Coming Home, Part 1
Title: Coming Home
Fandom: RPS
Characters: Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki
Prompt: 022. Enemies
fanfic100 table: here
Word Count: 29,073
Rating: NC-17 to start, but mostly R.
Warnings: Violence, angst, character death, and the one hardcore smex scene that I just had to throw in at the beginning.
Summary: The best way for me to summarize this is to just say that it's a J2 version of All Dogs Go To Heaven, but with humans instead of dogs, gay sex, less singing, some cursing, and just a tad more violence, considering the movie is pretty damn dark for an animated kids' movie.
Disclaimer: This is a shameless ripoff of an animated kids' movie made in 1989 with a squeeing fangirl's perfect cast. In other words, I am a loser. :P
Author's Notes: This idea randomly came to me one night, so I took it and ran with it. It made me ridiculously happy, even though it's sad (like the movie), and this is the end result. I don't usually write AU's, or anything like this, but I had so much fun with this Jensen, it was ridiculous. As if I didn't love the man enough already.
Jensen smirked even as he was coughing, dirt falling in around him. If anybody thought they could lock him up and keep him away for good, they were dead wrong. Nobody could hold Jensen Ackles forever. And if they thought they could kill him, well, that was even more far-fetched. It wasn’t as if he was going to wait around for his death sentence to be carried out. He had things to do, places to go, people to see. He had business to tend to and a reputation to protect. And he had just enough charm to convince the closeted guard on duty to turn the other way as he dug himself out of the shithole of a jail cell he was in. He’d always thought it was funny, how people wanted he and his kind all locked up, and yet they never spent as much on the prisons in his neighborhood as they did in their own. All that proved was that nobody in the real world ever really did care about orphans. The only emotion they ever really felt when they stumbled upon his rundown neighborhood of streetwise kids and gangs was disgust, or maybe even horror.
He coughed again, blindly crawling through the tight space he’d made for himself beneath the floor of his prison, always moving forward. Reaching the end of his tunnel, the point where he found he could go no further, he paused, listening intently. If there really was a God, he would’ve made it far enough for…
“Ow! Fuck.”
Jensen grinned widely when he heard the muffled voice through the packed soil. He knew this plan would work. He didn’t know how Jared had managed to make it past the guards on the outside and tunnel his way through, but he didn’t care. Jared could be incredibly resourceful when he needed to be.
“Jared,” he called out, his excitement rising up a notch when he realized he could see light through the thinning veil of dirt between them. “Jared, is that you?”
“Of course it’s me,” Jared huffed, the light moving as Jared fidgeted in the tunnel. “Were you expecting someone else?”
“Just makin’ sure, dude,” Jensen chuckled, settling back and waiting for Jared to break through the rest of the way. “Wouldn’t want anybody spoiling my foolproof plan.”
“Yeah, right. You might wanna move back a bit.”
Jensen scooted back in the tunnel, and a patch of soil was pushed inward, opening up the left half of the hole they’d been digging towards each other. The light shone through, and Jensen had to look away and allow his eyes to adjust. Once focused, he lifted his gaze, greeted with the sight of Jared’s brilliant smile on the other side of the tunnel.
“Hey hot stuff,” Jensen teased, smiling back and moving forward again. “You have no idea how happy I am to see you.”
“Ye…” Jared started, his smile suddenly faltering as his eyes squeezed shut and his nose scrunched up. “Ye…Ye…”
“Jared??” Jensen eyed him in confusion. “Are you having a fuckin’ stroke?” Jared’s verbal answer was lost in what had to be the loudest sneeze Jensen had ever heard in his life, and he swore he felt it echoing out both sides of the tunnel. He frowned and stared back at Jared, whose cheeks were pink with embarrassment, eyes widened in fear. “Well, that’s just perfect.”
“I couldn’t help it!” Jared protested. “I got dirt up my nose!”
“Okay, okay, fine,” Jensen said, watching as Jared began twitching and scratching at various parts of his body. Jared had always been the nervous type. “It’s fine, alright? We’re fine. Let’s just get me outta here.”
“Right.” Jared nodded and moved to push through the rest of the space between them. A metallic clang sounded through the tunnel. “Uh…”
“What the hell was that?” Jensen asked, reaching a hand through to feel around Jared’s side of the tunnel.
“It’s a pipe,” Jared said, and Jensen could hear the nervousness in Jared’s voice again. “Shit, Jensen, there’s a fucking pipe in the way!”
“Okay,” Jensen soothed, trying his best to not get exasperated. “Okay, we can do this. Just…think, okay? We can get around this somehow.” Jared peered through the hole at him sheepishly.
“I guess you can’t manage to squeeze through here, huh?”
“I didn’t mean we could get around it literally,” Jensen spat, rolling his eyes. “I mean, shit, maybe if my body was made out of rubber!”
“Alright, alright, fine!” Jared’s face disappeared from view, and Jensen could hear various tools being tossed around in the tunnel. “Don’t worry, I got this.” Bright flames suddenly burst in Jensen’s direction, and he cried out and pushed back as quickly as he could.
“Jesus Christ, Jared, put that thing out! What the fuck, are you trying to kill me?!”
“Sorry, sorry,” Jared hurriedly apologized, and Jensen could hear the torch being thrown aside. “Nevermind, I think I have my drill in here.”
“You brought your drill??” Jensen asked, half shocked and half amused. It always amazed him how Jared somehow managed to bring his entire toolkit everywhere with him. Of course, there were more pressing matters to tend to at the moment. “Wait, you’re gonna drill through the pipe? What if it’s a water main?”
“It’s not a water main,” Jared assured him, the light on his miner’s helmet shining over the pipe. “Water mains are red.”
“I thought they were green.”
“No, they’re red,” Jared insisted, tapping the pipe lightly with the end of his drill. “This one’s green.”
“You’re colorblind!” Jensen blurted out, the realization suddenly hitting him. “You’ve always been colorblind!”
“Right,” Jared agreed, pausing only for a second, “Which is why this pipe is red!”
“Ja-”
The sound of the drill drowned out any protests Jensen might have had, and if he’d been worried about noise before, now was the time to really worry. Still, he couldn’t help laughing when Jared broke through, pure terror in his eyes as water began gushing through the tunnel.
“I love you,” Jensen said, still laughing as he quickly kissed Jared on the lips and finally squeezed through the tunnel, the two of them rushing out the other side as alarms started going off. He continued laughing even as they broke the surface, gunfire almost more abundant than fresh air as they made their escape. He grabbed Jared and pulled him along, not expecting Jared to pull back the other way.
“My stuff!” Jared shouted, reaching back for the tools he’d dropped on the ground.
“Forget your stuff!” Jensen shouted back. “I’ll buy you more stuff! Let’s go!” They squeezed under the trench Jared had dug below the fence around the prison, guards still firing shots. Jensen smirked back at them. Dumb bastards just didn’t realize that he was bulletproof. Jensen Ackles was too quick, unstoppable. Until, of course, Jared started hyperventilating and stopping to scratch himself all over. “No, no, no,” Jensen murmured, grabbing Jared again and pulling. “Not now, Jared. Not now!”
“I…can’t…help it,” Jared gasped out, scratching frantically at his arms. “I…itch...when I…get nervous!”
“Oh, Christ, you and your damn anxiety,” Jensen griped, practically dragging Jared along behind him, away from the prison and certain death. He glanced back at Jared’s shaky form and managed a smile, teasing as always. “It’s not worth it being with you.”
****
Jared could’ve run until he died that night. Well, once he calmed down, got his breathing under control, and stopped scratching, that is. He never looked back, Jensen always one step ahead of him, just like always. Jensen looked back of course. Jensen looked back to him, checking on him, smiling brightly as they ran. It was too soon for Jared to smile back. He needed to put a lot more space between the both of them and the prison before he could relax. He didn’t expect it when Jensen suddenly stopped short, grabbed him, and pushed him into an old abandoned house, closing the dilapidated door behind them.
“Oh. Lucky us!” Jensen exclaimed, pushing Jared backwards before he could question anything. Jared fell back and found himself resting on a mattress in the middle of the creaky wooden floor, old springs poking into his back.
“Jensen, what…” Jared was silenced when Jensen flopped down on top of him and pressed their lips together, tongue licking over his lips.
“We gotta celebrate.” Jensen pulled back, and Jared could see the excitement in his eyes, almost glowing in the moonlight filtering through the windows. Jared shifted uncomfortably on the mattress, idly scratching at his chest.
“But Jensen, the cops…”
“Relax,” Jensen said, soothing him and chuckling lightly. “You think they really care enough to look? Besides, we lost ‘em long ago.” Jensen’s hands slipped under his shirt, fingers sliding up over his abdomen and chest, and Jared shivered, his fear slowly ebbing away. He pulled himself up a bit so that Jensen could pull the shirt over his head, and then flopped back down, Jensen nuzzling his neck, his jaw. “No need to worry anymore.”
“Jen…” Jared breathed, jolting when he heard a noise outside.
“Shh…” Jensen kissed down his chest, his abs, past his belly button, fingers unbuttoning and unzipping his jeans, hooking in the waistband of his boxers and pulling the rest of his clothing down and away, exposing him. “Just relax.”
