NC-17 | In This Windy City (2/8)
Before they even make it to the oak bar and mismatched stools, Jensen detours towards the bathroom and tells Jared to order him an extra of whatever he’s having. It gives Jared a few moments to loosen up, take in the bar they’ve never stepped foot in before and is strangely empty for it being after five. He also lets his mind wander with the nagging worry that Jensen knows their victim and hadn’t bothered to tell him before.
He downs most of his Coors Light while Jensen’s gone, and keeps sipping while he tries to figure out how to deal with Jensen.
“I’m your partner,” Jared says when Jensen sits beside him and sips from his own beer, barely hiding a wince at the flavor. Jared shifts towards him. “I would think that this kind of information is vital early on, you know?”
“We haven’t even hit twenty-four hours yet. It is early on.”
Jared stares at Jensen, daring him with obvious frustration to keep joking.
“Okay, sorry. Look,” Jensen says with a level tone. “I’m sorry I didn’t say anything, okay? I didn’t do it maliciously or for any reason other than I want to nail someone for this and move on.”
Jared shifts for a moment, and when Jensen’s hand settles on Jared’s knee and smooths over his pants, he breathes calmly and lets his real frustration out. “You’ve been lying to me all day. From the second I said it was Samantha Price, you lied to me about knowing her.”
Jensen nudges Jared so they fully face each other, legs slotting between one another, and his hand slips up to Jared’s hip. “I didn’t lie.” He frowns and adds, “Not on purpose.”
“By omission,” Jared points out, ignoring the slight sting leaking through his voice. “If you were a suspect, I swear to God, Jensen, you wouldn’t last long on this.”
His lips quirk then he stands to get even closer to Jared. “I know, okay? And I’m sorry.” He sweeps a hand over the side of Jared’s face, and Jared subconsciously moves into the touch before flinching away.
“What happened to her?” Jared asks, trying hard to keep his wits about him. He refuses to let Jensen off the hook for this; he goes so far as to steel his eyes to Jensen’s while Jensen just shrugs.
“We were kinda serious. I had a ring, but she wasn’t a fan of the Department. Thought I’d get hurt or something. But I still kept in touch with the family for awhile.”
“Kinda serious,” Jared snorts lightly. He shakes his head and breathes deep. “I’m talking about her. What happened to Sophia?”
“I don’t know. An accident, I guess. She washed up in Belmont Harbor one morning.”
Jared freezes and stares at Jensen, even as the guy closes into himself and shifts back to his own stool. “You don’t think that sounds familiar?”
“What? No,” he responds, distracted, then gets more forceful, “No. Not familiar. Not in the slightest. It was an accident. She’d been there with some friends. She always went there late at night with a big crowd. She drowned and that’s it.”
“When?”
Jensen shrugs and squints off towards the bartender cleaning glasses at the far end. “A while. Maybe ten, twelve years?”
“We’ve been partners for four years now and ...” When Jensen looks back at him, Jared tries the easiest tone possible, but he knows he fails. “You never told me about any of this.”
“It wasn’t important before.”
Jared stares, eyes wide and heart racing at the thought. He finally breaks with his frustration and pain. “You being nearly engaged wasn’t important before?” He sees Jensen struggling to counter it, so he stands and sighs roughly. “Fuck you. Seriously. Fuck you and your omissions and your lying.”
“Jay,” Jensen says, soothingly, while grabbing at Jared’s arm to stop him from stepping too far away. “Hey, c’mon, it’s not a big deal.”
He stops and glares. “Not a big deal? You know the family, know the girl. You’re on the top ten list of people I’d question.”
“So question me.” Jensen spreads his hands out and centers himself on the barstool with a calm smile. “Go ahead, whatever you wanna know, I’ll tell you.”
“Don’t be an asshole,” Jared sighs, finally drinking again from his bottle, downing it as Jensen chuckles lightly. He wants to fire back, but there’s a gleam in Jensen’s eyes that eases a bit of the tension.
There is much more fight left in Jared’s system, questions to be asked and answers to reveal. But he fails to qualify right now as the time to clear the air. Especially when they’re in the middle of a case that’s on the clock.
Jared shakes his head and brings his bottle to his mouth before saying, “See, here I am, wasting valuable detective time arguing with your dumb ass, and you’re mocking the whole thing.”
“You hear anything on Josh Bell?”
He’s barely alarmed by Jensen’s shift in attitude. This is something they always do: slide right back into business. “Ferris says it’ll be another twenty-four for the rush on the autopsy, and Benedict promised me prints back the day after.”
“So, we wait.” Jared looks over to Jensen and can’t manage to take his eyes off him, especially when Jensen’s looking right back with an easy glance and tiny, warm smile. “And relax. We can relax, Jared.”
