Fic: Stranded
Title: Stranded
Fandom: Supernatural RPS
Pairing: Jared/Jensen
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Stranded on a ship in the middle of snowfields in New York, Jared and Jensen only have each other to get warm for they certainly can’t count on some angry and confused ship crew or loose, hungry wolves.
AN: Written for spn_cinema based on the movie The Day After Tomorrow. My biggest thanks to my betas, mews1945 and layne67, and for deadflowers5 for the art.
Warning: hurt!Jensen, violence
Jared can barely comprehend all the things that are suddenly happening to them. His brother, Jeff, a paleoclimatologist - a specialist in a kind of discipline that Jared teasingly mocked. Who in their right mind would even care about the climate in ancient ages, let alone spend years studying about it? Being a physician would be a lot more useful, or something cool like a U.S. Marshal. But Jeff had never budged from his first choice and even now he never tired of reminding his family and friends about the importance of keeping the balance of nature. Global warming has become an increasingly serious issue. Going by past experiences, what happened to the earth that resulted in the extinction of the dinosaurs can occur again anytime thanks to the persistent rise of the temperature.
Jared hasn’t made fun of his brother as often recently, as he comes to realize that Jeff can be right about the situation. Since his promotion to Administrator of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration - NOAA in short - or Noah as many people dub it, Jeff has definitely earned the Cool Dude t-shirt that Jared bought him for his birthday last month. Jared believes his brother now about the changing climate; still, he can’t grasp why and how it all has to happen now - the extreme changes of the weather, the massive snowstorms, the drop of the temperatures - some of the things Jared can see with his own eyes.
And also why it should happen during his trip to New York with his campus debate team. Why couldn't it wait until he’s back at San Antonio - though who knows if the snowstorms might have come upon the city as well. He has yet to find a telephone after losing his cell phone in his panicked search for shelter when the storms first hit.
The storms have been so bad they caused a tsunami that had hit the city and inundated the streets. Boats and even bigger ships were washed all the way into the city and tossed up to the city streets. One of those ships had been nearby when Jared and Jensen dashed off in panic. The buildings were too far for them to reach so they stumbled up on to the deck of the leaning ship. The door to the first cabin that they got to wasn’t locked and they just burst in, gasping in exhaustion.
Jared buttons his sports jacket over an undershirt and two layers of shirts. Neither of them had been prepared for winter so they don’t have heavy jackets or coats. They'd just arrived at Grand Central Terminal and they had no chance to get to the hotel before it started to snow. At least they still have their luggage. But they might just die of the cold inside the ship if they couldn't find any means of heating, and Jensen is crouched, shivering, against Jared's legs.
“Jared, what you doing up there? Get down here.”
Jared flicks a glance through the round glass window of the ship and slides down next to Jensen on the floor.
“What else is new outside anyway? Oh, I know. There is snow, snow, and snow.”
“Jensen,” Jared sighs. “There’s nothing wrong with having hope.”
“Yeah, but who do you think can find us here, on a ship in the middle of New York with cars lying upside down and dead people inside.”
Jared frowned. “What’s wrong with you?”
“Me? Nothing.” Jensen lowers himself down and curls up on his side. “I’m just - I’m sorry for being such an ass, Jared. You found us this ship and all I'm doing is complain."
“Don’t say that. Who saved that little baby and her mother who were trapped in their car?” Jared sees how Jensen blushes and he laughs. “I’m right, right? You were willing to sacrifice your own life to save others while all I did was find this ship.”
Jensen laughs at that. “You know I’ve never been on a ship before. You, well, you’re my hero.”
Jared flips a finger. “Let’s go.”
“Where are we going?”
“We can’t stay in this cabin. It’s freezing cold and there’s nothing in here. We must find a place where we can find things we can burn. We need heat.”
“Y-yes. Sure.” Jensen shifts, sitting up, but his movement looks restrained. He looks like he's in pain and there're dark circles under his eyes.
