Pull Me Out From Under Part I
Pairing: Jared/Jensen
Rating: NC-17
Wordcount: 3.5k (for this part, 15k total)
Warnings and kinks: Torture, noncon, abuse (not between J2), character death (not J2), Vampires
Summary: From a prompt over at the kink meme:"Jared's a hunter. He's never had any qualms about killing things that go bump in the night but one night he goes back to another hunter's lair/house/whatever for a beer and sees that he's keeping vampire!Jensen prisoner and using him as a slave as well as beating/torturing/raping him whenever he wants." For the full prompt, go here.
Disclaimer: I don't own Jared, Jensen, or anyone else. This is fiction.
Jared’s been tracking this wolf for a few weeks now, counting down the days ‘til the full moon and packing silver bullets while he drives across country, always a town or two behind. When he finally rolls into Blackwater Springs early one afternoon, he knows he’s finally caught up by the sight of a black, beat up Chevy truck outside the only bar in town.
Jared gets a room for the night before heading over to the bar, weapons concealed and charming smile pasted on. The heavyset bartender, after raking an interested look up and down Jared’s body, is only too happy to serve him beer after beer while he chats and subtly scans the room for a sign of the wolf.
She walks in about an hour after Jared, all sharp white teeth and sparkling brown eyes. Even the bartender can’t take his eyes off her. Stupid, Jared thinks. She’s not even pretending to blend in. Jared orders another beer, settling in to watch his prey, let her get a few drinks under her belt.
“She’s a pretty one, ain't she?” Jack, the bartender, asks, not a trace of jealousy in his voice. There’s something off about the way he says it, and when Jared glances up at her he sees it written all over the guy’s face. Hunger. Interesting. He doesn’t know how the wolf swings, but he knows she won’t hesitate to use this kind of interest to her advantage. Hell, she won’t even care when the full moon comes out. Which, hey, should be in less than an hour. Time to get moving.
The wolf is already heading straight for Jared, sauntering over to lean her elbows on the bar. She only spares him a glance before shifting forward and grinning straight at Jack, letting her long brown hair fall forward over one shoulder.
Jared watches uneasily as the two flirt. He knows he needs to find a way to intervene, get the wolf alone and fast, but he’s rarely come across someone so completely oblivious to him. When Jack announces he’s going on break and Jared catches sight of the excited gleam in the wolf’s eye, he makes a snap decision and follows them out of the bar, trying to keep some distance.
The second he’s on the street, though, he knows he’s made a mistake. Jack and the wolf are nowhere in sight and the moon is already rising, low and heavy on the horizon. Fuck.
A growl escapes from a patch of darkness a few doors down and Jared sprints over, only to find he’s too late. The body is half behind a dumpster, blood already pooling under. Jared swears and reaches to feel for a pulse, already knowing he won’t find anything. He carefully avoids looking at the rough edged hole where the guy’s heart was. How did he fuck up a simple hunt so bad?
It’s only as he’s retrieving his hand from the silent neck that he notices the shiny brown curls he’s holding out of the way. Jared pulls back sharply, staring down at the dead wolf.
“Did you know tearing out their hearts works just as well as a silver bullet, long as you use a silver knife? More fun, too,” comes Jack’s voice from behind him. Jared turns slowly to find the sturdy bartender, hands and thick forearms thickly coated in drying blood.
“You’re a hunter,” Jared says. It’s not a question. Jared hasn’t met too many hunters outside of the few known safe-houses strewn around the country. He’s only overlapped with one on a case once before. He could kick himself for not recognizing what Jack is sooner, though, now that he sees it. The quiet strength that can’t be explained by hauling cases of liquor, the way he holds himself - like he’s always a few seconds from attacking.
“No shit. You wanna get out of here? Someone’s gotta find the body soon and I need to wash this off.” He gestures casually to the blood. “I bet you could use a beer right now.”
Jared visibly hesitates and Jack takes a step forward, cajoling smile on his face.
“C’mon, I never get other hunters rolling through. Just one beer?” His voice is a low growl, almost a purr.
“Yeah, alright,” Jared says, recovering with a warm smile. “Lead the way.”
Jack takes him down a few narrow streets, down one alley and some stairs set back from the street to an unassuming black door. Several deadbolts later and they’re in a basement. It’s a dank, moldy room, cement walls and floor covered in stains. Jack doesn’t slow down, just crosses the room to a huge iron door. Jared locks the deadbolts behind him and follows him through the door into what appears to be a warm, almost cozy little apartment. He motions for Jared to sit on the beat-up leather couch and, to his surprise, takes a seat beside him.
