Smoke & Lightning: Born To Be Wild (11/?)
MASTER POST
Title: Smoke And Lightning: Born To Be Wild (11/?)
Authors: bloody_adorable and eviltwin
Fandoms: Supernatural RPS
Pairing: Jensen Ackles / Jared Padalecki.
Rating: Adult.
Wordcount: 4,125
Summary: AU. They're born to be wild. At least, Jared is. Jensen's learning, though, and this road-trip that they're on will teach him plenty of lessons. It's a good thing, too, because he'll need what he's learnt when they return and venture onto an altogether more serious step in their relationship. Trust is a major aspect for the both of them and Jensen's will be tested to breaking point as the boys learn how they'll cope together on the road...and off it.
Disclaimer: None of the following is true in any way, and no profit is made from this work of fiction.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
When Jensen woke, Jared was already up and across the room and digging through his bag with his one good hand. Jensen watched him for a moment, then asked him what he was doing.
"Looking for the Tylenol."
"In the bathroom, where we left them last night," Jensen told him.
Jared went straight for them and Jensen watched him tip two into his mouth, followed by a handful of water from the basin. "Feel like shit," he mumbled, as he crawled back onto the bed. Jensen sat up, folding his arms around his knees, and frowned.
"You look like shit."
"Thanks."
"What the hell else do you want me to say?"
"You were more sympathetic last night."
"Because I was just fucking relieved you weren't dead."
"He wouldn't have-"
"No," Jensen interrupted, voice firm, turning to look at Jared. His eyes blazed with anger. "You don't know what he would or wouldn't have done, so don't even go there. Jay, you told me you wouldn't start a fight. You fucking promised me."
"And I didn't start it. He shoved me first."
"So we're in kindergarten now? You provoked him." Jensen felt beyond frustrated, and he quickly got off the bed to stand because he felt like he might explode if he didn't put some distance between them. His hands curled into fists at his sides and he didn't even notice. "You chose that music on purpose. So somebody would say something. Why've you always got to prove yourself, huh?"
"It's just who I am, Jensen. I thought you knew that when you got into bed with me."
Jensen thought back to the first fight, at Mickey's. He hadn't witnessed it, but he'd seen the aftermath. He thought about Doug, and Jared fighting with him in the parking lot of the football field. He thought about Thanksgiving, their own fight, and Jared fighting in prison. Yes, he knew what Jared was like. He knew that he backed down very rarely. He knew that Jeff was one of the only people that could make Jared back down. He wished that Jeff had been there last night. Maybe things would have gone differently. "I know who you are, Jay," he said, trying to distract himself from the possibility that he was more annoyed about not being able to stop Jay than the fact that he had fought Hess. "You're the guy who's going to get into one fight too many one day and find yourself wondering what happened."
"Is that what you think?" Jared was on the edge of the bed now, looking nowhere but at Jensen. The emotion on his face was something unrecognizable at first. Jensen figured it was because he hadn't really seen Jared look guilty before. Or so sorrowful.
"Yeah," he returned, his voice soft. "And I don't want that, Jay. I don't want to watch it happen. Some fights you just have to walk away from. You taught me to stand up for myself, so let me teach you to sit the fuck down when you need to. I don't see..." He stopped, bit his lip, and looked at the floor. He took a deep breath, then finished, "I don't see us together if you pull this shit again. If you make me a promise, I want you to keep it. I don't give a fuck if it goes against every instinct you have. If you think it makes you look weak. They could have killed us both. You didn't do any of that for me, or for the money. You did it for you. So can you just?" He stopped again, knowing Jared wanted to say something. He didn't want to let him, though, and he crossed over to the bed again, dropped to his knees in front of Jared and looked up at him, hopeful.
"Just promise me that from here on out the decisions you make are going to be for us. And I promise I'll do the same."
Jared nodded slowly, his good hand reaching down to stroke the side of Jensen's face. "I'll try."
"I don't want you to try, Jay. I want you to promise me."
