Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Cougar, like every other living human being, was aware of the existence of dragons. It was difficult not to be, considering that some of them were the size of skyscrapers. He might only have seen them on TV during news reports, but he knew enough about them to be wary at the thought of ever meeting one in person.

Dragons weren't evil, per se, but behaved like any other animal; violent when threatened and reluctant to change their habits because of outside influences. The problem being, of course, that humans weren't used to sharing space they considered theirs — much like the dragons.

In the end, humanity had to admit defeat. The dragons were far too difficult to kill and impossible to domesticate. Humans weren't a natural part of a dragon's diet — those that were carnivorous preferred animals with more meat on them — but it was clear that exceptions were made if a human was foolish enough to provoke them.

So instead humanity attempted to live peacefully alongside the dragons, which actually seemed to be working. The number of dragon-related deaths was at an all-time low, according to Jensen, due to the recently established dragon reservations and regulations put in place to avoid antagonizing the beasts. As long as humanity treated the dragons with respect, they were given the same in return.

Dragons were, as a rule, frighteningly intelligent, but unable to speak human words. They did, however, seem able to understand body language, facial expressions, and gestures. Some level of communication was possible, in other words, as long as human and dragon were willing to make an effort.

Still, the day Cougar found a dragon curled up in his hat, he couldn't say that his first priority was figuring out whether or not they'd be able to communicate. He was more concerned with getting his hat back without getting it or himself torched.

The fact that they were on a mission in Brazil, the entire team currently hiding out in a safe house, didn't make the situation any better.

He stared at the sleek black dragon — about the size of one of those miniature dogs Beth kept asking her mother for — uncertain how to proceed. Bright yellow spikes ran along the dragon's knobbed spine, the small, leathery wings folded neatly to fit inside the circle of the hat. After a couple of tense seconds, the dragon opened its yellow, glowing eyes, looking up at Cougar with what could only be called affront. The dragon clearly didn't appreciate being woken up from its nap, and Cougar almost took a step back — but only almost.

He wondered if this was what Jensen felt whenever Cougar gave him one of his deadpan stares.

Cougar pursed his lips and slowly reached out towards the hat, not at all surprised when a small plume of fire burst out from the dragon's mouth. It was a clear warning — as were the quick, angry flicks of the spiked tail — and Cougar reluctantly pulled his hand back.

That was just great. A dragon had claimed his hat as its home.

Cougar placed his hands on his hips and glared at the dragon — who glared right back. If anyone had told Cougar that he would one day find himself in a turf war with a miniature dragon, he would have called them insane. He wasn't even sure why the dragon wanted to sleep in his hat — it couldn't be particularly comfortable.

Eventually, the dragon seemed to grow tired of the staring contest, yawning lazily before looking away. Its behavior was surprisingly reminiscent of that of an aloof cat. Cougar sighed and tried to deny that the tiny burp and puff of smoke the dragon let out was actually kind of adorable.

It was probably best to ask Jensen for advice, Cougar decided. Clay and Pooch might be the only ones who had seen an actual dragon before, but Jensen was their self-proclaimed expert. There were few facts about dragons that Jensen didn't know, even if there were over a hundred different species and they came in all shapes, colors, and sizes.

Besides, Clay, Pooch, and Roque were all out doing recon in preparation for the mission and Cougar didn't want to wait that long to get his hat back.

Cougar walked over to the doorway and looked into the next room. Jensen was at the far end, bent over one of his computers, the light of the screen reflecting in his glasses. Cougar let out a sharp whistle and, as expected, Jensen's head snapped up, zeroing in on Cougar with almost eerie precision.

Sometimes Cougar couldn't help wondering why Jensen always seemed to know exactly where he was, even when he was obviously taken by surprise.

"What's up, Cougs?"

Jensen was in the middle of setting up their comms and trackers for the upcoming mission and Cougar knew he shouldn't disturb him while he was working. But they still had about thirteen hours before mission start; this hopefully wouldn't take that long.

Cougar crooked his finger, gratified when Jensen immediately dropped what he was doing and got up from his chair — no questions asked. To be granted that kind of trust and implicit devotion was humbling.

Jensen, of course, was delighted when he joined Cougar in the doorway and his gaze found the slumbering dragon Cougar was pointing at. Actually, Cougar wasn't sure if he had ever seen Jensen get so excited over something — not even new tech managed to light such a childlike spark of wonder in his eyes.

"Cougs," Jensen hissed, grabbing and tugging on Cougar's sleeve like an insistent five-year-old. "That's a dragon! An actual dragon!"

Cougar resisted the urge to roll his eyes — he was well aware of the dragon, seeing as he was the one who had showed it to Jensen in the first place.

"Yes," he replied, drawing on his infamous patience, "I know."

"A dragon!" Jensen was practically bouncing, which was endearing, of course, but didn't help Cougar's current predicament in the least.

"In my hat," he pointed out. Jensen managed to tear his gaze away from the dragon long enough to give Cougar a confused look. "I want it back," Cougar explained patiently.

"Oh! Right. Of course." Jensen's grin was wide and joyful enough to cause a slight skip in Cougar's heart rate, which he stubbornly ignored.

Jensen let go of Cougar's sleeve and inched closer to the table the hat rested on, practically cooing. "Oh, sweetheart, look at you! You're beautiful!"

He was obviously talking to the dragon now.

Jensen glanced back at Cougar, as if making sure he was still there and paying attention. "Isn't she?"

"She?" Cougar asked, slowly approaching the table. The dragon had laid its head down, but those glowing yellow eyes were flicking back and forth between Jensen and Cougar, so it was clearly aware of its audience.

"Yeah, the females of this species have yellow details, while the males have red," Jensen replied, but he sounded distracted, clearly too awed by the dragon to focus on what he was saying.

The closer Jensen got, the more alert the dragon became. She eventually rose to her feet and let out a warning hiss, wings rustling. Cougar grabbed Jensen's arm, just to make sure that Jensen wouldn't be stupid enough to lean in and get a fireball to the face.

