Smoke & Lightning: City Of Angels (23/?)
Title: Smoke & Lightning : City Of Angels (23/?)
Authors: eviltwin and bloody_adorable
Fandoms: Supernatural RPS AU
Pairing: Jensen Ackles / Jared Padalecki.
Wordcount: 4,901
Rating: Adult.
Summary: Jared reveals the name of his shop to Jensen, and tries to calm his nerves over their initial interview with the social worker. He also calls Jeff to explain about his dad and Jeff decides that it's time to pay the guy a visit in person.
Disclaimer: None of the following is true in any way, and no profit is made from this work of fiction.
MASTER POST
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Jensen didn't come to slowly. He woke up fast, disoriented, immediately struggled when he felt that something was holding him in place. Futile, but a natural reaction. Jared's face came into view and he grinned down at Jensen, licked his lips.
"Good morning," he said.
"What're you doing?" Jensen wasn't annoyed, at least now he'd gotten over his initial shock.
"Waking you up," Jared told him, dipping his head and sucking at Jensen's nipple, twisting the metal bar through it with his tongue and teeth. Jensen enjoyed the sensation for a few moments, but he knew that was all he had.
"Gotta get up," he mumbled, tugging at Jared's hair gently until his head came up again. "I need to go to work."
"Call in," Jared suggested. "I think you should stay here with me today. Say goodbye to the place properly."
Jensen sighed, looked around the bedroom that was empty save for the mattress they were both on now. "I can't. You know I can't. I just had a bunch of time off. And I already have tomorrow afternoon off for this social worker thing."
Jared rolled off him at that, lay on his back next to Jensen and huffed out a breath. "Anyone would think you just didn't want to have sex with me anymore," he said, and Jensen laughed at him and smacked his stomach, told him he was an idiot. "Okay, sure. Go, then. I'll get the last things over to the new place and hand the keys over for this one."
"Take it easy, all right? I need you to be ready for tomorrow."
"All I have to move is this bed and the two suitcases. I think I'll be good."
"Well, I'll help you get the mattress downstairs before I go to work. What else are you doing today? Are you over at the bar?"
"I'll be at the shop when you finish work. The signs are coming in today, and the guys to lay the floor. It'll be busy."
Jensen moved over and kissed Jared, looked down at him. "You'll be okay. Do you want me to get Chinese food and come over after work? Maybe I'll finally find out what you decided to call the place."
"That'd be perfect. And then we can go home."
"God, I can't wait. Are you calling Jeff today? About... You know." He didn't want to say 'your dad', but Jared knew what he meant. They'd talked about calling Jeff and asking him if he knew where this bank book was, but Jared had protested against it because he hated dragging up the past with the guy. Jensen supposed he could understand it, but he thought that if Jeff could help then it was worth finding out. Maybe if they could get the truth of what Amos was after, they would find it easier to get rid of him if he came back. Jared had convinced himself that Amos was done with, but Jensen still worried.
"You want me to?"
"Yes."
Jared sighed and Jensen dutifully ignored his put-upon look. "Fine. I don't think it'll help, but fine. I'll call him from the shop. Hey, Jensen? Don't worry about tomorrow, okay?"
Jensen nodded, but they both knew that it was much easier said than done.
The hospital was at least busy enough right now that Jensen could let it take his mind off everything else that was going on. He had a new long-term patient, one that would be coming back regularly over the next year at least, and plenty of short stays to keep him occupied. They were all nice kids and only one set of parents seemed to disapprove of the doctor their child had been seen by. Jensen ignored it, just got on with his job, and felt better when he later heard Sam Wright telling the parents that their child was in the best and most capable hands the hospital could provide. She knew he'd heard her and smiled at him as she joined him on the way to the elevator.
"Lunchtime?" she asked, pressing the call button to go down.
"Yeah. Hey, thanks for that. You didn't have to."
"I know. But I did anyway. It's true, you know. You've quickly become the best doctor we have." She grinned. "Aside from me, obviously."
