Smoke & Lightning, Heavy Metal Thunder [12/?]
Title: Smoke And Lightning, Heavy Metal Thunder (12/?)
Authors: bloody_adorable and eviltwin
Fandoms: Supernatural RPS
Pairing: Jensen Ackles / Jared Padalecki.
Rating: PG all the way to NC-17 in future chapters.
Wordcount: 2,900
Summary: AU. Jared's a classic case of rich kid gone wrong, whose only sense of family comes from his motorbike, the guy he rents a garage from to live in and the precinct cops who know his face better than most already. Jensen's a hard-working student whose family are helping push him towards great things. What happens when their two worlds collide, and will Jared's troublesome nature be too much for Jensen to handle?
Disclaimer: None of the following is true in any way, and no profit is made from this work of fiction.
CHAPTER TWELVE
"Hey, son," Chris grinned, pulling open the door and leaning on the frame. "Ready to go?"
"Definitely. If I have to borrow any more of Jared's clothes I'm going to end up falling over myself. Turnups aren't back in fashion yet, right?"
Laughing, Chris stepped outside and shut the door behind him, twirling his truck keys around one finger. "No Jared?"
"He said he'd meet us there," Jensen answered, shrugging.
"Everything okay?"
"I guess. I don't know, it's just..it's kind of been a weird day."
"Weird?"
Jensen just turned away from Chris and looked towards the road. "Yeah, don't worry about it. Sooner we get to mine and get my stuff, the sooner I can relax. C'mon."
Chris said nothing more and walked around his truck to open it up. As Jensen climbed in beside him he asked, "You sure you want to do this? I mean, once you take your stuff out of there it's pretty final."
"It's already final. Dad won't take me back, and Jared..."
"You don't want to go back, do you?"
Jensen breathed in deeply. "No. I really don't."
"But there's something else." Chris started the engine and looked over at him. "You sure you're okay?"
Looking straight ahead, he nodded. "I'm sure."
When they arrived at Jensen's place, the only car out front was Josh's. That was exactly as planned and Jensen let out a breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding. Complete relief washed over him. He had been afraid that something would have gone wrong, that his parents would have stayed home for some reason for the first time in a decade. That somehow, in some way, his plan to get in and out and retrieve everything that belonged to him without having to speak to his father would have gone badly wrong. He relaxed as he got out of the truck and led Chris to the front door.
It felt odd to ring the doorbell for his own home, but Jensen had left his key behind when he had gone. He had a feeling his Dad would have changed the locks if he hadn't anyway. Who knew what the man was capable of? Kenzie opened it up and Chris stood awkwardly behind Jensen as his little sister tackled him into a huge hug. Jensen wrapped his arms around her, kissed the top of her head.
"Hey, little sis."
"I've been so worried, Jen," she told him, her voice shaking. He knew she was trying not to cry and patted her back gently.
"I know, little sis. Josh said. But don't, all right? Hey, I'm your big brother. I can take care of myself."
"Yes, you can, it's just-"
"Dad's not about to throw you out too."
"Jensen?"
Jensen felt his heart stop. He looked up over his sister's shoulder and saw his Mom standing in the doorway of the lounge. "Mom, what're you..I.."
His mother just walked up to him, his sister instinctively stepping out of the way to let her past. She took her son into her arms and held him tightly for a few seconds, then slowly pulled back to look him in the eyes. "I know you didn't want us to be here. Your father went without me. I told him I wasn't well." She paused for a moment, then squeezed Jensen's arm. "Don't think for a moment that this was what I wanted, sweetheart. I want you home. I just want you to be safe."
"I am safe, Mom. Jeffrey's a good man. He's taking care of me. So's Jared."
Donna nodded. "I know that. I know. They're good people. Your father disagrees, but I could tell. But you know if you ever need anything, if you ever need your family, then we're here." She took his face in her hands and kissed his forehead. "If you ever want to come back-"
"Yeah, mom. Of course.." Jensen's voice was quiet as he hugged his mother then, hard. He let her go at the sound of the Harley's engine outside. He and Chris both turned to watch Jared pull up and he could almost feel his mother's disappointment as she realized the meaning of Jared's arrival. Despite his worries and the fear that had occupied the back of his mind all day, Jensen still felt that slight flip in his stomach when Jared pulled off his helmet and smiled over at the group standing on the doorstep. He was clearly in a better mood now than he had been and Jensen hoped it would last; hoped that he wouldn't question again about what was on Jensen's mind that day.
