Broken Wings - Jared/Chris BigBang Fic (1/10)
Chapter One
It felt like the night was still, the deafening silence surrounding him; it almost felt like that moment in time when you know everything is going your way, like scoring the winning shot. All he could hear was the sound of his own blood beating around his body in his ears, until there was no more. There was no pain or sound; it was just still.
Sheets of paper littered the floor, covered in various shapes and colors. Pens and pencils, paint brushes and paints were also scattered throughout the room and rested on every available surface. Tacked to the colorful walls were different posters and paintings. It was the room of a young boy with an eye for the abstract and beautiful, with a talent still so raw and unfocused.
The young boy normally sat in the center of the mess, his hand moving in small, rapid motions against a new sheet of paper. Each pencil stroke accurate and calculated to make the perfect picture, and once done with a piece, he’d either rush up to one of his parents and present it to them, or some of the more special ones, he’d tack them up in a place where only he would be able to see them.
As a kid, Jared Padalecki had always been quiet and studious. The teachers loved him, and the others kids left him alone. He had always been taller than his peers but was as gentle as a small puppy; he even had the eyes to match. His laughter could fill a room, his smile bright enough to light the same room. He had always been a happy child. With an older brother to protect him, a younger sister to protect, and a best friend by his side, Jared had always thought he had everything he could ever need.
Then in high school he had started doing more. Drama, art, sports and everything in between. Many people had wanted to be his friend. Everyone loved the outgoing and happy young man with good looks and a heart of gold. Jared broke down a lot of the stereotypes in high school, being a smart and still popular, good looking guy, but it was just the type of person Jared was. Jared would speak to everyone, and everyone saw him as a friend, but Jared only ever really counted on his best friend; Jensen.
Jensen was almost the exact opposite of Jared. He was more reserved and had fewer friends. He played basketball with Jared but not very well. He couldn’t draw but used to be in the church choir as a boy. However, everyday Jensen got up and looked forward to going to school, being with Jared was a blessing he would never question and was thankful for everyday. Jared would usually pick Jensen up, and together they would drive to school, talking between them about whatever came to mind, and life was good that way.
“Hey, J-Pad! We’re all going to Luke’s after the game, you in?” Chad Murray, one of Jared’s teammates, asked.
Jared looked up from the book he was reading. He had been sitting outside under a large tree, enjoying his lunch period by himself with only his book as company when Chad’s lanky form had come and blocked his sunlight. “Yeah, sure, man. Did you want me to be the DD again?” he asked, already knowing the answer.
“Really? That would be awesome, Jay Bird!” the blonde said.
“No problem. Mom prefers it when I don’t drink anyway,” he half lied, however happy to help a friend, even if it did mean driving a bunch of drunken, rowdy teenagers home late at night.
“Thanks, man, we own you one!” Chad said before heading back over to his group of friends, leaving Jared alone again.
Jared sighed. Chad definitely owed him more than one by now, but Jared never asked for anything in return. Smiling at his friend’s retreating form, Jared returned to his book.
Jared knew, as soon as the ball had left his fingers, that the ball was good. The bell buzzed the end of the game, and the large gym exploded around him. He had scored the winning basket; they were on their way to the state finals. Jared wasn't the biggest guy on the team, at 16 he was still a lanky 6ft tall kid, his mom still promising that he would fill into his tall frame, but he was one of the quickest, having stolen the ball and made his way down the other side of the court before half the other team had realized it.
Jared was pounced on by his teammates, cheering his name and congratulating the young basketballer. Jared laughed and smiled along with his teammates. It didn't really sink in what he had just done, but the energy was catching.
"Come on, Jare! Let's go out and celebrate!" Jensen, Jared's best friend since they were kids, ordered, pulling him away from the stadium.
Jared, Jensen, Chad, Jason, and Brock all played on the same team; the five friends left their home court and piled into Jared's old, beat up car.
"To Luke’s?" Jared asked. Luke was already 21 and was their local alcohol supply for any event.
"Hell yeah!" everyone cheered.
The night was still young, and it was already shaping up to be an awesome one.
The party was already in full swing by the time it took for the five of them to shower and change and drive to Luke’s house. Chad, Jason, and Brock went their separate immediately, barely waiting for Jared to tell them where to meet afterward for a ride home, while Jared and Jensen stuck together, walking over to the keg for some beer for Jensen. The music was loud and pumping, and the house was crowded full of people of all ages, dancing and drinking in either celebration or just because they could.
A few girls, cheerleaders and otherwise, kept coming up to him, wanting to talk to him and congratulate him on his awesome victory. Many stayed and tried to chat him up, and had he been even slightly intoxicated, he may have been interested, but Jared had come to realize that he preferred the stronger, wider and bigger build of a male’s body rather than the soft curves of a female, even though no one knew it yet.
By the end of the night, Jared was exhausted. Sticking to either water or soda, he put up with the random and usually insane antics of his friends and fellow classmates. He eventually managed to round up his friends and get them out of the house. Everyone but Jensen well beyond being drunk, they stumbled along the street to where Jared had parked his car and tumble into the backseat in a heap. Jared simply sighed and got into the front himself, Jensen sitting next to him as they shared a small laugh between them, then drove off.
It wasn’t easy driving with three drunks in the back. They talked a lot, and loudly, and would constantly kick the seat or even swat at the back of Jared’s head for no apparent reason.
“Guys stop it! I’m trying to drive!” Jared said turning around quickly and shooting his friends a glare. He turned his attention back to the road. They were on a long stretch of country road; Luke’s house closer to being out of town rather than in it. There weren’t any lights on the street even though it was well used by many.
