I Dream of Jensen (Part Nine)
Title: I Dream of Jensen
Author: queeberquabbler
Fic Prompt: Disney's Aladdin
Pairing: J2
Rating/Warnings: PG-13 for swearing. No warnings otherwise--it's your standard J2 :)
Disclaimer: See Master Post.
That was too damn close.
Jensen thinks this thought over and over again all morning as he punishes himself for waking Jared up in his moment of weakness. His mouth feels funny from wearing the gag all night, but it was worth it: Jared gets to stay happy, and Jensen can keep his pathetic misery all to himself, just as nature intended.
Or you could try opening up for a change, a small, hopeful part of him suggests.
Yeah, right, Jensen thinks back, since that’s worked out SO WELL for me in the past. Really don’t need to be stabbed in the back again, thanks.
But Jared is different! You can trust him! And you already have feelings for him, so what’s the problem?
The answer walks in the door to the set. That’s the problem, Jensen thinks back, setting his sights on David as the actor walks over to the chair that bears his name. Jensen flat out does not trust the guy-not after everything he heard about him. He made sure to ask most of crew and cast in order to rule out one person just having a problem with the actor, but when that many people have been wronged by the same man, there is NO room for doubt. The dude’s an overpaid asshole with a God-complex and a bad habit of treating everyone else like shit.
Now if I could just figure out why the hell Jared doesn’t see it… The absolute last thing Jensen wants is for Jared to get hurt, so he’s determined to discover the side of the man that only Jared seems able to see. He hopes for Jared’s sake that there really is a silver lining to David’s storm cloud. Because if there isn’t, I’m going to have to be the one to tell him, Jensen thinks sadly. And he’s just gonna LOVE hearing that…
“Penny for your thoughts?”
Jensen smiles up at Jared, who is in full costume and looking really cool, what with the Lawrence of Arabia desert garb and the faint scar on his cheek and the badass, dark green cloak that totally brings out his eyes. And no, Jensen is NOT staring, thank you very much. At least Jared doesn’t notice: he just smiles at the genie and hands him some coffee.
Jensen smirks, “I think you got this whole handler/star thing backward, Tristan.”
“I seem to recall a certain handler telling people that I’m the nicest guy in the world,” Jared beams back. “And that means I can bring you coffee, so there.”
Eric is guest-directing this episode, and now as he calls Tristan over, Jensen gives his master a kiss-a Hershey’s kiss, that is, one of many assorted chocolates in the bowl next to them. “Here. For luck. And because I know how much you like sugar.” The dimples come out when Jared looks down at it, and Jensen smiles back. “Good luck. Not that you need it, but hey, it never hurts to have it, right?”
Jared grins before he turns and jogs over to where the director and David are waiting for him. Jensen knows that now would be the perfect time to go snooping for the goods on David, but one look from Jared, whose hazel eyes are clearly nervous despite the grin still plastered on his face, keeps Jensen where he is.
Relax, he says inside Jared’s mind. All you need is a breath mint and you’re good to go. Across the room, Jared turns and checks his breath, and Jensen smirks when Jared gives him a quick glare after he finds out it’s just fine. That’s right, bitch, made ya look!
Then David looks over at Jensen, and Jensen looks right back. The two men size each other up. Neither is impressed. David gives the slightest nod to Jensen, but Jensen does not return it. Eric starts yelling to the crew to get ready and the actors take their marks.
“ACTION!”
David lunges at Jared and throws him down onto the thin safety mat. Jared fights back, but David is too fast-his hands wrap around his throat and squeeze. Then, just as suddenly, David is lifted into the air, courtesy of Jensen grabbing him by HIS throat. He holds David off the floor like he weighs nothing.
“Whoa, Jensen, what the hell are you doing?!” Jared shouts as he gets off the floor. “Let him go!”
“He was hurting you,” Jensen declares, matter-of-factly. His eyes bore into the squirming star with pure hatred.
“No he wasn’t! Seth was attacking Malakai-it’s in the script!”
Jensen’s face softens a tiny bit, but he keeps David hanging in the air as he looks back at Jared. “It is?”
“YES! Right here!” Jared grabs the script off the table and shows him the page, and Jensen quickly skims through it. Then he blushes and looks back up at David.
“Shit. Sorry, man.” He lowers him back to the ground and releases him. David coughs and glares at him.
“WHO let this FUCKtard on the set?!” the star wheezes. Gabe runs up to him with a glass of water. David takes it and then hisses at his servant to get him a mirror. By now, the director and most of the lighting crew is surrounding them, and Jensen is apologizing to everyone.
“I’m so, so, SO, so, sorry,” he swears up and down. “I’m an idiot, all right? And they’re both such good actors-I-I really thought it was the real deal going down! It won’t happen again, I promise.”
“Of COURSE it won’t,” David rasps, “because I’m calling security right the fuck now.”
“No, you can’t!” Jared cries. David whirls on him, eyes blazing, and Jared amends, “I mean, you CAN…of course you can, you’re the star of the show, right? But please…I’m begging you here. Please don’t ban Jensen from the set. He’s just a little…overprotective of me.” Jared looks back at the genie, who hangs his head. “Please,” Jared says again, throwing David a double whammy of puppy-dog eyes and flared nostrils. No one can say no to that. Not even David, who gives in with a sigh.
“Fine, he can stay. But if he interferes at ALL, he is OUT of here. I don’t even want to hear a cough.”
“Thank you,” Jared smiles. David just shakes his head at him and turns away.
“GAAABE! WHERE is that MIRROR?” The assistant appears just as the star turns to leave, and David grabs the offered mirror and examines his neck.
“Don’t worry,” Jensen murmurs to Jared, “I already healed the bruises. He won’t find anything.”
“Good,” is Jared’s terse reply. His body is rigid with tension, and Jensen notes that his master is keeping his eyes trained on his script.
“Do you need anything?” Jensen asks, hoping to clear the air. “I can get you some water if you want.”