His Mom was halfway through a greeting when Jared got close and tugged Jensen against him, kissing the side of his neck and his jaw. Jensen was too shocked to shy away from it, too startled to try and stop him. He quickly became aware that his mother and his sister were staring at him with open mouths. Jared noticed too and shuffled away from him, almost guiltily.
"Uh...I'm guessing they didn't know?"
Jensen was torn between yelling at Jared and pleading with his Mom when Donna calmly stepped back and said, "Well. I think maybe you boys should come in so I can go sit down."
"Mom, I can explain-"
Donna just held up a hand. "I really don't think you have to, not after that. Just...Come inside, please."
The three men followed her in and Chris went into the kitchen to make drinks with Kenzie while Jensen and Jared took seats in the lounge, opposite Donna. Jensen knew what the first question would be before it was even asked.
"Why didn't you tell us?" Then, almost immediately as Jensen opened his mouth to explain, "Never mind. I know why. Your father. The rest of us would have understood, but your father?"
"He doesn't have to find out, right?"
"Of course not. Not from me, at least." She thought for a few moments, the silence heavy and slightly uncomfortable. "How long? I mean...Before?" She didn't really need to finish the question. Jensen knew she was trying to find out if it had been Jared who had seduced her boy. He shook his head.
"I've known a long while, Mom. It wasn't just because I'm a loser that I never brought girls home."
Donna gave him a stern look. "You're not a loser, Jensen. That's your father talking, not you. He tries so hard to make you live up to what he expects of you that-"
"That I lost myself a little bit," Jensen interrupted. "I just keep thinking that I'll never be good enough for him. That nobody ever will."
"You will be, sweetheart. I know you. I think you'll surprise him yet."
Jared, who up till now had been lounging back beside Jensen with an almost smug expression on his face, sat forward then and patted Jensen on the shoulder. "He sure will, Mrs Ackles. The guy's been doing homework all day, just about. 'Cept this morning, 'cause-"
"Mom doesn't need to hear about this morning," Jensen said, loudly, talking over him. He glared across at Jared, hoping he'd shut him up. Jared just grinned back, trying and failing to look innocent. One secret coming out was enough for one day, Jensen thought. She'd no doubt find out about the tattoo soon enough, but he figured he'd surprised her plenty already. His mother looked between them both, clearly mistaking their expressions for something else.
"You're right, I probably don't need or want to. You're a grown man, Jensen, much as your father doesn't think so. What you want to do with your life is up to you. Speaking of which..." She set her hands against the arms of her chair and sat forward. "I'm guessing you're here to pick some stuff up."
Jensen felt his face get hot, but nodded. He stood, asking Jared to stay where he was. Kenzie and Chris, obviously having sensed the main discussion was over, came in then with a tray of drinks and cookies and set them down. Josh had joined them in the kitchen and stopped in the doorway, looking between Jared and his mother. The expression on his face was one of curiosity as he tried to work out what had happened before he'd got there, but nobody moved to clarify it to him. Jensen looked past him, focusing on a spot above his brother's shoulder.
"Chris, you want to come help me?"
"Sure thing."
Not looking at Jared or any of his family, Jensen hurried out of the room, Josh stepping aside to let him past. Chris followed him upstairs, wordlessly, and neither of them spoke until they were safely in Jensen's bedroom with the door closed behind them.
"Well, that was interesting," Jensen said, breaking the heavy silence. "I didn't think she'd be that...." He waved his hands vaguely and his friend nodded, agreeing. He let out a loud sigh and went to sit on his bed, covering his face with his hands and clutching his hair between his fingertips. He let go and looked up. "Thank god, huh?"
"You're a lucky guy."
"Yeah, sure. Mostly." He looked around the room, wondering how he'd managed to accumulate so few things in nineteen years. "C'mon. Let's get this show on the road."