“Two beers, Leech,” Jack calls, and Jared startles when he catches sight of something moving in the corner.
It’s a man, filthy and naked and hunched over, iron rings around his ankles and wrists chained together. He makes his way to the fridge in the corner of the room that seems to serve as a kitchen and brings them each a beer, which Jack opens against the man’s shackles. Jared doesn’t say a word, instead accepting the beer with a polite nod and raising his eyebrows at the naked man.
“It’s a vamp,” Jack says in reply to his unspoken question. “Caught it a couple years back when I was clearing out a nest down South. It’s harmless, wasn’t even part of the nest, just lurking around.”
“Why’d you keep him?” Jared asks, eyeing the vampire curiously. He’s kneeling beside them, eyes downcast. He looks weak and a little shaky and there appear to be some bruises under all that dirt caking his skin. His hair might be brown or blonde, difficult to tell in this light.
“Why not? It’s useful to have around, for now. I won’t keep it forever, probably only has a month or two left in it anyway. They get weaker and weaker ‘til they can barely stand, that’s when you know they’re done.”
Jared’s confusion must show on his face, because Jack smiles and aims a not-so-gentle kick at the vamp’s prominent ribs.
“They can’t fight back if you don’t feed them. They just get weaker and weaker, nice and slow, and long as they don’t get blood they don’t make a fuss.”
Jared stares down at the vampire at their feet. He’s definitely shaking now, Jared can tell, and he feels sick to his stomach at the thought of something, even a vampire, dying so slowly and painfully.
Jack’s scooting across the couch, eyes alight with interest as he darts a glance between Jared and the vamp.
“You wanna play with it? It’s not as fun as when it fought back a little, but if you get it right it’ll still cry a little,” he purrs into Jared’s ear, and it takes him a good thirty seconds to understand what the guy’s implying.
“You... You play with him?”
Jack’s smile widens.
“Of course. And I don’t even mind sharing my little toy,” he says, dragging his fingertips up the vampire’s back to grip his iron collar. The knowledge that vampires don’t need to breathe does nothing to stop the shiver of sympathetic panic as the thick band of metal digs into a pale, scrawny throat.
“No thanks,” Jared says, as casually as he can manage. His stomach is twisting uncomfortably as he stands up, draining his beer. “I gotta get going. Thanks for the beer. And for taking care of the wolf,” he adds with a polite smile.
“You’re leaving?” Jack asks, disappointment clear on his face. Jared nods and starts to turn away, trying to ignore sound of whimpering behind him.
“Okay. Hey, maybe we’ll cross paths again,” Jack calls as Jared reaches the door. “Don’t worry Leech, I can fuck you just as well without him. Would’ve been fun to see him stuff you full, though.”
Jared suppresses a shudder but can’t stop himself from glancing back as he goes to close the door behind him. The vampire is still on his knees, back arched as Jack yanks the collar up, one foot planted square in the middle of his back. Jack’s other hand is disappearing somewhere behind the vampire and its whole body goes rigid, face distorted with pain.
It takes a moment to click, but when Jared finally understands what’s happening he finds himself moving without having made a conscious decision to do so. Jack falls back into the couch in surprise, shocked face twisting into anger as Jared stands between him and the vamp.
“What the fuck are you doing?” he hisses, pulling himself upright.
“This is fucked up, Jack. You can’t do this to someone, vampire or not.”
“It’s not even human; it’s a fucking monster. No wonder you couldn’t take care of that fucking werewolf,” Jack spits. “I thought you were a hunter.”
“I am a hunter, doesn’t mean I like to torture - or fucking rape,” he adds. Jack glares up at him, not an ounce of shame in him.
“Fine. Do it, kill it. It was getting old anyway,” Jack says and Jared can hear the challenge in his words clear as day. He pulls out his knife and grips the vampire’s dirty hair. Jared raises his knife to decapitate the guy, but as he tugs his head back to reveal that pale, vulnerable throat, a tiny whimper escapes the kneeling monster. It’s so pathetically weak, so completely harmless-sounding that Jared feels that twist in his gut again - guilt. He doesn’t kill things that can’t at least try to kill him right back.
“No.” Jared doesn’t even bother waiting for Jack’s reaction, just sheaths his knife and scoops the vamp into his arms. It’s alarmingly easy - even with the heavy chains, the guy weighs next to nothing. Jack’s still sputtering when Jared reaches the door, and this time when he turns back it’s only to leave him with a warning. “I hear you - or any other hunter - is pulling shit like this again, you’ll be the ones I’m hunting. Got it?”