“You’ve done enough for one morning, don’t you think?” Jared snaps. “Just stay out of the way and be quiet. I have to go over my lines again.” He walks off without looking at Jensen, and the genie nods at no one.
“Sure,” he replies quietly. “I’ll just, um…I’ll be…” Jensen swallows the excess words and says the only thing that matters: “I’m sorry. I’ll get out of the way now.”
Jared turns around and finds the genie gone. Great, what did he do now, teleport on top of it? He checks for reactions, but no one seems to have noticed anything unusual, so Jared lets it go. The rest of his anger, however, remains. He knows Jensen is sorry and that he was just trying to protect him, but did he have to go off the rails like that? He could’ve killed him! And on the very first take of our very first scene together! In front of EVERYBODY! Dammit, Jensen…
Eric whistles for everyone’s attention. “All right, people, finish up your refreshments and get back to your stations. We’ve got a LOT to do today.” He makes a ‘wrap it up’ gesture with his index finger as he heads back to his chair. The grips follow, and Alona runs up to Jared to fix his hair.
“Well that was interesting,” Alona remarks.
“Yeah, interesting is one way to put it.” Jared looks around, sure that everyone is glaring at him, but no one is even giving him a passing glance. Alona grabs him by his chin and pulls his face down again.
“Stay still and quit worrying! No one’s mad at you OR Jensen. In fact, we all wish Jensen would’ve kept squeezing.” Jared rolls his eyes, and Alona snickers. She tousles the hair until it looks professionally messy, and then she stands back and smiles up at him. “There. Perfect.” Her smile fades as she looks around for David. “Now where’s your co-star?”
“Behind you,” David says as he joins them. “Now move, Little Miss Nobody. The Somebodies have real work to do.”
Her jaw drops at his rudeness, and she storms off, fists clenched and hanging at her sides. “Wow, melodramatic much?” David dismisses. Then he looks back at Jared and asks, “Ready to try this again?”
“Yeah, absolutely. And again, I’m really, truly sorry about what happened.”
David blows out a sigh. “I’m over it,” he lies. “And hey, it’s not the first jealous boyfriend I’ve had to deal with.”
“Oh Jensen isn’t my boyfriend,” Jared says. “He’s just my handler.”
David’s left eyebrow moves a millimeter, barely interested and definitely unimpressed. “What other shows did you say you’ve been on?”
“I didn’t,” Jared replies. “But nothing all that major. I mean, the shows…you’ve heard of the shows, maybe…probably…but my roles weren’t anything…I-I wasn’t the main draw, or…yeah.” He puts an end to the babbling by clearing his throat. “Why, um, do you ask?”
David regards his manicured nails as he responds, “Well call me crazy, but I would hope my handler would be able to tell acting from reality. If you’ve been on other shows,” he looks up at Jared with suspicion, “then why did your handler freak out during our take?”
“He’s new,” Jared blurts out as his nervousness gets the best of him. “I’ve had other handlers in the past, but now I have Jensen. He works for me now, I mean. But he isn’t my boyfriend. He’s just my employee. I’m the actor and I’m in charge. Okay?”
“Yeah, whatever,” David shrugs, bored already.
Eric yells to everyone to take their places again, and David and Jared walk away, leaving Jensen alone with his depressed thoughts. He’d been standing there the whole time, invisible to everyone, and he’d heard everything Jared had said.
Just his handler, he repeats in his mind. Just his employee.
Told you so, his negative side replies. You barely had a shot with him to begin with, and then you just HAD to go and fuck-up his first real day at work. You’ve outdone yourself this time, Jensen.
Jensen doesn’t argue-it’s the truth, after all. Instead, he just drifts out of the room, letting the building’s fans take him where they will.
Oblivious to his friend’s hurt feelings, Jared tries to focus on getting back in character, but he’s still so pissed off. And it must show, because Eric is getting out of his chair and coming over. Jared looks away to pretend he didn’t notice.
“You look like you’re ready to punch somebody,” Eric only half-jokes.
Jared nods, eyes staring at his mark on the floor. “You could say that.”
“Well GOOD.”
That gets Jared’s attention. He looks down at his director, and Eric smiles back. “Use it! The audience has already seen Malakai’s power, but now they get to find out that he can kick some serious ass, too. So go nuts! Let it out!” Jared grins, and Eric leans in and adds, “Besides, David does his own stunts. You really think he’s gonna go easy on you on your first day?” He gives Jared a ‘think about it’ look and then turns away, calling for everybody to get ready.
Jared and David take their marks again, and Jared rolls his shoulders and stretches his neck. “You ready to rumble?” David asks with a mean smile. Jared returns it and ups the ante by locking his hazels onto David’s browns.
“Bring it.”
David scoffs, but it’s clear he’s ready for the challenge. Eric puts his headset on and cups his hands around his mouth.
“ACTION!”
Seth lunges at Malakai, and both men land hard on the stone floor of the desert cavern. Seth wraps his hands around Malakai’s neck, wanting the Mage to feel every ounce of his hatred. “Mage,” he growls. “How many times do I have to remind you that your kind is NOT welcome in this world?”
“Guess we’re just bad listeners,” Malakai sasses back. He head-butts the sorcerer and rolls them over so that the Mage is now on top and in control. Then he clamps both of Seth’s wrists down and holds them to the floor, effectively pinning him. “I don’t suppose YOU would be up to listening to me for a minute?”
Seth glares at him. “I don’t want to hear anything you have to say.”
Malakai’s right eyebrow lifts up. “Not even that I’m here to help you?”
“HA! Yeah, right. How stupid do you think I am?”
“Well, you did come out to the middle of the Gobi desert by yourself, without telling any of your friends where you were going, you lost your talismans in a sandstorm, you haven’t had food or water in two days, and now you’re in a secret, underground hideout and facing a Kyan-level Mage without any of your back-up power.” Malakai smirks. “Maybe should’ve thought that one out a little more, in retrospect.”
