Making it Count - Part IV

Interlude 3.24

Uploaded on 12/26/2009

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At first, Boyd didn't know what woke him. He had been deep in the middle of sleep when something dragged him out of his dreams. He sleepily made a face and slid one hand across the bed when it filtered through his mind that Sin's warmth was missing. He was just about to roll over when he realized something was wrong.

He didn't know what it was but the hair on the back of his neck stood up and he casually went still as his mind jumped to full alertness. He ran through a number of scenarios quickly but he didn't want to make a sudden movement in case the unfamiliar presence he felt in the room was something dangerous. He slid his eyes open just enough to look through his eyelashes.

He could see his partner's familiar body near the far wall, still naked except for a pair of underwear he'd slipped on. There were two other people Boyd could see in Sin's vicinity but before Boyd could tell anything more than that he felt a presence at his side. A hand reached toward him and Boyd snapped a hand out, grabbing the wrist and wrenching it up as a man let out a startled shout. Boyd half sat up and was about to jump out of bed to attack the man when he flicked his eyes in quick assessment across the room.

Five people stood in the room aside from Sin; four men and a woman. Boyd was too caught off-guard to immediately recognize three of them but when he saw Archer's hawk-like stare and Jon's calm expression across the room, he felt a moment of surreality and confusion.

His first thought was that he was having a bizarre dream but then the man reached over and yanked Boyd's loosened hand away.

Boyd looked over. The man was in his late thirties with a five o'clock shadow and wavy brown hair. His eyes were a pale brown and as he stepped back from Boyd, he rubbed his wrist with a scowl. Boyd absently placed him as Leo Vasile, a Level 9 Insurgency agent from another unit.

Boyd glanced over and saw Sin glaring at the others, looking highly pissed off.

"What the hell?" Boyd demanded, half bewildered and half annoyed.

Jon gave Boyd an apologetic and chagrined half-smile as Sin glowered hatefully. "The Marshal sent us in when the two of you went silent."

"Silent?" Boyd echoed, even more confused. He looked between Jon and Sin. "What?"

"My fucking cell phone got smashed when I fell yesterday," Sin growled, barely resembling the relaxed and affectionate man who Boyd had spent time with for the past few days.

"And yours goes straight to voice mail," Jon informed Boyd with a frown. "Honestly, they sent us out not knowing if we'd find you lot dead or on the offense after having gone rogue."

Boyd grimaced, feeling a spike of annoyance. He'd been looking forward to spending the rest of the week with his lover, and being woken to a room full of agents wasn't at all how he'd hoped to start the day. He was even more irritated because if their phones had been working maybe they wouldn't have to be in this situation.

"My phone ran out of batteries and I forgot the charger," he said, running a hand back through his hair and frowning. The sheets shifted slightly where they gathered in his lap, hiding his lower body but not the implied fact that he was naked. "I didn't know his phone was broken. What the hell do you need us for anyway? We have a few more days off."

"Unfortunately, you don't. Mission came up," Jon replied, not looking at Sin's murderous expression. "That's why they were calling you in."

"A mission," Boyd said flatly. He had never been so annoyed with the mercurous aspect of his job as he was now. "And they couldn't send any of the other thousand agents or three Level 10s running around the Agency right now?"

He knew it wasn't Jon's fault and he should bring any questions up with the Marshal but he couldn't help feeling frustrated by the turn of events.

There were still things he'd wanted to do-- they hadn't had enough time. He didn't want to leave the idyllic setting they'd found. He didn't want to have to suddenly leave behind the quiet solitude; the way they could enjoy each other without external pressure. He didn't want to leave behind Sin's relaxed state and small, sincere smiles.

He didn't want to return to the Agency. He didn't feel ready.

"Guess not," Jon replied with a shrug, as unperturbed by everything as he'd been throughout training.

"Should we step out?"

Boyd looked over when the female agent spoke to Jon. She had a long rope of auburn hair hanging over one shoulder and clear blue eyes below long, sculpted eyebrows. He'd never met her in person but he knew she was Jenny White, the Level 9 valentine operative from Intel that Kassian had once recommended as potential dating material for Sin. Considering the fact she was known to have wanted to fuck Sin at one point, it wasn't surprising that she looked slightly uncomfortable with the situation now.

Jon looked at Sin and Boyd in turn. "We need to return to the compound ASAP. Since there appears to be nothing violent going down, do you need any help gathering your gear?"

"No," Boyd said with a hint more of an edge than he intended.

He saw Archer give him a stern look and Boyd looked away.

Boyd saw that the last agent was a pale man with jet black hair and pale blue eyes, who had a few scars on his face. Boyd recognized him to be Adam Blake, a Level 9 agent from Intel. Boyd had run into him a few times over the years although he'd never spoken to him much. Adam was looking between Sin and Boyd but he didn't have a particular expression so Boyd couldn't tell what he was thinking.

