Smoke & Lightning: Born To Be Wild (19/?)
MASTER POST
Title: Smoke And Lightning: Born To Be Wild (19/?)
Authors: bloody_adorable and eviltwin
Fandoms: Supernatural RPS
Pairing: Jensen Ackles / Jared Padalecki.
Rating: Adult.
Wordcount: 3,877
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 NINETEEN
Jensen remembered, as he sat in the stiff chair in the hospital waiting room, other accidents and other hospitals. Other times when he felt like he couldn't even swallow past the sick feeling in his stomach. He didn't particularly like the smell of hospitals, although he knew it was something he would grow accustomed to. He figured that he just needed to be able to associate it with something other than someone he loved being in pain. That was all.
He had his hands clasped between his knees, shirt sleeves rolled up past his forearms. He was staring at his wrist, thinking of Jared's and the tattoo that he had there. Si vis pacem, para bellum. It was so true, he thought. Jared had just been looking for the least troublesome way out. He hadn't wanted this at all. Jensen had never imagined that the situation with Coulter could escalate so far and so fast. He supposed he still had a lot to learn about the world Jared was trying to leave behind.
He barely noticed when Jeff arrived, but he wasn't startled when Jeff laid a hand on his shoulder and asked him if he was okay. He looked up, his face telling the whole story. Jared was being checked over to make sure his lungs were okay. That inhaling all that smoke hadn't done any permanent damage. He was being given fluids and the burns were being treated and dressed. But on the ambulance ride over, the pain of his burn had set in through all that adrenalin and he had been screaming with it. They'd given him medication straight away anyway, but Jensen couldn't get it out of his head. He couldn't remember seeing Jared in so much pain before, crying with it. He'd hated it.
Jeff sat beside him and Jensen watched his right knee bounce as his foot twitched on the floor. It irritated him, for some irrational reason, and he forced himself to stare at the wall opposite instead.
"Waiting's the worst bit, huh?" Jeff asked.
Jensen nodded, not trusting himself to speak.
"He's alive, Jen. That's what really counts, you know?"
When Jensen still didn't respond, Jeff gave in and went back to his nervous bouncing. Jensen was more than relieved when a doctor finally came out to them and told them that they could come see Jared. Jensen didn't think he'd ever moved so quick in his life. He was at Jared's bedside before Jeff even got in the door and he sat down, taking his boyfriend's hand and locking their fingers together.
Jared looked a little out of it, though he smiled around his oxygen mask at Jensen, and squeezed his fingers softly. The doctor was talking, but Jensen didn't listen. Instead, he looked over Jared's body to make sure there were no other injuries that he hadn't yet seen. He found none and returned his gaze to Jared's face to see that he was being watched. Jeff and the doctor spoke over them, about how lucky Jared had been and about the treatment he would receive. When they were done, Jeffrey set a hand to Jensen's back and looked down at his boy.
"You'll be in here for a few days or so, I guess. Just while they get your arm sorted out," he said.
Jared nodded his head, his thumb moving over the backs of Jensen's knuckles. Jeff saw it and took a step back.
"I'll... I'll leave you two alone."
Jared nodded again, watching both Jeff and the doctor retreat. As soon as the door shut behind them he tugged on Jensen's hand and made the younger man lean forward. Jensen got the idea and kissed his forehead, carefully brushing his hair aside.
"I love you," he whispered. "So much. Scares me just how much sometimes."
Jared made a noise of agreement and watched Jensen settle back. He was tired, and so was Jensen. It was the small hours of the morning, he realized, and so it wasn't any wonder. He shut his eyes, hoping nobody would come in and tell him to go, and was soon asleep. Jared took a deep breath and then pulled the oxygen mask off his face, no longer needing it. He kept Jensen's hand held in his, succumbed to sleep as well.
It was light when Jensen woke again, and someone was shaking him gently by the shoulder. His hand was still loosely folded in Jared's and he pulled it back, looking up at the two police officers behind him.
"We need to speak with him, son," the older one said. He was grey-haired and kind-faced and Jensen liked him immediately.
"You need me to go?" He asked. His voice was raspy from lack of sleep.
"You can stay, it's fine."
Jensen nodded, relieved. He wasn't sure if he could have left Jared's side anyway. Not yet. He leaned forwards, out of his seat, and kissed Jared's lips. It made him wake up and he smiled at Jensen, then noticed the two cops behind him and frowned.
"Can we ask you a couple questions about last night?" The younger one, whose name tag read 'Hawks', flipped his notebook open.
"What do you want to know?" Jared's voice was scratchy and faint, a shade of its usual strength, and it took him longer to get the words out.
"Just what happened. How you discovered the fire."
"I was shutting the bar with Clay." He paused, licked his dry lips, and coughed. They waited until he could continue. "We smelt burning. I went looking and found the second floor was on fire. There was no way we could fight it, so we got out. That's it."