It was depressing, Jensen thought later, as he put down the last of the few boxes and cases that Chris had loaded into the back of his truck. Jared had walked down the block to get them some beers for when they were done and Jeffrey wasn't home so it was just him and Chris, stood in the garage, looking around at the saddeningly small pile of stuff. They'd cleaned his room out in just under an hour and when his mother had come up to offer a hand he could see that she was holding back tears. It made him feel guilty, until he remembered his father's words in this room not so long ago. Then he knew that, despite his worries about Jared (worries that he knew he would overcome), he was doing the right thing.
"Says something about me, doesn't it? That this is all I've got to show for myself."
Chris threw an arm around his friend's shoulders and pulled him in to a half-hug. "Your life's just starting, Jen. Trust me, what you've done so far won't be nothing compared to what's coming."
"You say that like it's a good thing, yet I can't help but feel worried by it."
Chris just laughed at that, squeezing Jensen's shoulder again. "You shouldn't be worried. I meant it in a good way. I know you're feeling all anxious about it right now, but I think this relationship is gonna be a turning point for you. You're already changing, man."
"Yeah, I.." Jensen stepped back and pulled up his shirt, tugged his jeans down slightly, seeing Chris's attention immediately focus on the bandage at his hip.
"Did you actually go ahead and get a tattoo?" Chris asked, sounding impressed.
"I can probably take this off now. You want to see it?"
"Wouldn't mind." And that was Jared's voice. Jensen hadn't even heard him come in and he started slightly, looking up. His misgivings had faded over the course of the afternoon and with the way Jared was looking at him now, he started to wonder why he'd been so concerned. The guy clearly cared for him, wanted him. He probably wouldn't do something if Jensen asked him not to. Still, it was that 'probably' that was a nagging worry. "Go on, let's see the finished deal."
Jensen nodded, and picked at the tape holding the bandage in place until he could get a grip on it. He peeled it off slowly, glad that the pain had died down completely now. The skin around the tattoo was blush-red and the ink was dark and looked odd right now, although Jensen had been assured that the colors would come through better once it had scabbed over and subsequently healed up. He hoped so. It would be very colorful when it was all healed. Across his hip was tattooed a pair of macaws, vibrant blues, reds, greens and yellows merging into one another inside detailed feathers.
"Wow," Chris said, looking up as Jared came past him and rested his hand on Jensen's other hip, staring. "Maybe I should go," he murmured, as Jared kissed the back of Jensen's neck, making him tilt his head forward. "See you at school tomorrow, Jen."
As he left them alone, his words made Jensen's stomach sink. School, he thought. Doug. He ducked away from Jared, turned to face him with the best smile he could manage. "You want to help me unpack?" Like it was no big deal that he'd just stopped him again.
Jared sighed, looking put out. "Sure. I'll clear some space for you to stow your stuff in."
"Thanks," Jensen told him, and leaned in to give him a quick kiss on the mouth, more out of guilt than anything. Then he turned to the first of his cases and began pulling out the neatly folded clothes, stacking them on the sofa.
"Your clothes can go in that set of drawers there," Jared said, pointing as he began sorting through the clutter on the spare workbench. "Anything in them just leave to one side. On the floor or wherever. I can sort it tomorrow."
"Okay." Jensen opened the first drawer up and found it mostly empty, but stinking of dust. He pulled out the newspaper that had been used to line it and was unsurprised when it just about fell apart in his hands. He found an old towel that he'd packed and cleaned out the drawer with it before putting some of his clothes inside. The other drawers got the same treatment until all of his clothes were put away and there was a small pile of junk on the floor at his feet. One thing in particular had caught his eye, simply because it wasn't quite as dirty as everything else there, and he bent to pick it up. He turned to Jared, holding the polaroid camera out in front of him. "Hey, does this still work?"
Jared shrugged. "There are some batteries on that bench next to you if you want to try it."
Jensen rooted around for the batteries and loaded a couple into the camera when he found them. It switched on, which was a good sign, he guessed, although the display then informed him that there was no film in it. He made a mental note to go pick some up and stuffed the camera into one of the drawers amongst his socks and boxer shorts. He should probably ask Jared if it was okay for him to use it, but the other man didn't seem bothered and, besides, it had just been collecting dust before he'd found it. Jared had clearly forgotten he even owned it.
