Someone you might have been (j2 au, 2/39)
Someone you might have been
More of the secret agent!Jared/handler!Jensen stuff. Once again, I am warning that there are warnings, but what they are is classified information. Read at your own risk. *g*
part one
"Hey there, Zoolander. It's a balmy 87 here, there's not a cloud in the sky, and I have visual on the target. ETA ninety seconds."
Jared kills the engine on the speedboat and strips off his shirt and shorts. His earpiece snaps into life and the sound of Jensen's voice instantly brings a smile to his face.
"Good afternoon, Sasquatch. Enjoy the weather while you can, we want you in and out of there in fifteen." Jensen pauses, there's the distinctive clacking of the keyboard, then he says, "Looks like a lazy afternoon on deck, buddy. You're good to go. I repeat, you're good to go."
"Hear you loud and clear, Zoolander. See you in sixty."
Standing up in the boat, Jared takes a second to appreciate the warmth of the tropical sun on his skin, the heat of the barely there breeze like a physical caress, before he dives neatly into the ocean. The water swallows him up, cool and refreshing, and Jared powers through it, swimming in the direction of the white luxury yacht.
Well within the estimated time frame, Jared has reached the ladder, hauled himself out of the water, and climbed over the side. Water is dribbling through his bangs and he sweeps his hair off his face, glancing around as he does so.
He can hear the low, mumbling conversation of the security guards but their route is taking them in the opposite direction, as planned, and Jared has a clear ten seconds in which to make it across the deck and into the lower cabins. Way more time than he needs.
Inside, Jared heads directly for the first of his checkpoints, and glances up at the security camera mounted on the wall as he passes.
"Will have visual in three, two, one," Jensen says in his ear. "And, hello, Sasquatch. I see you and-" Jensen breaks off and Jared falters in his stride, instantly on high alert. But Jensen clears his throat and says, "I see you go for the 'less is more' philosophy when it comes to Speedos, huh?"
"More is more, sweetheart," Jared mutters, and hears Jensen laugh, soft and throaty and so close Jared could pretend he was standing in the room with him.
He finds the bathrobe that's been left for him from the cupboard, removes the flash-drive from the pocket, and leaves the room. At this stage of the game, he can slow down and can choose acting like he belongs on board over sheer speed and concealment.
"You have a clear line to the target," Jensen says. "I see one guard at the deck door, three more in the rec area on the right of your approach."
There's a cocktail glass on the sideboard and Jared picks it up as he strolls by. The drink is pale blue, and there's a cherry and a miniature umbrella bobbing around in the top. Obviously, it's too much of a risk to even take a sip but it's a handy prop to have in case he bumps into security.
Another ten seconds, and he's at the master cabin. It's an impressively large room, decked out in white, royal blue and mahogany. Somehow managing to still look spacious, the room includes a king-size bed, desk and accompanying workspace, plenty of storage, a drinks bar and an attached bathroom. The blankets on the bed are rumpled, a towel lying neatly folded on the corner, and the sound of the shower running comes through the door standing ajar.
All intel suggested the room would be empty at this time of the afternoon, but there's never any allowing for those tiny little details that change everything, those little things like a spilt drink or a sudden headache. It's an easy assignment but one that's at risk now plans have been changed, so Jared wastes no time in setting his stolen cocktail down, going over to the laptop on the desk and flipping it open.
"You ready?"
"Gimme a second," says Jensen. There's another burst of staccato typing, and then Jensen says, "Okay, you've got cover."
Jared jams the flash-drive into the port and starts the hard-drive copying. He waits by the desk, watching the progress bar build, and listening to the pounding of water in the shower. The copy is only 82 percent complete when the shower stops. Jared sighs and considers his options. Orders are he's supposed to be ghosting this one. No one is supposed to even suspect he's been here.
90 percent through and whoever it is is still moving around in the bathroom.
97 percent and they're coming out.
When Jensen showed them to him, Jared did not believe that the room layout plans for the attached bathroom would figure highly in his strategy, but he had paid attention to them all the same, which kind of comes in handy right now. Two facts come to mind:
1. There's a towel cupboard in the bathroom.
2. The next closest one is halfway down the corridor.
Hoping that his own showering habits aren't all that different to the rest of the world's, Jared snatches up the folded towel left waiting on the bed, and presses himself to the wall, out of sight. The person comes out of the bathroom and Jared tracks the creak of the floorboards as they move, the shifting of their shadow. They pause by the bed, curse, and head back in.
