Smoke & Lightning: Born To Be Wild (15/?)

[eviltwin]

MASTER POST

Title: Smoke And Lightning: Born To Be Wild (15/?)
Authors: bloody_adorable and eviltwin
Fandoms: Supernatural RPS
Pairing: Jensen Ackles / Jared Padalecki.
Rating: Adult.
Wordcount: 6,409
Summary: AU. They're born to be wild. At least, Jared is. Jensen's learning, though, and this road-trip that they're on will teach him plenty of lessons. It's a good thing, too, because he'll need what he's learnt when they return and venture onto an altogether more serious step in their relationship. Trust is a major aspect for the both of them and Jensen's will be tested to breaking point as the boys learn how they'll cope together on the road...and off it.
Disclaimer: None of the following is true in any way, and no profit is made from this work of fiction.



CHAPTER FIFTEEN

It was Tuesday. It was also six days (no, five and a half) until Jensen started classes again, the day his and Jared's bed was delivered to the apartment, and the day that Jared started working in the garage downstairs from where they lived. He'd agreed to a few hours each afternoon working on whatever they needed him to. In return, instead of wages, he would receive money off their rent and any parts he needed for his bike at a knock-down price. It meant he could get a good night's sleep and a few hours to himself in the day, as well as a few hours between working in the garage and working at the bar to spend with Jensen. It was a good deal and he was doing something he loved, although at first it would be easy jobs. Not putting too much strain on his still-healing wrist.

They spent the morning assembling the bed and then lifted the mattress up from the floor where they'd been sleeping. The past few days and nights in the apartment had grown more comfortable as they did more work to it. Chris had helped a lot over the weekend, bringing Steve with him on Sunday as an extra pair of hands. Jensen had cleaned everywhere as best he could while Steve fixed up lights and shelves and Chris and Jared painted over the walls with a thick coat of off-white paint. It looked better now. Less like a hole. Jensen's mom had brought over a rug that she'd rescued from the family home and had kept rolled up in her bedroom for the past several months. That went in the living room, covering over the suspicious stains on the wooden floor. The only other room that had carpeting was the bedroom, the rest was floorboards or tile.

It had been hard work, but looking at the apartment now Jensen knew it was worth it. Now the bed was finally set up it felt more like a home. They still had the beanbags to sit on, but Jeffrey had relented and said he would bring the couch from the garage over with Trevor at the weekend. Something else to look forward to.

"I think we should christen the bed," Jensen said, sitting down on the edge of the mattress and hooking his thumbs into Jared's belt-loops as the other man stepped closer.

"I only have an hour before I start downstairs."

"An hour's long enough," came the reply, muffled because Jensen was nuzzling into Jared's thigh as he spoke.

Jared let himself be pulled down, fell on top of Jensen and laughed when the younger man retaliated by pushing him over and reversing their positions. "You owe me," Jensen reminded him, and slid his tongue into Jared's mouth. The low warning tone in his voice was a turn-on. Jared's hands skimmed down the thin teeshirt that covered his back and squeezed around his backside while they kissed, making him moan and grind his hips down. Jared moved his hands underneath the elastic of Jensen's shorts, wanting skin beneath his fingers.

Their mouths eased apart, Jensen moving to kiss Jared's throat.

"Didn't think you'd collect so soon," Jared murmured.

"I guess three days without a bed will make a guy desperate," Jensen answered, then dragged his tongue back up Jared's neck and to his mouth. He had an hour and no intention of rushing this. If they didn't fuck, they didn't fuck. He was content to just get close to it for now. There was always time later on.

Jared pushed him up, catching his breath. "How desperate?" It seemed he wasn't too bothered about rushing anything.

Not to be deterred from his plan, Jensen only shook his head and went back to tasting Jared's skin. He held the other man's arms down, hands wrapped around Jared's biceps, and moved to suckle and bite at his nipples. Jared could have moved him but didn't; he just tilted his head back into the pillows and sucked his stomach in when Jensen carried on moving south. Jensen let go of him then, so he could unfasten the buckle of Jared's belt. Didn't matter that it was about seventy degrees in their bedroom and he was wearing cut-offs, he wouldn't go without his belt. Jensen got the fly open and smiled when he found that Jared had foregone underwear today. His cock was half-hard already and Jensen freed it, wrapped his mouth around it. He liked doing this. Loved giving blowjobs, especially to Jared and especially when he knew what would come later.

