Smoke & Lightning: Born To Be Wild (28/?)

[eviltwin]

MASTER POST

Title: Smoke And Lightning: Born To Be Wild (28/?)
Authors: bloody_adorable and eviltwin
Fandoms: Supernatural RPS
Pairing: Jensen Ackles / Jared Padalecki.
Rating: Adult.
Wordcount: 4,638
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 TWENTY-EIGHT

He was actually excited when Jared woke him and told him what was going on. The bike rally, where they had gone after first meeting, was back in town. Jensen was so pleased that he showered, shaved and dressed in record time.

He was happy until he got his boots on, then Jared told him that they'd ride over there. On their own bikes.

Jensen outright refused at first. "Jay, no."

"Why not?" he almost laughed at him.

"Because I've never driven," he reminded Jared. "Not even really practiced yet."

"So?" Jared shrugged. "No time like the present."

Jensen ignored the kiss pressed to his forehead as Jared drifted past him, on his way out the door. He blinked away his frustration, sighing. "I don't have a license, genius," he said to him.

Of course, Jared only smiled in return, half in the doorway of the apartment, half out. "Then don't get stopped, College."

The ride to Jeff's had been painful, sitting on the back of the bike, his stomach churning, his mind coming up with all sorts of possible scenarios. Everything from him getting arrested, to him crashing the bike and dying horribly mangled and bloody. Which was odd, considering he was never afraid when Jared was driving. Still, when the bike had been rolled out of the garage, and Jensen was straddling it, he couldn't help but feel terrified.

"Come on," Jared encouraged, motioning for him to put his helmet on.

Jensen swallowed and did as he was told, closing his eyes and sighing again. "I'm going to die," he whispered to himself. He tried to remember what Jared had told him about the clutch, about the kickstand, about shifting, about everything. And the more he thought about it, the more worked up he got, sweated and trembled. Taking a deep breath, Jensen turned on the bike, revving the engine a couple of times, then moved to follow Jared around the cul-de-sac.

Regardless of Jensen's fears, he did not arrive at the bike rally, torn, shredded and bloody. Instead of being a mass of raw meat, he pulled the bike to a stop fully whole and alive. He remained where he was for a moment, his heart pounding, blood rushing almost louder than the bike engine. Out of his peripheral vision, he saw Jared pull up beside him. Jared had followed him, rather than take the lead, to make sure Jensen was alright.

Chris had ridden on the back of Jared's bike, not wanting to throw Jensen off any more than he already was. He had always liked bikes. He wondered why he hadn't gotten one yet, too. He thought, perhaps, Lynn would like it, and it would definitely give her an excuse to put her arms around him, and he was game for that.

Making sure his bike was settled, Jared hopped off and moved closer to Jensen, leaving Chris to fend for himself. It was fine, however, because Chris just stayed sitting on Jared's bike. "Hey," he said, his voice filled with love and pride. "You did fucking fantastic."

Jensen didn't answer.

"Jen."

He still didn't move.

"Jensen," Jared said again. He turned off the bike engine before opening the visor on Jensen's helmet, peering in at the man's watery, frightened eyes. "Are you alright?"

After a moment of swallowing against a dry, cracking throat, Jensen spoke. "I don't know," he managed, his voice hoarse. "I'm trying to convince myself I'm not having a myocardial infarction."

Chris and Jared chuckled, the latter curling his fingers around the top of Jensen's arm, tugging gently. "Alright, Scrubs," he teased. "Come on. You did brilliant."

"Ow, don't pull," he said, wincing.

"What's wrong?"

"I... I can't let go."

Jared tried not to snort with laughter. "What do you mean, you can't let go?"

"My hands," he said. "The muscles have contracted for so long that--"

Jared just shook his head, not wanting the medical explanation. He took hold of Jensen's fingers, uncurling them from the handles of the bike.

"Ow," Jensen complained. "Ow, ow."

"Oh, stop," he chuckled. "Come on. Up."