Something in his face must show how serious he is, because Jack just nods weakly.
***
Getting the naked, chained vampire back to his motel room isn’t easy. The guy doesn’t struggle, but he’s not as small as he appeared and Jared’s pretty sure anyone he crosses paths with is going to notice the shackles. He takes side streets and covers the guy with his coat as best he can, sticking to the shadows. By the time he finally makes it to the room and drops the vamp on the bed, Jared’s sweaty with nerves and exertion. He mostly just wants to fall into bed and let himself drift into sweet oblivion, but he knows there’s a chance Jack’ll come after him and sticking around isn’t really worth the risk.
He’s not letting the vamp into his car covered in filth, though, so he gets the guy to stumble into the bathroom. Jared turns on the shower, twisting the knob and checking the temperature when he sees how the vampire shivers.
“Can you wash yourself?” Jared asks, and the vampire nods without looking up. Jared leaves him to it, coming back when he hears the water go off. He helps the guy out of the tub and walks him to the bed, one hand under his elbow and another on the chain between his wrists.
Jared picks the lock on the vamp’s collar, doing his best to ignore all that way soft skin peeking out of the huge ratty towel he’s wrapped in. It’s only when he picks open the ankle shackles that he notices how extensive the bruising is, even down to his feet.
The guy’s skin is covered in bruises and cuts in various stages of healing, some fresh and deep, others yellowing or scarring over. Jared’s never seen a vampire with scars; he always figured they had the same self-healing powers as werewolves. He traces one cut up from the guy’s ankle to his knee with a fingertip, noting that it’s been carefully cleaned, probably not by Jack.
“Can’t heal without blood,” the guy says, sandpaper-rough voice low above Jared. Jared still jumps a little - he honestly hadn’t been sure if the vampire would even remember how to speak.
“He did this to you?” Jared asks. The answer’s obvious but he needs to hear it, needs to be certain.
“Yeah.”
Jared finishes unlocking the guy’s wrists, noting how scraped-raw the skin there is, how bruised his arms are. There are what look like burns covering the pale, freckled skin stretched too tight over bone. Jared’s getting that sick feeling again.
“What’s your name?” Jared hands the vampire some clothes, not turning his back on him. He may have lost his mind a little with this, but he’s not stupid.
“Jensen.”
“Alright Jensen, I’m Jared. Once you get that on, I’m gonna chain you up again for a bit, just for the drive.”
Jensen doesn’t nod or otherwise show his acquiescence, just starts pulling on clothes. He hasn’t looked up at Jared at all yet, and somehow that doesn’t surprise him. Jack seems like the type to beat any sign of resistance out of his... pet? Slave? Jared’s not sure.
Jensen doesn’t fight when Jared puts the wrist and ankle shackles back on, wrapped in cloth this time so they don’t rub away at his skin. He walks in front of Jared on the way to the car, taking small, shuffling steps to avoid tripping with his ankles bound. Jared tries not to notice the way his own clothes hang off the guy’s scrawny frame.
***
Jensen falls asleep minutes after they get on the road but Jared waits a couple of minutes to make sure he’s really out before doubling back. He leaves the car running while he shoots the locks off Jack’s door.
When he gets back in the car, the twisting feeling in his gut assuaged by the certainty that Jack will never again get his sadistic hands on anyone, human or otherwise, Jensen’s still asleep. Jared turns the radio on low, pulling onto the freeway and savoring the familiar feeling of a case falling behind on the horizon. Except this time, he’s taking something with him.
***
Jared’s got a few safehouses he can go to. He figures this is a good time to take advantage of one of the little-known ones; he doesn’t want half a dozen hunters asking why he has a vampire with him, chained or not.
By the time he’s pulling up in front of the somewhat-dilapidated cabin miles from civilization, Jensen’s awake again. He hasn’t said a word, hasn’t even moved from where he’s slumped against the passenger side door, but Jared can tell from the tense set of his shoulders that he’s not sleeping. Jared steps out of the car with a groan, stretching and rubbing his sore muscles. He hasn’t slept in a couple of days and he’s not exactly the right size to be cramped up in a car all day.
They don’t speak as Jared helps Jensen out of the car and leads him up the path to the cabin, one hand on the chains between his wrists. Jared drops the duffel by the door and gives Jensen a moment to look around the place while he checks on supplies and turns on the electricity. Plumbing still works, that’s a plus.
It’s a small place, just one bedroom and a small living room-slash-kitchen, but it has a fireplace and it’s protected from most of the things Jared hunts, though evidently not from vampires.