It takes seconds for Jared to remove the flash-drive, collect his cocktail so as not to leave any incriminating evidence behind, and exit the room. Most likely, by the time Jared is back at his first checkpoint, whoever it is has only just found a new towel.
One step after another, no hesitation, he follows the exit procedure Jensen worked out for him.
First, take out the thin plastic wallet and roll of tape from the bathrobe in the cupboard. Place the flash-drive in the wallet - and, acting on impulse, Jared shoves the cocktail umbrella in there as well. Finally, tape the wallet to the bare skin on his side, and return the way he came.
"Two guards heading in your direction, but next six seconds gives you a clear path," Jensen informs him.
Jared moves instantly and, at the moment when the guards pass by, Jared is sliding silently into the seawater.
:::
It's a pretty little town, and it turns blinding when the sunlight dazzles off the low, white brick buildings. Jared's allowed the sunshine to dry him off, has thrown some clothes and a pair of sunglasses on, and is now very much enjoying playing the tourist. He sits outside a tiny café with a cheerful pink and green awning, and drinks a glass of viciously bubbly soda that's a little too sweet, even for him. In front of him, he has a guidebook to the area open and is trying to choose between visiting the ruins of the ancient battlements that wall in the town, and trying to find the shrine to some obscure saint that's hidden away in the local caves.
A shadow falls over him and then Jensen sits down in the seat across from him with an espresso cup of coffee. His hair looks blond in the bright sunlight and his freckles are the colour of honey. Jared beams up at him, blinking against the sun.
"So," he says, when it becomes clear Jensen is going to leave breaking the silence to him. "Impressed?"
Jensen snorts and leans back in his chair, glancing over to watch some kids who are enthusiastically kicking a deflated football around in the dusty street.
"Oh yeah, excuse me while I swoon at your feet."
Jared laughs and spreads his hands, saying, "So give me something a little more challenging to do, buddy! Like, I don't know - don't you have any candy you want stolen off some kid? I could so totally steal candy! Just give the word!"
He pauses, considering Jensen for a moment, then grins and says, "Maybe… maybe you were a little impressed by my Speedos?" The unwavering blankness of Jensen's expression is answer enough, and Jared grins even wider, and leans in close. "Oh yeah, you were impressed. Just part of my extensive arsenal of weapons, dude."
"Don't you have something for me?" Jensen snaps out before Jared can go any further.
And then, because he's obnoxious like that, Jensen refuses to be flustered by the opening his question gives Jared for yet more outrageous flirting. He simply narrows his eyes and cocks his head at him while Jared cackles gleefully and drums the tabletop.
"Any time you're ready."
Still grinning like an idiot, Jared slides the flash-drive across the table at him. It disappears under Jensen's hand, vanishes into his jeans pocket. Then, watching Jensen's face closely for his reaction, Jared opens the cocktail umbrella and drops it in his coffee.
"Picked you a little something up." He props his chin up on his hand, and watches Jensen use a single fingertip to twirl the umbrella around thoughtfully in his cup. "I'd've brought you back the cocktail that came with it, but I don't think it would'a been drinkable after the journey. So how about you call in, tell your boss you're sticking around for a couple of hours, and we'll find a bar? Get sensibly drunk and have non-personal conversation?"
He keeps quiet while Jensen studies him, still with that intense blankness, just carries on smiling and wills Jensen to submit to his awesome charisma and hotness.
"Bad idea," says Jensen finally. He combs his fingers through his hair, and goes back to impassively watching the children. "You have your travel plans and you should stick to them."
Jared shrugs with good grace and lets it go. Maybe it's not the response Jensen was expecting, because Jensen's eyes fix on him immediately, and there's a hint of something in his eyes. Apparently not pushing is more likely to get a response from Jensen. It's the kind of character trait Jared thinks he should have figured in earlier.
Maybe it's just the ones he's worked with, but Jared's noticed a definite tendency in his handlers to maintain an aloof attitude. And when someone in the counter-intelligence business classifies as 'aloof', it's really pretty noticeable. Jared's pet theory is that it's due to handlers tending to operate from a distance. They see everything from remote, including the operatives they're handling.
What Jared has to prove, clearly, is that he is not a threat. He's not trying to get Jensen to open up to him emotionally. And, honestly, he's not even gonna try all that hard to get Jensen into bed. Not only are relationships between handlers and operatives frowned upon, they're a complication Jared doesn't need - plus, they're one hell of a liability. Seriously, the last thing Jared needs is a relationship.