“You wanna relax on a case for your in-laws?”
“For right now, I wanna relax with my partner,” Jensen clarifies.
“Is that why you chose a bar we don’t know anyone at?”
“I didn’t exactly want to have this conversation with company,” he says with a sideways glance. “Did you?”
“No. Of course not.” Jared spins his empty bottle between his fingers and watches the water rings cross each other on the bartop. “I just don’t feel much like drinking right now.”
“You drinkin’ that quickly says otherwise,” Jensen says with a smirk. “We can head out.”
“You gonna finish yours?”
Jensen rolls his eyes at the bottle. “Right. Last time you’ve seen me drink beer?”
“You said you’d have what I was having,” Jared returns with his own smirk, feeling a small bit of victory at forcing beer onto Jensen when it really has been years since Jensen had openly ordered one for himself.
“So you taught me a lesson. Next time I’m ordering.”
“For a guy who mainlines cheap coffee, you’re awfully touchy with your alcohol.”
Jensen rolls his eyes and drops a ten and a five on the bar, smile still in place. “You done gloating?”
Jared’s back slams into the fridge, lips mush and brain even worse off as he fights between his brain starving for oxygen - heck, common sense - and his heart pumping all blood south. “On a case,” he mumbles between kisses.
“I don’t care,” Jensen says as he shoves his hands up the back of Jared’s shirt, crushing their bodies and mouths together. “It’s your stupid rule.”
He still tries to slink away from Jensen, but Jensen’s hands are tight against Jared’s skin, and he whines at him.
“Just think of it as mutual masturbation.”
Jared chuckles before he can stop it. “Last night not enough for you?” Jared asks with a smirk as he turns his head away to stop Jensen’s tongue from getting to him. But then Jensen sucks along his jaw until he reaches the patch along his neck that always forces Jared to rethink everything.
At Jared’s quiet moan, Jensen smiles into Jared’s skin. “Consider it my making ammends.”
“For what?” Jared asks absently as he watches Jensen’s hand lift up the front of his shirt and mold over the curve of his chest. Perfect fit, he thinks to himself when Jensen’s hand slides across Jared’s ribs, fingers slipping between the grooves of his muscles.
Jensen returns to Jared’s mouth, kissing long and wide with a slick, intent tongue. “For lying,” he says in between kisses. “By omission.”
Jared nods at that, still trying to force his brain to ignore Jensen’s assault, because he really hasn’t broken his rule for no sex during a job since he solved his first major case years ago in Narcotics, and with the Price case being so high-profile, he doesn’t want to chance it, and he says so.
Jensen chuckles low and dirty while tugging Jared’s hips close, forcing them to rub together. “It’s not sex,” he argues playfully.
“I never let you get away with that before. You really think I’ll start now?”
“We’ll keep our clothes on, won’t even touch each other.” To make his point, Jensen leads Jared to the counter then moves in tight, hands far from Jared as they grab the edge of the countertop, but his hips slot with Jared’s and he grinds into him. “No hands,” he smirks with his mouth just inches away.
“You are the worst.”
“Not what you said last night,” Jensen points out with a hard drag of his body. He smiles at Jared’s broken curses.
“You didn’t even stay.” Jared starts rambling on, convincing himself that if he keeps talking, he can stay off track of how hard he is, or how hard Jensen is, or how hard they are together as Jensen continues to grind on him. “Ran off in the middle of the night. Didn’t even leave a note. I woke up and you were gone.”
Jensen’s head slides next to Jared’s, panting into his ear and shifting to rub into the flat plane of his hip. “Got the call. You were dead to the world, and I had to go home to change.”
“Stay tonight,” Jared says on a hush, nudging Jensen’s temple with his own.
“I’ll think about it.”
Outside of their panting, they both fall quiet as Jared fights to not move, but when Jensen starts to lose his rhythm and his harsh breathing flips into choked groans, Jared holds Jensen’s waist and feels the stutter of hips as Jensen comes.
Jensen breathes heavy in Jared’s ear as he attempts to steady himself, Jared still holding him around the waist. “You didn’t come yet,” Jensen says on a gravelly whisper.
“I have standards to live by,” Jared sighs. “I can’t break them right now.”
“You really don’t want to?” Jensen asks as he looks up at Jared, eyes blown wide and green, and Jared can’t help but stare right into them.
Jared swallows hard and dry, and a flash of pride rises at the idea that while he is currently very hard, he is also very dry.
“Why’re you trying to ruin my record?”
With a shake of his head, Jensen snorts and shifts away. “I’m getting sympathy pains from your blue balls, Jay.” Then he rubs a hand under Jared’s shirt, up his chest and back down in a well-known pattern. “You finish up in the bathroom and I’ll go change.”