"Okay, you can use this bench for all your school stuff and since Jeffrey's not here you might as well go put your toothbrush away, but first..." Jared crossed the room and backed Jensen up against the set of drawers, pinning him there with an arm either side of him. "You gonna tell me what was wrong with you earlier?"
Jensen swallowed. "Nothing was wrong. I was just tired and...it just makes me jumpy."
Jared moved and cupped Jensen's cheek, turning his face so he was looking him in the eyes. "Truth."
"That is the truth," Jensen replied, desperately not breaking eye contact. "And I guess I was worried I'd see my Dad, which is stupid and-"
Jared cut him off, pushing his thumb over Jensen's lips. "You worried about Doug?" He asked, closing the gap between them and kissing Jensen's mouth around his thumb. Jensen closed his eyes, nodded. Maybe he understood after all. "Don't be. I told you, he hurts you? He won't know what hit him."
To that, Jensen badly wanted to say something, but he couldn't seem to find the nerve. Instead he stayed still as Jared kissed him further, as he moved his thumb out of the way so he could slide his tongue into Jensen's mouth. He felt Jared's fingers ghosting over the fresh tattoo and pulled back. "You like it?" He asked, looking down. Jared pressed his forehead to Jensen's, gazing down at the inked lines, at his fingers touching. He'd pushed Jensen's shirt up again and the cold air hitting his stomach made him shiver.
"Yeah. It's beautiful. Suits you." He nudged upwards, kissing Jensen again, moving so the other man could feel the hard press of his erection against his thigh. He was being patient, they both knew that, but Jensen still didn't want him to push this too far. Not yet. "You got any more homework to do?" Jared asked, his breath fanning warm over Jensen's mouth.
"No, I'm..I'm all done."
"Since Jeffrey ain't here then how about we go on in and chill out with the big TV? Grab a couple of those beers I got and just relax."
Jensen knew for a fact that relaxing would be the last thing he'd be able to do that night, but he agreed anyway and followed Jared inside. It was going to be a long night.
--TBC--
Authors: bloody_adorable and eviltwin
Fandoms: Supernatural RPS
Pairing: Jensen Ackles / Jared Padalecki.
Rating: PG all the way to NC-17 in future chapters.
Wordcount: 2,900
Summary: AU. Jared's a classic case of rich kid gone wrong, whose only sense of family comes from his motorbike, the guy he rents a garage from to live in and the precinct cops who know his face better than most already. Jensen's a hard-working student whose family are helping push him towards great things. What happens when their two worlds collide, and will Jared's troublesome nature be too much for Jensen to handle?
Disclaimer: None of the following is true in any way, and no profit is made from this work of fiction.
CHAPTER TWELVE
"Hey, son," Chris grinned, pulling open the door and leaning on the frame. "Ready to go?"
"Definitely. If I have to borrow any more of Jared's clothes I'm going to end up falling over myself. Turnups aren't back in fashion yet, right?"
Laughing, Chris stepped outside and shut the door behind him, twirling his truck keys around one finger. "No Jared?"
"He said he'd meet us there," Jensen answered, shrugging.
"Everything okay?"
"I guess. I don't know, it's just..it's kind of been a weird day."
"Weird?"
Jensen just turned away from Chris and looked towards the road. "Yeah, don't worry about it. Sooner we get to mine and get my stuff, the sooner I can relax. C'mon."
Chris said nothing more and walked around his truck to open it up. As Jensen climbed in beside him he asked, "You sure you want to do this? I mean, once you take your stuff out of there it's pretty final."
"It's already final. Dad won't take me back, and Jared..."
"You don't want to go back, do you?"
Jensen breathed in deeply. "No. I really don't."
"But there's something else." Chris started the engine and looked over at him. "You sure you're okay?"
Looking straight ahead, he nodded. "I'm sure."
