Sum of the Parts (Chapter Two)
“You never know. We had one set up in the beginning that was pretty bad. We were still new to everything and we thought they had it under control until someone showed up at the main base, half starved. The people in control were stockpiling the supplies we were sending, making people forage on their own, and leaving them to starve if they couldn’t. It wasn’t a community; we had to step in.”
He scoffed, kicking his toe against a rock as they walked, “We like to think the psychics are the worst evil in the world, but there are plenty of nasty people we save from the pens. It’s why we send our own people to the havens from time to time. We built these communities to rebuild humanity, to pull our resources, and try to make something the psychics can’t destroy. But every so often we find a bad seed and we learned from our mistakes. Now, every so often we get one of our own to take a look around to make sure they’re on the up and up.”
Chris nodded but they fell silent after that as they approached the broad doors of the base. As much as Jensen hated the empty feeling up top, he knew it was teeming with activity below.
He watched as Priestly finally let Alec out of his embrace and then Priestly was standing in front of Dean. Priestly placed his hand over Dean’s heart; it was just that small gesture, but it made Jensen’s heart ache slightly at the way Priestly was able to get past Dean’s rough exterior in the gentlest of ways.
“Wow, I don’t have the longest hair on base anymore,” Priestly said after a moment as he looked over at Jensen and Chris.
“Like anyone could tell how long your hair is with that mohawk,” Jensen remarked. He looked over at Alec and gave him a thumbs up, mouthing ‘red’ at the color of their lover’s hair.
“What would you do with another pretty boy around here? Someone has to remember how to look dangerous,” Priestly said as he came up, throwing his arms around Jensen.
He let his lips graze Priestly’s cheek and smiled when Priestly pulled back, his eyes roaming over Jensen to make sure he was alright. “You look dangerous for about two seconds and then you open your mouth and show what a puppy you are.”
Priestly ignored the comment, looking pointedly at Chris. Jensen laughed, “Priestly, this is Christian Kane. Chris, this is Priestly.”
Priestly held his hand out and Chris shook it.
“I knew Chris from Before.”
“Really?”
Jensen smiled at the wide eyes Priestly gave him before he turned to look at Chris again. It was the first time any of them had been reunited with someone they’d known before the psychics had declared war on the human race. He wasn’t sure how Priestly would treat Chris. Alec had time to work out his thought while he was bringing Chris and his message to the meeting place so he didn’t have an unguarded reaction from him. Dean’s was plain enough, jealousy and concern written across his face before he could shut it down. They didn’t talk about their lives Before though, didn’t talk about things like friends and family, and loved ones left behind, no matter how much they might want to. In the beginning it was to keep those things close, to keep them sacred and protected, but over time there was just too much to lose in the here and now without sparing any more thoughts to the ones left behind. Jensen was curious what Priestly would make of Chris and their friendship.
Priestly smiled as he looked between Jensen and Chris a few more times. “Really good to meet you, man. You got any embarrassing stories to pass along?”
Chris’s smile widened as he pointed at Priestly, “I think I like this one best.”
“Don’t encourage him.”
“Who?” Dean asked as he and Alec came to stand with them.
“Either of them,” Jensen sighed.
Dean nodded, but Jensen could see he was all business now. When Dean looked at Alec, he nodded back to the base, “Go get checked in. Meet me in the planning room in fifteen.”
Alec turned to leave, waiting only a moment for Priestly to join him, and then Dean looked at Jensen, “Get him settled in a bunk and then meet up with us. We need to get on this right away.”
Jensen didn’t bother answering, but turned to head into the base, knowing Chris would follow along with him. Priestly and Alec would be caught up in provisions, and he was certain Alec already knew Dean would want scouts ready to go as soon as possible, so he decided against going to them for the supplies he needed. As much as he’d prefer to see Priestly for a few more minutes, he went to the other supply depot.
“Face, what can I get for you?” the man behind the counter asked. It was a title Jensen had hated in the beginning, feeling the name as a lack of identity. Over time, it became a badge he wore proudly, knowing that the men and women who called to them trusted them and looked to them for their security.
“Jensen,” he offered the man his name and smiled at the way he relaxed slightly. They always stayed stiff as a board for Dean and Alec. “My friend here needs a room and some clothes, Larry.”
The guy looked up from the board, obviously pleased that Jensen remembered his name, “Room 7-K is free. All stocked up and waiting for the next load of ‘scapes we get in.”
“Great, thanks.”
“Your friend got a name?”
“Kane, Christian,” Chris spoke up.
The guy nodded, writing his name down, “Good to have you back, Jensen. You’re all back, right?”
“Yep. Just retrieving a message from Hope Haven.”
The man smiled at that and Jensen knew that Priestly hadn’t been the only one worried that they’d been out of the base. “We heard something big was happening. You don’t have any news do you?”
“We might,” Jensen said as he took Larry’s clipboard and handed it to Chris to sign, “but we’re trying to verify it before we get anyone’s hopes up.”
“Good man,” Larry said, “we all need a little peace, and this sitting around waiting for war isn’t it.”
“I hear you, Larry,” Jensen said with a nod. “Thanks for the room. I need to tell Alec and Priestly how well prepared you guys are. Never caught you with your pants down yet.”
“Never will, neither!”
Jensen smiled as they walked off and Chris handed the signed papers back to Larry before following him to Hall K, “What was that all about?”
“Priestly and Alec run supply and the people they have working for them are always on top of it. It does them good to hear it every now and again.”
“And it’s your job to do that?” Chris asked incredulously.
Jensen walked quickly, quietly fuming, until he found Chris’s room. He pushed open the door and led Chris inside, “Here’s the deal, Chris. Alec and Priestly are in charge of supply, both here, and back and forth from the havens. Dean handles the training of soldiers and new ‘scapes and the scouts and raids. I run everything else. I decide who moves from one base to another, or when it’s time to try to set up another haven, or find a new peer judicial group because one is too busy. That’s all on me, so yeah, morale falls under that, too. I get that you don’t understand how it all works, but I’d appreciate it if you keep your doubts about my ability to do my job to yourself until we’re in private.”
Chris stared at him a minute then nodded, “I didn’t mean anything by it, Jensen,” he said, holding his hands up as if to back him off.
“Sorry,” Jensen said with a sigh. “I’m fucking tired and we’re gonna get no sleep until this is done.”
Chris paused as he checked out the room to look back at Jensen, “You really think it will happen that fast?”
“If Dean can verify your message, then yeah we’ll move fast. We can’t get to Dean’s brother when he’s so heavily guarded, but if they bring him out into the open, we have a chance.”
“You don’t think this could be a trap?”
“Pretty sure it’s gotta be. For us, or Sam, I’m not sure, but it has to be. That doesn’t mean we won’t walk into it though.”
“So, just because this guy looks like you, you’re ready to follow him wherever he leads?”
He knew Chris wasn’t trying to start a fight but he was pushing buttons he didn’t know Jensen had. “You have no idea why I follow him.” And Chris couldn’t. He hadn’t been there when Jensen had been saved from the holding cells by Alec and Dean. He hadn’t been there when Jensen demanded Dean do something besides just setting people free. The whole damn thing was started because Jensen had needed to do something. Everything they’d become, everything they had, was done by Dean and Alec for Jensen.
“Then explain it to me. Tell me why you’re following him,” Christian’s voice had a tinge of frustration but it was mostly patient. Jensen knew him, or used to know him, well enough to understand. He wanted to get what was happening at the base, he wanted to know what Jensen was doing, but he’d missed it all and he needed Jensen to explain it.
“Because-” Jensen had never said it before, and he wasn’t sure he could, but the look on Chris’ face, the disbelief was too much. “I’d follow Dean to Hell and back, because I love him. Regardless of that, I’d still follow him, because it’s the right thing to do. Because we can’t keep fighting a war with no way to win. As much as we keep gaining momentum, all it would take is one well-placed strike and we’d be back to the beginning, barely scraping by.”
“You think Dean would do the same for you?”