In the bathroom, Jared jerks fast and hard with a hand pressed into the wall above the toilet as he re-lives Jensen in the kitchen: the feel of his body rutting up against his own, the sounds of his cut-off groans, and the wet warmth in his pants when he came.
Jared groans loudly and pitches forward, heaving over the toilet and shooting over his hand with heavy breaths.
“Should’ve let me help,” Jensen murmurs low from the doorway.
Jared smiles through the euphoria and rests his head against his forearm. “Think you did enough.” He cleans himself up and shakes his head. “Thought you were going to bed.”
“Like I could ignore your filthy mouth,” Jensen chuckles as he turns from the doorframe and heads back into the bedroom.
When Jared crawls under the covers, he slides close to Jensen, who rolls to face him. Jared glares from under sleepy eyelids, and grumbles, “I could kill you for your little escapade in the kitchen.”
Jensen smiles and closes his eyes while shifting and digging his head into the pillow. “You loved it, don’t lie.”
They fall quiet, but Jared knows enough about Jensen to recognize that his breathing is still uneven as his shoulders twitch, trying to get more comfortable.
“We should check out Bell in the morning,” Jared suggests quietly.
“Harris and Collins are watching him.”
“Really?” he asks, raising his head a little and watching Jensen’s mouth flip through a tiny smile.
“You said you wanted a tail on him.”
“You ain’t as bad as I thought.”
“Been trying to tell you that.” Jensen softly clears his throat and slides his head down the pillow, chin to his chest and Jared knows that signals that Jensen’s ready to slip into sleep.
Hours later, Jared lifts off his belly and onto his elbows as he stares at the other side of the mattress. “Fuckin’ asshole,” he murmurs to the blank pillow.
Jared steps up to the side door and ignores the few reporters hanging at the nearby corner, asking if he knows about other cases. He fumbles with a large paper bag and a drink crate while trying to work the door. He looks over his shoulder with a grimace. “You gonna help or what?”
“Looks like you got it,” Jensen replies as he strolls from the sedan.
“I’ll eat your sandwich. I’ve got no problems with taking your lunch.”
“That’s fine by me. You know I hate Mr. Sub.”
Jared rolls his eyes. “You eat it every time I buy.”
“Yeah, when you buy,” Jensen points out as he reaches for the door handle.
“Padalecki,” comes from a shrewd yet recognizable voice.
“Ackles,” adds a second, equally sharp and equally known voice.
Jared and Jensen share a look and both roll their eyes as they turn in place and address the two guys behind them. “Tweedle Dumb,” Jared smiles.
“And Tweedle Dumber,” Jensen adds with the same amused smile. “Ain’t seen you two in a while.”
Jared puts on a fake caring voice. “How goes the streets, Buckley? You two catch yourselves a big beat yet?”
“As a matter of fact, we did,” Buckley returns with quick bob of his head. “You’re looking at the new Woodward and Bernstein.”
“Like the Bears?” Jensen asks with a curious glance. “My nephew loves those books. Mama and Papa and the two kids. Charming little fam.”
“Wow, you’re so funny,” Wester says with a sarcastic look.
Jensen grins at Jared. “I know, right?”
Jared nods with a pat to Jensen’s back. “He is particularly funny.” He faces Jensen and suggests, “You should tell him about the priest, the rabbi, and the Mormon.”
Jensen points at him with interest but Wester cuts in, “How about you tell us about Price? Why was the Alderman here yesterday?”
Jared and Jensen share a quick look then both frown with faked sympathy. “Really wish I could tell ya,” Jared says. “But one of my informants,” he leads on while leaning in close to the two reporters, who are suddenly fascinated and leaning close as well. “Guy tells me that they’re gonna paint the lobby and asked Jon Price for some color swatches. I think they’re going with plum.”
“Mauve,” Jensen corrects.
“Oh, right. Yeah. They’re so close on the color wheel,” Jared smiles while turning his hands together to mimic it all.
“I don’t care if it’s chartreuse, something’s goin’ on,” Buckley shoots back.
“I’m pretty sure it’s not chartreuse,” Jared says with an odd nod. “Beaver’s not big on greens. But I’ll keep you abreast of the situation. Okay?”
Before more can be said, Jensen swiftly opens the door and guides Jared inside, shutting it behind them in an instant. He leans back on the wall and looks at Jared with wide eyes. “They got it.”
Jared immediately thinks of Harris and Collins and their twelve-hour shifts outside Bell’s apartment, not to mention Hodges and Kane’s on the other end of the clock. There was no news there, nor from other background searches into the Prices’ history, so he’s clueless as to what the papers could have. “But how much?”