Leo was now studiously avoiding looking at Boyd or Sin, his light brown eyes narrowed and eyebrows drawn down. His lips tightened into a frown and he'd crossed his arms. The way he was leaning slightly toward the doorway made it seem like he wanted nothing more than to get out of that room, which was a sentiment Jenny seemed to share although she looked more uncomfortable than disturbed like Leo did.

Archer was angled with his back against the wall, so he could keep an ever-roaming watchful eye on the rest of the cabin through the open door at the same time as he could watch the window in the bedroom. Aside from the sharp look he'd given Boyd, he didn't seem to be paying much attention to the conversation. His expression was as serious as usual and with how little Archer seemed perturbed, Boyd almost felt like he and Sin could have been in the middle of fucking when the agents entered and Archer still wouldn't have blinked an eye.

The irritation Boyd had been feeling didn't leave but it did become less intense. He knew he couldn't blame any of these people and when he imagined how awkward it would be to have been sent to retrieve, say, Jon and Harriet, and finding them naked in bed... Well, he probably wouldn't want to be in the room either.

He returned his gaze to Jon again and made more of an effort to stop being so confrontational. Jon probably hadn't wanted to come on the retrieval in the first place. If Boyd had anyone to blame, it was the Marshal. He couldn't help feeling irritated with her; could she really not have found someone else to do the damn mission? He and Sin asked for one single week free of Agency responsibilities and they couldn't even get that. Although as far as that went, they were lucky she'd agreed to even that week.

"We didn't bring a lot," Boyd continued more reasonably. "Give us a few minutes and we can meet you outside."

"Will do," Jon said with a nod. He didn't even have to say a word before the others trooped out of the room.

The door shut behind Jon, and Sin released a noise that sounded like a growl. He looked furious and his posture had once again returned to its typically tense form.

Boyd looked over at Sin and finally got out of bed. "I'm pissed too but unfortunately we can't do anything about it," he said as he looked around for clothing.

Sin didn't respond and violently grabbed the jeans he'd discarded the day before. He got dressed in icy silence, his black hair curtaining most of his expression although his mouth was in a visibly tight line.

Boyd pulled on his underwear and jeans but paused before he searched for his shirt. He took in Sin's tense posture and walked over, running a hand down Sin's arm and stopping to briefly wrap his fingers loosely around his wrist. "Hey."

"I'm tired of this shit," Sin growled, yanking a black shirt up from the floor.

"Not having a say?" Boyd asked, watching Sin.

"Everything. I've just fucking had it." Sin yanked the shirt over his head and tied his hair back in a knot.

Boyd was at a loss for words at first. He was tired of this too, although he thought Sin felt it more strongly. He wanted to say they could find a way out of this lifestyle, that if they just searched hard enough surely there would be an answer, but there weren't many feasible options. None that he knew anyway, although that wouldn't stop him from looking regardless.

Emilio was the only person he knew who had ever successfully escaped and although he'd seemed to have a plan for Sin when he was on death row for Bridget's murder, it was unlikely that the plan could easily be expanded to include two people.

And even if it could, Boyd doubted he and Sin would be able to disappear without the Agency tracking them down or at least chasing them the rest of their lives. He didn't want that as a life; constantly looking over his shoulder, afraid to trust anyone, and more terrified than usual that Sin was going to be killed without him being able to stop it. At least at the Agency there were rules, of sorts. If they managed to go rogue, they would be targets from every angle.

"I am too," Boyd said instead, placing his hands comfortingly on Sin's shoulders. He looked up into his lover's face with determination, his fingers squeezing briefly. "But we'll get by and we'll figure things out. In the meantime, we can finish the rest of this vacation later-- we could spend some time together after the mission. Maybe the next time we have some days off at the same time we can take a short trip near the city."

Sin looked up at him through his overgrown hair and shrugged, his lips still down-turned. "I had plans for you today," he said sullenly.

A smile played on the edges of Boyd's lips. "Yeah?" He stepped closer to Sin, his hands shifting against Sin's shoulders. "Would I have liked them?"

A grudging smirk briefly made an appearance on Sin's face and he couldn't seem to maintain his anger with Boyd trying so hard to snap him out of it. "Yes. It involved me making up for last night."

Boyd made a 'hmm' sound, the smile growing as he tugged Sin down. He kissed Sin; it started out chaste, just a brush of his lips against Sin's, but Boyd soon parted his mouth. The heat of their breath intermingled and when Sin opened his mouth too, Boyd briefly forgot his train of thought. He would never grow tired of the feel of Sin's hard body against his, of Sin's taste filling his mouth as their lips and tongues meshed. Every time it felt like his heartbeat quickened and the world lost importance around him.