“Yeah,” it wasn’t Jensen that answered Chris’s question though. Jensen turned around to find Dean standing in the doorway. Dean was staring at Jensen, and he had no idea how much of what he’d said had been overheard. He hoped all. He hoped nothing. It was hard as hell to figure out how much was too much when it came to Dean Winchester, and as much as Jensen felt the words, he’d never spoken them for fear that it would send Dean running from him. Sometimes, even without the words, it was too much.
Something warm passed over Dean’s eyes and he saw his lover relax slightly, “Come on. Need you two to get this meeting started. The others will want to hear the message from Chris.”
“And you can’t swing a gavel without me?” Jensen teased, trying to ignore the way the words were hanging over his head.
Chris looked back and forth at them for a minute before shaking his head and stepping out into the hallway though he was still keeping them in view. Dean stepped into the room, crowding Jensen back against the wall. His presence felt like heavy clouds and a storm rolling in; Jensen had no idea what to say. Dean solved the problem by pushing closer until their lips were crushed together. The kiss was deep and hard, lips bruising between them, until Dean finally pulled back. He stepped away immediately, “Come on, we need to get this going.”
Jensen stayed there for a moment, trying to catch his breath. It was so like Dean, unable to even whisper the words but his actions were always so damn loud. When he stepped into the hallway, Dean was gone and Chris was waiting for him, smirk in place.
“I get it now.”
“Oh, shut the hell up,” he said, walking away from his friend. Chris’ laughter followed him up the hall as he followed a few steps behind.
**
He wasn’t sure how he managed to keep it together during the meeting, but once it was over, he could feel himself starting to shut down. Dean walked away from the others, long strides carrying him to the room he shared with the other three men until he could close the door behind him and lock the world out. He stripped out of his clothes and made his way to the shower, steam coating the mirrors as he stepped into the heat. He leaned up against the wall, hands holding him in place as he dipped his head and let the water run down his neck and over his shoulders, washing away some of the tension. He couldn’t relax yet though, couldn’t help but feel like he was about to detonate.
He felt the change in the air, the soft cool current that touched his skin for a moment and then there was another body there, strong and confident, an arm wrapping around his waist as soft lips pressed at the nape of his neck. He knew who it was from the approach. Jensen would have come at him from the front, all confrontation and the need to see into his eyes and Priestly would have asked to come in.
“Alec?” he questioned, wondering how Alec managed to get away from the others so fast. There were plans to be made, things that he’d expected Alec to set into motion when he walked out.
“We got it,” Alec answered. “Jensen is sending out people to the havens and bases to get a good idea of what sort of military support we can count on from them and Priestly is already outfitting the scouts and messengers.”
Dean let out a deep moan as Alec’s hands gripped his shoulders, strong fingers working into his tired flesh. “I thought you might need a little stress relief.”
A deep chuckle escaped Dean’s lips and he turned, watching the way Alec backed up to the opposite wall of the shower. He wasn’t trying to get away. He was biting his bottom lip and watching Dean in a way that was pure offering.
He wasn’t about to say no to that. He wouldn’t on a normal day and he certainly wasn’t going to when he’d wanted nothing more than to run his hands over every bit of Alec’s skin since he’d returned from Hope Haven. He needed to see with his own eyes that nothing had happened to Alec and now he had his chance.
He pressed in close, taking his time to roll his hips up against Alec before brushing their lips together. “I might need some sort of relief,” Dean commented as he dropped his hand to Alec’s hip, his thumb traveling over the hipbone. “Think you can handle it, pretty boy?”
Alec’s smile grew wider. “Anything you dish out.”
Dean crushed their lips together and Alec moaned into his mouth. No matter how hard Dean had tried to fight it in the beginning, the connection he had to Alec was so damn strong, a couple soldiers trying to make sense out of a senseless war, two men trying to hold onto something when nothing could last. How they still had one another, how they’d managed to create something else altogether, was beyond Dean’s understanding. It felt good though, as Alec let him turn him around, face first into the shower wall. He let his right hand trace the drops of water as they fell down his back, over the curve of his spine, and down the crack of his ass. He stopped when his fingers came to the tight pucker of muscle and Alec brought his arms up, resting his head on his forearms as he moaned into Dean’s touch. He reached behind him for something to slick the way - and didn’t he fucking love his boys for realizing they fucked so often in the shower that the needed to keep something waterproof in there - and opened the bottle, letting the contents dribble down onto Alec’s skin. He ran his fingers through it, watched the glimmer of it on Alec’s skin before he pressed a slicked finger into Alec’s hole.
Dean groaned, pressing his lips to Alec’s shoulder as he pushed in and out until he could work a second finger in. It would be too soon for the others, but Alec could take it faster, wanted it harder than the others and Dean was more than willing to give it. By the time he had a third finger worked into Alec, Dean could see his other arm working in front of him, hips pushed out just enough to let Alec work his cock as Dean finger fucked him.
“Let me,” Dean ordered as he pulled his fingers out. He lined himself up with Alec and grabbed his hips, pulling him back onto his cock. Alec moaned and Dean held his breath for a moment, focusing on the feel of Alec around him. When he let out a shuddered breath Alec pushed his hips back. Dean took the hint and began pounding into him, fingers holding him so tight he was bruising. They wouldn’t last long, not with Alec’s ability to heal so quickly, but they might last the night if he kept at it like that. He wanted them to.
He leaned closed, reaching one hand around and pulling at Alec’s cock. Alec thrust up into his hand and then back on his cock and Dean was quickly losing control. Alec could do that, make him so hot and hard, and he lost all thought except pounding his ass good. The way Alec’s back arched under him let him know Alec was just as happy about that thought as he was.
He felt the way Alec’s body began to stutter through his movements and then he felt the hot spurt across his hand. Alec’s body seized around Dean’s cock and Dean bit hard into Alec’s shoulder, muffling his own cries as he pumped Alec full of his come.
He leaned hard against Alec, waiting until their breathing evened out before he pulled away from his body. He took a step back, admiring the way his fingerprints decorated Alec’s skin. He leaned in and bit at his neck softly, a nip at the barcode that made Alec so different from the rest of them. “Look good in my marks,” Dean’s voice was a dark growl as he ran his fingers over the bruises.
Alec looked over his shoulder and smiled. “I look good in anything.”
Dean laughed softly as he finally stepped away and let himself back under the full stream of the shower.
It was only a few minutes later before they came out of the bathroom to find Jensen and Priestly sitting on the bed talking softly. They were both lying naked under the covers and Dean pulled Alec quickly into the heap with him. Priestly gently kissed Dean’s lips while Alec slipped into bed behind him, kissing the back of Priestly’s neck. Behind Dean, Jensen sat as far off as he could, just a single hand running up and down Dean’s back to let him know he was still there.
Even after having Alec in the shower, it didn’t take long for Dean to find himself growing hard again. This time, buried in Priestly as he gently rocked his hips, his release was more of a revelation than a release, a reminder of how strong he was with his lovers there to back him up, of how the chance they now had was because of who they were together, and of how no matter what else happened, he had this now.
He cried out Priestly’s name as he came and when he pulled out of his body, it was into Jensen’s waiting arms. Jensen kissed him with a passion that was dangerous and all encompassing, but then he was shifting to push Dean onto his back and Jensen let his head rest over Dean’s heart. Dean let his hand brush gently up and down Jensen’s arm and the last thing he remembered before sleeping was the soft feel of Jensen’s skin under his fingertips.
**
They couldn’t get confirmation of Kane’s news overnight, no matter how much Dean wanted it, but what frustrated him more was the knowledge that he couldn’t be the one to go get it. No one would have blamed him for taking off, but he knew the psychics were looking for him. If they could get their hands on Dean not only would they have a way to weaken Sam, but they would also have access to the location and lay out of all their bases and havens. He couldn’t risk everything, not when he knew his own impulse once he got that close to Sam would be to go in after his brother alone.
