Life and Other Minutiae - A Sentinel fic 1/?
This is a sequel to Pack Animal, which you can read here. Just a little character piece, Jim and Blair exploring their new abilities and their new relationship, but it will get a plot in the next chapter!
Thanks again to aeron_lanart for beta duties.
Warnings for minor bad language and M/M pairing.
None of it is mine, I think you know that by now.
Life and Other Minutiae
Jim didn’t exactly grant Blair his request that evening. The Chinese food had eventually arrived so they ate some of it, eating acting as foreplay, until finally neither one of them could stand the tension any more. The cartons of food were left abandoned on the table as they groped and fondled their way up the stairs, Guide and Sentinel one being.
They had made it as far as Jim’s bed before they realised that neither one of them had much clue what to do with another man. Jim didn’t know what Sandburg’s experiences might have been, but this was the furthest he’d ever got with a guy and while he knew the theory, he’d had no practise beyond some drunken high school over the clothes fumbling.
Working on instinct, the evening ended in a satisfying bout of mutual masturbation that left Jim breathless. He didn’t know if his senses were dialled up, or if their connection had intensified his emotions, or if Sandburg really was just that good in the sack, but it had been the best goddamn orgasm of his life.
Jim just hoped he’d lived up to expectations. The naked, sweaty and flushed Blair that was currently draped over him and snoring gently would indicate yes, but he knew from experience what a good actor Blair could be.
The first light of dawn was edging into the apartment, so Jim gently rolled Blair off him and got up. At the sight of the dishevelled clothing littered around the room he picked it up, carefully hanging Blair’s new uniform over the back of the chair, before he headed downstairs to the shower. After that he cleared up the left over takeout, putting whatever was salvageable in the refrigerator and putting the rest in the trash.
He was putting on the coffee and fixing some eggs when Blair finally stumbled down the stairs.
“Morning, sunshine,” Jim greeted with a wave of a spatula. Blair mumbled something in response that sounded like ‘need a shower’ but was hard to make out, even for Jim. He chuckled to himself and turned the heat down on the pan.
*-*
Blair was a little disorientated for a few seconds when he woke up in an unfamiliar bed.
Oh, right, he thought as he sat up and looked around for his clothes. Most of his cadet uniform was in a crumpled heap on the living room floor, but his shorts had made it this far. The shirt and tie had also made it upstairs, and he remembered Jim instructing him to leave those on until last.
Jim had picked up the shirt and tie and hung them over the back of a chair, but even Blair could tell they would need pressing before his first day if he wanted to make the right impression. With a snicker, he gathered them up and made his way downstairs. He managed to string together a vaguely coherent greeting to Jim, but he needed his coffee before he was a fully functioning homo sapiens. But first a shower, and a shave; he didn’t want to give Jim stubble burn.
The thought made Blair suddenly uncertain as he stepped into the shower. What if Jim had changed his mind about everything? He wasn’t doubting Jim’s feelings, but there was no denying that fraternisation was frowned upon, and probably more so between two men. Blair liked to think they lived in more enlightened times, but despite what Jim and Simon thought he wasn’t that naïve.
Jim must have picked up some of his thoughts, because Blair suddenly got a feeling of confidence that wasn’t his own, followed by Jim’s voice from the kitchen.
“We’ll make this work, Chief,” he said.
Blair smiled, reassured, and finished his shower.
We really need to work on how to control this connection, he thought. Luckily we’ll have plenty of time today, he added and then heard a groan of displeasure from the kitchen. Obviously Jim had forgotten they were on stakeout again.
“It won’t be that bad,” Blair said as he exited the bathroom to be greeted by Jim holding two plates of scrambled eggs.
“Oh, no. Hours sat in a smelly apartment watching for a suspect who’ll probably never show while you make me jump through hoops. Can’t wait,” Jim sniped as he put the plates on the table and they both sat down.
“The sooner we get this under control, the sooner it becomes an asset,” Blair pointed out.
“I know, Chief, I know.”