Hot breath ghosted over his cock, and he felt himself twitch and start to harden. Jensen’s mouth was on him seconds later, slick heat engulfing him, and he closed his eyes and arched, gasping, the springs in the mattress groaning beneath him. Jensen pulled off, the tip of his tongue following a teasing trail down the underside of Jared’s dick, tracing the vein, licking at the base, and then swirling over his balls. He didn’t stop there, bending and spreading Jared’s legs as much as possible with his pants still caught at his ankles, tongue sliding down behind his balls and moving back further. One flick of Jensen’s tongue over his hole had Jared gasping in surprise.
“God, I missed you,” Jared admitted, feeling himself clench beneath Jensen’s tongue. Jensen pulled back and laughed, tugging at Jared’s shoes and pulling his pants the rest of the way off.
“Come on, you knew I’d be back,” Jensen chided, quickly undressing himself and moving to settle between Jared’s legs, hovering over him. “Can’t get rid of me that easily.”
Jared just smiled in response, keeping all the thoughts he’d had while Jensen was locked up to himself. The truth was, it had scared him more than anything. Jensen had never been caught before. All this time, all these years, Jensen had been so damn smooth. There wasn’t any kind of jam he couldn’t get himself out of, and that was an important quality to have in their neck of the woods. And, for some reason, Jensen had taken Jared in, leading and protecting him. Then, suddenly, Jensen was arrested and hauled away to prison. It was a shock to Jared’s system. Jensen was all he had, and he was terrified to think that maybe Jensen was just one lucky bastard, and that maybe, one day, that luck would run out.
“You’re just prepared for everything, aren’t you?” Jensen asked, and Jared looked down to see that Jensen had been rifling through the pockets of his jeans, knowing he’d find what he needed there. Jared smiled when Jensen held up the packet of lube he’d scored earlier and canted his hips up, spreading his legs wider.
“Always.”
He watched Jensen tear the packet open and coat his fingers liberally, keeping eye contact with him as one slick finger pressed at his entrance. He groaned as it slid in, closing his eyes and relishing the feel of it, knowing there was so much more to come. It had been too long since they’d done this; since he’d had Jensen inside of him. He felt Jensen press a kiss to his inner thigh as he was slowly fingered open, pressing back into the shallow thrusts, feeling dizzy and hot all over. Jensen was taking his time, and Jared would have laughed if he could. Here they were, busting Jensen out of prison and on the run, and Jensen was calm and composed, spending long minutes after adding each finger, as if they had all the time in the world. With a stroke over his prostate, Jared decided that they did, letting the world fall away. No one could calm him like Jensen could.
“Jared,” Jensen breathed, pulling his fingers free and stroking himself. “So beautiful.” He grunted, eyes falling closed for a second as he thrust up into his fist. “So perfect.” Jensen settled over him, and Jared could feel the thick head of his cock pressing against him, stopping just shy of pushing in. “You got me out,” Jensen whispered, kissing Jared’s chest, his lips. “Couldn’t have done it without you.”
Jensen pushed forward, and Jared threw his head back as he was opened up, legs immediately wrapping around Jensen’s waist, as if they belonged there. It was a long, slow, steady press in, and Jared keened at the feel of it, the slight burn, wondering if his heart actually could beat out of his chest. Jensen’s breathing had fallen off kilter, and he groaned loudly as he buried his face in the long column of Jared’s neck, licking and sucking at it when he had filled Jared up completely, balls flush against sensitive skin. He waited, and Jared could feel the tension building in Jensen’s body, the need to move.
“Fuck me,” Jared ground out, pressing back onto Jensen’s dick, making him groan, his own body vibrating with the same need. “God, please, just fuck me.” Jensen lifted his head, seeking out Jared’s lips for a kiss, tongue dipping inside his mouth. He pulled back and thrust back in, hard, and Jared broke the kiss, head falling back again as he let out a sharp cry, clenching around the hard length inside of him that sent sparks through his body. “Fuck me,” Jared repeated, this time in a broken whimper.
“Easy,” Jensen grunted, fucking into Jared again and biting at his jaw. “I’ll get you there.”
Jared moaned as Jensen found a rhythm, slow and agonizing at first, sweat breaking out on both of their bodies, mattress springs digging into his back as Jensen pressed him down into it. It wasn’t until Jared begged for more that Jensen started moving faster, harder, deeper, thrusting and kissing and caressing, Jared gripping Jensen’s shoulders and clawing at his back. Jensen groaned and shuddered, pushing Jared’s hands away and reaching his own hand down in between their bodies, gripping Jared’s cock. Jared cried out, hips bucking up violently just as Jensen thrust down into him, his dick twitching in Jensen’s grasp as Jensen’s cock hit just the right spot inside of him, making him clench down around it again.
“Come on,” Jensen whispered, his voice strained, jerking Jared’s cock in time with his thrusts. “Jared…just…come with me.”
Jared twitched in Jensen’s hand again, his voice growing louder with each push into his body, unable to control it. He could feel Jensen tensing above and around him, and felt himself trembling, eyelids fluttering closed and then squeezing shut as he arched and came, pulsing in Jensen’s fist, calling his name. Jensen cried out at the same moment, bursting inside of him, shaking and melting into Jared’s body, and Jared couldn’t help but think that these moments were the only moments that Jensen ever seemed vulnerable. Weakness was a word that didn’t exist in Jensen’s vocabulary, but if there was ever a time that he was weak, it was here, in Jared’s arms, body spent after orgasm. Jensen rested his head on Jared’s chest for a moment, breathing heavily as he calmed down, and Jared couldn’t resist planting a soft kiss on the top of Jensen’s head, loving that he was lucky enough to see Jensen like this and to be with him in these moments.
Jensen pulled out and rolled off of Jared onto the mattress, attempting a small, shaky smile, chest still heaving a bit, and gathering Jared up in his arms. Jared curled into Jensen’s body, the two of them ignoring the mess between them for the moment. It was that moment that Jared realized there was a part of him that wouldn’t mind leaving it all behind; the garage, the thugs, the casino. It was the first time that he dreamed of running away with Jensen, far away, a brand new start for both of them.
****
Out on the bayou, a large rundown building that seemed to be made out of a series of smaller rundown buildings drew crowds of the poor, the destitute, the dangerous, and the criminal. The outside was dark and dingy, and the inside wasn’t much better, aside from the drinks and the gambling. It was a casino, run by those with reputations and connections in this underground world, and it was rigged to favor them. It seemed like a sweet deal to the patrons. They didn’t even have to use money, which was good, because they didn’t really have any. But they had to contribute something for their bets. Goods could be used, and it didn’t matter if they were stolen or not. In fact, stolen was probably the way to go. It seemed like a good way to get something for nothing, but that wasn’t the case. The house took most of what the contributors gave, and the contributors got caught up in the game, almost addicted, the dog racing track out back the most popular draw.
It was really one person that pocketed the profit. It was one person that fed on the less fortunate and brought them into his world of temptation and crime. He’d had a partner once that he had even called a friend. His friend was his balance, the light to his dark side. This friend wasn’t a saint, by any means, but he was more considerate when it came to their customers and much less of a businessman. In the end, this friend had gotten in the way, impeded their progress, and cost them more money than they earned. So, the dark side won out, and that one person found a way to get rid of his friend for what he’d thought was for good.
The sign on the front of the building was old and cracked, dripping hand-painted names dried on the rotting wood. It read, “Kane & Ackles.” The name Ackles had been crossed out.
****
Dressed and somewhat clean, Jensen and Jared made their way to the casino. Jared had protested, and Jensen once again quieted him. After all, there was nothing to worry about. The cops in these parts weren’t hardcore enough to start their endless search right away. Nobody really cared. Eventually, some guy with a brand new shiny badge would want to make a name for himself and come after him. But tonight, everything would be fine.
Jensen stopped short when he saw the sign outside the casino. Someone had drawn a large black X over his name. He scoffed and shook his head, turning to Jared and pointing at the sign in disbelief.
“As if I’d really be gone that long,” he complained. Jared’s worried eyes narrowed a bit.
“Well, you were supposed to be…”
“Yeah, well,” Jensen cut him off, “‘Supposed to be’ ain’t real, now, is it? You’d think my partner would’ve realized that.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Jared said, clapping Jensen on the shoulder. “You know how Kane is.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Jensen sighed, opening the door and stepping inside. “I know.” He grinned as the lights hit him, pulling Jared in beside him, arm around his shoulders. “Hey, gang!” he shouted, all heads turning to look at him in surprise. He grinned wider, spreading his free arm to the side in a show of confidence. “What have I missed?” His grin turned to a smirk when he was met with only silence, able to hear a pin drop in the whole of the casino. He leaned close to Jared’s ear, speaking in a stage whisper. “They all seem so surprised.”
“Yeah,” Jared said, smiling back at him and nodding towards the entrance. “Maybe we should go out and come back in again.”
“Ah,” Jensen laughed, leering at Jared seductively, “Kinda like how I fucked you on that mattress earlier, right?” Jared blushed, and Jensen laughed again, stepping further into the building, all bets currently on hold, all tables suddenly devoid of activity. “What’s the problem, guys?” He looked around, taking in the dreary state of his once lively business. “Things aren’t lookin’ so good around here, are they?”
“Jensen?” Jensen turned to the hesitant, questioning voice that broke the silence and smiled at Jim, one of his oldest customers. The smile wasn’t yet returned, surprised eyes focused on him intently. “Ain’t you supposed to be on death row?”
“No,” Jensen spat, suddenly tense and glaring at the man, Jared’s hand coming to rest on the knot of muscles in his back. “I ain’t supposed to be on death row.”