"Well, obviously," Jensen agreed, smiling back. His cheeks were still hot with embarrassment, though, and he felt even more conscious of the fact that he wasn't used to praise. They stepped into the waiting elevator, along with a couple of nurses and someone Jensen recognized from radiology.
"You should be proud of that, Jensen," Sam told him, sensing his discomfort. "You wowed them in Miami, just like you impressed everyone the first time you came here. Which means we'll probably send you again."
"Jared will be pleased to hear that." He'd already told Sam about Jared's exploits while they were away, about the argument they'd had, and she laughed. "Maybe he'll agree to stay at home this time and realize that it's not a holiday. Now I know how dull it'll be for him, I guess it'd be better not to ask."
"Maybe not."
They left the elevator on the ground floor and made their way to the cafeteria, where they both bought some lunch. She asked Jensen what was new and Jensen felt his nerves flare up again as he told her about the appointment scheduled for the next day.
"It's just a preliminary thing. She'll come to the house and take a look around, talk to us both, and then we have a bunch more interviews after that. Jared seems to be completely relaxed about it, but-"
"You're obviously not. How long will it take before you know anything?"
"It can take a long time," Jensen said, his shoulders sagging. "Who knows how long? I don't know, maybe I'd feel better about the whole thing if there wasn't so much waiting involved."
"I doubt it," Sam said. "When it's something you want so badly then it's difficult not to feel the way you feel. And it's clear that you do want this very badly. That's why you're so nervous."
Jensen nodded. "I just hope that doesn't mean that Jared doesn't care one way or the other what happens."
"Talk to him about it. Ask him. I think he's probably a lot less relaxed than he's letting on. He's probably just putting on a brave face for you. Although after meeting Jared, I'm thinking it's just because he's much more laidback than you are, about a lot of things."
"Really?" Jensen didn't know how he felt about that. Was he really so uptight? "Crap," he murmured. "It's like I'm turning into my father anyway."
Sam laughed, patted his arm. "Trust me, from what you've told me about your dad, I think you're a long way off doing that. And besides, it's understandable that you'd worry more now than you used to. You've had a damn rough year so far."
"We had some good things happen, too."
"That's what you need to concentrate on, then. Think about all the good things and it'll help you with tomorrow. Just be yourself with her, both of you. She'll quickly see how loving you are and how perfect you'd be as parents. Did you want to go out for a drink tonight after work, maybe help calm you down a little bit?"
"I'd better not. I'm meeting Jared at the shop, having a quiet night in."
"Ah, also a good plan." Sam glanced at her watch and swore. "I'd better take this with me," she said, picking up her sandwich. "I was meant to be in a meeting about five minutes ago. See you later, Jensen."
He raised his hand as a goodbye and took his own sandwich outside. He wanted to call Jared now, now that the nerves were surfacing again. He needed Jared to help him get through the rest of the afternoon. As for the next morning, that would be a whole new challenge to get through.
Jared answered after several rings, and what he said made Jensen hot under the collar again. "One day I'm gonna take caller ID off your phone so you don't do that anymore," Jensen told him, looking around as if anyone passing by might know what Jared had said.
"I'll still do it and you know it. How's your day going?"
"Good. I got some new patients today, all wonderful."
"They only behave because they have such a great doctor. How are you feeling?"
Jensen sighed, wondering how Jared just knew him so well. "Nervous," he admitted. "About tomorrow. I just worry that we'll say something wrong, or do something wrong, and we won't even realize it. Or that Amos will show up halfway through and fuck everything over."
"He won't show up. I called Jeff."
"Does he know about this money?"
"He does, yeah." Jared's voice had gone quiet and Jensen frowned because he really hadn't been expecting Jeff to know anything either. He'd come to the conclusion that Amos was delusional. It turned out that he actually knew what he was talking about and that was troubling. "He, uh. There isn't any left."
"He spent it?" Somehow Jensen didn't quite believe that. Not of Jeff.