Jared offers his hand and when he grasps Jensen’s, he almost drops it. It is so hot it feels like a furnace. He kneels down next to Jensen and cups his face. “Dude, you okay?” And that's when he notices the dazed look in Jensen’s eyes and how pale he is.
“I’m fine,” Jensen says but it he doesn’t sound too convincing and Jared can see now that Jensen is shivering, and he doesn't think it's because of the cold.
“No, you’re not, Jen, and you know it. Come on. Tell me.” Jared pats down Jensen's body in search of injuries or bruises.
Jensen tries to push Jared’s prying hands away. “No, get off me. I’m okay.”
“Don’t believe you, Jen.” Jared says as he continues to search for wounds or whatever it is that's causing Jensen to look so sick.
“Jared, I swear to God…”
But by that time Jared has reached Jensen’s ankle and he felt sticky dampness around the cuff of the jeans. Blood? Jared puts a little pressure on Jensen's leg just above his shoes and Jensen’s breath hitches. “It’s here, isn’t it?” he whispers, unable to keep the shakiness out of his voice. He lifts the cuff of Jensen's jeans slowly, warily. Jensen groans.
"Jare ..."
“Ssh, easy. I’ll be careful.” But Jared’s barely able to keep his cool when he finally finds it. A long, deep, jagged wound, the blood already drying but still looking red and angry. “Dude, what happened? How did you get this?”
“It’s okay. It’s just a small cut, I'm okay, don't worry."
But Jared knows it’s not okay. It looks really deep and judging from Jensen’s fever, he might have got it infected already. Jensen needs antibiotics but Lord knows where he can get them in their current situation. Then he remembers that they are on a big ship. A ship this big will have medical supplies, something a lot more substantial than a simple first aid kit.
“Hey, can you walk? Listen, we need to find you some antibiotics or the infection is gonna get worse.”
Jensen tries to stand up on his own but he falls back to the floor, grimacing. Jared grits his teeth. “Can you be more stupid?” he hisses, grabbing Jensen by the waist and gently helps him up. He grips Jensen tightly, shaking him a bit. “Okay?”
"Yeah." Jensen bites his lip. “Let’s go.”
The ship appears deserted. It’s clean with all the walls painted grayish white. With not so many cabins in the ship despite its size, Jared thinks that it's probably a cargo carrier. He supports Jensen as they inch their way toward the end of the corridor, opening each door on either side of it.
They hit jackpot at the fifth cabin. It looks like it might have been a kitchen with dozens of small wooden boxes lining up one side of the cabin. Not bad. They can make a fire here. Jared carefully helps Jensen down to sit at one corner and goes to inspect the boxes. They're mostly empty and he quickly breaks them apart, piling them into the stainless steel sink. He gets a fire lit in no time at all and goes back to Jensen who's looking even paler than before.
“Hey.” Jared sits on his haunches in front of Jensen. “I’m gonna go find some meds. Will you be all right?”
Jensen nods. He looks like he's on the verge of losing consciousness. Pushing Jared away weakly, he whispers, "Go."
Right. Jensen needs treatment and Jared needs to find those meds now. Swallowing his dread, he cups Jensen's face in his hands. “It kills me seeing you in so much pain, Jen. You stay put. We don’t know what’s out there.”
“Okay.”
Jensen’s already out of it when Jared leaves him. Jared sighs inwardly. He wishes he could lock the door or secure it somehow so no one would find Jensen in there - if there was anyone at all on this ship.
Jared managed to find an infirmary on the level above the cabin where he'd left Jensen. He pockets the bag of medicines that contains everything that Jensen may need - antibiotics, Tylenol, bandages. He quickly makes his way down the stairs, glancing out of a porthole as he does so and stops short. He looks outside with unbelieving eyes. Really look. Wolves. Those are wolves out there in the snow. The storms and blizzards must have wreaked havoc with the zoo. With a daze Jared thinks of what else might be roaming out there. Elephants? Lions?
Shaking off his shock, Jared runs all the way to get to Jensen. Those beasts are outside. They should not be able to get into the ship unless they are smart enough to turn the door handle, but who knows. Jared just has to get back to Jensen right now.
