Ficlet: Grace & Wonder
Hey, guys. In lieu of posting Born To Be Wild (we're not quite there yet, but we will be soon!), I thought I'd put up a "lost chapter" to Smoke & Lightning. (I actually thought I HAD posted this, but upon looking back, I see I haven't!) This is something I wrote, and meant to put into the story. It either got lost along the way, or just forgotten about.
We're going to try to post on Sundays and Wednesdays again, just like last time. So, this is a Wednesday post for you guys. ;)
But anyway, yes...here it is. And remember while reading this, this is back before graduation and all of that. So, the timeline might feel slightly off. Sorry about that!
MASTER POST
Title: Smoke And Lightning, Heavy Metal Thunder (Ficlet: Grace & Wonder)
Authors: bloody_adorable and eviltwin
Fandom: Supernatural RPS
Pairing: Jensen Ackles / Jared Padalecki.
Rating: Adult.
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.
SMOKE & LIGHTNING:
HEAVY METAL THUNDER
FICLET: Grace & Wonder
He was the last one out of the locker room. Not surprising, considering he'd stayed in bed a little too long. His whole day had been off because of it. Jared hadn't wanted to let him go, but to be quite honest, he hadn't wanted to leave, either. Still, the meet was important, so he forced himself away from Jared. As he walked out of the locker room, along the damp, tile poolroom floor, Jensen untangled his swim goggles. He wore just his usual black Speedos, head low as he worked on straightening the rubber bands that held the goggles on. He didn't much feel like them getting snagged in his hair, since he'd let it get a little longer over the past few months.
The pool went as quiet as it could. All splashing stopped and everyone quieted down, whispering instead of laughing and shouting happily to each other.
Jensen looked up, suddenly aware of the silence, and very suddenly aware that all eyes were upon him. He stopped moving, staring back at all the other boys. Immediately, he had an age-old fear return to him, from one of those common nightmarish dreams that everyone has. He looked down at his own body, so sure that he would see he'd forgotten to put on his swimsuit. Thought for sure he'd be standing there stark naked before everyone. But, much to his relief, he saw he had remembered the black Speedo. He looked back over to his swim buddies, silently asking them what they could possibly find so interesting about him.
"Hi, s-sorry," he stammered, "for being so, y'know...late."
They said nothing in return. They were starting to creep him out a little, to be honest, so he moved over to his usual place to await instructions from Coach. Little by little, everyone went back to what they had been doing before. The pool livened up again, and the sound of water splashing was a welcome one. Jensen made sure that he'd gone back to being mostly invisible before peeking at people out of the corner of his eye.
"Jensen."
Slightly startled, he turned and found Jacob Deamer, a fellow senior, nearing him. "Yeah?"
Jacob nodded at him, holding out his fisted hand. "Nice ink."
Suddenly the stares made sense. They hadn't seen any of his new work. With being sick or beaten by Doug, Jensen hadn't been to a number of swim practices. He'd been surprised that Coach was going to let him compete, honestly, but their team had dwindled somewhat, so they needed every swimmer.
Jensen reached out and touched his knuckles to Jacob's, a form of a handshake that he'd seen the other guys do at the school. He and Chris occasionally did the same, but Jensen felt it wasn't his style really. Still, he accepted Deamer's gesture. "Thanks," he said, nodding.
"Where'd you get it done, man?" Lucas Wittering asked. Lucas was a junior, but such a skilled swimmer, he competed on the senior team.
"Uh, my..." He paused, deciding that calling Jared his "boyfriend" just sounded ignorant at that moment. "A friend of mine," he said. "He knows a guy."
"The guy you're living with?"
Jensen felt his heart start, but he wasn't sure why. Lucas hadn't outright called him a fag or anything, like Doug had. But he couldn't stop himself from expecting the degrading remarks, the pain that accompanied. Lucas or Jacob didn't make a move to bring either upon him. He nodded to the question. "Yeah," he finally answered.
