City Of Angels - Chapter 11
Title: Smoke & Lightning : City Of Angels (11/?)
Authors: eviltwin and bloody_adorable
Fandoms: Supernatural RPS AU
Pairing: Jensen Ackles / Jared Padalecki.
Wordcount: 3,028
Rating: Adult.
Summary: A new year…with plenty of possibilities.
Disclaimer: None of the following is true in any way, and no profit is made from this work of fiction.
MASTER POST
They were just settling down for dinner. Jensen had gotten Jared a grill for Christmas. They had set it up on the fire escape. It was almost too big for the small balcony, but they made do. After all, with it they got grilled burgers, steaks, potatoes, vegetables, ears of corn. Jared was a grill master. Jensen wasn't sorry in the least that he'd gotten it for him. In the few days he had off for New Year's they'd made quite a few grilled meals, regardless of the chilly weather. And he'd felt he'd eaten way too much of everything. Tonight was no exception. Jared had made gourmet burgers, and grilled zucchini. Jensen got them their beers, and set the table with all the fixings. Ketchup, mustard, Swiss cheese, onions, tomatoes, pickles.
Shaking his head, Jensen eyed the plate of burgers and veggies. "We gotta stop eating like this." That was somewhat of a lie. He loved their life, how things were going for them.
Jared gazed at him for a moment, and then moved to toss the grill spatula at the kitchen sink. It landed with a clatter. "Like what?"
"This good."
"We always eat this good," Jared reminded him, sitting down at the table.
"Since we've gotten the grill though," Jensen continued, sitting down adjacent to Jared. "I haven't eaten so much in my life, I swear."
"Are you kidding?" Jared laughed at him, truly amused. "I'm trying to get you all fat and sassy before you go back to work on Tuesday."
Jensen chuckled then, shaking his head. "If I ever get fat and sassy, you need to kick my ass."
"I will always kiss your ass."
"Kick," Jensen repeated. "Kick."
"Oh." He just winked at him. He liked that, even after all of this time, Jensen still blushed when he said things like that. To this day, it didn't take much to get such a reaction. Sometimes, all Jared would have to do is look at him in public, and think something naughty. They were so in tune that Jensen would break out in red blotches, a shy smile on his face.
Hit by a wave of nostalgia, Jared watched Jensen for a few seconds, remembering when they were home. In the garage. In their own house. "What do you think about houses?"
He was a little surprised by the question, but after all these years, Jensen was mostly desensitized to Jared's spur-of-the-moment conversations. He cut a slab of zucchini with his fork and steak knife, shrugging his shoulders. "I think they're big," he said. "And probably out of our league for a little while. Why?"
It was Jared's turn to shrug. "Just asking," he said. "I want to be back in a house someday, is all."
"Yeah," he agreed. "Me too. Maya three."
Jared took a bite of his loaded burger and smiled down at the dog, who was seated next to him, staring up at him with sad, Disney eyes. "Yeah," he returned. He set the burger down to pat Maya's head. "Poor pumpkin without room to run."
"The dog park's not cuttin' it," Jensen chuckled.
"That's 'cause you smoke the other dogs there, huh, baby?"
She barked, wanting more than just attention. Surely there was a scrap of food that he didn't want!
The phone rang then. Chuckling at Jared, Jensen stood from the table and reached for the cordless phone on the end table in the living room. "Hello?" he said. He leaned against the back of the sofa, crossing an arm over his chest and leaning his elbow on that arm, the phone pressed to his ear.
Jared gave Maya a small piece of his burger. While she chowed down on it, he watched Jensen listen to the caller.
Jensen recognized Sam's voice immediately. He listened to her talk about a patient, one they both knew well. It was Matty. The boy had been re-admitted after getting pneumonia. Jensen was about to ask about the boy's father, but Sam explained further.
"You know as well as I do," she began, "that Social Services first goal is the reunification of the family."
"Yeah," he scoffed.
"Well, they put him back with his father, under strict supervision," she said. "Of course, he has Matty so scared that he won't tell the counselor a thing. He told me, though, that his father hadn't moved him from day one. So, for that, Matty got pneumonia."
Jensen couldn't help but feel the anger well up inside of him. He didn't say anything, instead just biting his bottom lip.
"I'm sorry to cut your vacation short," Sam continued. "But I could really use you back tomorrow. Especially for Matty."
He nodded. "Okay."
"I really am sorry, Jensen."
"I know," he nodded again. "Don't worry about it."
Jared watched Jensen say goodbye to the caller, and push the END button. Sighing, Jensen put the phone back and headed back over to the table.
"What's going on?" Jared asked.
Jensen shook his head. "I have to go back to work tomorrow."
Jared didn't look pleased at all. "Oh, come on, Jen," he complained.
"I know," he said, holding up a hand. "But it's serious."
"You're a doctor," he returned. "It'll always be serious."
Jensen frowned at him. "Yes, it will," he said. "But it's about Matty."
That stopped Jared momentarily. "Okay," he said softly. "What about him?"
"Dad strikes again."