Jared certainly appreciated being on the receiving end of them. It boosted Jensen's confidence every time Jared said he'd got better at this, if that was even possible, and Jared said it a lot. He didn't see how it was possible to improve so many times, but he wasn't going to argue. He moved down and mouthed at Jared's balls, squeezing his cock with one hand while the other clasped around Jared's thigh. Above him, Jared moaned through gritted teeth. One hand came down to cradle the back of Jensen's head, pushing gently until he got his message across and the head of his cock was between Jensen's lips again. Jared rested his other hand over his eyes and pressed his head down into the pillows, the touches a painful pleasure.

Jensen relaxed his muscles, taking as much into his mouth as he could in one swift move which made Jared's hips pitch up from the bed and an undignified whine escape his lips. He bit his lip, cutting the sound short, and let Jensen hold him down as he sucked and licked and pulled. He wanted to fuck into Jensen's mouth, but the younger man wasn't going to let him after that initial push up. Jensen having control was better, he'd found. It seemed to get Jared off a lot quicker when he had to follow someone else. He didn't even feel it soon enough to warn about it. He was so turned on it was difficult to tell when that twisting in his stomach was going to unwind, but it suddenly did and it left him panting as Jensen drew back quickly, trying not to choke on what felt like a flood of come.

"Fucking Christ," Jared said, eventually, once Jensen had kissed his way back up to Jared's mouth and slowly let him free.

"Good blowjob?" Jensen asked, looking about as innocent as the devil.

"Goddamn best," Jared answered, sliding his hand to the back of Jensen's neck and pulling him in for a long kiss. "Top three," he continued.

"Which one did we lose?"

"You nudged out the one from that diner bathroom over on Delmar."

"You're just a pervert that likes public sex."

Jared didn't deny it. He didn't see a reason to, since it was true. He reached over to the makeshift night-stand - eventually they'd have all proper furniture, he'd promised himself - and picked up one of the foil packets that littered its surface. Jensen tried to look offended and didn't manage it as Jared tossed the condom at him. "Thirty minutes until I need to take a shower again and go to work."

"You're giving me a countdown now?"

"Yup. So get a move on."

"I think it's my turn to have a lay down and do fuck all," Jensen pointed out, rolling onto his back beside Jared. He sat up and pulled his tee-shirt over his head, dropping it to the side of the bed. Then he lifted his ass up from the bed and got his shorts off, kicking them to the floor as well. His dick was already deep red and swollen with need, resting against his stomach. There was a thin line of precome between his abs and the head of his cock and Jared reached down to catch it on his finger, which he promptly licked clean. Then he took the condom back off Jensen and unwrapped it, rolling it onto his boyfriend's cock in a move that had Jensen's hips lifting from the bed. "Fucker!" He muttered, hand going down to hold the base of his cock. He didn't want this to end before it began.

"Huh-uh, I'm the fuckee," Jared told him, grinning cheekily.

"You'll be fucked off if you do that again."

Jared didn't. He swung a leg over Jensen's body and knelt above him. He grabbed the lube from the nightstand and covered his fingers. Jensen didn't watch as Jared readied himself. He didn't think he could stand it. He kept his eyes fixed on Jared's face, seeing his expression change, and knew when he was ready. He braced himself, hands coming up to hold onto Jared as the other man took hold of Jensen's dick and lowered himself onto it. They both swore in unison, though Jared's cursing was a lot more creative and blasphemous. Jensen barely heard him, though, not through the blood rushing in his ears.

Jared's ass was flush with his body for a split second before he pulled back up and then impaled himself again. Jensen's nails dug into his skin and he groaned, already far gone. Jared went slower, not giving him the quick friction he needed. The tease of it was agony and Jensen wound up holding onto Jared's arms to keep him where he was so that he could fuck up into him. It seemed to take only moments before he was filling the condom, his head tipped back and a litany of 'oh, fuck, yes, Jared' spilling from his mouth. Jared pulled him up and turned them over again as Jensen drew his cock out slowly, his hand around the base of his dick to hold the condom on. He lay back for a while, catching his breath, shuddering lazily as Jared kissed the side of his chest and underneath his arm.

When he'd recovered enough to get rid of the condom, he got up from the bed and tied it off, tossing it into the waste-basket by the closet door. Jared made a noise of appreciation as he watched Jensen open the closet up, standing naked in front of it as he looked over the contents. He reached in and grabbed a clean teeshirt, which he threw in the direction of the bed. Jared caught it before it landed on his head and held it up.