All Jared wants is to enjoy the perks of his job and flirt shamelessly with the best-looking guy a lifestyle like his regularly brings him into contact with.
part three
More of the secret agent!Jared/handler!Jensen stuff. Once again, I am warning that there are warnings, but what they are is classified information. Read at your own risk. *g*
part one
"Hey there, Zoolander. It's a balmy 87 here, there's not a cloud in the sky, and I have visual on the target. ETA ninety seconds."
Jared kills the engine on the speedboat and strips off his shirt and shorts. His earpiece snaps into life and the sound of Jensen's voice instantly brings a smile to his face.
"Good afternoon, Sasquatch. Enjoy the weather while you can, we want you in and out of there in fifteen." Jensen pauses, there's the distinctive clacking of the keyboard, then he says, "Looks like a lazy afternoon on deck, buddy. You're good to go. I repeat, you're good to go."
"Hear you loud and clear, Zoolander. See you in sixty."
Standing up in the boat, Jared takes a second to appreciate the warmth of the tropical sun on his skin, the heat of the barely there breeze like a physical caress, before he dives neatly into the ocean. The water swallows him up, cool and refreshing, and Jared powers through it, swimming in the direction of the white luxury yacht.
Well within the estimated time frame, Jared has reached the ladder, hauled himself out of the water, and climbed over the side. Water is dribbling through his bangs and he sweeps his hair off his face, glancing around as he does so.
He can hear the low, mumbling conversation of the security guards but their route is taking them in the opposite direction, as planned, and Jared has a clear ten seconds in which to make it across the deck and into the lower cabins. Way more time than he needs.
Inside, Jared heads directly for the first of his checkpoints, and glances up at the security camera mounted on the wall as he passes.
"Will have visual in three, two, one," Jensen says in his ear. "And, hello, Sasquatch. I see you and-" Jensen breaks off and Jared falters in his stride, instantly on high alert. But Jensen clears his throat and says, "I see you go for the 'less is more' philosophy when it comes to Speedos, huh?"
"More is more, sweetheart," Jared mutters, and hears Jensen laugh, soft and throaty and so close Jared could pretend he was standing in the room with him.
He finds the bathrobe that's been left for him from the cupboard, removes the flash-drive from the pocket, and leaves the room. At this stage of the game, he can slow down and can choose acting like he belongs on board over sheer speed and concealment.
"You have a clear line to the target," Jensen says. "I see one guard at the deck door, three more in the rec area on the right of your approach."
There's a cocktail glass on the sideboard and Jared picks it up as he strolls by. The drink is pale blue, and there's a cherry and a miniature umbrella bobbing around in the top. Obviously, it's too much of a risk to even take a sip but it's a handy prop to have in case he bumps into security.
Another ten seconds, and he's at the master cabin. It's an impressively large room, decked out in white, royal blue and mahogany. Somehow managing to still look spacious, the room includes a king-size bed, desk and accompanying workspace, plenty of storage, a drinks bar and an attached bathroom. The blankets on the bed are rumpled, a towel lying neatly folded on the corner, and the sound of the shower running comes through the door standing ajar.
All intel suggested the room would be empty at this time of the afternoon, but there's never any allowing for those tiny little details that change everything, those little things like a spilt drink or a sudden headache. It's an easy assignment but one that's at risk now plans have been changed, so Jared wastes no time in setting his stolen cocktail down, going over to the laptop on the desk and flipping it open.
"You ready?"
"Gimme a second," says Jensen. There's another burst of staccato typing, and then Jensen says, "Okay, you've got cover."
Jared jams the flash-drive into the port and starts the hard-drive copying. He waits by the desk, watching the progress bar build, and listening to the pounding of water in the shower. The copy is only 82 percent complete when the shower stops. Jared sighs and considers his options. Orders are he's supposed to be ghosting this one. No one is supposed to even suspect he's been here.
90 percent through and whoever it is is still moving around in the bathroom.
97 percent and they're coming out.
When Jensen showed them to him, Jared did not believe that the room layout plans for the attached bathroom would figure highly in his strategy, but he had paid attention to them all the same, which kind of comes in handy right now. Two facts come to mind:
1. There's a towel cupboard in the bathroom.
2. The next closest one is halfway down the corridor.
Hoping that his own showering habits aren't all that different to the rest of the world's, Jared snatches up the folded towel left waiting on the bed, and presses himself to the wall, out of sight. The person comes out of the bathroom and Jared tracks the creak of the floorboards as they move, the shifting of their shadow. They pause by the bed, curse, and head back in.