"Sort of. The money was meant for me. He said there wasn't as much as Amos seems to think, but there was enough to bail me out time and again when I needed it." Jensen's heart sank at the tone of Jared's voice. He could tell that Jared was blaming himself. "I never realized-"
"Hey, it's not your fault. It's not like we need it now, right?"
"I know. I just, suddenly I feel like I let my mom down. Not that I didn't feel like that before, but... I'm sorry, Jensen. I didn't think about it."
"Do I need to say again that it's not your fault? So the money's gone, so what? I think your mom would be proud of you right now. I think she'd tell you that it doesn't matter what you did before, it's what you're doing now that counts."
"Yeah. So, um, Jeff's flying out here later. I told him everything that Amos said. I told him not to worry, but you know Jeff. He doesn't want that bastard carrying out his threat. So he said he'd fly out and pay the guy a visit. I told him he could stay with us, since we have the room."
"Oh..." Jensen bit his lip. Their first full night in their new place and they wouldn't be alone for it. He wondered how much more could be piled on to the following day's stress.
"I know, I'm sorry. And.."
"And?"
"He said Phin wanted to come too. I told them about the social worker, don't worry. They said they'd stay out of the way, that they'd probably spend the day tracking Amos down anyway, but... Fuck, I'm sorry. You're mad, aren't you?"
Jensen thought about it, thought about what Sam had said about Jared's laidback attitude, and sighed. "No, it's okay. Hey, if they can sort the problem out for us while we deal with our own stuff then that's a good thing. It'll be good to see Jeff again."
"And Phin? You're not going to hurt him, are you?"
"Why would I hurt him?" Jensen asked, amused. "He's safe. I'll just, y'know, tell him to take care of my sister."
"I think he's already doing that." Jared sounded lighter now, like a weight had been lifted, and Jensen was glad to hear the worry gone from his voice.
"Funny. How's it going over there? Have you taken plenty of breaks?"
"Of course. The floor's halfway done and the signs are up outside. I've done some painting. It's coming together, it's looking good. Reckon to be done in the next week. Open up mid-June. Perfect time for it I think, when all the road-trippers are out on their tourers. Memo has a few jobs lined up for me when I start, just to get me going."
"He's been surprisingly cool about it. So what's the shop called?"
"Nice try. You can wait and see. Not long now."
Jared was right. It wasn't long, but it had felt like it. After a long afternoon, Jensen was more than looking forward to seeing Jared, seeing the shop, and just relaxing for a little while before Jeff arrived. Jared had told Jensen that Jeff said that he and Phin would catch a cab from the airport to their place, since the lack of available vehicles meant that neither of them could go and pick the pair up very easily. Jensen stopped by one of his favorite Chinese places and picked up some chow mein, spring rolls and crispy beef before riding over to the shop. He pulled up outside, parked and took off his helmet, staying on his Triumph as he gazed up at the sign above the shop.
A dragon on one side, a tiger on the other. The tattoos that Jared had sported on his shoulders when they had first met. The name of the shop printed bold between each creature. HEAVY METAL THUNDER. He looked down as the shop's door opened and Jared came out, smiling, Maya right behind him.
"Is that beef I can smell?"
Jensen stepped off the motorcycle and wrapped his arms tight around Jared, clutching at his shoulders as he pulled him down to kiss him. Jared returned it, seeming unsurprised, and looked back over his shoulder at the sign when Jensen let him go. They both stood there for a few moments, their bodies pressed together warmly, until Jared broke the silence.
"I take it that you approve?"
"It looks great, Jared. What about inside?"
"It's getting there. The floor's done. My office is mostly set up, so we can go eat in there."
"Your own office, huh?" Jensen teased, grabbing the food from where he'd stowed it. "How's the desk, is it pretty sturdy?"
"I'm thinking we should test it for sturdiness. Just in case. I don't want sub-standard furnishings in there." Jared pushed open the door and grinned as Jensen went past him. "I think if it collapses then there's probably room for complaint."
"From me or from you?"
Jared took the food from him, led the way to the office. "Believe me, you'll have nothing to complain about."