Much to his bewilderment though, he suddenly hears voices. Jared slows down and he feels his throat tighten as he realizes that the kitchen door is slightly ajar. Pieces of conversation float through the air as it dawns on him. Someone is with Jensen.
Or more than just someone. Jared creeps closer as he tries to see how many there are through the opening at the door.
Oh. No - no. No.
There are at least three men inside there with Jensen, and one of them is armed and right now he has his gun shoved under Jensen’s jaw. Jensen is glaring up at the man defiantly despite clearly being in pain.
“… there’s no one else.” Jared hears Jensen saying. “I’m alone. I got injured before the storm and managed to find shelter here.”
“For your information, kid, this is not a shelter for just anybody.”
The man’s accent sounds strange. German? Russian? Jared tenses. What if the ship’s a cover up for something big with him and Jensen caught right in the middle of it? Jared shakes himself inwardly. He has watched too many movies. Still, those people have a gun - perhaps more than one - and Jensen is clearly in danger. Jared needs to find a way to save Jensen and he needs to find it fast.
“I’m sorry.” It’s Jensen again. “It was so bad out there. I don’t wanna die freezing in the snow.”
“You’re injured, you said? Which part of you- Ah. Your leg. That looks bad, kid.”
The man crouches down next to Jensen, inspecting his wound. “Your wound is deep and it looks infected.” Jensen gasps in pain as the man prods and jabs at the cut none too gently.
“S-stop it.”
The man ignores Jensen and continues to prod at the wound and Jensen gives out a little cry.
“I will say it’s impossible for you to wander around this ship, lighting fires, and all." The man suddenly grabs Jensen’s hair and yanks his head back. Jensen cries out in shock and pain and Jared has to clamp a hand over his own mouth. “There is someone else here, right? Where’s your friend?”
“There is no friend, I swear,” Jensen is practically sobbing now.
“We’ll give you one more chance. Who else knows you're here?”
“No one, I-”
The slap is unexpected and it staggers Jared more than it does Jensen who's just sitting there, a stunned expression on his face, a hand on his reddened cheek. Jared steels himself. There is no way he is going to let those men continue hurting Jensen.
“Hey!” He shoves the door so hard it slams against the wall behind it. “Let him go.” He knows they are going to go after him so he doesn’t wait. Jared takes off, running full speed toward the door at the end of the hall. It leads outside, where the wolves are waiting.
Jared doesn’t turn around to find out how many of them are after him. He goes straight to the door and opens it wide, praying that the wolves will not get into the ship. He then slips inside one of the cabins nearby, holding the door open a slit to see what is going on. Two of the men take the bait and rush outside. Jared skids out of his hiding place and bangs the door closed, sliding the bolt into place. Jared catches the sounds of running footsteps in the snow followed by the howling of the wolves. He peeks out the window and is sent backward as the two shipmen smash into the door.
“Hey! Open the door! Open the Goddamn door!” they shout in panic.
Jared peers out of the window and he winces at the sight. The wolves have taken the two men and are dragging them farther from the ship, literally tearing them apart. Jared unbolts the door and opens it silently. The men had dropped their guns when the wolves hit them. Jared grabs both of them, slips one into the waistband of his jeans, and clutches at the other in his hand. He sneaks back inside and starts to lock the door when someone growls behind him.
“Come here, boy. Let me kill you myself.”
Jared turns around slowly. It's the man with the gun and he's got Jensen in his hand, clenching him tightly by the upper arm and holding the gun against his temple.
“Let go of your gun,” the man says. “Slowly.”
Jared fixes his eyes on Jensen who looks like he'll collapse if not for the man’s grip.
“Alright, alright. Just let my friend go. He’s hurt.”
“Not my fucking problem. I’ll finish him anyway once I’m done with you.”
“We haven't done anything. For God’s sake, we’re just taking cover from the snow here. We don’t care what you’ve been doing in this ship. God, I just want to find some meds for him,” Jared shouts, despair washing over him. The storms, his brother’s words coming true, those have been bad enough. He doesn’t need to lose Jensen, too, over some lunatic, sadistic ship crew. “Please, let us go.”