"For me?"

"You're the one who has work in a little while. I'm the one who gets to wander round our apartment in my underwear for the next few hours until you come back."

"What're you cooking us for dinner?"

Jensen turned back to him, raised an eyebrow. "You're the one who just got fucked. If you think I'm playing housewife here, then-"

"Jen," Jared interrupted. He beckoned Jensen over to the bed and pulled him down for a kiss as soon as he was close enough. "I know. I don't want you to play housewife. We share everything now we have this place. If you want me to order in, I can order in. If you want me to make something when I'm finished work, I will."

Jensen relented. "It's okay. I'll do it."

"I'll only be downstairs, okay?"

"You think they'd be pissed off if I started hanging around and putting you off your work?"

Jared chuckled. "Maybe a little bit. I'd sure enjoy it, but I don't want to lose a job I haven't started yet."

"Fair point. I'll cancel that strip-o-gram I ordered, then."

Jared rolled his eyes, punched Jensen in the arm gently. "I'm going for a shower. You coming?"

Jensen didn't need to make dinner at all, as it turned out. He answered two phone calls on Jared's cellphone that afternoon. The first was from Rock, saying he wanted Jared in on Thursday night and all through the weekend, so he could have Tuesday and Wednesday night off. Jensen promised to pass the message on. Rock said he'd see them both later anyway, which didn't make sense until the second call. It was Jeff, asking them both over to dinner. Said that Jensen's mom and sister had been invited too, and that Donna was bringing Tommy with her. Rock. Jensen had to admit he was still surprised by what a good match they seemed to be. Surprised that Rock was his mom's type, especially after his dad. But maybe that was the point; he was so far away from being anything like Alan. Jensen supposed that if he were in his mom's shoes, that would be a good reason to be attracted to the man.

Moving away from thinking about Rock in those terms, he told Jeff that he and Jared would be over as soon as Jared had finished his first shift in the garage.

"How's he doing?"

"Well, he's been down there for a couple hours and I haven't heard any sirens or breaking windows yet, so I'm assuming it's going well. The apartment's looking good now, too. We got our bed this morning."

"Do I want to know what you did after that?"

"Probably not," Jensen grinned. "Even so, I bet Jared'll mention something tonight. Give us a couple months to scrape together for a few more chairs and maybe we can invite you over for dinner sometime. Don't think we have room for anything as fancy as a dining table, though."

Jeff laughed quietly. "Maybe not right now. You won't be there forever, I'm sure."

"I hope not. How are Stevie and Holly?"

"They're good. Both asleep right now. Stevie likes to grab a nap whenever Holly puts her head down. We don't get many other chances at this stage."

"If you ever want us to come over and look after her then just call us. Even just me. I used to help mom with Kenzie so I can sort of remember what I'm doing."

"I know, Jensen. And we will. But I think we'll give it a week or two before we go out anywhere without her. You can help out with her while you're here tonight, though. Give Stevie a little bit of a rest."

"Gladly," Jensen replied, smiling to himself at the thought that Holly was going to be a real Daddy's girl when she was older.

Donna felt a hand on her shoulder, then Tommy swept back her hair and smiled at her in the mirror as she finished putting her earrings in. He bent his head and kissed the side of her neck, told her she looked beautiful as he released her hair and it tumbled back over her shoulders. He looked good himself. Donna didn't know why they had both seemed to feel the need to dress smart, but they had. She had picked out a white cotton summer dress for the evening. Tight up top, with a long and flowing skirt. She knew Jeffrey wouldn't have cared if they'd turned up in paint-spattered shorts and tee-shirts, but it was the first time they had been asked over since the baby had been born and Donna felt like it was a more special occasion than that.

Tommy was in black pants and black polo neck, his muscled and tattooed arms on show. He was stronger than Alan, that was for sure. And he was a lot more affectionate. Now Jensen and Jared were in their own place, Donna had invited Tommy to stay overnight whenever he wanted. It made her feel safe when they snuggled up on the sofa after Kenzie had gone to bed, Tommy's strong arms around her body. Safer than she ever had with her husband. The sex was better too, but that was something she would keep to herself for now. She smiled to herself, and Tommy chuckled.

"What're you thinking about?"

She reached up, pulling him down and kissing him. "You," she answered. "We should get a move on. Kenzie'll be wondering what we're doing."