“I don’t know. But this isn’t good.”
“You know you’ve always been my favorite of all the coroners,” Jared’s saying when Jensen steps into the room.
Jensen smirks at him and shakes his head as Ferris is doing the same. “She got something good?”
“Better than good.” Ferris nods with a snort. “What d’you think I’m doing here? Just loggin’ bodies?”
“I heard for every hundred you get a set of steak knives,” Jensen says idly while tampering down his smile.
She laughs and shakes her head, moving around the side of the table with Samantha Price on medical display. “I wish, boy. You have no clue how bad my kitchen is.”
“Kinda ironic, huh?” Jared asks Jensen across the table. “Coroner with crappy knives?”
Ferris tsks. “If you wanna waste time working on your Second City routine, go right ahead. I’m not goin’ anywhere.”
“What d’you got?” Jensen asks as he looks down on the pale body.
“The bruising along her neck is consistent with being strangled.”
“Kinda early for that, no?” Jared asks, remembering how clear the marks were when they first saw the body.
“I’d say she was dead before she hit the water, hours before. The water was warmer than I’d thought, enough to keep the body longer than I first calculated.” She slips to the side of the table. “Contusions along her temple, collar bone, and forearms,” she says as she carefully lifts Price’s wrist and turns the hand over. “Some skin and fibers under her nails. This girl was a fighter.”
“Enough for DNA?” Jensen asks.
Ferris gives Jensen a long look. “What do you think?”
“I think Jared’s right. You’re a damn fine coroner.”
“I said she was my favorite, to be exact,” Jared points out.
“You run it yet?” Jensen asks, glancing up from the body.
“Already in the system, kid. Give it a few days and we’ll see if we got something.”
“You get a match,” Jared says with a smile. “And you’ll be more than my favorite coroner. You’ll be my favorite County worker.”
“Be still my heart,” she replies in a flat tone.
Jared’s phone rings and he smacks at his bedside table to shut it up. Instead, it smacks to the floor and keeps on ringing.
Hanging over the side of the bed, he snatches it up and opens it. “What?”
“Mornin’, sunshine,” Jensen smiles across the line.
“What?” he repeats, voice equally gruff and dry.
“Benedict’s got a match on prints at the bridge and on some of Price’s possessions.”
“Yeah?” he asks, distracted, as he rolls back up onto the bed and flings his head back into the pillows.
“And Ferris says hairs under the nails point to blond.”
Jared clears his throat and forces his mind to think straight. Josh Bell’s blond.
“I’m sorry,” Jensen says playfully. “I was looking for my partner. Thought he might wanna solve a murder.”
“Sounds like you already did.”
“Are you letting me take he credit? I’ll do it, you know I will.”
Jared chuckles low and scrubs a hand over his face. “You got a match at the bridge?”
“Prints on the railings. Guess who?”
Jared sleepily grins. “I’m thinkin’ Josh Bell. You on your way?”
“I’m almost to the station, but I’ll save you a seat at the front of the class.”
“Grab me some coffee,” he says, and then he quickly adds, “The good stuff.”
Jared drops onto the nearest, cleanest desk and rolls his head, stretching his neck and shoulders as he tries in earnest to fully wake up.
“Nice suit,” Tal taunts as she passes by.
“You like?” he smirks.
“You look clean for once. I didn’t know you had it in you.”
“Kiss my ass, Lon,” he says with a smile.
He closes his eyes and his brain drifts off, ignoring the soft din of only a handful of detectives in the room, all working on their own cases and rightfully ignoring Jared. He steadies his breathing and rests his eyes as he waits for the inevitable rush.
“Where’s Padalecki?” Beaver belts out as he enters the room. “Oh, alright. You’re early.”
“Got a wake-up call. So I woke up,” he slowly smiles. “We got prints and hair?”
“Benedict is pretty certain on DNA as well,” Beaver says with a small smile and a pat at Jared’s back.
Jensen appears just behind Beaver and slips a covered cup of coffee around the Lieutenant to Jared. “He said it’s a preliminary lock.”
Beaver jumps and glares at Jensen. “What’ve I said about you sneakin’ up on people?”
Jensen smirks in return then looks over Beaver’s shoulder to grab Jared’s attention. “He said he’ll need something from Bell to verify, but they picked up a li’l something from your card.”
Jared nods, sips from the cup, and then stalls. There’s a dark, smokey taste to the coffee. It’s good, real good. He slowly looks to Jensen with a curious smile.
Jensen winks in return, saluting with his cup.
Beaver nods to them both. “Go find Bell, but don’t spook the kid.”
“Of course not,” Jared says as he stands.