*-*
Jim was starting to develop a headache. He’d spent the whole morning working with Blair on controlling their new mental link. The surveillance was a bust, but they knew it was going to be all along; the FBI had asked them to watch the house as part of one of their investigations in a ‘spirit of inter-agency cooperation’. Jim and everyone else in Major Crimes knew full well that the Feds would never have lowly cops take a detail that might actually lead to an arrest. Besides which, with both of them now having heightened senses, it didn’t take all their attention to monitor the target anyway.
“Ok, let’s try one more thing,” Blair said from where he stood at the window, watching the target house. Jim groaned from his seat on the other side of the room where he was listening out for unusual conversations.
“Come on, Chief!” he pleaded Gimme a break, I think I’ve got it now, he added.
“Sending and receiving, yes. But we still have to work on stopping the stray thoughts,” Blair explained.
Jim rubbed the bridge of his nose, trying to push away the headache. Blair suddenly grew concerned.
“I’m sorry, Jim. I should have realised,” he said and walked around behind Jim’s chair to place his hands on his shoulders.
Gentle but firm fingers began to work at the tension in his shoulders and Jim relaxed as he felt his headache begin to melt away.
Man, that’s good, he sent as he let out a pleasurable groan. He couldn’t see him, but he was almost certain Blair was smirking.
“I’ve often been told I’ve got magic fingers.”
“No argument here, Chief,” Jim replied. Blair’s fingers left his shoulders and Jim rolled his neck and shook his head. “Thanks.”
“Welcome,” Blair replied before leaning over to kiss Jim’s forehead. Shocked, Jim didn’t know how to react to the show of intimacy. Sure, they were alone, but it was typical of Sandburg to ignore him this way; they had both agreed their relationship had to stay in the apartment.
Blair must have picked up on this displeasure; he backed away from Jim and walked around to stand in front of him.
“Sorry, guess I forgot myself. Mea culpa,” he said, looking suitably ashamed. “Tell you what; I’ll make it up to you. Lunch is on me.”
*-*
Stupid, Sandburg, Blair chastised himself as soon as he was away from Jim. At least Jim hadn’t blown up at him, which Blair took to be a good sign, and he couldn’t feel any real anger or panic coming from his partner, so he was pretty certain he hadn’t done any major damage to their new relationship.
Hoping that Jim wasn’t brooding over what had just happened, and wanting to distract him, Blair decided to test if they were able to communicate over distance.
He wasn’t certain how this was going to work; so far he’d just been going on instinct. He guessed that was why it took more effort for Jim to learn to control; because it didn’t come naturally to him.
Stopping about a block from the house they were using for the stakeout, Blair concentrated and tried to send Jim a message.
Jim, can you hear me?
There were a tense couple of seconds as Blair waited, and then he felt amusement and heard laughter in his head.
Hell, Chief, you just made me jump! ‘Jim can you hear me’
Blair snickered as he realised how that sounded.
Sorry, that was a bit Psychic Hotline, wasn’t it? he sent back with amusement equal to Jim’s. I just thought I’d test this connection over distances. I’m a block away.
He felt a wave of emotion from Jim then, a jumble that he couldn’t really understand, but he was fairly certain it was positive in tone.
Seems to be working then. Can you get me extra duck rolls? I’m starving Jim sent, causing Blair to laugh. It was a good job there was nobody around, they’d think he was a complete lunatic.
*-*
Jim had to admit he was beginning to see the advantages of the connection between him and Sandburg. By the end of the day they had it almost under control. He had a feeling that if he was hurt or really emotional that he might let something slip through that he didn’t want Blair to hear, but he could live with that.
It also meant that he’d know instantly if Blair was in trouble, and where to find him. They’d practiced sending each other images, scents and sounds; piggy-backing their senses onto the link just like Blair had taught Jim to do with his other senses. In fact, Jim found this part a lot easier to learn than anything else and he was soon playing with Blair, sending him mental images of naked women, of Simon in a tutu (that was one Christmas party Jim would never forget), anything in an attempt to make Blair laugh.