When they arrived at Jensen's place, the only car out front was Josh's. That was exactly as planned and Jensen let out a breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding. Complete relief washed over him. He had been afraid that something would have gone wrong, that his parents would have stayed home for some reason for the first time in a decade. That somehow, in some way, his plan to get in and out and retrieve everything that belonged to him without having to speak to his father would have gone badly wrong. He relaxed as he got out of the truck and led Chris to the front door.
It felt odd to ring the doorbell for his own home, but Jensen had left his key behind when he had gone. He had a feeling his Dad would have changed the locks if he hadn't anyway. Who knew what the man was capable of? Kenzie opened it up and Chris stood awkwardly behind Jensen as his little sister tackled him into a huge hug. Jensen wrapped his arms around her, kissed the top of her head.
"Hey, little sis."
"I've been so worried, Jen," she told him, her voice shaking. He knew she was trying not to cry and patted her back gently.
"I know, little sis. Josh said. But don't, all right? Hey, I'm your big brother. I can take care of myself."
"Yes, you can, it's just-"
"Dad's not about to throw you out too."
"Jensen?"
Jensen felt his heart stop. He looked up over his sister's shoulder and saw his Mom standing in the doorway of the lounge. "Mom, what're you..I.."
His mother just walked up to him, his sister instinctively stepping out of the way to let her past. She took her son into her arms and held him tightly for a few seconds, then slowly pulled back to look him in the eyes. "I know you didn't want us to be here. Your father went without me. I told him I wasn't well." She paused for a moment, then squeezed Jensen's arm. "Don't think for a moment that this was what I wanted, sweetheart. I want you home. I just want you to be safe."
"I am safe, Mom. Jeffrey's a good man. He's taking care of me. So's Jared."
Donna nodded. "I know that. I know. They're good people. Your father disagrees, but I could tell. But you know if you ever need anything, if you ever need your family, then we're here." She took his face in her hands and kissed his forehead. "If you ever want to come back-"
"Yeah, mom. Of course.." Jensen's voice was quiet as he hugged his mother then, hard. He let her go at the sound of the Harley's engine outside. He and Chris both turned to watch Jared pull up and he could almost feel his mother's disappointment as she realized the meaning of Jared's arrival. Despite his worries and the fear that had occupied the back of his mind all day, Jensen still felt that slight flip in his stomach when Jared pulled off his helmet and smiled over at the group standing on the doorstep. He was clearly in a better mood now than he had been and Jensen hoped it would last; hoped that he wouldn't question again about what was on Jensen's mind that day.
His Mom was halfway through a greeting when Jared got close and tugged Jensen against him, kissing the side of his neck and his jaw. Jensen was too shocked to shy away from it, too startled to try and stop him. He quickly became aware that his mother and his sister were staring at him with open mouths. Jared noticed too and shuffled away from him, almost guiltily.
"Uh...I'm guessing they didn't know?"
Jensen was torn between yelling at Jared and pleading with his Mom when Donna calmly stepped back and said, "Well. I think maybe you boys should come in so I can go sit down."
"Mom, I can explain-"
Donna just held up a hand. "I really don't think you have to, not after that. Just...Come inside, please."
The three men followed her in and Chris went into the kitchen to make drinks with Kenzie while Jensen and Jared took seats in the lounge, opposite Donna. Jensen knew what the first question would be before it was even asked.
"Why didn't you tell us?" Then, almost immediately as Jensen opened his mouth to explain, "Never mind. I know why. Your father. The rest of us would have understood, but your father?"
"He doesn't have to find out, right?"
"Of course not. Not from me, at least." She thought for a few moments, the silence heavy and slightly uncomfortable. "How long? I mean...Before?" She didn't really need to finish the question. Jensen knew she was trying to find out if it had been Jared who had seduced her boy. He shook his head.
"I've known a long while, Mom. It wasn't just because I'm a loser that I never brought girls home."
Donna gave him a stern look. "You're not a loser, Jensen. That's your father talking, not you. He tries so hard to make you live up to what he expects of you that-"
"That I lost myself a little bit," Jensen interrupted. "I just keep thinking that I'll never be good enough for him. That nobody ever will."
"You will be, sweetheart. I know you. I think you'll surprise him yet."
