Blood & Thunder (THIRDS 2)

“Why you trying to drown me?” he grumbled, still half asleep.

“Because we’re going to be late, and I’m never late!” He took Dex’s toothbrush and shoved it at him. “Now brush your teeth. We’ll shower at work.”

“Coffee?” Dex asked, looking like he might pass out.

“You have an addiction,” Sloane said, grabbing his toothbrush. “We’ll get coffee on the way there, but you need to move your ass.”

Dex nodded and went about brushing his teeth. While he was doing that, Sloane managed to brush his teeth, take a piss, change, and grab Dex’s clothes. “To hell with this. You’re changing in the car.” As soon as Dex finished using the bathroom, Sloane snatched Dex’s backpack from the armchair and stuffed a pair of jeans, a T-shirt, socks, and Dex’s Chucks inside. He slung the backpack over his shoulder, grabbed Dex, practically carried him downstairs, swiped Dex’s keys from the bowl near the front door, and pushed Dex outside to lock up.

Dex stood yawning next to him. Either he wasn’t aware he was standing outside barefoot, in nothing but his boxer briefs and a T-shirt or he didn’t care. A little old lady walking her tiny dog gasped as she shuffled by. Dex waved at her, another yawn escaping him.

“Hi, Mrs. Bauman.”

“My God, how have you survived this long?” Sloane ushered Dex down the stairs toward Sloane’s Impala parked in front.

“Coffee.”

Sloane pressed his lips together to keep himself from responding. He shoved Dex in the car, thrust his backpack at him, ordered him to get dressed, then climbed behind the wheel. At this rate, after picking up some drive-through coffee and a breakfast sandwich, they’d have enough time to hit the showers and dress before heading to their morning briefing. He took a deep breath and pulled out into Barrow Street. Provided traffic wasn’t too bad, they could make it in under twenty minutes. They were okay. He hated rushing, but he hated being late even more. Dex changed in the seat beside him, albeit somewhat awkwardly, and they’d had a close call when Dex almost smacked Sloane in the face trying to get his jacket on.

Not long after, Sloane’s panic had eased, they’d had their coffee, and eaten, with Dex insisting on feeding Sloane his Tater Tots so Sloane wouldn’t have to take his eyes off the road. The whole thing was very couple like. Sloane had even let Dex tune into Retro Radio, laughing at his partner’s antics as Dex played air guitar and sang along to “My Sharona.” Dex made stupid sex puns to go with his lewd gestures, and Sloane went along with it. He’d never had this much fun driving to work.

Luck was on their side and they made it on schedule. Soon they were on their floor’s male locker room, showered, and getting dressed. Dex was in his baby-blue boxer briefs, and Sloane did his best to concentrate on tying his bootlaces and not his partner’s ass, which happened to be at eye level.

“Shit. I left my toiletry bag in the showers. Be right back.” Dex headed back to the shower as Agent Taylor was heading toward Sloane.

“Hey, Daley.”

“Hey, Taylor.” Dex gave the Therian agent a nod as he walked past him, and to Sloane’s surprise, Taylor’s eyes followed Dex. Sloane finished tying his boots and stood, rounding his shoulders.

“Damn. How do you work around that ass and not want to pound it?”

“Excuse me?” Sloane closed his locker, his glare pinned on the back of Taylor’s auburn head. Taylor turned to him with a leer.

“Come on, Sloane. From one Team Leader to another, I’m not even into Humans, but I’d tap that. And those lips? That mouth was made to have a dick in it.”

Sloane shoved Taylor up against the lockers. “Show some respect.”

“Hey, what the hell, man?” Taylor tried to move, but Sloane held him in place with an arm to his chest.

“Dex is my partner and my friend. I hear you talking shit about him to anyone, I see you trying to fuck with him, and you and me are going to have problems. Understood?” Taylor had a reputation for being a player and a certified asshole, not that Sloane cared who the hell Taylor fucked, but if the guy was getting any ideas about Dex, Sloane was going to put a stop to it right here and now. Taylor eyed him warily, as if he wasn’t sure if Sloane was kidding or not. Sloane was far from kidding. “I asked you if you understood.”

Taylor threw his hands up. “Yes! Fuck, man. I didn’t know you two were so close.”

“We don’t have to be close. Like I said, he’s my partner. You want to get laid, do it on your own time and away from my fucking team.”

“Can you believe Howell was using my shampoo? Dude doesn’t even have any….” Dex’s voice had Sloane moving away from Taylor. His partner looked from Sloane to Taylor and back. “Hair. Everything okay?”

Taylor grinned widely, his intense gaze on Sloane. “Everything’s copacetic, Agent Daley. See you on the field.”

“Sure.” Dex watched Taylor stroll off whistling to himself, before he turned to Sloane. “What was that about?”

“Just straightening something out. You gonna get dressed, or you plan on hanging out in your undies all day?”

Dex pulled his uniform out of his locker and gave him a wink. “Don’t want other dudes checking out my sweet ass?”

Despite his jokes, Sloane knew his partner was oblivious to the ogling he received from both his male and female coworkers. For all of the THIRDS’ rules on fraternizing, the place was incestuous. It wasn’t so much that their employer didn’t know agents were sleeping together, but as long as there was no evidence of it, they could pretend it wasn’t happening. “Come on. Cael should have something from Allan and the CDC registration office by now. I want to see—”

The panic alarm blared through the locker room, the emergency lights flashing. Something serious had gone down.