(no subject)
Title: All the Doors are Shut
Fandom: Bandom, SPN RPS
Pairing: Background Jared/Jensen
Word count: 1365
Warnings: Slavery, sexual slavery, pretend infidelity
Summary: Jared's on a mission
Author's Note: Takes place after All the Paths are Dark. This is a hc_bingo fill for the 'Forced to participate in illegal/hurtful activity square'.
Jared adjusted the cuffs of his shirt one more time and looked expectantly at the door. He could hear someone walking down the hallway, and he’d been waiting for a while. The door opened, and a man stepped through. He was tall, fair haired and strikingly handsome. Jared recognised him instantly. His photo had been included in the information Jim had collected for him. Edward Sykes. Businessman, small time criminal. Brothel proprietor.
“Amni Padalecki,” Sykes said with a brilliant smile.
“Valdi Sykes,” Jared replied, inclining his head respectfully.
“I must admit, I am surprised to receive your custom. Your marriage seems such a happy one.”
Jared plastered a smirk onto his own face while mentally apologising to Jensen. Jensen was the one who had pushed him to do this; Jared was the one who had hesitated. Normally, someone else from Colt 13 would have handled this sort of job, but Club Sykes was a lot more exclusive than their usual targets. Jared was the only one guaranteed entrance.
“Well, you know how it is,” Jared said. “A husband is good for many things, but sometimes, you’re just in the mood for something... different.”
Sorry, Jensen, Jared whispered in his head. They had been married for almost a year. They were still getting to know one another, really. It was... amazing. Jared had known he would like Jensen ever since they first met. Falling in love with him, though, that had been unexpected. Jared hated the pretence of cheating on him. But it was necessary.
“Well,” said Sykes, “I hope we can offer you something. But, you know, all my stock are voids, of course. They are all very much alike, in the end.”
Jared chuckled, and, resisting the urge to punch Sykes in his too-pretty face, he reached into his pocket to find the small token he had been given. “I’d like to see some of your stock, Valdi, and make up my own mind about that.”
“Of course, of course. Come with me.” Sykes led Jared to a different room, bigger and better decorated. He invited Jared to sit beside him on a couch, and a group of seven voids were ushered into the room.
Jared made a show of looking each one over and weighing up their appeal. He was actually using his telekinesis to read their I.D. chips, looking for the right one. He hoped it won’t take too long to find. He’d like to rescue all the voids. There was something about each one of them. They looked vulnerable, sad, in despair. Several of them had vacant expressions or dilated pupils which suggested they’d been drugged. And none of them were the person he’s looking for. He could afford to buy the lot, but he was already creating enough of a scandal just by being there. He reminded himself that there would always be more slaves out there than he can save.
Jared thought carefully and turns back to Sykes. “I don’t know,” he said hesitantly. “They all seem a bit... tall.”
Sykes chuckled unpleasantly. “They are all on the tall side, aren’t they? Remind you of your husband too much?”
Jared wrestled his scowl into a smile and affects a sheepish laugh, as though that was exactly the problem. The next group of voids were shorter, but the right one was still not among them. Jared shook his head, and he could see that Sykes was growing impatient, but another group was ushered in. None of them looked promising, and Jared was becoming worried. He read each electronic I.D. anyway, and when the last one was the one he’d carefully memorised, he almost missed it.
He didn’t look closely at this void when he first appeared, because he wasn’t dark haired as described to Jared. His hair had been cut short and dyed white-blond. To make him look younger, maybe. Jared didn’t know. The void stared off into the corner, his mouth slightly slack, his gaze unfocused. Jared stood up to move closer.
“I like this one,” he said, but as he moved he reached into his pocket and pulled out the slip of paper he’d been carrying, the one which held a small sketch of a spider. It had seemed an odd sort of signal to Jared, but he had been assured it would mean something to the void he was rescuing.
It certainly did get a reaction, but not one that Jared welcomed. The void stared at the spider, blinked, whispered “Mikey.” The whispered name gave Jared a second’s warning before the void lunged at him.
“Where is he? Where...” Acting quickly, Jared pinned the void’s wrists with one hand and struck him in the jaw with the other. He didn’t want to do it, but he couldn’t take the chance of Sykes and his employees realising that something was going on.
“Amni Padalecki, I am terribly sorry.” Sykes hurried to his side and offered up a concerned expression. “As I’m sure you are aware, voids can sometimes be unpredictable and unstable. Please, allow me to offer you one of our finest, on the house. You can be assured this one will be appropriately dealt with.”
The void had sagged when Jared had hit him. Jared held him up by his shoulders; he looked from the void to Sykes and back again.