Seth nods. “Master Kenner always said I was too impulsive, but hey, when you’ve been that way for 200 years…it’s not an easy habit to break, y’know?” He doesn’t wait for an answer, just knees Malakai in the groin, and as the Mage recoils, the sorcerer pushes him off and stands up. “You are wrong about one thing, though. I didn’t lose ALL of my talismans.” Seth sheds his cloak and pulls his famous Luathrindi Talisman from under his shirt.
“Didn’t know any Luathrindis still existed,” Malakai says, looking impressed. “But you might as well put it away. It can’t help you here.”
“Oh really?” Seth shuts his eyes for a moment, and when they open, they are glowing silver. He speaks the activation spell, and the glow transfers from his eyes to the talisman. It lights up for a moment…then fades out. Seth frowns down at it. “What the…?”
“This cavern sits in a vein of very rare onyx,” Malakai explains. “It absorbs magical energy, especially attacks. It’s why I chose it as my hideout in the first place.”
Seth’s head tips either way as he considers it. “Meh, I’ll just have to kick your ass the old fashioned way then.” He jumps high and kicks out his foot to hit the Mage in his chest, but Malakai turns to smoke and reappears behind the sorcerer. Seth is surprised, but Malakai shrugs.
“What? Just ‘cause your magic is useless here doesn’t mean mine is too.” He backhands Seth, who flies clear across the cavern. “I’ve been here for years, Seth. My energy has adapted to the onyx barrier.”
“Congratulations.” Seth gets up and launches his body into the other man’s, pushing him back toward the opposite wall, but Malakai smokes away again, leaving Seth to take the full impact against the rock. He stumbles back, a hand pressed over his bleeding forehead. The Mage stands smug with his arms crossed. “You could fight fair, y’know,” Seth bitches.
“Yeah, right. Like you’d fight fair if the tables were turned.”
Seth runs at him again, but Malakai reaches out and throws his will against the sorcerer. Seth’s body locks up and leaves him standing an inch away from Malakai’s palm. “Okay, I get it, you’re tough,” the Mage says. “Now why don’t you drop the macho act, Seth, and take me up on my offer to talk?”
Seth’s face, the only part of him that can still move, scrunches up. “How do you know my name?”
“Joanna told me.”
Seth’s eyes glow silver again, and his body shakes with power that burns to be released. “You LIE.”
“No,” Malakai insists, “I’m not lying. I know her, Seth, and she’s told me all about you. I know what Dathan and my Order have done to you, and I’m not proud of it.” He puts his hand on Seth’s shoulder. “I want to help you.”
“You can’t help me,” Seth utters, “and even if you could, the last thing I want is help from a Mage.”
“Not even a Mage who knows how to get Joanna back to Earth?”
Seth’s eyes blow wide with emotion, surprise…and hope.
“Aaaand CUT!” Eric applauds the actors, and soon the entire room is joining in. David and Jared grin and shake each other’s hands as they shake off the scene, and Eric puts a hand on their backs. “That was perfect! Better than I could have dreamed, even! And the chemistry, GOD! Fucking unbelievable! Outstanding work, guys.”
“Thanks!” Jared beams, and even David gives his nemesis a nod.
As Eric turns away to start setting things up for the Seth POV takes, Jared returns to his coffee and the bowl of candy. Then he remembers the Hershey’s kiss Jensen gave him, and he takes it out of his pocket. It’s mooshed up and warm, but he eats it anyway. How fucking awesome was that, Jen? Jared thinks with elation, looking around for the genie, but he doesn’t spot Jensen anywhere. He frowns, wondering where he went. But just as he’s about to take a quick stroll to try and find him, David walks up behind him.
“It’s been a really long time since I’ve worked with someone who isn’t afraid of me.”
J
ared turns around and melts from David’s smile. “You didn’t hold back at all,” David goes on to say. “In fact, I’m pretty sure I can feel the bruises forming already.”
Jared’s face falls. “Oh shit, sorry!”
“No, Tristan,” David chuckles, “don’t apologize-it’s great! It means you’re fully invested in your character, just like I am in mine. It’ll translate great on screen.”
Jared gets shy from the praise and replies, “Well, I learned from the best. I truly believe you’re the most gifted actor out there. And that isn’t ass-kissing, okay? It’s the truth.”
“Why thank you,” David smiles, looking haughty but joking at the same time. Jared smiles right back, dimples out and proud. They hear Eric call them back, and David signals for one more second. “You doing anything tonight?” he asks Jared.
Jared’s heart does a backflip and then starts running around his ribcage in excitement, but by some miracle, he manages to keep his cool. “No, I was just planning on going over my lines for tomorrow. Nothing special.”
“Great! Then we can do dinner!”
Oh my God, oh my God, he skipped coffee and went straight to dinner, oh my GAWD! his heart cheers, but Jared just smiles and says, “Yeah! Great! It’s a date!” Then his heart skids to a stop, mortified. You IDIOT! What if this wasn’t a date? What if it was just dinner? What if you just wrecked everything?! But then David grins, nods…and winks. He turns to head back to Eric, leaving Jared to do cartwheels across the set. He doesn’t actually do them, but he REALLY wants to. He also doesn’t skip back to the director, despite his happy feet, or start floating around in sheer, lovey-dovey joy. He manages to just stand next to his co-star-who-might-soon-be-his-boyfriend-OMG and listen to Eric’s instructions for the next take.
The rest of the day goes just as well, if not even better. Other than one small disturbance, where David got a phone call and had to leave for five minutes, everything goes perfectly. They nail take after take, scene after scene, neither one of them flubbing a line. They got so much done that they were able to do the evening set work early, so they’ve all been given the night off. Sullivan calls it a miracle. David calls it magic, giving ‘Tristan’ another wink. But Jared knows what it really is: Heaven on Earth.
And to think, it’s only my first DAY! He is sauntering through the hallways, sharing high-fives with Chad and Misha and stopping to give Sandy a big, twirly hug. Everybody is in a great mood from the incredibly successful day. Even Gabe doesn’t seem nearly as panicky as usual: he gives the new star a thumbs-up and a big grin, and Jared envelops him in a hug, too, though he refrains from the twirl this time. Heading out the side door of the building, he heads toward his trailer to get ready for his date.