The house was noisy and smelled beautiful. Jeff and Stevie had both had a hand in dinner and there was food enough for a dozen people and not just the seven who were sat at the table to eat. Holly was asleep in her travel-cot, sat on the chair next to Stevie. Everyone had cooed over her and congratulated the new mother before being told to sit. Jared hadn't had time to change and Jeff knew better than to say anything about it. His arms were slightly greasy and his teeshirt was stained, but he looked happy and so did Jensen.

After dinner, they moved into the living room and took up every available sofa and chair. Jeff asked Jared about work and Stevie and Donna talked about baby Holly and what Kenzie and Jensen had been like as babies. Jensen distracted Jared away from that conversation, or tried to at least. It wasn't long before Jared was nudging him and laughing about the time when Jensen was three and had 'freed' his pet goldfish in the garden. Jensen tried to get his mom to stop, but it was in vain. Once that story was out, Kenzie was begging for more and Stevie's laughter only encouraged Donna to bring out the more embarrassing tales.

"And you got Valedictorian?" Kenzie asked, calming down from laughing at yet another story. "I'm probably going to be president someday, huh?"

Jensen rolled his eyes. "You can be anything you want," he told her. "Mom, why don't we talk about something else?"

She finally relented, grinning when Jared leaned against her son and told him he hadn't known he was in love with such a dork. Jensen turned, kissed the side of Jared's head. Told him he hid it better these days.

"Hmm, you really don't, but if you say so."

Holly chose that moment to wake up, crying as soon as she was fully aware. Stevie got up and reached into her cot, picking her up carefully.

"Oh, someone needs changing, huh?"

Jensen was up in a moment. Maybe if he helped out with Holly then people would definitely talk about something else. "I can do it, Stevie. You should relax tonight. Take a break from it."

"Are you sure?"

"I used to help change Kenzie all the time, right mom? Jay, come and give me a hand. You're going to need to learn how to do this too."

Stevie still looked reluctant to hand Holly over to him, but Jeffrey touched her gently and she nodded. Jensen took Holly into his arms, feeling like his heart might stop. She was so tiny, and so loud. Stevie told him where everything was and he headed upstairs with Jared in tow, Holly still wailing at him in discomfort. Everything was in the guest bedroom, now turned into a nursery although the cot would remain in the master bedroom for a while longer yet. Jensen knelt on the floor and let Holly down onto the changing mat.

Jared swore under his breath as Jensen undid the diaper on Holly and opened it up.

"Holy crap, is it always like that?" He asked, the back of his hand pressed to his nose and mouth.

"Get used to it if we're going to look after her ever again. This is what babies do. Cry and poop. And yeah, it always stinks."

"How are you not throwing up right now?"

Jensen shrugged. "Awesome gag reflex."

Jared stopped pulling faces and eyed him. Jensen pointedly did not look his way, although Jared could see that his mouth was twitching like he was trying not to laugh. He let Jensen get on with changing the diaper, trying to pay attention to what he was doing. As far as he could see, learning every letter in the Greek alphabet and then reciting it backwards would probably be easier. He figured he just needed practice.

When he was done, and the dirty diaper was disposed of, Jensen lifted Holly up again and cradled her in his arms. "There we are, baby. All good again." The noise had died down, at least, but she was still not settled. Jared held out his hand to her, and she swiped at it with outstretched fingers.

"You should hold her," Jensen said. "Never mind what Jeff said. It's about time she got a hug from her big brother."

Jared couldn't agree more. He took in the way Jensen was holding her before he passed her over. Jared took her, and she fit in his arms as perfectly as Jensen did. In his opinion, at least. He didn't voice the thought, just looked down at her and grinned.

"Hey, gorgeous," he murmured. She had beautiful blue eyes and they were staring up at him in what he liked to think was awe. Her tiny hands reached for his face and he leaned in closer, letting her grab at his bottom lip. "You're lucky, you know," he said, when she let go.

"Hmm?" Jensen asked.

"That you've already had the chance to do this. Be a big brother to your baby sister."

"It doesn't take any special abilities, you know."

"Yeah, I know, but... Do you know what I mean? You got to be there."

"So will you, Jay. You'll be there for her plenty."

He nodded. "Kenzie's lucky to have you for a big brother. I hope Holly feels the same way about me when she's that age."

"She will. And for what it's worth, I feel lucky having her as a little sister. It's the best feeling to think that she looks up to me now."

