Smoke & Lightning: City Of Angels (19/?)
Title: Smoke & Lightning : City Of Angels (19/?)
Authors: eviltwin and bloody_adorable
Fandoms: Supernatural RPS AU
Pairing: Jensen Ackles / Jared Padalecki.
Wordcount: 3,712
Rating: Adult.
Summary: They don't have long until Holly arrives for her vacation with them. Jensen just wants to be ready for her.
Disclaimer: None of the following is true in any way, and no profit is made from this work of fiction.
MASTER POST
CHAPTER NINETEEN
“I have good news,” was the first thing Jared said when Jensen got home that night. The nurse was still there, just packing up her things, and she smiled a greeting to him as he sat down to pull off his boots.
“What’s that?”
“I got a visitor today. Rob came over with some paperwork from the bar and he says we can borrow his car while Holly’s here. We’ve just gotta pay for insurance. You want the bad news?”
“What’s the bad news?” Jensen asked, smiling.
“It’s a Saturn Vue. In red.” Jared made a face. “Turns out Rob’s not a real man after all.”
Jensen laughed at that. “I hope you didn’t say that to his face.”
“Of course I did, right?” he said, looking at the nurse. She nodded, amused, and Jensen shook his head at both of them.
“I guess I really can’t leave you alone for five minutes. Is he still letting you borrow the car?”
“I could charm the pants off a virgin,” Jared told him. “He’ll bring it over here the day after tomorrow. I said it might come in useful before Holly gets here.”
“Yeah, it would. Means I could take you out somewhere without worrying about you walking. That and I’m not sure I ever want you on a motorbike again.”
“Christ, you’re hilarious. Soon as the insurance pays up I’m buying another one. You know that.”
“Yeah,” Jensen said, sighing loudly. “I know that. I’m going for a shower.” He said goodbye to the nurse, knowing she’d be gone when he returned. He was counting on it, in fact. He had to tell Jared about the latest encounter with his dad, and ask him again if this was going to end in trouble for both of them. He hoped not. He was done with people trying to ruin what they had.
The shower was just what he needed. He stayed in there for longer than he really needed to, washing his hair and just relaxing under the spray. By the time he came out, Jared was on his own with Maya, who was laid next to him on the couch with her head in his lap. Jensen picked up the phone and sat on the chair nearby, not wanting to disturb her.
“I think I’ll order some pizza. Do you want anything?”
“I’m good. Nurse Sadist made me some pasta.”
“Waited on hand and foot, huh? Just don’t get used to it.” Jensen dialed and ordered a large spicy chicken and mushroom pizza and they told him it would be there within thirty minutes. He hung up, tossed the phone aside, and Jared gently moved Maya out of the way and beckoned him over. Settling next to him, Jensen was relieved to see that he didn’t seem to be in nearly as much pain anymore. He wasn’t wincing every time he was touched, which Jensen took advantage of now by smoothing a hand over his stomach as he kissed him. “I saw your father again today,” he said, as Jared let him go.
Jared’s lip curled up like he’d tasted something bad and Jensen could feel him going tense.
“What did he want? Was this at the hospital?”
“He was waiting in the parking lot for me. I’ll speak to security tomorrow, tell them about it. But he said he wanted to just see you and talk to you. He told me he was dying.”
Jared snorted, annoyed. “He’ll say anything. I don’t know what he wants from me, but he ain’t having it.” Jared moved his hand over Jensen’s arm and kissed the side of his head. “I’m sorry. Doesn’t seem to matter where we go, my past is waiting to fuck with you.”
“He won’t get very far if he tries,” Jensen assured him. Changing the subject, he jokingly said that their favorite pizza boy was delivering tonight. “You know, the one you mentally scarred for life by answering the door naked.”
“Aw, he just keeps comin’ back for me, doesn’t he?”
“Oh yeah, I’m sure he’s delivering our pizza just because he’s hoping to see your bare ass again. I think it may be more to do with the huge tips you give the guy.”
“Got a pretty huge tip right here,” Jared told him, grinning.
“Ugh, you’re a pig.”
“Just being honest.”
“Well, you’re not giving him that,” Jensen said, grabbing at Jared’s crotch. “That’s my property.”
“You gonna claim it?”
“You think we’ve got time?”
“Long enough.”
“Jesus Christ, I’m not letting you eat pizza again,” Jared moaned, while Jensen laughed from across the room. “Open a fucking window, you’re disgusting.”
“I can’t help it. It’s spicy chicken.”
“Don’t order that shit next time. This is not helping my recovery.”
Jensen rolled his eyes, but cranked open one of the windows on his way back to the couch. He’d gotten up to fetch a couple of cokes and he handed one to Jared now before sitting down next to him again and getting comfortable.