The vampire’s shaking slightly when Jared comes back around to check on him. He hasn’t moved from the spot where Jared left him, standing, slightly hunched in on himself, a few feet from the door.
“You can come in,” Jared says. He waits patiently until Jensen shuffles forward. “Here, sit.”
Jensen sits gingerly on the couch. The guy’s clearly still in pain, his movements slow and careful, but he looks like he’s trying not to show it. Jared’s limited medical training is pushing him to examine Jensen more closely, check for signs of more serious injuries, give him pain meds - but he knows that’s not what Jensen needs. Jensen needs blood to heal, and obviously Jared’s not giving him that. It’s not pleasant to watch the brief grimaces of pain flit across Jensen’s face every time he moves, though, so Jared turns away, heading for the wood pile behind the cabin.
“Make yourself comfortable,” he calls back over his shoulder, ignoring how unlikely that is.
Once he has the fire going and a can of soup heating on the stove, Jared finally lets himself settle on the couch. He’s exhausted and he knows his body needs sleep but there’s something he has to do first and he’s not looking forward to it.
“So,” Jared starts. Jensen shifts a bit but doesn’t look up. “We gotta talk, but first things first. Can you eat normal food?”
Jensen shrugs.
“Yeah, but it won’t nourish me.”
“Oh.”
Jared already figured this would be the case. It’s not unheard of for vampires to claim they don’t feed on humans - “I only eat animals, swear to God,” - but no hunter worth his salt would ever believe that horseshit.
There’s an awkward pause while Jared reminds himself that the man before him, fidgeting with the too-long sleeves of the hoodie Jared lent him, isn’t even human. Jared’s relieved when he hears the sizzle of soup boiling over from the stove.
He offers Jensen a bowl, but the other man politely declines with a confused expression. Jared eats quickly, gulping down the scalding hot liquid, thoughts of the lumpy bed and warm quilt in the next room taking over.
Jared expects some kind of resistance when he announces that he’s going to have to lock Jensen up for the night but to his surprise, the vampire looks almost relieved. This being a hunter’s cabin, there’s a cell in the basement. It has an uncomfortable wooden cot and heavy iron rings on the walls, but Jared gives Jensen a blanket and a pillow, and doesn’t lock the guy to the wall. He thinks about removing the chains from Jensen’s wrist but in the end hunter’s paranoia wins out and Jared leaves them on.
Jared’s asleep seconds after his body hits the mattress, still fully clothed, gun within reach and knife under his pillow.
***
Jared sleeps late and goes for a run when he wakes up, taking a quick shower before unlocking Jensen’s cell. He eats breakfast over the sink while Jensen sits uncomfortably on the couch, staring down at his restless hands.
Jared carefully washes his hands, and then his plate, and finally steps away from a spotless sink when he can’t stall any longer. Jensen tenses visibly as Jared sits on the coffee table in front of him.
“So. We need to talk about this situation,” Jared says bluntly. Hunters aren’t well-known for their manners. Jensen raises his head a little, not enough to meet Jared’s eye, but enough to signify he’s listening.
“You gonna start killing people if you get some blood in you?” Jared figures it’s best to get this part out of the way. Jensen shoots him a startled glance - green eyes, Jared hadn’t noticed - and shakes his head quickly.
“N-no, I don’t, I mean, I’ve never even - I’ve never killed anyone.” The guy’s voice is still rough but he sounds younger than Jared had thought. He also sounds like he’s telling the truth, but Jared’s not trusting that particular instinct right now. Jensen may sound vulnerable, but he’s still a vampire and Jared can’t forget that, much as he might want to.
“Right. So, if I get you some animal blood, that gonna be enough for you to - you know, heal and stuff?” Jared gestures in the general direction of Jensen’s battered body.
“Yeah. I think it’ll be slower than with human blood, but I can be... better... good, if if I feed.”
Something about the wording sounds off to Jared’s ear, but he lets it go in favor of more pressing matters.
“And if I unchain you, you’re not gonna try and kill me?” Jared tries to throw a little humor in his voice but the vampire looks dead serious as he vehemently shakes his head.
“I told you, I don’t kill people.”
“Alright. I’m warning you now though, you try anything and I’ll gank you on the spot. I’ve killed dozens of your kind before and I got no shortage of knives around here sharp enough to slide through that pretty neck like butter, got it?”
It’s a little reassuring to watch Jensen swallow nervously, one hand reaching up unconsciously to curl protectively around his throat as he nods.