“Hey!” Jared cut in, now pressing his fingers into Jensen’s back in a light massage and raising his chin proudly. “I got him out!”
“It’s a good thing,” Samantha said, approaching from across the room, another of Jensen’s longtime customers. “Things haven’t been the same without you, Jensen. We’re all a bit down on our luck.”
“I can see that,” Jensen agreed, once again taking in his surroundings. The poor and destitute looked even more poor and destitute, driven by desperation and need. The place itself, while it had never been a gem, was in even greater disrepair than usual. He frowned, wondering what had gone wrong in the time he’d been away. “Well,” he said, making his way over to the outdated slot machines, the customers all looking at him with something akin to hope, “What do you say we turn that luck around?”
With that, Jensen broke all the rules, ignoring the shocked dealers Kane currently had working at the tables, grabbing a stool and smashing open the nearest slot machine, coins spilling out of it. The crowd gathered around him, cheering and thanking him, and he smiled at all of them, picking up handfuls of the desired prize and tossing them out to his patrons. He sprinted away from the crowd, laughing, and jumped up onto the craps table, spreading his arms wide.
“Ladies and gentlemen!” he shouted, grinning as every head in the room turned towards him once again. “Now that I’m back, your worries are over!” He was met with cheers, and his chest puffed out with pride. “I know things changed for a while, and they will change again. But this time, they’ll change for the better! This is your home, your sanctuary, and any one of you can be a winner!” He winked at the crowd before jumping back down off the table. “I’ll make sure of that.”
****
Steve wandered down the stairs from the Kane gang’s living area to the casino. He’d been sent down by Kane himself to find out what all the fuss was about. There hadn’t been this much noise downstairs since Jensen had been around, and Jensen was gone for good, left to rot on death row until the inevitable happened. Part of him felt for Jensen, hating himself for being a part of the plan to get rid of him. But Kane was a force to be reckoned with, his threats not to be taken lightly, and Steve was firmly set in his good graces. He was Kane’s right hand man, open to privileges the others didn’t get. With Kane’s power, it was a comfortable position in a dangerous and unstable world, and he’d be stupid to give that up because of his useless sentimental tendencies.
“Hey, guys!” he said, calling out to the dealers on the floor as he opened the door to the casino. “What’s going on down…”
Steve stopped mid-sentence, eyes going wide as he stared out onto the floor. What he saw couldn’t be real. It couldn’t. But it was. Jensen was out there, alive and well, the crowd of customers gathered around him, shaking his hand, patting him on the back, congratulating him on his return, and expressing their thanks. Jensen was happy, grinning like a goddamned fool, that misfit Jared kid right by his side, mirroring Jensen’s expression. He managed to catch the eye of one of the dealers, and they stared back at him with equal shock and confusion, shrugging helplessly.
He retreated, back through the door, back up the stairs, hesitating in the hallway there. Kane wasn’t going to like this.
****
Somehow, the simple welcome back became a full-blown party. It was supposedly thrown by the crowd in Jensen’s honor, though Jensen insisted on buying numerous rounds of drinks on the house. Jared wondered just what Kane would say about that, but now wasn’t the time for his usual nervous thoughts. He joined in as best he could, though he didn’t really fit in with the crowd. He’d never really fit in with any crowd. He was accepted because Jensen accepted him. And that was enough, really. All he needed was to have that cocky smile flashed at him from across the room, brilliant green eyes focused solely on him, and his life suddenly seemed immensely brighter.
He hung back when he needed to, letting Jensen revel in his resumed position as the people’s chosen one. They’d always liked him more than Kane. Some would say they even loved him. It was one hell of a reputation for someone like Jensen to have. Jensen was just an orphan, homeless and abandoned. Most of the people in this neighborhood were. But the ones with power, the ones like Kane, actually did come from families. They were poor families, but families nonetheless, notorious for their crimes. Crimes meant violence, violence meant influence, and influence meant power. That was just the way of their world. Kane was the youngest and sole survivor of his notorious family, and he was expected to achieve the status he’d gained. Although, to be completely honest, he was expected to achieve that status on his own.
Then, Jensen had stepped in, grown up and turned out to be his own force to reckon with, even without the reputable bloodline. He moved up the food chain even faster than Kane did, even without that level of ruthlessness that Kane’s family had been known to possess. Jensen was strong, but he also had a wit, a charm that got him further than anybody had ever expected. He’d gained even more respect for that, a good amount of that respect coming from Kane himself. That’s when the partnership was born, Kane and Ackles becoming an unstoppable duo in the cruel world they lived in. Jared was younger and weaker when he’d met Jensen, the duo having already been formed. He’d been discovered by Kane and Ackles in the middle of a scrap on the streets, one that he wouldn’t have survived if Jensen hadn’t stepped in. From then on, he’d been protected by Jensen. He was respected, defended, and even loved in a way that he hadn’t though possible. Jensen was a light in this dark and lonely world, and there wasn’t a person in the casino that night that couldn’t see that.
It was when the party turned raucous that Jared got jostled in the crowd, pushed away and turned around, eventually forced back into one of the walls. Pushed into one of the panels, it suddenly spun, taking him with it, and he gasped in surprise, finding himself in another room, a passage that he’d never known existed in this place. He could vaguely hear the sounds of the party still raging on, and he turned back to the panel, pounding on it.
“HEY!” he shouted, fist hurting with the force of his movements. “Hey, I’m stuck back here! Jensen!” He paused, taking his fist in his other hand, massaging and soothing it gently. He stared at the wall in front of him. It was no use. No one would ever be able to hear him. He’d just have to find his way out of here. He twitched a little, scratching at his shoulder. “Okay,” he muttered to himself, closing his eyes and trying to conjure up Jensen’s voice in his head. “Okay. No need to freak out. Everything’s gonna be okay.”
****
Kane laid reclined in his bed, boots still on, a bottle of whiskey in one hand and a lit cigar in the other. He took a swig of the whiskey, swallowed it, and then put the cigar to his lips, drawing in a breath and puffing smoke back out. He heaved a sigh, trying not to let his frustration get the better of him. But, considering the circumstances, that was nearly impossible.
“You gotta be shittin’ me,” he drawled, voice low and dangerous as he eyed Steve, who stood hesitantly in his doorway, shaking his head.
“No,” Steve said, fidgeting nervously. “No, I’m not, Kane, I swear. I know it sounds crazy, but I know what I saw. You can ask any of the guys downstairs, I can get them for you right now. Jensen is back.” He paused as if expecting a response. Kane didn’t give him one. “I don’t know how it’s possible. I mean, we set him up for good!”
“Steve.” Kane sat up, setting the bottle down on the floor by the bed. He took another puff of his cigar and then set it down in the ashtray on his bedside table. He leaned forward, jaw set, body almost vibrating with rage, fists clenched tight. He took a deep breath, slowly working his way through his words. “I don’t want to share fifty percent of my business with him. Not anymore.”
“You don’t have to.” Steve spoke in a rush, eager to calm him. “We can take care of him. I can. I’ll make sure he’s gone for good. What do you want me to use? Guns, knives…”
“Steve, Steve, Steve,” Kane muttered, standing and moving slowly to the doorway, Steve taking a careful step back. He smiled without amusement. “That’s no way to treat an old friend. Friends must be handled in a friendly and businesslike way.”
****
Jared stood in the same spot he’d been in since he’d found his way into the supposedly secret passage, scratching at his arms. He moved his head back and forth, looking both ways, unsure of which way to choose. He gulped, silently asking himself what Jensen would do. He could feel himself beginning to lose control, his chest beginning to heave, breath coming quicker. He couldn’t panic now. All he had to do was find a way out. That was simple enough.
Unsure, he chose a direction, turning to his left and beginning to walk down the dimly lit corridor. He jumped when a door further down the corridor suddenly opened, barely able to keep from crying out. He heard voices and flattened himself against the wall, scratching at his chest. He tried to keep his breathing under control, watching the silhouettes he could see on the opposite wall. One of the men spoke, and he recognized the voice as Steve’s.
“Alright, boys, I need you to go down in the basement and feed Kane’s little monster.” Jared gasped quietly at the use of the word “monster,” wondering what the hell Kane was really housing in the basement. “Meet me back here after that. Kane wants us to get rid of Jensen.”
Jared froze, his heart damn near stopping in his chest. The silhouettes and voices faded, heading off down the corridor, and Jared sucked in a deep breath, that same breath whooshing out less then a second later. He was hyperventilating, frantically scratching at his skin. He’d never had reason to suspect Kane and Steve of any foul play, but he knew what Steve’s words meant. He knew it all too well. He turned back to the panel of the wall that led to the main room of the casino and started pounding on it again, suddenly feeling as though he was suffocating.
“JENSEN!” he managed to scream through heaving breaths. “Jensen…they’re gonna kill you. THEY’RE GONNA KILL YOU!”
****
Kane sat back in his room, still smoking and drinking, willing himself to relax. His boys would take care of this. He’d take care of this. Shit, it would be easy. Jensen would never see it coming.
“KANE!” Jensen’s youthful shout carried up the stairs, through Kane’s closed bedroom door. “Hey, Kane, you son of a bitch, you’re missin’ all the fun!” He burst through Kane’s door, half drunk and stupidly excited as always. Kane pasted a smile on face and got to his feet, heading over to Jensen with his arms spread wide.