Jensen rings the bell for a third time and raises an eyebrow at Jared. After an immediate stop to Bell's apartment building came up empty, they’d spent most of the daylight hours traipsing across DePaul’s campus looking for Bell in classrooms and the library and every hidden study area they could find. Their next bet was that he’d never gone to school and was possibly back home.
Jared shrugs. “Collins said no one fitting his description has left the building for since they started their shift five hours ago.”
They both look back onto the street where an unmarked car sits with Harris and Collins inside. “Is it possible he was distracted?”
Jared snorts and looks up the side of the vintage four-story complex. “With Harris riding shot-gun, I’m sure he was.”
The front door opens and an elderly woman steps out with a small yet strained smile as she shuffles around them. Jensen slips his foot between the door and its frame with a pleased look. “Let’s go.”
At the door to Bell’s apartment, Jared knocks and keeps his eyes trained on the golden numbers identifying it as 305 while Jensen looks up and down the hallway. After a second knock, Jared looks around, too, and hums.
“You hear anything?” Jensen asks, and Jared’s fully aware that Jensen wants him to walk down this road and later report there were suspicious noises from inside that called for forced entry.
Jared gives him a cautious look. “I wish I could say yes, but we’re not stormin’ the castle just yet.”
Jensen sighs and straightens his back as he knocks. “One of these days you’re gonna wish you could lie with the best of them.”
“Okay, Dirty Harry.”
Jared knocks again, but they don’t wait much more until they both walk away. But then they snap to attention when the door flies open with a rushed, “Jesus, can’t a girl shave her legs in peace?”
The woman at the door is a meager five feet of petite attitude with a hand at her hip and her stance leaning to the right. Jared does his best to not look surprised - or disappointed - that it’s not Josh Bell.
“Can I help you?” she asks.
Jensen stands tall but gives a comforting smile. “I’m sorry, but does Josh Bell live here?”
“Not exactly. But sure, I guess. There’s a couch with his name on it and he has a mailing address. What’d my brother do now?”
Jared pulls his badge out and holds it up while Jensen follows suit. “We need him to answer a few questions about a friend of his. You know where we can find him?”
“Not since Monday morning.”
Jensen looks at Jared from the corner of his eye before he asks, “So you weren’t home together on Monday night?”
“I was. He wasn’t. Why? He in trouble or something?”
“I’m Detective Padalecki. What’s your name?” Jared asks with a quick smile while putting his hand out to shake.
She warily takes it and slowly says, “Kristen. Why’re you here?”
“This is his address on file at school,” Jensen points out easily.
“What’re you talking about?”
“Is he staying somewhere else?” Jared asks.
“Staying, not staying, whatever. I don’t know anything about a school, though.”
Jared eyes Jensen and then her. “He doesn’t go to DePaul?”
“What did he do?” she asks with slow force.
When Kristen’s attention flips over Jared’s shoulder, Jared turns and Jensen shifts around him to see Josh Bell in the stairwell, eyes like a deer caught in headlights and bag clutched tight over his shoulder.
Jared lets his voice slip soft and friendly. “Hey, Josh. You got a few minutes?”
Josh looks between all three of them and as Jared walks closer, his shoulders huddle in and he takes a step down.
“Just got a couple more questions about your class. It’s not a big deal,” Jared says with a smile.
Tense, silent seconds pass between them all before Josh spins and runs back the way he came.
Jared immediately speeds forward with Jensen right behind him. They see Josh hit the ground level, racing through the hallway and out the back door.
“Go ‘round front!” Jared shouts as he chases after Josh and charges through the nearly closing back door. He pops outside and sees Josh tripping for a few steps before pulling himself up and over a chainlink fence.
Jared’s long legs let him take the fence just as quickly, up and over, and he easily lands in the alley before charging after Josh, who doesn’t even bother looking back as he runs off.
Just before the alley breaks onto the street, Jensen charges into view and smacks the kid right into the side of the brick corner building. He shoves a knee at each of Josh’s legs to separate them while he holds Josh’s arm high into his own back.
Josh struggles in the hold and pushes back on Jensen. But Jared pushes Josh’s other shoulder into the wall then kicks his foot against each of Josh’s to spread his legs even further.
Jared harshly chuckles while he pats up Josh’s legs to search him. “Now, why’d you have to run? I just wanted to talk.”
“Get the fuck off of me!” Josh shouts as he continues to fight against Jensen.
Jared stands up and frowns at Jensen and then Josh. “Hey, I don’t see why we gotta be harsh.”
“Screw you.”
Jensen flicks out his cuffs and snaps them around each of Josh’s wrists and hauls him up against the wall again. “Don’t know why you always wanna be nice to the criminals,” Jensen grumbles at Jared. “They’re never very nice to you.”