Stop it! Blair sent eventually, although the thought was laced with amusement.
“Just trying to keep this fun, Chief,” Jim replied with a grin.
Blair then got a wicked grin of his own and Jim suddenly got a mental image of the two of them in bed the night before.
“That’s cheating,” he declared, but he was still smiling. Right now he couldn’t wait for their relief to arrive so that he could drive Blair home and kiss that stupid grin off his face.
“What?” Blair asked. Jim laughed. “What?!” Blair demanded.
“Looks like I’ve got those surface thoughts under control,” Jim answered and then he sent Blair a little action-replay of what he’d been thinking.
“Oh!” Blair gasped, and then looked at his watch. “This is gonna be the longest ten minutes ever.”
*-*
The next morning, Jim couldn’t have felt more uncomfortable if he’d been stood in the bullpen stark naked, which was kinda what it currently felt like. He knew that nobody had a clue what he and Sandburg had got up to last night, and he knew in his heart that they probably wouldn’t care even if they did, but Jim felt like he had a massive neon sign on his head telling everyone he’d had sex with Blair.
Things weren’t helped when Blair strolled up to his desk and placed a hand on Jim’s back as he leaned over to look at the monitor.
Quit it, not outside the apartment, remember? And definitely not here, Jim warned. Blair scowled at him derisively.
Jim, I’ve done that a million times, he pointed out.
“Yeah, but it never gave me a hard on before,” Jim whispered low enough that only they could possibly hear. Blair bit his top lip in order to stop from laughing and glanced in the direction of Jim’s groin.
“Good job you’re behind a table,” he quipped. “Look, if we suddenly start acting weird, stop touching each other, that’s gonna look suspicious. You’ll just have to learn to dial this down too,” he added unable to stop a smirk this time.
“Glad you find it all amusing,” Jim growled.
Come on, man. We’ve been doing a damn good job of hiding this from each other all this time. Nobody will know, Blair replied. Jim threw him a sceptical look and huffed.
He had to admit his partner had a point though. The major crimes guys would be more suspicious if they stopped all the friendly pats and hugs. Jim just hadn’t realised how often the two of them touched. This was going to take some getting used to.
Thanks again to aeron_lanart for beta duties.
Warnings for minor bad language and M/M pairing.
None of it is mine, I think you know that by now.
Life and Other Minutiae
Jim didn’t exactly grant Blair his request that evening. The Chinese food had eventually arrived so they ate some of it, eating acting as foreplay, until finally neither one of them could stand the tension any more. The cartons of food were left abandoned on the table as they groped and fondled their way up the stairs, Guide and Sentinel one being.
They had made it as far as Jim’s bed before they realised that neither one of them had much clue what to do with another man. Jim didn’t know what Sandburg’s experiences might have been, but this was the furthest he’d ever got with a guy and while he knew the theory, he’d had no practise beyond some drunken high school over the clothes fumbling.
Working on instinct, the evening ended in a satisfying bout of mutual masturbation that left Jim breathless. He didn’t know if his senses were dialled up, or if their connection had intensified his emotions, or if Sandburg really was just that good in the sack, but it had been the best goddamn orgasm of his life.
Jim just hoped he’d lived up to expectations. The naked, sweaty and flushed Blair that was currently draped over him and snoring gently would indicate yes, but he knew from experience what a good actor Blair could be.
The first light of dawn was edging into the apartment, so Jim gently rolled Blair off him and got up. At the sight of the dishevelled clothing littered around the room he picked it up, carefully hanging Blair’s new uniform over the back of the chair, before he headed downstairs to the shower. After that he cleared up the left over takeout, putting whatever was salvageable in the refrigerator and putting the rest in the trash.
He was putting on the coffee and fixing some eggs when Blair finally stumbled down the stairs.
“Morning, sunshine,” Jim greeted with a wave of a spatula. Blair mumbled something in response that sounded like ‘need a shower’ but was hard to make out, even for Jim. He chuckled to himself and turned the heat down on the pan.
*-*
Blair was a little disorientated for a few seconds when he woke up in an unfamiliar bed.