"He's the one with the sweet bike," Jacob grinned.
"Fuck yeah," Lucas said, punching Deamer's shoulder. "He's got a shitload of ink too, doesn't he?"
Jensen suddenly realized that the current conversation was the longest one he'd ever had with a classmate or team member. "Yeah," he nodded. "All done by the same guy."
As he spoke, another two swimmers moved closer, eyeing the tattoos that ran up and down Jensen's arm. He lifted his arm higher so they could get a better look. As he did, he couldn't help but smile slightly. One of the guys, another senior named Carlos Blanco, took hold of Jensen's wrist, turning his arm so that they could all scrutinize the koi fish printed there.
"Did it hurt to get that much done?" Carlos asked.
Jensen shrugged. It had. It had hurt like a bitch at times, but he wasn't going to admit that in front of a bunch of guys. "Not that bad," he lied.
"Dude, you gotta get this guy's number for me," Lucas said, words quickly affirmed by Jacob.
"I will," Jensen nodded. "I'll ask Jared tonight."
Carlos finally let go of Jensen's wrist. "Listen, man," he said. "We all think you're kick-ass for standing up to Freeman like you do."
Immediately uncomfortable, Jensen shifted his weight on his feet and looked down at the goggles in his hand. "I'm not really that good at it, clearly," he mumbled.
"Freeman's a fucking douche," Jacob said.
"Yeah," Carlos nodded. "He'll get what's coming to him."
Jensen smiled.
"There's a party on Friday night," he continued. "My house, ten o'clock. You're invited."
"Oh," Jensen nodded. "Thanks, but--"
"You can bring him," Carlos smiled. "Just as long as you don't get all handsy with each other."
Stunned, Jensen stared at him, wide-eyed.
"Come on, Ackles," Jacob chuckled. "You don't think we're stupid, do you?"
"What? No..."
"And we're not like Doug," Lucas added. "But it might be a little...weird to see you doing...y'know. Anything."
They laughed, except for Jensen, who felt himself sweating in the humid pool room. He suddenly wanted to be back home with Jared, away from the current conversation.
"It's not rocket science," Carlos smiled. "Ain't my thing, but you're more than welcome to come to the party."
Calmness started to settle over him again. He smiled and nodded his head. "Thanks," he returned. "I'll let Jared know."
"He play poker?" Lucas asked.
"I...I don't know, I think so," he said. "Why?"
"Get him to bring that sweet bike of his," he replied. "See if I can't win that bitch."
"Alright, boys, come on now," Coach called over to them, emerging from his office door. "You guys were supposed to be doing laps."
"Sorry, Coach," they all said in unison. They dispersed, moving to individual lanes, Jensen getting the one furthest on the end. He was just about to put on his goggles when he felt fingers curl around his arm, pulling him back away from the edge of the pool.
Coach took his time looking at the tattoos. He nodded and smiled at Jensen. "Nice," he said. And that was it. He motioned to the water and told Jensen to get going on his laps, they had a lot of work to do.
Jensen nodded, donned his goggles and dove into the water. As he swam, concentrating on keeping his breaths measured and even, he felt almost giddy. For so many years, he'd assumed he would never be more than the "oh, yeah," guy in his class. You know, that one person in your graduating class that, years later, you see or think about and go, "You know, Jensen Ackles. The kid that Doug Freemen kept pounding into the ground for kicks?" "Oh, yeah." And that would have been it. He would have been forgotten about, passed up for better topics like the economy and fake wrestling.
Now, once again through the grace and wonder that was Jared Tristan Padalecki, Jensen was brought into the spotlight, changed before everyone's eyes. This time, he caught positive attention and was requested to socialize with them, regardless of the alternate lifestyle that was no longer a secret.
Jensen felt positive, pleased. And he realized he'd been feeling that quite often. When he finished with his laps, he looked over to the stands in the pool room, where he had seen Jared sitting at one of the meets, proud to be there for Jensen. He smiled and turned back to Coach's instruction.
