Smoke & Lightning, Heavy Metal Thunder [20/?]
Master post.
Title: Smoke And Lightning, Heavy Metal Thunder (20/?)
Authors: bloody_adorable and eviltwin
Fandoms: Supernatural RPS
Pairing: Jensen Ackles / Jared Padalecki.
Rating: Adult.
Wordcount: 4,899
Summary: AU. Jared's a classic case of rich kid gone wrong, whose only sense of family comes from his motorbike, the guy he rents a garage from to live in and the precinct cops who know his face better than most already. Jensen's a hard-working student whose family are helping push him towards great things. What happens when their two worlds collide, and will Jared's troublesome nature be too much for Jensen to handle?
Disclaimer: None of the following is true in any way, and no profit is made from this work of fiction.
CHAPTER TWENTY
When Jensen returned, on foot because he had walked from the bus stop three blocks over, he felt exhausted. He hadn't slept well the previous night, but that was hardly surprising. The arguments, the heavy atmosphere, and the subsequent insight into Jared's fears had been quite a mental workout. He had spent much of the night comparing himself to Jared and finding that they were far more similar than he had first thought.
He got back, rucksack heavy across his shoulders, and found Jared outside the garage with Jeffrey, playing one on one basketball. There was a rusty hoop set up to one side of the garage door and, as Jensen approached, the ball sailed through it and Jeffrey let out a victorious whoop. Jared spotted him first, as he turned to retrieve the ball, and he straightened with a soft smile. Jeffrey looked round too and grinned when he saw him.
"Jensen...Must admit, I was gonna start getting worried about you."
"I'm okay," Jensen said, ducking his head when Jared neared him and threw an arm around his shoulders.
"Where you been, kiddo?" Jeffrey asked.
Jensen shrugged. "Around. I went to the mall."
"On Black Friday? Are you insane?"
"Yeah, I reckon I am. But I wanted to find something for you both. Kind of a late Thanksgiving present. A thank you for everything."
"You make it sound like a goodbye gift."
"It's really not, I promise. I just don't think I ever said a proper thank you to either of you."
"You never had to," Jeffrey said. "Seeing you as happy as you have been? That's been good enough."
Jensen hefted the bag off his shoulder and set it carefully on the floor, feeling a little self-conscious as he pulled the first gift out. Jeffrey chuckled as soon as he saw it, and even Jared managed a smile as Jensen handed it over.
"I figure if you're going to keep dating, then you probably need these. Your bed's gotta be more comfortable than the couch, right?"
Jeff nodded, holding the wrapped bed-linens against his chest. "Thanks, Jensen. You really didn't have to."
"Well, I'm sure Miss Kilworth will be grateful too. Anyway, I was going to buy you some porn, but the guy in the store thought I was underage so-"
"Brat."
"Whatcha got for me?" Jared asked, moving and wrapping his arms around Jensen from behind. He set his head against the younger man's shoulder, making him shiver.
"Well, right after I picked up my fake I.D.-"
"Ha ha," Jared interrupted. "Funny. I know you didn't buy me porn."
"Only 'cause you already have quite enough. I.. Uh.." He glanced at Jeffrey, found him smirking back.
"Hey, no problem boys. I should go inside and decide what to wear this evening, anyway."
Jared pulled Jensen into the garage once Jeffrey was gone, and then into his lap on the couch. Jensen let himself be kissed a while, then managed to pull away and settle into a comfortable position.
"So. You and Jeff sorted some stuff out, huh?"
"We talked, yeah."
"Everything okay?"
Jared shrugged. "I guess. For now it is. I missed you today."
"You got me all night. But... I saw Chris at the mall, and Dani. They asked me to go to the game tomorrow night."
"And you're going, of course."
"I suppose I am. Thing is, they want me to go to a party afterwards, too. One of Dani's friends."
Jared pulled Jensen in for another kiss. "That's not a bad idea," he told him. "You should hang out with your friends. Don't let 'em think that I've stolen you away altogether."
"They don't think that," Jensen argued. "And Chris knows how I feel about you."
"Oh yeah?" Jared asked, his voice only just above a murmur. He pressed his mouth to Jensen's neck, nuzzled against his ear. "And how's that again?"
Tucking his head down, Jensen smiled and called him a dork. "Love you. Even though you're an ass."
"Huh-uh. Especially because I'm an ass."
Jensen bumped heads with him, laughing in agreement. "I guess that has something to do with your charm."
"It does. So... What'd you get that you didn't want Jeff to see? Handcuffs? Lube?"
Jensen felt his cheeks warm and shook his head quickly. "Neither. First I stopped at Body Fiends and got you these."
Jared's face had already lit up at the name of the store and when Jensen handed over the black velvet-covered box, he was grinning. He opened it up, immediately reaching to kiss Jensen yet again. He then leant forward, stretching his arms above his head to take his shirt off. Jensen watched him unfasten both nipple rings and slide them free. He took the new ones from the box, fingering the small silver eagles that hung from the barbells. Jensen found the sight of him pushing them through the holes both fascinating and horribly arousing. He shifted, feeling his mouth dry out.
"God, thank you. These are.. I really like 'em."
Jensen managed to tear his gaze from Jared's chest long enough to look up and find himself being watched with a knowing look. He swallowed. "They look good on you."
Jared fingered one of them, licking his lips. "Feel pretty good, too. You wanna try them out?"
"Mm. Maybe in a little while."
"Wait a second. You said that Body Fiends was your first stop. Where'd you go after that?"
Here we go, thought Jensen. "I headed over to Eric's place."
Jared stared at him, eyes wide. "Did you-"
"Yeah. And I hope you're not going to be mad at me."
"For what?"
"I kind of took one of your ideas..." Jensen rolled up the leg of his jeans and tugged his left boot off his foot. He took off his sock and the bandage that was taped down underneath it and Jared leaned forward, smiling when he saw the five words tattooed around Jensen's ankle. "I figured it was appropriate," Jensen told him, shrugging. "What with you training me to fight Doug if I need to, so that he'll leave me alone."
"It's perfect," Jared told him. "Can I take you to bed now?"