When Jared sighed this time, he looked more annoyed with Matty's father than he was with Jensen having to return to work. Jared had gotten Jensen tickets to a Breaking Benjamin concert that was in August of that new year. It had been one that the man had really wanted to go to, but was sure they'd not have enough money for decent seats. It seemed, regardless, that they might not be able to make it if work kept on like this. Jensen had assured him that he would get the days off well in advance. Jared really hoped he kept his promise, though Jensen had never let him down before.
The rest of dinner went fine. They talked, laughed, and cleaned up. Jared didn't have to be into the Blue that night, so they took a shower together before settling in to watch a movie. The movie was some old black and white film that Jensen really liked. But he was distracted after awhile by Jared's mouth on his neck, on his ear. They made love on the sofa, slow and soft, with just the glow of the television to softly light the room. Afterwards, Jared took Maya out for a late walk. When he returned they all packed into the bedroom, Maya on her own bed at the foot of theirs, and fell into a very happy sleep.
* * *
Jensen was in early the next morning so that he could meet with Sam Wright about Matty's case. He agreed with the course of action she had taken in the ER, and wrote up a few extra orders. He would check on Matty later that day and possibly write even more orders and prescriptions. He was furious by what he read, and dreaded having to talk to the Social Services woman. He knew he would snap at her, angry with the decision to put Matty back with his father.
"But at least he'll go to a temporary foster home this time," Sam reminded him.
"I know," he nodded. "He's just been through so much already. It doesn't seem fair."
"He's a tough kid," she said, patting his shoulder. "Don't let him fool you too much."
Jensen chuckled and watched her leave his office. He stayed a little while longer to take care of a few things, and then headed down for his rounds. He checked in with the nurse's station, asking how things were going. He read over the records from the previous night, then announced that he would be going on rounds. The last time he had been at the hospital, he'd been on a night shift. It felt funny to see the sun streaming through the patient windows.
Just because he wanted to make sure he was there when the Social Services case worker came in, Jensen left Matty for last. In case the woman would try to leave without seeing him, Jensen also left strict orders with the nurses that he wanted to speak to the woman before she left. He had a feeling it wouldn't be pretty.
He went and saw his other patients, met his appointments for the afternoon, and sat in on a meeting about Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Disorders. After a quick lunch of mostly just coffee, Jensen finally returned to the Pediatrics floor.
At last, Matty's time arrived. Jensen clicked his pen as he put it in his pocket, pushed his glasses up further on the bridge of his nose and headed down to the room. He smiled when he walked into the room, regardless of the fact that a woman in a suit was standing beside the boy's bed. He met her eyes only for a moment as he sat down on the side of Matty's bed.
"Matthew," he greeted. "What are you doing back here?"
Matty frowned, finding it hard to look at the doctor. "I got sick."
"How did that happen?"
The boy looked down at his hands as they rested on the covers. He shrugged his shoulders, sniffling through his nose, where oxygen was being piped.
Jensen looked up at the ceiling for a second, smiling. "Ah," he began softly. "Doctor Sam told me that you told her what was going on at home."
Cautiously, he looked up at Jensen. "No," he returned.
"No?"
He shook his head again.
"Hm, funny," Jensen said, thoughtfully. "Do you think she lied to me?"
Matty didn't want the lovely doctor to get in trouble because of him, and Jensen could tell that just by the look the boy gave him. Frowning again, Matty shook his head. "No," he said quietly, his voice sad.
"Do you want to tell me what happened?"
Matty shrugged, trying to make light of his situation. "Pops is busy, that's all."
Jensen knew that was a lie to cover for the man. Matty's father was an out-of-work mechanic, unemployed because his drinking habit took over his life. "Too busy to take care of you?" he said to the boy. "That shouldn't ever happen. Nobody has the right to forget about you, Matty. No matter how busy they are."
The young boy hung his head. "I guess."
Jensen leaned in closer, forcing himself into Matty's field of vision and smiling at him. "I know so, kiddo." He talked to the boy for a few more minutes, keeping his back to the Social Services lady. Before he left, he made sure to get a smile from Matty. That made him feel better when he turned and saw the unsmiling woman was still standing behind him, watching him with the boy.
"Can I talk to you in private?" he asked.
"Of course, Doctor," she nodded.
Jensen was pleasant to her, leading her up to his office. He smiled as he held the door for her, allowing her into the room before him.
"You're very good with children, Doctor Ackles," the woman said. Somehow, regardless of the fact that she had just complimented him, her voice still seemed cold.
While she sat down in the chair before his desk, he moved around to his own chair, seating himself. "I wish I could say the same about you."
She seemed stunned. "I beg your pardon?"
He tried to smile, to put himself in a better mood. But truth be told, he didn't want to be in a better mood. "How could you even think about putting that boy back with his father?"
"Mister Ackles," she began.
"Doctor," he cut her off. 'Mister Ackles' was his father, and he was nothing like him. Nothing.
She nodded just once. "Doctor Ackles," she repeated. "I am doing my job."
