Chasing Prince Charming [FIC]
Title:Chasing Prince Charming
Author: yahnknshadows
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: slash, drug use, abuse, AIDS scare, drag shows, language
Pairing Jared/Jensen, J2/OMC
Total World Count: About 75k
Disclaimer: Lies, all lies!
Summary: Full summary to be found with Master Post
Music: Why Don't You and I? by Carlos Santana featuring Chad Kroeger
Beta: Let's all give a rousing round of applause to Sarah <3 <3 <3 <3! Thanks so much for your help, honey!
Master Post
Prologue Chapter One pt.I Chapter One pt.II Chapter 2 Chapter Three
Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six pt.I Chapter Six pt. II
Chapter Seven pt. I Chapter Seven pt. II Chapter Eight Chapter Nine
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Chapter 10: Gearing Up For War
Two days after Jared left, the rest of Jared’s things had vanished with the exception of the bed. The spare room bed vanished instead. This time, there were no notes, but his cell phone had been left on the kitchen counter, turned off and obviously hadn’t been turned on since the night he left.
It had been eight days since Jared had walked out, and in that time Jared had only been spotted at a distance once, and he’d vanished into the crowd not long after, avoiding being seen. He hadn’t been to the Cars’, hadn’t been to the club, and hadn’t returned home.
Most of Jared’s time was spent working on the play, which Terry hadn’t auditioned for and Misha had dropped out of. Luckily enough, the director was paranoid and only disclosed the rehearsal location to those in the cast. He’d gotten a small apartment in the next town over, and when he wasn’t rehearsing, he was sitting in his dark apartment staring at the blank walls. After the first night, he hadn’t been able to cry. He was still heartbroken, but he couldn’t work up a single tear. Jared tried to tell himself it was because he was sure that Jensen was happy with Max and it was better to be happy for them than to dwell on the fact that his chest felt caved in whenever he even thought Jensen’s name.
There was only another two weeks until opening night and the director had given out comp tickets to each actor. Jared stared down at the pair of tickets in his hand and couldn’t decide whether or not to throw them away or actually send them to Misha and Terry.
In the end, Jared waited until he was sure Jensen wouldn’t be there hanging out with them and got into the beat up truck he’d picked up to go to and from rehearsals in. He drove over to Terry’s house and parked down at the public beach access parking and walked back to the cottage. Funny, but he couldn’t even think of it as home anymore. Jared knocked on the door and stuffed his hands into his pockets, waiting for Terry to open up.
Misha sighed and dragged himself off the couch at the knock of the door. The past week had been miserable and he didn't know what to do about it. Jensen was living back at Ryan's and refused to talk to him or Terry; had even skipped out on his own little sister’s wedding. Terry was about as messed up as Jensen was and everyone was biting each other’s heads off. Whenever they found Jared, he was going to the kick the crap out of him. He rubbed his eyes and opened the door and his eyes widened gleefully as he registered who it was. "Holy shit, where the hell have you been?" he asked, ready to call Jensen, Terry and the fucking newspapers.
“Away,” Jared answered mildly, unable to summon up even a small smile. He was straight faced, visibly distant, and there was a look of such loss in his eyes that he almost appeared completely empty. “I just dropped by to give you and Terry the comp tickets to the show, if you want to come. I can’t stay long. I’ve got to get home before it gets too late.”
Misha took the tickets, his face taking on a worried look because his friend looked like he was the walking dead. "Jared, why did you leave? What's going on? Do you have any clue how worried everyone has been? I mean, we had to pretty much put Jensen and Terry both on suicide watch."
Jared’s mouth turned down and he flinched at the mention of Jensen’s name. “I’m sorry that Terry was upset, but I had to make a clean break if I wanted to keep going. Besides, I’m pretty sure that J-J-J-he’s fine with M-M-the other guy. I’m sorry, but I can’t do it again. I can’t be second best. It’s better for them if I’m not around anymore.”
Misha shook his head. "Wait, wait, wait," he said, taking a step out to make sure Jared didn't suddenly up and run away. "Second best? Other guy? What the hell are you talking?" he asked, completely lost and confused. "Jared, you at least owe us a reason for taking off. Please, just tell me what's going on, don't keep running away." They were like family, they may not have acted like one at best, but the four of them had been sharing the house more or less for months now.
“The night I left,” Jared began, stepping back to lean against the porch railing. “Jack came by and told me that J-Jen-s-sen was out with someone else. I didn’t believe him, so I called the bar. Jamie told me that J-Jen left with M-Max-his ex-boyfriend. I think Jack was hoping I’d fall into his arms, but, I physically picked him up by the throat and threw him out. Anyway, that’s what happened and I’m not doing it again. I’m better off alone.”
Misha shook his head. "Jared, Jensen would not cheat on you and Christ knows you can't trust anything that Jack says." He pressed his lips together, eyes begging Jared to think about this. "Will you please just talk to Jensen before you leave again?" he asked. "You have no idea what he's been like since you took off. Jared, he looks as bad as you do, he loves you and he wouldn't hurt you like that."
“From what I heard, they were all over each other. Jamie confirmed that Jensen left with Max, Misha, and Jensen was so broken up by the thing with Max that he literally shut down and stopped caring. Can you honestly tell me that when the love of your life comes back you’re not going to leap at the chance? That Jensen didn’t?” Jared shook his head and scrubbed a hand over his face, belatedly realizing that he’d been crying. “Look, I’ve got to go. I’ll see you and Terry at the show if you come. If not, I’d understand. Bye, Misha.” He took off down the steps and hurried away down the street, silently berating himself for not parking closer.