Jensen laughed, although Jared was completely serious. "Why don't we wait? Jeffrey's out most of tonight anyway. Maybe we can go in the house later on."
"You planning on blue-balling me all afternoon? That isn't very nice..."
"C'mon. There's only four hours 'til he heads out to Miss Kilworth's. I'm sure you can manage until then. Work on the bike or something."
"Damn, Jen. You can be so cruel sometimes."
"Don't exaggerate!"
"I ain't! You bring me new nipple rings and show me your new tat and then you just expect me to go 'work on the bike'? That's cruelty right there. In case you hadn't noticed," Jared continued, taking Jensen's hand and placing it firmly between his legs, "You already got me kinda horny here. You really want me to go bash one out without you being there to watch me?"
"Well.. What do you want to do?"
Jared smirked, his expression a little dirty. "Quite a difference between what I want to do and what you'll let me do. Though I can think of a couple things that you might not object to."
"So long as Jeffrey doesn't come in.."
"That's why we're going up to bed. You might need to chomp down some pillow to stop yourself making too much noise. So come on, get up there."
"How can I resist an offer like that?" Jensen wondered aloud, as he got up from the couch and made for the ladder. Jared followed, and he could almost feel the glee in the other man's eyes.
Upstairs, Jared turned on one of the heaters he had and aimed it towards the bed. Jensen cleared the space around and in front of it as Jared stripped down and got under the covers. Despite the heater's efforts, it was still chilly, and Jensen wasted no time in joining Jared once he was naked too.
"Let me warm you up," Jared whispered, covering Jensen's body with his. His skin was hot, like it always was, and it radiated off him. Jensen moaned at the feel of him and Jared jokingly grabbed a corner of the quilt and shoved it against his mouth. "Ssh. You want the whole neighbourhood to hear us?"
Jensen bit into the quilt, chewing on it for a couple of seconds to make it soggy, then spat it back out and took Jared's mouth instead. Below the covers their feet tangled together, and Jared shivered when Jensen's hand came between them to toy with one of the new rings. He lifted his head and cursed quietly, the hairs on his arms standing up. Somewhere along the line, he realized, Jensen had found out that it didn't matter if he wanted to pull that little bit harder. It didn't matter if he wasn't too gentle because the slight twinge of pain seemed to turn Jared on even more. Like now, as he twisted Jared's nipple between his fingers and the other man hissed through his teeth, but didn't ask him to stop.
After a few more minutes, Jared untangled himself and turned onto his back, leaving Jensen to follow, to lean over him and tease his nipples with his tongue instead. They were already stiff and Jensen lapped at each one in turn, taking the eagle drop on one between his teeth and pulling on it until Jared grabbed the back of his head and held him still. He watched the skin stretch and pull taut, then released it and heard the clink as the metal settled back into place.
"Goddamn," Jared muttered, threading his fingers into Jensen's hair and pulling him up for a kiss. He coughed when he felt Jensen's hand form a tight grip around his cock, and groaned into his mouth when he started stroking. Jensen sat up then, looking down so he could watch himself jerking Jared off.
"At Body Fiends they had these... Patty tried to sell me this ring, but..."
Jared grinned, settling his head back on the pillow. "Yeah, she would. I have one somewhere. One day I'll find it and show you how to use it, yeah?"
Jensen nodded, not saying another word. He slid his thumb over the head of Jared's cock, pushing against the tip of it until he felt a smear of wet there. He was getting used to this; to the feel of Jared's dick in his hand. He was enjoying it more, too. Enjoying that he could get Jared off as quick or as slow as he wanted, as long as Jared was willing to cooperate with him. He just couldn't talk while he did it, though. Not like Jared, who often kept up a continuous string of obscenity and filth while he made Jensen come.
"Here.." Jared made Jensen stop and reached down to the floor for the KY he kept there. Jensen held out his hand and let Jared pour some over his fingers. "Okay."
Slicker now, his hand moved smoothly, coating Jared's dick in the thick gel at the same time. After several minutes, Jensen grunted, closing his hand more firmly. "Not gonna make this easy for me, right?"
Jared grinned up at him. "Maybe I just want to save myself. Come down here.."
Jensen gave up, sliding his hand up Jared's stomach and chest as he leaned down until his face was only an inch away. "What?"
"I want to... Fuck. I don't know."
"Jay."
"No, I didn't mean.. Shit, Jen, you just make me want you so fucking much. You don't even know what you're doing to me."
"I got some idea."
"Hmm. I noticed you're getting better at this. Bet you won't let me take advantage of you like I want to, though."
Jensen shook his head, and then let it drop onto Jared's shoulder so he wouldn't have to see his eyes. "I'm sorry," he mumbled. He felt a hand skim down his spine.
"Don't be. I know you're not ready for some things just yet. But some other things you are."
"Like?"
"You wanna get off me a sec? And lay face down."
Jensen did as he was told, because he trusted Jared completely. He shivered as Jared's hands smoothed over his ass, as his fingers dug in and pulled him open.
"You're not-"
"Relax, okay? I promise that nothing's going in you unless you want it to."
Jensen felt like his entire body blushed at that statement, but, if it did, Jared didn't seem to notice. Jensen waited while he moved and went stiff as he felt Jared's dick slide between his buttocks. He kept his promise and didn't push any further, but the feel of him there was still quite enough to get Jensen hard and leaking in minutes.
"Don't touch yourself," Jared warned, as Jensen tried to move. "I swear I'll get you off as soon as I come." His mouth was right by Jensen's ear and he kissed him there, hips stuttering when the feel of what he was doing finally became too much. He came, and came hard, and thick drops spattered onto Jensen's back as Jared pushed himself up with one hand. After a few minutes, Jared collapsed to the side of Jensen, who used the quilt to wipe off his skin before rolling onto his back himself. Jensen's dick was hard, flush against his stomach, and dark red with need.
"Holy shit," Jared muttered.
"What?"
"You're not gonna believe me if I tell you anyway."
"Tell me what?"