“Got it.”
***
Part II
Rating: NC-17
Wordcount: 3.5k (for this part, 15k total)
Warnings and kinks: Torture, noncon, abuse (not between J2), character death (not J2), Vampires
Summary: From a prompt over at the kink meme:"Jared's a hunter. He's never had any qualms about killing things that go bump in the night but one night he goes back to another hunter's lair/house/whatever for a beer and sees that he's keeping vampire!Jensen prisoner and using him as a slave as well as beating/torturing/raping him whenever he wants." For the full prompt, go here.
Disclaimer: I don't own Jared, Jensen, or anyone else. This is fiction.
Jared’s been tracking this wolf for a few weeks now, counting down the days ‘til the full moon and packing silver bullets while he drives across country, always a town or two behind. When he finally rolls into Blackwater Springs early one afternoon, he knows he’s finally caught up by the sight of a black, beat up Chevy truck outside the only bar in town.
Jared gets a room for the night before heading over to the bar, weapons concealed and charming smile pasted on. The heavyset bartender, after raking an interested look up and down Jared’s body, is only too happy to serve him beer after beer while he chats and subtly scans the room for a sign of the wolf.
She walks in about an hour after Jared, all sharp white teeth and sparkling brown eyes. Even the bartender can’t take his eyes off her. Stupid, Jared thinks. She’s not even pretending to blend in. Jared orders another beer, settling in to watch his prey, let her get a few drinks under her belt.
“She’s a pretty one, ain't she?” Jack, the bartender, asks, not a trace of jealousy in his voice. There’s something off about the way he says it, and when Jared glances up at her he sees it written all over the guy’s face. Hunger. Interesting. He doesn’t know how the wolf swings, but he knows she won’t hesitate to use this kind of interest to her advantage. Hell, she won’t even care when the full moon comes out. Which, hey, should be in less than an hour. Time to get moving.
The wolf is already heading straight for Jared, sauntering over to lean her elbows on the bar. She only spares him a glance before shifting forward and grinning straight at Jack, letting her long brown hair fall forward over one shoulder.
Jared watches uneasily as the two flirt. He knows he needs to find a way to intervene, get the wolf alone and fast, but he’s rarely come across someone so completely oblivious to him. When Jack announces he’s going on break and Jared catches sight of the excited gleam in the wolf’s eye, he makes a snap decision and follows them out of the bar, trying to keep some distance.
The second he’s on the street, though, he knows he’s made a mistake. Jack and the wolf are nowhere in sight and the moon is already rising, low and heavy on the horizon. Fuck.
A growl escapes from a patch of darkness a few doors down and Jared sprints over, only to find he’s too late. The body is half behind a dumpster, blood already pooling under. Jared swears and reaches to feel for a pulse, already knowing he won’t find anything. He carefully avoids looking at the rough edged hole where the guy’s heart was. How did he fuck up a simple hunt so bad?
It’s only as he’s retrieving his hand from the silent neck that he notices the shiny brown curls he’s holding out of the way. Jared pulls back sharply, staring down at the dead wolf.
“Did you know tearing out their hearts works just as well as a silver bullet, long as you use a silver knife? More fun, too,” comes Jack’s voice from behind him. Jared turns slowly to find the sturdy bartender, hands and thick forearms thickly coated in drying blood.
“You’re a hunter,” Jared says. It’s not a question. Jared hasn’t met too many hunters outside of the few known safe-houses strewn around the country. He’s only overlapped with one on a case once before. He could kick himself for not recognizing what Jack is sooner, though, now that he sees it. The quiet strength that can’t be explained by hauling cases of liquor, the way he holds himself - like he’s always a few seconds from attacking.
“No shit. You wanna get out of here? Someone’s gotta find the body soon and I need to wash this off.” He gestures casually to the blood. “I bet you could use a beer right now.”
Jared visibly hesitates and Jack takes a step forward, cajoling smile on his face.
“C’mon, I never get other hunters rolling through. Just one beer?” His voice is a low growl, almost a purr.
“Yeah, alright,” Jared says, recovering with a warm smile. “Lead the way.”
Jack takes him down a few narrow streets, down one alley and some stairs set back from the street to an unassuming black door. Several deadbolts later and they’re in a basement. It’s a dank, moldy room, cement walls and floor covered in stains. Jack doesn’t slow down, just crosses the room to a huge iron door. Jared locks the deadbolts behind him and follows him through the door into what appears to be a warm, almost cozy little apartment. He motions for Jared to sit on the beat-up leather couch and, to his surprise, takes a seat beside him.