Jared didn't look away, though Jensen saw the change in his eyes. Surprise that Jensen wasn't taking any answer but the one he wanted to hear. "Okay. I promise. And I'm sorry, for what it's worth."
Jensen hadn't expected an apology, least of all one that sounded so sincere. His uncertainty must have shown, as Jared nudged him up and then pushed him down to the bed again, bracing himself on the arm without the cast to lean over Jensen and kiss him. He studied Jensen's face, the close quarters making both of them start to lose focus.
"I'm sorry," he said again.
"You were lucky last night," Jensen told him. "You're not invincible, whatever you think. I don't ever want to go through that again."
Jared sighed, surrendering. "I know."
Do you? Jensen wanted to say. He didn't. Couldn't. Jared was nosing against his jaw, pushing his head to one side so he could reach Jensen's throat and kiss there. He would tire himself out with it and would be asleep again soon enough. That was good. Jensen wanted to make a call and he didn't want Jared to argue with him over it. Not this time.
"I don't think I've ever been so pleased to see a drag queen. Trevor, thanks for rescuing us, man. There's no way Jay could've ridden that far."
Trevor looked over at Jared and nodded in agreement. It was one and a half days after the fight and Jared's arm was still swollen underneath the straps of his cast. He looked out of it from all the painkillers he'd been downing at Jensen's request and, despite his arguments, Jensen didn't trust him to ride the bike any further than the end of the street. He'd managed a little bit further with Jensen reaching around him to steer the bike while he dealt with everything else, but they couldn't do that all the way from Lubbock to home.
Jared had called Trevor and asked him to come to Lubbock with his truck. They could put the Harley in the back and secure it there, and then ride back with Trevor. He'd been only too happy to come out for them, which might have had more to do with the fact that Jensen had called Jeffrey first while Jared had been asleep and told him what was going on. Trevor was under strict orders not to let Jared pull any more 'fucking idiotic' stunts.
"So much for Dallas," Jensen said, getting into the truck beside Jared while Trevor finished off strapping the bike in the back.
"Yeah. So much for Dallas," Jared sighed, his head tipped back against the top of the bench-seat and his eyes closed. "We'll go there next break. I'll make it up to you. We'll go to Six Flags, go and see a game."
"Sounds like a plan."
Jared slumped, leaning against Jensen's side when Trevor got behind the wheel and started the engine. Jensen planned to do some of the driving as well, so that they could get back quicker, but he knew he couldn't ask Jared to spend the night in the truck so they would definitely be stopping somewhere. It didn't seem to matter, however, as twenty miles down the road Jared was fast asleep and snoring into his shoulder. He took the opportunity to talk to Trevor, mostly about Jared. They talked about the fight and about his boyfriend's habit of getting into them.
"You don't need to worry about whether he can take care of himself or not. What you always got to worry about is the other guy."
"And what if the other guy one day turned out to be better?"
Trevor shrugged. "Then Jay'd get his ass kicked and maybe he'd learn his lesson. Probably not, though."
"I don't want him to wind up getting his ass kicked. I don't like seeing him fight, you know? But I don't want to see him lose."
Trevor glanced over at him with a soft smile that made Jensen see why he made such a believable woman. "I know, hon. None of us do. But he's a stubborn boy and he'll never back down from a fight. It's just the way he is now."
"He backed down from one," Jensen said, remembering Argo. Remembering Jared getting him out of there before things went from bad to worse.
"He'd do anything for you."
Jensen nodded. He knew. He was counting on it.
The drive back was, thankfully, uneventful. Jared finished off the Tylenol when they stopped for the night, but declined Jensen's offer to buy more. They didn't sleep well. Jensen couldn't stop thinking and it kept him awake, and Jared was too hot to sleep. It didn't help that they'd apparently chosen the most popular motel in the state for hookers and had to listen to the headboard of the bed next door bang against the wall for a solid half hour; a drumbeat to a soundtrack of female moans and male grunts. It was a huge turn-off, and an even bigger annoyance.