"Oh, you are magnificent!" Jensen was so far gone he didn't even seem realize the danger of the situation. Just because the dragon was small, it didn't mean she was friendly or incapable of causing them harm. Cougar was pretty sure it was the opposite, in fact.

"Jake, careful," he warned. He did want to get his hat back, but not at the expense of his best friend's admittedly gorgeous face.

Cougar didn't feel the least bit comforted by Jensen's absent-minded nod. Why was it that Jensen always lacked self-preservation and restraint when faced with things that could kill him? Cougar remembered something similar happening when they first got to know each other.

"Hi, baby girl," Jensen said softly. "I know that hat is all kinds of awesome, but Cougar would like it back, okay?"

Those small, glowing eyes were fixed on Jensen, but it was difficult to tell if the dragon understood what he was saying — or whether or not she cared. Jensen tentatively reached out towards her, but, again, she let out a warning hiss, wings spreading wider. That was an attempt to intimidate if Cougar ever saw one.

"Jake, you should—"

Before Cougar had time to finish the sentence, the dragon shot forward, swift as a snake. Jensen yelped and quickly snatched his hand back. Cougar could see the neat little row of teeth marks on the inside of Jensen's thumb — already beading with blood — before Jensen raised his hand to his mouth to suck on the wound.

"Dwat 'urt," he mumbled, frowning at the tiny dragon as she settled down into the hat again, looking annoyingly smug.

As far as Cougar was concerned, the dragon had officially outstayed its welcome.

He calmly bent down to retrieve the knife tucked into his boot.

"Whoa, whoa!" Jensen grabbed Cougar's wrist as soon as he had straightened again. There would no doubt be small pinpricks of blood on Cougar's sleeve once Jensen pulled his hand back. "What are you doing? Don't hurt her!"

Cougar frowned. "It hurt you."

She'd made Jensen bleed. Cougar had a very strict rule about that.

"In self-defense!" Jensen argued. "It was my fault, Cougar. Please don't hurt her."

When Cougar looked back at the dragon, she had crouched lower, as if ready to attack. Her eyes were fixed on the knife in a way Cougar realized had to mean she knew what it was for. She might even be afraid of it.

The look in her eyes made Cougar feel surprisingly guilty.

His shoulders lowered and Jensen let go of his wrist soon after. The dragon was still watching them warily, even as Cougar put the knife back in its sheath.

"Okay, let's try this again," Jensen said, the relief evident in his voice. He didn't step closer, however. "Maybe if we both reach for it?" he suggested. "She can't bite both of us at the same time."

"That's your plan?" Cougar gave Jensen a deadpan look.

"I know it's a stupid plan, but do you have a better one?"

A couple of seconds passed in silence before Cougar shook his head, admitting defeat. They only needed to grab the brim of the hat anyway, then tip the dragon out of it. That shouldn't be too hard.

Cougar gestured for Jensen to take the left side, while he approached from the right. The dragon was glaring at them suspiciously, her head snapping back and forth in an attempt to keep them both within her line of sight.

She seemed to consider Jensen the bigger threat, for some reason — it was usually the other way around — and sent out a burst of fire that forced Jensen to recoil. Cougar was tempted to reach for his knife again, but settled for shooting the dragon a murderous glare.

She was coiled tight, clearly preparing for another attack against Jensen. The moment the dragon was about to strike, Cougar snapped his fingers. She immediately whipped around at the noise, her tiny nostrils flaring. She tilted her head to the side, blinking curiously, and Jensen took the opening he was offered to sneak up behind her. Cougar kept the dragon's eyes on himself, snapping his fingers whenever her attention seemed to be straying back toward Jensen.

Eventually, after a couple of breathless seconds, Jensen was able to slip his hand under the brim of the hat and start tipping it. The dragon let out an indignant squawk, her wings flapping as she tried to maintain her balance. She hissed at them, glaring angrily, but didn't try to attack, surprisingly enough. Then, just as she was beginning to lose her footing entirely, she lifted into the air in a flurry of black and yellow.

Only to land on Cougar's right shoulder.

Both Cougar and Jensen froze, Jensen staring with wide eyes.

"That... was not what I wanted to happen," he said, voice pitched low and urgent. While this dragon was small, she was still dangerous — especially that close to Cougar's face and jugular. Jensen swallowed. "Uh, Cougar, just... stay still. Stay very still."

Cougar gritted his teeth but did indeed stay still — something he was an expert at, fortunately. He could feel the dragon's claws like tiny needles, pricking him through the fabric of his shirt. She shifted back and forth, tail flicking, and Cougar couldn't hold back a shiver when she folded her wings and slipped in behind his neck, her leathery skin brushing against his.

"Oh," Jensen whispered, holding Cougar's hat in his hands. The smile growing on his face was alarming to say the least — this was not the time for smiles.

"What?" Cougar hissed through his teeth. The dragon was wrapping herself around the back of his neck, her head bumping against his jaw. She let out a soft rumbling sound that was either a growl or a purr.

"She likes you," Jensen replied, his eyes glowing. "Cougs, I think she wants to be your dragon companion."

Cougar had heard about those. While dragons couldn't be tamed, they occasionally took a shine to humans and stayed with them for everything between a couple of days to several years. No one knew for sure why the dragons did this, but, according to Jensen, they tended to choose humans who matched their own temperament and personality.

"That's amazing!" While Jensen could barely contain his joy, Cougar was less excited at the prospect of a dragon following him around wherever he went.

He didn't want a dragon companion — especially not one that had been hostile mere seconds ago. Cougar still hadn't forgiven her for biting Jensen.

He gave Jensen a deadpan glare to show his displeasure but, to his surprise, Jensen only burst out laughing.

"I'm sorry," Jensen said as he held up his hands, chuckling under his breath, "it's just that she gave me the exact same look just now. You really kinda do match."

Cougar carefully turned his head, finding that the dragon was indeed glaring at Jensen in what looked to be a distinctly exasperated manner. Cougar had no idea what to make of that, or how to explain all of this to Clay, for that matter. A dragon would just be in the way, even if she happened to be small.