Instead, he trusted to the men he’d come to know over the years. Michael had been the first person he’d come across that knew how to handle himself in a fight. He didn’t know what sort of life Michael had led Before, but there was a certain reflective joy about him that Dean knew it hadn’t been a good life. He was loyal though and years working in the field with him made him trust the man now.
When it was time for him to leave, Dean had pulled him aside and given him two simple missions; find out if the rumors about Sam were true, and take Kane to see if he could be trusted. As much as he wanted to trust Jensen’s opinion of Kane, he needed someone who was objective, who knew how to look for the signs of betrayal, and that was the sort of man Michael was.
Michael had just nodded at the orders, giving a brief, “Of course,” before he’d grabbed the pack Priestly had prepared for him. Kane had already waiting by the entrance, making his goodbyes to Jensen, Alec, and Priestly.
Two weeks later and there was no word back yet. It didn’t surprise him, considering the terrain they had to cross and the difficulty in finding a way to confirm the rumor, but if Dean trusted anyone for a mission like this - outside of himself and Alec - it was Michael.
Instead, he threw himself into everything else he could. He drilled the men harder than ever, he worked out with Alec to push his own physical stamina and with Jensen to remind himself that Jensen was a soldier now, that he had earned that title in the thick of battle, fighting at Dean’s side. The thing that took up most of his time though was training Priestly. The man had basic combat skills, because no one got to live in the base if they didn’t have that, but he’d managed to avoid any heavier training. The others said it was because he thought Dean would refuse to train him, but Dean thought they were both reluctant to start.
Dean hated training people to be soldiers, it was too reminiscent of the things he’d done under his father’s orders that had turned Sam into the hunter he’d been. He remembered every time a piece of Sam’s innocence had been stripped away and he knew how much it hurt to see a lover go through the same thing. He’d held himself steadfast in Jensen’s training at the beginning, but it hadn’t been easy and the first time he’d seen Jensen’s eyes after he’d killed a man, he’d wanted to put a bullet between his own eyes. As much as he wanted to protect the people he loved, it seemed his role in life was to train them instead, to watch them go out to face insurmountable odds and hope like hell they came back to him.
“Dean, a hand up?”
Dean looked down at Priestly and gave a half smile as he extended his hand. The training mats kept him from getting hurt when he went down but they weren’t exactly soft. Priestly would still be covered in bruises the next day, but Dean was getting used to seeing that. No matter how he tried to make up for each mark when they went to sleep at night, he resolved himself to new bruising each day.
“Come on, Princess, you’ve almost got it.”
Priestly exhaled sharply, his wounded pride getting him to his feet. “Yeah, you keep saying that and I keep ending up on my ass.”
“Dean!” They both turned to watch as Jensen came through the hallway and crossed onto the mats at the center of the training area. “Michael’s back. He wants to debrief fully,” and there was a slight roll of his eyes at Michael’s need for formalities in those sorts of things, “but he said we should get ready. The rumor was true.”
**
“Jensen!”
Jensen looked up from the table where he was studying the latest intel. Michael had been back two days and they had all their scouts out, monitoring what they could and reporting back. No one went close to the psychic’s base the way Michael had, but they knew of other facilities that were large enough to house Sam and the contingency of soldiers that would protect him and they needed to be watched for action.
When Jensen looked up he saw Alec running into the room, shirtless, with water dripping down his skin, wetting the waistband of the pants he wore. Last he knew Alec had been on his way back to their room to get a shower.
Alec didn’t wait for his conversation with Chris to stop, but the haunted look in his eyes made Jensen step away from the table even before Alec could speak. “Dean’s lost in the bond.”
Jensen gasped even while he was moving away from the table, forgetting Chris and the information they were going over. “What happened?”
“I got out of the shower and he was just sitting there, his eyes closed, just listening to the bond. I didn’t think anything about it until he didn’t make any comments about me being undressed,” Alec said as he and Jensen walked out the door of the conference room.
“Jensen, what the hell?” Chris asked as he grabbed Jensen’s wrist, reminding Jensen of what he’d been doing. “We need to look over this.”
“I’ll tell you on the way if you want,” he wanted to cringe at the tone of his voice, at how cold and callused it was, but he didn’t have time to deal with this right now. The Face worked because they were all there for one another, each taking what they needed and giving when they could. Right then, Jensen needed to get to Dean and he couldn’t be anywhere else. “But I’ll take your fucking hand off if you don’t get out of my way.”
Chris dropped his hand immediately and Jensen could see the disbelief in Chris’s eyes. They’d been friends a long time, Before, but Chris was still getting to know the man Jensen had become. He’d never seen Jensen in full on protective mode - and Jensen had learned it from the best damn it - and though he was coming to terms with how serious Jensen was about his role in everything he still didn’t understand the depth of his feelings when it came to Dean, Alec, and Priestly. Chris gave a small nod though and Jensen didn’t wait any longer. He turned to run down the hall beside Alec, surprised to feel Chris at their heels. “Dean said he needed to check up on something with the intel when he left. Damn it!” Jensen cursed as he ran through the hall.
“What’s happening, Jensen?” Chris asked.
“We have all the intel we can gather, but I should have known he’d need to check on it.” Jensen’s mind was reeling with the implication. The bond between Dean and Sam had saved their asses more times than he could count, but it also left Dean more and more exhausted when he used it. The pull of Sam on the other side was too strong, and from what they understood, unstable, and they’d tried to rely on it less.
He turned his head to look over his shoulder at Chris as they continued moving. He deserved to know why Jensen had snapped and why he’d run off from their meeting. “Dean used to check his bond with Sam from time to time to make sure he was still alive, but the stronger the link got the harder it became for Dean to pull away from it. He doesn’t allow himself to delve in the bond anymore because of it. We don’t know if Sam won’t let him go, or if Dean can’t let Sam go, but we have to get him back. We can’t leave him in his own head.”
“You can get to him?” His voice was incredulous, not with open disbelief, but with the wonder that Jensen had seen on him more and more lately. It was genuine surprise that Jensen was capable of the things he was, things that few people would have believed him capable of Before. Jensen didn’t know how to answer the growing faith in him that almost seemed to border on awe. Not when his own reaction to Chris’s initial disbelief was still an anger growing on fury.
There was no hesitation in Alec’s voice though. “Yeah, if anyone can get to Dean right now its Jensen.”
“I’ll go over the new intel then,” Chris said, a quiet certainty creeping into his voice. “You do what you need to and when you get this settled, I’ll be waiting.”
Jensen barely registered the exchange as Alec thanked him and Chris ran back the other way, but he knew he’d be able to appreciate what Chris was stepping up to do later.
They made it to their quarters quickly. Priestly was sitting on the bed beside Dean. Dean was in his jeans, bare chested, with his palm pressed flat against his tattoo. Jensen didn’t pause as Alec pulled the door shut behind them, just moved to the edge of the bed, dropping to his knees in front of Dean.
It was a scenario they’d discussed among themselves a hundred times - Alec, Jensen, and Priestly - what they would do if Dean was ever lost to them. Jensen let his fingers trace lightly over Dean’s face, wishing his closed eyes would open up for him. Dean didn’t seem to register the touch and it scared Jensen far more than anything else.
“Dean, come on. You need to open your eyes for me,” Jensen said, leaning up to get closer to Dean. “We’re all here, waiting for you. You tell Sam we’re coming soon, but he has to give you back now.”
Dean’s hand pressed harder into his chest, but the other hand came up around Jensen’s shoulder, pulling him close. He didn’t think Dean was aware of the movement but Jensen went with it. “Come on, Dean. Come back to me. I’m right here, just open your eyes.”
The other hand dropped from Dean’s chest, and both of Dean’s hands were on his arms then, pulling him up and into Dean’s lap. It was so unlike Dean, so unlike the way he touched Jensen that he didn’t think it was really him.
“Dean,” he whispered into his lover’s ear, “Wake up to me.”
He brushed his lips over Dean’s softly. Dean pulled him in hard, lips crushing them together. There was a hunger to the kiss that was foreign but Jensen didn’t fight it, just let Dean control it.