Jensen set the kickstand and gingerly stood from the bike. Every muscle was sore, tired from straining as he had braced himself for impact on every bump, every crack in the blacktop. Jared unlatched the helmet at Jensen's throat and pulled it off his head. Once the helmet was gone, Jensen tugged at his gloves, pulling the black leather off of his hands. "How the hell did I make it here?" he asked.

"Because you have an awesome teacher," Jared told him, stowing the helmet as he had his own.

Chris patted Jensen's shoulder, nodding. "You done good, kid."

Jensen didn't look convinced. Instead, he looked green. "I think I'm going to throw up."

Jared chuckled and slung his arm around Jensen's shoulders. "Come on," he said. "Walking around will do you good. We'll get some drink into you, too."

"Oh, good," Jensen frowned. "Now I can try driving drunk, too. What a swell day."

"Learn something new every day, Jen."

Jensen hadn't recalled the rally being quite so big. Everyone was there. A band played on a dais, the same one that Jeffrey had joined the first time Jared had taken him there. They made their way over to the kiosk that was selling beer. On their way there, they found Jeffrey, Stevie, Rock and Donna. Kenzie was having her face painted at one of the tables, along with one of her friends that had tagged along. Jared, of course, went over to her and gave her a wet, sloppy kiss on the opposite side being painted. Kenzie tried to pretend to be horrified, but Jensen was pretty sure the girl was even more smitten with him after that display.

Hugs and handshakes went all around, Donna noting happily that Chris was off his crutches. He didn't tell her that his leg usually got horribly tired towards the middle of the day, that Jensen and Jared had encouraged him to get a cane to help.

"I'm not a geriatric old fart," he had said, snapping at them.

"We didn't say you were, Chris," Jensen had soothed. "But if it helps, why not give it a try for awhile?"

"When you're my doctor," he had said, clearly sensitive about the subject, "then you can tell me what to do. But until then..."

Jensen had rolled his eyes then. "Fine," he'd returned, not needing the sentence completed. He had gotten the idea.

Chris wasn't nearly so short with Donna. He just smiled and nodded his head at her. "Yes, ma'am," he returned. "Free at last."

"Where's that girl you've been seeing?" she asked. "I liked her."

"Lynn will be here later," he nodded. "She had a car wash to go to for a club she's in, in school."

"Oh, good," Donna smiled. "Find me again when she's here."

"Will do," he nodded.

"Where are you boys off to?" Jeffrey asked, looking at Jared.

"We gotta get over to the raffle," he told him, looking over the heads of the crowds of people. "That bike is sweet. Then I gotta go over and see Eric."

"Jesus Christ, don't leave any skin un-inked."

Even though he knew Jeffrey was being sarcastic, Jared smiled and nodded. "Fuckin' A."

"Watch your language."

He chuckled. "Yes, sir." He gave Jeffrey a salute and clicked his booted heels together. "What are you guys doing?"

"We're getting beers and watching the concert," Stevie said. "I am going to have the most relaxing day today."

"Who's with the half-pint?"

She smiled at Jared. "We got Alicia Zimmerman. She has a daycare during the week that I'm thinking we'll change Holly to. She's really wonderful."

Chris returned -- though Jared wasn't sure when he'd left, exactly -- with three beers. One for himself, one for Jared and one for Jensen. He passed them out and they clinked the bottles together, all taking the first drink at the same time.

"Alright, we're out of here," Jared said. He nodded to his adoptive father, "Jeffrey."

"Jared," he nodded back.

"Stevie," he continued. "Donna." He looked at Rock and nodded to him, as well. "Very large man."

"Get out of here, you panty-waste."

Jared laughed and joined his two friends, heading over to the brand new bike that was on display. They each paid for three slightly expensive lottery tickets, and then found Eric's table. Beside the table, he had his air-conditioned RV. Inside, Jensen could hear the buzzing of a tattoo gun.

"Hey, old man," Jared greeted, his smile wide.

"Jesus Christ, where have you been, you little asshole?" Eric opened his arms and embraced Jared, momentarily eyeing his drink. "Go get me one of those, will you?"

"Not if you're going to tattoo me," he said. "Last thing I need you asking me with liquor on your breath is 'there's two O's in Mom, right?'"