“I’m not a criminal!” Josh shouts as he continues to fight against Jensen.
Jared grabs Josh’s shoulder and wraps his other hand around the chain of the cuffs to yanks him away from the building. “Sure you’re not. I bet it’s all just a misunderstanding.”
“You’re doing real good, Josh. I’ve never had someone give me the silent treatment for four hours straight. I’m actually kind of impressed.”
Jared chuckles at Jensen and adds on, “Except for the fact that he’s totally guilty.”
Josh shoots Jared an ugly look.
Jared raises his hands with a curious smile. “Are you not? Because you haven’t said so yet.” He slides a chair out from the table and flips it around so he can sit and rest his arms across the back with his chin to his wrist. “I mean, yeah, there’s innocent ‘til proven guilty. But it’s kind of obvious here.”
Jensen shakes his head. “Give the kid a break. He didn’t officially break any laws yet. Except for evading an officer. Which, you know, is pretty weak.” He stalls at the odd glance Josh gives him. “Well, it is. If you wanna do something big with your life it should be more than trying to out run us. We’re pretty fast, Josh.”
“Some would say too fast,” Jared says with a cocky grin. “I mean, the way my partner here crashed right into you, shoved you into that wall like it was nothing? That’s pretty sad. I’d be fighting for my pride right now.”
“I didn’t hurt you, did I?” Jensen asks with an obviously fake, careful tone. “I’m sorry if I did, but I was just trying to make sure you didn’t get out into the street and hurt yourself. I’d hate for you to run right into oncoming traffic. Had to stop you somehow.”
Jared clucks his tongue and smarts back, “I dunno, Jensen. I think a car doing forty would stop him pretty quick in his tracks.” He sighs wistfully and shifts away from the chair, hands tight at the seatback. “Too bad though. Would make our jobs a lot easier. Less evidence to log. Wouldn’t have to testify in court. You’re kind of wasting my time now.”
“Supposed to be the nice one,” Josh mumbles angrily.
Jensen and Jared both pause before leaning in together. “Sorry?” Jared asks. “Are you talking to us now? You’re not invoking your right to remain silent?”
“I thought you were the nice one,” he spits out at Jared with a nasty glare.
Jared laughs. “Now, when did I ever say that?”
“You said he was the bad cop,” Josh says as he motions towards Jensen, but it’s a small gesture with his hands cuffed to the table top.
“Bad cop?” Jensen asks Jared with a small smile. “Really? Do people still play that game?”
Jared shrugs with an unimpressed face as he stands and roams the room.
“Hate to break it to ya, Josh,” Jensen says with a wry smile. “But there’re no good or bad cops. We’re all the same.”
“Except us,” Jared butts in with his hands resting at Jensen’s back so they both stare at Josh and then sharply smile in tandem. “We’re different from the others.”
“Sure are,” Jensen agrees.
Banging erupts from the other side of the one-way mirror and they all turn to look at it, yet only catch their reflections. Jared can imagine Beaver rolling his eyes and shaking his head in the next room.
Jared pats Jensen’s shoulder. “I’ll take care of that. You keep Josh company and maybe get a confession outta him?”
Jensen nods with false conviction. “I’ll try my best.”
Once Jared’s through the door, Beaver is spinning the volume knob to mute Jensen and Bell’s conversation. He sighs at Jared and shakes his head. “You two gonna waste the whole forty-eight hours we got with him on your stupid sideshow act? Or you wanna get yourselves a killer?”
“Lieu, it’s past midnight, and we’re barely getting four hours of sleep a night. We’re a little slaphappy.”
“You get something outta that boy or I slap you unhappy. You got it?”
Jared chuckles a bit uneasily but nods as he faces the glass and watches Jensen leaning towards Bell, rather close, and talking while Bell keeps shaking his head and frowning.
Another door swings open and Jared and Beaver both turn to see the new member of the room, but then Jared’s rolling his eyes. “Oh, thank God. The law’s here.”
Assistant District Attorney Welling swipes a hand down his tie and realigns his jacket as he smirks at them. “I know. You were all lost before I got here.”
“Right. You’re quite the hero,” Jared says in a flat tone. Then he stands straight, shoulder pressed into the window frame and smirking. “Except with the mishap in the Kelley press conference. What was it you said? She allegedly concerned herself with members of Carlson’s crew, who you claim were tied in with the Daleys? Aligning organized crime with the Mayor. Smart move.”
Welling bristles for a moment but doesn’t change the cocky tone of voice. “Whatever. It’s all done and gone. Hanson got twenty-five and I got another tick on the board.”
“Right,” Jared chuckles bitterly. “As long as it’s on your agenda.”