“Jensen?” It was Alec at his back, and there was a question in the way he said his name. They knew something was wrong with what was happening and Alec was willing to stop whatever it was.
Jensen pulled back from Dean slightly, letting his forehead rest against Dean’s. “It’s okay,” he said to Alec. “Give us some space, okay?”
He wasn’t sure what would happen next, but he didn’t want Alec and Priestly there for it. Alec didn’t know what he was thinking though, so he could feel them moving to the other room. He knew they were there if he needed them. He knew what he was willing to do, but he hoped he could get Dean back before it got too far.
“Just us now,” Jensen said softly. Strong hands pulled the shirt over his head and Jensen raised his arms up, making it easier. When he brought them back down, he let his hands fall on Dean’s shoulders, brushing his fingers over his skin until he was resting over Dean’s tattoo. “I need you back Dean, just you.”
He reached back and pulled his shoes off, then barely had time to register the movement before Dean had him flipped onto his back, underneath him on the bed. His pants were being peeled back and though the hands felt unfamiliar and clumsy on his body, he helped strip the rest of his clothes off. He didn’t know how far gone Dean still was, but if this was what he needed to find his way back, if this was what Sam needed to give Dean back to them, he was willing to give it.
“Dean, come on, open your eyes for me,” he said again as Dean’s body moved over him. Dean was crawling back over him and Jensen pushed him then, his hands reaching between them to get to Dean’s pants. Dean’s body stilled as Jensen pushed him onto his back and undid his button and zipper, sliding Dean out of his pants like he’d done a hundred times before.
He sat between his lover’s legs then, leaning forward to brush his lips over Dean’s hipbone. He nipped at it lightly, something that never failed to make Dean buck up but he was surprisingly still. He moved up higher, just letting his lips trail over the warm skin until he finally reached Dean’s tattoo. He licked across the ink and then Dean’s body tensed. For a moment he was afraid he was seizing but then he relaxed again. He pressed his forehead to Dean’s chest and kissed at the heart of this tattoo. “Come back to me, Dean.”
He heard the moan and looked up in time to see Dean’s eyes fly open.
“Dean?” he asked as he leaned up.
Dean’s eyes were wild and it took a few seconds but then he caught hold of Jensen’s eyes and he stopped looking away, “Jensen?”
“Yeah, I’m right here.”
His hand came up to Jensen’s face, framing it softly; that was the touch he was used to.
“Jesus, Baby,” and Dean pulled him close, pressing their lips together. It was every bit as deep as the first kiss, but where the other had been driven by hunger, this was possession, and he could feel Dean maneuvering him onto his back. He wasn’t sure what had happened in Dean’s head, but he needed Jensen now, and, damn, if Jensen didn’t need it too.
Dean pulled back, reaching between them with one hand to stroke Jensen’s length while he pushed two fingers into Jensen’s mouth. Jensen sucked and licked and wet his fingers good before Dean pulled them away. He didn’t try to open him up slow, but pushed both fingers in at the same time, one smooth thrust that burned like hell. Dean’s lips were back on his then, his cock left without friction as Dean propped himself up with the one arm and continued opening him with the other. He didn’t take too long at that either before he pulling his fingers free and Jensen felt the blunt tip of his cock pressing against him.
“Yeah, Dean, come on,” he begged.
Dean leaned closer, kissing the words from Jensen’s lips as he slid inside. They both moaned and Jensen bit Dean’s bottom lip as he arched his hips back into him.
“Jense,” Dean breathed his name and he couldn’t remember it ever sounding so good. This was who they were, he thought, as Dean’s hips moved against him, his cock sliding slowly out and back in. He writhed under Dean, wanting more, needing to feel this tonight. With everything happening around them, he needed to be with his lover. Without Dean falling into the bond, though, he wasn’t sure they’d have taken the time for one another.
He slid his arms around Dean’s back, pulling him closer, harder. Dean’s lips pressed into his neck, licking and biting his way across to the juncture of shoulder and neck. “So god damn good, Baby,” Dean whispered into his skin.
When Jensen grabbed his head and pulled him up into a kiss, Dean began moving faster. Jensen planted his feet firmly against the mattress and began pushing back into Dean’s thrusts; Dean bit his bottom lip in retaliation.
Jensen laughed into his mouth and he could feel Dean’s smile against his lips. Then Dean’s arms were burrowing under his back though and he was suddenly being rolled over. He grinned as he found himself on top of Dean and he leaned up, kissing Dean before he sat up on his knees, rolling his hips slowly to feel the movement of Dean’s cock inside him from that position. Dean’s eyes were glued to him as he moved, and there was so much in that gaze he wasn’t sure he could look away if he wanted to.
He let his hands come up to Dean’s chest and Dean’s knees bent up behind him, giving him a better position to thrust from. When Dean’s hands landed on his hips, pulling at him, he smiled as he rose up slightly before sliding down his cock. Dean’s eyes closed as he moaned with the motions.
He set his own pace then, hard and fast tonight so he’d feel it in the morning. Dean’s hands supported him, his thrusts driving him deeper and deeper. One hand stayed on his hips, but then Dean wrapped his other hand around Jensen’s cock, not stroking him but just holding him as they moved. There was something about the feel of it though, Dean’s skin on his, his hard, calloused hand on his cock. It was enough.
“Dean,” he begged.
And when Dean let his thumb slide slowly over the tip, pressing into the slit on top, Jensen came all over his hand.
Dean’s hips continued to pump into him a few more times and then his hands were pushing at Jensen, pressing his hips down so that he was as far inside Jensen as he could be. Jensen just opened his legs wider, taking every bit he could.
Dean crashed their lips together as he came hard inside Jensen. It wasn’t a kiss, more a sharing of breath and Dean’s lips mimicked his name over and over before Jensen finally stopped shivering at the feel of it.
He let his forehead rest against Dean’s until his lover carefully rolled him over and got up to go to the bathroom. Jensen watched him go, saw him make a quick detour to the couch that had probably been pulled out into a bed earlier, and then continue on. When he came back, it was with a warm, wet washcloth to clean him up.
The washcloth hit the floor a moment later and Dean was pressing up against him, his leg sliding between Jensen’s. Jensen wrapped his arms around him and sighed. He knew he didn’t have a lot of time before they had to get back to work but he could allow himself this.
“Jensen?”
He looked up to see Alec and Priestly in the doorway to the bedroom, “Yeah, Alec?”
“Stay with him. Make sure he doesn’t go somewhere else again. We’ll cover everything until you’re ready to come out.”
It wasn’t until then that he realized that Dean had fallen asleep. He smiled as he looked down at his lover, then back at the other two, “Thanks.”
“Keep him safe,” Priestly added, and then they were out the door.
Jensen let his hand run up and down Dean’s arm, but a second later Dean was moving until his lips were pressed to Jensen’s neck.
“I’m not asleep.”
“You do a good impression then.”
“The best,” Dean agreed. “How long was I gone?”
“I don’t know. Alec said you were like that when he got out of the shower, so we don’t know when you went into it. Are you okay now?” There were a million other questions he wanted to ask, but he refrained. Dean would tell him what he could in time.
“Yeah. Sam is definitely getting prepared for a move. I got something more from him, though. There’s a guy, someone that’s been close to him. He’s not a psychic, or juiced up or anything, but for some reason Sam trusts him. He’s letting him under his shields to help him.”
“Psychically?”
“Physically. But I think both. We know how degradation can loosen a person’s will. It’s a psychological tool that they’ve used against him for a while. I don’t think this guy is part of their agenda or Sam would have caught onto it, but they’re letting him take care of Sam for some reason.”
“You think it has to do with the move?”
“I think they need someone close to him to make him pliable.”
“So let someone take care of him, the way you used to, and take him away when Sam refuses them?”
“Maybe. I don’t know. Jesus, I’m tired Jense.”
“So, let’s pretend you’re really asleep and let Alec and Priestly cover for us while they can.”
“They won’t be able to hold everyone off for long.”