“You seem like you’re in a better mood tonight,” Jared observed, clinking his bottle against Jensen’s before taking a drink. He grimaced. “Shit, I’ll be glad when you let me have beer again.”
“I’ll be glad when you’re allowed,” Jensen agreed. “Because that means you’ll be off the painkillers. And maybe you’ll stop being such a pain in my ass.”
“I thought you liked me being a pain. In your ass.”
Jensen couldn’t help laughing at that. “If I could only smack you for that,” he said, catching his breath.
“You can save it up for when I’m better.”
“You’re already a lot better than you were. I’m glad you’re doing so well now.”
Jared nodded. “I think being back home helps. Having the nurse and the therapy helps.”
“Ah! He admits it! I told you it wouldn’t be that bad, Jay.”
“I know. And I’m sorry if I’ve..y’know..played up to this just recently. I know I’ve been annoying you some days.”
Jensen moved to get a better look at him. He looked genuinely worried and Jensen was quick to kiss him, to reassure him. “You’ve been a lot less annoying than some of my patients,” he said. “Anyway, I am in a better mood. I got to talk to Matty today. He told me that we’re really cool.”
Jared chuckled. “Kid’s got brains.”
“Yeah. I think he’s wishing time would go a bit faster. Or that it didn’t take so long to get approved for adoption.”
“Does it make any difference if he asks for us to be his parents? Maybe if he saw Social Services himself and tells them how awesome we are then we could get him home a bit faster.”
“I don’t think it works like that. I wish it did, Jay, but it’s going to take time. But, I mean, that’s a good thing, right? You can get settled with your business and maybe we’ll even be able to think about a house before then. I think a house would be better for him. Something with a yard, even a small one, so that he can play outside or..whatever.”
Jared was smiling as Jensen trailed off. “Fuck it,” he said. “I love you so much.” He pulled Jensen round until the other man was almost on top of him, kissed him hard. “Don’t ever stop being who you are right now.”
“I’m not going to,” Jensen told him, laughing quietly even as Jared kissed him again.
They had a couple of days before Holly arrived and Jared was moving around better now. He had managed to rid himself of the crutches or, at least, he’d stopped using them and just hidden them away in the closet. He’d decided to go to Miami with Jensen, purely for the break (not to keep an eye on him, which Jensen teased him was the only reason he was going) and then have a slow return to real work as soon as he was back.
They had Rob’s Saturn now and Jensen didn’t tell Jared, but he enjoyed driving it. It would never beat riding his Triumph, he knew that, but it was comfortable enough and it made getting around with Jared an awful lot easier. There would also be plenty of room for Holly in the back, more than enough in fact. Jensen thought she’d love it. Jared grumbled about it a lot less now that it meant he could get out more.
Jensen had been right about the effects of the accident on Jared, too. He complained of several headaches over the course of a week, never slept through the whole night, but he was better than he had been and Jensen thought maybe it was a small price to pay.
Jared’s father didn’t show up at the hospital again, fortunately, and Jensen was thankful not to see him. Jeff, however, was on the phone most nights wanting to talk to his boy. He rang to check that they were okay, but the phone would inevitably be passed on to Stevie who would talk to them both about what they should do if this or that happened with Holly. In the end Jared told her to calm the hell down, that they were perfectly capable of coping with ‘the little brat’, and that if Holly had any problems or hurt herself then it just so happened he had a live-in doctor who could help. Stevie gave in at that.
“It’s not that I don’t trust you,” she’d said. “You know that, right? I’m just-“
“You’re being Holly’s mother. It’s okay, we get it. But really, you don’t have anything to worry about. She’ll be in good hands. We’re gonna take her up to Beverly Hills and stalk some movie stars.”
“Excuse me?”
“I said we’re gonna take her to McDonald’s and let her stuff her face with as many Happy Meals as she can take.”
“Just in case you can’t tell, I’m rolling my eyes at you right now.”
“I know. You love me. So, how excited is Holly right now?”
“I’d say she’s at the point where she’s pretty much bouncing off the walls. School finished today and they had an Easter party so she’s already on a sugar high anyway. Jeff’s just managed to wrestle her into the bath so I’d better go and give him a hand. Give my love to Jensen.”
“Sick, mom. Sick.”
“Ha ha. Get lost, son.”
Jared hung up, still laughing. He handed the phone to Jensen to put back in its cradle and then stretched out. When Jensen turned back to him, Jared patted his knee and nodded his head in the direction of the bedroom.
“Early night?”
“Trying to cram in as much sex as possible before Holly gets here?”
“Hell, no. I figure we just leave her with Memo for a couple hours each day while we come back here and fuck each other.”