Welling steps closer to the glass, hands sweeping his jacket back like a cape before he smirks at the sight of Jensen still engaged in conversation with Bell. His hands are firm on his waist and he nods forward. “What’ve we got so far?”
“Kid wasn’t talking before I left the room.”
“Funny how Jensen plays good cop better than you do.”
Jared glares at Welling, but it’s Beaver who nudges the ADA. out of the way. “We’re covering it. Jensen’s in there and Jared will get back, too. My boys’ll get you what you need.”
“However you do it,” Welling says with a finger pointed at Jared. “You do it fast. I need to wrap this up for the Alderman as quickly as possible. I’m tired of waiting on you to get me something to work with.”
“Waiting on me?” Jared asks with offense as he steps closer.
“The press are all over the Alderman for those supposed bribes. I don’t need anything else clouding up this case.”
“And that’s my fault?”
“Could be.” Welling’s teeth are bared in a wolfish grin and his eyes are sharp on Jared as he dares Jared to keep going, but Jared doesn’t speak more. He tips his head and purses his lips. “Right then. You do your job so I can do mine, alright? I’m tired of people taking their time and then losing.”
Any smart reply is cut off when Jensen slips out of the Interrogation Room and smirks at them
Jared slides a chair in front of the thirteen-inch TV in the corner of Beaver’s office and immediately turns the volume up so he can better hear Jensen speak to Bell.
You know we have evidence that points right at you. We found prints at the bridge where Samantha was. You were there. You saw her in the water, didn’t you?
No.
Josh. There are fingerprints. You can’t lie about this. What happened?
There’s a push to Jensen’s voice, just an extra bit of emotion forcing itself through his words as he’s leading Bell through the confession. Jensen’s usually flat with the suspects and factual with the evidence.
In four years of policing together, Jared can recall a dozen or so times that he’s seen Jensen play this way, and he’s sure he’ll see it a dozen more in their careers, but it still creates unease in Jared’s mind. He glances over his shoulder to Jensen, near the door, arms crossed and face tight even while he’s staring right back at Jared.
Jensen winks and it would normally settle Jared, make him wink or smirk in return, but he can’t, because he’s too focused on the words coming from the taped confession. He barely gives Welling a second’s thought as the guy miraculously keeps watching the video while flashing over to Jared every few moments.
Jared turns back to the screen and watches Jensen slip closer to Bell as his voice gets quieter but continues to lead the boy on.
Were you following her? Did she know you were there and walking with her? Did she even know you from class? I bet you watched her from the back of that room every day. Even if you didn’t belong there. Is that it, Josh? Were you hurt that you didn’t belong in that class. That you didn’t belong in her life?
What? No.
You weren’t enrolled in the class. You haven’t taken a class at DePaul in two years. Why were you there?
No. I had the class. I was there.
You tried talking to her and what happened? Was she mean? Did she laugh at you? You can tell me, Josh. You can talk to me. I know what it’s like when a girl doesn’t give you the time of day. Did she ignore you?
Jared’s frown smooths away and his breath is finally released on a sigh as Jensen’s words fall into something more soothing, more comforting. On screen, Bell physically relaxes, rolling his shoulders and lowering himself in the chair.
No. She didn’t. I liked her, yeah, but she didn’t laugh at me. She was nice. She was the nicest person I’ve ever known.
How did you know her, Josh? She’s an Alderman’s daughter and you sleep on your sister’s couch. How could you know each other?
From class. And the paper.
But you weren’t in the class, Josh.
Yes, I was!
Bell’s outburst and hands slapping the table shock everyone in Beaver’s office - except Jensen. In person, Jared sees Jensen’s shoulders push back and eyes light up with pride. On screen, he leans even closer and drops his voice further down, barely a rough whisper.
Why were you at the bridge with her?
I just … I wanted to talk to her. To tell her what was going on.
Going on with what?
Between us. We … were doing this thing. We were involved in something and she had to know it wasn’t over.
So you wanted to show her, right? Had to show her it wasn’t over? You weren’t backing down, were you, Josh?
Right. Exactly, yeah.
Bell’s words get more power even while he still looks shocked to the core with the interrogation. Jensen’s, on the other hand, remain low and measured.
You couldn’t let her off the hook, right? You had to show her what she was a part of.
No one was supposed to get hurt. It wasn’t my fault! She just … Sam wouldn’t listen to me.
Bell sits forward, strength to his movements and breathing as he gestures with open hands and looks right into Jensen’s eyes as his own water, emotion slipping into his voice.
I just wanted her to listen to me.
And she didn’t, did she, Josh?
No. She wouldn’t. And she didn’t understand. She wouldn’t understand that what we were doing was right, and her dad was wrong.