Trevor came to get them up early the next morning and they got dressed in their clothes from the day before and followed him out to the truck. There wasn't a great deal of conversation for the rest of the ride back home. They were all too tired for it, Jensen figured, though he still took a turn at driving before they stopped for some food. They did well, getting back to town in the middle of the afternoon. Trevor pulled up outside Jeff's and Jensen felt relief flood through him at the sight of the familiar house. He got out, leaving Jared where he was, and headed round to the back to help Trevor unload the Harley. Jeff came outside as they were doing so, letting them finish before pulling Jensen into a warm hug.
Jared was still in the front of the truck, fast asleep. Jeff tapped hard on the window and he started, waking and looking round with wide eyes. When he saw Jeff he grinned, all teeth and dimples, and moved to get out. Jeff stood back to let him, then wrapped an arm around his neck and pulled him in close, holding onto him for just a moment.
"Heard you did something pretty stupid," he said, as he pulled away.
Jared glanced at Jensen and then nodded. There was that guilt again.
"Hope you're ready for a lifetime of making it up to your boy here. That's the sort of dumb that can get you in real trouble, Jay."
"I was-"
"Did I ask you a question?" Jeff interrupted. "This Hess fella might not have been good enough to take you, but I am. And you ain't above a little discipline from your old man, you hear me? Your mom would have hated to see you doing that."
Jared looked away from Jeff, a flash of sadness crossing his features, chased by something else entirely. Jeff was apparently done with him for now, as he turned to Trevor and thanked him, asked if he wanted a drink.
"I'm good. I should get back to the yard, make sure nothing's going on that shouldn't be."
"I'll be back there tomorrow. I owe you one."
As Trevor drove off, Jeff got the bike into the driveway and Jared followed, wanting to see what had happened in the garage while they'd been away. Jensen let him go, heading inside the house to find Stevie exactly were he imagined she would be: curled up on the couch with a fan blowing at her bare feet and the TV tuned in to some soap or other. He leaned over the back of the sofa and kissed her cheek when she smiled round at him.
"Jensen! Oh my goodness, are you all right?"
"I'm fine," he told her, moving around the couch to sit on the arm opposite from where she was leaning. "Jared's a bit more of a mess, but he's okay."
"Jeff told me what he did." She bit her lip. "Are you boys okay?"
"I should be madder at him, shouldn't I? I just..." He sighed, leaning forward and scrubbing a hand over his face. He felt Stevie's hand on his shoulder and let her pull him close, holding him like his mom would have if she was here. "I feel pathetic for loving him so much. For not wanting to let myself give up on us."
"A lot of people can only dream of having someone like you. Jay'll either realize how damned lucky he is, or you'll realize that it's possible to live without him."
"Mm," Jensen mumbled, Stevie's warmth making him realize how tired he was. By the time Jared came in from the garage, Jensen was sleeping. Stevie tapped her finger to her lips and he sat down quietly opposite them, watching, not looking round when Jeff came in.
"I guess he's been worrying too much to sleep, huh?"
"Yeah. I guess." Jared pinched the bridge of his nose, screwing his eyes shut for a second. "I was such a dick to him. Why do I always realize that too late?"
"'cause you're an idiot," Jeff told him. "You're going to have to stop that, you know?"
He sighed. "I know."
"That boy'd forgive you damn near anything, though. You fight hard enough for something, you don't give it up that easily."
Jensen woke after sleeping for nearly an hour and a half, and was immediately apologetic when he realized he'd been using Stevie for a pillow. She told him not to worry and let him sit up. He did so, rubbing at his eyes.
"Where are Jeff and Jay?"
"They went out to get something to eat. Shouldn't be too long now. You can sleep a while longer if you want."
"No, thanks. I'm good. Are any of my clothes still here?"
"I think there's a box under the stairs with some of your stuff. Your mom said she may as well leave a few things here in case you and Jay come and stay over at all. Which you might, when we get you babysitting."
Jensen nodded. "Then can I run up and have a shower before they get back? I feel like I've been wearing these clothes for a week. Kind of smell like it too. Sorry."
Stevie laughed off the apology. "I've smelt worse. High school teacher, don't forget."