“You killed my men,” the man says, his eyes narrowing.
“I’m sorry,” Jared whispers. “It was self defense.”
The man shakes Jensen hard, making him whimper.
“Please,” Jared says.
But Jared's plea seems to anger the man more. He lifts his hand and knocks Jensen down with the butt of his gun. Jensen drops to the floor with a thud, unconscious. Jared's blood boils. He knows he has no choice now, and he slips the second gun from the waistband at his back.
“Hey, you.” His voice is as chilling as the weather outside. The man glances up, and Jared finishes him, with a bullet through his head.
Jared’s gun is still smoking in his hands when Jensen stirs. Jared drops it and rushes to Jensen.
“Oh, Jen. Hey.” He shakes Jensen's shoulder gently, feeling for his pulse at the same time. “You with me, man?”
Much to Jared's relief, Jensen opens his eyes and scrambles to sit up. “J - Jare? Are you alright?”
His question is so absurd Jared breaks into shaky laughter. He grabs Jensen, gathers him up, and carries him back to the kitchen.
“I can walk,” Jensen protests.
“Yeah, right,” Jared replies and continues carrying Jensen. When they reach the kitchen, he lowers Jensen down slowly and reaches into his pocket. “Let’s have you take these. You need water?”
Jensen eyes the contents of the bag. “Where did you get these?” he asks weakly.
“Doesn’t matter, Jen. Just get better, 'kay?"
Jared needs to find the ship’s communications room so he can make contact with his parents, brother, or whoever is still alive out there. But right now he needs to make sure that Jensen gets better. He eases down next to Jensen who's dozing off already, gathers Jensen into his arms and holds him tightly. Jared feels Jensen shift and mumble something but he does not wake up. Jared nuzzles into the side of Jensen's neck and whispers, “Just sleep now, Jen. I’m here. I’m not gonna leave you.”
Fin
Fandom: Supernatural RPS
Pairing: Jared/Jensen
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Stranded on a ship in the middle of snowfields in New York, Jared and Jensen only have each other to get warm for they certainly can’t count on some angry and confused ship crew or loose, hungry wolves.
AN: Written for spn_cinema based on the movie The Day After Tomorrow. My biggest thanks to my betas, mews1945 and layne67, and for deadflowers5 for the art.
Warning: hurt!Jensen, violence
Jared can barely comprehend all the things that are suddenly happening to them. His brother, Jeff, a paleoclimatologist - a specialist in a kind of discipline that Jared teasingly mocked. Who in their right mind would even care about the climate in ancient ages, let alone spend years studying about it? Being a physician would be a lot more useful, or something cool like a U.S. Marshal. But Jeff had never budged from his first choice and even now he never tired of reminding his family and friends about the importance of keeping the balance of nature. Global warming has become an increasingly serious issue. Going by past experiences, what happened to the earth that resulted in the extinction of the dinosaurs can occur again anytime thanks to the persistent rise of the temperature.
Jared hasn’t made fun of his brother as often recently, as he comes to realize that Jeff can be right about the situation. Since his promotion to Administrator of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration - NOAA in short - or Noah as many people dub it, Jeff has definitely earned the Cool Dude t-shirt that Jared bought him for his birthday last month. Jared believes his brother now about the changing climate; still, he can’t grasp why and how it all has to happen now - the extreme changes of the weather, the massive snowstorms, the drop of the temperatures - some of the things Jared can see with his own eyes.
And also why it should happen during his trip to New York with his campus debate team. Why couldn't it wait until he’s back at San Antonio - though who knows if the snowstorms might have come upon the city as well. He has yet to find a telephone after losing his cell phone in his panicked search for shelter when the storms first hit.