“Jensen!” He embraced his one time friend, Jensen’s enthusiastic bear hug nearly squeezing the life out of him. He laughed instead of groaning, swallowing down his violent tendencies. “You crazy fucker! Steve just gave me the news, I was about to come down and see you. It’s good to have you back!”
“Ah, it’s good to be back!” Jensen exclaimed, pushing past Kane into the room, flopping back onto his bed and switching on his radio, making himself at home like he always did. Kane felt his jaw clench, Jensen’s bright eyes shooting a playful glance at him. “You put on some weight since I left. Havin’ trouble runnin’ this place without me?”
“Trouble?” Kane huffed, doing his best to laugh it off. “Nah, of course not. There ain’t no trouble here; never was. In fact, we’re making more than we ever have.”
“Yeah?” Jensen asked, closing his eyes and air drumming to the music. “After being down there, though, I can tell you one thing. The people aren’t happy.”
“They sounded plenty happy,” Kane said, stalking over and turning the radio off. He never could stand the shit Jensen listened to.
“Well, yeah,” Jensen said, opening his eyes and flicking the radio back on. “I mean, now they are, but they haven’t been happy.”
“Gamblers are never happy, Jensen,” Kane said, turning the radio back off again. Jensen raised an eyebrow but didn’t make another move.
“Well, look,” Jensen started, sitting up and perching on the edge of the bed, “I got some ideas. We can beef up this joint, make it classy. I know it’ll be hard to get what we need in here, but, you know, maybe some more lights, more decoration, maybe even some shows while people are waiting to get in on the tables. They’ll all love it!”
“Come on, Jensen,” Kane groaned, letting his façade slip a bit. “We can’t do all that. Things have changed.”
“What are you talkin’ about?” Jensen asked, grinning up at him. “I haven’t changed.”
“Look, man.” Kane grabbed a chair and sat down in front of Jensen, looking him in the eye and going for the sincere approach. “You’ve done time. That’s not good for business.” He smiled on the inside. This was one crazy world. Being a hardened criminal got you places. It sure as hell got him places. But the people who were respected here were always too slippery to get caught. They were aces at avoiding the law. Jensen wasn’t one of those anymore, and he knew it, the laughter suddenly disappearing from his eyes as he tensed, fingers clenching into the sheets on the bed.
“I was framed!” Jensen growled defensively.
“I know that,” Kane said sympathetically, all the while disguising the smugness that came with putting a good enough plan together to have Jensen locked up. He let his expression soften, summoning emotions he didn’t really have. “Of course I know that. Jensen…you’re like a brother to me.” He lowered his head and sighed, doing his best to look troubled. “That’s why…we have to split up the partnership.”
“What?” Jensen stared at him, incredulous. “Kane, what the hell are you talking about?”
“Jensen, come on!” He got up and started pacing, patting himself on the back for seeming so frantic and concerned. “They’re gonna be looking for you, and what’s the first place they’re gonna look? Here! It isn’t safe. It isn’t safe for you.” Jensen frowned, still disbelieving. “Look.” Kane sat back down, giving Jensen a pleading look. “Fifty percent of this is yours, right? Take it. Take it, and we’ll set you up somewhere where they don’t know you. You can make your own way, and neither of us will be in any kind of trouble. I’m doing you a favor, Jensen.”
“Man…” Jensen stood, walking over towards the doorway and leaning against it. Kane gave him his few moments of silence, gave him the time to think. And when Jensen turned around hesitantly smiling, he knew he’d won. “Alright. It’s a deal.”
****
Jared was getting closer to finding his way back into the casino. He knew it. The noise was getting louder, and he could smell the cigarette smoke. All he had to do was get to Jensen; just get to Jensen and warn him, and then it would all be okay. He flinched when he heard Kane’s amplified voice booming throughout the building.
“Alright everyone, listen up! I’m here to announce that my partner Jensen is going into business for himself!” Jared twitched and scratched at his left leg. Shit. Kane was already with Jensen. This was bad. This was very bad. “I think we should all give him one hell of a sendoff, what do you say?” The crowd cheered loudly, starting up a chant of Jensen’s name, and Jared suddenly felt hollow. “Alright!” he heard Kane shout, getting the crowd back under control. “Alright! Let’s head out…to the Mardi Gras!”
****
Jensen sat back in his place on the float, another bottle lifted to his lips. This was the kind of celebration he’d been looking forward to when he imagined his return to the business. It was one hell of a party, the whole town living it up while he and his friends, his customers, commandeered a float and got supremely wasted on it. He wouldn’t deny that he was probably the most intoxicated out of all of them, but hell, the party was for him, wasn’t it? Things couldn’t have been better. Sure, he’d come back to the casino to find it collapsing in a downward spiral, but, with the help of his friends, he’d get his own place going soon enough, and he’d be able to run it just the way he’d want to, without any danger of being hauled back to the slammer.
Someone sent up another cheer in his name, passed him another beer, and he accepted it gratefully, gulping it down to the excitement of the crowd egging him on. He couldn’t see straight, which meant he certainly couldn’t walk straight, so he didn’t even bother to stand, simply saluting and waving happily to everyone who was there to celebrate with him. This was by far the best night of his life. He turned in the direction of Kane’s voice when he heard the man speak up, having trouble deciding which of the five Kanes he saw was the real one.
“Steve!” Kane called out, and Jensen saw another blurry form hurry over to Kane’s side. “Why don’t you take Jensen out for the big surprise?”
“I get a surprise?” Jensen slurred, feeling as giddy as a little kid. He smiled and finally tried to stand, only to take half a step and come crashing right back down, laughing it off when he felt no pain. Kane knelt down to his level, lifting his chin so that he could look up at him.
“You sure do, kid,” he said, and Jensen felt his own eyes spark with excitement.
“What is it?”
“I can’t tell you,” Kane said, standing up again. “But I can give you your going away present.”
“I get a present?” Jensen asked, rolling over onto his back and giggling, holding his hands out expectantly.
“Of course you do!” Kane chuckled, pulling something out of his jacket pocket and holding it up for the crowd to see. “Jensen, it is my pleasure to present you with this lucky gold watch!”
“Wow,” Jensen said, eyeing the bright metal that Kane had dropped on his chest and lifting it up in his hands. It was attached to a red ribbon, and he just managed to lift his head and slip it around his neck, the watch dangling down his front. He smiled up at what he thought was Kane. “Thanks, man. You’re the best.”
“Alright, boys!” Kane called to his gang, ignoring Jensen. “Let’s get him up and outta here!”
Jensen laughed lightly as he felt strong arms all around him, lifting him up and carrying him off the float. This was almost like some kind of grand ceremony, and he felt pretty damn special; even more than he usually did. He let his body go slack, since he had no coordination anyway, unable to tell up from down, feeling his supporters shift their weight to carry him better. He turned his head towards where he thought the crowd of customers had been, letting it loll over someone’s shoulder and waving, hearing a cheer go up again when he did.
“I love you guys,” he said to no one in particular, hearing a few snickers in response. “I do, man. I really do. I fuckin’ love you guys.”
****
Kane tied the blindfold around Jensen’s head himself, grinning wickedly at Steve, who looked a bit nervous but still grinned and nodded back at him. He helped carry a happily drunk, singing Jensen into an old car that they’d stolen, promising that they’d be there soon. He drove himself, not wanting to take any chances. If he was going to get rid of Jensen for good, he’d have to see this thing through. The pier wasn’t far from where they were, and he drove right onto it, the tires rolling over the rickety wooden boards, Jensen still singing, blissfully unaware of what was about to happen to him.
“Come on, guys!” Jensen encouraged, trying to get Kane and Steve to sing along with him. “‘Let’s go to Luckenbach, Texas, with…’” The song trailed off on Jensen’s lips when Kane finally slowed and threw the car into park. “Oh, hey. We stopped!”
“That’s right,” Kane said, getting out of the car, Steve following suit. He moved around to Jensen’s door, opening it and hauling the drunken fool out. “The big surprise is comin’.”
“Awesome!” Jensen smiled and reached his hands up towards the material covering his eyes. “Does that mean I can…”
“No,” Kane said, quickly batting Jensen’s hands away from the blindfold. “No, not yet. Only take it off when I tell you to, okay?” Jensen nodded, and Kane chuckled, grabbing Jensen’s arm and signaling Steve to grab the other, leading Jensen down to the end of the pier and lowering him to the ground. “You just sit tight here for a second, alright?”
“This is gonna be badass, isn’t it?” Jensen giggled, and Kane just smiled, walking away without giving a response. He headed back to the car, Steve following behind him, all the while hearing Jensen singing loudly down at the end of the pier. “‘We’ve been so busy keepin’ up with the Jones, four car garage and we’re still building on…’”
“Hey, boss, you really think we should do this?” Steve asked nervously, staring back down at Jensen as Kane opened the driver’s side door of the car again and started it up. “I mean, you really think it’ll work, and no one will…”
“No one will know,” Kane said, cutting Steve off and shutting him up. He turned to the side of the old pier, yanking off on old rotting piece of wood. “That should work.” He went back to the car, putting it in drive, and winked at Steve. “You might wanna stand back.” The car was already rolling, and once Steve was clear, he jammed the wood down between the seat and the gas pedal, pressing it down to the floor. He stepped back, watching the car take off, picking up speed as it hurtled towards the end of the pier, and he smiled. “Goodbye, Jensen.”