Jensen leaned down and pressed his lips to Dean’s in a soft, almost chaste, kiss. “I’ll take what I can get.”
On to Chapter Three
He scoffed, kicking his toe against a rock as they walked, “We like to think the psychics are the worst evil in the world, but there are plenty of nasty people we save from the pens. It’s why we send our own people to the havens from time to time. We built these communities to rebuild humanity, to pull our resources, and try to make something the psychics can’t destroy. But every so often we find a bad seed and we learned from our mistakes. Now, every so often we get one of our own to take a look around to make sure they’re on the up and up.”
Chris nodded but they fell silent after that as they approached the broad doors of the base. As much as Jensen hated the empty feeling up top, he knew it was teeming with activity below.
He watched as Priestly finally let Alec out of his embrace and then Priestly was standing in front of Dean. Priestly placed his hand over Dean’s heart; it was just that small gesture, but it made Jensen’s heart ache slightly at the way Priestly was able to get past Dean’s rough exterior in the gentlest of ways.
“Wow, I don’t have the longest hair on base anymore,” Priestly said after a moment as he looked over at Jensen and Chris.
“Like anyone could tell how long your hair is with that mohawk,” Jensen remarked. He looked over at Alec and gave him a thumbs up, mouthing ‘red’ at the color of their lover’s hair.
“What would you do with another pretty boy around here? Someone has to remember how to look dangerous,” Priestly said as he came up, throwing his arms around Jensen.
He let his lips graze Priestly’s cheek and smiled when Priestly pulled back, his eyes roaming over Jensen to make sure he was alright. “You look dangerous for about two seconds and then you open your mouth and show what a puppy you are.”
Priestly ignored the comment, looking pointedly at Chris. Jensen laughed, “Priestly, this is Christian Kane. Chris, this is Priestly.”
Priestly held his hand out and Chris shook it.
“I knew Chris from Before.”
“Really?”
Jensen smiled at the wide eyes Priestly gave him before he turned to look at Chris again. It was the first time any of them had been reunited with someone they’d known before the psychics had declared war on the human race. He wasn’t sure how Priestly would treat Chris. Alec had time to work out his thought while he was bringing Chris and his message to the meeting place so he didn’t have an unguarded reaction from him. Dean’s was plain enough, jealousy and concern written across his face before he could shut it down. They didn’t talk about their lives Before though, didn’t talk about things like friends and family, and loved ones left behind, no matter how much they might want to. In the beginning it was to keep those things close, to keep them sacred and protected, but over time there was just too much to lose in the here and now without sparing any more thoughts to the ones left behind. Jensen was curious what Priestly would make of Chris and their friendship.
Priestly smiled as he looked between Jensen and Chris a few more times. “Really good to meet you, man. You got any embarrassing stories to pass along?”
Chris’s smile widened as he pointed at Priestly, “I think I like this one best.”
“Don’t encourage him.”
“Who?” Dean asked as he and Alec came to stand with them.
“Either of them,” Jensen sighed.
Dean nodded, but Jensen could see he was all business now. When Dean looked at Alec, he nodded back to the base, “Go get checked in. Meet me in the planning room in fifteen.”
Alec turned to leave, waiting only a moment for Priestly to join him, and then Dean looked at Jensen, “Get him settled in a bunk and then meet up with us. We need to get on this right away.”
Jensen didn’t bother answering, but turned to head into the base, knowing Chris would follow along with him. Priestly and Alec would be caught up in provisions, and he was certain Alec already knew Dean would want scouts ready to go as soon as possible, so he decided against going to them for the supplies he needed. As much as he’d prefer to see Priestly for a few more minutes, he went to the other supply depot.
“Face, what can I get for you?” the man behind the counter asked. It was a title Jensen had hated in the beginning, feeling the name as a lack of identity. Over time, it became a badge he wore proudly, knowing that the men and women who called to them trusted them and looked to them for their security.
“Jensen,” he offered the man his name and smiled at the way he relaxed slightly. They always stayed stiff as a board for Dean and Alec. “My friend here needs a room and some clothes, Larry.”
The guy looked up from the board, obviously pleased that Jensen remembered his name, “Room 7-K is free. All stocked up and waiting for the next load of ‘scapes we get in.”
“Great, thanks.”
“Your friend got a name?”
“Kane, Christian,” Chris spoke up.
The guy nodded, writing his name down, “Good to have you back, Jensen. You’re all back, right?”
“Yep. Just retrieving a message from Hope Haven.”
The man smiled at that and Jensen knew that Priestly hadn’t been the only one worried that they’d been out of the base. “We heard something big was happening. You don’t have any news do you?”
“We might,” Jensen said as he took Larry’s clipboard and handed it to Chris to sign, “but we’re trying to verify it before we get anyone’s hopes up.”
“Good man,” Larry said, “we all need a little peace, and this sitting around waiting for war isn’t it.”
“I hear you, Larry,” Jensen said with a nod. “Thanks for the room. I need to tell Alec and Priestly how well prepared you guys are. Never caught you with your pants down yet.”
“Never will, neither!”
Jensen smiled as they walked off and Chris handed the signed papers back to Larry before following him to Hall K, “What was that all about?”
“Priestly and Alec run supply and the people they have working for them are always on top of it. It does them good to hear it every now and again.”
“And it’s your job to do that?” Chris asked incredulously.
Jensen walked quickly, quietly fuming, until he found Chris’s room. He pushed open the door and led Chris inside, “Here’s the deal, Chris. Alec and Priestly are in charge of supply, both here, and back and forth from the havens. Dean handles the training of soldiers and new ‘scapes and the scouts and raids. I run everything else. I decide who moves from one base to another, or when it’s time to try to set up another haven, or find a new peer judicial group because one is too busy. That’s all on me, so yeah, morale falls under that, too. I get that you don’t understand how it all works, but I’d appreciate it if you keep your doubts about my ability to do my job to yourself until we’re in private.”
Chris stared at him a minute then nodded, “I didn’t mean anything by it, Jensen,” he said, holding his hands up as if to back him off.
“Sorry,” Jensen said with a sigh. “I’m fucking tired and we’re gonna get no sleep until this is done.”
Chris paused as he checked out the room to look back at Jensen, “You really think it will happen that fast?”
“If Dean can verify your message, then yeah we’ll move fast. We can’t get to Dean’s brother when he’s so heavily guarded, but if they bring him out into the open, we have a chance.”
“You don’t think this could be a trap?”
“Pretty sure it’s gotta be. For us, or Sam, I’m not sure, but it has to be. That doesn’t mean we won’t walk into it though.”
“So, just because this guy looks like you, you’re ready to follow him wherever he leads?”
He knew Chris wasn’t trying to start a fight but he was pushing buttons he didn’t know Jensen had. “You have no idea why I follow him.” And Chris couldn’t. He hadn’t been there when Jensen had been saved from the holding cells by Alec and Dean. He hadn’t been there when Jensen demanded Dean do something besides just setting people free. The whole damn thing was started because Jensen had needed to do something. Everything they’d become, everything they had, was done by Dean and Alec for Jensen.
“Then explain it to me. Tell me why you’re following him,” Christian’s voice had a tinge of frustration but it was mostly patient. Jensen knew him, or used to know him, well enough to understand. He wanted to get what was happening at the base, he wanted to know what Jensen was doing, but he’d missed it all and he needed Jensen to explain it.
“Because-” Jensen had never said it before, and he wasn’t sure he could, but the look on Chris’ face, the disbelief was too much. “I’d follow Dean to Hell and back, because I love him. Regardless of that, I’d still follow him, because it’s the right thing to do. Because we can’t keep fighting a war with no way to win. As much as we keep gaining momentum, all it would take is one well-placed strike and we’d be back to the beginning, barely scraping by.”
“You think Dean would do the same for you?”