"Yes, you are," he returned. "And I'm sorry that I have to sound so insensitive to your line of work. But I cannot begin to tell you how completely infuriating you people are. That boy is being abused. His father couldn't find the time in his busy drinking schedule to move his son from the bed. Matty now has pneumonia because of him."
"We understand that," the woman said. "But when we visited, both Matthew and his father made themselves appear as a family unit. Social Services’ first goal--"
"Is the reunification of the family, I get it," he interrupted again. "But I promise you, if you put that little boy back with his father, you will kill him."
She pursed her lips together and gazed over at him.
* * *
Jared didn't have to go in to work, but since Jensen wasn't with him, he decided to go in and work on the custom bike on order. Maya walked to the garage with him, played with her pals for a little while, then found a spot close to him, in the sunshine, and sprawled out on the floor to rest. He lost track of time, worked through lunch. When he glanced down at his watch, he found that it was later than he expected. He packed up his things and decided to head over to the bar and see how things were faring. Since getting employed there, he'd been taking on more and more responsibilities. Scheduling everyone's hours was one of those duties. So he dropped Maya off at home and went in to schedule everyone for the upcoming week.
He was greeted by the bartenders and bouncers, who were all sitting at the bar, filling out their time sheets. He headed into the back office where Roberto was sitting at his desk, grumbling over some paper work.
Jared laughed at him, shaking his head. "What's wrong with you?" he asked.
"I hate all this shit," he groaned. He batted at some of the papers on his desk, not really sending them flying but just enough to make some noise.
That amused Jared more than he could say. Rob was such a Catch-22 sometimes. "Then why do you even have the bar?"
"I love the bar," Rob admitted. "I just hate all the shit that goes with it."
Jared chuckled again and sat down on the edge of Rob's desk, looking down at him. "So let me do this," he offered.
Rob sighed. "Nah," he huffed. "This is a job for me. Or a manager." Before Jared had even gotten there, Rob had been hunting for a good manager.
Jared shrugged, serious. "So, make me the manager."
Rob was quiet for a long time. He eyed Jared for awhile, gnawing at his bottom lip, scratching at his beard stubble, and then raking his fingers through his hair. "Fuck it," he said, standing from his chair. "You're manager."
Jared laughed heartily. "Get the fuck out," he said.
Rob shrugged. "If you're gonna take care of this pain-in-the-ass shit, you got it."
"Alright," he agreed.
"But you start right now."
"Fuck that, I'm still on vacation."
Rob chuckled. "Not anymore, pumpkin," he teased. "You just bought yourself more hours."
Grinning, Jared shook his head, watching Rob leave the office. Sure, he might have bought himself a few more hours, but at least it was stuff he could take home and do there.
* * *
Jensen was home by the time he got there. He had stayed to work out the schedules, then stopped to get some takeout on his way home.
"Hey, there you are," Jensen said. He was just taking his jacket off, hanging it up by the door. "I was wondering where you got to."
"Right on your ass," Jared teased, leaning down to him. "Just like you like me." He got a quick kiss before he moved to set the bags down on the kitchen counter. "I got dinner. Didn't feel like cooking."
Jensen sighed, rooting through the bags while Jared put his own jacket away. "Me either, man," he agreed. He started taking the Chinese containers out of the bags. "What a day."
"Oh yeah," Jared said. "How did it go with the Social Services chick?"
"Oh, I laid into her."
Jared chuckled, handing Jensen a set of chopsticks. "As long as you didn't lay her, I guess we're okay."
"Seriously," Jensen said, popping open a container of Lo Mein. "I was livid. I handled it well enough, I guess. I was just so mad."
Jared chewed on a strip of beef, eyeing Jensen. "Couldn't have anything to do with the fact that you have a soft spot for the kid?"
Jensen frowned. "I know," he said. "I said I wasn't going to do that again after Ally, didn't I?"
He nodded. "Maybe this kid's worth it though."
"Yeah." He was quiet for a minute or two, poking at the Lo Mein for a few seconds. "I did get some good news, however."
"Oh yeah?"
Jensen smiled. "Chris called."
"Oh yeah?" he repeated. "How is the little scrapper?"
Jensen chuckled, nodding his head. "Fine," he said. "His hand is still splinted, but it's getting better."
"Good," Jared returned.
"And."
"And?"
"He has to come this way for a job," he explained. "Asked if he could stay here."
"Only got one bed," Jared advised.
Jensen chuckled. "I'm sure we'll make do. We did before."
Jared shrugged and nodded his head. "Sure," he returned. "It'd be nice to see him again."
"Yeah," Jensen smiled.
"Know what would go good with this beef and broccoli?" he asked, changing the subject rather suddenly.
Jensen paused, looking at him. "What?"
Jared nodded, pushing the food around in the container and chewing on a mouthful of it all. "Sex," he said around his mouthful of food.
Jensen laughed aloud, his eyes glittering. "We'll have to investigate that, maybe."
"I think it's for the best," Jared agreed.
Continuing to smile, Jensen watched him, only love in his eyes. Yes, they'd definitely have to find out if sex brought out the flavor of the beef and broccoli.
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