"How gorgeous you look right now. What an amazing body you have. How just... Looking at your dick makes my mouth water. I mean, fuck, what I wouldn't give..." Jared made a fist around Jensen's cock, squeezing gently and pulling upward. He only needed to repeat the move several more times and Jensen was already coming, too turned on by what Jared had done before, and what he had said just moments ago. Jared caught some in his hand and brought his fingers to his mouth to taste, while Jensen's cock twitched and spurted, his hips lifting as if still searching for Jared's touch. Jensen watched his tongue work between his fingers and whimpered. When Jared next kissed him, he could still taste the come on his tongue.
They lay there a while longer, Jensen slowly relaxing with each minute that passed. Eventually, Jared let him go and crawled out of bed, searching the floor for his jeans.
"Where you goin'?" Jensen asked, sleepy.
"Work on the bike," Jared told him. "You stay up here." He leaned over and kissed Jensen one more time as soon as he was dressed, and then left him alone. It didn't take long for Jensen to pass out, fast asleep.
Jensen grinned as Chris pulled open the door and looked him up and down. Dani appeared behind him, wrapping herself around him and casting her eyes on Jensen over his shoulder. He blushed at their scrutiny, but kept his head up.
"Wow," Dani said, after a long moment. "Good job you're gay, Jen, else Chris might have to start worrying."
"Oh, I don't reckon so, girl," Chris said. "Come on in, Jen. We got an hour before the game and Dani kind of wanted a favor from you."
"I think Jared might-"
"Not that kind of favor," Dani told him, smacking his arm as he came inside. Her hand lingered on the soft leather of his jacket and he stopped and looked at her while Chris just laughed.
"Your boy's right there, y'know?"
"I know. It just feels really nice, is all."
"Oh...kay." Jensen gently removed her hand and grinned as she pouted. He followed Chris into the lounge, with Dani behind him. Probably, he thought, checking out the view. He was in Jared's jeans, the ones with more rips than anything else he owned. He knew very well that there was a tear in the back, right below one of the pockets. He was wearing longer shorts for warmth and modesty, but he was fairly sure that Dani was still checking that particular area out anyway. On top, under the jacket, he had one of Jared's old shirts, too. Old meant tight, but at least it didn't have any holes in it. It was plain dark grey, with the Harley Davidson logo in black printed on the chest.
He knew he looked pretty good in the old cast-offs. Jared had told him so before he'd left, after he'd delayed him going by showing him what the outfit was doing to him. Apparently the effect on females was just as good, if Dani's current expression was anything to go by. Jensen waited until she left the room to tell Chris that maybe he should let Jay take him out shopping sometime.
"If the sight of me in stuff like that sets her off even half as much as you have, then I'm totally up for that plan," Chris replied.
Dani came back with a large red holdall which she set down on the floor by Jensen's feet. He nudged it with the toe of his boot and looked up at her. "Okay, what's this?"
"This is the favor I want to ask you. You know I'm studying hair-dressing, right? And that I want to get into beauty school?"
Jensen chewed on his bottom lip, wondering where this conversation was headed. "Yeah.."
"Well, I kind of need to practice this hair thing that I want to do."
"Hair... 'Thing'?"
"Just bleaching, nothing terrible. I'll give you nice fair highlights, hardly noticeable. They'd suit you, Jensen. You have that kind of complexion and.." She trailed off, and sat right beside him, putting an arm around his shoulders and her face right next to his. "Please?" She drew out the vowels, batting her eyelashes.
"Why can't you do this on Chris?"
"Because he has a show tomorrow with the guys and they said he's not allowed. So you're, like, my last hope."
"Don't you have any girlfriends you can do this to?"
"C'mon. You know as well as I do that even the girls that seem nice in high school are complete bitches. They're all too image conscious and the ones that aren't wouldn't trust a cheerleader to touch their hair, because they think I'm one of them!"
"Right, right. So... What you're telling me is that I am the only person on this planet that you can ask."
"Yes."
"What's in it for me?"
"You'll look awesome when it's done."
"And?"
Dani thought about it, then her face lit up. "Sex!"
Jensen laughed at the same time as Chris said, "Hey!" Dani just looked at him innocently, then turned the pleading gaze back on and wrapped both arms around Jensen, hugging him.
"Come on. Say yes. It'll take about half an hour and Jared'll love it."
At that, Jensen couldn't argue. He sighed, told Dani he'd do it, then ducked as she jumped up and cheered. "Okay, calm down girl! What do I have to do?"
As it turned out, he had to do very little. Dani dragged him into the kitchen and sat him down, then set about spreading towels everywhere in case of drips. She made him take off his jacket and his shirt, because she didn't want to risk ruining either, and after she got over staring at the edges of tattoo that peeked from under his jeans, she set about mixing up the bleach for his hair. It stank, and Chris opened some windows up and then sat opposite Jensen to watch.
He stopped paying attention after a few minutes, but there was foil involved and a lot of Dani humming to herself, and a cool itch at the front of his scalp. While they waited for the bleach to do its work, they sat and had a couple of warm-up beers - or in Chris's case, a couple of sodas since he was designated driver - and talked about who might win the game and how many assignments they'd all left to do at the last minute before school started again.
"Okay! Time to wash it off!" Dani took Jensen's hand and made him follow her to the bathroom, where she made him kneel at the edge of the tub. Chris watched, amused, from the doorway as his girlfriend showered Jensen's hair until it was clean. They headed back downstairs and, back at the kitchen table, Dani quietly trimmed his damp hair and brushed off his shoulders.
"How's it look?"
Dani eyed him critically. "You know what? It's hard to tell when it's still wet."
"So.. Dry it?"
"I can't. My hairdryer is at home. And Chris doesn't own one."
"And anyway," Chris interrupted, tapping at his watch. "We gotta get going else we're going to miss the game."
Dani passed Jensen his clothes. "Just wear a hat until it dries out or something. It'll be fine."
Grumbling, Jensen pulled his shirt back on. He shrugged into his jacket and pulled the collar up. Chris passed him a black beanie hat which he tugged down over his ears, tucking his wet hair inside it as much as he could.
By the time the game ended, Jensen was almost certain that he was going to catch a chill. He'd kept the hat on, even though it was pretty much soaked through, only because he had no idea what his hair looked like and he didn't want to show it off to everyone else before he knew. He waited with Chris while Dani got changed with the other cheerleaders, then they all got into his friend's truck and headed out in the direction of the party.