"Yeah, you were pretty lucky for doing that. Could have been a lot worse. Looks like it was started deliberately though. Broken window on the second floor says that the arsonist got in there and the fire department tells us that the accelerant used was by that window. Fire spread out from there. The building was old, so it didn't need much."
"What... What about the neighbors?"
"They were lucky too. Minor damage to the restaurant. They're still open for business. Do you know who lit up Mickey's?"
"Yeah," Jared answered. His eyes shifted to Jensen's face and he looked sad. "I need to talk to Jeff before... Before I can say."
"Mr Padalecki, you need to tell us."
"Just... I will. But it's complicated."
Jensen frowned. "Jared, don't. It's not. There's nothing-"
"He threatened to hurt you. And Stevie. And Holly."
The older cop pursed his lips. "Folks like that will use whatever they can. Half the time it's just a tool to get you to do what they want."
"I don't think he was bluffing. I don't want my family to get hurt."
"We can't force you to tell us, of course, but-"
"Can we have a minute?" Jensen asked, not taking his eyes off Jared.
They hesitated, but agreed. They left the room together, shutting the door behind them.
"Jared, stop being stubborn and just tell them it was Coulter, would you?"
"I didn't want you to be right."
Jensen smiled. "Get used to it."
Jared didn't laugh, not least because he couldn't. He just sighed, chewed at his bottom lip. "He knows where you go to school. Who your friends are. You want to risk that?"
"He could've killed you, Jay. It's not a question of risk. It's a question of right and wrong."
"You don't get it-"
"I get it just fine. I understand it's a risk, but you shouldn't just have to stand back and let him get away with this. And I don't want you trying to get revenge by yourself. I don't want to end up down that path again. If you let him off this, he's going to hurt you. And you might not be so lucky next time."
"Then how can I protect you?"
"You don't have to. Just do the right thing and we'll think about the consequences afterwards if it comes to it."
"I hate that plan," Jared told him.
"I know. Are you going to tell them?"
Jared shut his eyes and sighed again. "Do I have a choice?"
"No."
"And do you get the risks of it?"
"Yes. I get it."
"Then you'd better get those cops back in here."
"I'm meant to be in Ballentine's office right now," Jensen said, watching Jared's fingers move over his arm in a slow, spiralling pattern.
"So go."
"He'll understand. At least I'm in the same building. I'll just pick up my work when you're out of here and recovering."
Jared rolled his eyes. "I don't want to be the reason that you fall behind," he argued. "Go and see him. I know you'll be in the hospital somewhere. If I need you, I'll make sure you're found."
"I'm not... No. Not today, anyway. Just let me stay here with you today."
"Okay, but, I'm not going anywhere. Shit's gonna get boring real fast for you."
"No way it will. I promise." Jensen didn't care if it did. He wasn't planning on leaving Jared's side for more than a minute today. It didn't matter that his clothes were the ones he'd had on all the day before, or that he needed to clean his teeth, or that his stomach was growling in hunger at him. Those were all little things as far as he was concerned, paling in significance against the love he felt for Jared right now. He'd done everything so differently to how he would have before. Jensen knew that Jared had changed his attitude to certain things and it was a testament to how much he loved Jensen in return that he had followed through on it. He'd given the cops a statement and they'd told him that they would check Coulter out, try and gather evidence.
The next couple of hours were regular visiting hours and Jensen stayed where he was as Jeff came back, this time with Stevie and Holly. They sat and talked to them both, reassuring them that Doctor Ballentine had been contacted to at least excuse him from today. That the garage in which Jared spent his afternoons had been told that he would be off for a while. They also reassured them about money. After they'd told Donna what had happened, earlier that morning, she'd immediately said that they needed to tell Jensen and Jared that she would give them their rent money for the month. That they didn't need to panic about cash for a few weeks. Jensen felt uncomfortably guilty at the news, but deeply relieved.
"Make him get something to eat. And a shower," Jared said, as Jeff and Stevie were about to leave.
"I told you, I'm not going anywhere," Jensen reminded him, annoyed.
"You stink worse than me," came the reply. "And your stomach's keeping me awake. Go on, just go get cleaned up and eat something. For me."
Stevie told Jensen that Jared was right, that he had to eat. She could understand him not wanting to leave Jared's side, especially not with Coulter's threat hanging over their heads, but they were in a safe place. Jeff could stay there with Holly while she took Jensen home, if he wanted. And she could drive Jensen straight back to the hospital. Reluctantly, he agreed, leaving Jared with a long kiss and a promise.
He called Chris on the way over, wondering if he would be in class already. Hoping not. He was sure Chris had sorted his schedule so that he started late on Mondays. Sure enough, after only a couple of rings, his friend answered with a sleepy 'Jensen?'