What about her dad?
He didn’t want us hanging around anymore. Said there were too many questions. I didn’t care, I wanted to keep going. But she had to listen to her father.
Jensen reaches for Bell’s hands, covers them with one of his own, and tips his head in a caring movement.
Josh, it’s okay. Things happen.
Yeah, it just happened.
Bell starts crying, little stuttering breathes and hiccups distorting his pleas.
I didn’t want her to get hurt. I would never want that for her. But I couldn’t stop it.
Jensen rests a hand at Bell’s shoulder, squeezes along the muscle and exhales.
Alright, Josh. It’s okay.
Jared’s heading to the kitchen for a glass of water and Jensen strolls easily behind him, leaning against the doorway. He puts the glass down on the counter with one hand still tight around it, and when he looks up to Jensen, he rolls his eyes. “So, now you’re gonna gloat?”
Jensen tips his head against the oak molding and widens his smile. “I’m pretty sure I have the right to.”
He takes a deep breath, finishes off the rest of his water, and slips the glass into the sink beside so many other used dishes. “You don’t think it’s weird?”
“That I got the case? No, not really,” Jensen says with the same broad smile.
“Kid wouldn’t talk but once you’re in there alone he can’t stop?”
“What can I say? I have a way with people.”
Jared watches Jensen then laughs. “You so do not.”
Jensen tugs at the knot in his tie, slipping a finger into it and pulling further down. “We really gonna dissect it?”
Jared plants a palm into the counter and continues watching, doing his best to ignore the flare in his belly when Jensen gets his tie free and opens the top buttons on his shirt.
“Case is over,” Jensen says, suggestion clear in his voice.
There are a few hard breaths, in and out, but Jared doesn’t move.
Jensen undoes his belt and pulls up on his shirt to let the tails hang over the waist of his pants. After a long moment, he scratches his stomach and turns to the bedroom. Jared can’t help but follow.
They’ve gone weeks, even months without this between them thanks to Jared’s crusade of keeping a clear mind while on a case. This time, they only had to wait a week, but Jared still feels it burn under his skin when they help each other undress, more for speed than anything else.
Along the sheets, they slide together, crushing bodies every time they flip each other over. Jared finally lets Jensen take the lead, and when he slips down Jared’s chest, sloppy kisses marking a trail due south, his eyes slip closed and he enjoys the warmth of Jensen swallowing him down and sucking quickly and obscenely.
He can’t hold out, refuses to even care about it, and his hands push on Jensen’s head as he fucks into his mouth, coming easily with a choked off moan.
Jared’s still easing down when Jensen flips him to his stomach and covers his back, dick hard and wet at the curve of his ass. Jensen slips along it, pushing into the skin but never quite there. Jared loves the sensation, and on any other day, he’d insist that Jensen do more. But he’s drained from a week of long hours and knows Jensen is, too. He knows Jensen’s just looking for the quick release so they can crash.
Rising to his elbows, Jared pushes his ass out, gives Jensen more to work with and then groans when Jensen’s dick slides across his hole. He gets louder when it presses against the ring of muscle.
Jensen’s hands are in the mattress on either side of Jared’s shoulders as he pushes hard against Jared, pushes himself right where it counts but doesn’t force himself in. If Jared were of the right mind, not exhausted and unable to connect himself to the moment, he’d start begging for more, but it’s enough to have Jensen on top of him and showing what he’d take any other day of the week.
Just a few more grinds of Jensen’s dick at his hole, a couple extra grunts, and Jensen’s coming across Jared’s skin. With harsh breathing, Jensen leans on Jared’s back, but stays mostly up on his hands and knees as he comes back down, forehead pressed between Jared’s shoulder blades. Soon enough, Jensen lowers himself and slips to the side before rolling onto his back and rubbing his chest.
Jensen sleepy and fucked out is an image Jared burns to his memory, and he can’t stop staring. Not even when Jensen snatches one of Jared’s ratty bath towels from beside the bed and does a shitty job of cleaning them both up. Jared can’t fault him for the lazy job, because he was ready to pass out without even bothering with the mess.
He’s happy enough with their work for the week, and he’s glad the case is over, not to mention satisfied with Jensen in his bed, that he doesn’t bother with words or moving. He closes his eyes and lets himself go.
Hours later, Jensen padding back into the bedroom wakes Jared, and Jared shifts to his side to see Jensen slip back under the covers. Jensen’s dressed in boxers and an undershirt, but he’s there. And then leans over and kisses at Jared’s jaw and then up to the juncture just below Jared’s ear. “Gonna sleep for a year then take fulladvantage of you.”
Jared grins and falls back asleep.