In the backseat, Jensen finally took the hat off and tossed it to the other end of the seat, running his hand through his hair. It was still a little damp, but not too bad. He combed it out with his fingers and pushed it back behind his ears. "Hey, Dani... You got a mirror on you?"
She turned to him, speaking as she did. "What for, Jens... Oh." There was a long pause as she looked at him. "Wow."
Jensen swallowed. "What?"
"Uh. It's kinda... A little more blond, maybe, than I was really aiming for?"
He felt his heart sink. "How bad is it?"
Dani tugged at Chris's sleeve and his friend glanced in the mirror at him. Jensen saw his eyes go wide and he pulled on the wheel to set himself straight again. "It's pretty... Noticeable?"
"Shit. Take me home."
"Oh, c'mon!" Dani insisted. "It's not that terrible! So it's a little more radical a change than you thought it would be. It'll wash out, Jen, I promise."
Jensen ignored her, pulling on his seatbelt so he could sit forward and see himself in the rear-view mirror. He stared. And stared some more. "I look like a twink porn-star," he said, his voice flat. Dani slumped, looking disappointed, and he immediately felt bad for insulting her work. "Crap. Dani, I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"
"It's okay, Jensen. I can see you don't like it, and I can fix it first thing tomorrow. And if you don't want to come in to the party, it's fine."
"I never said that. I can just wear a hat or something. Right? I'm sorry."
Dani just turned in her seat and gazed out of the front window. Dammit. There was a reason Jensen was scared of girls. They always managed to make him feel bad, no matter how much he tried to apologize.
"C'mon, please smile. I'll go to the party with you. You know what? It's not that bad. I won't even wear a hat. I'll let people see it and I bet they'll love it."
"You don't have to try and make me feel better, Jen. Don't worry about it."
Chris reached across and put a hand on his girlfriend's knee. "Dani, Jensen's immune to your girly voodoo. He's gay, remember?"
"Asshole," Dani muttered, but she turned and smiled over her shoulder at Jensen anyway. "Okay. You come to the party and you don't wear a hat. Deal. And then tomorrow, I'll fix it right up. Unless, of course, you actually like it by then. I mean, maybe it's just the shock of it that has you hating it right now."
"Maybe," Jensen agreed. He sighed. He hated being played.
The party was already well underway by the time Chris pulled up near the house. They could hear the music from the road and Jensen was surprised no cops had been called out yet. He followed Dani and Chris up the driveway, ducking his head when somebody wolf-whistled at him from the shadows in the yard. Chris chuckled as he turned round, grabbing Jensen by the arm and pulling him into the house. Someone handed him a red plastic cup and he peered into it to make sure it was just beer before chugging it down. He wanted to get horribly drunk and try to forget about what he looked like.
Dani took his jacket off him and Chris's off him, and then danced away towards the stairs, holding them above her head. Jensen stayed with his friend as long as he could, but Steve appeared and dragged him off somewhere for band-talk and then Jensen was on his own, hiding in a corner, trying to look inconspicuous.
There was a loud cheer from the front of the room and he looked up, wishing he hadn't. Doug Freeman had just waltzed in, the head cheerleader clinging to his waist, and was smacking hands with anyone who wanted to, as well as a few who didn't. There were some people who rolled their eyes and moved away, and Jensen frowned. He hadn't noticed that before. That there were other people besides himself and his tiny circle of friends who remained unimpressed by Doug's presence.
Jensen pressed himself back further against the wall, pretty much hidden behind a bookcase, and felt relief surge through him when Doug headed to the kitchen and backyard without so much as a glance in his direction.
Chris found him shortly after that, and handed him a shotglass filled with tequila. "Drink up, Jenny," he told him. "You and me are going to get wasted."
"What about the car?"
"Dani told me to enjoy myself. Ah, I don't know, one of the girls is crying their eyes out in the bathroom already so Dani's sitting there with her, trying to calm her down. She said she won't bother drinking any more."
"Why do girls do that?" Jensen asked, taking the tequila off Chris.
His friend shrugged. "Mostly because of guys. Cheers." Chris downed his shot in one go, shaking his head quickly as he lowered the glass. Jensen did the same, almost choking on the burn of it in his throat.
"Damn, that shit is awful!"
"Keep drinking it, it's not that bad."
"Thanks, anyway. Think I'll stick with the beer."
Towards eleven thirty, the party started to move back inside. A few people remained out in the yard, but, really, it was too cold out there for most. Jensen had managed to score a spot on one of the couches and was squeezed in tight between a cute goth girl and a tall, skinny guy who was currently asleep and snoring. He wasn't paying attention to anything but trying to avoid goth-girl's hands when she started flailing them around, explaining something to whoever was sat the other side of her, so he didn't see Doug across the room, spotting him and making a beeline for him.
He didn't notice until Doug was right there in front of him, smirking down at him horribly.
"Ackles. Didn't know you got invited to prestigious events such as this. I take it someone told you it was fancy dress?"
Jensen watched him, warily. "What?"
"You seem to have come as Madonna... Or is it Victoria Beckham?" Doug laughed at his own joke, then leaned forward and tugged on the blond hair at the front of Jensen's head. "Christ, Jenny, you don't think that looks a bit gay?" He pulled on the hair, hard, and Jensen winced. Goth girl had stopped talking and was watching the pair of them with interest, along with several other people who were stood close by. "Oh, wait. Fuck me, that's right. I keep forgetting how you take it up the ass." Doug moved his hand, wrapping it round Jensen's throat and forcing him to stand. "Fucking fag. This party ain't for you, you little shit. Time to leave."
"No."
Doug stopped, taken aback that Jensen had actually dared to say that. "No?"
"Maybe it's you who needs to fuck off," Jensen said. The shock of the insult actually made Doug let go of his throat and he brought a hand up, rubbing at the sore spot. Doug got close then. Toe to toe, nose to nose.
"Say that again, you little creep."
Jensen smiled, seeing his next move in his head before he made it. "Think I told you to fuck off," he repeated, taking a quick step back and throwing all his energy into one sound and solid punch.