One way or another, having a dragon companion was going to cause trouble — he just knew it.

Clay took the news surprisingly well. He was understandably cautious, but his main concern was the success of the mission and the dragon didn't seem to want to interfere with that. She actually made herself scarce the moment bullets started flying, probably taking refuge in a tree somewhere.

It was only once the team was waiting for pickup that she deemed it safe to come swooping down and land on Cougar's shoulder again. She spat a cloud of smoke in his face — which Cougar took as her showing her displeasure at his chosen profession — before crawling back to hide behind his neck. Cougar could feel a couple of tugs on his hair as she settled down, but decided not to push her off.

From what Jensen had told him, refusing a dragon its companion would result in way worse punishment than the headache from putting up with their antics — both from the slighted dragon and the laws put in place to keep the status quo. Cougar still wasn't happy about the whole thing, but he wasn't going to endanger himself or his team by angering the little spitfire.

"You should name her," Jensen said as they waited for the chopper.

Cougar raised a dubious eyebrow.

"Yeah, seriously," Jensen persisted. His smile was distractingly radiant. "It will be easier to call for her and all that."

"She's not a dog," Cougar replied. The dragon was a warm weight against his neck, her low rumbling hums — the dragon equivalent of a purr, Cougar supposed — surprisingly comforting.

Jensen snorted on a laugh. "No, if anything, she'd be a cat, considering who she chose as her companion."

The flat look Cougar gave Jensen was well deserved, in Cougar's opinion. The next second Jensen's entire face lit up with glee — as it tended to do when he got one of his particularly questionable ideas.

"Kitten!" he exclaimed. "We'll call her Kitten!"

"No."

"Aww, Cougs, come on. Do you have a better suggestion?" Jensen challenged.

It was beginning to get annoying just how often Jensen won arguments with that question. Truth was, however, that Cougar didn't have a better name to give her.

He still refused to acknowledge Jensen's suggestion and simply turned to watch the small dot that had appeared on the horizon, waiting for the chopper to arrive.

Despite Cougar's best efforts, Kitten really did become his new dragon companion's name. Fortunately, she didn't seem to mind, as it only took her a couple of days to get used to Jensen calling her that.

As soon as they returned to the team's house on base, Kitten flew off to inspect her new home. Overall, she seemed to like it and turned out to be less of a hindrance than Cougar had feared. When she wasn't curled up on his shoulder she kept to herself, exploring the house or perching on any high piece of furniture she could find. She seemed to prefer to sleep in Cougar's hat or, if the washing machine was on, burrow down in the laundry basket. Cougar suspected it had to do with the steady humming, plus how warm the room was. She was clearly used to a hotter climate and tended to seek out warmth where she could find it.

Jensen assured the team that Kitten's species was strictly vegetarian, living off a diet consisting of fruit and certain vegetables — though they preferred lemons and oranges. That didn't mean she wasn't a hunter, however, as Cougar became aware of the morning he woke up with a dead rat on his pillow, Kitten sitting proudly next to it.

According to Jensen, she was only defending her territory. While Cougar could certainly relate to that urge — and be impressed by her fierceness, seeing as the rat was as big as she — he preferred his bed rat-free. He therefore told her that the next time she killed one, she could give it to Jensen instead. He was weird enough to actually appreciate her efforts.

She seemed delighted at the prospect.

While Kitten wasn't an actual kitten, her behavior was, in many ways, similar to that of a cat. She hated being told what to do, even by Cougar, and spent a lot of her time sleeping — preferably in a spot of sunlight or whatever warm place she could find. She also had a habit of either ignoring the humans in her surroundings or demanding their complete and immediate attention.

She seemed to divide people into two groups — those she tolerated and those she genuinely liked. Clay, Roque, and anyone else on base ended up in the former group, while Pooch, Jensen, and Cougar were in the latter. She was picky with her affections and allowed people different privileges depending on how much she liked them.

Clay and Roque were allowed to feed but not touch her, while Pooch could make her purr with delight when he rubbed her head with the tip of his finger. Cougar had the most privileges, obviously, but he had a feeling that she actually liked Jensen best — again something Cougar could relate to.

Kitten adored Jensen. She sought out his company in a way that was eerily familiar and grew increasingly protective of him, to the point where she would snarl at people being rude to him. She was ever so careful with her claws and teeth whenever she climbed on Jensen's shoulder, and lovingly rubbed her head against his cheek whenever the opportunity presented itself. The fact that Jensen welcomed her with open arms, cooing soft endearments at her, cuddled and cared for her, well — Cougar couldn't blame Kitten for wanting that.

Who wouldn't?

Perhaps there was some credence to the theory that dragons and their chosen companion shared temperament and personalities — as well as what kind of people they grew fond of.

It took a couple of weeks before Cougar even realized that Kitten had stopped sleeping in his room, instead disappearing to curl up on Jensen's pillow. Or so he assumed, at least, since he usually found her perched on Jensen's shoulder in the mornings, her tail flicking like a satisfied cat. She always looked particularly smug in those moments, as if daring Cougar to say anything about where she had spent the night.

He never did.

Just like he didn't allow himself to admit to the lump of jealousy that was growing in the pit of his stomach — or that his dragon seemed to be knowingly feeding said jealousy. Kitten was a downright menace, teasing Cougar with what he couldn't have; things he had told himself long ago that he would never have.

Jensen was his best friend, nothing more.

Before Kitten, that had been enough. Cougar would never demand more out of Jensen than he was willing to give, but he couldn't deny that he wanted it. That he dreamed of more. Kitten made him realize just how strong his yearning was, and how painful it was to watch someone else get what he desired, even if she was a dragon.

Cougar wanted to be the one who shared Jensen's bed at night and got to wake up to his smiles in the mornings. He had wanted that for years, but knew better than to say anything out loud. What he and Jensen had was good — amazing, even — but it was less than Cougar wanted. He couldn't deny that.