It takes seconds for Jared to remove the flash-drive, collect his cocktail so as not to leave any incriminating evidence behind, and exit the room. Most likely, by the time Jared is back at his first checkpoint, whoever it is has only just found a new towel.
One step after another, no hesitation, he follows the exit procedure Jensen worked out for him.
First, take out the thin plastic wallet and roll of tape from the bathrobe in the cupboard. Place the flash-drive in the wallet - and, acting on impulse, Jared shoves the cocktail umbrella in there as well. Finally, tape the wallet to the bare skin on his side, and return the way he came.
"Two guards heading in your direction, but next six seconds gives you a clear path," Jensen informs him.
Jared moves instantly and, at the moment when the guards pass by, Jared is sliding silently into the seawater.
:::
It's a pretty little town, and it turns blinding when the sunlight dazzles off the low, white brick buildings. Jared's allowed the sunshine to dry him off, has thrown some clothes and a pair of sunglasses on, and is now very much enjoying playing the tourist. He sits outside a tiny café with a cheerful pink and green awning, and drinks a glass of viciously bubbly soda that's a little too sweet, even for him. In front of him, he has a guidebook to the area open and is trying to choose between visiting the ruins of the ancient battlements that wall in the town, and trying to find the shrine to some obscure saint that's hidden away in the local caves.
A shadow falls over him and then Jensen sits down in the seat across from him with an espresso cup of coffee. His hair looks blond in the bright sunlight and his freckles are the colour of honey. Jared beams up at him, blinking against the sun.
"So," he says, when it becomes clear Jensen is going to leave breaking the silence to him. "Impressed?"
Jensen snorts and leans back in his chair, glancing over to watch some kids who are enthusiastically kicking a deflated football around in the dusty street.
"Oh yeah, excuse me while I swoon at your feet."
Jared laughs and spreads his hands, saying, "So give me something a little more challenging to do, buddy! Like, I don't know - don't you have any candy you want stolen off some kid? I could so totally steal candy! Just give the word!"
He pauses, considering Jensen for a moment, then grins and says, "Maybe… maybe you were a little impressed by my Speedos?" The unwavering blankness of Jensen's expression is answer enough, and Jared grins even wider, and leans in close. "Oh yeah, you were impressed. Just part of my extensive arsenal of weapons, dude."
"Don't you have something for me?" Jensen snaps out before Jared can go any further.
And then, because he's obnoxious like that, Jensen refuses to be flustered by the opening his question gives Jared for yet more outrageous flirting. He simply narrows his eyes and cocks his head at him while Jared cackles gleefully and drums the tabletop.
"Any time you're ready."
Still grinning like an idiot, Jared slides the flash-drive across the table at him. It disappears under Jensen's hand, vanishes into his jeans pocket. Then, watching Jensen's face closely for his reaction, Jared opens the cocktail umbrella and drops it in his coffee.
"Picked you a little something up." He props his chin up on his hand, and watches Jensen use a single fingertip to twirl the umbrella around thoughtfully in his cup. "I'd've brought you back the cocktail that came with it, but I don't think it would'a been drinkable after the journey. So how about you call in, tell your boss you're sticking around for a couple of hours, and we'll find a bar? Get sensibly drunk and have non-personal conversation?"
He keeps quiet while Jensen studies him, still with that intense blankness, just carries on smiling and wills Jensen to submit to his awesome charisma and hotness.
"Bad idea," says Jensen finally. He combs his fingers through his hair, and goes back to impassively watching the children. "You have your travel plans and you should stick to them."
Jared shrugs with good grace and lets it go. Maybe it's not the response Jensen was expecting, because Jensen's eyes fix on him immediately, and there's a hint of something in his eyes. Apparently not pushing is more likely to get a response from Jensen. It's the kind of character trait Jared thinks he should have figured in earlier.
Maybe it's just the ones he's worked with, but Jared's noticed a definite tendency in his handlers to maintain an aloof attitude. And when someone in the counter-intelligence business classifies as 'aloof', it's really pretty noticeable. Jared's pet theory is that it's due to handlers tending to operate from a distance. They see everything from remote, including the operatives they're handling.
What Jared has to prove, clearly, is that he is not a threat. He's not trying to get Jensen to open up to him emotionally. And, honestly, he's not even gonna try all that hard to get Jensen into bed. Not only are relationships between handlers and operatives frowned upon, they're a complication Jared doesn't need - plus, they're one hell of a liability. Seriously, the last thing Jared needs is a relationship.
All Jared wants is to enjoy the perks of his job and flirt shamelessly with the best-looking guy a lifestyle like his regularly brings him into contact with.
part three