I’m going out to dinner with David Boreanaz. Jared bites his lip to keep in the squeal. This is SO COOL! I’ve had the best day of my life, and now I’m going out with David Boreanaz! And HE asked ME! He likes me! I can’t believe David LIKES me!
Jared jogs up the steps. Nothing can ruin his dynamite mood. NOTHING.
Except opening the door to find a ragged Jim Beaver, visibly fraught with worry.
“Finally,” the guard grunts at the actor. Jared shuts the door with a frown.
“What are you doing here? I mean, I don’t mind or anything, but...” Jared trails off, because all of a sudden, he just knows it’s got something to do with Jensen. His heart momentarily forgets all about the upcoming dinner date and fills with dread. “Where is he? What happened?”
Jim nods to the lamp on the floor. “In there. He’s been resting up all afternoon.”
“Resting up from what?” Jared waits for an answer, but Jim just lowers his gaze to the ground. “Jim? What’s going on? Is Jen…i-is he all right?”
Jim sighs through his nose. “Don’t know yet. You’ll have to ask him. As for me,” he checks his watch. “I’m off to get some grub before my next shift starts.” He moves past Jared, but pauses as he opens the door. “Oh, and Jared…” The addressed turns to him, and he’s met with a face full of disappointment from his old friend. “You are damn lucky you didn’t lose the lamp today. Being Jensen’s master is a big responsibility. I know you got a lot on your mind now, what with the new acting gig and all, but dammit, Jensen is BOUND to you, boy! You are his caretaker, and you can’t take care of him if you leave your bag in the make-up room where anybody can stroll in, find the lamp, and take Jensen away!”
Jared gulps as his gaze lands on his leather satchel, and he recalls setting it on the floor next to Alona’s backpack. “Just promise me that you won’t do something that stupid again,” Jim says, and Jared hurriedly nods.
“I promise. Thanks for getting it back here.”
Jim doesn’t say anything else, just nods once to Jared and heads outside. Jared rubs his hand down his face and looks at the lamp, sitting there all by itself on the carpet. It looks lonely. Jared creeps over to it and then kneels down. He feels nervous and he isn’t sure why.
“Jensen?” His voice quavers, so Jared clears his throat and says it again. “Jen? You in there?” Jared already knows he is, of course, but he’s too tense to think of something better to say. When he doesn’t get a reply, Jared carefully picks up the lamp and peers inside. The genie is pacing in and out of view, and he’s wearing several layers of clothing. “Jensen?” Jared asks more quietly, and the genie glances up at him for a moment. Then he drops his face into his hands and rubs his eyes.
“Hey Jared,” Jensen replies, despondent in tone, face, and form. There’s a pregnant pause as both men gaze around their respective surroundings before looking at each other again.
“Are you okay?” they ask in unison. Then they both tell the other to go first, but Jensen finally stands still and just waits for Jared to speak.
“I’m great, actually,” Jared tells him. “Filming was awesome. Everything went really, really well.”
Jensen forces a smile. “That’s great, Jay! I’m really glad.”
“What about yours?”
“My what?”
“Your day.”
The genie shrugs. “I’ve had better. I’ve had worse.”
He sounds dejected again, and it’s very worrying to Jared. “Jim said you were resting up all afternoon. What happened?”
“Nothing,” Jensen says. Jared stares at him, knowing that isn’t the truth, and the genie sighs. “Okay, fine. Something happened. But it isn’t important.”
“Did you get hurt?”
“Jared…”
“Because if you got hurt, it’s VERY important,” Jared insists. To his shock, Jensen laughs at that.
“Why, Jared? I thought I was just your handler. JUST your employee.”
Jared is stung by his own words. “You heard that, huh?” Jensen just gives him a snide look in reply, and Jared grimaces from the weight of his guilt. “I’m sorry, Jensen, I didn’t mean it! I was angry, all right? That’s all that was-me speaking in anger. And I was scared that David was starting to doubt that I was really an actor, so Tristan had to convince him that he was legit, but I shouldn’t have said it the way I said it, that was so stupid, and I’m so sorry-”
“Why?” Jensen asks. “Dude, you don’t need to apologize for the truth.”
And Jared can tell that Jensen really does believe what he’s saying. That hurts Jared even more, knowing that he is responsible for it. “I’ve been a genie for a long time,” Jensen continues. “Believe me, Jared, I know my place. It’s good that you gave me a reminder. I was starting to think I was human again.” He nods at his conviction, even as it visibly pains him to say what he’s saying. “Thinking it doesn’t make it true, y’know?”
Jared’s eyes shine with remorse for what he’s done and how much he’s hurt his friend, but Jensen turns his back on him. “Now I know you didn’t come in here to check on me,” he says, emotion watering down his words. “So grab your jacket and put the lamp back in the satchel. Harley and Sadie are waiting for you.”
“I’m not going home,” Jared informs him with great regret; his former excitement for his date has now turned to shame, especially as the genie looks up at him again. “I’ve got a date tonight.” The genie’s eyes widen. “With David,” Jared finishes.
Jensen’s jaw drops, and the lamp fills with smoke. Jared holds the lamp away from him as Jensen emerges from the spout. Instead of his genie pants, he’s now wearing jeans, boots, at least three shirts, and a jacket. Yet despite all of those layers of clothing, he’s shaking all over, and as he grips Jared’s upper arms, Jared can feel the cold radiating from the genie’s fingers. Jared flinches at the touch and moves off.
“Gah, you’re like ice! What’s wrong?”
“You can’t go out with David,” Jensen says.
“What? Jen-”
“He’s dangerous and I do NOT want you alone with him.”
Jensen looks so serious that Jared lets out a little laugh. But Jensen’s green eyes remain locked on Jared’s face. It makes Jared more than a little uncomfortable. “Okay, well, if Crazy Time is over…”
Jared turns around to leave, but his trailer door disappears behind a safe door, and jail bars form over every window. “I’m sorry, master,” Jensen insists, even as Jared glares at him. “But you’re not going anywhere.”