Still, he refused to let Kitten goad him into admitting that to Jensen.

They were friends, and that was more than enough.

All the longing and churning emotions came to a head the day Cougar passed Jensen's half-open door and threw a passing glance inside. What he saw made him stop short.

There, on the bed, were Jensen and Kitten, both asleep despite it being noon already. Jensen lay sprawled out on his stomach, one arm flung over the edge of the bed and sheets sliding obscenely low, with Kitten curled up at the small of his bare back. Sunlight was streaming in through the window, making Jensen's skin glow, his hair a bright, golden halo.

Cougar's breath caught — he couldn't help it — and the only thought circling inside his head was that he wanted to join them. He wasn't sure if he had ever wanted anything as much as he wanted to step inside that room and lie down with them.

He knew he couldn't, though. If he climbed into Jensen's bed, it wouldn't be in the capacity of a friend, and that was all he and Jensen were.

Just as Cougar was able to convince himself to move on — that he shouldn't be watching this and that it was better for him to leave — Jensen cracked open an eye. The look he gave Cougar was disoriented and sleep-drunk, but he started smiling soon enough, his face half-buried in his pillow. Cougar swallowed, urging himself to leave before he did something he might regret.

Then Jensen shifted, holding out his hand in obvious invitation.

Despite the longing in Cougar's chest, he hesitated, not sure if Jensen was coherent enough to understand what he was doing — and what it would mean to Cougar. Jensen didn't even have his glasses on, so Cougar couldn't be sure if Jensen knew who was standing in his doorway.

"Come on, Cougs," Jensen whispered, a little slurred but fond enough to send a shiver down Cougar's spine.

He was moving before he could stop himself. Five steps and Cougar's fingertips brushed tentatively against Jensen's, his heart racing.

"Jake—"

Before he was able to finish the sentence, Jensen grabbed his hand and tugged until Cougar sat down on the edge of the bed. Kitten let out an irritated snarl at being disturbed, relocating to the vacant pillow next to Jensen's. Cougar only registered that at the very back of his mind, however, too busy trying to stop his heart from escaping his chest.

Jensen rolled onto his back and lazily looped an arm around Cougar's neck, pulling him down until their cheeks were pressed together. Cougar didn't know what to do, far too distracted by the feel of Jensen's sleep-warm skin and the deep, reassuring breaths tickling his ear.

"Jake—" Cougar began again, only to lose his train of thought when Jensen's lips grazed his cheek.

"Yes," Jensen whispered, fingers sliding into Cougar's hair. "The answer is yes."

Cougar blinked, pulling back enough to look Jensen in the eyes. The smile he received was breathtakingly tender, Jensen's gaze half-lidded and warm. The sunlight was playing in his hair, the blue of his eyes brighter than ever before.

A couple of seconds passed while Cougar tried to figure out if they were even having the same conversation — if Jensen really was replying to the question Cougar had been wanting to ask for years, but never allowed himself to speak out loud.

"Yes," Jensen said again, how voice low and smooth. "You can stay. I want you to stay. I want this — and more."

Jensen had that habit sometimes — of making it seem like he could read Cougar's mind. It was as eerie as it was pleasing. Cougar had never thought that he would find someone who would be able to understand him as completely as Jensen did — or would want to, for that matter.

"How did you know?" Cougar asked, voice hushed.

Jensen smiled, his fingertips tracing Cougar's jaw. He looked calm and happy, ethereally beautiful in the golden sunlight.

He looked like a dream.

"The look on your face," Jensen replied, tilting his head just enough for their lips to brush. It wasn't a kiss, but rather a thrilling promise of what was to come, sending a shiver of delight through Cougar. Jensen's words were nothing more than a soft whisper between them, sweet and fond. "And the answer is yes."

Cougar decided that words were unnecessary at that point and chose instead to initiate the kiss they had both been promised. Jensen hummed against his lips, the arm wrapped around Cougar's neck tightening to pull him closer again. Cougar thought he heard a grumble from Kitten, but ignored it in favor of deepening the kiss.

The warmth and reassurance of Jensen's presence — the taste of his lips and the smell of his skin — was intoxicating. Cougar's heart was soaring, joy spreading through him from each little touch of Jensen's fingertips, each hitch in Jensen's breath.

This was everything Cougar had hoped for.

And, unsurprisingly, it turned out that Cougar liked sleeping in Jensen's bed just as much as Kitten did.

Chapter Text

If Jensen was honest, he'd been a little jealous of Cougar back when Kitten first came into their lives. Despite not being the least bit interested — he had even seemed reluctant the first couple of days — Cougar was the one who had received the privilege of a dragon companion, not Jensen.

It wasn't that Jensen didn't understand why — Cougar's calm, steady mindset probably suited most dragons — but he'd still been jealous. Jensen had spent his earlier years memorizing every dragon fact he could get his hands on, hoping to one day see one in real life. When he was fourteen, he'd been determined to become a dragon tamer, even though there was obviously no such thing.

Dragons couldn't be tamed.

Eventually, Jensen had given up on that particular career path, but he had still spent years preparing himself for the day he'd hopefully get to see a dragon in person. Kitten was perhaps on the small side as far as dragons went, but meeting her had still been everything Jensen had dreamed of.

Well, except the part where he'd been bitten.

Once Kitten had gotten more settled, it turned out that she was just as much Jensen's dragon companion as Cougar's. On most days, she actually spent more time with Jensen, which might have come as a surprise if Cougar hadn't also favored Jensen's company over everyone else's. It was quite adorable just how similar Cougar and Kitten were, even if neither of them seemed to want to admit to it.

They were both extremely mindful of their personal space — until they suddenly weren't — and whenever they ran into something they didn't like, they tended to glare menacingly until they got what they wanted. Both Cougar and Kitten also had a lot of dignity, but never at the expense of kindness and gentleness, and their protective streaks were a mile wide. Sometimes they seemed to compete over the privilege of defending Jensen's honor, which was both flattering and hilarious.