Jared, who up till now had been lounging back beside Jensen with an almost smug expression on his face, sat forward then and patted Jensen on the shoulder. "He sure will, Mrs Ackles. The guy's been doing homework all day, just about. 'Cept this morning, 'cause-"
"Mom doesn't need to hear about this morning," Jensen said, loudly, talking over him. He glared across at Jared, hoping he'd shut him up. Jared just grinned back, trying and failing to look innocent. One secret coming out was enough for one day, Jensen thought. She'd no doubt find out about the tattoo soon enough, but he figured he'd surprised her plenty already. His mother looked between them both, clearly mistaking their expressions for something else.
"You're right, I probably don't need or want to. You're a grown man, Jensen, much as your father doesn't think so. What you want to do with your life is up to you. Speaking of which..." She set her hands against the arms of her chair and sat forward. "I'm guessing you're here to pick some stuff up."
Jensen felt his face get hot, but nodded. He stood, asking Jared to stay where he was. Kenzie and Chris, obviously having sensed the main discussion was over, came in then with a tray of drinks and cookies and set them down. Josh had joined them in the kitchen and stopped in the doorway, looking between Jared and his mother. The expression on his face was one of curiosity as he tried to work out what had happened before he'd got there, but nobody moved to clarify it to him. Jensen looked past him, focusing on a spot above his brother's shoulder.
"Chris, you want to come help me?"
"Sure thing."
Not looking at Jared or any of his family, Jensen hurried out of the room, Josh stepping aside to let him past. Chris followed him upstairs, wordlessly, and neither of them spoke until they were safely in Jensen's bedroom with the door closed behind them.
"Well, that was interesting," Jensen said, breaking the heavy silence. "I didn't think she'd be that...." He waved his hands vaguely and his friend nodded, agreeing. He let out a loud sigh and went to sit on his bed, covering his face with his hands and clutching his hair between his fingertips. He let go and looked up. "Thank god, huh?"
"You're a lucky guy."
"Yeah, sure. Mostly." He looked around the room, wondering how he'd managed to accumulate so few things in nineteen years. "C'mon. Let's get this show on the road."
It was depressing, Jensen thought later, as he put down the last of the few boxes and cases that Chris had loaded into the back of his truck. Jared had walked down the block to get them some beers for when they were done and Jeffrey wasn't home so it was just him and Chris, stood in the garage, looking around at the saddeningly small pile of stuff. They'd cleaned his room out in just under an hour and when his mother had come up to offer a hand he could see that she was holding back tears. It made him feel guilty, until he remembered his father's words in this room not so long ago. Then he knew that, despite his worries about Jared (worries that he knew he would overcome), he was doing the right thing.
"Says something about me, doesn't it? That this is all I've got to show for myself."
Chris threw an arm around his friend's shoulders and pulled him in to a half-hug. "Your life's just starting, Jen. Trust me, what you've done so far won't be nothing compared to what's coming."
"You say that like it's a good thing, yet I can't help but feel worried by it."
Chris just laughed at that, squeezing Jensen's shoulder again. "You shouldn't be worried. I meant it in a good way. I know you're feeling all anxious about it right now, but I think this relationship is gonna be a turning point for you. You're already changing, man."
"Yeah, I.." Jensen stepped back and pulled up his shirt, tugged his jeans down slightly, seeing Chris's attention immediately focus on the bandage at his hip.
"Did you actually go ahead and get a tattoo?" Chris asked, sounding impressed.
"I can probably take this off now. You want to see it?"
"Wouldn't mind." And that was Jared's voice. Jensen hadn't even heard him come in and he started slightly, looking up. His misgivings had faded over the course of the afternoon and with the way Jared was looking at him now, he started to wonder why he'd been so concerned. The guy clearly cared for him, wanted him. He probably wouldn't do something if Jensen asked him not to. Still, it was that 'probably' that was a nagging worry. "Go on, let's see the finished deal."
Jensen nodded, and picked at the tape holding the bandage in place until he could get a grip on it. He peeled it off slowly, glad that the pain had died down completely now. The skin around the tattoo was blush-red and the ink was dark and looked odd right now, although Jensen had been assured that the colors would come through better once it had scabbed over and subsequently healed up. He hoped so. It would be very colorful when it was all healed. Across his hip was tattooed a pair of macaws, vibrant blues, reds, greens and yellows merging into one another inside detailed feathers.