“Uh-huh, that’s not happening.”
“You know I’m joking, don’t you?”
“Duh. Really?”
“Anyway, I want an early night because I’m tired. I have that meeting at the bank tomorrow morning, so I should get some rest. You’re tired too, even though you won’t admit it, and I have plans for you tomorrow morning as well.”
Jensen was off the following day, had planned to spend the day cleaning the apartment and moving the furniture around in the living room so that they could fit the fold-out bed they’d bought for Holly’s visit in there. They’d decided to try and make it as private as possible for her, so she’d feel like she was in her own space, and that meant he had some work to do. However, he’d also planned to stay in bed for a couple of hours before he got started on that. He said as much to Jared.
“Mm, I think you’ll like my plans better. And you don’t have to get up early. You get an extra hour than you normally would still.”
“What about all the stuff we have to do before Holly gets here?”
“I’ll help with that in the afternoon. Don’t sweat it, we’ll be ready for her.”
“So what are you intending to do with me in the morning? I thought Memo was going with you to the bank?”
“He is. But we’re dropping you off somewhere nice on the way.”
Jensen eyed Jared, suspicious. “Exactly what are you going to do me?”
“I’m not gonna do anything to you!” Jared slid a hand over his thigh, leaned in close. “But there’s this huge, hairy guy they call Big G and he’s going to make you bleed. And you’re gonna love it.”
It took a moment, but Jensen suddenly got exactly what Jared was saying to him. “Really?”
“Yup, really. I figured…” He looked thoughtful, eyes scanning Jensen’s body. Then he smiled, tapped a spot of bare skin above Jensen’s hip, opposite to where the two macaws were positioned. “Here.”
“And what am I having done?”
“You’ll like it,” Jared promised. “I know I can’t get any new ink until I’m completely healed up, but I didn’t see any reason in making you wait even longer for yours. And since you have all this time off, now’s a good time to do it. It gives it a chance to heal up before you go back to work.”
“Big G. Hmm.”
“He’s the best artist there. He’s really looking forward to meeting you. I told him how pretty you were.” Jared winked, pushing himself up from the couch before Jensen could react to that. He didn’t get far before Jensen caught up with him, though, but by then they were halfway to the bedroom and Jensen had no intention of going to sleep this early, so he decided to get his own back some other time. For now, he had more important things to concentrate on.
Jared had woken up once at three in the morning, starting so badly that he woke Jensen up too.
“You all right?” he sleepily asked, a hand on Jared’s shoulder.
“Yeah..yeah, sorry. I’m okay.”
“Do you want anything?”
Jared sat up. “I’m just going to grab some water. Go back to sleep.”
Jensen didn’t, of course, waiting until Jared was back beside him and had fallen asleep again before he even thought of it. He wondered if it was just the side-effects of the head injury or if Jared was having dreams about the accident. Nightmares, Jensen supposed. He figured Jared wouldn’t admit it if he was, so he didn’t ask about it. They both slept through, then, waking to the alarm the following morning.
Jensen drove Jared to the bank, where he would meet Memo, and kissed him goodbye through the open window of the car.
“Good luck,” he said. “I really hope you get this.”
“We will. Memo said if they say no we always have a plan B.”
“No robbing banks,” Jensen told him, laughing.
“Hmm. Maybe. Have fun with Big G, won’t you?” He winked, and turned to head inside and wait.
Shaking his head, Jensen pulled back out and made his way across town to the place Jared had told him about. California Branded was a much brighter place than he’d been expecting, but he guessed after being used to Eric’s dingy but clean little shop, anything different would be unexpected. It was big inside, too, with at least four areas set up for tattooing or piercing, as well as what looked like a couple of private rooms off on either side. ‘Big G’ met him at the front of the shop, shook his hand.
Jensen could see how he’d earned his nickname. The guy was as tall as Jared, and broad across the shoulders. His head was shaved and he had a patch of beard and thick eyebrows, one of which was pierced several times. He had a couple of piercings in one ear, too, while the other was crammed with metal rings from the lobe right up to the tip. Every inch of skin that Jensen could see was inked. The handshake was firm, accompanied by a friendly smile that put Jensen at his ease.
“You must be the doc.”
“You must be Big G,” Jensen answered.
“Call me Gary.”
Jensen looked at him, and thought that Gary was the last name he would have expected this guy to be going by. He didn’t say anything, but Gary looked like he knew what Jensen was thinking anyway.
“So, where are we going with this?”
“Uh. What is this, exactly?”
“Oh, right. Your boyfriend dropped it off. So he didn’t tell you what we’re doing today?”
“Apparently it’s a surprise.”