Boyd's hands tightened against the back of Sin's head, his fingers loosely tangling in the silky black hair that was already starting to unravel from the knot. A moan escaped one of them, he wasn't sure who but he thought it was him, and Sin's arms wrapped around his back and pulled him closer.

The kiss was deep and filled with a passion that only grew stronger, more urgent. For a moment, the only sound in the room was their muffled breath, the shift of fabric as their hands gripped each other, and the occasional hint of a moan.

Before long Boyd pulled away, his lips reddened as he caught his breath. A smirk crossed his face as he murmured huskily, "Did it involve something like that?"

Sin exhaled against Boyd's moist lips and said in a low heated voice, "It involved me counting the amount of times it takes me to ram my cock into your spot before you come all over yourself."

Boyd groaned, his fingers twitching against Sin. He felt himself start to harden at the thought combined with that voice. "I think I need to know that answer too."

He was yanked against Sin with near-violent intensity before his mouth was once again ravished. Boyd found himself being pushed up against the chest of drawers that lined the wall. Sin's powerful hands picked him up, leaving him perched on the edge of the dresser with his knees apart and Sin between them as they kissed each other fiercely.

Boyd lost all track of everything but Sin. They nearly devoured each other, their tongues scouring each others' mouth and leaving an intoxicating taste behind. He couldn't stop himself from groaning desperately. The harder Sin pressed against him, the deeper and rougher they kissed, the more Boyd was aroused.

The layer of clothing between them was becoming a nuisance and Boyd's breath started to quicken from excitement as he imagined Sin slamming into him, repeatedly hitting him in the spot that made him crazed with pleasure.

He slid his hands beneath Sin's shirt and up, his fingers digging into Sin's back and his moans becoming quicker and louder. His bare torso felt flushed and hypersensitive to the air, to the rough callouses on Sin's fingers as he dragged his hands across Boyd's back.

Boyd's heartbeat thundered in his chest and his need for Sin was making him lose control--

The door suddenly opened and Boyd was startled into looking over, seeing Jenny standing there.

"Get the fuck out," Sin snarled at her, panting against Boyd's neck where he had been sucking it.

"Ah," Jenny said awkwardly, delicately arched eyebrows rising as she took in their intimate position and flushed faces. Her blue eyes skimmed them with interest and although the discomfort was more evident on her face than it'd been before, she didn't appear unattracted to the scene before her.

"General Carhart wants a response within the next five minutes," she said quickly and backed out of the room, shutting the door behind her.

Sin hissed between his teeth in obvious frustration and straightened. "Fuck them all."

Boyd groaned and slouched forward, hands sliding off Sin's body to grip the edge of the dresser. He tilted his face down, his hair curtaining his expression while the top of his head brushed Sin's chest. He tried to ignore how strongly he wanted to rip Sin's clothes off and fuck him mindlessly.

"I'd say let's continue if I didn't know we'll be interrupted again in a minute," he grumbled.

Sin nodded stiffly and finally pulled away, adjusting his jeans and looking very put out. "And when we get back, it won't be much better."

Boyd slid off the dresser and padded over to where his shirt was still lying crumpled on the floor from the day before. He swiped it off the floor and yanked it over his head. He looked over at Sin as he straightened the shirt and the rest of his clothing. "Yeah, well, I'm expecting you to fuck me twice as long when we get the chance."

Still looking mighty disgruntled, Sin grabbed their empty duffel bag and tossed it onto the unmade bed. "Count on it."

Mildly mollified, Boyd set to the task of gathering his things. He hadn't brought much clothing so that didn't take long but once he left the bedroom and saw the other agents in the living room, it hit him even harder that they had to leave. Seeing the formerly empty room filled with an unavoidable reminder of their situation made the fact they had to return burn in him.

All he could do was run down a mental checklist of the moments they would miss.

Sin and he hadn't had the chance to fully appreciate the fireplace yet; they hadn't gotten through all their food. They hadn't had sex in the jacuzzi, which he had been looking forward to doing especially since last night. The last drawing he'd started would never be finished. He would never know what had happened in the woods to all those people. They wouldn't have the chance to bike through the woods again or to light a fire and make smores like Boyd had been planning for that night. He wouldn't be able to lean against Sin's chest and feel that steady heartbeat and those powerful arms encircling him, and know without a doubt that they were alone, that no one was peering in on the intimate scene, and that the relaxation he felt in his lover's body was his and his alone to share.

The last few days had been a dream unlike even what he remembered in Monterrey, because he knew that back then they hadn't been in the same mindset; they hadn't truly been a couple. Spending the days with Sin, having the opportunity to touch him and kiss him and have sex with him as much as he wanted had been incredible. He'd enjoyed his time here. He'd liked walking into the kitchen and seeing Sin prepare a meal. He'd liked knowing Sin was always nearby.