Part 2
Fandom: RPS
Characters: Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki
Prompt: 022. Enemies
fanfic100 table: here
Word Count: 29,073
Rating: NC-17 to start, but mostly R.
Warnings: Violence, angst, character death, and the one hardcore smex scene that I just had to throw in at the beginning.
Summary: The best way for me to summarize this is to just say that it's a J2 version of All Dogs Go To Heaven, but with humans instead of dogs, gay sex, less singing, some cursing, and just a tad more violence, considering the movie is pretty damn dark for an animated kids' movie.
Disclaimer: This is a shameless ripoff of an animated kids' movie made in 1989 with a squeeing fangirl's perfect cast. In other words, I am a loser. :P
Author's Notes: This idea randomly came to me one night, so I took it and ran with it. It made me ridiculously happy, even though it's sad (like the movie), and this is the end result. I don't usually write AU's, or anything like this, but I had so much fun with this Jensen, it was ridiculous. As if I didn't love the man enough already.
Jensen smirked even as he was coughing, dirt falling in around him. If anybody thought they could lock him up and keep him away for good, they were dead wrong. Nobody could hold Jensen Ackles forever. And if they thought they could kill him, well, that was even more far-fetched. It wasn’t as if he was going to wait around for his death sentence to be carried out. He had things to do, places to go, people to see. He had business to tend to and a reputation to protect. And he had just enough charm to convince the closeted guard on duty to turn the other way as he dug himself out of the shithole of a jail cell he was in. He’d always thought it was funny, how people wanted he and his kind all locked up, and yet they never spent as much on the prisons in his neighborhood as they did in their own. All that proved was that nobody in the real world ever really did care about orphans. The only emotion they ever really felt when they stumbled upon his rundown neighborhood of streetwise kids and gangs was disgust, or maybe even horror.
He coughed again, blindly crawling through the tight space he’d made for himself beneath the floor of his prison, always moving forward. Reaching the end of his tunnel, the point where he found he could go no further, he paused, listening intently. If there really was a God, he would’ve made it far enough for…
“Ow! Fuck.”
Jensen grinned widely when he heard the muffled voice through the packed soil. He knew this plan would work. He didn’t know how Jared had managed to make it past the guards on the outside and tunnel his way through, but he didn’t care. Jared could be incredibly resourceful when he needed to be.
“Jared,” he called out, his excitement rising up a notch when he realized he could see light through the thinning veil of dirt between them. “Jared, is that you?”
“Of course it’s me,” Jared huffed, the light moving as Jared fidgeted in the tunnel. “Were you expecting someone else?”
“Just makin’ sure, dude,” Jensen chuckled, settling back and waiting for Jared to break through the rest of the way. “Wouldn’t want anybody spoiling my foolproof plan.”
“Yeah, right. You might wanna move back a bit.”
Jensen scooted back in the tunnel, and a patch of soil was pushed inward, opening up the left half of the hole they’d been digging towards each other. The light shone through, and Jensen had to look away and allow his eyes to adjust. Once focused, he lifted his gaze, greeted with the sight of Jared’s brilliant smile on the other side of the tunnel.
“Hey hot stuff,” Jensen teased, smiling back and moving forward again. “You have no idea how happy I am to see you.”
“Ye…” Jared started, his smile suddenly faltering as his eyes squeezed shut and his nose scrunched up. “Ye…Ye…”
“Jared??” Jensen eyed him in confusion. “Are you having a fuckin’ stroke?” Jared’s verbal answer was lost in what had to be the loudest sneeze Jensen had ever heard in his life, and he swore he felt it echoing out both sides of the tunnel. He frowned and stared back at Jared, whose cheeks were pink with embarrassment, eyes widened in fear. “Well, that’s just perfect.”
“I couldn’t help it!” Jared protested. “I got dirt up my nose!”
“Okay, okay, fine,” Jensen said, watching as Jared began twitching and scratching at various parts of his body. Jared had always been the nervous type. “It’s fine, alright? We’re fine. Let’s just get me outta here.”
“Right.” Jared nodded and moved to push through the rest of the space between them. A metallic clang sounded through the tunnel. “Uh…”
“What the hell was that?” Jensen asked, reaching a hand through to feel around Jared’s side of the tunnel.
“It’s a pipe,” Jared said, and Jensen could hear the nervousness in Jared’s voice again. “Shit, Jensen, there’s a fucking pipe in the way!”
“Okay,” Jensen soothed, trying his best to not get exasperated. “Okay, we can do this. Just…think, okay? We can get around this somehow.” Jared peered through the hole at him sheepishly.
“I guess you can’t manage to squeeze through here, huh?”
“I didn’t mean we could get around it literally,” Jensen spat, rolling his eyes. “I mean, shit, maybe if my body was made out of rubber!”
“Alright, alright, fine!” Jared’s face disappeared from view, and Jensen could hear various tools being tossed around in the tunnel. “Don’t worry, I got this.” Bright flames suddenly burst in Jensen’s direction, and he cried out and pushed back as quickly as he could.
“Jesus Christ, Jared, put that thing out! What the fuck, are you trying to kill me?!”
“Sorry, sorry,” Jared hurriedly apologized, and Jensen could hear the torch being thrown aside. “Nevermind, I think I have my drill in here.”
“You brought your drill??” Jensen asked, half shocked and half amused. It always amazed him how Jared somehow managed to bring his entire toolkit everywhere with him. Of course, there were more pressing matters to tend to at the moment. “Wait, you’re gonna drill through the pipe? What if it’s a water main?”
“It’s not a water main,” Jared assured him, the light on his miner’s helmet shining over the pipe. “Water mains are red.”
“I thought they were green.”
“No, they’re red,” Jared insisted, tapping the pipe lightly with the end of his drill. “This one’s green.”
“You’re colorblind!” Jensen blurted out, the realization suddenly hitting him. “You’ve always been colorblind!”
“Right,” Jared agreed, pausing only for a second, “Which is why this pipe is red!”
“Ja-”
The sound of the drill drowned out any protests Jensen might have had, and if he’d been worried about noise before, now was the time to really worry. Still, he couldn’t help laughing when Jared broke through, pure terror in his eyes as water began gushing through the tunnel.
“I love you,” Jensen said, still laughing as he quickly kissed Jared on the lips and finally squeezed through the tunnel, the two of them rushing out the other side as alarms started going off. He continued laughing even as they broke the surface, gunfire almost more abundant than fresh air as they made their escape. He grabbed Jared and pulled him along, not expecting Jared to pull back the other way.
“My stuff!” Jared shouted, reaching back for the tools he’d dropped on the ground.
“Forget your stuff!” Jensen shouted back. “I’ll buy you more stuff! Let’s go!” They squeezed under the trench Jared had dug below the fence around the prison, guards still firing shots. Jensen smirked back at them. Dumb bastards just didn’t realize that he was bulletproof. Jensen Ackles was too quick, unstoppable. Until, of course, Jared started hyperventilating and stopping to scratch himself all over. “No, no, no,” Jensen murmured, grabbing Jared again and pulling. “Not now, Jared. Not now!”
“I…can’t…help it,” Jared gasped out, scratching frantically at his arms. “I…itch...when I…get nervous!”
“Oh, Christ, you and your damn anxiety,” Jensen griped, practically dragging Jared along behind him, away from the prison and certain death. He glanced back at Jared’s shaky form and managed a smile, teasing as always. “It’s not worth it being with you.”
****
Jared could’ve run until he died that night. Well, once he calmed down, got his breathing under control, and stopped scratching, that is. He never looked back, Jensen always one step ahead of him, just like always. Jensen looked back of course. Jensen looked back to him, checking on him, smiling brightly as they ran. It was too soon for Jared to smile back. He needed to put a lot more space between the both of them and the prison before he could relax. He didn’t expect it when Jensen suddenly stopped short, grabbed him, and pushed him into an old abandoned house, closing the dilapidated door behind them.
“Oh. Lucky us!” Jensen exclaimed, pushing Jared backwards before he could question anything. Jared fell back and found himself resting on a mattress in the middle of the creaky wooden floor, old springs poking into his back.
“Jensen, what…” Jared was silenced when Jensen flopped down on top of him and pressed their lips together, tongue licking over his lips.
“We gotta celebrate.” Jensen pulled back, and Jared could see the excitement in his eyes, almost glowing in the moonlight filtering through the windows. Jared shifted uncomfortably on the mattress, idly scratching at his chest.
“But Jensen, the cops…”
“Relax,” Jensen said, soothing him and chuckling lightly. “You think they really care enough to look? Besides, we lost ‘em long ago.” Jensen’s hands slipped under his shirt, fingers sliding up over his abdomen and chest, and Jared shivered, his fear slowly ebbing away. He pulled himself up a bit so that Jensen could pull the shirt over his head, and then flopped back down, Jensen nuzzling his neck, his jaw. “No need to worry anymore.”
“Jen…” Jared breathed, jolting when he heard a noise outside.
“Shh…” Jensen kissed down his chest, his abs, past his belly button, fingers unbuttoning and unzipping his jeans, hooking in the waistband of his boxers and pulling the rest of his clothing down and away, exposing him. “Just relax.”