"You are the love of his life, Jared!" Misha yelled after him, not willing to let him go. "Don't you think if he was with this other guy he would be out with him, not trying to hunt you down, refusing to sleep or eat?" Misha got what Jack said and he got what Jamie said but this wasn't adding up. He moved to follow Jared, but Jared seemed to be on a mission to get out of there as fast as his legs would take him. He wasn't even sure if Jared was hearing him, but he'd follow him as long as it took.
The fast walk broke into a run and Jared took off across the sand towards his truck as fast as he possibly could, stumbling over sand and his own feet in his rush to get away. The world swam before his eyes, sloshing drunkenly in the tears standing in his eyes. He slammed into the side of his truck, flung the door open, and shoved the key into the ignition, peeling out of the parking lot with a scream of tires over asphalt. He was gone and down the road before Misha got to the parking lot.
"Fuck!" Misha yelled and headed back to the house to call Terry or Jensen, whichever one decided to pick up first.
Ten minutes later, Terry slid into the driveway sideways and stumbled out of the car at a run, and was up the steps and bursting into the cottage within seconds of having arrived, looking harried and half insane. “What happened?” he demanded. He hadn’t even let Misha explain on the phone; all he’d heard was that Jared had shown up and he’d hung up and burned rubber all the way home. “Where is he? Is he okay? Why the fuck did he leave?”
"He looks like hell but he thinks Jensen is cheating on him with some guy named Max. Jack says he saw them fucking around and has Jared all up in arms about it," Misha explained quickly. "He took off again and no I have no idea where he’s staying but he gave us tickets to a new show that he's in." He had tried to call Jensen but Ryan said he has taken off early this morning and left his phone behind so he couldn't even get any clear answers there.
“Yeah, like Jack could tell the truth if it gave him a blowjob and bent over for him first,” Terry snorted. “Besides, Jared knows that Jack’s full of shit; he wouldn’t believe Jack over Jensen. What the fuck kind of bullshit is he playing at?”
"I don't know; I can't get a hold of Jensen to get the full story but from what Jared said, Jamie told him over the phone that Jensen was with another guy. Now, I tracked Jamie down and he said that, yes, Jensen left but, no, they weren't fucking on the bar like Jack said they were. But, honestly, I think I woke him up so he wasn't really making much sense, either." Misha shook his head, regretful.
“Well, then you and I need to go and get good old Jack and ask him a few questions. I’m sure we’ve got an olive fork around here for when that little shit refuses to talk. I always wanted to castrate him with one of those.” Terry grinned, feral and pissed off. “So, you call Jack and get him over here, tell him that I’m not here and that Jared wanted to get back with him and we’ll jump him when he gets here.”
Misha nodded and picked up his phone, making a face as he dialed. He felt dirty just punching the little shit's number into his phone, and put it to his ear. "Yeah, Jack, it's Misha," he said through his teeth. "Yeah, fine, whatever; listen, Jared is here and he's really upset, keeps asking for you. Terry isn't around and I honestly don't know what to do so could you…?" He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, great, the front door will be unlocked, so just let yourself in when you get here." With that he hung up and dropped his phone on the couch. "He said ten minutes but the way he was moving I'm guessing more like five."
“Good!” Terry chirped and gave Misha a smacking kiss on the cheek. “Now, where did you put the handcuffs last time we used them?” he wondered aloud as he wandered back into the bedroom to search for the cuffs.
Misha shook his head and followed Terry into the bedroom to help him find the cuffs and whatever else they could use to torture Jack with. They were cruel but if there was one person in this world that he would personally make an exception for it was Jack.
Jack was all smug smiles and bouncing as he pulled up in front of Terry and Jared's house. He knew that Jared would come around, Jared was stubborn but he was also painfully pathetic. Jared's ass was his and he couldn't wait to start reminding Jared of that fact. He reached the front door and pushed it open before heading inside.
No sooner than the door banged shut behind Jack, an arm went around his neck and he was yanked back against someone’s chest, air supply cut in half by the restrictive arm. “Hey, bitch,” Terry purred into Jack’s ear, flexing his bicep to make it even harder for Jack to breathe. “I’ve got some questions for you, and you’re going to answer them.” He manhandled Jack into the kitchen and shoved him down into a chair. He kept his grip around Jack’s throat. “Misha, can you bring the cuffs and bondage rope in here, please?”
Misha came though the kitchen door, ready for them once Terry had a good hold on Jack. He moved behind them and grabbed Jack's hands, handcuffing them behind the chair and moving to tie him down better with the rope. He made sure everything was nice and tight and sure to cause at least some pain.
Jack pushed and bucked wildly, trying to get away but it was useless. He fought against Terry and then the cuffs, finding it harder to breathe. He heard them speaking but he wasn't really paying attention, too intent on getting away and ripping them both a new asshole. "What the fuck, you fucking bitch; get off me!" he screamed, though it went ignored.
“Now, see, there’s no reason for you to scream like that, bitch,” Terry said cheerfully as he settled himself astride Jack’s lap. He draped his arms over Jack’s shoulders and smiled cheerily. “What did you say to Jared about Jensen?” he asked sweetly.