Oh, right, he thought as he sat up and looked around for his clothes. Most of his cadet uniform was in a crumpled heap on the living room floor, but his shorts had made it this far. The shirt and tie had also made it upstairs, and he remembered Jim instructing him to leave those on until last.
Jim had picked up the shirt and tie and hung them over the back of a chair, but even Blair could tell they would need pressing before his first day if he wanted to make the right impression. With a snicker, he gathered them up and made his way downstairs. He managed to string together a vaguely coherent greeting to Jim, but he needed his coffee before he was a fully functioning homo sapiens. But first a shower, and a shave; he didn’t want to give Jim stubble burn.
The thought made Blair suddenly uncertain as he stepped into the shower. What if Jim had changed his mind about everything? He wasn’t doubting Jim’s feelings, but there was no denying that fraternisation was frowned upon, and probably more so between two men. Blair liked to think they lived in more enlightened times, but despite what Jim and Simon thought he wasn’t that naïve.
Jim must have picked up some of his thoughts, because Blair suddenly got a feeling of confidence that wasn’t his own, followed by Jim’s voice from the kitchen.
“We’ll make this work, Chief,” he said.
Blair smiled, reassured, and finished his shower.
We really need to work on how to control this connection, he thought. Luckily we’ll have plenty of time today, he added and then heard a groan of displeasure from the kitchen. Obviously Jim had forgotten they were on stakeout again.
“It won’t be that bad,” Blair said as he exited the bathroom to be greeted by Jim holding two plates of scrambled eggs.
“Oh, no. Hours sat in a smelly apartment watching for a suspect who’ll probably never show while you make me jump through hoops. Can’t wait,” Jim sniped as he put the plates on the table and they both sat down.
“The sooner we get this under control, the sooner it becomes an asset,” Blair pointed out.
“I know, Chief, I know.”
*-*
Jim was starting to develop a headache. He’d spent the whole morning working with Blair on controlling their new mental link. The surveillance was a bust, but they knew it was going to be all along; the FBI had asked them to watch the house as part of one of their investigations in a ‘spirit of inter-agency cooperation’. Jim and everyone else in Major Crimes knew full well that the Feds would never have lowly cops take a detail that might actually lead to an arrest. Besides which, with both of them now having heightened senses, it didn’t take all their attention to monitor the target anyway.
“Ok, let’s try one more thing,” Blair said from where he stood at the window, watching the target house. Jim groaned from his seat on the other side of the room where he was listening out for unusual conversations.
“Come on, Chief!” he pleaded Gimme a break, I think I’ve got it now, he added.
“Sending and receiving, yes. But we still have to work on stopping the stray thoughts,” Blair explained.
Jim rubbed the bridge of his nose, trying to push away the headache. Blair suddenly grew concerned.
“I’m sorry, Jim. I should have realised,” he said and walked around behind Jim’s chair to place his hands on his shoulders.
Gentle but firm fingers began to work at the tension in his shoulders and Jim relaxed as he felt his headache begin to melt away.
Man, that’s good, he sent as he let out a pleasurable groan. He couldn’t see him, but he was almost certain Blair was smirking.
“I’ve often been told I’ve got magic fingers.”
“No argument here, Chief,” Jim replied. Blair’s fingers left his shoulders and Jim rolled his neck and shook his head. “Thanks.”
“Welcome,” Blair replied before leaning over to kiss Jim’s forehead. Shocked, Jim didn’t know how to react to the show of intimacy. Sure, they were alone, but it was typical of Sandburg to ignore him this way; they had both agreed their relationship had to stay in the apartment.
Blair must have picked up on this displeasure; he backed away from Jim and walked around to stand in front of him.
“Sorry, guess I forgot myself. Mea culpa,” he said, looking suitably ashamed. “Tell you what; I’ll make it up to you. Lunch is on me.”
*-*
Stupid, Sandburg, Blair chastised himself as soon as he was away from Jim. At least Jim hadn’t blown up at him, which Blair took to be a good sign, and he couldn’t feel any real anger or panic coming from his partner, so he was pretty certain he hadn’t done any major damage to their new relationship.
