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Ever since they had watched Lane disappearing amidst that gas, they had wanted to hold him. But they knew that their job was not yet over. They had watched Benji as he drove them to the prison, having insisted on driving there himself. Ethan knew that it was for control; having spent hours under the control of Solomon Lane, not being able to speak or move for himself, he no doubt wanted to feel like he had some kind of control over what he was doing now. And they respected that.
They watched him as he drove, Will unable to take his eyes of the man as he, in turn, refused to take his eyes off the road. There was something there, something in those blue eyes that Will had never seen before. He had only a rough idea of what Lane had put him through, but did not know the details yet and seeing that strange, far off look in the younger agent’s eyes made him worry more. He threw a glance over his shoulder to where Ethan sat next to Luther, noticing just how exhausted and broken he looked as well. Something awful had happened to them and he made it his own silent job, his mission, to ensure that they felt safe. He reached out carefully and placed a hand on Benji’s knee as he drove, caressing his thumb over his trouser covered skin in a soothing manner.
As they had handed Lane over to be processed, it almost felt as though a weight had been lifted from their shoulders; particularly Ethan’s, after six months of chasing a man and an agency which no one believed existed. To have finally proven its existence to Hunley and be locking Solomon Lane up for good… It allowed him to relax somewhat. Both men saw how tense their partner was as he watched Lane being led past him and they wished that they could reassure him that the criminal could not hurt him again. They knew that they could say it as many times as they could, they could repeat it until it was the only phrase that they could utter, but it would not prevent Benji from suffering the nightmares that were no doubt going to haunt him.
Luther dropped them off at their safe house before leaving to pick up some food for the next morning before they flew out. The three men entered the building, Benji stepping inside first with Ethan and Will right behind him. The analyst shut the door after them and locked it, turning to face his partners and seeing that Ethan had his arms around a trembling Benji. Will’s expression fell, meeting Ethan’s green eyes and seeing the fear in them. He knew that they had come close to losing Benji, but just how close was that? It took a lot to shake Ethan, Will had never seen him like this before; and that scared him.
He stepped over to them, reaching out a hand and running it up and down Benji’s arm.
“We’ve got you, Benj.” he whispered into the blond’s ear, kissing the lobe. “You’re safe now.” He felt one of Ethan’s hands slipping into his as they stood there, wrapped around Benji together to give him something firm, something real to grasp onto. It felt so good to be back together after so long, Hunley’s dissolution of the IMF causing so much disruption in their lives. Ethan was gone, Benji and Will had become distant. The change almost tore them apart. But now, they were together again and they did not want to lose what they had.
Once Benji’s shaking had subsided somewhat, the three men walked to the bedroom, Ethan and Will each having a hand on Benji’s shoulder or arm as they moved. It was as if they needed to touch him to convince themselves that he was back and alive. Once the door was closed, they began to remove their clothes, stripping down to their underwear ready for bed. It had been a long few days, dragging all of them through hell and back again. They were all exhausted and beaten down, both mentally and physically. Ethan walked around to the other side of the bed and climbed in, Benji sliding over into the middle before Will’s body appeared at the other side of the tech. The mattress was soft beneath their aching bodies and Ethan reached down to pull the sheets over them.
“Thank you.” Benji’s voice broke the silence that had taken over, though it was soft and quiet.
“What for, Benji?” Will asked, ensuring that his voice was equally as soft to avoid breaking up this moment of peace that they had found.
“For bringing me home.” Ethan and Will shared a glance over their lover’s body before Ethan leaned down and cupped Benji’s chin, pressing their lips together. The kiss was not hungry or frantic, but slow and passionate as the oldest agent slipped his tongue into Benji’s mouth. The blond whimpered slightly against Ethan’s lips, feeling Will’s hand wrapping around his waist from behind. He then felt soft lips against the back of his neck, kissing up to just below his ear before back down again to his shoulder.
“We’ll always bring you home.” Will whispered, holding Benji close as Ethan broke the kiss. “It’s not home without you.” At Will’s words, Benji turned his head to face the analyst, capturing his lips in a kiss just as deep as Ethan’s kiss had been. Benji felt safe there, lying between their bodies with strong arms wrapped around him from each side. It felt as though nothing could reach him there, no one could hurt him. And he felt comfortable knowing that when the nightmares came for him, he would wake with Ethan and Will on either side, ready to bring him back to reality.