Jack bucked again. "Get off of me," he snapped as he tried to pull away from Terry and growled at him.
"Just answer the fucking question and we promise, by the time you'll leave you'll have all your fingers," Misha sighed to which Jack merely laughed bitterly.
"Cute, but both of you fuck off and let me go."
Terry smoothed a hand up into Jack’s hair and made a fist, gripping hard enough to rip out chunks if he pulled. “No, bitch, you’re going to tell me what you said to Jared and you might keep your balls.” The smile he’d been faking fell off and his other hand came up, two fingers gripping Jack’s Adam’s apple, shoving against it to cut his air off. “And if you think I’m joking, keep pushing me.”
Jack shuddered a little because these two were actually insane. He tried to pull away again but he wasn't going anywhere. He started to choke, gasping for breath as tears stung his eyes more from lack of air than fear. He was fairly sure, though, that these two might actually kill him if given the chance. "Fine!" he snapped and tried to pull away again only to have Misha grab his head and force him to look back at Terry. "I told him that Jensen was all over some asshole at the bar, which he was, and that he left with him, which he did."
“Yeah, see, I don’t doubt that you told him that, but I know Jensen and Jensen worships the ground Jared walks on, so Jen actually being all over some other guy just isn’t the truth. Now, let me fill in some holes and see if I’m right, shall we?” Terry grinned wide and evil, but released his grip on Jack and stood up. “I think you were at the bar, drowning your troubles, because Jared finally left your punk ass at the curb, and you happened to see Jensen talking to someone and they stepped out for a minute. So, I think you twisted that shit all around just to get Jared to break it off with Jensen so that he’d fall back into your arms like the big fucking girl that he is. How am I doing?”
Jack laughed again and shook his head out of Misha's grasp. "Hey, I saw what I saw.”
“And we talked to Jamie, the other bartender from that night, and Jensen wasn't even close to touching the other guy, in fact he didn't even want to go with him,” Misha interrupted. "Tell me something; how does it feel to go through all that trouble and still have Jared throw you out on your ass?" he asked.
Jack's face was burning as he looked from one to the other. "Yeah well, I answered your fucking question so let’s make with the letting me go before I have your asses arrested for this shit."
Terry looked from Jack to Misha and then shrugged. “Just one more thing before I’ll let you go.” Terry bent at the waist and put his face right up close to Jack’s. “If you ever go near Jared again, I’ll personally make sure that your body is never found again. Are we clear?” He smiled engagingly, but there was a note of seriousness in his eyes that let Jack know he meant business.
Jack blinked and took in the look in Terry's eyes before he finally nodded. "Yeah, fine, whatever," he mumbled. Misha watched the exchange, waiting until Terry was done to start taking the cuffs and the rope off. So now they knew what happened, that was at least a start.
Once Jack was free, Terry physically assisted him to the door and shoved him out, closing the door behind him with a decisive slam. “So,” he said, turning back to Misha. “That sucked, but now we know what happened. We just need to get Jensen to tell us what the hell was happening with him leaving with that guy, and to tell him what Jack did. With Jared hiding, we can’t tell him. So, we’re gonna have to wait until his show and kidnap him, or something.”
"Maybe not," Misha said as he grabbed the tickets again and showed them to Terry. "We know where he's going to be and when. The first show is in two weeks and the last week or two they normally start dress rehearsal, so I bet you anything that if we camp out here long enough we'll be able to catch him. Jensen first, though, I guess; his cousin said that he has no idea where he is but if he had to guess he would assume on the beach." He shrugged because all Florida had was beaches.
“Yeah, we might have to do that, but we’ve got to get Jensen to see Jared face to face. Otherwise they’ll hide from each other.” Terry sighed and went over to Misha, leaning against him with a weary sigh. “I thought once they did the romantic bullshit they’d have a happily fucking ever after. What the hell is up with the goddamn drama now?”
Misha wrapped his arms around Terry and shrugged. "Love hurts," he said simply. "They both have been hurt so they’re always going to doubt themselves and one another." He sighed, because even though Jensen and Jared got over the fear about loving one another it didn't mean that they still didn't have shit to work out. "Just promise me one thing, if we ever have a problem like this we won't run away before at least talking to each other?"
“Never gonna happen with us; I’ve got you now and the only way I’m letting go is if you tell me to.” Terry nuzzled into Misha’s neck and sighed. “It still pisses me off that we’ve got to play fucking Cupid for these pricks, though. They so owe us a foursome for dealing with their emo-bullshit.”
Misha laughed and kissed Terry, rolling his eyes. "That and then some, but let’s get this started so we can get it the fuck over with," he said, pulling Terry towards the door. If they couldn't find Jensen, then they'd camp out at his house until he showed up. Lately, Jensen was impossible to get a hold of so the fun was just beginning.
~*~
After a quick check at Ryan’s and the club, Misha and Terry had set out to comb the beach for signs of Jensen. They walked the edges of the beach for miles, it seemed, further and further out from town. It was nearing dark before they had to turn around and head back home, upset because they’d been unable to find him.
Terry pulled his car into the driveway and stepped out of the car, rubbing the back of his neck to work out a stress knot. “Hey, Mish? Wanna take a dip with me? We’ve been on the beach all day, searching, and right now I wanna get in the water and relax with you.”