“Yeah,” it wasn’t Jensen that answered Chris’s question though. Jensen turned around to find Dean standing in the doorway. Dean was staring at Jensen, and he had no idea how much of what he’d said had been overheard. He hoped all. He hoped nothing. It was hard as hell to figure out how much was too much when it came to Dean Winchester, and as much as Jensen felt the words, he’d never spoken them for fear that it would send Dean running from him. Sometimes, even without the words, it was too much.
Something warm passed over Dean’s eyes and he saw his lover relax slightly, “Come on. Need you two to get this meeting started. The others will want to hear the message from Chris.”
“And you can’t swing a gavel without me?” Jensen teased, trying to ignore the way the words were hanging over his head.
Chris looked back and forth at them for a minute before shaking his head and stepping out into the hallway though he was still keeping them in view. Dean stepped into the room, crowding Jensen back against the wall. His presence felt like heavy clouds and a storm rolling in; Jensen had no idea what to say. Dean solved the problem by pushing closer until their lips were crushed together. The kiss was deep and hard, lips bruising between them, until Dean finally pulled back. He stepped away immediately, “Come on, we need to get this going.”
Jensen stayed there for a moment, trying to catch his breath. It was so like Dean, unable to even whisper the words but his actions were always so damn loud. When he stepped into the hallway, Dean was gone and Chris was waiting for him, smirk in place.
“I get it now.”
“Oh, shut the hell up,” he said, walking away from his friend. Chris’ laughter followed him up the hall as he followed a few steps behind.
**
He wasn’t sure how he managed to keep it together during the meeting, but once it was over, he could feel himself starting to shut down. Dean walked away from the others, long strides carrying him to the room he shared with the other three men until he could close the door behind him and lock the world out. He stripped out of his clothes and made his way to the shower, steam coating the mirrors as he stepped into the heat. He leaned up against the wall, hands holding him in place as he dipped his head and let the water run down his neck and over his shoulders, washing away some of the tension. He couldn’t relax yet though, couldn’t help but feel like he was about to detonate.
He felt the change in the air, the soft cool current that touched his skin for a moment and then there was another body there, strong and confident, an arm wrapping around his waist as soft lips pressed at the nape of his neck. He knew who it was from the approach. Jensen would have come at him from the front, all confrontation and the need to see into his eyes and Priestly would have asked to come in.
“Alec?” he questioned, wondering how Alec managed to get away from the others so fast. There were plans to be made, things that he’d expected Alec to set into motion when he walked out.
“We got it,” Alec answered. “Jensen is sending out people to the havens and bases to get a good idea of what sort of military support we can count on from them and Priestly is already outfitting the scouts and messengers.”
Dean let out a deep moan as Alec’s hands gripped his shoulders, strong fingers working into his tired flesh. “I thought you might need a little stress relief.”
A deep chuckle escaped Dean’s lips and he turned, watching the way Alec backed up to the opposite wall of the shower. He wasn’t trying to get away. He was biting his bottom lip and watching Dean in a way that was pure offering.
He wasn’t about to say no to that. He wouldn’t on a normal day and he certainly wasn’t going to when he’d wanted nothing more than to run his hands over every bit of Alec’s skin since he’d returned from Hope Haven. He needed to see with his own eyes that nothing had happened to Alec and now he had his chance.
He pressed in close, taking his time to roll his hips up against Alec before brushing their lips together. “I might need some sort of relief,” Dean commented as he dropped his hand to Alec’s hip, his thumb traveling over the hipbone. “Think you can handle it, pretty boy?”
Alec’s smile grew wider. “Anything you dish out.”
Dean crushed their lips together and Alec moaned into his mouth. No matter how hard Dean had tried to fight it in the beginning, the connection he had to Alec was so damn strong, a couple soldiers trying to make sense out of a senseless war, two men trying to hold onto something when nothing could last. How they still had one another, how they’d managed to create something else altogether, was beyond Dean’s understanding. It felt good though, as Alec let him turn him around, face first into the shower wall. He let his right hand trace the drops of water as they fell down his back, over the curve of his spine, and down the crack of his ass. He stopped when his fingers came to the tight pucker of muscle and Alec brought his arms up, resting his head on his forearms as he moaned into Dean’s touch. He reached behind him for something to slick the way - and didn’t he fucking love his boys for realizing they fucked so often in the shower that the needed to keep something waterproof in there - and opened the bottle, letting the contents dribble down onto Alec’s skin. He ran his fingers through it, watched the glimmer of it on Alec’s skin before he pressed a slicked finger into Alec’s hole.
Dean groaned, pressing his lips to Alec’s shoulder as he pushed in and out until he could work a second finger in. It would be too soon for the others, but Alec could take it faster, wanted it harder than the others and Dean was more than willing to give it. By the time he had a third finger worked into Alec, Dean could see his other arm working in front of him, hips pushed out just enough to let Alec work his cock as Dean finger fucked him.
“Let me,” Dean ordered as he pulled his fingers out. He lined himself up with Alec and grabbed his hips, pulling him back onto his cock. Alec moaned and Dean held his breath for a moment, focusing on the feel of Alec around him. When he let out a shuddered breath Alec pushed his hips back. Dean took the hint and began pounding into him, fingers holding him so tight he was bruising. They wouldn’t last long, not with Alec’s ability to heal so quickly, but they might last the night if he kept at it like that. He wanted them to.
He leaned closed, reaching one hand around and pulling at Alec’s cock. Alec thrust up into his hand and then back on his cock and Dean was quickly losing control. Alec could do that, make him so hot and hard, and he lost all thought except pounding his ass good. The way Alec’s back arched under him let him know Alec was just as happy about that thought as he was.
He felt the way Alec’s body began to stutter through his movements and then he felt the hot spurt across his hand. Alec’s body seized around Dean’s cock and Dean bit hard into Alec’s shoulder, muffling his own cries as he pumped Alec full of his come.
He leaned hard against Alec, waiting until their breathing evened out before he pulled away from his body. He took a step back, admiring the way his fingerprints decorated Alec’s skin. He leaned in and bit at his neck softly, a nip at the barcode that made Alec so different from the rest of them. “Look good in my marks,” Dean’s voice was a dark growl as he ran his fingers over the bruises.
Alec looked over his shoulder and smiled. “I look good in anything.”
Dean laughed softly as he finally stepped away and let himself back under the full stream of the shower.
It was only a few minutes later before they came out of the bathroom to find Jensen and Priestly sitting on the bed talking softly. They were both lying naked under the covers and Dean pulled Alec quickly into the heap with him. Priestly gently kissed Dean’s lips while Alec slipped into bed behind him, kissing the back of Priestly’s neck. Behind Dean, Jensen sat as far off as he could, just a single hand running up and down Dean’s back to let him know he was still there.
Even after having Alec in the shower, it didn’t take long for Dean to find himself growing hard again. This time, buried in Priestly as he gently rocked his hips, his release was more of a revelation than a release, a reminder of how strong he was with his lovers there to back him up, of how the chance they now had was because of who they were together, and of how no matter what else happened, he had this now.
He cried out Priestly’s name as he came and when he pulled out of his body, it was into Jensen’s waiting arms. Jensen kissed him with a passion that was dangerous and all encompassing, but then he was shifting to push Dean onto his back and Jensen let his head rest over Dean’s heart. Dean let his hand brush gently up and down Jensen’s arm and the last thing he remembered before sleeping was the soft feel of Jensen’s skin under his fingertips.
**
They couldn’t get confirmation of Kane’s news overnight, no matter how much Dean wanted it, but what frustrated him more was the knowledge that he couldn’t be the one to go get it. No one would have blamed him for taking off, but he knew the psychics were looking for him. If they could get their hands on Dean not only would they have a way to weaken Sam, but they would also have access to the location and lay out of all their bases and havens. He couldn’t risk everything, not when he knew his own impulse once he got that close to Sam would be to go in after his brother alone.
Instead, he trusted to the men he’d come to know over the years. Michael had been the first person he’d come across that knew how to handle himself in a fight. He didn’t know what sort of life Michael had led Before, but there was a certain reflective joy about him that Dean knew it hadn’t been a good life. He was loyal though and years working in the field with him made him trust the man now.