“Two beers, Leech,” Jack calls, and Jared startles when he catches sight of something moving in the corner.
It’s a man, filthy and naked and hunched over, iron rings around his ankles and wrists chained together. He makes his way to the fridge in the corner of the room that seems to serve as a kitchen and brings them each a beer, which Jack opens against the man’s shackles. Jared doesn’t say a word, instead accepting the beer with a polite nod and raising his eyebrows at the naked man.
“It’s a vamp,” Jack says in reply to his unspoken question. “Caught it a couple years back when I was clearing out a nest down South. It’s harmless, wasn’t even part of the nest, just lurking around.”
“Why’d you keep him?” Jared asks, eyeing the vampire curiously. He’s kneeling beside them, eyes downcast. He looks weak and a little shaky and there appear to be some bruises under all that dirt caking his skin. His hair might be brown or blonde, difficult to tell in this light.
“Why not? It’s useful to have around, for now. I won’t keep it forever, probably only has a month or two left in it anyway. They get weaker and weaker ‘til they can barely stand, that’s when you know they’re done.”
Jared’s confusion must show on his face, because Jack smiles and aims a not-so-gentle kick at the vamp’s prominent ribs.
“They can’t fight back if you don’t feed them. They just get weaker and weaker, nice and slow, and long as they don’t get blood they don’t make a fuss.”
Jared stares down at the vampire at their feet. He’s definitely shaking now, Jared can tell, and he feels sick to his stomach at the thought of something, even a vampire, dying so slowly and painfully.
Jack’s scooting across the couch, eyes alight with interest as he darts a glance between Jared and the vamp.
“You wanna play with it? It’s not as fun as when it fought back a little, but if you get it right it’ll still cry a little,” he purrs into Jared’s ear, and it takes him a good thirty seconds to understand what the guy’s implying.
“You... You play with him?”
Jack’s smile widens.
“Of course. And I don’t even mind sharing my little toy,” he says, dragging his fingertips up the vampire’s back to grip his iron collar. The knowledge that vampires don’t need to breathe does nothing to stop the shiver of sympathetic panic as the thick band of metal digs into a pale, scrawny throat.
“No thanks,” Jared says, as casually as he can manage. His stomach is twisting uncomfortably as he stands up, draining his beer. “I gotta get going. Thanks for the beer. And for taking care of the wolf,” he adds with a polite smile.
“You’re leaving?” Jack asks, disappointment clear on his face. Jared nods and starts to turn away, trying to ignore sound of whimpering behind him.
“Okay. Hey, maybe we’ll cross paths again,” Jack calls as Jared reaches the door. “Don’t worry Leech, I can fuck you just as well without him. Would’ve been fun to see him stuff you full, though.”
Jared suppresses a shudder but can’t stop himself from glancing back as he goes to close the door behind him. The vampire is still on his knees, back arched as Jack yanks the collar up, one foot planted square in the middle of his back. Jack’s other hand is disappearing somewhere behind the vampire and its whole body goes rigid, face distorted with pain.
It takes a moment to click, but when Jared finally understands what’s happening he finds himself moving without having made a conscious decision to do so. Jack falls back into the couch in surprise, shocked face twisting into anger as Jared stands between him and the vamp.
“What the fuck are you doing?” he hisses, pulling himself upright.
“This is fucked up, Jack. You can’t do this to someone, vampire or not.”
“It’s not even human; it’s a fucking monster. No wonder you couldn’t take care of that fucking werewolf,” Jack spits. “I thought you were a hunter.”
“I am a hunter, doesn’t mean I like to torture - or fucking rape,” he adds. Jack glares up at him, not an ounce of shame in him.
“Fine. Do it, kill it. It was getting old anyway,” Jack says and Jared can hear the challenge in his words clear as day. He pulls out his knife and grips the vampire’s dirty hair. Jared raises his knife to decapitate the guy, but as he tugs his head back to reveal that pale, vulnerable throat, a tiny whimper escapes the kneeling monster. It’s so pathetically weak, so completely harmless-sounding that Jared feels that twist in his gut again - guilt. He doesn’t kill things that can’t at least try to kill him right back.
“No.” Jared doesn’t even bother waiting for Jack’s reaction, just sheaths his knife and scoops the vamp into his arms. It’s alarmingly easy - even with the heavy chains, the guy weighs next to nothing. Jack’s still sputtering when Jared reaches the door, and this time when he turns back it’s only to leave him with a warning. “I hear you - or any other hunter - is pulling shit like this again, you’ll be the ones I’m hunting. Got it?”