Misha was tired and he was bitchy at this point. Not so much with anyone just at the way the day had gone. He had thought they would at least come across Jensen at some point. He got out of the car and stretched, looking over at Terry and nodding his head. "Yeah, sounds nice." He came up behind Terry and rubbed his neck and shoulders, he knew his boyfriend was upset and tense. "I think we need to enjoy at least part of this day."
It wasn’t until they were halfway down to the water that Terry noticed a car tucked back behind several palm trees. He stopped, squinted into the darkness, and then pointed. “If that’s him, I’m going to feel like the biggest moron on the planet,” he said quietly to Misha. “And then I’m going to rip him a new asshole for hiding like a little girl. And, maybe then I’ll think about telling him what the fuck is up with Jared.”
Misha stopped and glared at the car as if it had done something to him personally rather than the owner of it. They had spent all fucking day walking up and down every beach in this part of Florida and then some only to have Jensen in the freaking backyard the whole time? "Why don't we just throw him in the ocean and be done with it?" He rolled his eyes. "These two are driving me crazy."
“Because that would be too quick a death and Jared would probably commit freaking suicide if something happened to him,” Terry replied, though he didn’t sound too happy about it. “Come on. Let’s fill him in and then go have hot monkey sex in the ocean.” Terry grabbed Misha’s hand and towed him in the direction of Jensen’s car.
Jensen had no idea that his friends were looking for him, then again he had left his cell phone at home for a reason. Jared had skipped out and, as pathetic as it sounded, Jensen couldn't let him go. He liked to think that if he had some kind of an answer about why Jared had left he’d be okay, but finding an answer was about as easy as finding Jared. He spent more and more time on the beach, not far from Jared's house, actually.
This was sort of their spot, where they had first met. That night may still have been hazy but it didn't matter. Jensen had his car parked on the beach and he was stretched out on the hood. It was night time so it wasn't like anyone would care about him being there. Jensen, at some point, had fallen asleep; he had been there pretty much all day. He had a few beers even but had just stayed out overall. He had nowhere else to be and nothing was going to make him move and stop pouting either.
Misha groaned and took Terry's hand as they walked. "They will never pay us back for all that they owe over all this; I hope they'll understand that. Fucking in the ocean certainly makes it all worth it, though."
Terry smirked over his shoulder at Misha and kept going. As they got closer, Terry could make out Jensen sleeping on the hood of the car. Pissed off and a little relieved, Terry let go of Misha’s hand and jogged the last few feet. He grabbed Jensen’s ankles and yanked, dragging him off of the car and onto the sand. “You mother fucker! Do you have any fucking idea how worried I was?”
Misha couldn't help but laugh as he watched Terry not so carefully wake Jensen up. Jensen hit the sand hard and with something between a string of curse words and a yell of panic. "What the fuck? Get off me!" he yelled, not realizing who had a hold of him until he was on the ground. He pulled away, obviously pissed off and ready to punch something.
“Oh, so I guess you don’t want to know that Jared did a drop and dash today, huh?” Terry said with a sneer. “Or that Misha and I got Jack to tell us what the fuck happened. Fine, fine; go back to being a thirteen year old girl and mope until you rot.”
"Seriously, Jensen, you have no fucking clue what we've been through for you and your boyfriend today, so I highly suggest that you play nice," Misha said as he moved over to Jensen’s car and sat on the hood.
Jensen brushed the sand off of his pants and looked from one to the other. "What the fuck are you two going on about?" he asked, obviously tired and not in the mood for anymore guesses or hopes that led to nothing. He didn't even have it in him at this point to snap back at the jabs, it was depressing.
“Well, turns out that Jack saw you leave the club that night with some guy and ran over here and told Jared how you two were all over each other, and when Jared didn’t believe him, Jared called Jamie who said that you’d left with Max. Apparently, Jared lost it and left because he wanted you to be happy with ‘the love of your life’, or some stupid bullshit.” Terry folded his arms over his chest and sighed heavily. It wasn’t nearly as fun ripping into Jensen with this; everyone had been hurt when Jack stepped in and fucked up their strange little family.
"Max?" Jensen laughed bitterly, because love of his life Jensen's ass. Jensen stared at Terry for a minute without saying anything else. His expression went from confused to royally pissed off in about five seconds. "I'm going to murder that motherfucker with my bare hands, I swear to God," he growled as he leaned back against the car and rubbed his eyes.
Misha shrugged. "Yeah, that seems to be the general idea but he got the shit scared out of him today so I don't think he'll be in Jared's face anymore. As for Jared, though, he's going to be in a show in a few weeks so we at least have a lead on how to get you both together to work this shit out."
“He gave Misha comp tickets to the show and asked us to be there. So, we can either stalk the site of the show until we catch him, or you can take my ticket and kidnap him from the stage during curtain call.” Terry went over to Misha and took his hand, tugging him down towards the water. “For now, though, I’m going to fuck my boyfriend in the water. So, you might want to, you know, go in the house and get some actual sleep while you can.”
He didn't have it in him at the moment to be grateful or anything more than pissed off. Jensen really didn't want to hear the sounds of Terry and Misha fucking at the moment. Instead, he just nodded and pushed himself off the car and headed up to the house. He was tired and he honestly still wanted to be alone and just sleep.
Misha moved with Terry, heading down to the beach with a huge grin on his face. He couldn't wait until all this shit was over with; he loved his friends, seriously, but the drama was giving him a headache. Of course, working all of it off with Terry would ensure he'd be up and ready to deal with it tomorrow all over again.