Jensen found the small box exactly where Stevie had said, and he grabbed the first full outfit of clothes he came across. At least his mom had left some decent clothes here for him. He went upstairs and took a long, hot shower, letting the powerful spray pound into his skin. It felt like a massage. It felt wonderful. He washed his hair as well, until he finally felt like he was clean. He heard the door go downstairs only a couple of minutes after turning the water off and, sure enough, Jared came into the bathroom as he was finishing up drying off. He was glad he'd already got his underwear on, as Jared would probably have kept him in there and let their dinner go cold.
He was surprised when Jared only sat down on the rim of the tub and watched him finish getting dressed.
"What did we get to eat?" He asked, fastening the zipper on his combat cut-offs.
"Italian."
"Pizza?"
"Yeah. Are you okay?"
Jensen tugged his teeshirt down over his head, ignoring where it clung to still-damp patches of skin. "I'm okay," he answered. "I was just tired. I need to fall asleep in a proper bed and lay in it for maybe a whole day."
"Well, your mom's coming over in a couple of hours."
"Really? How come?"
"To give us a lift back to yours. Jeff already put my bike over there. Says he needed the space."
"Oh yeah. What happened in the garage?"
Jared snorted at the question. "Jeff happened, that's what. You should go take a look. You'll hardly recognize it."
Curious, Jensen decided to do just that. Jared followed him down and through the kitchen to the connecting door. It was open now and Jensen stopped in the doorway, gaping. The mess was gone. The garbage had been thrown out and everything else was neatly tidied away in its own place, above a brand new workbench that ran the length of the wall opposite to where he stood. The walls had been plastered over and painted, a pale cream. There was room for the car and the half-mended Ducati at the front, and at the back, behind everything, was Jared's old sofa and TV, though the sofa had been reupholstered and looked a lot less tired. The ladder to the upper level had been replaced by a much sturdier set of stairs and there was a proper bed up there now, along with a few other bits of furniture that weren't made out of wooden crates and reclaimed pallets of wood.
"Wow," Jensen said, taking it all in. "It looks amazing in here."
"Thanks," Jeff told him, walking up behind them. "Still yours when you need it, but now it actually looks like a guest bedroom."
"Must've been a lot of work."
"It was. But I have a lot of friends who are good at this kind of thing."
Jensen nodded. Jeff had a lot of friends who were good at anything he could think of, from what he had seen, so it wasn't surprising that they had helped him with this.
"Enough gawping. Come on and eat, before it gets cold."
It wasn't only Jensen's mom that showed up a little while later. Kenzie was with her and she got to Jensen first, wrapping her arms tight around him and not letting go. He hugged his mom over the top of Kenzie's head, watched when she turned to give Jared a careful hug too.
"Thanks for letting us stay with you, Donna," Jared said, as he stepped back from her.
"No problem. None at all. Jensen's room will always be his." She eyed Jared's hand with concern. "So, how are the broken bones?"
Jared shrugged. "Mending, I guess. I've had worse. Guess I'm not going to win any beauty contests any time soon, though."
Kenzie grinned up at him from where she was still attached to her brother. "You got that right."
"I'm not crippled, y'know," he warned her, jokingly, his eyes narrowing.
"A fact for which I'm very grateful," Jensen told him, which shut him up from anything else he wanted to say.
They said goodbye to Jeff and Stevie after thanking them for dinner and for everything else, then Jensen's mom led them out to the car. Jared sat in front because it was easier and because Kenzie didn't want to give up her hold on her big brother. They talked about the good bits of the trip on the way to the apartment, and after they got there. About meeting Randy, Cadillac Ranch, Los Angeles and Buck and Selma. Kenzie wanted to see Jensen's pictures, but he told her she'd have to wait. That he was too tired. The real reason, though, was that he needed to go through them and move all the ones he didn't want anyone else to see to a separate disk. Jared had gotten hold of his camera a couple of times and the less he thought about that, the better.