When it was time for him to leave, Dean had pulled him aside and given him two simple missions; find out if the rumors about Sam were true, and take Kane to see if he could be trusted. As much as he wanted to trust Jensen’s opinion of Kane, he needed someone who was objective, who knew how to look for the signs of betrayal, and that was the sort of man Michael was.
Michael had just nodded at the orders, giving a brief, “Of course,” before he’d grabbed the pack Priestly had prepared for him. Kane had already waiting by the entrance, making his goodbyes to Jensen, Alec, and Priestly.
Two weeks later and there was no word back yet. It didn’t surprise him, considering the terrain they had to cross and the difficulty in finding a way to confirm the rumor, but if Dean trusted anyone for a mission like this - outside of himself and Alec - it was Michael.
Instead, he threw himself into everything else he could. He drilled the men harder than ever, he worked out with Alec to push his own physical stamina and with Jensen to remind himself that Jensen was a soldier now, that he had earned that title in the thick of battle, fighting at Dean’s side. The thing that took up most of his time though was training Priestly. The man had basic combat skills, because no one got to live in the base if they didn’t have that, but he’d managed to avoid any heavier training. The others said it was because he thought Dean would refuse to train him, but Dean thought they were both reluctant to start.
Dean hated training people to be soldiers, it was too reminiscent of the things he’d done under his father’s orders that had turned Sam into the hunter he’d been. He remembered every time a piece of Sam’s innocence had been stripped away and he knew how much it hurt to see a lover go through the same thing. He’d held himself steadfast in Jensen’s training at the beginning, but it hadn’t been easy and the first time he’d seen Jensen’s eyes after he’d killed a man, he’d wanted to put a bullet between his own eyes. As much as he wanted to protect the people he loved, it seemed his role in life was to train them instead, to watch them go out to face insurmountable odds and hope like hell they came back to him.
“Dean, a hand up?”
Dean looked down at Priestly and gave a half smile as he extended his hand. The training mats kept him from getting hurt when he went down but they weren’t exactly soft. Priestly would still be covered in bruises the next day, but Dean was getting used to seeing that. No matter how he tried to make up for each mark when they went to sleep at night, he resolved himself to new bruising each day.
“Come on, Princess, you’ve almost got it.”
Priestly exhaled sharply, his wounded pride getting him to his feet. “Yeah, you keep saying that and I keep ending up on my ass.”
“Dean!” They both turned to watch as Jensen came through the hallway and crossed onto the mats at the center of the training area. “Michael’s back. He wants to debrief fully,” and there was a slight roll of his eyes at Michael’s need for formalities in those sorts of things, “but he said we should get ready. The rumor was true.”
**
“Jensen!”
Jensen looked up from the table where he was studying the latest intel. Michael had been back two days and they had all their scouts out, monitoring what they could and reporting back. No one went close to the psychic’s base the way Michael had, but they knew of other facilities that were large enough to house Sam and the contingency of soldiers that would protect him and they needed to be watched for action.
When Jensen looked up he saw Alec running into the room, shirtless, with water dripping down his skin, wetting the waistband of the pants he wore. Last he knew Alec had been on his way back to their room to get a shower.
Alec didn’t wait for his conversation with Chris to stop, but the haunted look in his eyes made Jensen step away from the table even before Alec could speak. “Dean’s lost in the bond.”
Jensen gasped even while he was moving away from the table, forgetting Chris and the information they were going over. “What happened?”
“I got out of the shower and he was just sitting there, his eyes closed, just listening to the bond. I didn’t think anything about it until he didn’t make any comments about me being undressed,” Alec said as he and Jensen walked out the door of the conference room.
“Jensen, what the hell?” Chris asked as he grabbed Jensen’s wrist, reminding Jensen of what he’d been doing. “We need to look over this.”
“I’ll tell you on the way if you want,” he wanted to cringe at the tone of his voice, at how cold and callused it was, but he didn’t have time to deal with this right now. The Face worked because they were all there for one another, each taking what they needed and giving when they could. Right then, Jensen needed to get to Dean and he couldn’t be anywhere else. “But I’ll take your fucking hand off if you don’t get out of my way.”
Chris dropped his hand immediately and Jensen could see the disbelief in Chris’s eyes. They’d been friends a long time, Before, but Chris was still getting to know the man Jensen had become. He’d never seen Jensen in full on protective mode - and Jensen had learned it from the best damn it - and though he was coming to terms with how serious Jensen was about his role in everything he still didn’t understand the depth of his feelings when it came to Dean, Alec, and Priestly. Chris gave a small nod though and Jensen didn’t wait any longer. He turned to run down the hall beside Alec, surprised to feel Chris at their heels. “Dean said he needed to check up on something with the intel when he left. Damn it!” Jensen cursed as he ran through the hall.
“What’s happening, Jensen?” Chris asked.
“We have all the intel we can gather, but I should have known he’d need to check on it.” Jensen’s mind was reeling with the implication. The bond between Dean and Sam had saved their asses more times than he could count, but it also left Dean more and more exhausted when he used it. The pull of Sam on the other side was too strong, and from what they understood, unstable, and they’d tried to rely on it less.
He turned his head to look over his shoulder at Chris as they continued moving. He deserved to know why Jensen had snapped and why he’d run off from their meeting. “Dean used to check his bond with Sam from time to time to make sure he was still alive, but the stronger the link got the harder it became for Dean to pull away from it. He doesn’t allow himself to delve in the bond anymore because of it. We don’t know if Sam won’t let him go, or if Dean can’t let Sam go, but we have to get him back. We can’t leave him in his own head.”
“You can get to him?” His voice was incredulous, not with open disbelief, but with the wonder that Jensen had seen on him more and more lately. It was genuine surprise that Jensen was capable of the things he was, things that few people would have believed him capable of Before. Jensen didn’t know how to answer the growing faith in him that almost seemed to border on awe. Not when his own reaction to Chris’s initial disbelief was still an anger growing on fury.
There was no hesitation in Alec’s voice though. “Yeah, if anyone can get to Dean right now its Jensen.”
“I’ll go over the new intel then,” Chris said, a quiet certainty creeping into his voice. “You do what you need to and when you get this settled, I’ll be waiting.”
Jensen barely registered the exchange as Alec thanked him and Chris ran back the other way, but he knew he’d be able to appreciate what Chris was stepping up to do later.
They made it to their quarters quickly. Priestly was sitting on the bed beside Dean. Dean was in his jeans, bare chested, with his palm pressed flat against his tattoo. Jensen didn’t pause as Alec pulled the door shut behind them, just moved to the edge of the bed, dropping to his knees in front of Dean.
It was a scenario they’d discussed among themselves a hundred times - Alec, Jensen, and Priestly - what they would do if Dean was ever lost to them. Jensen let his fingers trace lightly over Dean’s face, wishing his closed eyes would open up for him. Dean didn’t seem to register the touch and it scared Jensen far more than anything else.
“Dean, come on. You need to open your eyes for me,” Jensen said, leaning up to get closer to Dean. “We’re all here, waiting for you. You tell Sam we’re coming soon, but he has to give you back now.”
Dean’s hand pressed harder into his chest, but the other hand came up around Jensen’s shoulder, pulling him close. He didn’t think Dean was aware of the movement but Jensen went with it. “Come on, Dean. Come back to me. I’m right here, just open your eyes.”
The other hand dropped from Dean’s chest, and both of Dean’s hands were on his arms then, pulling him up and into Dean’s lap. It was so unlike Dean, so unlike the way he touched Jensen that he didn’t think it was really him.
“Dean,” he whispered into his lover’s ear, “Wake up to me.”
He brushed his lips over Dean’s softly. Dean pulled him in hard, lips crushing them together. There was a hunger to the kiss that was foreign but Jensen didn’t fight it, just let Dean control it.
“Jensen?” It was Alec at his back, and there was a question in the way he said his name. They knew something was wrong with what was happening and Alec was willing to stop whatever it was.