And more than anything, he'd loved falling asleep next to Sin and waking up to his warmth. Since one of his preoccupations a year ago had been that Sin didn't seem to want to spend the night with him, it felt comforting to know that he could fall asleep to that steady heartbeat and not have to wake to a cold bed.

He'd felt comfortable and liberated and safe at this place, hidden in the woods and removed from reality. He'd felt at peace.

He hadn't gotten enough time to enjoy it, to enjoy Sin. He hadn't had enough time to pretend, for just one week, that they were normal and that he didn't have to fear his loved one getting ripped away from him once again. He hadn't had enough time being with Sin as only a lover instead of a combination of that and work partner.

It was almost heart-wrenching to know that the peaceful life they'd managed to build for those few days was being taken away so casually.

"He's a smarmy git, that one is," Jon was saying, his voice breaking through the reverie Boyd had fallen into. It was obvious that Jon, Adam and Jenny at least were all familiar with each other likely because they were all from Intel.

"He's not that bad," Jenny laughed. "Just a bit of a smartass. The first time I met him he caught me off guard too though. But I figured if Adam was hanging around with a character like that, he must have something good about him."

Adam shrugged, not appearing to care either way although a flicker of a smile crossed his solemn face before he looked at Boyd and Sin, who walked through the door behind Boyd. Jenny's blue eyes also turned to the agents and she stood up from where she'd been leaning casually against the wall. She was rather tall for a woman and her legs were encased in tight black pants that made them look even longer.

"I don't know if you all have been acquainted," Jon said, looking mostly from Boyd to the rest of the people on the team likely because Boyd and he had become something close to friends during training. "This is Jenny White and Adam Blake from Intel. Leo Vasile from Insurgency and I'm sure you know Archer."

Sin didn't respond and began shoving something in a duffel bag, studiously keeping his back to the group.

"It's nice to finally meet the infamous duo," Jenny said casually, her eyes sliding from Boyd to Sin. "I doubt Senior Agent Vega remembers, but I auditioned to be his partner as well."

"You did?" Boyd asked, looking over at her. He wasn't entirely interested in getting pulled into a conversation and yet he did wonder about that tidbit. He'd never known who all had been in the running to be a candidate for Boyd's position.

"Yes. They chose me because I am a very experienced valentine operative," she said bluntly. "But in the end General Carhart didn't think that route to be the best."

Boyd didn't know what to say to that. He didn't imagine that would have worked well either but then again, he didn't really know. "I see," he said neutrally, and glanced over to see Sin packing up the rest of their items in the main room.

"I wonder if it would have worked," Jenny went on, a mischievous smile crossing her face. Adam raised his eyebrows at her and shook his head as she eyeballed Sin exaggeratedly.

"I don't think he's paying attention, hon," Jon observed idly as his eyes moved about the cabin with interest.

Sin let the bag drop to the floor with a thud and walked over to the couch to sit down where he began putting on his boots. He didn't look at any of them and didn't speak. They may as well have not even been in the room.

"Too bad. I was just trying to get him to cheer up."

Boyd thought that all the agents leaving would be the only way to cheer either of them up but he didn't bother saying so aloud. Instead, he noticed his drawing pad sitting on the side table where he'd left it and went over to pick it up.

He half leaned over Sin to grab it and asked quietly, "What should we do about the food?" He didn't feel like having a conversation with everyone listening in; they'd already had too many eyes on them in the bedroom.

Sin frowned and yanked on his other boot. "Just leave it, I suppose. The disposable things anyway."

Boyd nodded and dropped his drawing pad on his messenger bag as he passed. He headed toward the kitchen and left most of the food there, but he did grab a few items including some of the leftover candy. He figured Sin would probably still want that.

The other agents remained largely out of the way, watching as Boyd and Sin finished gathering the last of their belongings. It wasn't long until everything was packed and ready to go. Jon led the group out of the cabin, a few of them talking amongst each other while Boyd and Sin remained silent. They grabbed their bags and followed the agents out toward the van.

The cool Autumn air hit Boyd on the face as another wake up call. He paused very briefly on the deck, seeing the trees shift around them tranquilly, the sunlight already struggling to pierce through the clouds. Birds chirped and leaves rustled, and the faint squeaking of the bench swinging on the deck caught his attention. The thought strengthened about how much he was going to miss this and his free time with Sin. He was even going to miss the beat up truck they'd rented and the trips to the local grocery store on a double-lane road winding through the countryside.

He didn't turn to look at Sin because it would have made the moment harder for him. He made himself move again, letting the heavy front door of the cabin slip along his fingers until it swung away from his grasp.

As the door to the cabin shut with finality behind him, Boyd didn't let himself look back.

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Continue to the next interlude: 3.25, Medley