Life was so funny sometimes. And Jensen was starting to think that maybe it was all going to work out, after all.
~The End~
We're going to try to post on Sundays and Wednesdays again, just like last time. So, this is a Wednesday post for you guys. ;)
But anyway, yes...here it is. And remember while reading this, this is back before graduation and all of that. So, the timeline might feel slightly off. Sorry about that!
MASTER POST
Title: Smoke And Lightning, Heavy Metal Thunder (Ficlet: Grace & Wonder)
Authors: bloody_adorable and eviltwin
Fandom: Supernatural RPS
Pairing: Jensen Ackles / Jared Padalecki.
Rating: Adult.
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.
SMOKE & LIGHTNING:
HEAVY METAL THUNDER
FICLET: Grace & Wonder
He was the last one out of the locker room. Not surprising, considering he'd stayed in bed a little too long. His whole day had been off because of it. Jared hadn't wanted to let him go, but to be quite honest, he hadn't wanted to leave, either. Still, the meet was important, so he forced himself away from Jared. As he walked out of the locker room, along the damp, tile poolroom floor, Jensen untangled his swim goggles. He wore just his usual black Speedos, head low as he worked on straightening the rubber bands that held the goggles on. He didn't much feel like them getting snagged in his hair, since he'd let it get a little longer over the past few months.
The pool went as quiet as it could. All splashing stopped and everyone quieted down, whispering instead of laughing and shouting happily to each other.
Jensen looked up, suddenly aware of the silence, and very suddenly aware that all eyes were upon him. He stopped moving, staring back at all the other boys. Immediately, he had an age-old fear return to him, from one of those common nightmarish dreams that everyone has. He looked down at his own body, so sure that he would see he'd forgotten to put on his swimsuit. Thought for sure he'd be standing there stark naked before everyone. But, much to his relief, he saw he had remembered the black Speedo. He looked back over to his swim buddies, silently asking them what they could possibly find so interesting about him.
"Hi, s-sorry," he stammered, "for being so, y'know...late."
They said nothing in return. They were starting to creep him out a little, to be honest, so he moved over to his usual place to await instructions from Coach. Little by little, everyone went back to what they had been doing before. The pool livened up again, and the sound of water splashing was a welcome one. Jensen made sure that he'd gone back to being mostly invisible before peeking at people out of the corner of his eye.
"Jensen."
Slightly startled, he turned and found Jacob Deamer, a fellow senior, nearing him. "Yeah?"
Jacob nodded at him, holding out his fisted hand. "Nice ink."
Suddenly the stares made sense. They hadn't seen any of his new work. With being sick or beaten by Doug, Jensen hadn't been to a number of swim practices. He'd been surprised that Coach was going to let him compete, honestly, but their team had dwindled somewhat, so they needed every swimmer.
Jensen reached out and touched his knuckles to Jacob's, a form of a handshake that he'd seen the other guys do at the school. He and Chris occasionally did the same, but Jensen felt it wasn't his style really. Still, he accepted Deamer's gesture. "Thanks," he said, nodding.
"Where'd you get it done, man?" Lucas Wittering asked. Lucas was a junior, but such a skilled swimmer, he competed on the senior team.
"Uh, my..." He paused, deciding that calling Jared his "boyfriend" just sounded ignorant at that moment. "A friend of mine," he said. "He knows a guy."
"The guy you're living with?"
Jensen felt his heart start, but he wasn't sure why. Lucas hadn't outright called him a fag or anything, like Doug had. But he couldn't stop himself from expecting the degrading remarks, the pain that accompanied. Lucas or Jacob didn't make a move to bring either upon him. He nodded to the question. "Yeah," he finally answered.
"He's the one with the sweet bike," Jacob grinned.
"Fuck yeah," Lucas said, punching Deamer's shoulder. "He's got a shitload of ink too, doesn't he?"