Eric laughed and picked up his water bottle instead. "Alright, what do you want? Are we covering up the scars?"

"Not yet," he told him. "It still looks pretty scary there. But soon, I promise. No, I want something else." He glanced back at Jensen, then motioned to the RV. "I'll tell you inside."

Jensen was used to Jared keeping secrets at times. He knew, eventually, he would be told about it, but that didn't mean he didn't want to follow along. He also knew, however, that Jared didn't want him to follow. Instead he watched Eric and Jared step into the RV, Eric asking the secretary to watch the table while he worked up something for Jared.

Looking back over at Chris, Jensen found the man flipping through the tattoo books, seeing work that Eric or his employees had done in years past. "You getting one?"

Chris shrugged. "I don't know," he returned. "I was thinking about it."

"Seriously?" Jensen laughed. "I was just kidding."

"No, I really like yours," Chris told him, still flipping pages in the three-ring binder. "And the idea of Lynn finding it on me later is kind of hot."

Jensen smiled brightly. "You get one," he warned, "you'll want more."

Chris just returned the grin, momentarily meeting Jensen's eyes. "Help me pick one out."

A half-hour went by in what seemed a matter of minutes. Jensen and Chris lost themselves in the designs around the table. Chris had narrowed down his choices to three different ones. He was partial to one, but a second one really had piqued his interest. The first one was a phoenix, all drawn out of fire. It wrapped around his shoulder close to his neck, the tail curling perfectly at top of his arm. Jensen had also found a tribal-looking tattoo. The shapes were intricate and beautiful, and it too wrapped around his shoulder, cascading partway down his arm.

When Jared emerged from the RV, Jensen called him over. "Chris wants a tat," he told him.

"Fuck yeah," he almost shouted, pulling his sleeve down over his arm, where a square bandage covered freshly tattooed skin. "What are you getting?"

"I can't decide," Chris told him. "It's one of these three."

Jared looked them all over, brutally scrutinizing them. "Not that one," he said, pointing to the one Chris liked the least.

The design got pushed aside.

"Go with that one."

Jensen and Chris looked at which one he had chosen, both of them smiling. "Yeah, I like that one," Chris nodded. He looked over at Eric. "Got time for another?"

"Come on in," Eric said, waving him closer. "Welcome to the Dark Side."

Chris chuckled and followed Eric inside the RV, his design clutched in his hand.

Jensen met Jared's eyes, laughing softly with Chris as the man disappeared into the trailer. "He's going to look great with that."

"Not too great, I hope."

Jensen shook his head. "You're still the hottest one around," he assured him. "What'd you get in there, anyway?"

Jared shrugged. "Somethin'."

Smiling, Jensen took hold of Jared's right arm. He pulled the sleeve up and carefully picked at the tape until he found purchase on it. Slowly, he peeled back the gauze, finding slightly swollen, red skin, still glossy and seeping blood from the tattooing. Stunned, Jensen stared at the lettering there.

Smiling softly, Jared watched Jensen. He readily met the man's eyes when Jensen looked up at him, his own gaze filled with wonder and love.

"That's my name," Jensen told him.

Jared nodded. "Tomorrow, we'll master your phone number."

Laughing, Jensen smacked the palm of his hand against Jared's chest. "Shut up," he said, still amazed. He looked back down at the tattoo. "You got my name tattooed on you." The letters blended into the rest of the tattoo, the whole name no longer than two or three inches long, an inch or so high. They were outlined in black, shaded and filled with a deep, rich red.

"Why red?" Jensen asked. "Do I inspire anger?"

Jared chuckled, reaching up to touch Jensen's face. "Red for blood."

His smile faded somewhat, his eyes narrowing. "Is that a good thing?"

He nodded. "It means that's where you are."

"I'm in your blood?"

Jared nodded once more. "Forever."

Jared had his moments, Jensen had to admit. He felt a warmth rush through his system, his heart swelling with love. He looked up into Jared's eyes again, and curled his fingers around the man's shirt, pulling him in for a slow, gentle kiss.