"I always looked up to you," Kenzie said, from where she had been standing in the doorway. She took a step into the room, looking at Jared holding his baby sister. "And so will she." She turned to Jensen. "Stevie sent me up to make sure you guys were okay."

"We're okay."

"So come on downstairs already. C'mon, I'm not going to get to spend that much time with you once school starts. I miss my brother."

Jensen put an arm around her shoulders with a smile, hugged her against his side. "You'll get to see me," he promised.

Thursday night came far too quickly to Jensen. He'd spent the past couple of afternoons while Jared worked getting his things ready for school. He'd been out with Chris that afternoon, since his friend had no classes, to buy some of the textbooks he needed and a few new clothes. It took half of the last chunk of cash from Jared's fight and he'd insisted that Jensen take it and use it for whatever he needed. They had enough left from it to cover the rest of the rent for the following month and by then Jared would have a more regular wage coming in. Jensen had argued at first, but Jared had made him see it his way. He was good at that.

Chris offered his opinion on all the clothes Jensen tried out, telling him that just because it was the first step to med-school didn't mean he had to dress stuffy.

"Stuffy?" He'd asked, looking down at the pale blue Oxford shirt and navy pants that he'd just got into.

"Yeah, stuffy. Guy like you looks more at home in jeans and a teeshirt."

"But this is what I used to wear all the time," Jensen argued. "You never said anything then."

Chris shrugged. "That was just who you were then. It ain't like that any more. Trust me, you're a jeans guy."

"But Doctor Ballentine-"

"Who gives a shit? You honestly think he only agreed to take you on because of the suit your Dad bought you? Ditch those clothes and show him that you're a smart guy no matter what you look like."

Chris was probably right. And Jensen knew that he was only saying the exact same thing that Jared would say to him if he took these clothes home. He unbuttoned the shirt quickly, shrugged it off his shoulders. Noticed Chris watching and laughed.

"Do you have to stand there perving on me?"

Chris just smiled and nodded. "There's not much else round here that looks as good as you do."

"I think maybe you need your eyes testing. Or just go look a bit closer in the mirror."

Chris shook his head at the cheesy remark, but didn't say anything else. "I'm going to find you some proper clothes. Try not to turn into your Dad while I'm gone."

"Ha ha, fuck you," Jensen replied, but Chris was already out of the changing room. He came back after five minutes with an armful of denim and cotton. He dumped it all on the chair next to the mirror and told Jensen to get his pants off already as he sorted through the pile. He had admittedly good taste and Jensen figured it was the fact that they had known each other most of their lives that helped him to know what would look good on his best friend. The tee-shirts were in colors that brought out the green of his eyes, or the reds, blues and oranges of his tattoos. They were all tight across his chest and he wondered whether some of the choices were for Chris's benefit more than his.

He bought everything that Chris had chosen and then they got takeout coffee from the Starbuck's next door before they walked back to the apartment, carrying all the books and clothes between them. Jared was due to finish at the garage within half an hour and to start over at Mickey's three hours after that. They dumped the stuff in the living room and, since the beanbags weren't that comfy, took their coffees into the bedroom and sat on the bed, kicking off their shoes as they did so.

"Thanks for coming out with me today," Jensen said.

"Like I'd miss the opportunity to spend time with my best friend."

"Shopping for clothes, though? That was kind of a 'straight eye for the queer guy' moment. Even though you're not entirely straight, but..."

By the time Jared got back upstairs they were laughing comfortably, their coffees forgotten at the bedside. Jared came into the bedroom and leaned over, watching the expression on Jensen's face as he gave Chris a brief kiss in greeting. Then he pressed his hand into the bed between Chris and Jensen and leaned further to kiss Jensen. This kiss was longer, wetter, more passionate. It wasn't until Chris coughed that he pulled himself away, pushing himself up to stand straight again.

"Hi," he said, then, as he headed out of the room, "I need a shower before tonight. Did you get new clothes?"

"Yeah. Maybe we'll come over to Mickey's tonight and you can see some of them."

Jared stopped in the doorway, turning and leaning against the frame. "Oh yeah? Will I be impressed?"

Jensen shrugged. "Up to you."

"Hmm." He pushed away from the door again, heading to the bathroom. "I'm taking a shower. If you two want to make out, that's fine. My camera's under the bed."