Something in his face must show how serious he is, because Jack just nods weakly.
***
Getting the naked, chained vampire back to his motel room isn’t easy. The guy doesn’t struggle, but he’s not as small as he appeared and Jared’s pretty sure anyone he crosses paths with is going to notice the shackles. He takes side streets and covers the guy with his coat as best he can, sticking to the shadows. By the time he finally makes it to the room and drops the vamp on the bed, Jared’s sweaty with nerves and exertion. He mostly just wants to fall into bed and let himself drift into sweet oblivion, but he knows there’s a chance Jack’ll come after him and sticking around isn’t really worth the risk.
He’s not letting the vamp into his car covered in filth, though, so he gets the guy to stumble into the bathroom. Jared turns on the shower, twisting the knob and checking the temperature when he sees how the vampire shivers.
“Can you wash yourself?” Jared asks, and the vampire nods without looking up. Jared leaves him to it, coming back when he hears the water go off. He helps the guy out of the tub and walks him to the bed, one hand under his elbow and another on the chain between his wrists.
Jared picks the lock on the vamp’s collar, doing his best to ignore all that way soft skin peeking out of the huge ratty towel he’s wrapped in. It’s only when he picks open the ankle shackles that he notices how extensive the bruising is, even down to his feet.
The guy’s skin is covered in bruises and cuts in various stages of healing, some fresh and deep, others yellowing or scarring over. Jared’s never seen a vampire with scars; he always figured they had the same self-healing powers as werewolves. He traces one cut up from the guy’s ankle to his knee with a fingertip, noting that it’s been carefully cleaned, probably not by Jack.
“Can’t heal without blood,” the guy says, sandpaper-rough voice low above Jared. Jared still jumps a little - he honestly hadn’t been sure if the vampire would even remember how to speak.
“He did this to you?” Jared asks. The answer’s obvious but he needs to hear it, needs to be certain.
“Yeah.”
Jared finishes unlocking the guy’s wrists, noting how scraped-raw the skin there is, how bruised his arms are. There are what look like burns covering the pale, freckled skin stretched too tight over bone. Jared’s getting that sick feeling again.
“What’s your name?” Jared hands the vampire some clothes, not turning his back on him. He may have lost his mind a little with this, but he’s not stupid.
“Jensen.”
“Alright Jensen, I’m Jared. Once you get that on, I’m gonna chain you up again for a bit, just for the drive.”
Jensen doesn’t nod or otherwise show his acquiescence, just starts pulling on clothes. He hasn’t looked up at Jared at all yet, and somehow that doesn’t surprise him. Jack seems like the type to beat any sign of resistance out of his... pet? Slave? Jared’s not sure.
Jensen doesn’t fight when Jared puts the wrist and ankle shackles back on, wrapped in cloth this time so they don’t rub away at his skin. He walks in front of Jared on the way to the car, taking small, shuffling steps to avoid tripping with his ankles bound. Jared tries not to notice the way his own clothes hang off the guy’s scrawny frame.
***
Jensen falls asleep minutes after they get on the road but Jared waits a couple of minutes to make sure he’s really out before doubling back. He leaves the car running while he shoots the locks off Jack’s door.
When he gets back in the car, the twisting feeling in his gut assuaged by the certainty that Jack will never again get his sadistic hands on anyone, human or otherwise, Jensen’s still asleep. Jared turns the radio on low, pulling onto the freeway and savoring the familiar feeling of a case falling behind on the horizon. Except this time, he’s taking something with him.
***
Jared’s got a few safehouses he can go to. He figures this is a good time to take advantage of one of the little-known ones; he doesn’t want half a dozen hunters asking why he has a vampire with him, chained or not.
By the time he’s pulling up in front of the somewhat-dilapidated cabin miles from civilization, Jensen’s awake again. He hasn’t said a word, hasn’t even moved from where he’s slumped against the passenger side door, but Jared can tell from the tense set of his shoulders that he’s not sleeping. Jared steps out of the car with a groan, stretching and rubbing his sore muscles. He hasn’t slept in a couple of days and he’s not exactly the right size to be cramped up in a car all day.
They don’t speak as Jared helps Jensen out of the car and leads him up the path to the cabin, one hand on the chains between his wrists. Jared drops the duffel by the door and gives Jensen a moment to look around the place while he checks on supplies and turns on the electricity. Plumbing still works, that’s a plus.
It’s a small place, just one bedroom and a small living room-slash-kitchen, but it has a fireplace and it’s protected from most of the things Jared hunts, though evidently not from vampires.