Unsurprisingly, Kitten didn't like being cold or wet any more than Cougar did, and both of them were sullen and cranky for days when the team was sent on a mission to Peru during rainy season. Despite wanting to snicker at the murderous looks on his boyfriend and kinda-sorta dragon companion's faces, Jensen eventually decided that it was safer for everyone involved if he tried to cheer them up instead.

So he offered Kitten a warm, dry place to sleep inside the waterproof bag holding Jensen's tech, and ambushed Cougar during one of his guard shifts — well out of the rest of the team's eyeshot.

It turned out that Cougar was quite fond of the rain when he could lick it off of Jensen's skin.

All in all, Kitten seemed to be enjoying her new life with her pet humans. She was both more independent and intelligent than a cat or dog would be and proved to be less of a distraction than Jensen had expected, always keeping out the way during missions.

The longer Kitten stayed with the team, the more relaxed she became, and she soon found her own place amidst their routines. She was still a little rude to Clay and Roque from time to time, but that seemed to be out of deviousness rather than dislike or disrespect — again, much like Cougar.

Jensen adored Kitten. With him, she was cuddly and oh so gentle, tirelessly keeping him company during late-night coding sessions and curling up next to him when he slept. She had to share the space with Cougar, obviously — which caused some grumbling from both Kitten and Cougar — but there was usually room for all three of them. Kitten was very small, if nothing else.

Despite the appearance of a dragon, the Losers' lives continued on as usual. When they weren't on missions, they spent their time in their house on base and the team carefully ignored the fact that Cougar and Jensen rarely slept apart. And that they were excessively physical with each other whenever given the chance.

Everything was going well — until they were sent to Bolivia.

Everything went to shit in Bolivia.

Suddenly, a routine mission became an improvised extraction which, in turn, caused the death of twenty-five innocent children. Jensen was reeling for days afterwards, but Cougar took it even harder.

Jensen didn't blame him. Cougar had always been a lot more empathic than most people assumed — they mistook his silences for nonchalance — and children were a particularly sensitive subject. When it came to compassion and dedication, few could rival Cougar. He felt everything so strongly and never did things by halves. It was one of the many reasons why Jensen loved him.

Unfortunately, these very same traits made it far too easy for Cougar to spiral out of control.

Jensen tried to curb his worry when Cougar withdrew from him. They were all mourning, trapped in a foreign country and considered dead by their superiors and loved ones. Cougar needed some space — Jensen could understand that — but it was difficult to watch someone he loved suffer in isolated silence.

The only one Cougar allowed near was Kitten and while she did what she could to help, Cougar wasn't always susceptible. In many ways, Kitten became Cougar's conscience. When she thought Cougar had had enough to drink, she'd snap at his fingers when he reached for the bottle. When he forgot to eat, she would tug on his hair or — when really pissed off — fly off with his hat to the nearest source of food. She also started hissing and snarling at most women Cougar talked to.

Jensen tried not to let the implications of that get to him.

He and Cougar weren't sleeping in the same bed anymore, but Cougar was a good man — he wouldn't invite someone else to take Jensen's place. Cougar would never cheat on him.

Kitten seemed less convinced and kept guarding Cougar with enough fierceness to chase away any possible distractions. Jensen would be lying if he said he wasn't at least a little grateful for her efforts.

It was such a relief when Aisha suddenly came barging into their lives. She broke off the monotony and, after months in limbo, offered them some actual hope. Jensen took it gladly. He couldn't stand just how quiet and distant Cougar had become and if revenge and clearing their names would help, he'd throw all of his efforts into that.

Kitten seemed unsure of how to view Aisha. On the one hand, she clearly respected her — more so than she respected Clay and Roque, Jensen suspected — but Kitten also saw her as a threat. The result was that she kept out of Aisha's way, but snarled whenever the woman tried to speak to either Cougar or Jensen. Aisha, being the badass that she was, didn't seem fazed, but wisely chose not to challenge the clearly marked boundaries.

Besides, she seemed more interested in Clay, which suited Kitten just fine.

Before they knew it, the Losers were back in the US and the search for Max was on.

Jensen got so swept up in the chase that he momentarily forgot to be worried about Cougar — or himself, for that matter. Maybe that was why he forgot his gun and, consequently, ended up getting shot in the arm. He could admit that he hadn't thought Aisha would be the one to do it, but he couldn't blame her, either. They had, more or less directly, been the cause for her father's death, after all.

Kitten was less forgiving.

After Jensen went down, Kitten's furious shriek and plume of fire chased Aisha out of the room quicker than the hail of bullets.

The injury wasn't bad, thankfully enough, and Cougar took charge of stitching Jensen up. Kitten sat perched on Jensen's chest the entire time, staring intently at Cougar's hands, as if making sure he did everything right. Her concern for Jensen was quite heartwarming, especially since she seemed less self-conscious about showing it than Cougar. Jensen didn't doubt that Cougar cared, but he had been pretty cold and distant lately, making Jensen feel a little neglected.

In hindsight, Jensen knew that moment in the dark convenience store was where they went wrong — they missed the opportunity to change what was to come.

They should have listened to Kitten.

But when she started acting out — attacking Roque without warning — everyone assumed she was simply upset and defensive about Jensen getting hurt. They didn't realize that she was warning them about a much bigger danger lying ahead.

They went to the port, despite Kitten's panicked protests.

And that was how Jensen found himself on his knees with a gun to the back of his head. Everything had gone completely pear-shaped and Jensen wasn't ashamed to admit that he was fumbling to catch up.

How could Roque betray them? Why?

Jensen could barely breathe through the hurt and steadily growing panic. He didn't want to give up — they had come too far to die now and he would be damned if he didn't even get to say goodbye to Jess and Beth — but things were looking pretty fucking grim. Pooch was bleeding, shot once in each leg, and some bastard was trying to intimidate Cougar into giving up his hat — as if that would ever happen. The situation wasn't helped at all when Kitten shot out from under Cougar's hair and bit the man's hand.