"Asshole," Chris muttered, but he was smiling when he said it. And it wasn't awkward, being left alone after a comment like that. Chris instead told Jensen which shirt to wear that night and to go join Jared in the shower. He said he should go home and get changed and that he'd see him later on. Maybe he'd bring Steve. Jensen saw him to the door and kissed him goodbye, since Jared had kissed him hello. Then he took his friend's advice and went to join Jared in the shower.

Mickey's hadn't changed any in the weeks since Jensen had last been there. It was still loud, smokey, dark and reeking of sweat and beer. The floor was still sticky, there were still heavy-set bikers having arguments across the pool table, and the lock on the last stall in the men's bathroom was still broken which meant that Jensen had to lean against it to keep it shut while Jared gave him a five minute blowjob during his first break.

Jensen had gone over to Mickey's in Chris's truck. Steve was out with his girlfriend - the cute brunette that Jensen had seen him with at the gig - and so Chris had come alone. He'd let Jensen drive, mostly because Jensen had offered to, but also because he wanted a couple of beers or so. Jensen wasn't drinking, since he knew Jared couldn't. It wouldn't be fair to make him look after them both.

They'd gone straight to the bar when they'd got there and Jared had spotted them quickly. He'd dealt with the customers he already had and then come over, eyeing Jensen up appreciatively. He'd gone with old jeans, torn at the knees and thready around the hems, but his shirt was new. The color of freshly rained on grass, it had tight sleeves with white edges and a v-neck that just gave a hint of the tattoos and muscles beneath the shirt. In a sea of black denim and leather, Jensen stood out. The weird thing was that nobody looked at him anyway. They all knew him now, if not by name then at least by sight. Jensen was almost certain that just about everybody in the bar had attended Jeff and Stevie's wedding and he had probably taken all of their pictures there at some point.

Jared had placed a bottle of Bud in front of Chris, then leaned across the bar and licked a kiss into Jensen's mouth. Their tongues pushed against one another and then Jensen had drawn away, asked for a Coke.

"That shit's bad for you," Jared had said, as he uncapped a bottle and handed it over.

"I can think of a dozen things that are worse that I don't do," Jensen answered.

Jared shot him a knowing grin and told him he could think of a dozen worse things that Jensen did do. "And I'll come find you on my break and remind you about one of them."

As Jensen zipped his fly back up and Jared wiped come off his chin with a wad of toilet paper, he had to concede the point. He followed Jared back out into the bar, knowing that people were probably looking and not caring. He took his seat beside Chris, who had been talking to a guy named Bill and his wife, Jeannie. They were from New Zealand and were taking a ride right across the states on a rented Goldwing, checking out all the biker bars along the way. They chatted about the best places to visit that Jensen knew of from his trip with Jared, and places they might want to avoid. Tumbleweeds was top of that list, although Jensen didn't elaborate on why.

The couple soon moved away to talk to other people and Chris leaned against the bar, turning his bottle in the puddle of condensation beneath it. "Fuck, I feel like getting drunk tonight," he said, taking a long gulp a moment later.

"Everything all right?" Jensen asked.

"Yeah. Just..." He shrugged.

He realized then what it might be about. "Did you see Dani today?"

Chris stiffened, hunched further over his drink. "After I got home from being out with you. She was there, waiting for me. We were meant to be going out tomorrow night."

Jensen fiddled with the label on his Coke, not wanting to ask but having to. "Were?"

"She dumped me. And before you start feeling guilty, it's nothing to do with you or Jared. Jesus, she doesn't even know about that. Would've been sooner if she had. We... God, I don't know... Maybe it's just that we haven't seen each other for a while. She met someone else. I guess it was easier to start dating someone closer to her school than to make an effort with me."

"Were you trying?"

Chris huffed out a sigh. "I thought I was. I guess not hard enough. I loved her, Jen. I thought it'd last longer than that."

"You're a romantic at heart, huh? Someone'll get to take advantage of that one day, man. Someone will be lucky enough to know."

Smiling slightly at his friend, Chris nodded. "Thanks, man. I hope so. I know it can't be you, but maybe I should be looking at guys. You reckon?"

"I can't tell you. I'd just say try it. You never know, right?"

There was no trouble at all before Chris and Jensen left the bar, a couple of hours before closing, so it was a surprise when Jared came home a few hours later and Jensen found him rummaging through the freezer for some ice to go on his blackening eye.

"Don't even start," Jared said, clearly not wanting an argument. "I know what you're thinking and this isn't going to be a regular thing."