It was late. Jeff had called to say that he and Phin were just heading out for a cab and would be with them before long. They should get to the house, to their home, so they could be there to meet them. But Jensen didn't want to move. Maya was out front, asleep in front of the main door, and he and Jared were wrapped up together on the couch in Jared's office, naked and warm. Jensen didn't want to think about getting up right now. Jared was kissing him, sucking pale marks into his throat and chest, and Jensen wished he didn't have work the following day so that they could do this all tomorrow as well. But he did, and he knew how late it was getting, so he gently pushed Jared up and laughed at the other man's expression.
"Time to go," he said, and Jared gave a frustrated grumble. "C'mon. Unless you want Jeff and Phin to turn up to an empty house."
"I guess."
They got dressed slowly, and Jared opened the office door and called Maya's name to wake her up. They watched as she skittered across the new floor, nearly crashing into Jared's legs. She barked at him and he pulled her lead from his pocket, told her to sit still while he fixed it to her collar.
"Are you going to walk home with her or do you want to take the Triumph?"
"I'll walk. It won't take us long."
"Okay. I'll see you at home." Jensen gave him a quick kiss goodbye and went outside, kicking down his stand and swinging a leg over his motorcycle. Jared didn't wait as he got himself ready, just locked the shop up and started on the way home. Their new house was a little bit closer to where they were, but far enough away from the bar that Jared had to ride there when he needed to go in. The walk wasn't too long from the shop though, so Jensen wasn't worried about Jared being okay with it. He knew if he needed to, he could go back and they could swap over after all.
As it was, Jared arrived home not too long after Jensen. He'd taken shortcuts that Jensen couldn't use and he let Maya off her lead once they got through the front door. Jensen had a beer ready for him and handed it over, told him there had been another message a few minutes ago to say that Jeff and Phin were only ten minutes away. Sure enough the cab pulled up outside even as they were settling down on the couch to drink their beers. Jensen got up again, telling Jared to stay put for now, and went to the door to let them both in. They didn't have too much with them, just a small case each, so Jensen assumed that meant they didn't plan on staying much longer than a few days. He was partly glad for that, but partly wished that they could stay longer. It felt good to have a part of home here with them.
"Was it a good trip?" he asked, as the pair got closer. He shared a one-armed hug with both of them and closed the door behind them.
"Not too bad," Jeff said. "Hey, Jay."
"Hey," Jared replied, lifting a hand. "I'd get up, but I don't think I can."
Jeff nodded, dropping his case at the end of the couch and looking down at his boy. "How's it been?"
Jared shrugged. "Not too bad. I keep getting told how well I'm doing."
"He just overdid it today is all," Jensen told them. "Beer, anyone?"
Jeff shook his head. "We're not here to get in your way, all right? Jared said you have work tomorrow. We'll just sleep down here and keep quiet for now. You should get some rest."
Jensen relaxed. "Yeah, you're right. I'm, uh, going to bed. Good to see you." He looked at Phin who looked like he was waiting for something else to be said. Jensen obliged, asking how Kenzie was.
"She's... She's okay," Phin said. It felt a little awkward, but Jensen couldn't really think of much else to say to him at that moment. His sister's sex-life wasn't exactly in his top five of conversation topics, especially not tonight.
"Right. Good. So... I'll see you in the morning."
"'Night."
Jared joined him upstairs not too long after, apologized again as he slipped into bed beside Jensen. Jensen didn't say anything in return, but felt better when Jared's arms came around him and he was pulled back against him.
Jeff and Phin had already gone out when Jensen went down to get some breakfast before work. He was surprised, given how early it was, and he hoped that they didn't think he wanted them out. But then he found a note from Jeff on the refrigerator saying they'd gone out and would be back that night, after the social worker visit. They didn't want to be in the way. He felt bad, but grateful. It gave them a chance to clear up when Jensen returned home at lunchtime after his few hours at the hospital and it meant that they wouldn't have to explain the presence of even more people in their new house so soon. He stowed the two cases away, out of sight, and fixed himself some breakfast and coffee. Jared came down not long after that and Jensen watched him take a seat at the kitchen island.