--TBC--
Title: Smoke And Lightning, Heavy Metal Thunder (20/?)
Authors: bloody_adorable and eviltwin
Fandoms: Supernatural RPS
Pairing: Jensen Ackles / Jared Padalecki.
Rating: Adult.
Wordcount: 4,899
Summary: AU. Jared's a classic case of rich kid gone wrong, whose only sense of family comes from his motorbike, the guy he rents a garage from to live in and the precinct cops who know his face better than most already. Jensen's a hard-working student whose family are helping push him towards great things. What happens when their two worlds collide, and will Jared's troublesome nature be too much for Jensen to handle?
Disclaimer: None of the following is true in any way, and no profit is made from this work of fiction.
CHAPTER TWENTY
When Jensen returned, on foot because he had walked from the bus stop three blocks over, he felt exhausted. He hadn't slept well the previous night, but that was hardly surprising. The arguments, the heavy atmosphere, and the subsequent insight into Jared's fears had been quite a mental workout. He had spent much of the night comparing himself to Jared and finding that they were far more similar than he had first thought.
He got back, rucksack heavy across his shoulders, and found Jared outside the garage with Jeffrey, playing one on one basketball. There was a rusty hoop set up to one side of the garage door and, as Jensen approached, the ball sailed through it and Jeffrey let out a victorious whoop. Jared spotted him first, as he turned to retrieve the ball, and he straightened with a soft smile. Jeffrey looked round too and grinned when he saw him.
"Jensen...Must admit, I was gonna start getting worried about you."
"I'm okay," Jensen said, ducking his head when Jared neared him and threw an arm around his shoulders.
"Where you been, kiddo?" Jeffrey asked.
Jensen shrugged. "Around. I went to the mall."
"On Black Friday? Are you insane?"
"Yeah, I reckon I am. But I wanted to find something for you both. Kind of a late Thanksgiving present. A thank you for everything."
"You make it sound like a goodbye gift."
"It's really not, I promise. I just don't think I ever said a proper thank you to either of you."
"You never had to," Jeffrey said. "Seeing you as happy as you have been? That's been good enough."
Jensen hefted the bag off his shoulder and set it carefully on the floor, feeling a little self-conscious as he pulled the first gift out. Jeffrey chuckled as soon as he saw it, and even Jared managed a smile as Jensen handed it over.
"I figure if you're going to keep dating, then you probably need these. Your bed's gotta be more comfortable than the couch, right?"
Jeff nodded, holding the wrapped bed-linens against his chest. "Thanks, Jensen. You really didn't have to."
"Well, I'm sure Miss Kilworth will be grateful too. Anyway, I was going to buy you some porn, but the guy in the store thought I was underage so-"
"Brat."
"Whatcha got for me?" Jared asked, moving and wrapping his arms around Jensen from behind. He set his head against the younger man's shoulder, making him shiver.
"Well, right after I picked up my fake I.D.-"
"Ha ha," Jared interrupted. "Funny. I know you didn't buy me porn."
"Only 'cause you already have quite enough. I.. Uh.." He glanced at Jeffrey, found him smirking back.
"Hey, no problem boys. I should go inside and decide what to wear this evening, anyway."
Jared pulled Jensen into the garage once Jeffrey was gone, and then into his lap on the couch. Jensen let himself be kissed a while, then managed to pull away and settle into a comfortable position.
"So. You and Jeff sorted some stuff out, huh?"
"We talked, yeah."
"Everything okay?"
Jared shrugged. "I guess. For now it is. I missed you today."
"You got me all night. But... I saw Chris at the mall, and Dani. They asked me to go to the game tomorrow night."
"And you're going, of course."
"I suppose I am. Thing is, they want me to go to a party afterwards, too. One of Dani's friends."
Jared pulled Jensen in for another kiss. "That's not a bad idea," he told him. "You should hang out with your friends. Don't let 'em think that I've stolen you away altogether."
"They don't think that," Jensen argued. "And Chris knows how I feel about you."
"Oh yeah?" Jared asked, his voice only just above a murmur. He pressed his mouth to Jensen's neck, nuzzled against his ear. "And how's that again?"
Tucking his head down, Jensen smiled and called him a dork. "Love you. Even though you're an ass."
"Huh-uh. Especially because I'm an ass."
Jensen bumped heads with him, laughing in agreement. "I guess that has something to do with your charm."
"It does. So... What'd you get that you didn't want Jeff to see? Handcuffs? Lube?"
Jensen felt his cheeks warm and shook his head quickly. "Neither. First I stopped at Body Fiends and got you these."
Jared's face had already lit up at the name of the store and when Jensen handed over the black velvet-covered box, he was grinning. He opened it up, immediately reaching to kiss Jensen yet again. He then leant forward, stretching his arms above his head to take his shirt off. Jensen watched him unfasten both nipple rings and slide them free. He took the new ones from the box, fingering the small silver eagles that hung from the barbells. Jensen found the sight of him pushing them through the holes both fascinating and horribly arousing. He shifted, feeling his mouth dry out.
"God, thank you. These are.. I really like 'em."
Jensen managed to tear his gaze from Jared's chest long enough to look up and find himself being watched with a knowing look. He swallowed. "They look good on you."
Jared fingered one of them, licking his lips. "Feel pretty good, too. You wanna try them out?"
"Mm. Maybe in a little while."
"Wait a second. You said that Body Fiends was your first stop. Where'd you go after that?"
Here we go, thought Jensen. "I headed over to Eric's place."
Jared stared at him, eyes wide. "Did you-"
"Yeah. And I hope you're not going to be mad at me."
"For what?"
"I kind of took one of your ideas..." Jensen rolled up the leg of his jeans and tugged his left boot off his foot. He took off his sock and the bandage that was taped down underneath it and Jared leaned forward, smiling when he saw the five words tattooed around Jensen's ankle. "I figured it was appropriate," Jensen told him, shrugging. "What with you training me to fight Doug if I need to, so that he'll leave me alone."
"It's perfect," Jared told him. "Can I take you to bed now?"
Jensen laughed, although Jared was completely serious. "Why don't we wait? Jeffrey's out most of tonight anyway. Maybe we can go in the house later on."