Jensen suddenly realized that the current conversation was the longest one he'd ever had with a classmate or team member. "Yeah," he nodded. "All done by the same guy."
As he spoke, another two swimmers moved closer, eyeing the tattoos that ran up and down Jensen's arm. He lifted his arm higher so they could get a better look. As he did, he couldn't help but smile slightly. One of the guys, another senior named Carlos Blanco, took hold of Jensen's wrist, turning his arm so that they could all scrutinize the koi fish printed there.
"Did it hurt to get that much done?" Carlos asked.
Jensen shrugged. It had. It had hurt like a bitch at times, but he wasn't going to admit that in front of a bunch of guys. "Not that bad," he lied.
"Dude, you gotta get this guy's number for me," Lucas said, words quickly affirmed by Jacob.
"I will," Jensen nodded. "I'll ask Jared tonight."
Carlos finally let go of Jensen's wrist. "Listen, man," he said. "We all think you're kick-ass for standing up to Freeman like you do."
Immediately uncomfortable, Jensen shifted his weight on his feet and looked down at the goggles in his hand. "I'm not really that good at it, clearly," he mumbled.
"Freeman's a fucking douche," Jacob said.
"Yeah," Carlos nodded. "He'll get what's coming to him."
Jensen smiled.
"There's a party on Friday night," he continued. "My house, ten o'clock. You're invited."
"Oh," Jensen nodded. "Thanks, but--"
"You can bring him," Carlos smiled. "Just as long as you don't get all handsy with each other."
Stunned, Jensen stared at him, wide-eyed.
"Come on, Ackles," Jacob chuckled. "You don't think we're stupid, do you?"
"What? No..."
"And we're not like Doug," Lucas added. "But it might be a little...weird to see you doing...y'know. Anything."
They laughed, except for Jensen, who felt himself sweating in the humid pool room. He suddenly wanted to be back home with Jared, away from the current conversation.
"It's not rocket science," Carlos smiled. "Ain't my thing, but you're more than welcome to come to the party."
Calmness started to settle over him again. He smiled and nodded his head. "Thanks," he returned. "I'll let Jared know."
"He play poker?" Lucas asked.
"I...I don't know, I think so," he said. "Why?"
"Get him to bring that sweet bike of his," he replied. "See if I can't win that bitch."
"Alright, boys, come on now," Coach called over to them, emerging from his office door. "You guys were supposed to be doing laps."
"Sorry, Coach," they all said in unison. They dispersed, moving to individual lanes, Jensen getting the one furthest on the end. He was just about to put on his goggles when he felt fingers curl around his arm, pulling him back away from the edge of the pool.
Coach took his time looking at the tattoos. He nodded and smiled at Jensen. "Nice," he said. And that was it. He motioned to the water and told Jensen to get going on his laps, they had a lot of work to do.
Jensen nodded, donned his goggles and dove into the water. As he swam, concentrating on keeping his breaths measured and even, he felt almost giddy. For so many years, he'd assumed he would never be more than the "oh, yeah," guy in his class. You know, that one person in your graduating class that, years later, you see or think about and go, "You know, Jensen Ackles. The kid that Doug Freemen kept pounding into the ground for kicks?" "Oh, yeah." And that would have been it. He would have been forgotten about, passed up for better topics like the economy and fake wrestling.
Now, once again through the grace and wonder that was Jared Tristan Padalecki, Jensen was brought into the spotlight, changed before everyone's eyes. This time, he caught positive attention and was requested to socialize with them, regardless of the alternate lifestyle that was no longer a secret.
Jensen felt positive, pleased. And he realized he'd been feeling that quite often. When he finished with his laps, he looked over to the stands in the pool room, where he had seen Jared sitting at one of the meets, proud to be there for Jensen. He smiled and turned back to Coach's instruction.
Life was so funny sometimes. And Jensen was starting to think that maybe it was all going to work out, after all.
~The End~