On to Part Ten
Master Post
Author: queeberquabbler
Fic Prompt: Disney's Aladdin
Pairing: J2
Rating/Warnings: PG-13 for swearing. No warnings otherwise--it's your standard J2 :)
Disclaimer: See Master Post.
That was too damn close.
Jensen thinks this thought over and over again all morning as he punishes himself for waking Jared up in his moment of weakness. His mouth feels funny from wearing the gag all night, but it was worth it: Jared gets to stay happy, and Jensen can keep his pathetic misery all to himself, just as nature intended.
Or you could try opening up for a change, a small, hopeful part of him suggests.
Yeah, right, Jensen thinks back, since that’s worked out SO WELL for me in the past. Really don’t need to be stabbed in the back again, thanks.
But Jared is different! You can trust him! And you already have feelings for him, so what’s the problem?
The answer walks in the door to the set. That’s the problem, Jensen thinks back, setting his sights on David as the actor walks over to the chair that bears his name. Jensen flat out does not trust the guy-not after everything he heard about him. He made sure to ask most of crew and cast in order to rule out one person just having a problem with the actor, but when that many people have been wronged by the same man, there is NO room for doubt. The dude’s an overpaid asshole with a God-complex and a bad habit of treating everyone else like shit.
Now if I could just figure out why the hell Jared doesn’t see it… The absolute last thing Jensen wants is for Jared to get hurt, so he’s determined to discover the side of the man that only Jared seems able to see. He hopes for Jared’s sake that there really is a silver lining to David’s storm cloud. Because if there isn’t, I’m going to have to be the one to tell him, Jensen thinks sadly. And he’s just gonna LOVE hearing that…
“Penny for your thoughts?”
Jensen smiles up at Jared, who is in full costume and looking really cool, what with the Lawrence of Arabia desert garb and the faint scar on his cheek and the badass, dark green cloak that totally brings out his eyes. And no, Jensen is NOT staring, thank you very much. At least Jared doesn’t notice: he just smiles at the genie and hands him some coffee.
Jensen smirks, “I think you got this whole handler/star thing backward, Tristan.”
“I seem to recall a certain handler telling people that I’m the nicest guy in the world,” Jared beams back. “And that means I can bring you coffee, so there.”
Eric is guest-directing this episode, and now as he calls Tristan over, Jensen gives his master a kiss-a Hershey’s kiss, that is, one of many assorted chocolates in the bowl next to them. “Here. For luck. And because I know how much you like sugar.” The dimples come out when Jared looks down at it, and Jensen smiles back. “Good luck. Not that you need it, but hey, it never hurts to have it, right?”
Jared grins before he turns and jogs over to where the director and David are waiting for him. Jensen knows that now would be the perfect time to go snooping for the goods on David, but one look from Jared, whose hazel eyes are clearly nervous despite the grin still plastered on his face, keeps Jensen where he is.
Relax, he says inside Jared’s mind. All you need is a breath mint and you’re good to go. Across the room, Jared turns and checks his breath, and Jensen smirks when Jared gives him a quick glare after he finds out it’s just fine. That’s right, bitch, made ya look!
Then David looks over at Jensen, and Jensen looks right back. The two men size each other up. Neither is impressed. David gives the slightest nod to Jensen, but Jensen does not return it. Eric starts yelling to the crew to get ready and the actors take their marks.
“ACTION!”
David lunges at Jared and throws him down onto the thin safety mat. Jared fights back, but David is too fast-his hands wrap around his throat and squeeze. Then, just as suddenly, David is lifted into the air, courtesy of Jensen grabbing him by HIS throat. He holds David off the floor like he weighs nothing.
“Whoa, Jensen, what the hell are you doing?!” Jared shouts as he gets off the floor. “Let him go!”
“He was hurting you,” Jensen declares, matter-of-factly. His eyes bore into the squirming star with pure hatred.
“No he wasn’t! Seth was attacking Malakai-it’s in the script!”
Jensen’s face softens a tiny bit, but he keeps David hanging in the air as he looks back at Jared. “It is?”
“YES! Right here!” Jared grabs the script off the table and shows him the page, and Jensen quickly skims through it. Then he blushes and looks back up at David.
“Shit. Sorry, man.” He lowers him back to the ground and releases him. David coughs and glares at him.
“WHO let this FUCKtard on the set?!” the star wheezes. Gabe runs up to him with a glass of water. David takes it and then hisses at his servant to get him a mirror. By now, the director and most of the lighting crew is surrounding them, and Jensen is apologizing to everyone.
“I’m so, so, SO, so, sorry,” he swears up and down. “I’m an idiot, all right? And they’re both such good actors-I-I really thought it was the real deal going down! It won’t happen again, I promise.”
“Of COURSE it won’t,” David rasps, “because I’m calling security right the fuck now.”
“No, you can’t!” Jared cries. David whirls on him, eyes blazing, and Jared amends, “I mean, you CAN…of course you can, you’re the star of the show, right? But please…I’m begging you here. Please don’t ban Jensen from the set. He’s just a little…overprotective of me.” Jared looks back at the genie, who hangs his head. “Please,” Jared says again, throwing David a double whammy of puppy-dog eyes and flared nostrils. No one can say no to that. Not even David, who gives in with a sigh.
“Fine, he can stay. But if he interferes at ALL, he is OUT of here. I don’t even want to hear a cough.”
“Thank you,” Jared smiles. David just shakes his head at him and turns away.
“GAAABE! WHERE is that MIRROR?” The assistant appears just as the star turns to leave, and David grabs the offered mirror and examines his neck.
“Don’t worry,” Jensen murmurs to Jared, “I already healed the bruises. He won’t find anything.”
“Good,” is Jared’s terse reply. His body is rigid with tension, and Jensen notes that his master is keeping his eyes trained on his script.
“Do you need anything?” Jensen asks, hoping to clear the air. “I can get you some water if you want.”
“You’ve done enough for one morning, don’t you think?” Jared snaps. “Just stay out of the way and be quiet. I have to go over my lines again.” He walks off without looking at Jensen, and the genie nods at no one.