Amidst soft words being said, something caught Jensen's attention. He wasn't sure why this one person was so noteworthy, what with all the hundreds milling about, but he took a second look, and his smile vanished.

Alan stood several paces away, wearing dress trousers, shiny shoes, and a button-down shirt. No tie was present.

Instantly, Jensen's back went up and he gritted his teeth together. Jared saw his diverted attention and looked to see what was going on. He, too, stiffened upon seeing Alan there.

Jensen let go of Jared. "I'll be right back," he said, his voice low and gruff with anger.

Jared let him go, adjusting the gauze and sleeve of his shirt, then shifting his weight on his feet, keeping his gaze fixed upon Jensen.

Moving closer to Alan, Jensen didn't bother hiding his furious expression. He had a feeling that he knew why the man was there, and he didn't want his mother to find out. Shaking his head, Jensen spoke as he closed the distance between them. "What are you doing here, Dad?"

Alan smiled. "I figured you would be here," he said. "I thought since I can't ever get you to spend time with me in my world anymore, perhaps I could venture into yours."

Annoyed, Jensen's eyes narrowed. "Name the last time you asked me to spend time with you."

"Well, I was there for--"

"For the interview," he interrupted. "That's the last time I've heard from you. How long ago was that, Dad?"

"Jensen, I'm sorry."

He wasn't convinced. "Are you sure you didn't hear about Rock coming here, and just happened by to see Mom?"

"I don't know who Rock is, JR."

"Bullshit, Dad," he snapped. "I know very well what's going on here."

"Perhaps you could explain it to me?"

Both Alan and Jensen turned at the sound of Donna's stern voice. Jensen looked away from her, his plan foiled. He had hoped to get Alan out of the rally before she saw him. This would put a damper on her day. "Mom..."

"Donna," Alan greeted, as if seeing an age-old friend again. He acted as if there was no rift between them. He grabbed hold of her and pulled her into a tight, one-sided embrace.

Alan felt a hand painfully clamp around his upper arm. He moved out the embrace enough to see who was holding onto him. He expected Jensen, but instead saw Thomas "Rock" Burnley. Rock gently tugged Donna away from Alan, putting himself between her and the lawyer.

"Excuse me," Alan said. "I think I can hug my wife."

Rock smiled. "Not if she don't want you to," he said.

Alan looked around, finding Jeffrey and Stevie there as well. Jared was nearing the small crowd, shaking his head and grinning. Oh, how Alan hated that smile. That smile broke up his entire family.

"Dad."

Alan turned to look at his son.

"You need to go."

"This is a function open to the public," he said. "I certainly don't need one of those ridiculous motorbikes to be here."

Rock took a step forward, using every ounce of muscle and fury to be intimidating. He stopped only because he felt Jensen set a hand to his chest.

"Dad, now," Jensen said. "I'll call you later and we can talk then."

Alan sneered up at Rock, who was at least three inches taller. "How can you stand to have someone so brutish and controlling in your life?"

Rolling his eyes, Jensen pushed Alan back. "Yeah, because you were such a fucking prize."

Before the words had completely left his lips, Jensen felt a stinging blow to his cheek, something he'd not felt in a while. He'd almost forgotten how Alan knew just how to hurt him, physically, emotionally, mentally. Rock rushed at Alan, but Jensen pushed back against the burly man. He was quickly aided by Jared, who wrapped his arms around Rock, doing his best to hold him at bay. Jeffrey joined in, deciding that Rock probably didn't want a lawsuit slapped on him.

From out of nowhere, Phin appeared. He sprinted over to his father and met his eyes for a quick second before looking Alan up and down. "What's going on?" he asked. "Jensen, this guy bothering you?"

A hand still pressed to his stinging cheek, Jensen straightened and cleared his throat. "No," he said. "He was just going."

"Fuckin' right he was going," Phin said. He moved to stand behind Jensen, crossing his arms over his muscled chest.

Alan stared at Phin for quite awhile, unnerved by the multitude of tattoos and piercings the man had. He hadn't thought anyone could possibly look worse than Jared, but he was wrong. Phin was much more frightening.

