Title: the time of youth was fled

Fandom: The Losers movieverse/Highlander

Disclaimer: not my characters; title from William Blake

Warnings: AU

Pairings: implied Cougar/Jensen

Rating: PG

Wordcount: 435

Point of view: third

Prompt: Losers/Highlander, Jensen & Clay(&or Roque), #103. My commander is not old enough to have fought in the Civil War, and I should stop implying that he did.

Notes: no actual Highlander characters show up here, sorry. I like to think Methos was Jensen's teacher, though.

As the youngest of their team, Jensen got a lot shit about being a kid, about being an infant, about listening to his elders. Once he got comfortable enough, he started calling them old men, grandpa, and asking if they needed hearing aids.

When they got paired up with another group for a mission, Jensen was reported for in-field insubordination, but Clay dealt with it before Jensen ever learned. He'd just gotten the kid trained up right and wasn't about to risk losing the best tech he'd ever had.

Jensen was smart, an excellent shot, and survived whatever got thrown at him. All of them had been on missions where they were sure he died, but then he'd show up with a last minute save and not a scratch on him, any blood the enemy's. Kid was a goddamned walking miracle.

And then came the second time they met Max. Pooch down with a shattered kneecap, Cougar gutshot, Aisha with two knives in her abdomen, and Clay on his knees gasping for air as Max's new right-hand-man chokes him.

And Jensen, already dead, on the floor.

But then Jensen is up, two guns in hand and picking off Max's men. And Jensen isn't smiling, isn't joking, is moving like a predator, quick and silent, and both guns are pointed at Max's face. Clay's free, catching his breath, and Jensen orders, "Help Cougar and Aisha."

And Max's eyes are wide and he says, "You have to show me how you did that."

Now Jensen smiles, and it's the most terrifying thing Clay's ever seen.

"I had hoped," Jensen says, "that I'd have time to play with you." He shrugs, drops the smile, and pulls both triggers.

One to the heart, Clay notes, one to the head. And then twelve more, six from each gun, and Jensen turns to their team.

"I'll explain later," he mutters, shoving Pooch out of the way so that he can look at Cougar.

They all survive, and get out of Max's underground lair just before it catches fire. And when Jensen explains, once they're safe and hidden, Clay listens in shock, not sure if be believes.

Because Jensen says he's not a kid. Says he's older than America, older than the English language itself.

But it does explain a great deal, and whatever it is, it saved them.

And when Clay calls him kid, when Pooch says Jensen's still his brother, when Aisha shrugs, and when Cougar reaches up to cup Jensen's cheek, Jensen smiles and relaxes and starts to babble about some technical shit, and Clay knows they'll be just fine.