“Sure,” he replies quietly. “I’ll just, um…I’ll be…” Jensen swallows the excess words and says the only thing that matters: “I’m sorry. I’ll get out of the way now.”
Jared turns around and finds the genie gone. Great, what did he do now, teleport on top of it? He checks for reactions, but no one seems to have noticed anything unusual, so Jared lets it go. The rest of his anger, however, remains. He knows Jensen is sorry and that he was just trying to protect him, but did he have to go off the rails like that? He could’ve killed him! And on the very first take of our very first scene together! In front of EVERYBODY! Dammit, Jensen…
Eric whistles for everyone’s attention. “All right, people, finish up your refreshments and get back to your stations. We’ve got a LOT to do today.” He makes a ‘wrap it up’ gesture with his index finger as he heads back to his chair. The grips follow, and Alona runs up to Jared to fix his hair.
“Well that was interesting,” Alona remarks.
“Yeah, interesting is one way to put it.” Jared looks around, sure that everyone is glaring at him, but no one is even giving him a passing glance. Alona grabs him by his chin and pulls his face down again.
“Stay still and quit worrying! No one’s mad at you OR Jensen. In fact, we all wish Jensen would’ve kept squeezing.” Jared rolls his eyes, and Alona snickers. She tousles the hair until it looks professionally messy, and then she stands back and smiles up at him. “There. Perfect.” Her smile fades as she looks around for David. “Now where’s your co-star?”
“Behind you,” David says as he joins them. “Now move, Little Miss Nobody. The Somebodies have real work to do.”
Her jaw drops at his rudeness, and she storms off, fists clenched and hanging at her sides. “Wow, melodramatic much?” David dismisses. Then he looks back at Jared and asks, “Ready to try this again?”
“Yeah, absolutely. And again, I’m really, truly sorry about what happened.”
David blows out a sigh. “I’m over it,” he lies. “And hey, it’s not the first jealous boyfriend I’ve had to deal with.”
“Oh Jensen isn’t my boyfriend,” Jared says. “He’s just my handler.”
David’s left eyebrow moves a millimeter, barely interested and definitely unimpressed. “What other shows did you say you’ve been on?”
“I didn’t,” Jared replies. “But nothing all that major. I mean, the shows…you’ve heard of the shows, maybe…probably…but my roles weren’t anything…I-I wasn’t the main draw, or…yeah.” He puts an end to the babbling by clearing his throat. “Why, um, do you ask?”
David regards his manicured nails as he responds, “Well call me crazy, but I would hope my handler would be able to tell acting from reality. If you’ve been on other shows,” he looks up at Jared with suspicion, “then why did your handler freak out during our take?”
“He’s new,” Jared blurts out as his nervousness gets the best of him. “I’ve had other handlers in the past, but now I have Jensen. He works for me now, I mean. But he isn’t my boyfriend. He’s just my employee. I’m the actor and I’m in charge. Okay?”
“Yeah, whatever,” David shrugs, bored already.
Eric yells to everyone to take their places again, and David and Jared walk away, leaving Jensen alone with his depressed thoughts. He’d been standing there the whole time, invisible to everyone, and he’d heard everything Jared had said.
Just his handler, he repeats in his mind. Just his employee.
Told you so, his negative side replies. You barely had a shot with him to begin with, and then you just HAD to go and fuck-up his first real day at work. You’ve outdone yourself this time, Jensen.
Jensen doesn’t argue-it’s the truth, after all. Instead, he just drifts out of the room, letting the building’s fans take him where they will.
Oblivious to his friend’s hurt feelings, Jared tries to focus on getting back in character, but he’s still so pissed off. And it must show, because Eric is getting out of his chair and coming over. Jared looks away to pretend he didn’t notice.
“You look like you’re ready to punch somebody,” Eric only half-jokes.
Jared nods, eyes staring at his mark on the floor. “You could say that.”
“Well GOOD.”
That gets Jared’s attention. He looks down at his director, and Eric smiles back. “Use it! The audience has already seen Malakai’s power, but now they get to find out that he can kick some serious ass, too. So go nuts! Let it out!” Jared grins, and Eric leans in and adds, “Besides, David does his own stunts. You really think he’s gonna go easy on you on your first day?” He gives Jared a ‘think about it’ look and then turns away, calling for everybody to get ready.
Jared and David take their marks again, and Jared rolls his shoulders and stretches his neck. “You ready to rumble?” David asks with a mean smile. Jared returns it and ups the ante by locking his hazels onto David’s browns.
“Bring it.”
David scoffs, but it’s clear he’s ready for the challenge. Eric puts his headset on and cups his hands around his mouth.
“ACTION!”
Seth lunges at Malakai, and both men land hard on the stone floor of the desert cavern. Seth wraps his hands around Malakai’s neck, wanting the Mage to feel every ounce of his hatred. “Mage,” he growls. “How many times do I have to remind you that your kind is NOT welcome in this world?”
“Guess we’re just bad listeners,” Malakai sasses back. He head-butts the sorcerer and rolls them over so that the Mage is now on top and in control. Then he clamps both of Seth’s wrists down and holds them to the floor, effectively pinning him. “I don’t suppose YOU would be up to listening to me for a minute?”
Seth glares at him. “I don’t want to hear anything you have to say.”
Malakai’s right eyebrow lifts up. “Not even that I’m here to help you?”
“HA! Yeah, right. How stupid do you think I am?”
“Well, you did come out to the middle of the Gobi desert by yourself, without telling any of your friends where you were going, you lost your talismans in a sandstorm, you haven’t had food or water in two days, and now you’re in a secret, underground hideout and facing a Kyan-level Mage without any of your back-up power.” Malakai smirks. “Maybe should’ve thought that one out a little more, in retrospect.”
Seth nods. “Master Kenner always said I was too impulsive, but hey, when you’ve been that way for 200 years…it’s not an easy habit to break, y’know?” He doesn’t wait for an answer, just knees Malakai in the groin, and as the Mage recoils, the sorcerer pushes him off and stands up. “You are wrong about one thing, though. I didn’t lose ALL of my talismans.” Seth sheds his cloak and pulls his famous Luathrindi Talisman from under his shirt.