The guard cursed, clearly not having noticed Cougar's companion until then. The look the man gave Cougar — and the hissing dragon perched protectively on his shoulder — made Jensen's blood run cold.

"No! Stop!" he shouted helplessly as the guard raised his gun. Jensen couldn't tell if the man was aiming at Cougar or Kitten, but both options were equally bad.

Then, between one second and the next, chaos erupted.

Kitten let out a squawk Jensen could only describe as surprised, her little head snapping up to stare at the sky. Jensen didn't even have time to follow her gaze before a dark shadow fell over the port, followed by a furious, bone-rattling roar. Jensen had only ever heard that sound on recordings from various dragon sightings and he had never really understood just how frightening it would be to experience it in real life. He might be a little careless about that whole self-preservation thing, sure, but when he looked up at the sky and saw a gigantic, golden dragon swoop in for landing, he could admit that he was appropriately terrified.

The ground shook when the dragon touched down, its claws sinking into the asphalt as if it was nothing, tearing long gouges. Jensen stared, breath caught in his throat, while the guards around him took it upon themselves to shoot at the dragon, as if that would actually do anything aside from angering it.

The dragon roared again and Jensen was surprised when it wasn't followed by a burst of fire. Instead, the dragon shot forward, its jaws slamming shut around two of the guards with a loud crunch, blood splattering on the ground.

Hands grabbed Jensen's shoulders, tugging him backwards — away from the dragon — and it took him a second to realize it was Cougar. As always, Cougar was the one who snapped back into action first, taking the opportunity to get out of his restraints and drag his teammates away from the carnage. Jensen quickly got with the program.

The dragon was taking out the guards one by one, seemingly uninterested in the other three tiny humans scrambling for safety. While Jensen's curiosity told him to get a better look at the dragon — he would love to know what type it was — surviving took priority, at least this once.

By the time the gunshots and shouts quieted, signaling that the last guard had either died or fled, Cougar and Jensen had almost managed to drag Pooch behind a nearby shipping container. Then, just as Jensen started hoping that they were safe, he heard a familiar snarl that made him whirl around, a rush of panic washing through him.

Kitten was in between them and the much larger dragon, wings flapping as she hissed in warning. While her bravery was admirable, Jensen watched in horror as the lumbering behemoth turned its focus to her instead of the dead guards.

"Kitten! No!" Jensen slipped out from under Pooch's arm without thinking, running back toward the fierce little dragon trying to protect her humans. "Kitten, get back!"

Jensen thought he heard Cougar shout his name but ignored it, instead trying to snatch Kitten out of the air. His hands barely had time to close around her tiny body before the bigger dragon moved. There was an almighty rumble and Jensen ducked, curling himself protectively around Kitten, expecting to feel teeth sink into his flesh.

Surprisingly, he didn't.

The ground was shaking but Jensen didn't dare to look up and see what was happening, keeping his eyes closed and Kitten tucked against his chest.

"JAKE!"

Jensen had never heard Cougar sound so terrified and that only made Jensen's panic worse. If Cougar was afraid, all of them should be.

Then, just as suddenly as it had begun, everything stilled.

At first, all Jensen could hear was his own rapid breaths and thundering heart. Then Kitten keened, low and worried, but he didn't dare to let go — he didn't even dare to move. There was something pressing against Jensen's side and lower back, boxing him in.

That wasn't very comforting at all.

"Jake!" Cougar's voice seemed to come from far away and the slight crack in it made Jensen's sense return.

"I'm okay!" he shouted back. Never mind that he wasn't entirely sure if that was true. He wasn't injured as far as he could tell, sure, but he was beginning to realize that his situation might still be pretty dire.

Whatever was pressed up against him was warm and decidedly alive, like, say, a gigantic dragon. Jensen could feel the smooth scales against his bare arm. A low rumbling made Jensen flinch and he looked up on pure reflex. What he saw left him speechless, which was no easy feat.

The dragon — easily as big as a three-story house — had its head placed on the ground between its front legs, looking bizarrely reminiscent of a dog. It was watching Jensen with a curious, adoring expression, its thick tail curled around him and Kitten, blocking the view of anything but the dragon itself. That was why Cougar was so worried. For all he knew, Jensen had been crushed underneath the coiled up dragon.

Jensen stared into the dragon's big, emerald eyes, feeling a strange tug in his chest. He was reaching out before he could think better of it, barely even noticing when Kitten took flight, screeching as he finally let her go. Jensen couldn't take his eyes off the dragon in front of him.

His hand looked so small when he placed it against the dragon's snout, his fingers trembling. Gently, almost as if afraid of hurting it, Jensen stroked along the smooth, golden scales. The dragon let out another rumbling hum, its eyes closing in bliss.

"Oh," Jensen whispered reverently, continuing to stroke along the dragon's nose. "Hi there, sweetheart."

Jensen wasn't the least bit afraid anymore. He knew the dragon wouldn't hurt him.

"Jake!"

The dragon opened its eyes at Cougar's shout, its nostrils flaring.

"It's okay," Jensen said quickly, placing both hands against the dragon's head. It was so big Jensen could probably lie on top of its snout and be perfectly comfortable. "Cougar is good people. He won't hurt you."

Jensen exhaled, not sure if he was shaking from the adrenaline or the realization of what was happening — who this dragon was. It hummed under his touch and he could barely contain the dorky grin blooming on his face.

"It's okay, Cougar!" he shouted, his eyes never leaving the dragon. "We're okay."

He thought he heard voices on the other side of the tail curled protectively around him — Cougar and Pooch, no doubt — but Jensen was too focused on the dragon to really listen. A dragon.

His dragon.

He couldn't ignore the voice filtering in over the comms, though, years of military training making themselves known.

"Losers? What's going on?" Clay sounded frustrated, his words clipped. "Max is escaping."

Trust Clay to completely ignore the elephant in the room in favor of the mission — or dragon, as it were. Then again, finding Max was why they were there in the first place and if they let him escape, Clay would no doubt lead them on another wild chase.