Hoping that Jim wasn’t brooding over what had just happened, and wanting to distract him, Blair decided to test if they were able to communicate over distance.
He wasn’t certain how this was going to work; so far he’d just been going on instinct. He guessed that was why it took more effort for Jim to learn to control; because it didn’t come naturally to him.
Stopping about a block from the house they were using for the stakeout, Blair concentrated and tried to send Jim a message.
Jim, can you hear me?
There were a tense couple of seconds as Blair waited, and then he felt amusement and heard laughter in his head.
Hell, Chief, you just made me jump! ‘Jim can you hear me’
Blair snickered as he realised how that sounded.
Sorry, that was a bit Psychic Hotline, wasn’t it? he sent back with amusement equal to Jim’s. I just thought I’d test this connection over distances. I’m a block away.
He felt a wave of emotion from Jim then, a jumble that he couldn’t really understand, but he was fairly certain it was positive in tone.
Seems to be working then. Can you get me extra duck rolls? I’m starving Jim sent, causing Blair to laugh. It was a good job there was nobody around, they’d think he was a complete lunatic.
*-*
Jim had to admit he was beginning to see the advantages of the connection between him and Sandburg. By the end of the day they had it almost under control. He had a feeling that if he was hurt or really emotional that he might let something slip through that he didn’t want Blair to hear, but he could live with that.
It also meant that he’d know instantly if Blair was in trouble, and where to find him. They’d practiced sending each other images, scents and sounds; piggy-backing their senses onto the link just like Blair had taught Jim to do with his other senses. In fact, Jim found this part a lot easier to learn than anything else and he was soon playing with Blair, sending him mental images of naked women, of Simon in a tutu (that was one Christmas party Jim would never forget), anything in an attempt to make Blair laugh.
Stop it! Blair sent eventually, although the thought was laced with amusement.
“Just trying to keep this fun, Chief,” Jim replied with a grin.
Blair then got a wicked grin of his own and Jim suddenly got a mental image of the two of them in bed the night before.
“That’s cheating,” he declared, but he was still smiling. Right now he couldn’t wait for their relief to arrive so that he could drive Blair home and kiss that stupid grin off his face.
“What?” Blair asked. Jim laughed. “What?!” Blair demanded.
“Looks like I’ve got those surface thoughts under control,” Jim answered and then he sent Blair a little action-replay of what he’d been thinking.
“Oh!” Blair gasped, and then looked at his watch. “This is gonna be the longest ten minutes ever.”
*-*
The next morning, Jim couldn’t have felt more uncomfortable if he’d been stood in the bullpen stark naked, which was kinda what it currently felt like. He knew that nobody had a clue what he and Sandburg had got up to last night, and he knew in his heart that they probably wouldn’t care even if they did, but Jim felt like he had a massive neon sign on his head telling everyone he’d had sex with Blair.
Things weren’t helped when Blair strolled up to his desk and placed a hand on Jim’s back as he leaned over to look at the monitor.
Quit it, not outside the apartment, remember? And definitely not here, Jim warned. Blair scowled at him derisively.
Jim, I’ve done that a million times, he pointed out.
“Yeah, but it never gave me a hard on before,” Jim whispered low enough that only they could possibly hear. Blair bit his top lip in order to stop from laughing and glanced in the direction of Jim’s groin.
“Good job you’re behind a table,” he quipped. “Look, if we suddenly start acting weird, stop touching each other, that’s gonna look suspicious. You’ll just have to learn to dial this down too,” he added unable to stop a smirk this time.
“Glad you find it all amusing,” Jim growled.
Come on, man. We’ve been doing a damn good job of hiding this from each other all this time. Nobody will know, Blair replied. Jim threw him a sceptical look and huffed.
He had to admit his partner had a point though. The major crimes guys would be more suspicious if they stopped all the friendly pats and hugs. Jim just hadn’t realised how often the two of them touched. This was going to take some getting used to.