"Man, I love this kitchen," Jared said, reaching for Jensen's mug of coffee. He dragged it towards him and took a sip, put it back.
"It's a good kitchen," Jensen agreed. "Sturdy."
Jared snorted out a laugh. "Sturdy as fuck."
"Why are you up already?"
"I figured I'd start cleaning the house. Unpack a bit more. I'm not just going to leave it all for you to do."
"Thank you. I appreciate it. Hey, um, if you can unpack some of the clothes that'd be good. I need my suit for later."
"We going to a wedding?"
"For the social worker."
"A suit? Really? Are we supposed to be trying to impress this chick?"
"That's the idea."
"I'm not wearing a suit," Jared said, folding his arms on the counter as he leaned forward. "No way. I told you, there are very few occasions that I will allow you to get me into one for. And this isn't anywhere close to the list."
"Relax," Jensen said. He got up and moved to stand behind Jared, sliding his arms down over his lover's chest and kissing his temple. "I'm not going to make you wear a suit. But you are going to dress nice. For me."
Jared nodded, distracted. "Hey, where are Jeff and Phin?"
"Out already. They said they didn't want to be in our hair. Said they'd be back tonight."
"Huh. Okay. I hope we get to see them at least some of the time they're here."
"Me too. But today we have bigger things to worry about."
It was late in the afternoon, close to dinner time, when the doorbell rang. Jensen decided right then and there that he wanted to run. It was crazy. He was a doctor. He dealt with life and death every day, for God's sake. A social worker shouldn't make him this nervous.
"Oh, fuck," he breathed, standing from the sofa and looking at Jared. "There she is."
Jared stood too, momentarily working out the stiffness in his leg. "Word to the wise, big shot?"
"Yeah?"
Jared smiled, reaching out to straighten the collar of Jensen's dress shirt. He'd wanted to wear a tie, but Jared had convinced him otherwise. And, in turn, Jensen had convinced him to wear a new steel-grey polo shirt. It was almost as tight as his one from the Blue. He saw Jensen look up into his eyes and he saw him melt a little. Smiling, Jared patted Jensen's shoulders. "Don't swear."
"Oh, crap," he said. "Sorry." He started off towards the door, halted by Jared speaking his name. He turned and looked at him, curious.
"Breathe."
Nodding, Jensen took a deep breath and realized he had been holding the air in his lungs. Jesus. Clearing his throat, Jensen opened the front door to their new house and looked out at the woman standing there. She was much shorter than him and he just knew that Jared would tower over her. Her hair was neatly combed back into a clip, and her square-rimmed glasses sat upon her nose, making her look wiser than her years. She had on a badge that spelled out her name as Kimberly Thomas and she carried a clipboard stacked with papers, a pen wedged between her fingers.
"Hi," she greeted, holding out her hand. "I'm Kimberly Thomas. I'll be your social worker."
Her sentences ended almost as if she were asking a question, turning up in pitch. There was a slight drawl to her tongue too, which Jensen instantly decided he liked. It gave them something in common. "Hi, I'm Jared," he said. Realizing his mistake, he scrunched his eyes closed and shook his head. "I mean, this is Jared, and I'm Jensen."
She giggled and stepped over the threshold as Jensen allowed her in. "Don't worry," she said. "I'm used to nervous people. But there's nothing for you to be nervous about. We just want to check a few things today."
"Oh, okay," he said. It didn't help his nerves.
Jared reached out to her as she stepped into the living room. "Howdy," he greeted.
"Oh, right," she smiled. "You guys are Texans, aren't you?"
"Yes, ma'am," Jared said.
Jensen was right. Kimberly Thomas didn't even reach Jared's shoulders. He smiled and nodded his head. "Everything's bigger in Texas," he said, motioning to Jared. "As you can see."
Jared chuckled at that, winking at Jensen. He knew it would make Jensen blush, and he liked seeing that red color to the man's face and ears, seeing him trying to cover it up.