“Didn’t know any Luathrindis still existed,” Malakai says, looking impressed. “But you might as well put it away. It can’t help you here.”
“Oh really?” Seth shuts his eyes for a moment, and when they open, they are glowing silver. He speaks the activation spell, and the glow transfers from his eyes to the talisman. It lights up for a moment…then fades out. Seth frowns down at it. “What the…?”
“This cavern sits in a vein of very rare onyx,” Malakai explains. “It absorbs magical energy, especially attacks. It’s why I chose it as my hideout in the first place.”
Seth’s head tips either way as he considers it. “Meh, I’ll just have to kick your ass the old fashioned way then.” He jumps high and kicks out his foot to hit the Mage in his chest, but Malakai turns to smoke and reappears behind the sorcerer. Seth is surprised, but Malakai shrugs.
“What? Just ‘cause your magic is useless here doesn’t mean mine is too.” He backhands Seth, who flies clear across the cavern. “I’ve been here for years, Seth. My energy has adapted to the onyx barrier.”
“Congratulations.” Seth gets up and launches his body into the other man’s, pushing him back toward the opposite wall, but Malakai smokes away again, leaving Seth to take the full impact against the rock. He stumbles back, a hand pressed over his bleeding forehead. The Mage stands smug with his arms crossed. “You could fight fair, y’know,” Seth bitches.
“Yeah, right. Like you’d fight fair if the tables were turned.”
Seth runs at him again, but Malakai reaches out and throws his will against the sorcerer. Seth’s body locks up and leaves him standing an inch away from Malakai’s palm. “Okay, I get it, you’re tough,” the Mage says. “Now why don’t you drop the macho act, Seth, and take me up on my offer to talk?”
Seth’s face, the only part of him that can still move, scrunches up. “How do you know my name?”
“Joanna told me.”
Seth’s eyes glow silver again, and his body shakes with power that burns to be released. “You LIE.”
“No,” Malakai insists, “I’m not lying. I know her, Seth, and she’s told me all about you. I know what Dathan and my Order have done to you, and I’m not proud of it.” He puts his hand on Seth’s shoulder. “I want to help you.”
“You can’t help me,” Seth utters, “and even if you could, the last thing I want is help from a Mage.”
“Not even a Mage who knows how to get Joanna back to Earth?”
Seth’s eyes blow wide with emotion, surprise…and hope.
“Aaaand CUT!” Eric applauds the actors, and soon the entire room is joining in. David and Jared grin and shake each other’s hands as they shake off the scene, and Eric puts a hand on their backs. “That was perfect! Better than I could have dreamed, even! And the chemistry, GOD! Fucking unbelievable! Outstanding work, guys.”
“Thanks!” Jared beams, and even David gives his nemesis a nod.
As Eric turns away to start setting things up for the Seth POV takes, Jared returns to his coffee and the bowl of candy. Then he remembers the Hershey’s kiss Jensen gave him, and he takes it out of his pocket. It’s mooshed up and warm, but he eats it anyway. How fucking awesome was that, Jen? Jared thinks with elation, looking around for the genie, but he doesn’t spot Jensen anywhere. He frowns, wondering where he went. But just as he’s about to take a quick stroll to try and find him, David walks up behind him.
“It’s been a really long time since I’ve worked with someone who isn’t afraid of me.”
J
ared turns around and melts from David’s smile. “You didn’t hold back at all,” David goes on to say. “In fact, I’m pretty sure I can feel the bruises forming already.”
Jared’s face falls. “Oh shit, sorry!”
“No, Tristan,” David chuckles, “don’t apologize-it’s great! It means you’re fully invested in your character, just like I am in mine. It’ll translate great on screen.”
Jared gets shy from the praise and replies, “Well, I learned from the best. I truly believe you’re the most gifted actor out there. And that isn’t ass-kissing, okay? It’s the truth.”
“Why thank you,” David smiles, looking haughty but joking at the same time. Jared smiles right back, dimples out and proud. They hear Eric call them back, and David signals for one more second. “You doing anything tonight?” he asks Jared.
Jared’s heart does a backflip and then starts running around his ribcage in excitement, but by some miracle, he manages to keep his cool. “No, I was just planning on going over my lines for tomorrow. Nothing special.”
“Great! Then we can do dinner!”
Oh my God, oh my God, he skipped coffee and went straight to dinner, oh my GAWD! his heart cheers, but Jared just smiles and says, “Yeah! Great! It’s a date!” Then his heart skids to a stop, mortified. You IDIOT! What if this wasn’t a date? What if it was just dinner? What if you just wrecked everything?! But then David grins, nods…and winks. He turns to head back to Eric, leaving Jared to do cartwheels across the set. He doesn’t actually do them, but he REALLY wants to. He also doesn’t skip back to the director, despite his happy feet, or start floating around in sheer, lovey-dovey joy. He manages to just stand next to his co-star-who-might-soon-be-his-boyfriend-OMG and listen to Eric’s instructions for the next take.
The rest of the day goes just as well, if not even better. Other than one small disturbance, where David got a phone call and had to leave for five minutes, everything goes perfectly. They nail take after take, scene after scene, neither one of them flubbing a line. They got so much done that they were able to do the evening set work early, so they’ve all been given the night off. Sullivan calls it a miracle. David calls it magic, giving ‘Tristan’ another wink. But Jared knows what it really is: Heaven on Earth.
And to think, it’s only my first DAY! He is sauntering through the hallways, sharing high-fives with Chad and Misha and stopping to give Sandy a big, twirly hug. Everybody is in a great mood from the incredibly successful day. Even Gabe doesn’t seem nearly as panicky as usual: he gives the new star a thumbs-up and a big grin, and Jared envelops him in a hug, too, though he refrains from the twirl this time. Heading out the side door of the building, he heads toward his trailer to get ready for his date.