The vampire’s shaking slightly when Jared comes back around to check on him. He hasn’t moved from the spot where Jared left him, standing, slightly hunched in on himself, a few feet from the door.
“You can come in,” Jared says. He waits patiently until Jensen shuffles forward. “Here, sit.”
Jensen sits gingerly on the couch. The guy’s clearly still in pain, his movements slow and careful, but he looks like he’s trying not to show it. Jared’s limited medical training is pushing him to examine Jensen more closely, check for signs of more serious injuries, give him pain meds - but he knows that’s not what Jensen needs. Jensen needs blood to heal, and obviously Jared’s not giving him that. It’s not pleasant to watch the brief grimaces of pain flit across Jensen’s face every time he moves, though, so Jared turns away, heading for the wood pile behind the cabin.
“Make yourself comfortable,” he calls back over his shoulder, ignoring how unlikely that is.
Once he has the fire going and a can of soup heating on the stove, Jared finally lets himself settle on the couch. He’s exhausted and he knows his body needs sleep but there’s something he has to do first and he’s not looking forward to it.
“So,” Jared starts. Jensen shifts a bit but doesn’t look up. “We gotta talk, but first things first. Can you eat normal food?”
Jensen shrugs.
“Yeah, but it won’t nourish me.”
“Oh.”
Jared already figured this would be the case. It’s not unheard of for vampires to claim they don’t feed on humans - “I only eat animals, swear to God,” - but no hunter worth his salt would ever believe that horseshit.
There’s an awkward pause while Jared reminds himself that the man before him, fidgeting with the too-long sleeves of the hoodie Jared lent him, isn’t even human. Jared’s relieved when he hears the sizzle of soup boiling over from the stove.
He offers Jensen a bowl, but the other man politely declines with a confused expression. Jared eats quickly, gulping down the scalding hot liquid, thoughts of the lumpy bed and warm quilt in the next room taking over.
Jared expects some kind of resistance when he announces that he’s going to have to lock Jensen up for the night but to his surprise, the vampire looks almost relieved. This being a hunter’s cabin, there’s a cell in the basement. It has an uncomfortable wooden cot and heavy iron rings on the walls, but Jared gives Jensen a blanket and a pillow, and doesn’t lock the guy to the wall. He thinks about removing the chains from Jensen’s wrist but in the end hunter’s paranoia wins out and Jared leaves them on.
Jared’s asleep seconds after his body hits the mattress, still fully clothed, gun within reach and knife under his pillow.
***
Jared sleeps late and goes for a run when he wakes up, taking a quick shower before unlocking Jensen’s cell. He eats breakfast over the sink while Jensen sits uncomfortably on the couch, staring down at his restless hands.
Jared carefully washes his hands, and then his plate, and finally steps away from a spotless sink when he can’t stall any longer. Jensen tenses visibly as Jared sits on the coffee table in front of him.
“So. We need to talk about this situation,” Jared says bluntly. Hunters aren’t well-known for their manners. Jensen raises his head a little, not enough to meet Jared’s eye, but enough to signify he’s listening.
“You gonna start killing people if you get some blood in you?” Jared figures it’s best to get this part out of the way. Jensen shoots him a startled glance - green eyes, Jared hadn’t noticed - and shakes his head quickly.
“N-no, I don’t, I mean, I’ve never even - I’ve never killed anyone.” The guy’s voice is still rough but he sounds younger than Jared had thought. He also sounds like he’s telling the truth, but Jared’s not trusting that particular instinct right now. Jensen may sound vulnerable, but he’s still a vampire and Jared can’t forget that, much as he might want to.
“Right. So, if I get you some animal blood, that gonna be enough for you to - you know, heal and stuff?” Jared gestures in the general direction of Jensen’s battered body.
“Yeah. I think it’ll be slower than with human blood, but I can be... better... good, if if I feed.”
Something about the wording sounds off to Jared’s ear, but he lets it go in favor of more pressing matters.
“And if I unchain you, you’re not gonna try and kill me?” Jared tries to throw a little humor in his voice but the vampire looks dead serious as he vehemently shakes his head.
“I told you, I don’t kill people.”
“Alright. I’m warning you now though, you try anything and I’ll gank you on the spot. I’ve killed dozens of your kind before and I got no shortage of knives around here sharp enough to slide through that pretty neck like butter, got it?”
It’s a little reassuring to watch Jensen swallow nervously, one hand reaching up unconsciously to curl protectively around his throat as he nods.
“Got it.”
***
Part II