"You planning on blue-balling me all afternoon? That isn't very nice..."
"C'mon. There's only four hours 'til he heads out to Miss Kilworth's. I'm sure you can manage until then. Work on the bike or something."
"Damn, Jen. You can be so cruel sometimes."
"Don't exaggerate!"
"I ain't! You bring me new nipple rings and show me your new tat and then you just expect me to go 'work on the bike'? That's cruelty right there. In case you hadn't noticed," Jared continued, taking Jensen's hand and placing it firmly between his legs, "You already got me kinda horny here. You really want me to go bash one out without you being there to watch me?"
"Well.. What do you want to do?"
Jared smirked, his expression a little dirty. "Quite a difference between what I want to do and what you'll let me do. Though I can think of a couple things that you might not object to."
"So long as Jeffrey doesn't come in.."
"That's why we're going up to bed. You might need to chomp down some pillow to stop yourself making too much noise. So come on, get up there."
"How can I resist an offer like that?" Jensen wondered aloud, as he got up from the couch and made for the ladder. Jared followed, and he could almost feel the glee in the other man's eyes.
Upstairs, Jared turned on one of the heaters he had and aimed it towards the bed. Jensen cleared the space around and in front of it as Jared stripped down and got under the covers. Despite the heater's efforts, it was still chilly, and Jensen wasted no time in joining Jared once he was naked too.
"Let me warm you up," Jared whispered, covering Jensen's body with his. His skin was hot, like it always was, and it radiated off him. Jensen moaned at the feel of him and Jared jokingly grabbed a corner of the quilt and shoved it against his mouth. "Ssh. You want the whole neighbourhood to hear us?"
Jensen bit into the quilt, chewing on it for a couple of seconds to make it soggy, then spat it back out and took Jared's mouth instead. Below the covers their feet tangled together, and Jared shivered when Jensen's hand came between them to toy with one of the new rings. He lifted his head and cursed quietly, the hairs on his arms standing up. Somewhere along the line, he realized, Jensen had found out that it didn't matter if he wanted to pull that little bit harder. It didn't matter if he wasn't too gentle because the slight twinge of pain seemed to turn Jared on even more. Like now, as he twisted Jared's nipple between his fingers and the other man hissed through his teeth, but didn't ask him to stop.
After a few more minutes, Jared untangled himself and turned onto his back, leaving Jensen to follow, to lean over him and tease his nipples with his tongue instead. They were already stiff and Jensen lapped at each one in turn, taking the eagle drop on one between his teeth and pulling on it until Jared grabbed the back of his head and held him still. He watched the skin stretch and pull taut, then released it and heard the clink as the metal settled back into place.
"Goddamn," Jared muttered, threading his fingers into Jensen's hair and pulling him up for a kiss. He coughed when he felt Jensen's hand form a tight grip around his cock, and groaned into his mouth when he started stroking. Jensen sat up then, looking down so he could watch himself jerking Jared off.
"At Body Fiends they had these... Patty tried to sell me this ring, but..."
Jared grinned, settling his head back on the pillow. "Yeah, she would. I have one somewhere. One day I'll find it and show you how to use it, yeah?"
Jensen nodded, not saying another word. He slid his thumb over the head of Jared's cock, pushing against the tip of it until he felt a smear of wet there. He was getting used to this; to the feel of Jared's dick in his hand. He was enjoying it more, too. Enjoying that he could get Jared off as quick or as slow as he wanted, as long as Jared was willing to cooperate with him. He just couldn't talk while he did it, though. Not like Jared, who often kept up a continuous string of obscenity and filth while he made Jensen come.
"Here.." Jared made Jensen stop and reached down to the floor for the KY he kept there. Jensen held out his hand and let Jared pour some over his fingers. "Okay."
Slicker now, his hand moved smoothly, coating Jared's dick in the thick gel at the same time. After several minutes, Jensen grunted, closing his hand more firmly. "Not gonna make this easy for me, right?"
Jared grinned up at him. "Maybe I just want to save myself. Come down here.."
Jensen gave up, sliding his hand up Jared's stomach and chest as he leaned down until his face was only an inch away. "What?"
"I want to... Fuck. I don't know."
"Jay."
"No, I didn't mean.. Shit, Jen, you just make me want you so fucking much. You don't even know what you're doing to me."
"I got some idea."
"Hmm. I noticed you're getting better at this. Bet you won't let me take advantage of you like I want to, though."
Jensen shook his head, and then let it drop onto Jared's shoulder so he wouldn't have to see his eyes. "I'm sorry," he mumbled. He felt a hand skim down his spine.
"Don't be. I know you're not ready for some things just yet. But some other things you are."
"Like?"
"You wanna get off me a sec? And lay face down."
Jensen did as he was told, because he trusted Jared completely. He shivered as Jared's hands smoothed over his ass, as his fingers dug in and pulled him open.
"You're not-"
"Relax, okay? I promise that nothing's going in you unless you want it to."
Jensen felt like his entire body blushed at that statement, but, if it did, Jared didn't seem to notice. Jensen waited while he moved and went stiff as he felt Jared's dick slide between his buttocks. He kept his promise and didn't push any further, but the feel of him there was still quite enough to get Jensen hard and leaking in minutes.
"Don't touch yourself," Jared warned, as Jensen tried to move. "I swear I'll get you off as soon as I come." His mouth was right by Jensen's ear and he kissed him there, hips stuttering when the feel of what he was doing finally became too much. He came, and came hard, and thick drops spattered onto Jensen's back as Jared pushed himself up with one hand. After a few minutes, Jared collapsed to the side of Jensen, who used the quilt to wipe off his skin before rolling onto his back himself. Jensen's dick was hard, flush against his stomach, and dark red with need.
"Holy shit," Jared muttered.
"What?"
"You're not gonna believe me if I tell you anyway."
"Tell me what?"