Tired of all the testosterone saturating the ground at their feet, Donna pushed between the bristling, territorial men. "Alan?" she said. "Let's talk."

Rock watched Donna go, concern in his eyes, until she turned and looked at him. In her pretty eyes, he understood what she silently said to him. He needn't worry. She would be back.

Donna and Alan walked a good distance away from the crowd of friends and family. Alan started whining before he even turned to face his wife. "Donna, I just don't understand," he said.

Furious, she hissed at him, doing her best to keep their conversation relatively private. "Do you have any idea the kind of position you've put me in here, Alan?" she asked, fire blazing in her eyes. "And how dare you hit Jensen?"

"Jensen got what he deserved," he said, pointing a finger in her face. "We have never tolerated such language."

"He is a grown man, Alan!"

"How can you possibly feel part of that ragtag group? I mean, look where you came from."

"And look where it landed me," she said, her gaze still forceful and angry. "In a marriage that was lifeless and filled with everything but what I wanted. What I needed."

"You're telling me that brute over there is better than me?"

She shook her head. "He's better for me," she said. "I'm happy, Alan. And I'm not coming back. The sooner you get that through your warped little mind, the better."

Even more angered, Alan swiped a hand across his face before resting both fists at his hips. "I don't understand," he said quietly. "I don't understand how one family could so easily destroy my own."

Donna shook her head again. "Jeffrey or Jared didn't destroy our family," she told him.

He stared at her, tonguing his teeth. "You're saying I did?"

"You sure didn't help it, Alan."

He turned in a circle, feeling helpless. "I can't believe this," he sighed. "First, I lose my son, then Josh barely speaks to me, and now you won't let me see my daughter."

She made a face at him, even more annoyed than she was before. "When did I say you couldn't see Kenzie?" she challenged. "Don't you turn this around onto me, Alan Ackles. You can see your daughter any time you want. But, last I checked, you haven't spent any time with her since we left."

"She's come to the house," he argued.

"And is stuck in her room playing her video games because you have to go to work." She sighed and raked her fingers through her hair, which had grown out considerably since she'd left Alan. "Look," she began again. "I'm so tired of playing the blame game. I'm too old to act so immaturely. I think that this separation is the best thing we've ever done for the family. I'm not going to stay with you just for the kids anymore. They're faring fine. I wasn't. I see that now."

His eyes sad, Alan frowned. "You won't give me a second chance?"

She met his eyes, shaking her head. "I'm sorry, Alan," she apologized. "It's over."

He looked down at the ground, at his shiny, expensive shoes, and then back over at her, nodding his head. "I'd like to take Kenzie to the ballet next weekend," he said.

Donna nodded. "I think she'd like that," she told him. "But I warn you, Alan. She loves her brother. Fiercely."

The voice over the PA system sounded tinny, flat. His arm still stung, itched where the tattoo was healing. But Jared liked the feeling, knowing Jensen was inked into his skin forever. It felt right.

Looking around the ward, Jared peeked into any open rooms as he went. As he neared the nurse's station, he found his quarry. The man moved behind the counter, seating himself at one of the four computers there. Stepping up to the station, Jared's boot heels pounded on the tile floor.

A nurse looked up at him, her pretty blue eyes sparkling as she gazed up at him. "Hey there," she greeted.

"Hey back," he returned. "I'm looking for the doctor."

"Well, we have a couple on this floor," she told him with a smile. "Who is it you're looking for?"

Jared's gaze fell to the man in a white lab coat, his back to him. "John Lang."

The nurse said a quick and cheerful, "oh," and stepped aside. John turned at hearing his name and stood from the computer. He was curious about the newcomer, but when he saw the tattoos, he thought of Jensen. He remembered the young man telling him about his boyfriend, who also had a plethora of ink.

Still, he smiled and held out his hand. "I'm Doctor Lang," he said.

Jared reached out with his right hand, grasping John's. "Jared," he said.