"Chris, hey man. You in classes today?"
"Yeah, Jen. Start at one. You need me to skip?"
"No, it's okay. Can you come over tomorrow night?"
"Uh, sure. What's happened? Is everything okay?"
"It's all fine. Mickey's burned down last night." Chris swore as Jensen continued, "Jared was working and it was after the bar shut up for the night. He's okay, he got out all right. Burnt his arm and he's in hospital being treated, but he'll be okay."
"You want me to come over tonight?"
"I think they're keeping him in. I'll be at the hospital with him. Come see us there, if you want to."
"Of course I want to. You're my best friend, Jen, I'm not going to just leave you on your own with this."
Jensen felt a tug of gratitude in his heart and smiled, holding his phone close to his ear. "Thanks, man." He gave him the details, which room Jared was in, and said he'd see him later before hanging up.
At Jeff's place, which was nearer to the hospital, Jensen took a short, hot shower, cleaned his teeth, and dressed in some of the few spare clothes he had left there. By the time he got downstairs from it, Stevie had cooked him eggs and bacon and toasted some waffles and it was all crammed onto a plate with a cup of steaming coffee sat by the side of it. He ate, grateful, and his stomach groaned as he fed it. Stevie sat opposite him and watched him to make sure he finished it all. Jensen thought there was no need; her cooking was delicious and he quickly realized just how much he had needed the food as he ate.
"You want some more?" She asked, once his plate was clear.
"I just want to get back."
She eyed him. "Do you need some more?"
He agreed to make a sandwich and eat it on the way over, just to keep her happy. She also grabbed him a bottle of water from the fridge and an apple from the fruit bowl and then they went back out to the car.
Nothing had changed when they returned to Jared's room. Jeff was sat by the side of him, Holly half-asleep in his arms. He was rocking her, singing softly to her, and Jared was asleep in his bed, oblivious.
"Better?" He asked, as Jensen went back to his spot on the other side of the bed. Jensen nodded in answer, watching Jared's mouth as he breathed in and out.
"Okay. We'll leave you alone again."
"Has he been asleep long?"
"Not really. Doc came in and had a chat with him, changed the regulation of the pain meds. Then he went straight to sleep."
Worried, Jensen looked up at the drip that was feeding pain relief direct to Jared's bloodstream. "Is he..."
"Relax, they just cut the dosage a little bit. Jay doesn't like feeling so drugged." Jeff shrugged. "You know what he's like."
Jensen nodded. Yeah, he knew.
It was nearly one in the afternoon when Jared woke up again. He blinked, sleepy, and looked up at Jensen. He took a moment to wake up before he spoke. "All better?" That was the first question he asked.
"Yeah. You?"
"Doc reckons I'll live. They reckon they're gonna graft skin from my ass onto my arm. What d'you think?"
Horrified, Jensen stared at him. "Wh-what?"
"I reckon I'll have the sexiest freakin' arm in the history of man," Jared told him. He waited a beat and then laughed and Jensen felt like an idiot. "Aw, man, I'm sorry. They said the burn will probably heal up pretty well without surgery. It wasn't real deep. Just deep enough to scar and ruin all of Eric's good work. You should see it."
"I saw it last night."
"Yeah, but that was before they cleaned it up. It started to ooze, man." He laughed at Jensen's expression. "You're gonna be a doctor, Jen. You're gonna have to face oozing at some point."
Jensen grimaced. "Why are you finding this so fucking awesome?"
The smile dropped and Jared looked away from him. "I'm not," he said. "I'm just..."
Instantly, Jensen felt sorry for saying anything. He just wished Jared wouldn't joke about it, but he could understand why he was. That was just something Jared did, he supposed. "Hey. I know. How much tattoo did it get?"
"Enough. I'm glad it wasn't the other arm. That one's more important to me. But still, it sucks."
"You can get a new one."
"I will. What about you? Once I'm out of here, maybe we should go together and get something done."
"We should." Jensen had been itching for some more work lately. This was as good an excuse as any. As he thought about what he might get and what spare skin Jared even had to cover in tattoos, there was a soft knock at the open door and a man Jensen didn't recognize peered around from the hallway. Rock was stood behind him and Jensen assumed, rightly, that the stranger must be Mickey. He wasn't what Jensen had expected. Less Rock's size, he was just shy of six foot and fairly lean. He had dark auburn hair with slivers of grey, cropped short, and looked like he had just returned from a holiday somewhere sunny.
"You must be the famous Ackles boy," he said, nearing Jensen and holding out his hand. "I'm Mickey. Heard plenty about you. Taming our Jay the way you did... Made quite a name for yourself."
Jensen felt his cheeks go hot at the comment and shook Mickey's hand, not answering.