Jensen pulled back from Dean slightly, letting his forehead rest against Dean’s. “It’s okay,” he said to Alec. “Give us some space, okay?”
He wasn’t sure what would happen next, but he didn’t want Alec and Priestly there for it. Alec didn’t know what he was thinking though, so he could feel them moving to the other room. He knew they were there if he needed them. He knew what he was willing to do, but he hoped he could get Dean back before it got too far.
“Just us now,” Jensen said softly. Strong hands pulled the shirt over his head and Jensen raised his arms up, making it easier. When he brought them back down, he let his hands fall on Dean’s shoulders, brushing his fingers over his skin until he was resting over Dean’s tattoo. “I need you back Dean, just you.”
He reached back and pulled his shoes off, then barely had time to register the movement before Dean had him flipped onto his back, underneath him on the bed. His pants were being peeled back and though the hands felt unfamiliar and clumsy on his body, he helped strip the rest of his clothes off. He didn’t know how far gone Dean still was, but if this was what he needed to find his way back, if this was what Sam needed to give Dean back to them, he was willing to give it.
“Dean, come on, open your eyes for me,” he said again as Dean’s body moved over him. Dean was crawling back over him and Jensen pushed him then, his hands reaching between them to get to Dean’s pants. Dean’s body stilled as Jensen pushed him onto his back and undid his button and zipper, sliding Dean out of his pants like he’d done a hundred times before.
He sat between his lover’s legs then, leaning forward to brush his lips over Dean’s hipbone. He nipped at it lightly, something that never failed to make Dean buck up but he was surprisingly still. He moved up higher, just letting his lips trail over the warm skin until he finally reached Dean’s tattoo. He licked across the ink and then Dean’s body tensed. For a moment he was afraid he was seizing but then he relaxed again. He pressed his forehead to Dean’s chest and kissed at the heart of this tattoo. “Come back to me, Dean.”
He heard the moan and looked up in time to see Dean’s eyes fly open.
“Dean?” he asked as he leaned up.
Dean’s eyes were wild and it took a few seconds but then he caught hold of Jensen’s eyes and he stopped looking away, “Jensen?”
“Yeah, I’m right here.”
His hand came up to Jensen’s face, framing it softly; that was the touch he was used to.
“Jesus, Baby,” and Dean pulled him close, pressing their lips together. It was every bit as deep as the first kiss, but where the other had been driven by hunger, this was possession, and he could feel Dean maneuvering him onto his back. He wasn’t sure what had happened in Dean’s head, but he needed Jensen now, and, damn, if Jensen didn’t need it too.
Dean pulled back, reaching between them with one hand to stroke Jensen’s length while he pushed two fingers into Jensen’s mouth. Jensen sucked and licked and wet his fingers good before Dean pulled them away. He didn’t try to open him up slow, but pushed both fingers in at the same time, one smooth thrust that burned like hell. Dean’s lips were back on his then, his cock left without friction as Dean propped himself up with the one arm and continued opening him with the other. He didn’t take too long at that either before he pulling his fingers free and Jensen felt the blunt tip of his cock pressing against him.
“Yeah, Dean, come on,” he begged.
Dean leaned closer, kissing the words from Jensen’s lips as he slid inside. They both moaned and Jensen bit Dean’s bottom lip as he arched his hips back into him.
“Jense,” Dean breathed his name and he couldn’t remember it ever sounding so good. This was who they were, he thought, as Dean’s hips moved against him, his cock sliding slowly out and back in. He writhed under Dean, wanting more, needing to feel this tonight. With everything happening around them, he needed to be with his lover. Without Dean falling into the bond, though, he wasn’t sure they’d have taken the time for one another.
He slid his arms around Dean’s back, pulling him closer, harder. Dean’s lips pressed into his neck, licking and biting his way across to the juncture of shoulder and neck. “So god damn good, Baby,” Dean whispered into his skin.
When Jensen grabbed his head and pulled him up into a kiss, Dean began moving faster. Jensen planted his feet firmly against the mattress and began pushing back into Dean’s thrusts; Dean bit his bottom lip in retaliation.
Jensen laughed into his mouth and he could feel Dean’s smile against his lips. Then Dean’s arms were burrowing under his back though and he was suddenly being rolled over. He grinned as he found himself on top of Dean and he leaned up, kissing Dean before he sat up on his knees, rolling his hips slowly to feel the movement of Dean’s cock inside him from that position. Dean’s eyes were glued to him as he moved, and there was so much in that gaze he wasn’t sure he could look away if he wanted to.
He let his hands come up to Dean’s chest and Dean’s knees bent up behind him, giving him a better position to thrust from. When Dean’s hands landed on his hips, pulling at him, he smiled as he rose up slightly before sliding down his cock. Dean’s eyes closed as he moaned with the motions.
He set his own pace then, hard and fast tonight so he’d feel it in the morning. Dean’s hands supported him, his thrusts driving him deeper and deeper. One hand stayed on his hips, but then Dean wrapped his other hand around Jensen’s cock, not stroking him but just holding him as they moved. There was something about the feel of it though, Dean’s skin on his, his hard, calloused hand on his cock. It was enough.
“Dean,” he begged.
And when Dean let his thumb slide slowly over the tip, pressing into the slit on top, Jensen came all over his hand.
Dean’s hips continued to pump into him a few more times and then his hands were pushing at Jensen, pressing his hips down so that he was as far inside Jensen as he could be. Jensen just opened his legs wider, taking every bit he could.
Dean crashed their lips together as he came hard inside Jensen. It wasn’t a kiss, more a sharing of breath and Dean’s lips mimicked his name over and over before Jensen finally stopped shivering at the feel of it.
He let his forehead rest against Dean’s until his lover carefully rolled him over and got up to go to the bathroom. Jensen watched him go, saw him make a quick detour to the couch that had probably been pulled out into a bed earlier, and then continue on. When he came back, it was with a warm, wet washcloth to clean him up.
The washcloth hit the floor a moment later and Dean was pressing up against him, his leg sliding between Jensen’s. Jensen wrapped his arms around him and sighed. He knew he didn’t have a lot of time before they had to get back to work but he could allow himself this.
“Jensen?”
He looked up to see Alec and Priestly in the doorway to the bedroom, “Yeah, Alec?”
“Stay with him. Make sure he doesn’t go somewhere else again. We’ll cover everything until you’re ready to come out.”
It wasn’t until then that he realized that Dean had fallen asleep. He smiled as he looked down at his lover, then back at the other two, “Thanks.”
“Keep him safe,” Priestly added, and then they were out the door.
Jensen let his hand run up and down Dean’s arm, but a second later Dean was moving until his lips were pressed to Jensen’s neck.
“I’m not asleep.”
“You do a good impression then.”
“The best,” Dean agreed. “How long was I gone?”
“I don’t know. Alec said you were like that when he got out of the shower, so we don’t know when you went into it. Are you okay now?” There were a million other questions he wanted to ask, but he refrained. Dean would tell him what he could in time.
“Yeah. Sam is definitely getting prepared for a move. I got something more from him, though. There’s a guy, someone that’s been close to him. He’s not a psychic, or juiced up or anything, but for some reason Sam trusts him. He’s letting him under his shields to help him.”
“Psychically?”
“Physically. But I think both. We know how degradation can loosen a person’s will. It’s a psychological tool that they’ve used against him for a while. I don’t think this guy is part of their agenda or Sam would have caught onto it, but they’re letting him take care of Sam for some reason.”
“You think it has to do with the move?”
“I think they need someone close to him to make him pliable.”
“So let someone take care of him, the way you used to, and take him away when Sam refuses them?”
“Maybe. I don’t know. Jesus, I’m tired Jense.”
“So, let’s pretend you’re really asleep and let Alec and Priestly cover for us while they can.”
“They won’t be able to hold everyone off for long.”
Jensen leaned down and pressed his lips to Dean’s in a soft, almost chaste, kiss. “I’ll take what I can get.”
On to Chapter Three