"How gorgeous you look right now. What an amazing body you have. How just... Looking at your dick makes my mouth water. I mean, fuck, what I wouldn't give..." Jared made a fist around Jensen's cock, squeezing gently and pulling upward. He only needed to repeat the move several more times and Jensen was already coming, too turned on by what Jared had done before, and what he had said just moments ago. Jared caught some in his hand and brought his fingers to his mouth to taste, while Jensen's cock twitched and spurted, his hips lifting as if still searching for Jared's touch. Jensen watched his tongue work between his fingers and whimpered. When Jared next kissed him, he could still taste the come on his tongue.
They lay there a while longer, Jensen slowly relaxing with each minute that passed. Eventually, Jared let him go and crawled out of bed, searching the floor for his jeans.
"Where you goin'?" Jensen asked, sleepy.
"Work on the bike," Jared told him. "You stay up here." He leaned over and kissed Jensen one more time as soon as he was dressed, and then left him alone. It didn't take long for Jensen to pass out, fast asleep.
Jensen grinned as Chris pulled open the door and looked him up and down. Dani appeared behind him, wrapping herself around him and casting her eyes on Jensen over his shoulder. He blushed at their scrutiny, but kept his head up.
"Wow," Dani said, after a long moment. "Good job you're gay, Jen, else Chris might have to start worrying."
"Oh, I don't reckon so, girl," Chris said. "Come on in, Jen. We got an hour before the game and Dani kind of wanted a favor from you."
"I think Jared might-"
"Not that kind of favor," Dani told him, smacking his arm as he came inside. Her hand lingered on the soft leather of his jacket and he stopped and looked at her while Chris just laughed.
"Your boy's right there, y'know?"
"I know. It just feels really nice, is all."
"Oh...kay." Jensen gently removed her hand and grinned as she pouted. He followed Chris into the lounge, with Dani behind him. Probably, he thought, checking out the view. He was in Jared's jeans, the ones with more rips than anything else he owned. He knew very well that there was a tear in the back, right below one of the pockets. He was wearing longer shorts for warmth and modesty, but he was fairly sure that Dani was still checking that particular area out anyway. On top, under the jacket, he had one of Jared's old shirts, too. Old meant tight, but at least it didn't have any holes in it. It was plain dark grey, with the Harley Davidson logo in black printed on the chest.
He knew he looked pretty good in the old cast-offs. Jared had told him so before he'd left, after he'd delayed him going by showing him what the outfit was doing to him. Apparently the effect on females was just as good, if Dani's current expression was anything to go by. Jensen waited until she left the room to tell Chris that maybe he should let Jay take him out shopping sometime.
"If the sight of me in stuff like that sets her off even half as much as you have, then I'm totally up for that plan," Chris replied.
Dani came back with a large red holdall which she set down on the floor by Jensen's feet. He nudged it with the toe of his boot and looked up at her. "Okay, what's this?"
"This is the favor I want to ask you. You know I'm studying hair-dressing, right? And that I want to get into beauty school?"
Jensen chewed on his bottom lip, wondering where this conversation was headed. "Yeah.."
"Well, I kind of need to practice this hair thing that I want to do."
"Hair... 'Thing'?"
"Just bleaching, nothing terrible. I'll give you nice fair highlights, hardly noticeable. They'd suit you, Jensen. You have that kind of complexion and.." She trailed off, and sat right beside him, putting an arm around his shoulders and her face right next to his. "Please?" She drew out the vowels, batting her eyelashes.
"Why can't you do this on Chris?"
"Because he has a show tomorrow with the guys and they said he's not allowed. So you're, like, my last hope."
"Don't you have any girlfriends you can do this to?"
"C'mon. You know as well as I do that even the girls that seem nice in high school are complete bitches. They're all too image conscious and the ones that aren't wouldn't trust a cheerleader to touch their hair, because they think I'm one of them!"
"Right, right. So... What you're telling me is that I am the only person on this planet that you can ask."
"Yes."
"What's in it for me?"
"You'll look awesome when it's done."
"And?"
Dani thought about it, then her face lit up. "Sex!"
Jensen laughed at the same time as Chris said, "Hey!" Dani just looked at him innocently, then turned the pleading gaze back on and wrapped both arms around Jensen, hugging him.
"Come on. Say yes. It'll take about half an hour and Jared'll love it."
At that, Jensen couldn't argue. He sighed, told Dani he'd do it, then ducked as she jumped up and cheered. "Okay, calm down girl! What do I have to do?"
As it turned out, he had to do very little. Dani dragged him into the kitchen and sat him down, then set about spreading towels everywhere in case of drips. She made him take off his jacket and his shirt, because she didn't want to risk ruining either, and after she got over staring at the edges of tattoo that peeked from under his jeans, she set about mixing up the bleach for his hair. It stank, and Chris opened some windows up and then sat opposite Jensen to watch.
He stopped paying attention after a few minutes, but there was foil involved and a lot of Dani humming to herself, and a cool itch at the front of his scalp. While they waited for the bleach to do its work, they sat and had a couple of warm-up beers - or in Chris's case, a couple of sodas since he was designated driver - and talked about who might win the game and how many assignments they'd all left to do at the last minute before school started again.
"Okay! Time to wash it off!" Dani took Jensen's hand and made him follow her to the bathroom, where she made him kneel at the edge of the tub. Chris watched, amused, from the doorway as his girlfriend showered Jensen's hair until it was clean. They headed back downstairs and, back at the kitchen table, Dani quietly trimmed his damp hair and brushed off his shoulders.
"How's it look?"
Dani eyed him critically. "You know what? It's hard to tell when it's still wet."
"So.. Dry it?"
"I can't. My hairdryer is at home. And Chris doesn't own one."
"And anyway," Chris interrupted, tapping at his watch. "We gotta get going else we're going to miss the game."
Dani passed Jensen his clothes. "Just wear a hat until it dries out or something. It'll be fine."
Grumbling, Jensen pulled his shirt back on. He shrugged into his jacket and pulled the collar up. Chris passed him a black beanie hat which he tugged down over his ears, tucking his wet hair inside it as much as he could.
By the time the game ended, Jensen was almost certain that he was going to catch a chill. He'd kept the hat on, even though it was pretty much soaked through, only because he had no idea what his hair looked like and he didn't want to show it off to everyone else before he knew. He waited with Chris while Dani got changed with the other cheerleaders, then they all got into his friend's truck and headed out in the direction of the party.