Hot breath ghosted over his cock, and he felt himself twitch and start to harden. Jensen’s mouth was on him seconds later, slick heat engulfing him, and he closed his eyes and arched, gasping, the springs in the mattress groaning beneath him. Jensen pulled off, the tip of his tongue following a teasing trail down the underside of Jared’s dick, tracing the vein, licking at the base, and then swirling over his balls. He didn’t stop there, bending and spreading Jared’s legs as much as possible with his pants still caught at his ankles, tongue sliding down behind his balls and moving back further. One flick of Jensen’s tongue over his hole had Jared gasping in surprise.
“God, I missed you,” Jared admitted, feeling himself clench beneath Jensen’s tongue. Jensen pulled back and laughed, tugging at Jared’s shoes and pulling his pants the rest of the way off.
“Come on, you knew I’d be back,” Jensen chided, quickly undressing himself and moving to settle between Jared’s legs, hovering over him. “Can’t get rid of me that easily.”
Jared just smiled in response, keeping all the thoughts he’d had while Jensen was locked up to himself. The truth was, it had scared him more than anything. Jensen had never been caught before. All this time, all these years, Jensen had been so damn smooth. There wasn’t any kind of jam he couldn’t get himself out of, and that was an important quality to have in their neck of the woods. And, for some reason, Jensen had taken Jared in, leading and protecting him. Then, suddenly, Jensen was arrested and hauled away to prison. It was a shock to Jared’s system. Jensen was all he had, and he was terrified to think that maybe Jensen was just one lucky bastard, and that maybe, one day, that luck would run out.
“You’re just prepared for everything, aren’t you?” Jensen asked, and Jared looked down to see that Jensen had been rifling through the pockets of his jeans, knowing he’d find what he needed there. Jared smiled when Jensen held up the packet of lube he’d scored earlier and canted his hips up, spreading his legs wider.
“Always.”
He watched Jensen tear the packet open and coat his fingers liberally, keeping eye contact with him as one slick finger pressed at his entrance. He groaned as it slid in, closing his eyes and relishing the feel of it, knowing there was so much more to come. It had been too long since they’d done this; since he’d had Jensen inside of him. He felt Jensen press a kiss to his inner thigh as he was slowly fingered open, pressing back into the shallow thrusts, feeling dizzy and hot all over. Jensen was taking his time, and Jared would have laughed if he could. Here they were, busting Jensen out of prison and on the run, and Jensen was calm and composed, spending long minutes after adding each finger, as if they had all the time in the world. With a stroke over his prostate, Jared decided that they did, letting the world fall away. No one could calm him like Jensen could.
“Jared,” Jensen breathed, pulling his fingers free and stroking himself. “So beautiful.” He grunted, eyes falling closed for a second as he thrust up into his fist. “So perfect.” Jensen settled over him, and Jared could feel the thick head of his cock pressing against him, stopping just shy of pushing in. “You got me out,” Jensen whispered, kissing Jared’s chest, his lips. “Couldn’t have done it without you.”
Jensen pushed forward, and Jared threw his head back as he was opened up, legs immediately wrapping around Jensen’s waist, as if they belonged there. It was a long, slow, steady press in, and Jared keened at the feel of it, the slight burn, wondering if his heart actually could beat out of his chest. Jensen’s breathing had fallen off kilter, and he groaned loudly as he buried his face in the long column of Jared’s neck, licking and sucking at it when he had filled Jared up completely, balls flush against sensitive skin. He waited, and Jared could feel the tension building in Jensen’s body, the need to move.
“Fuck me,” Jared ground out, pressing back onto Jensen’s dick, making him groan, his own body vibrating with the same need. “God, please, just fuck me.” Jensen lifted his head, seeking out Jared’s lips for a kiss, tongue dipping inside his mouth. He pulled back and thrust back in, hard, and Jared broke the kiss, head falling back again as he let out a sharp cry, clenching around the hard length inside of him that sent sparks through his body. “Fuck me,” Jared repeated, this time in a broken whimper.
“Easy,” Jensen grunted, fucking into Jared again and biting at his jaw. “I’ll get you there.”
Jared moaned as Jensen found a rhythm, slow and agonizing at first, sweat breaking out on both of their bodies, mattress springs digging into his back as Jensen pressed him down into it. It wasn’t until Jared begged for more that Jensen started moving faster, harder, deeper, thrusting and kissing and caressing, Jared gripping Jensen’s shoulders and clawing at his back. Jensen groaned and shuddered, pushing Jared’s hands away and reaching his own hand down in between their bodies, gripping Jared’s cock. Jared cried out, hips bucking up violently just as Jensen thrust down into him, his dick twitching in Jensen’s grasp as Jensen’s cock hit just the right spot inside of him, making him clench down around it again.
“Come on,” Jensen whispered, his voice strained, jerking Jared’s cock in time with his thrusts. “Jared…just…come with me.”
Jared twitched in Jensen’s hand again, his voice growing louder with each push into his body, unable to control it. He could feel Jensen tensing above and around him, and felt himself trembling, eyelids fluttering closed and then squeezing shut as he arched and came, pulsing in Jensen’s fist, calling his name. Jensen cried out at the same moment, bursting inside of him, shaking and melting into Jared’s body, and Jared couldn’t help but think that these moments were the only moments that Jensen ever seemed vulnerable. Weakness was a word that didn’t exist in Jensen’s vocabulary, but if there was ever a time that he was weak, it was here, in Jared’s arms, body spent after orgasm. Jensen rested his head on Jared’s chest for a moment, breathing heavily as he calmed down, and Jared couldn’t resist planting a soft kiss on the top of Jensen’s head, loving that he was lucky enough to see Jensen like this and to be with him in these moments.
Jensen pulled out and rolled off of Jared onto the mattress, attempting a small, shaky smile, chest still heaving a bit, and gathering Jared up in his arms. Jared curled into Jensen’s body, the two of them ignoring the mess between them for the moment. It was that moment that Jared realized there was a part of him that wouldn’t mind leaving it all behind; the garage, the thugs, the casino. It was the first time that he dreamed of running away with Jensen, far away, a brand new start for both of them.
****
Out on the bayou, a large rundown building that seemed to be made out of a series of smaller rundown buildings drew crowds of the poor, the destitute, the dangerous, and the criminal. The outside was dark and dingy, and the inside wasn’t much better, aside from the drinks and the gambling. It was a casino, run by those with reputations and connections in this underground world, and it was rigged to favor them. It seemed like a sweet deal to the patrons. They didn’t even have to use money, which was good, because they didn’t really have any. But they had to contribute something for their bets. Goods could be used, and it didn’t matter if they were stolen or not. In fact, stolen was probably the way to go. It seemed like a good way to get something for nothing, but that wasn’t the case. The house took most of what the contributors gave, and the contributors got caught up in the game, almost addicted, the dog racing track out back the most popular draw.
It was really one person that pocketed the profit. It was one person that fed on the less fortunate and brought them into his world of temptation and crime. He’d had a partner once that he had even called a friend. His friend was his balance, the light to his dark side. This friend wasn’t a saint, by any means, but he was more considerate when it came to their customers and much less of a businessman. In the end, this friend had gotten in the way, impeded their progress, and cost them more money than they earned. So, the dark side won out, and that one person found a way to get rid of his friend for what he’d thought was for good.
The sign on the front of the building was old and cracked, dripping hand-painted names dried on the rotting wood. It read, “Kane & Ackles.” The name Ackles had been crossed out.
****
Dressed and somewhat clean, Jensen and Jared made their way to the casino. Jared had protested, and Jensen once again quieted him. After all, there was nothing to worry about. The cops in these parts weren’t hardcore enough to start their endless search right away. Nobody really cared. Eventually, some guy with a brand new shiny badge would want to make a name for himself and come after him. But tonight, everything would be fine.
Jensen stopped short when he saw the sign outside the casino. Someone had drawn a large black X over his name. He scoffed and shook his head, turning to Jared and pointing at the sign in disbelief.
“As if I’d really be gone that long,” he complained. Jared’s worried eyes narrowed a bit.
“Well, you were supposed to be…”
“Yeah, well,” Jensen cut him off, “‘Supposed to be’ ain’t real, now, is it? You’d think my partner would’ve realized that.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Jared said, clapping Jensen on the shoulder. “You know how Kane is.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Jensen sighed, opening the door and stepping inside. “I know.” He grinned as the lights hit him, pulling Jared in beside him, arm around his shoulders. “Hey, gang!” he shouted, all heads turning to look at him in surprise. He grinned wider, spreading his free arm to the side in a show of confidence. “What have I missed?” His grin turned to a smirk when he was met with only silence, able to hear a pin drop in the whole of the casino. He leaned close to Jared’s ear, speaking in a stage whisper. “They all seem so surprised.”
“Yeah,” Jared said, smiling back at him and nodding towards the entrance. “Maybe we should go out and come back in again.”
“Ah,” Jensen laughed, leering at Jared seductively, “Kinda like how I fucked you on that mattress earlier, right?” Jared blushed, and Jensen laughed again, stepping further into the building, all bets currently on hold, all tables suddenly devoid of activity. “What’s the problem, guys?” He looked around, taking in the dreary state of his once lively business. “Things aren’t lookin’ so good around here, are they?”
“Jensen?” Jensen turned to the hesitant, questioning voice that broke the silence and smiled at Jim, one of his oldest customers. The smile wasn’t yet returned, surprised eyes focused on him intently. “Ain’t you supposed to be on death row?”
“No,” Jensen spat, suddenly tense and glaring at the man, Jared’s hand coming to rest on the knot of muscles in his back. “I ain’t supposed to be on death row.”