The storms have been so bad they caused a tsunami that had hit the city and inundated the streets. Boats and even bigger ships were washed all the way into the city and tossed up to the city streets. One of those ships had been nearby when Jared and Jensen dashed off in panic. The buildings were too far for them to reach so they stumbled up on to the deck of the leaning ship. The door to the first cabin that they got to wasn’t locked and they just burst in, gasping in exhaustion.
Jared buttons his sports jacket over an undershirt and two layers of shirts. Neither of them had been prepared for winter so they don’t have heavy jackets or coats. They'd just arrived at Grand Central Terminal and they had no chance to get to the hotel before it started to snow. At least they still have their luggage. But they might just die of the cold inside the ship if they couldn't find any means of heating, and Jensen is crouched, shivering, against Jared's legs.
“Jared, what you doing up there? Get down here.”
Jared flicks a glance through the round glass window of the ship and slides down next to Jensen on the floor.
“What else is new outside anyway? Oh, I know. There is snow, snow, and snow.”
“Jensen,” Jared sighs. “There’s nothing wrong with having hope.”
“Yeah, but who do you think can find us here, on a ship in the middle of New York with cars lying upside down and dead people inside.”
Jared frowned. “What’s wrong with you?”
“Me? Nothing.” Jensen lowers himself down and curls up on his side. “I’m just - I’m sorry for being such an ass, Jared. You found us this ship and all I'm doing is complain."
“Don’t say that. Who saved that little baby and her mother who were trapped in their car?” Jared sees how Jensen blushes and he laughs. “I’m right, right? You were willing to sacrifice your own life to save others while all I did was find this ship.”
Jensen laughs at that. “You know I’ve never been on a ship before. You, well, you’re my hero.”
Jared flips a finger. “Let’s go.”
“Where are we going?”
“We can’t stay in this cabin. It’s freezing cold and there’s nothing in here. We must find a place where we can find things we can burn. We need heat.”
“Y-yes. Sure.” Jensen shifts, sitting up, but his movement looks restrained. He looks like he's in pain and there're dark circles under his eyes.
Jared offers his hand and when he grasps Jensen’s, he almost drops it. It is so hot it feels like a furnace. He kneels down next to Jensen and cups his face. “Dude, you okay?” And that's when he notices the dazed look in Jensen’s eyes and how pale he is.
“I’m fine,” Jensen says but it he doesn’t sound too convincing and Jared can see now that Jensen is shivering, and he doesn't think it's because of the cold.
“No, you’re not, Jen, and you know it. Come on. Tell me.” Jared pats down Jensen's body in search of injuries or bruises.
Jensen tries to push Jared’s prying hands away. “No, get off me. I’m okay.”
“Don’t believe you, Jen.” Jared says as he continues to search for wounds or whatever it is that's causing Jensen to look so sick.
“Jared, I swear to God…”
But by that time Jared has reached Jensen’s ankle and he felt sticky dampness around the cuff of the jeans. Blood? Jared puts a little pressure on Jensen's leg just above his shoes and Jensen’s breath hitches. “It’s here, isn’t it?” he whispers, unable to keep the shakiness out of his voice. He lifts the cuff of Jensen's jeans slowly, warily. Jensen groans.
"Jare ..."
“Ssh, easy. I’ll be careful.” But Jared’s barely able to keep his cool when he finally finds it. A long, deep, jagged wound, the blood already drying but still looking red and angry. “Dude, what happened? How did you get this?”
“It’s okay. It’s just a small cut, I'm okay, don't worry."
But Jared knows it’s not okay. It looks really deep and judging from Jensen’s fever, he might have got it infected already. Jensen needs antibiotics but Lord knows where he can get them in their current situation. Then he remembers that they are on a big ship. A ship this big will have medical supplies, something a lot more substantial than a simple first aid kit.
“Hey, can you walk? Listen, we need to find you some antibiotics or the infection is gonna get worse.”
Jensen tries to stand up on his own but he falls back to the floor, grimacing. Jared grits his teeth. “Can you be more stupid?” he hisses, grabbing Jensen by the waist and gently helps him up. He grips Jensen tightly, shaking him a bit. “Okay?”