In the backseat, Jensen finally took the hat off and tossed it to the other end of the seat, running his hand through his hair. It was still a little damp, but not too bad. He combed it out with his fingers and pushed it back behind his ears. "Hey, Dani... You got a mirror on you?"
She turned to him, speaking as she did. "What for, Jens... Oh." There was a long pause as she looked at him. "Wow."
Jensen swallowed. "What?"
"Uh. It's kinda... A little more blond, maybe, than I was really aiming for?"
He felt his heart sink. "How bad is it?"
Dani tugged at Chris's sleeve and his friend glanced in the mirror at him. Jensen saw his eyes go wide and he pulled on the wheel to set himself straight again. "It's pretty... Noticeable?"
"Shit. Take me home."
"Oh, c'mon!" Dani insisted. "It's not that terrible! So it's a little more radical a change than you thought it would be. It'll wash out, Jen, I promise."
Jensen ignored her, pulling on his seatbelt so he could sit forward and see himself in the rear-view mirror. He stared. And stared some more. "I look like a twink porn-star," he said, his voice flat. Dani slumped, looking disappointed, and he immediately felt bad for insulting her work. "Crap. Dani, I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"
"It's okay, Jensen. I can see you don't like it, and I can fix it first thing tomorrow. And if you don't want to come in to the party, it's fine."
"I never said that. I can just wear a hat or something. Right? I'm sorry."
Dani just turned in her seat and gazed out of the front window. Dammit. There was a reason Jensen was scared of girls. They always managed to make him feel bad, no matter how much he tried to apologize.
"C'mon, please smile. I'll go to the party with you. You know what? It's not that bad. I won't even wear a hat. I'll let people see it and I bet they'll love it."
"You don't have to try and make me feel better, Jen. Don't worry about it."
Chris reached across and put a hand on his girlfriend's knee. "Dani, Jensen's immune to your girly voodoo. He's gay, remember?"
"Asshole," Dani muttered, but she turned and smiled over her shoulder at Jensen anyway. "Okay. You come to the party and you don't wear a hat. Deal. And then tomorrow, I'll fix it right up. Unless, of course, you actually like it by then. I mean, maybe it's just the shock of it that has you hating it right now."
"Maybe," Jensen agreed. He sighed. He hated being played.
The party was already well underway by the time Chris pulled up near the house. They could hear the music from the road and Jensen was surprised no cops had been called out yet. He followed Dani and Chris up the driveway, ducking his head when somebody wolf-whistled at him from the shadows in the yard. Chris chuckled as he turned round, grabbing Jensen by the arm and pulling him into the house. Someone handed him a red plastic cup and he peered into it to make sure it was just beer before chugging it down. He wanted to get horribly drunk and try to forget about what he looked like.
Dani took his jacket off him and Chris's off him, and then danced away towards the stairs, holding them above her head. Jensen stayed with his friend as long as he could, but Steve appeared and dragged him off somewhere for band-talk and then Jensen was on his own, hiding in a corner, trying to look inconspicuous.
There was a loud cheer from the front of the room and he looked up, wishing he hadn't. Doug Freeman had just waltzed in, the head cheerleader clinging to his waist, and was smacking hands with anyone who wanted to, as well as a few who didn't. There were some people who rolled their eyes and moved away, and Jensen frowned. He hadn't noticed that before. That there were other people besides himself and his tiny circle of friends who remained unimpressed by Doug's presence.
Jensen pressed himself back further against the wall, pretty much hidden behind a bookcase, and felt relief surge through him when Doug headed to the kitchen and backyard without so much as a glance in his direction.
Chris found him shortly after that, and handed him a shotglass filled with tequila. "Drink up, Jenny," he told him. "You and me are going to get wasted."
"What about the car?"
"Dani told me to enjoy myself. Ah, I don't know, one of the girls is crying their eyes out in the bathroom already so Dani's sitting there with her, trying to calm her down. She said she won't bother drinking any more."
"Why do girls do that?" Jensen asked, taking the tequila off Chris.
His friend shrugged. "Mostly because of guys. Cheers." Chris downed his shot in one go, shaking his head quickly as he lowered the glass. Jensen did the same, almost choking on the burn of it in his throat.
"Damn, that shit is awful!"
"Keep drinking it, it's not that bad."
"Thanks, anyway. Think I'll stick with the beer."
Towards eleven thirty, the party started to move back inside. A few people remained out in the yard, but, really, it was too cold out there for most. Jensen had managed to score a spot on one of the couches and was squeezed in tight between a cute goth girl and a tall, skinny guy who was currently asleep and snoring. He wasn't paying attention to anything but trying to avoid goth-girl's hands when she started flailing them around, explaining something to whoever was sat the other side of her, so he didn't see Doug across the room, spotting him and making a beeline for him.
He didn't notice until Doug was right there in front of him, smirking down at him horribly.
"Ackles. Didn't know you got invited to prestigious events such as this. I take it someone told you it was fancy dress?"
Jensen watched him, warily. "What?"
"You seem to have come as Madonna... Or is it Victoria Beckham?" Doug laughed at his own joke, then leaned forward and tugged on the blond hair at the front of Jensen's head. "Christ, Jenny, you don't think that looks a bit gay?" He pulled on the hair, hard, and Jensen winced. Goth girl had stopped talking and was watching the pair of them with interest, along with several other people who were stood close by. "Oh, wait. Fuck me, that's right. I keep forgetting how you take it up the ass." Doug moved his hand, wrapping it round Jensen's throat and forcing him to stand. "Fucking fag. This party ain't for you, you little shit. Time to leave."
"No."
Doug stopped, taken aback that Jensen had actually dared to say that. "No?"
"Maybe it's you who needs to fuck off," Jensen said. The shock of the insult actually made Doug let go of his throat and he brought a hand up, rubbing at the sore spot. Doug got close then. Toe to toe, nose to nose.
"Say that again, you little creep."
Jensen smiled, seeing his next move in his head before he made it. "Think I told you to fuck off," he repeated, taking a quick step back and throwing all his energy into one sound and solid punch.
--TBC--