Chapter Eleven
Author: yahnknshadows
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: slash, drug use, abuse, AIDS scare, drag shows, language
Pairing Jared/Jensen, J2/OMC
Total World Count: About 75k
Disclaimer: Lies, all lies!
Summary: Full summary to be found with Master Post
Music: Why Don't You and I? by Carlos Santana featuring Chad Kroeger
Beta: Let's all give a rousing round of applause to Sarah <3 <3 <3 <3! Thanks so much for your help, honey!
Master Post
Prologue Chapter One pt.I Chapter One pt.II Chapter 2 Chapter Three
Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six pt.I Chapter Six pt. II
Chapter Seven pt. I Chapter Seven pt. II Chapter Eight Chapter Nine
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Chapter 10: Gearing Up For War
Two days after Jared left, the rest of Jared’s things had vanished with the exception of the bed. The spare room bed vanished instead. This time, there were no notes, but his cell phone had been left on the kitchen counter, turned off and obviously hadn’t been turned on since the night he left.
It had been eight days since Jared had walked out, and in that time Jared had only been spotted at a distance once, and he’d vanished into the crowd not long after, avoiding being seen. He hadn’t been to the Cars’, hadn’t been to the club, and hadn’t returned home.
Most of Jared’s time was spent working on the play, which Terry hadn’t auditioned for and Misha had dropped out of. Luckily enough, the director was paranoid and only disclosed the rehearsal location to those in the cast. He’d gotten a small apartment in the next town over, and when he wasn’t rehearsing, he was sitting in his dark apartment staring at the blank walls. After the first night, he hadn’t been able to cry. He was still heartbroken, but he couldn’t work up a single tear. Jared tried to tell himself it was because he was sure that Jensen was happy with Max and it was better to be happy for them than to dwell on the fact that his chest felt caved in whenever he even thought Jensen’s name.
There was only another two weeks until opening night and the director had given out comp tickets to each actor. Jared stared down at the pair of tickets in his hand and couldn’t decide whether or not to throw them away or actually send them to Misha and Terry.
In the end, Jared waited until he was sure Jensen wouldn’t be there hanging out with them and got into the beat up truck he’d picked up to go to and from rehearsals in. He drove over to Terry’s house and parked down at the public beach access parking and walked back to the cottage. Funny, but he couldn’t even think of it as home anymore. Jared knocked on the door and stuffed his hands into his pockets, waiting for Terry to open up.
Misha sighed and dragged himself off the couch at the knock of the door. The past week had been miserable and he didn't know what to do about it. Jensen was living back at Ryan's and refused to talk to him or Terry; had even skipped out on his own little sister’s wedding. Terry was about as messed up as Jensen was and everyone was biting each other’s heads off. Whenever they found Jared, he was going to the kick the crap out of him. He rubbed his eyes and opened the door and his eyes widened gleefully as he registered who it was. "Holy shit, where the hell have you been?" he asked, ready to call Jensen, Terry and the fucking newspapers.
“Away,” Jared answered mildly, unable to summon up even a small smile. He was straight faced, visibly distant, and there was a look of such loss in his eyes that he almost appeared completely empty. “I just dropped by to give you and Terry the comp tickets to the show, if you want to come. I can’t stay long. I’ve got to get home before it gets too late.”
Misha took the tickets, his face taking on a worried look because his friend looked like he was the walking dead. "Jared, why did you leave? What's going on? Do you have any clue how worried everyone has been? I mean, we had to pretty much put Jensen and Terry both on suicide watch."
Jared’s mouth turned down and he flinched at the mention of Jensen’s name. “I’m sorry that Terry was upset, but I had to make a clean break if I wanted to keep going. Besides, I’m pretty sure that J-J-J-he’s fine with M-M-the other guy. I’m sorry, but I can’t do it again. I can’t be second best. It’s better for them if I’m not around anymore.”
Misha shook his head. "Wait, wait, wait," he said, taking a step out to make sure Jared didn't suddenly up and run away. "Second best? Other guy? What the hell are you talking?" he asked, completely lost and confused. "Jared, you at least owe us a reason for taking off. Please, just tell me what's going on, don't keep running away." They were like family, they may not have acted like one at best, but the four of them had been sharing the house more or less for months now.
“The night I left,” Jared began, stepping back to lean against the porch railing. “Jack came by and told me that J-Jen-s-sen was out with someone else. I didn’t believe him, so I called the bar. Jamie told me that J-Jen left with M-Max-his ex-boyfriend. I think Jack was hoping I’d fall into his arms, but, I physically picked him up by the throat and threw him out. Anyway, that’s what happened and I’m not doing it again. I’m better off alone.”
Misha shook his head. "Jared, Jensen would not cheat on you and Christ knows you can't trust anything that Jack says." He pressed his lips together, eyes begging Jared to think about this. "Will you please just talk to Jensen before you leave again?" he asked. "You have no idea what he's been like since you took off. Jared, he looks as bad as you do, he loves you and he wouldn't hurt you like that."
“From what I heard, they were all over each other. Jamie confirmed that Jensen left with Max, Misha, and Jensen was so broken up by the thing with Max that he literally shut down and stopped caring. Can you honestly tell me that when the love of your life comes back you’re not going to leap at the chance? That Jensen didn’t?” Jared shook his head and scrubbed a hand over his face, belatedly realizing that he’d been crying. “Look, I’ve got to go. I’ll see you and Terry at the show if you come. If not, I’d understand. Bye, Misha.” He took off down the steps and hurried away down the street, silently berating himself for not parking closer.