"Yeah." Jensen bites his lip. “Let’s go.”
The ship appears deserted. It’s clean with all the walls painted grayish white. With not so many cabins in the ship despite its size, Jared thinks that it's probably a cargo carrier. He supports Jensen as they inch their way toward the end of the corridor, opening each door on either side of it.
They hit jackpot at the fifth cabin. It looks like it might have been a kitchen with dozens of small wooden boxes lining up one side of the cabin. Not bad. They can make a fire here. Jared carefully helps Jensen down to sit at one corner and goes to inspect the boxes. They're mostly empty and he quickly breaks them apart, piling them into the stainless steel sink. He gets a fire lit in no time at all and goes back to Jensen who's looking even paler than before.
“Hey.” Jared sits on his haunches in front of Jensen. “I’m gonna go find some meds. Will you be all right?”
Jensen nods. He looks like he's on the verge of losing consciousness. Pushing Jared away weakly, he whispers, "Go."
Right. Jensen needs treatment and Jared needs to find those meds now. Swallowing his dread, he cups Jensen's face in his hands. “It kills me seeing you in so much pain, Jen. You stay put. We don’t know what’s out there.”
“Okay.”
Jensen’s already out of it when Jared leaves him. Jared sighs inwardly. He wishes he could lock the door or secure it somehow so no one would find Jensen in there - if there was anyone at all on this ship.
Jared managed to find an infirmary on the level above the cabin where he'd left Jensen. He pockets the bag of medicines that contains everything that Jensen may need - antibiotics, Tylenol, bandages. He quickly makes his way down the stairs, glancing out of a porthole as he does so and stops short. He looks outside with unbelieving eyes. Really look. Wolves. Those are wolves out there in the snow. The storms and blizzards must have wreaked havoc with the zoo. With a daze Jared thinks of what else might be roaming out there. Elephants? Lions?
Shaking off his shock, Jared runs all the way to get to Jensen. Those beasts are outside. They should not be able to get into the ship unless they are smart enough to turn the door handle, but who knows. Jared just has to get back to Jensen right now.
Much to his bewilderment though, he suddenly hears voices. Jared slows down and he feels his throat tighten as he realizes that the kitchen door is slightly ajar. Pieces of conversation float through the air as it dawns on him. Someone is with Jensen.
Or more than just someone. Jared creeps closer as he tries to see how many there are through the opening at the door.
Oh. No - no. No.
There are at least three men inside there with Jensen, and one of them is armed and right now he has his gun shoved under Jensen’s jaw. Jensen is glaring up at the man defiantly despite clearly being in pain.
“… there’s no one else.” Jared hears Jensen saying. “I’m alone. I got injured before the storm and managed to find shelter here.”
“For your information, kid, this is not a shelter for just anybody.”
The man’s accent sounds strange. German? Russian? Jared tenses. What if the ship’s a cover up for something big with him and Jensen caught right in the middle of it? Jared shakes himself inwardly. He has watched too many movies. Still, those people have a gun - perhaps more than one - and Jensen is clearly in danger. Jared needs to find a way to save Jensen and he needs to find it fast.
“I’m sorry.” It’s Jensen again. “It was so bad out there. I don’t wanna die freezing in the snow.”
“You’re injured, you said? Which part of you- Ah. Your leg. That looks bad, kid.”
The man crouches down next to Jensen, inspecting his wound. “Your wound is deep and it looks infected.” Jensen gasps in pain as the man prods and jabs at the cut none too gently.
“S-stop it.”
The man ignores Jensen and continues to prod at the wound and Jensen gives out a little cry.
“I will say it’s impossible for you to wander around this ship, lighting fires, and all." The man suddenly grabs Jensen’s hair and yanks his head back. Jensen cries out in shock and pain and Jared has to clamp a hand over his own mouth. “There is someone else here, right? Where’s your friend?”
“There is no friend, I swear,” Jensen is practically sobbing now.
“We’ll give you one more chance. Who else knows you're here?”