“Got it. Hang on.” Gary walked over to one of the sets of shelves that was behind one of the beds. He pulled a green folder out and flicked through it, pulled something out of a plastic folder inside and passed it over to Jensen. “Here we go.”
Jensen smiled when he saw the design. It was the same Caduceus that Jared had painted on his Triumph when he’d customized it for him. Gary had clearly done a little bit of work on the design to make it more suitable for Jensen’s skin and it looked better than Jensen would have expected.
“This is perfect,” he said, handing it back.
Gary shrugged. “I try. So… Take a seat and show me where you want it.”
Jensen did as he was told, sitting on the edge of the table and pulling his shirt off, folding it on one end. Gary whistled when he saw the rest of his ink.
“Nice, who did this?”
“Guy called Eric back in Texas. Someone Jared introduced me to.”
“Right, right. He’s pretty fucking good.”
“Thanks.”
“I guess I don’t need to go through all the usual spiel with you then. Looks like you’re an old hand at this.”
“Here’s hoping you are too,” Jensen joked.
“I don’t do too bad,” Gary assured him.
“Anyway, we were thinking about here,” Jensen said, pointing at the gap on his hip that Jared had picked out the night before.
“Hmm. Can I make a suggestion?”
“Uh. Sure?”
“Right there would suit something else. Looking at the front of your body, you got this bird theme going on. I’m thinking this should go on your back, down the center. It won’t interfere with your tarot card and if you want to get another card to balance it out then it’s going to look even better.”
Jensen thought about that and nodded. “You’re probably right.”
“C’mon, don’t give me that. You have to be sure. You ever think about getting another tarot card done? I like this one,” Gary said, stretching his fingers over Jensen’s shoulder and pulling gently at his skin, examining the tattoo closely.
“Yeah, maybe,” he said. “I think it depends on what happens.”
“What happens? You have something big planned?”
“We have something huge planned.”
“Life-changing huge?”
“I think so.”
Gary chuckled. “You want to talk about it? You’re going to be sat here for a few hours at least. And I’m a good listener.”
Jensen decided that, yes, Gary probably was a great listener. So he got into position and allowed himself to relax as much as he could and he just started talking. He was vaguely aware that other people were starting to come in and that the shop had gotten busy around them, but it didn’t seem to matter. Gary listened and worked and occasionally offered some words of his own as Jensen told him about the last few months, about Jared’s accident and slow recovery, and about how they hoped to start a family here. It was good, he thought, to talk to someone who didn’t really know him from the next guy. It turned out that Gary’s sister had been through the whole process herself, adopting two children within three years when she found out that she couldn’t have kids of her own. He was full of advice and Jensen appreciated it.
He told Jensen that it was worth it, too. That the benefits of helping a child out like that, of giving that love and getting as much back in return, were more than enough reward for the hard work it took to get there.
“I just hope it’s as easy for us,” Jensen said.
“Don’t let the challenge of it put you off,” Gary told him. “From what I’ve seen and heard, you’re going to be a good father. I should know, I got five kids of my own.”
“Five? Jesus.”
“Tell me about it. Wife reckons I should have had it cut off four years ago. My youngest is three months and a sweetheart. They’re all great kids.”
“I bet they don’t give you any trouble.”
“Ha, right. I may look like a guy nobody would mess with, but kids’ll try anything once. They’ll always work out which buttons to press, believe me. You’ll find the same with yours.”
Jensen wanted to argue that no, Jared would probably be able to keep Matty in line if he got out of hand, but then he realized that he didn’t know that. Not yet. But it would be good to find out.
By the time Jensen was done and had paid Gary a tip for the work - Jared had already paid for the tattoo itself - it was well after lunch. He was hungry, could hear his own stomach rumbling, and he called Jared from the car to find out where he was and how things had gone.
“I’ll tell you when I see you,” Jared said, and Jensen couldn’t tell anything from the tone of his voice. “Memo dropped me up near his place. I’m at the coffee shop round the corner. Want to meet me there?”
“Sure. Can you order me a latte?”
“Yes, I will order your girl-drink for you. You want anything to eat?”
“Anything, right now I don’t care. So long as there’s plenty of it.”
“How’d the tattoo go?”
“Big G’s a great guy. And the tattoo looks great. You’ll get to see it when we get home, okay?”
“Oh yeah, I’m gonna be sure to get first look. See you soon.”
NEXT
I'd like to say a huge thank you to everyone who's been getting involved in this week's character interviews! You can still ask questions of any of the characters for the rest of the week. We've already had Jeff, Chris, Lynn and Rock put in an appearance. Don't forget that still to come we have Kenzie, Holly and Phin! Thank you everyone! (Longer chapter next week.)