"You are the love of his life, Jared!" Misha yelled after him, not willing to let him go. "Don't you think if he was with this other guy he would be out with him, not trying to hunt you down, refusing to sleep or eat?" Misha got what Jack said and he got what Jamie said but this wasn't adding up. He moved to follow Jared, but Jared seemed to be on a mission to get out of there as fast as his legs would take him. He wasn't even sure if Jared was hearing him, but he'd follow him as long as it took.
The fast walk broke into a run and Jared took off across the sand towards his truck as fast as he possibly could, stumbling over sand and his own feet in his rush to get away. The world swam before his eyes, sloshing drunkenly in the tears standing in his eyes. He slammed into the side of his truck, flung the door open, and shoved the key into the ignition, peeling out of the parking lot with a scream of tires over asphalt. He was gone and down the road before Misha got to the parking lot.
"Fuck!" Misha yelled and headed back to the house to call Terry or Jensen, whichever one decided to pick up first.
Ten minutes later, Terry slid into the driveway sideways and stumbled out of the car at a run, and was up the steps and bursting into the cottage within seconds of having arrived, looking harried and half insane. “What happened?” he demanded. He hadn’t even let Misha explain on the phone; all he’d heard was that Jared had shown up and he’d hung up and burned rubber all the way home. “Where is he? Is he okay? Why the fuck did he leave?”
"He looks like hell but he thinks Jensen is cheating on him with some guy named Max. Jack says he saw them fucking around and has Jared all up in arms about it," Misha explained quickly. "He took off again and no I have no idea where he’s staying but he gave us tickets to a new show that he's in." He had tried to call Jensen but Ryan said he has taken off early this morning and left his phone behind so he couldn't even get any clear answers there.
“Yeah, like Jack could tell the truth if it gave him a blowjob and bent over for him first,” Terry snorted. “Besides, Jared knows that Jack’s full of shit; he wouldn’t believe Jack over Jensen. What the fuck kind of bullshit is he playing at?”
"I don't know; I can't get a hold of Jensen to get the full story but from what Jared said, Jamie told him over the phone that Jensen was with another guy. Now, I tracked Jamie down and he said that, yes, Jensen left but, no, they weren't fucking on the bar like Jack said they were. But, honestly, I think I woke him up so he wasn't really making much sense, either." Misha shook his head, regretful.
“Well, then you and I need to go and get good old Jack and ask him a few questions. I’m sure we’ve got an olive fork around here for when that little shit refuses to talk. I always wanted to castrate him with one of those.” Terry grinned, feral and pissed off. “So, you call Jack and get him over here, tell him that I’m not here and that Jared wanted to get back with him and we’ll jump him when he gets here.”
Misha nodded and picked up his phone, making a face as he dialed. He felt dirty just punching the little shit's number into his phone, and put it to his ear. "Yeah, Jack, it's Misha," he said through his teeth. "Yeah, fine, whatever; listen, Jared is here and he's really upset, keeps asking for you. Terry isn't around and I honestly don't know what to do so could you…?" He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, great, the front door will be unlocked, so just let yourself in when you get here." With that he hung up and dropped his phone on the couch. "He said ten minutes but the way he was moving I'm guessing more like five."
“Good!” Terry chirped and gave Misha a smacking kiss on the cheek. “Now, where did you put the handcuffs last time we used them?” he wondered aloud as he wandered back into the bedroom to search for the cuffs.
Misha shook his head and followed Terry into the bedroom to help him find the cuffs and whatever else they could use to torture Jack with. They were cruel but if there was one person in this world that he would personally make an exception for it was Jack.
Jack was all smug smiles and bouncing as he pulled up in front of Terry and Jared's house. He knew that Jared would come around, Jared was stubborn but he was also painfully pathetic. Jared's ass was his and he couldn't wait to start reminding Jared of that fact. He reached the front door and pushed it open before heading inside.
No sooner than the door banged shut behind Jack, an arm went around his neck and he was yanked back against someone’s chest, air supply cut in half by the restrictive arm. “Hey, bitch,” Terry purred into Jack’s ear, flexing his bicep to make it even harder for Jack to breathe. “I’ve got some questions for you, and you’re going to answer them.” He manhandled Jack into the kitchen and shoved him down into a chair. He kept his grip around Jack’s throat. “Misha, can you bring the cuffs and bondage rope in here, please?”
Misha came though the kitchen door, ready for them once Terry had a good hold on Jack. He moved behind them and grabbed Jack's hands, handcuffing them behind the chair and moving to tie him down better with the rope. He made sure everything was nice and tight and sure to cause at least some pain.
Jack pushed and bucked wildly, trying to get away but it was useless. He fought against Terry and then the cuffs, finding it harder to breathe. He heard them speaking but he wasn't really paying attention, too intent on getting away and ripping them both a new asshole. "What the fuck, you fucking bitch; get off me!" he screamed, though it went ignored.
“Now, see, there’s no reason for you to scream like that, bitch,” Terry said cheerfully as he settled himself astride Jack’s lap. He draped his arms over Jack’s shoulders and smiled cheerily. “What did you say to Jared about Jensen?” he asked sweetly.
Jack bucked again. "Get off of me," he snapped as he tried to pull away from Terry and growled at him.