“Hey!” Jared cut in, now pressing his fingers into Jensen’s back in a light massage and raising his chin proudly. “I got him out!”
“It’s a good thing,” Samantha said, approaching from across the room, another of Jensen’s longtime customers. “Things haven’t been the same without you, Jensen. We’re all a bit down on our luck.”
“I can see that,” Jensen agreed, once again taking in his surroundings. The poor and destitute looked even more poor and destitute, driven by desperation and need. The place itself, while it had never been a gem, was in even greater disrepair than usual. He frowned, wondering what had gone wrong in the time he’d been away. “Well,” he said, making his way over to the outdated slot machines, the customers all looking at him with something akin to hope, “What do you say we turn that luck around?”
With that, Jensen broke all the rules, ignoring the shocked dealers Kane currently had working at the tables, grabbing a stool and smashing open the nearest slot machine, coins spilling out of it. The crowd gathered around him, cheering and thanking him, and he smiled at all of them, picking up handfuls of the desired prize and tossing them out to his patrons. He sprinted away from the crowd, laughing, and jumped up onto the craps table, spreading his arms wide.
“Ladies and gentlemen!” he shouted, grinning as every head in the room turned towards him once again. “Now that I’m back, your worries are over!” He was met with cheers, and his chest puffed out with pride. “I know things changed for a while, and they will change again. But this time, they’ll change for the better! This is your home, your sanctuary, and any one of you can be a winner!” He winked at the crowd before jumping back down off the table. “I’ll make sure of that.”
****
Steve wandered down the stairs from the Kane gang’s living area to the casino. He’d been sent down by Kane himself to find out what all the fuss was about. There hadn’t been this much noise downstairs since Jensen had been around, and Jensen was gone for good, left to rot on death row until the inevitable happened. Part of him felt for Jensen, hating himself for being a part of the plan to get rid of him. But Kane was a force to be reckoned with, his threats not to be taken lightly, and Steve was firmly set in his good graces. He was Kane’s right hand man, open to privileges the others didn’t get. With Kane’s power, it was a comfortable position in a dangerous and unstable world, and he’d be stupid to give that up because of his useless sentimental tendencies.
“Hey, guys!” he said, calling out to the dealers on the floor as he opened the door to the casino. “What’s going on down…”
Steve stopped mid-sentence, eyes going wide as he stared out onto the floor. What he saw couldn’t be real. It couldn’t. But it was. Jensen was out there, alive and well, the crowd of customers gathered around him, shaking his hand, patting him on the back, congratulating him on his return, and expressing their thanks. Jensen was happy, grinning like a goddamned fool, that misfit Jared kid right by his side, mirroring Jensen’s expression. He managed to catch the eye of one of the dealers, and they stared back at him with equal shock and confusion, shrugging helplessly.
He retreated, back through the door, back up the stairs, hesitating in the hallway there. Kane wasn’t going to like this.
****
Somehow, the simple welcome back became a full-blown party. It was supposedly thrown by the crowd in Jensen’s honor, though Jensen insisted on buying numerous rounds of drinks on the house. Jared wondered just what Kane would say about that, but now wasn’t the time for his usual nervous thoughts. He joined in as best he could, though he didn’t really fit in with the crowd. He’d never really fit in with any crowd. He was accepted because Jensen accepted him. And that was enough, really. All he needed was to have that cocky smile flashed at him from across the room, brilliant green eyes focused solely on him, and his life suddenly seemed immensely brighter.
He hung back when he needed to, letting Jensen revel in his resumed position as the people’s chosen one. They’d always liked him more than Kane. Some would say they even loved him. It was one hell of a reputation for someone like Jensen to have. Jensen was just an orphan, homeless and abandoned. Most of the people in this neighborhood were. But the ones with power, the ones like Kane, actually did come from families. They were poor families, but families nonetheless, notorious for their crimes. Crimes meant violence, violence meant influence, and influence meant power. That was just the way of their world. Kane was the youngest and sole survivor of his notorious family, and he was expected to achieve the status he’d gained. Although, to be completely honest, he was expected to achieve that status on his own.
Then, Jensen had stepped in, grown up and turned out to be his own force to reckon with, even without the reputable bloodline. He moved up the food chain even faster than Kane did, even without that level of ruthlessness that Kane’s family had been known to possess. Jensen was strong, but he also had a wit, a charm that got him further than anybody had ever expected. He’d gained even more respect for that, a good amount of that respect coming from Kane himself. That’s when the partnership was born, Kane and Ackles becoming an unstoppable duo in the cruel world they lived in. Jared was younger and weaker when he’d met Jensen, the duo having already been formed. He’d been discovered by Kane and Ackles in the middle of a scrap on the streets, one that he wouldn’t have survived if Jensen hadn’t stepped in. From then on, he’d been protected by Jensen. He was respected, defended, and even loved in a way that he hadn’t though possible. Jensen was a light in this dark and lonely world, and there wasn’t a person in the casino that night that couldn’t see that.
It was when the party turned raucous that Jared got jostled in the crowd, pushed away and turned around, eventually forced back into one of the walls. Pushed into one of the panels, it suddenly spun, taking him with it, and he gasped in surprise, finding himself in another room, a passage that he’d never known existed in this place. He could vaguely hear the sounds of the party still raging on, and he turned back to the panel, pounding on it.
“HEY!” he shouted, fist hurting with the force of his movements. “Hey, I’m stuck back here! Jensen!” He paused, taking his fist in his other hand, massaging and soothing it gently. He stared at the wall in front of him. It was no use. No one would ever be able to hear him. He’d just have to find his way out of here. He twitched a little, scratching at his shoulder. “Okay,” he muttered to himself, closing his eyes and trying to conjure up Jensen’s voice in his head. “Okay. No need to freak out. Everything’s gonna be okay.”
****
Kane laid reclined in his bed, boots still on, a bottle of whiskey in one hand and a lit cigar in the other. He took a swig of the whiskey, swallowed it, and then put the cigar to his lips, drawing in a breath and puffing smoke back out. He heaved a sigh, trying not to let his frustration get the better of him. But, considering the circumstances, that was nearly impossible.
“You gotta be shittin’ me,” he drawled, voice low and dangerous as he eyed Steve, who stood hesitantly in his doorway, shaking his head.
“No,” Steve said, fidgeting nervously. “No, I’m not, Kane, I swear. I know it sounds crazy, but I know what I saw. You can ask any of the guys downstairs, I can get them for you right now. Jensen is back.” He paused as if expecting a response. Kane didn’t give him one. “I don’t know how it’s possible. I mean, we set him up for good!”
“Steve.” Kane sat up, setting the bottle down on the floor by the bed. He took another puff of his cigar and then set it down in the ashtray on his bedside table. He leaned forward, jaw set, body almost vibrating with rage, fists clenched tight. He took a deep breath, slowly working his way through his words. “I don’t want to share fifty percent of my business with him. Not anymore.”
“You don’t have to.” Steve spoke in a rush, eager to calm him. “We can take care of him. I can. I’ll make sure he’s gone for good. What do you want me to use? Guns, knives…”
“Steve, Steve, Steve,” Kane muttered, standing and moving slowly to the doorway, Steve taking a careful step back. He smiled without amusement. “That’s no way to treat an old friend. Friends must be handled in a friendly and businesslike way.”
****
Jared stood in the same spot he’d been in since he’d found his way into the supposedly secret passage, scratching at his arms. He moved his head back and forth, looking both ways, unsure of which way to choose. He gulped, silently asking himself what Jensen would do. He could feel himself beginning to lose control, his chest beginning to heave, breath coming quicker. He couldn’t panic now. All he had to do was find a way out. That was simple enough.
Unsure, he chose a direction, turning to his left and beginning to walk down the dimly lit corridor. He jumped when a door further down the corridor suddenly opened, barely able to keep from crying out. He heard voices and flattened himself against the wall, scratching at his chest. He tried to keep his breathing under control, watching the silhouettes he could see on the opposite wall. One of the men spoke, and he recognized the voice as Steve’s.
“Alright, boys, I need you to go down in the basement and feed Kane’s little monster.” Jared gasped quietly at the use of the word “monster,” wondering what the hell Kane was really housing in the basement. “Meet me back here after that. Kane wants us to get rid of Jensen.”
Jared froze, his heart damn near stopping in his chest. The silhouettes and voices faded, heading off down the corridor, and Jared sucked in a deep breath, that same breath whooshing out less then a second later. He was hyperventilating, frantically scratching at his skin. He’d never had reason to suspect Kane and Steve of any foul play, but he knew what Steve’s words meant. He knew it all too well. He turned back to the panel of the wall that led to the main room of the casino and started pounding on it again, suddenly feeling as though he was suffocating.
“JENSEN!” he managed to scream through heaving breaths. “Jensen…they’re gonna kill you. THEY’RE GONNA KILL YOU!”
****
Kane sat back in his room, still smoking and drinking, willing himself to relax. His boys would take care of this. He’d take care of this. Shit, it would be easy. Jensen would never see it coming.
“KANE!” Jensen’s youthful shout carried up the stairs, through Kane’s closed bedroom door. “Hey, Kane, you son of a bitch, you’re missin’ all the fun!” He burst through Kane’s door, half drunk and stupidly excited as always. Kane pasted a smile on face and got to his feet, heading over to Jensen with his arms spread wide.
