam deserved better than that from him. Sam was everything to Dean. He’d followed Dean out of hell and right back in to destroy a monster and he’d never once looked at Dean like he was incapable of doing the job. He stood strong and tall at Dean’s back and never once let his blind eyes make Sam think less of him.
“When I was a kid, I didn’t have any psychic abilities. I was just this dumb kid hanging around the Keep, blind and unwanted. The only reason I think they let me be there was because my mom was a hunter and she’d died on their mission. I was maybe six when Bobby Singer showed up at the Keep, demanded access to the library and told everyone to leave him the hell alone. I’d never seen a hunter like that. Everyone at the Keep bowed to the Council and respected the way they did things. Bobby was something else though. I knew he was a member of the Council, but he wasn’t like them. So instead of leaving him in peace like everyone else did, I followed him everywhere.”
Sam let out a small huff against Dean’s chest and Dean let his fingers run a soothing circle up and down Sam’s back as he continued.
“No one else would have dared, but there I was. I had no idea what he was reading but I’d wait until he’d put something away and try to go find it. God knows if I ever even touched the right books, but one day I went to find the book and there was nothing there. I stopped and right in front of me was the Elder. He told me the book wouldn’t do me a damn bit of good since I couldn’t read it, but he wouldn’t mind someone to listen. He talked to me about what he was doing then, what he was up against. It was the first time anyone really talked to me about a hunt but it wasn’t the first time I’d heard things. Everyone forgot I was there and they said things in front of me because what use was I, anyway?”
“De,” Sam sounded affronted but Dean just shook his head.
“It was true back then. But as Bobby asked questions he realized I knew a lot about the things that were happening around the Keep. In the end, Bobby made me feel useful. He made me realize that being blind didn’t mean I couldn’t be something important. His next trip back to the Keep he brought books that I could read, a special alphabet that I was able to take notes in and leave behind for him that no one else could decipher. Bobby gave me something important to do with my life and I knew then that I was going to be like him.”
“And when your second sight came?”
“Bobby hauled me away from the Keep faster than the gossip spread. He helped me get a handle on it before I returned back to the Keep and had to face the Council of Elders. They wanted to keep me under observation but I knew I could do something more with my life so I did.”
“I like Bobby,” Sam said softly.
“Think we should head out his way when we’re done here?” Dean asked. They hadn’t seen Bobby since they’d left the Keep but Bobby and Sam had been keeping in touch, sending word back and forth through a series of Inns and hunters out in the world.
“He makes good stew.”
“Hungry?” Dean asked, but he knew Sam was just remembering his first visit to Bobby’s house, back when their bond was new and Sam had been little more than a feral creature.
Sam sat up then, his smile warm and mischievous as he leaned over Dean. “Mmmm, hungry , yes. Food, no.”
Dean laughed as Sam’s mouth captured his in a kiss but he wrapped his arms around Sam’s neck and pulled him closer. The sky was just beginning to let lose the rain and they had no place to go tonight. Dean was more than happy to let Sam work off his appetite. It’d been too long since Dean could claim his bondmate and as he felt Sam’s head tilt to the side, his neck in offering, Dean couldn’t help but make his mark and remind them both of the strength of their bond.