"Just answer the fucking question and we promise, by the time you'll leave you'll have all your fingers," Misha sighed to which Jack merely laughed bitterly.
"Cute, but both of you fuck off and let me go."
Terry smoothed a hand up into Jack’s hair and made a fist, gripping hard enough to rip out chunks if he pulled. “No, bitch, you’re going to tell me what you said to Jared and you might keep your balls.” The smile he’d been faking fell off and his other hand came up, two fingers gripping Jack’s Adam’s apple, shoving against it to cut his air off. “And if you think I’m joking, keep pushing me.”
Jack shuddered a little because these two were actually insane. He tried to pull away again but he wasn't going anywhere. He started to choke, gasping for breath as tears stung his eyes more from lack of air than fear. He was fairly sure, though, that these two might actually kill him if given the chance. "Fine!" he snapped and tried to pull away again only to have Misha grab his head and force him to look back at Terry. "I told him that Jensen was all over some asshole at the bar, which he was, and that he left with him, which he did."
“Yeah, see, I don’t doubt that you told him that, but I know Jensen and Jensen worships the ground Jared walks on, so Jen actually being all over some other guy just isn’t the truth. Now, let me fill in some holes and see if I’m right, shall we?” Terry grinned wide and evil, but released his grip on Jack and stood up. “I think you were at the bar, drowning your troubles, because Jared finally left your punk ass at the curb, and you happened to see Jensen talking to someone and they stepped out for a minute. So, I think you twisted that shit all around just to get Jared to break it off with Jensen so that he’d fall back into your arms like the big fucking girl that he is. How am I doing?”
Jack laughed again and shook his head out of Misha's grasp. "Hey, I saw what I saw.”
“And we talked to Jamie, the other bartender from that night, and Jensen wasn't even close to touching the other guy, in fact he didn't even want to go with him,” Misha interrupted. "Tell me something; how does it feel to go through all that trouble and still have Jared throw you out on your ass?" he asked.
Jack's face was burning as he looked from one to the other. "Yeah well, I answered your fucking question so let’s make with the letting me go before I have your asses arrested for this shit."
Terry looked from Jack to Misha and then shrugged. “Just one more thing before I’ll let you go.” Terry bent at the waist and put his face right up close to Jack’s. “If you ever go near Jared again, I’ll personally make sure that your body is never found again. Are we clear?” He smiled engagingly, but there was a note of seriousness in his eyes that let Jack know he meant business.
Jack blinked and took in the look in Terry's eyes before he finally nodded. "Yeah, fine, whatever," he mumbled. Misha watched the exchange, waiting until Terry was done to start taking the cuffs and the rope off. So now they knew what happened, that was at least a start.
Once Jack was free, Terry physically assisted him to the door and shoved him out, closing the door behind him with a decisive slam. “So,” he said, turning back to Misha. “That sucked, but now we know what happened. We just need to get Jensen to tell us what the hell was happening with him leaving with that guy, and to tell him what Jack did. With Jared hiding, we can’t tell him. So, we’re gonna have to wait until his show and kidnap him, or something.”
"Maybe not," Misha said as he grabbed the tickets again and showed them to Terry. "We know where he's going to be and when. The first show is in two weeks and the last week or two they normally start dress rehearsal, so I bet you anything that if we camp out here long enough we'll be able to catch him. Jensen first, though, I guess; his cousin said that he has no idea where he is but if he had to guess he would assume on the beach." He shrugged because all Florida had was beaches.
“Yeah, we might have to do that, but we’ve got to get Jensen to see Jared face to face. Otherwise they’ll hide from each other.” Terry sighed and went over to Misha, leaning against him with a weary sigh. “I thought once they did the romantic bullshit they’d have a happily fucking ever after. What the hell is up with the goddamn drama now?”
Misha wrapped his arms around Terry and shrugged. "Love hurts," he said simply. "They both have been hurt so they’re always going to doubt themselves and one another." He sighed, because even though Jensen and Jared got over the fear about loving one another it didn't mean that they still didn't have shit to work out. "Just promise me one thing, if we ever have a problem like this we won't run away before at least talking to each other?"
“Never gonna happen with us; I’ve got you now and the only way I’m letting go is if you tell me to.” Terry nuzzled into Misha’s neck and sighed. “It still pisses me off that we’ve got to play fucking Cupid for these pricks, though. They so owe us a foursome for dealing with their emo-bullshit.”
Misha laughed and kissed Terry, rolling his eyes. "That and then some, but let’s get this started so we can get it the fuck over with," he said, pulling Terry towards the door. If they couldn't find Jensen, then they'd camp out at his house until he showed up. Lately, Jensen was impossible to get a hold of so the fun was just beginning.
~*~
After a quick check at Ryan’s and the club, Misha and Terry had set out to comb the beach for signs of Jensen. They walked the edges of the beach for miles, it seemed, further and further out from town. It was nearing dark before they had to turn around and head back home, upset because they’d been unable to find him.
Terry pulled his car into the driveway and stepped out of the car, rubbing the back of his neck to work out a stress knot. “Hey, Mish? Wanna take a dip with me? We’ve been on the beach all day, searching, and right now I wanna get in the water and relax with you.”