Jensen leaned against the counter opposite Jared, folding his arms across his chest. "So what happened?"

"Me and Sharon thought someone should leave, he disagreed. He yelled at her, I escorted him outside and he said thank you with his fist. I thanked him back by calling the cops so he gets to spend the night in a cell."

Jensen shrugged. "Okay."

Pressing a pack of frozen berries to his eye, Jared turned and looked over at his boyfriend. "Okay? That's it?"

"Yeah, that's it. You didn't start the fight and you didn't try to finish it. So there's no problem, right?"

"Right. Where's Chris?"

"I dropped him at home and got a cab back here. He was pretty drunk, but he at least seemed a little less depressed."

"Good," Jared answered. He dropped the wet packet into the sink and crossed the kitchen, hooking his thumbs into the drawstring of the thin pyjama pants that Jensen was wearing.

"Aren't you tired?" Jensen tried to ask, but he didn't finish because Jared's mouth was already on his, swallowing the words. He pulled Jensen's head back with one hand gripping into his hair and nipped at his jaw before answering.

"We have got three days until you go back to school and the window for sex gets even smaller. So let's make the most of it, huh?" He tugged on the loose knot with a grin. "Think you've got the energy?"

"I'm sure I can find some from somewhere," Jensen retorted, shoving one hand between Jared's legs and squeezing hard. "I think the real question is, can you keep up?" He knocked against Jared's shoulder as he moved past him, heading for their bedroom. Well, Jared thought. Never let it be said that he backed down from a challenge.

The weekend went by far too fast for both of them. Jeffrey drove over with Trevor and they got the boys' couch up the stairs to their apartment between them. Just in time, too, since it gave Chris a place to crash when he came to hang out with Jensen on Saturday night and they both ended up drinking far too much. They hadn't gone to the bar again. Jared told them both that he'd be fine without them distracting him and that it was too far out of Chris's way for them to be driving over every night of the week. Besides, Jensen had to go to school with a clear head on Monday morning and he wouldn't achieve that if he was up all night watching his boyfriend pour beers for the crowd at Mickey's.

There was, at least, no more trouble at the bar. The bruise around Jared's eye came out nicely; a shiny dark purple that made Jensen wince every time he saw it. On Sunday morning Jared was up before either of them and cooked them both breakfast, the smell of which caused Chris to spend thirty minutes in the bathroom, hugging the toilet bowl. When he finally came out and sat down on the floor by Jared's feet, he was handed a black coffee and vowed not to drink again as he took the first sip. Jensen's empty plate was by his side on the floor and he ran a finger through the blobs of ketchup that were still on it and licked his finger clean.

"You know I can make some more breakfast if you want," Jared told him.

"Ugh, no way. I think I'll stop by MacDonalds on my way home."

"You sure? We got stuff for french toast, pancakes, bacon, eggs... You name it."

Jensen nudged him in the ribs and called him evil. Then he swung himself around on the couch and brought his bare feet up onto Jared's lap. Chris grabbed a beanbag and rested it against the front of the couch. When he sat on it his head was pillowed against Jared's left knee. Jared turned the TV on with the remote, flicking through the channels until he found a rerun of an old Cagney movie, Lady Killer. He knew Jensen liked Cagney and made a comment about how hot Mae Clarke was before closing his hand around Jensen's ankle and stroking the bare skin there gently.

"Mae Clarke, huh? Figured you'd be more of a Greta Garbo fan."

"Clichéd, Jen. She's not so bad, but not subtle enough."

Jensen shook his head. "You're very strange, you know that?"

Jared lifted Jensen's foot, kissed his ankle and laughed at the look he got when he did. "Yeah, I know. Now watch the movie."

"I have it on DVD, Jay. It doesn't matter if we miss any of it."

"He could recite it to you if you want," Chris interjected. "He's made me watch it about fifteen times."

"You're both dorks. Good job you're so cute."

Chris twisted around and winked at Jensen when he mouthed 'is he talking about you?' at him. Jared smacked the back of Chris's head, then squeezed Jensen's ankle and poked his tongue out.

"Like I said. Dorks."

They quietened down after that, watching the movie. After a while, Jared made Chris settle on the sofa with him and Jensen. It was hot, sweaty, but comfortable. When the movie finished, Jared fetched them all a cold drink and they settled in to watch some more. As far as Jensen was concerned, it was the best way to spend the last afternoon of his vacation.

--TBC--