“Have you thought about coming down with us for the weekend?” Jensen asked over the other occupant’s loud voices as they came up to the last curve; they were nearly home.
“Yeah, still have to work on the parents, though, but I should be there tomorrow morning. Who else is coming?” Jared replied simply, looking over at his friend quickly.
“Just a few of us- Jay, look out!” Jensen called grabbing at the dashboard as Jared quickly slammed on the breaks and pushed down on the steering wheel hard, turning it in an instant jerked reaction.
A large buck ran across the road, not totally uncommon in these parts, probably startled by the car’s lights or some other noise. Jared swerved to miss it, hesitating only slightly before pressing hard on the breaks, too. Everyone shouted and swore as the car skidded towards the road barrier, the driver's side hitting it full force, breaking through the barrier and sending the vehicle flipping down the small slope.
They didn’t know how many times the car flipped; it could have been one or ten times for all they knew, but the car finally stilled with the top underneath them. It was almost like waiting for the dust to settle. Everyone remained as still and as silent as they could until the car stopped moving completely. They coughed and sputtered in shock, slowly pulling themselves back together and regaining some sense of composure. The three in the back carefully undid their seatbelts and landed on the roof of the car, testing the doors to get out of the vehicle.
“Guys, call for help! Jared... he’s... argh, he’s hurt bad!” Jensen begged, his own head throbbing in pain to the point of being unbearable.
“We’ll get help,” Chad coughed slipping out the door before pulling his phone out and dialing 911.
“Can you get out?” Brock asked Jensen, poking his head between the two front seats and looking at their friend, “we gotta get out of the car and as far away as possible...” he added.
“I don’t know. My head hurts and so does my leg, but it’s Jared I’m worried about...” Jensen said nodding his head towards Jared, the younger man still out cold.
Brock looked Jared over, “He... he doesn’t look too bad, maybe we can get him out ourselves?” he suggested, desperately wanting to get out of the unstable car.
“I don’t know...” Jensen mumbled, his eyes growing heavy and his blinking becoming sluggish.
“Jensen? You with us man?” Brock asked urgently, shaking Jensen’s shoulder, “Come on, man!”
Jensen’s eyes closed and that was the last he remembered of the night. Brock got out of the car, quickly joining Chad and Jason, the three teens waiting nervously for help to arrive. Their eyes stayed glued on the car, silently praying that their two friends were okay and hoping that the car would stay put and wouldn’t roll any more or, worse still, ignite.
Jared doesn’t remember much of the night, or the week that followed; although, sometimes he still gets hazy flashes of what happened. He remembers Jensen calling out to him in the car, his whole body aching, and then, there were hands everywhere. They told him later that they couldn’t get him out of the car. He had been pinned, and his body twisted, his door jammed and refusing to open, that it had taken about half an hour to get Jared out of the car safely. It was fair to say that there wasn’t much left of his beloved car by this point.
He and Jensen had been rushed to the hospital; their friends riding in a police vehicle to get checked out and questioned. He can remember the bright lights and loud noises, but nothing about where he was or what was being said. Weeks later, he found out Jensen had been admitted for observation. He had a severe concussion and a fractured ankle, but he was out two days later with crutches in hand and a firm lecture from his parents still ringing in his ears. Jensen had immediately sought out his best friend.
It had taken several hours, but eventually, Jared was out of surgery and moved into a private room in the Intensive Care Unit, where he was kept heavily sedated for several more days. The doctors spoke grimly, ‘he had been lucky to survive’ was their favorite quote, but it did nothing to relieve the trepidation the small family was feeling. They listed off statistics and various support groups, but nothing changed what the ultimate outcome would be.
His body was kept in traction for a week, a ventilator was supporting his lungs, and his brain was being monitored for activity. By the time the doctors had decided to decrease the sedative dose they were giving him, news had spread all over his school and around the local community of the tragedy that had struck the Padalecki family. They were flooded with casseroles and other food items, flowers, soft toys, and cards; none of which the family actually wanted, let alone needed. People were asking if they could come and visit, but the family decided against it, only letting Jensen visit while the young boy was still in the ICU.
Jared didn’t wake up like they do in the movies. There was no slowly blinking before immediately understanding where he was or what was going on. It took a few days, starting with purposeful movements and followed by moments when his eyes remained open, but unseeing, for a short period. When he finally did try to speak, it came out more like a croak and was immediately given some ice chips, but he fell back asleep before anyone could ask him anything.
They didn’t know how Jared would react when they finally told him what was wrong, reactions usually varying from depression to anger to defeat. They had a doctor in there, but Jared’s parents were the ones to break the news to Jared. They spoke softly and slowly, telling him constantly that ‘it was going to be okay’, and again, the old favorite ‘that he was lucky to be alive’ just like the doctors had. Jared listened silently and took it all in, nodding at the appropriate moments and waiting for everyone to finish speaking.
“Can I have a few minutes alone please?” he asked in barely a whisper.
“Sure, Baby, you take all the time you need; we’ll be right outside,” his mother had replied lovingly, placing a soft kiss to his forehead before ushering everyone out of the room.
He didn’t cry or scream or throw anything. He lay there, looking up at the cracked ceiling and let his parent’s words wash over him again and again, replaying their words and their expressions. His dad came back half an hour later and asked Jared how he was, but he stayed silent. He didn’t speak for two days until a psychiatrist was brought in to speak to him.
“It’s obviously post-traumatic stress syndrome,” she said simply after reading his chart. “Jared? How do you feel?” she asked speaking to him as if he were a baby.
“I feel like I’ve just lost the feeling to the bottom half of my body,” he replied, looking her dead in the eyes before turning his head away from her and his family, closing his eyes from the rest of the world.
Next Chapter | Masterpost