By the time nine o'clock rolled around, he was about ready to fall asleep again. Jared must have seen it, because he excused them both and pulled Jensen to his feet one-handed. He kept hold of his hand as he started for Jensen's room, saying a goodnight over his shoulder.
"C'mon, you," he said, as he opened the door. "Time for bed."
Jensen's room hadn't changed as dramatically as Jared's. There was now a second set of drawers where, judging by the scale model Harley Davidson Classic that sat on top of it, Donna had put all of Jared's clothes. Jensen smiled to himself as he realized that they'd probably also been ironed for the first time in forever. Jared shut the door gently behind them and wrapped an arm around Jensen's waist, his broken hand hanging at his side. Jensen let himself get lost in kissing Jared, holding on as he was manouevered back to the bed and laid down on it, the other man following. Jared nudged his thighs apart and settled down between them, smiling down at him.
"You want to fool around a little bit first?"
"Are you sure you're up to it?" Jensen asked.
"I'm up to some things."
"Even so, I think maybe you'd be better off down here."
"Mm, I'm liking the sound of that."
Awkwardly, they switched positions. Jensen got to his feet once he was free so he could unfasten the belt of Jared's jeans and pull them down his legs and off, along with his socks. He left them on the floor and then undressed as well, stripping to his bare skin. Jared sat up to pull off his tee and lay back down as Jensen crawled on top of him.
"You didn't lock the door," Jared reminded him.
"I know. It's okay. They're not going to come in now."
"Oh, right. Because they think you're asleep."
"I'd better be real quiet, then," Jensen said, before bending and licking a thick stripe of skin between Jared's abs and downwards. He hooked his thumbs under the elastic of Jared's shorts and pulled them down enough that he could reach where he wanted.
Jared breathed heavier at the touch of tongue and lips to his dick. Jensen went deeper, nosing at Jared's balls and scraping his teeth lightly over the tight crease of his thighs. He curled his fingers around Jared's dick, moving in a quick rhythm for now just to get him hard. It didn't take so long. They'd not had sex since before Jared's bout with Hess, so they were both wound up and in need, a point which Jared proved by coming after only five minutes of Jensen's mouth sucking him down. Jensen swallowed around him, what he could, and pulled away to work him through the rest of it with his hand. Jared was panting for breath as he came down, looking happier than he had in days. Jensen's throat felt thick with come and it was spattered over Jared's stomach, too.
"I guess you weren't kidding about your balls exploding if you don't get sex," he said, reaching down and squeezing them lightly. Jared twitched, his whole body shuddering, and moaned in agreement.
"I have... A very... A high sex drive," he managed, in between trying to catch his breath.
"No shit," Jensen agreed. "Lucky me, huh?"
Jared pushed at him gently. "Up a sec."
Jensen moved, watching Jared pull his shorts down the rest of the way. He bent his knees to unhook them from his feet and used them to wipe up the rest of the mess. He tossed the shorts to the floor and rolled onto his stomach, looking sideways at Jensen with an expectant face. "Do you want to-?"
"Not tonight. Tonight I just want..." Jensen trailed off, shifting lazily until he had one leg over Jared's and felt like he was plastered to the other man's back with sweat. He was hard already, and he pushed against the damp heat of Jared's ass, sliding into the cleft there. He ignored the temptation to just fuck him anyway, instead rocking his hips slowly and getting friction that way. It was all he wanted, more than enough given his tired state. He held onto Jared's shoulders, legs bent to keep his balance, and got himself off on just the feeling and sensation of this.
He came messily, pushing himself up to watch it paint Jared's back. He swiped a finger through it and held it to Jared's mouth, his body still moving, and breathed raggedly as Jared sucked the finger into his mouth and licked it clean.
"More..." Jared mumbled, and Jensen obliged. He mopped the rest away with the corner of his sheet and then eased himself off Jared's body, laying down beside him. They were both sweating, panting, sticky and sated. Jensen left the covers at the bottom of the bed, unable to bear the thought of trying to get comfortable beneath them. He turned onto his side instead, pressed to Jared's back, and quickly fell asleep.
--TBC--