“No one, I-”
The slap is unexpected and it staggers Jared more than it does Jensen who's just sitting there, a stunned expression on his face, a hand on his reddened cheek. Jared steels himself. There is no way he is going to let those men continue hurting Jensen.
“Hey!” He shoves the door so hard it slams against the wall behind it. “Let him go.” He knows they are going to go after him so he doesn’t wait. Jared takes off, running full speed toward the door at the end of the hall. It leads outside, where the wolves are waiting.
Jared doesn’t turn around to find out how many of them are after him. He goes straight to the door and opens it wide, praying that the wolves will not get into the ship. He then slips inside one of the cabins nearby, holding the door open a slit to see what is going on. Two of the men take the bait and rush outside. Jared skids out of his hiding place and bangs the door closed, sliding the bolt into place. Jared catches the sounds of running footsteps in the snow followed by the howling of the wolves. He peeks out the window and is sent backward as the two shipmen smash into the door.
“Hey! Open the door! Open the Goddamn door!” they shout in panic.
Jared peers out of the window and he winces at the sight. The wolves have taken the two men and are dragging them farther from the ship, literally tearing them apart. Jared unbolts the door and opens it silently. The men had dropped their guns when the wolves hit them. Jared grabs both of them, slips one into the waistband of his jeans, and clutches at the other in his hand. He sneaks back inside and starts to lock the door when someone growls behind him.
“Come here, boy. Let me kill you myself.”
Jared turns around slowly. It's the man with the gun and he's got Jensen in his hand, clenching him tightly by the upper arm and holding the gun against his temple.
“Let go of your gun,” the man says. “Slowly.”
Jared fixes his eyes on Jensen who looks like he'll collapse if not for the man’s grip.
“Alright, alright. Just let my friend go. He’s hurt.”
“Not my fucking problem. I’ll finish him anyway once I’m done with you.”
“We haven't done anything. For God’s sake, we’re just taking cover from the snow here. We don’t care what you’ve been doing in this ship. God, I just want to find some meds for him,” Jared shouts, despair washing over him. The storms, his brother’s words coming true, those have been bad enough. He doesn’t need to lose Jensen, too, over some lunatic, sadistic ship crew. “Please, let us go.”
“You killed my men,” the man says, his eyes narrowing.
“I’m sorry,” Jared whispers. “It was self defense.”
The man shakes Jensen hard, making him whimper.
“Please,” Jared says.
But Jared's plea seems to anger the man more. He lifts his hand and knocks Jensen down with the butt of his gun. Jensen drops to the floor with a thud, unconscious. Jared's blood boils. He knows he has no choice now, and he slips the second gun from the waistband at his back.
“Hey, you.” His voice is as chilling as the weather outside. The man glances up, and Jared finishes him, with a bullet through his head.
Jared’s gun is still smoking in his hands when Jensen stirs. Jared drops it and rushes to Jensen.
“Oh, Jen. Hey.” He shakes Jensen's shoulder gently, feeling for his pulse at the same time. “You with me, man?”
Much to Jared's relief, Jensen opens his eyes and scrambles to sit up. “J - Jare? Are you alright?”
His question is so absurd Jared breaks into shaky laughter. He grabs Jensen, gathers him up, and carries him back to the kitchen.
“I can walk,” Jensen protests.
“Yeah, right,” Jared replies and continues carrying Jensen. When they reach the kitchen, he lowers Jensen down slowly and reaches into his pocket. “Let’s have you take these. You need water?”
Jensen eyes the contents of the bag. “Where did you get these?” he asks weakly.
“Doesn’t matter, Jen. Just get better, 'kay?"
Jared needs to find the ship’s communications room so he can make contact with his parents, brother, or whoever is still alive out there. But right now he needs to make sure that Jensen gets better. He eases down next to Jensen who's dozing off already, gathers Jensen into his arms and holds him tightly. Jared feels Jensen shift and mumble something but he does not wake up. Jared nuzzles into the side of Jensen's neck and whispers, “Just sleep now, Jen. I’m here. I’m not gonna leave you.”
Fin