“Jensen!” He embraced his one time friend, Jensen’s enthusiastic bear hug nearly squeezing the life out of him. He laughed instead of groaning, swallowing down his violent tendencies. “You crazy fucker! Steve just gave me the news, I was about to come down and see you. It’s good to have you back!”
“Ah, it’s good to be back!” Jensen exclaimed, pushing past Kane into the room, flopping back onto his bed and switching on his radio, making himself at home like he always did. Kane felt his jaw clench, Jensen’s bright eyes shooting a playful glance at him. “You put on some weight since I left. Havin’ trouble runnin’ this place without me?”
“Trouble?” Kane huffed, doing his best to laugh it off. “Nah, of course not. There ain’t no trouble here; never was. In fact, we’re making more than we ever have.”
“Yeah?” Jensen asked, closing his eyes and air drumming to the music. “After being down there, though, I can tell you one thing. The people aren’t happy.”
“They sounded plenty happy,” Kane said, stalking over and turning the radio off. He never could stand the shit Jensen listened to.
“Well, yeah,” Jensen said, opening his eyes and flicking the radio back on. “I mean, now they are, but they haven’t been happy.”
“Gamblers are never happy, Jensen,” Kane said, turning the radio back off again. Jensen raised an eyebrow but didn’t make another move.
“Well, look,” Jensen started, sitting up and perching on the edge of the bed, “I got some ideas. We can beef up this joint, make it classy. I know it’ll be hard to get what we need in here, but, you know, maybe some more lights, more decoration, maybe even some shows while people are waiting to get in on the tables. They’ll all love it!”
“Come on, Jensen,” Kane groaned, letting his façade slip a bit. “We can’t do all that. Things have changed.”
“What are you talkin’ about?” Jensen asked, grinning up at him. “I haven’t changed.”
“Look, man.” Kane grabbed a chair and sat down in front of Jensen, looking him in the eye and going for the sincere approach. “You’ve done time. That’s not good for business.” He smiled on the inside. This was one crazy world. Being a hardened criminal got you places. It sure as hell got him places. But the people who were respected here were always too slippery to get caught. They were aces at avoiding the law. Jensen wasn’t one of those anymore, and he knew it, the laughter suddenly disappearing from his eyes as he tensed, fingers clenching into the sheets on the bed.
“I was framed!” Jensen growled defensively.
“I know that,” Kane said sympathetically, all the while disguising the smugness that came with putting a good enough plan together to have Jensen locked up. He let his expression soften, summoning emotions he didn’t really have. “Of course I know that. Jensen…you’re like a brother to me.” He lowered his head and sighed, doing his best to look troubled. “That’s why…we have to split up the partnership.”
“What?” Jensen stared at him, incredulous. “Kane, what the hell are you talking about?”
“Jensen, come on!” He got up and started pacing, patting himself on the back for seeming so frantic and concerned. “They’re gonna be looking for you, and what’s the first place they’re gonna look? Here! It isn’t safe. It isn’t safe for you.” Jensen frowned, still disbelieving. “Look.” Kane sat back down, giving Jensen a pleading look. “Fifty percent of this is yours, right? Take it. Take it, and we’ll set you up somewhere where they don’t know you. You can make your own way, and neither of us will be in any kind of trouble. I’m doing you a favor, Jensen.”
“Man…” Jensen stood, walking over towards the doorway and leaning against it. Kane gave him his few moments of silence, gave him the time to think. And when Jensen turned around hesitantly smiling, he knew he’d won. “Alright. It’s a deal.”
****
Jared was getting closer to finding his way back into the casino. He knew it. The noise was getting louder, and he could smell the cigarette smoke. All he had to do was get to Jensen; just get to Jensen and warn him, and then it would all be okay. He flinched when he heard Kane’s amplified voice booming throughout the building.
“Alright everyone, listen up! I’m here to announce that my partner Jensen is going into business for himself!” Jared twitched and scratched at his left leg. Shit. Kane was already with Jensen. This was bad. This was very bad. “I think we should all give him one hell of a sendoff, what do you say?” The crowd cheered loudly, starting up a chant of Jensen’s name, and Jared suddenly felt hollow. “Alright!” he heard Kane shout, getting the crowd back under control. “Alright! Let’s head out…to the Mardi Gras!”
****
Jensen sat back in his place on the float, another bottle lifted to his lips. This was the kind of celebration he’d been looking forward to when he imagined his return to the business. It was one hell of a party, the whole town living it up while he and his friends, his customers, commandeered a float and got supremely wasted on it. He wouldn’t deny that he was probably the most intoxicated out of all of them, but hell, the party was for him, wasn’t it? Things couldn’t have been better. Sure, he’d come back to the casino to find it collapsing in a downward spiral, but, with the help of his friends, he’d get his own place going soon enough, and he’d be able to run it just the way he’d want to, without any danger of being hauled back to the slammer.
Someone sent up another cheer in his name, passed him another beer, and he accepted it gratefully, gulping it down to the excitement of the crowd egging him on. He couldn’t see straight, which meant he certainly couldn’t walk straight, so he didn’t even bother to stand, simply saluting and waving happily to everyone who was there to celebrate with him. This was by far the best night of his life. He turned in the direction of Kane’s voice when he heard the man speak up, having trouble deciding which of the five Kanes he saw was the real one.
“Steve!” Kane called out, and Jensen saw another blurry form hurry over to Kane’s side. “Why don’t you take Jensen out for the big surprise?”
“I get a surprise?” Jensen slurred, feeling as giddy as a little kid. He smiled and finally tried to stand, only to take half a step and come crashing right back down, laughing it off when he felt no pain. Kane knelt down to his level, lifting his chin so that he could look up at him.
“You sure do, kid,” he said, and Jensen felt his own eyes spark with excitement.
“What is it?”
“I can’t tell you,” Kane said, standing up again. “But I can give you your going away present.”
“I get a present?” Jensen asked, rolling over onto his back and giggling, holding his hands out expectantly.
“Of course you do!” Kane chuckled, pulling something out of his jacket pocket and holding it up for the crowd to see. “Jensen, it is my pleasure to present you with this lucky gold watch!”
“Wow,” Jensen said, eyeing the bright metal that Kane had dropped on his chest and lifting it up in his hands. It was attached to a red ribbon, and he just managed to lift his head and slip it around his neck, the watch dangling down his front. He smiled up at what he thought was Kane. “Thanks, man. You’re the best.”
“Alright, boys!” Kane called to his gang, ignoring Jensen. “Let’s get him up and outta here!”
Jensen laughed lightly as he felt strong arms all around him, lifting him up and carrying him off the float. This was almost like some kind of grand ceremony, and he felt pretty damn special; even more than he usually did. He let his body go slack, since he had no coordination anyway, unable to tell up from down, feeling his supporters shift their weight to carry him better. He turned his head towards where he thought the crowd of customers had been, letting it loll over someone’s shoulder and waving, hearing a cheer go up again when he did.
“I love you guys,” he said to no one in particular, hearing a few snickers in response. “I do, man. I really do. I fuckin’ love you guys.”
****
Kane tied the blindfold around Jensen’s head himself, grinning wickedly at Steve, who looked a bit nervous but still grinned and nodded back at him. He helped carry a happily drunk, singing Jensen into an old car that they’d stolen, promising that they’d be there soon. He drove himself, not wanting to take any chances. If he was going to get rid of Jensen for good, he’d have to see this thing through. The pier wasn’t far from where they were, and he drove right onto it, the tires rolling over the rickety wooden boards, Jensen still singing, blissfully unaware of what was about to happen to him.
“Come on, guys!” Jensen encouraged, trying to get Kane and Steve to sing along with him. “‘Let’s go to Luckenbach, Texas, with…’” The song trailed off on Jensen’s lips when Kane finally slowed and threw the car into park. “Oh, hey. We stopped!”
“That’s right,” Kane said, getting out of the car, Steve following suit. He moved around to Jensen’s door, opening it and hauling the drunken fool out. “The big surprise is comin’.”
“Awesome!” Jensen smiled and reached his hands up towards the material covering his eyes. “Does that mean I can…”
“No,” Kane said, quickly batting Jensen’s hands away from the blindfold. “No, not yet. Only take it off when I tell you to, okay?” Jensen nodded, and Kane chuckled, grabbing Jensen’s arm and signaling Steve to grab the other, leading Jensen down to the end of the pier and lowering him to the ground. “You just sit tight here for a second, alright?”
“This is gonna be badass, isn’t it?” Jensen giggled, and Kane just smiled, walking away without giving a response. He headed back to the car, Steve following behind him, all the while hearing Jensen singing loudly down at the end of the pier. “‘We’ve been so busy keepin’ up with the Jones, four car garage and we’re still building on…’”
“Hey, boss, you really think we should do this?” Steve asked nervously, staring back down at Jensen as Kane opened the driver’s side door of the car again and started it up. “I mean, you really think it’ll work, and no one will…”
“No one will know,” Kane said, cutting Steve off and shutting him up. He turned to the side of the old pier, yanking off on old rotting piece of wood. “That should work.” He went back to the car, putting it in drive, and winked at Steve. “You might wanna stand back.” The car was already rolling, and once Steve was clear, he jammed the wood down between the seat and the gas pedal, pressing it down to the floor. He stepped back, watching the car take off, picking up speed as it hurtled towards the end of the pier, and he smiled. “Goodbye, Jensen.”
Part 2