“Actually,” Jared said, digging up a lecherous grin, “I think I’ll take this one, if you don’t mind. A little excitement is just what I’ve been missing, I think.” The lie made him feel worse, but it worked. Sykes laughed.
“Of course! Of course, allow us to find you a room. The finest in the house. Come right this way.”
Jared tried to hurry the proceedings along as much as he could, wanting Sykes out of the room before the void fully came to. At last they were left alone; when Jared looked at the void he found him looking back, his brow furrowed and his eyes confused. “What...” he started to ask a question, but trailed off. Obviously, whatever drugs he’d been given were making it hard for him to concentrate or understand what was going on. Jared was furious with himself. He could have waited until they were left alone to explain why he was here, but he hadn’t wanted to be seen as another customer, another rapist. He had wanted the void to look at him and know straight away that he was here to help. Thanks to his selfishness, the mission had nearly failed.
“Gerard,” he said. “It’s Gerard, right?”
Gerard nodded, but he looked confused. “No one calls me that anymore,” he said, his speech slurred and slow. Jared tried to smile reassuringly.
“Mikey asked me to come,” he said. “You remember Mikey?”
Gerard looked insulted. “Of course.”
“Of course. Of course you do. Well. He asked me to come and get you. He’s safe, and I’m going to take you to him. Then you’ll both be safe.”
Gerard didn’t look reassured by that, just worried. “There’s nowhere safe.”
“Well, I have a place that’s safe. There are lots of people there like you, and no one will hurt you.”
Gerard looked less worried now, more sad. “Sounds good.”
“It is! It is good.”
“Can we go now?”
“Not yet.” Gerard seemed displeased by the delay, so Jared tried to explain. “We have to stay here long enough to convince Sykes we’re having sex, and that I like you so much I want to buy you. Then we can go.”
Gerard nodded, but didn’t look totally convinced. It took him a while to put together the question he wanted to ask, but he eventually said, “You don’t want to have sex for real?”
“No,” Jared said. “I’m married.”
Gerard was unmoved. “Lots of people who come to see me are married.”
“Well. Yeah, okay. But I don’t want to cheat on my husband.”
“Is it time to go yet?”
“No, not for a while yet.”
“Can you tell me about Mikey?”
Jared had only met Mikey a couple of times, while they were setting up this rescue operation. There wasn't much he could tell Gerard, but he told everything he knew.
Fandom: Bandom, SPN RPS
Pairing: Background Jared/Jensen
Word count: 1365
Warnings: Slavery, sexual slavery, pretend infidelity
Summary: Jared's on a mission
Author's Note: Takes place after All the Paths are Dark. This is a hc_bingo fill for the 'Forced to participate in illegal/hurtful activity square'.
Jared adjusted the cuffs of his shirt one more time and looked expectantly at the door. He could hear someone walking down the hallway, and he’d been waiting for a while. The door opened, and a man stepped through. He was tall, fair haired and strikingly handsome. Jared recognised him instantly. His photo had been included in the information Jim had collected for him. Edward Sykes. Businessman, small time criminal. Brothel proprietor.
“Amni Padalecki,” Sykes said with a brilliant smile.
“Valdi Sykes,” Jared replied, inclining his head respectfully.
“I must admit, I am surprised to receive your custom. Your marriage seems such a happy one.”
Jared plastered a smirk onto his own face while mentally apologising to Jensen. Jensen was the one who had pushed him to do this; Jared was the one who had hesitated. Normally, someone else from Colt 13 would have handled this sort of job, but Club Sykes was a lot more exclusive than their usual targets. Jared was the only one guaranteed entrance.
“Well, you know how it is,” Jared said. “A husband is good for many things, but sometimes, you’re just in the mood for something... different.”
Sorry, Jensen, Jared whispered in his head. They had been married for almost a year. They were still getting to know one another, really. It was... amazing. Jared had known he would like Jensen ever since they first met. Falling in love with him, though, that had been unexpected. Jared hated the pretence of cheating on him. But it was necessary.
“Well,” said Sykes, “I hope we can offer you something. But, you know, all my stock are voids, of course. They are all very much alike, in the end.”
Jared chuckled, and, resisting the urge to punch Sykes in his too-pretty face, he reached into his pocket to find the small token he had been given. “I’d like to see some of your stock, Valdi, and make up my own mind about that.”
“Of course, of course. Come with me.” Sykes led Jared to a different room, bigger and better decorated. He invited Jared to sit beside him on a couch, and a group of seven voids were ushered into the room.