Then Mickey turned to look at Jared in the bed and crossed the room to take the seat that Jeff had vacated earlier in the day. "Well, Jay, seems like you just can't keep out of trouble, huh?"
Jared nodded, looking worried. Jensen could see why. Mickey might not look like Rock, or Necro, but he had the same vaguely threatening air about him. "No, sir," Jared said. "I'm sorry about-"
"Don't be," Mickey interrupted, holding up a hand. "Listen, the bar was insured so I got no problem with that. It was insured plenty and the police are being pretty fucking co-operative about statements to the company. I'll get enough to rebuild."
"It was history, man," Jared argued.
"History my goddamn ass," Mickey retorted. "My bike has more history than that place. And besides, anything worth remembering is all up here," he added, tapping the side of his head. "It was just a bar, that's all. Everything I thought was worth keeping is at my home. Since people kept tearing the place apart every time they had a fucking disagreement, that was kind of a necessity." He shifted in his seat. "Coulter, huh?"
"You know him?" Jensen asked, interested in the change of tone.
"Oh, I know him. If I'd known he was in my fucking bar I'd have been down there to throw him out personally, believe me. He and I go back a long way. He's not new to arson and he's certainly not new to the weapons trade. Jay, you remember Al?"
Jared thought for a moment, then his face opened up like he had just realized something. "Coulter did that?"
"Him or someone under his orders. He never got caught for that one, but I want to make sure he goes where he fucking belongs this time. You going to help me with that?"
"Yeah, you know I will."
"Heard he made a couple threats as well," Mickey continued, looking over at Jensen. "We'll be keeping an eye on him, okay? On all of you. I've known JD since I was barely legal and I owe him plenty of favors. Besides, if I'm going to hire his company to rebuild the bar, then I kind of need to make sure he stays alive, right?"
Jared looked at him in disbelief. "Jeff's rebuilding the... Are you kidding?"
"You think I don't have a lifestyle that I want to stay accustomed to? Soon as the insurance comes through, the work will start. I've already got a good spot in mind, had a chat with a couple of good friends this morning. And you're not out of a job either, Jared. You're going to help him."
Jared frowned. "You know what happened last time I tried to work for the old man?"
"You won't be working for him, you'll be working for me. Not rebuilding, Jay. Designing. I want you to work on the interior of the place. Make it what it should be."
"You're serious?"
"You ever known me to joke around?"
"You'll have help, too," Rock said. It was the first he'd spoken since arriving, but Jensen figured that with a boss like Mickey he'd probably keep quiet too. "Phin's coming up to work on the construction team. We decided it'd be good for him, get him out from under his grandaddy's feet for a while."
"It's about time that kid of yours did an honest day's work," Mickey said, grinning up at Rock.
"Tell me about it. Maybe Jay can help him understand that."
"No pressure," Jay said, jokingly. "Anyway, thank you. Both. But it's time for you to go."
Mickey chuckled, shook his head as he stood. "All right, Jay. We're going. Let us know when you're fit to get out of here. I want you helping out as soon as you can."
"I will. Go on, go. Jen's looking at me with that look like he wants to fuck my brains out."
Jensen's head snapped up and he glared at Jared, wishing he didn't have to be so fucking brash all the time. "For that you can go fuck yourself."
Jared winced, his eyes widening in mock-hurt. "You know how hard it is to do that? You gotta do fucking yoga and even then-"
"Okay, okay!" Mickey clasped a hand to Jared's good shoulder and patted it. "We're gone. Just recover real soon and let us take care of everything else."
Jared brought a hand up and squeezed Mickey's wrist, thanking him. The two men left, Rock shutting the door behind them, and Jensen leaned forward to place his elbows on the edge of Jared's bed.
"Fuck your brains out? Really?"
"You wanna try it? Ever had sex in a hospital bed?"
"No. And we're not about to. Just save it, Jay. You don't have too long here and then you can come home and we can do the whole celebrating the fact that you're still alive and, unfortunately, you didn't inhale enough smoke to make you mute-"
"Ha. Ha."
"So you can still embarrass the fuck out of me."
Jared leaned across, reaching his arm up so that he didn't put any weight on it, and kissed one of Jensen's hands. "Means I can still tell you that I love you, though."
Jensen moved, closing his eyes as Jared moved the kiss to his mouth. He kissed back, wishing they could go home right now. Knowing they had a bit of a wait yet. "That's true. I guess I should be more thankful then."
"I'll make you more thankful, if you want." Jared smoothed a hand over Jensen's wrist, his fingers running lightly over the skin. "We're alone. The nurse won't be here until later on, same as Jeff. So put a chair under the door handle and come make me feel better."
--TBC--
Title: And I'm A Cowboy, Baby
Manip Artist: eviltwin
Subject: Jensen Ackles.
Thanks to kissesxobecki for the base pic