I’m going out to dinner with David Boreanaz. Jared bites his lip to keep in the squeal. This is SO COOL! I’ve had the best day of my life, and now I’m going out with David Boreanaz! And HE asked ME! He likes me! I can’t believe David LIKES me!
Jared jogs up the steps. Nothing can ruin his dynamite mood. NOTHING.
Except opening the door to find a ragged Jim Beaver, visibly fraught with worry.
“Finally,” the guard grunts at the actor. Jared shuts the door with a frown.
“What are you doing here? I mean, I don’t mind or anything, but...” Jared trails off, because all of a sudden, he just knows it’s got something to do with Jensen. His heart momentarily forgets all about the upcoming dinner date and fills with dread. “Where is he? What happened?”
Jim nods to the lamp on the floor. “In there. He’s been resting up all afternoon.”
“Resting up from what?” Jared waits for an answer, but Jim just lowers his gaze to the ground. “Jim? What’s going on? Is Jen…i-is he all right?”
Jim sighs through his nose. “Don’t know yet. You’ll have to ask him. As for me,” he checks his watch. “I’m off to get some grub before my next shift starts.” He moves past Jared, but pauses as he opens the door. “Oh, and Jared…” The addressed turns to him, and he’s met with a face full of disappointment from his old friend. “You are damn lucky you didn’t lose the lamp today. Being Jensen’s master is a big responsibility. I know you got a lot on your mind now, what with the new acting gig and all, but dammit, Jensen is BOUND to you, boy! You are his caretaker, and you can’t take care of him if you leave your bag in the make-up room where anybody can stroll in, find the lamp, and take Jensen away!”
Jared gulps as his gaze lands on his leather satchel, and he recalls setting it on the floor next to Alona’s backpack. “Just promise me that you won’t do something that stupid again,” Jim says, and Jared hurriedly nods.
“I promise. Thanks for getting it back here.”
Jim doesn’t say anything else, just nods once to Jared and heads outside. Jared rubs his hand down his face and looks at the lamp, sitting there all by itself on the carpet. It looks lonely. Jared creeps over to it and then kneels down. He feels nervous and he isn’t sure why.
“Jensen?” His voice quavers, so Jared clears his throat and says it again. “Jen? You in there?” Jared already knows he is, of course, but he’s too tense to think of something better to say. When he doesn’t get a reply, Jared carefully picks up the lamp and peers inside. The genie is pacing in and out of view, and he’s wearing several layers of clothing. “Jensen?” Jared asks more quietly, and the genie glances up at him for a moment. Then he drops his face into his hands and rubs his eyes.
“Hey Jared,” Jensen replies, despondent in tone, face, and form. There’s a pregnant pause as both men gaze around their respective surroundings before looking at each other again.
“Are you okay?” they ask in unison. Then they both tell the other to go first, but Jensen finally stands still and just waits for Jared to speak.
“I’m great, actually,” Jared tells him. “Filming was awesome. Everything went really, really well.”
Jensen forces a smile. “That’s great, Jay! I’m really glad.”
“What about yours?”
“My what?”
“Your day.”
The genie shrugs. “I’ve had better. I’ve had worse.”
He sounds dejected again, and it’s very worrying to Jared. “Jim said you were resting up all afternoon. What happened?”
“Nothing,” Jensen says. Jared stares at him, knowing that isn’t the truth, and the genie sighs. “Okay, fine. Something happened. But it isn’t important.”
“Did you get hurt?”
“Jared…”
“Because if you got hurt, it’s VERY important,” Jared insists. To his shock, Jensen laughs at that.
“Why, Jared? I thought I was just your handler. JUST your employee.”
Jared is stung by his own words. “You heard that, huh?” Jensen just gives him a snide look in reply, and Jared grimaces from the weight of his guilt. “I’m sorry, Jensen, I didn’t mean it! I was angry, all right? That’s all that was-me speaking in anger. And I was scared that David was starting to doubt that I was really an actor, so Tristan had to convince him that he was legit, but I shouldn’t have said it the way I said it, that was so stupid, and I’m so sorry-”
“Why?” Jensen asks. “Dude, you don’t need to apologize for the truth.”
And Jared can tell that Jensen really does believe what he’s saying. That hurts Jared even more, knowing that he is responsible for it. “I’ve been a genie for a long time,” Jensen continues. “Believe me, Jared, I know my place. It’s good that you gave me a reminder. I was starting to think I was human again.” He nods at his conviction, even as it visibly pains him to say what he’s saying. “Thinking it doesn’t make it true, y’know?”
Jared’s eyes shine with remorse for what he’s done and how much he’s hurt his friend, but Jensen turns his back on him. “Now I know you didn’t come in here to check on me,” he says, emotion watering down his words. “So grab your jacket and put the lamp back in the satchel. Harley and Sadie are waiting for you.”
“I’m not going home,” Jared informs him with great regret; his former excitement for his date has now turned to shame, especially as the genie looks up at him again. “I’ve got a date tonight.” The genie’s eyes widen. “With David,” Jared finishes.
Jensen’s jaw drops, and the lamp fills with smoke. Jared holds the lamp away from him as Jensen emerges from the spout. Instead of his genie pants, he’s now wearing jeans, boots, at least three shirts, and a jacket. Yet despite all of those layers of clothing, he’s shaking all over, and as he grips Jared’s upper arms, Jared can feel the cold radiating from the genie’s fingers. Jared flinches at the touch and moves off.
“Gah, you’re like ice! What’s wrong?”
“You can’t go out with David,” Jensen says.
“What? Jen-”
“He’s dangerous and I do NOT want you alone with him.”
Jensen looks so serious that Jared lets out a little laugh. But Jensen’s green eyes remain locked on Jared’s face. It makes Jared more than a little uncomfortable. “Okay, well, if Crazy Time is over…”
Jared turns around to leave, but his trailer door disappears behind a safe door, and jail bars form over every window. “I’m sorry, master,” Jensen insists, even as Jared glares at him. “But you’re not going anywhere.”
On to Part Ten
Master Post