"Well, let's sit down, shall we?" Kimberly asked, breaking the ice further. "I just need to go over a few things."
They talked for quite awhile. Some of it was them getting to know each other. They learned that Kimberly was from North Carolina, and that she too was adopted. Jared told her that he was as well and she joked that it made him extra-qualified to adopt. Jensen knew she was teasing, but it did make him feel better.
Kimberly told them that they would have to undergo a psych evaluation. Jensen just nodded, understanding. Jared grumbled and complained.
"Really?" he asked. "That's so pointless."
"Well, not really," she argued. "We have to make sure you and your partner are sound parent material."
She was a little too cheerful. Jared just sighed at her. "He's a doctor. I own my own business. I think we're solid."
"Mm," she agreed, narrowing one eye at him. "But you have a record."
At that, Jared cursed softly.
Jensen almost corrected him for the use of such language, but Jared spoke before he could.
"Misguided youth, I swear," he said, holding up his hands. "I'm not that guy anymore."
She nodded. "We take that into consideration," she replied, an understanding tone to her voice. "My superiors have already looked at your records. If they'd been too worried, they would have raised some red flags."
"They're not doing it because of..." Jensen said, motioning to himself and Jared.
"Oh, gosh no," Kimberly said. "We have a lot of gay couples adopt."
"Okay," Jensen said, feeling somewhat more at ease.
She made sure what days Jensen had off, and told them that she would call with their appointments. It would be sooner, rather than later, she told them. She asked a few routine questions, about their drinking and smoking habits, about their families, about their jobs. She wrote down all of her answers on the clipboard on her lap. Before she left, she asked to see the house.
"We're just moving in," Jensen said, leading her through the place. "So, sorry about the mess."
"I see," she said, looking amused. "I just moved into my place a few months ago. I can relate to your headaches right now."
They looked over the downstairs, even into the laundry room, before they headed upstairs. Jensen opened a door and motioned inside. "This will be Matty's room," he told her. He and Jared followed her into the room. "Ours is down the hall there." he pointed to another doorway, closer to the stairs, that stood open. "Jared's a fantastic painter. He's going to do something special for him."
"Well, that's good. You're designing your own shop too, is that right?"
He smiled proudly. "Yes, ma'am," he agreed. "You should go talk to Memo down the road from me. Get a bike and then come to me to get it detailed. You'd look killer on a bike."
She giggled, while Jensen curled into himself, mortified. "Jared," he said quietly.
"What?"
"It's alright," she told them, waving away Jensen's worries. "I actually used to ride with my boyfriend all the time back in North Carolina."
The visit ended as well as it had started. Kimberly left them with a smile upon her face and their cell phone numbers on her clipboard, so that she could call them with their psych appointments. As Jensen closed the door, Jared leaned down behind him to speak into his ear.
"See?" he lowed.
Jensen turned and looked at him. "See, what?"
"I told you it would go okay."
"Yeah, surprisingly, with you hitting on her."
Jared laughed. "Oh, stop," he said. He reached around Jensen and set his hands upon the man's backside, squeezing gently. "This is the only ass I want."
He couldn't be mad. Jared was Jared. He'd always do little things like that, mostly because he loved to see Jensen's reaction. Besides, they'd done well, and Jensen had a great feeling about the adoption. "Good," he returned. "Because this is the only ass you should be looking at."
Leaning in a little more, Jared pressed a kiss to Jensen's mouth. "Give me twenty minutes with you, and neither one of us will remember that she was even here."
Jensen couldn't deny the images flashing through his head. Jared holding him down, his grip a little too rough out of desperation. Brutal kisses and heavy breathing. Sweat dripping off their brows. Muscles shaking from exertion, and the smell of sex. He thought for just a moment more before nodding his head. "Alright," he agreed. "Go get a couple glasses of wine to celebrate, and I'll meet you up there." Neither of them knew just how long they had until Jeff and Phin returned, but Jensen figured they at least had long enough.
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