Misha was tired and he was bitchy at this point. Not so much with anyone just at the way the day had gone. He had thought they would at least come across Jensen at some point. He got out of the car and stretched, looking over at Terry and nodding his head. "Yeah, sounds nice." He came up behind Terry and rubbed his neck and shoulders, he knew his boyfriend was upset and tense. "I think we need to enjoy at least part of this day."
It wasn’t until they were halfway down to the water that Terry noticed a car tucked back behind several palm trees. He stopped, squinted into the darkness, and then pointed. “If that’s him, I’m going to feel like the biggest moron on the planet,” he said quietly to Misha. “And then I’m going to rip him a new asshole for hiding like a little girl. And, maybe then I’ll think about telling him what the fuck is up with Jared.”
Misha stopped and glared at the car as if it had done something to him personally rather than the owner of it. They had spent all fucking day walking up and down every beach in this part of Florida and then some only to have Jensen in the freaking backyard the whole time? "Why don't we just throw him in the ocean and be done with it?" He rolled his eyes. "These two are driving me crazy."
“Because that would be too quick a death and Jared would probably commit freaking suicide if something happened to him,” Terry replied, though he didn’t sound too happy about it. “Come on. Let’s fill him in and then go have hot monkey sex in the ocean.” Terry grabbed Misha’s hand and towed him in the direction of Jensen’s car.
Jensen had no idea that his friends were looking for him, then again he had left his cell phone at home for a reason. Jared had skipped out and, as pathetic as it sounded, Jensen couldn't let him go. He liked to think that if he had some kind of an answer about why Jared had left he’d be okay, but finding an answer was about as easy as finding Jared. He spent more and more time on the beach, not far from Jared's house, actually.
This was sort of their spot, where they had first met. That night may still have been hazy but it didn't matter. Jensen had his car parked on the beach and he was stretched out on the hood. It was night time so it wasn't like anyone would care about him being there. Jensen, at some point, had fallen asleep; he had been there pretty much all day. He had a few beers even but had just stayed out overall. He had nowhere else to be and nothing was going to make him move and stop pouting either.
Misha groaned and took Terry's hand as they walked. "They will never pay us back for all that they owe over all this; I hope they'll understand that. Fucking in the ocean certainly makes it all worth it, though."
Terry smirked over his shoulder at Misha and kept going. As they got closer, Terry could make out Jensen sleeping on the hood of the car. Pissed off and a little relieved, Terry let go of Misha’s hand and jogged the last few feet. He grabbed Jensen’s ankles and yanked, dragging him off of the car and onto the sand. “You mother fucker! Do you have any fucking idea how worried I was?”
Misha couldn't help but laugh as he watched Terry not so carefully wake Jensen up. Jensen hit the sand hard and with something between a string of curse words and a yell of panic. "What the fuck? Get off me!" he yelled, not realizing who had a hold of him until he was on the ground. He pulled away, obviously pissed off and ready to punch something.
“Oh, so I guess you don’t want to know that Jared did a drop and dash today, huh?” Terry said with a sneer. “Or that Misha and I got Jack to tell us what the fuck happened. Fine, fine; go back to being a thirteen year old girl and mope until you rot.”
"Seriously, Jensen, you have no fucking clue what we've been through for you and your boyfriend today, so I highly suggest that you play nice," Misha said as he moved over to Jensen’s car and sat on the hood.
Jensen brushed the sand off of his pants and looked from one to the other. "What the fuck are you two going on about?" he asked, obviously tired and not in the mood for anymore guesses or hopes that led to nothing. He didn't even have it in him at this point to snap back at the jabs, it was depressing.
“Well, turns out that Jack saw you leave the club that night with some guy and ran over here and told Jared how you two were all over each other, and when Jared didn’t believe him, Jared called Jamie who said that you’d left with Max. Apparently, Jared lost it and left because he wanted you to be happy with ‘the love of your life’, or some stupid bullshit.” Terry folded his arms over his chest and sighed heavily. It wasn’t nearly as fun ripping into Jensen with this; everyone had been hurt when Jack stepped in and fucked up their strange little family.
"Max?" Jensen laughed bitterly, because love of his life Jensen's ass. Jensen stared at Terry for a minute without saying anything else. His expression went from confused to royally pissed off in about five seconds. "I'm going to murder that motherfucker with my bare hands, I swear to God," he growled as he leaned back against the car and rubbed his eyes.
Misha shrugged. "Yeah, that seems to be the general idea but he got the shit scared out of him today so I don't think he'll be in Jared's face anymore. As for Jared, though, he's going to be in a show in a few weeks so we at least have a lead on how to get you both together to work this shit out."
“He gave Misha comp tickets to the show and asked us to be there. So, we can either stalk the site of the show until we catch him, or you can take my ticket and kidnap him from the stage during curtain call.” Terry went over to Misha and took his hand, tugging him down towards the water. “For now, though, I’m going to fuck my boyfriend in the water. So, you might want to, you know, go in the house and get some actual sleep while you can.”
He didn't have it in him at the moment to be grateful or anything more than pissed off. Jensen really didn't want to hear the sounds of Terry and Misha fucking at the moment. Instead, he just nodded and pushed himself off the car and headed up to the house. He was tired and he honestly still wanted to be alone and just sleep.
Misha moved with Terry, heading down to the beach with a huge grin on his face. He couldn't wait until all this shit was over with; he loved his friends, seriously, but the drama was giving him a headache. Of course, working all of it off with Terry would ensure he'd be up and ready to deal with it tomorrow all over again.
Chapter Eleven