John's eyes fell to the tattoos on Jared's arm. Just beneath Jared's elbow on the inside of his arm, was the name JENSEN, tattooed there in black and red letters. Slowly, John's eyes traveled back up to Jared's. He knew, then, that he could be in very serious trouble. He was going to suggest that they go to his office to talk quietly, but he decided not to. He felt safer with his fellow hospital employees around him, just in case Jared decided to try and kill him.

"H-how can I help you?" John asked, stuttering slightly.

"Well, see, my kid sister is sick," Jared told him. It wasn't totally a lie. Holly had been battling a head cold, but it wasn't anything worrisome. "I was told about this place. That you were the guy."

The last sentence uttered by Jared fell heavily on John's ears, no matter how subtle and benign it seemed. He looked away, knowing very well the implication in those words. "Yes," he nodded. "I'm... I'm very sorry."

Jared smiled slightly. "Sorry for what?"

"I'm very sorry about..." John wanted to tell him exactly what he was sorry for, but the patients and medical staff around him prevented it. "About your sister," he finally managed.

"Yeah," Jared nodded. "Cute little thing. Means everything to me."

John understood that, with the last sentence, Jared wasn't talking about the little girl, if there really was one. He nodded. "What, uh, what seems to be the problem?"

The corner of Jared's mouth turned down as he shrugged. "As I see it," he said, hands in his pockets. "Something that wasn't invited barged in." He noticed John's gaze waver again, and knew that his words were getting through. "Doesn't that just piss you off?" he continued. "Just when you think things are going great, that you got everything settled, something like this comes along and shakes things up."

To a passerby, the conversation seemed legitimate, the nuances barely noticeable. But John caught each one of them. He stifled a sigh and met Jared's eyes. "I'm sure it's nothing," he nodded.

Jared narrowed his eyes and studied him. "You sure?"

John quickly glanced around the area, making sure no one was listening. "I'm sure," he said. "And again, I'm sorry."

Nodding, Jared seemed satisfied. "Good," he said. "Because I'd like her to get back to school. Education is very important, wouldn't you say?"

John returned the affirmation. "Yes, it is," he agreed.

Smiling, Jared backed away from the doctor. "I'll come back if I need to," he said, pointing his finger at John in a non-threatening way.

John didn't respond. He watched Jared go, feeling his stomach un-knot and relax. He glanced around the nurse's station yet again, before settling into the chair he had been using earlier. He blinked his eyes hard and tried to focus on the computer screen.

With his bag slung over his shoulder, Jared headed into the Pediatrics ward, his cell phone in his hand. He hit SEND on his cell phone, smiling brightly. He looked up just in time to see the recipient of his text message walking down the hall towards him. Stunned, Jensen slowed to a stop. "Jay?"

"Hey," he greeted, smiling brightly. "How's your day going?"

"Alright," Jensen said slowly, confused. "I didn't leave you all that long ago. What are you doing here?"

Jared shrugged, waving away the question. "Holly's not feeling well."

"Is she alright?" he almost interrupted.

"She's okay," he assured him. "I just stopped in to ask a couple questions for Stevie."

"She couldn't call?"

"She's busy," Jared said. "And I was in the neighborhood."

"Oh." It was silent for several seconds, Jensen gazing across Jared's face, trying to find the truth. "Jared."

"What?"

"Did you see Doctor Lang?"

He shrugged. "It might've been him I talked to."

"Ugh," Jensen scoffed. "Did you kill him?"

Jared laughed boisterously, his head rocking back. "No, I didn't," he said.

"Did you say anything to him?"

Setting a hand on Jensen's shoulder, Jared squeezed gently. "Nothing that will scar him for life, I swear."

"Jared!" he complained. "I have to learn from him."

"I didn't do anything to jeopardize that."

"You better not have," he warned. "John's a good guy."

Jared nodded. "Yes, he is," he agreed. "I just wanted him to know what you mean to me."

Still not really sure, Jensen nodded. "Alright," he said. He leaned in quickly and pressed a kiss to Jared's mouth. "I'll see you tonight."

Jared watched him walk past, his eyes following the young man's form. He bit at his bottom lip and wondered if he could talk Jensen into a storage room. For now, he decided against asking. But there was always next time.

--TBC--