"Wow," Chris said, looking up as Jared came past him and rested his hand on Jensen's other hip, staring. "Maybe I should go," he murmured, as Jared kissed the back of Jensen's neck, making him tilt his head forward. "See you at school tomorrow, Jen."
As he left them alone, his words made Jensen's stomach sink. School, he thought. Doug. He ducked away from Jared, turned to face him with the best smile he could manage. "You want to help me unpack?" Like it was no big deal that he'd just stopped him again.
Jared sighed, looking put out. "Sure. I'll clear some space for you to stow your stuff in."
"Thanks," Jensen told him, and leaned in to give him a quick kiss on the mouth, more out of guilt than anything. Then he turned to the first of his cases and began pulling out the neatly folded clothes, stacking them on the sofa.
"Your clothes can go in that set of drawers there," Jared said, pointing as he began sorting through the clutter on the spare workbench. "Anything in them just leave to one side. On the floor or wherever. I can sort it tomorrow."
"Okay." Jensen opened the first drawer up and found it mostly empty, but stinking of dust. He pulled out the newspaper that had been used to line it and was unsurprised when it just about fell apart in his hands. He found an old towel that he'd packed and cleaned out the drawer with it before putting some of his clothes inside. The other drawers got the same treatment until all of his clothes were put away and there was a small pile of junk on the floor at his feet. One thing in particular had caught his eye, simply because it wasn't quite as dirty as everything else there, and he bent to pick it up. He turned to Jared, holding the polaroid camera out in front of him. "Hey, does this still work?"
Jared shrugged. "There are some batteries on that bench next to you if you want to try it."
Jensen rooted around for the batteries and loaded a couple into the camera when he found them. It switched on, which was a good sign, he guessed, although the display then informed him that there was no film in it. He made a mental note to go pick some up and stuffed the camera into one of the drawers amongst his socks and boxer shorts. He should probably ask Jared if it was okay for him to use it, but the other man didn't seem bothered and, besides, it had just been collecting dust before he'd found it. Jared had clearly forgotten he even owned it.
"Okay, you can use this bench for all your school stuff and since Jeffrey's not here you might as well go put your toothbrush away, but first..." Jared crossed the room and backed Jensen up against the set of drawers, pinning him there with an arm either side of him. "You gonna tell me what was wrong with you earlier?"
Jensen swallowed. "Nothing was wrong. I was just tired and...it just makes me jumpy."
Jared moved and cupped Jensen's cheek, turning his face so he was looking him in the eyes. "Truth."
"That is the truth," Jensen replied, desperately not breaking eye contact. "And I guess I was worried I'd see my Dad, which is stupid and-"
Jared cut him off, pushing his thumb over Jensen's lips. "You worried about Doug?" He asked, closing the gap between them and kissing Jensen's mouth around his thumb. Jensen closed his eyes, nodded. Maybe he understood after all. "Don't be. I told you, he hurts you? He won't know what hit him."
To that, Jensen badly wanted to say something, but he couldn't seem to find the nerve. Instead he stayed still as Jared kissed him further, as he moved his thumb out of the way so he could slide his tongue into Jensen's mouth. He felt Jared's fingers ghosting over the fresh tattoo and pulled back. "You like it?" He asked, looking down. Jared pressed his forehead to Jensen's, gazing down at the inked lines, at his fingers touching. He'd pushed Jensen's shirt up again and the cold air hitting his stomach made him shiver.
"Yeah. It's beautiful. Suits you." He nudged upwards, kissing Jensen again, moving so the other man could feel the hard press of his erection against his thigh. He was being patient, they both knew that, but Jensen still didn't want him to push this too far. Not yet. "You got any more homework to do?" Jared asked, his breath fanning warm over Jensen's mouth.
"No, I'm..I'm all done."
"Since Jeffrey ain't here then how about we go on in and chill out with the big TV? Grab a couple of those beers I got and just relax."
Jensen knew for a fact that relaxing would be the last thing he'd be able to do that night, but he agreed anyway and followed Jared inside. It was going to be a long night.
--TBC--