Jensen raised his hand, touching his earpiece.

"Roger that, Colonel," he replied, perhaps a little breathless. "Actually, I think I might have just the thing to stop him."

Clay seemed to hesitate before replying, "I'm open to suggestions."

Jensen grinned.

It turned out that stopping Max, Wade, and Roque was ridiculously easy when you came armed with a house-sized dragon. Clay pointed out that letting Jensen's new dragon companion eat their adversaries hadn't been part of the plan, but he seemed more exasperated than angry. Jensen replied that the threat was quite firmly neutralized, which was precisely what Clay had asked for.

Clay sighed, pinched the bridge of his nose, and made the wise choice not to argue further.

When Clay decided that they should lay low after the events at the port, no one complained. Pooch was injured and everyone was tired — some downtime was definitely needed. Aisha had rejoined them just in time to gleefully watch Max get eaten and no one really questioned why she was still hanging around, even if they probably should have. Her father had been avenged and, if anything, she should be aiming for Clay next, but Jensen supposed it was better not to remind her of that.

Besides, he had other things to worry about.

As happy as Jensen was to have his very own dragon companion, it turned out that it wasn't entirely practical that the thing was bigger than their safe house. Aisha kept giving Jensen judging looks, as if it was his fault that his dragon companion was inconveniently large and adorably affectionate.

The former might have been easier to handle if not for the latter.

As it were, the dragon preferred to have Jensen within its line of sight and, if that wasn't possible, it wrapped around the building he was currently in, as if determined to shelter him from harm. Clay wasn't pleased to find all their escape routes blocked, but Jensen argued that no threat was likely to make it past his dragon anyway. Clay's only reply to that was a flat glare.

Pooch seemed to find the whole thing hilarious, but that might have been the painkillers talking.

Kitten clearly wasn't fond of the newcomer — she probably felt threatened to have another dragon in such close proximity to her humans — and Jensen could understand that to some degree. What he didn't understand was why Cougar suddenly became so reserved; they had been making steady progress since Aisha had shown up.

Cougar had almost been back to his usual self.

Yet now, once again, he kept his face angled low, the brim of his hat hiding his eyes, and rarely talked, even when spoken to. While Jensen always tried his best not to push Cougar when he clearly wanted space, he decided to be selfish, at least this once. Jensen could barely count the number of times he'd almost died in the past couple of days and he needed the comfort only Cougar could offer.

When Jensen grabbed Cougar's wrist, forcing him to stay when everyone else was heading to bed, Cougar was so tense it was a miracle he didn't shatter into pieces at the touch. Jensen ducked his head to catch Cougar's gaze under the brim of his hat and there was nothing but anguish in his eyes — fear and guilt and anguish.

Jensen suspected that he knew what this was about. Cougar wasn't avoiding him to be mean.

"I'm okay," Jensen whispered. He decided to be bold and tugged Cougar closer. The moment Jensen's arms wrapped around him, the tension broke. Cougar slumped forward, his hands gripping Jensen's shirt and his breaths trembling.

Cougar didn't cry — he rarely did — but Jensen could feel all the pent up panic and grief in the shaking of Cougar's shoulders.

"I'm okay." Jensen gently took Cougar's hat, tossing it onto the nearby couch. His fingers wandered into Cougar's hair, careful not to disturb Kitten who, as usual, was wrapped around Cougar's neck. "We're okay."

"Perdóname." The word was muffled against Jensen's shoulder, but not even that hid the slight crack in Cougar's voice.

"You have nothing to apologize for, Cougs," Jensen replied softly. "I'm just happy we're both here. We're both alive."

Cougar took a deep breath before nodding. Jensen could still feel the tightness in Cougar's shoulders, the fear so palpable he could almost touch it, and decided to simply hold on. Things between them were obviously shaky — several near-death experiences in a row didn't help — but Jensen hadn't given up yet. He would never give up on Cougar. They would get through this.

Jensen pressed a kiss to Cougar's temple. "I love you."

Cougar exhaled and pressed just a little bit closer as he mumbled his reply. "Yo también te amo."

Jensen smiled. They would be fine.

"You should name it."

Jensen looked up at Cougar who — despite his assurances that he wasn't afraid — stood a respectful distance away from the gigantic dragon curled up on the ground, his arms crossed over his chest. The dragon was too big to place its head in Jensen's lap, so it had to settle for pressing up against his side instead, the scales soft against Jensen's arm.

"Really?" Jensen grinned as he kept patting his dragon. "I thought you were against naming dragons?"

Cougar gave him a deadpan stare — one that said he wasn't going to take the bait and start that particular conversation — before looking at Jensen's dragon.

"Boy or girl?" he asked.

"Both," Jensen replied, running his hand along the scaly head. Cougar raised a questioning eyebrow and Jensen shrugged. "You can't expect every species to conform to that standard. Did you know that the clown anemonefish start out as male but can change into female if—"

"Cupcake."

Jensen blinked. "What?"

Cougar looked at him, something like mischief lurking in his eyes. "Cupcake," he repeated.

It took a second before Jensen caught on.

"You want me to name my dragon Cupcake?"

"Sí." Cougar was using his legendary poker face so Jensen couldn't quite figure out if he was joking or not — you never really did with Cougar. Not that Jensen particularly cared this time; Cupcake was an awesome name.

"Sure!" Jensen beamed. "It only seems fair since I named yours."

There was a flicker of surprise on Cougar's face — so brief no one but Jensen would notice — telling him that Cougar hadn't expected Jensen to agree. It only took a second before Cougar was smiling, though, exasperated but fond. Jensen kept grinning and held out his hand.

"Come say hello to Cupcake?"

Kitten had chosen to stay inside when she realized that Jensen was going out to see his dragon — they really needed to address her jealousy at their earliest convenience — and it was probably best to handle the introductions without her spitting fire from Cougar's shoulder.

Judging by Cougar's narrowed eyes, he wasn't as convinced. His wariness was understandable, Jensen knew that, but that didn't stop his face from falling. He wanted Cougar and Cupcake to get along, just like Jensen and Kitten did.