Jared made a show of looking each one over and weighing up their appeal. He was actually using his telekinesis to read their I.D. chips, looking for the right one. He hoped it won’t take too long to find. He’d like to rescue all the voids. There was something about each one of them. They looked vulnerable, sad, in despair. Several of them had vacant expressions or dilated pupils which suggested they’d been drugged. And none of them were the person he’s looking for. He could afford to buy the lot, but he was already creating enough of a scandal just by being there. He reminded himself that there would always be more slaves out there than he can save.
Jared thought carefully and turns back to Sykes. “I don’t know,” he said hesitantly. “They all seem a bit... tall.”
Sykes chuckled unpleasantly. “They are all on the tall side, aren’t they? Remind you of your husband too much?”
Jared wrestled his scowl into a smile and affects a sheepish laugh, as though that was exactly the problem. The next group of voids were shorter, but the right one was still not among them. Jared shook his head, and he could see that Sykes was growing impatient, but another group was ushered in. None of them looked promising, and Jared was becoming worried. He read each electronic I.D. anyway, and when the last one was the one he’d carefully memorised, he almost missed it.
He didn’t look closely at this void when he first appeared, because he wasn’t dark haired as described to Jared. His hair had been cut short and dyed white-blond. To make him look younger, maybe. Jared didn’t know. The void stared off into the corner, his mouth slightly slack, his gaze unfocused. Jared stood up to move closer.
“I like this one,” he said, but as he moved he reached into his pocket and pulled out the slip of paper he’d been carrying, the one which held a small sketch of a spider. It had seemed an odd sort of signal to Jared, but he had been assured it would mean something to the void he was rescuing.
It certainly did get a reaction, but not one that Jared welcomed. The void stared at the spider, blinked, whispered “Mikey.” The whispered name gave Jared a second’s warning before the void lunged at him.
“Where is he? Where...” Acting quickly, Jared pinned the void’s wrists with one hand and struck him in the jaw with the other. He didn’t want to do it, but he couldn’t take the chance of Sykes and his employees realising that something was going on.
“Amni Padalecki, I am terribly sorry.” Sykes hurried to his side and offered up a concerned expression. “As I’m sure you are aware, voids can sometimes be unpredictable and unstable. Please, allow me to offer you one of our finest, on the house. You can be assured this one will be appropriately dealt with.”
The void had sagged when Jared had hit him. Jared held him up by his shoulders; he looked from the void to Sykes and back again.
“Actually,” Jared said, digging up a lecherous grin, “I think I’ll take this one, if you don’t mind. A little excitement is just what I’ve been missing, I think.” The lie made him feel worse, but it worked. Sykes laughed.
“Of course! Of course, allow us to find you a room. The finest in the house. Come right this way.”
Jared tried to hurry the proceedings along as much as he could, wanting Sykes out of the room before the void fully came to. At last they were left alone; when Jared looked at the void he found him looking back, his brow furrowed and his eyes confused. “What...” he started to ask a question, but trailed off. Obviously, whatever drugs he’d been given were making it hard for him to concentrate or understand what was going on. Jared was furious with himself. He could have waited until they were left alone to explain why he was here, but he hadn’t wanted to be seen as another customer, another rapist. He had wanted the void to look at him and know straight away that he was here to help. Thanks to his selfishness, the mission had nearly failed.
“Gerard,” he said. “It’s Gerard, right?”
Gerard nodded, but he looked confused. “No one calls me that anymore,” he said, his speech slurred and slow. Jared tried to smile reassuringly.
“Mikey asked me to come,” he said. “You remember Mikey?”
Gerard looked insulted. “Of course.”
“Of course. Of course you do. Well. He asked me to come and get you. He’s safe, and I’m going to take you to him. Then you’ll both be safe.”
Gerard didn’t look reassured by that, just worried. “There’s nowhere safe.”
“Well, I have a place that’s safe. There are lots of people there like you, and no one will hurt you.”
Gerard looked less worried now, more sad. “Sounds good.”
“It is! It is good.”
“Can we go now?”
“Not yet.” Gerard seemed displeased by the delay, so Jared tried to explain. “We have to stay here long enough to convince Sykes we’re having sex, and that I like you so much I want to buy you. Then we can go.”
Gerard nodded, but didn’t look totally convinced. It took him a while to put together the question he wanted to ask, but he eventually said, “You don’t want to have sex for real?”
“No,” Jared said. “I’m married.”
Gerard was unmoved. “Lots of people who come to see me are married.”
“Well. Yeah, okay. But I don’t want to cheat on my husband.”
“Is it time to go yet?”
“No, not for a while yet.”
“Can you tell me about Mikey?”
Jared had only met Mikey a couple of times, while they were setting up this rescue operation. There wasn't much he could tell Gerard, but he told everything he knew.