Except with less bed sharing, since that would be difficult considering Cupcake's size.

Cougar sighed — admitting defeat in the face of Jensen's disappointment — and stepped closer to take Jensen's hand. "Fine."

Jensen grinned and tugged Cougar down next to him. He took the time to press a grateful kiss against Cougar's cheek — anything more still felt a little awkward — before turning back to Cupcake, who was eyeing them curiously.

There were still a lot of unsaid things between Jensen and Cougar — questions about what had happened in Bolivia and where exactly they stood now — but that could wait until things had stabilized. For now, Jensen could settle for Cougar's firm, reassuring presence at his side.

Sooner or later Cougar would find his way back into Jensen's orbit, like he always did. No matter what, they would always have each other — Jensen knew that for a fact.

Admittedly, Cupcake wasn't quite as easy to fit into their lives as Kitten had been. Mostly it was because of their size, but the boisterous personality didn't help. Cupcake was curious and incurably happy, always wanting to know what the humans were up to — Cougar in particular. As a result, Cupcake spent a lot of their time peering into windows, unintentionally recreating the Jeep scene from Jurassic Park, to Pooch's great dismay.

It took two days before Kitten agreed to meet Cupcake under more controlled circumstances and it was easy to see that she wasn't impressed. A lot of it was jealousy, Jensen knew, and perhaps fear of being replaced. Fortunately, Kitten soon seemed to realize that even if Jensen now spent a lot more time outdoors talking and playing with Cupcake, Kitten was the only dragon allowed inside the house — or a spot next to Jensen's pillow, for that matter.

She settled down considerably when it became clear that Cupcake was in no way a threat to her — Cupcake adored Kitten, in fact. Despite the huge size difference, Cupcake clearly saw Kitten as someone to look up to and occasionally made a fool of themselves trying to please the much smaller dragon.

Jensen got a strong feeling of déjà vu when watching them interact.

There was something eerily familiar about Cupcake's playful innocence and Kitten's responding silence and Jensen, unlike Cougar, knew exactly why. They did say that the dragon mirrored their companion and Jensen had enough self-awareness to see the obvious similarities. More often than not, they made him smile. Especially the time Kitten snarled at Cupcake, causing the bigger dragon to pull back with a clearly over-exaggerated whine and a wounded look in their eyes. Kitten, despite her brash nature, panicked; her annoyance evaporated instantly, transforming into slightly guilty concern in the blink of an eye.

Jensen had used that very same approach on Cougar more than once and he appreciated the fact that Cupcake — while big and overexcited — clearly wasn't stupid.

Despite Cupcake's inconvenient size, Jensen knew he could get used to this. It would require some work, sure, since Jensen was still officially dead — they all were — but he was ready to start a new life. With Max gone, there was no one around to clear their names but, to be entirely honest, Jensen had never held out much hope in that particular plan. Clay might have believed that finding Max and exposing his lies would mean they could all return to their old lives, but Jensen knew better. It wouldn't have been that easy.

So a new life it was.

The thought was daunting — it would take Jensen weeks to set them all up with fake identities — but he still looked forward to it. He would get to see Jess and Beth again, and they would get to meet Cupcake. Jensen knew Beth would love Cupcake.

After everything they had been through, Jensen was ready to look to the future rather than the past.

Jensen sat propped up against the pillows of his bed, laptop supported against his knees and a snoozing Kitten wrapped around his neck, when there was a subtle knock on the door. The team was in their second safe house of the week — slowly but surely making their way toward Springfield so Pooch could be there for his kid's birth — and Jensen had no doubt in his mind who was on the other side of the door, considering the late hour.

No one else ever came knocking on Jensen's door at 1AM.

"Come on in, Coug," he said.

Kitten stirred when the door opened but didn't bother to move or acknowledge Cougar's presence beyond that. Cougar hesitated on the threshold, hand resting on the doorknob and gaze distant. Jensen had seen that look on Cougar's face enough times to know what was troubling him.

"Can't sleep?" he asked softly.

Cougar looked both miserable and embarrassed when he nodded in confirmation. Usually, Jensen wouldn't have to ask. Usually — at least before Bolivia, when they were still sharing a bed — Cougar would already have buried his face against Jensen's neck, as if having the steady beat of Jensen's pulse against his lips helped him sleep.

With that in mind, it was obvious why Cougar had come — it had only been a matter of time, really. During the days they were getting back into their old routines and habits, but this was a line Cougar still hadn't dared to approach — until now, apparently.

Jensen scooted to the side, making room for Cougar on the bed. "Come on, then," he said, smiling.

Cougar still didn't move. He was gritting his teeth, the doubt melting into guilt. "That's it?" Cougar's voice was hoarser than Jensen had expected. "Just like that?"

"Just like that," Jensen confirmed. He saw no point in making Cougar grovel or prolonging their suffering. Jensen patted the empty space next to him. "You know there's no place I'd rather have you."

Cougar let out a huff that might have been a laugh under other circumstances, then closed the door and slowly made his way over to the bed. When he sat down, he did so on the very edge, far enough away that they didn't even touch.

"Are you sure?" Cougar asked, voice low. "What I did—"

"Is forgiven," Jensen interrupted. He carefully closed his laptop, plunging the room into darkness. He handed the computer over to Cougar, who didn't hesitate to take it and gently place it on the floor next to the bed; they had done it so many times before that it was a reflex for them both. Jensen could barely make out Cougar's features in the dark. "Do you really want to argue about this?"

A brief moment of silence followed before Cougar shook his head.

Jensen reached out and carefully let his hand curl around the back of Cougar's neck. "Then let's not."

With that, Jensen tugged Cougar closer, pressing a soft kiss against his lips to silence any further protests. Jensen could feel the shiver that went through Cougar and the way his breath trembled ever so slightly when he exhaled, but decided not to point it out.

It seemed like a much better idea to just pull Cougar in for another kiss instead.

They would be fine.