Real Person Fic - CW: Arm in Arm, We'll Win the Fight [Part 3/3]
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PART THREE
The next morning, Jared is roused by a series of excited licks to his face. He sits up, knowing he should be stern with Dean for coming back, but he can't manage it. He pushes the Ninetales away, which only encourages Dean to rush in with twice as much energy.
"You are bad," Jared tells him warmly, scratching the mane of hair on Dean's neck. "You are such a bad Pokémon. Did Jensen let you in, huh? On his way out? Guess you guys finally met."
Dean barks and turns around a few times, chasing nine tails so long he has to be trying not to catch them and trampling allover Jared in the process. Jared laughs. It's a better start to his day than he was expecting, even if he's still a little annoyed he fell asleep with his arms around Jensen only to wake up to find Dean snuggled up against his side instead.
After a while, Dean stops going in circles and swoops down to pick something up in his mouth. He drops it into Jared's lap, and Jared feels his blood turn to ice. It's a poké ball; it's an empty poké ball.
"No, Dean," Jared says. "That's not a toy. We'll find a stick or something if you wanna play fetch, okay? Just let me get dressed."
Jared tries to get up then, but Dean shakes his head stubbornly and noses the poké ball again, rolling it into Jared's palm.
Lavender Town's Pokémon Tower doesn't allow living Pokémon to accompany their masters outside of a poké ball because the ghosts tend to be a little traumatizing. In other words, the only way Dean could come into this Team Rocket fight with Jared would be if Jared caught him and then released him once the Rockets attacked.
But there's no way Dean could know that, and there's no way he's asking Jared to trap him in a poké ball and carry him right back to the gang that tortured him nearly to death.
But then Dean locks eyes with Jared, and Jared knows that's exactly what the Ninetales wants him to do.
"No way," Jared replies, shoving Dean off of him. "Between your bad ideas and Jensen's bad ideas…"
Dean whimpers, turning on his side so that Jared can see the Team Rocket brand on his left thigh. Like he's trying to tell Jared this is his fight, too. Which, fine, fair enough, it is, but Jared's not going to lead another Pokémon he loves into a death-by-Rocket.
And then he gets a kind of horrible idea. If he refuses to catch Dean, Dean will probably be his stubborn self and still follow Jared to the Pokémon Tower, maybe stand outside waiting until Jared comes out (if Jared comes out at all). If the town is crawling with Rockets like Jensen says it is, any one of them could pass by, see him, and nab him. If Jared catches Dean, he can keep the Ninetales out of the fight against the Pokémon's wishes and let him go afterward if he lives, or release him during the battle if it's not looking like he's gonna make it out.
Dean is unbelievably powerful-he'll at least be able to fight the Rockets long enough to escape on his own.
"Okay, boy," he says, picking up the poké ball and relearning the once-familiar feel of it in his palm. He fiddles with it for a few seconds and looks at the Pokémon. "But you gotta promise that if anything happens to me while we're fighting, you'll run like hell. You got that?"
Dean nods, licking Jared's face one last time just so it's really clear he's listening.
"I'll, uh," Jared says, pressing his thumb into the release button and letting the poké ball fall onto the floor of the tent open, "just don't step into it if this isn't what you want."
Dean puts two paws out and falls in, disappearing as the poké ball swings shut with a quiet click. He doesn't struggle, though it would be easy for him to break out. That's how bad he wants to be a part of this fight, and Jared picks up the ball, feeling the slight increase in weight that means it's not empty anymore. He apologizes to the thick plastic casing even though he knows Dean won't hear it.
"Jared Padalecki, as I live and breathe." Jeff Morgan stands in the door to his famous Pokémon volunteer house with a bright, wide grin under his salt and pepper scruff, but he doesn't move forward to give Jared an embrace or backward to welcome Jared in.
It sends up warning flags immediately. Jeff can be a scary bastard when he needs to be, but he's never been anything but kind to friends of Pokémon, and his volunteer house is one of the few places in Kanto Jared has ever found any degree of understanding, even if Jeff jokingly calls him a hippie whenever they get into the debate over keeping and catching Pokémon.
Jared decides to play off his suspicion a few seconds longer. "Got some lodging for a weary traveler?"
Jeff's smile is frozen on his face, which makes it look both uncomfortable and unconvincing. "Would you believe we're all full? Sorry you came all this way."
"How about a warm meal then?" Jared asks, giving him an equally strained smile.
"Jared," Jeff glances back inside nervously and then shakes his head, "look, it's just not a good time."
"I know about the Rockets," Jared whispers in as low a voice as he can manage. "I'm here to help."
Jeff goes a few shades whiter, but, to his credit, he doesn't play dumb. Instead he reaches out and pulls Jared in roughly by the shirt, slamming the door behind them. "Don't be a goddamn idiot," he snaps. "Talking about things like that in the middle of the street."
"This never used to be a censored town," Jared replies, looking around.
The Pokémon house is emptier than Jared's ever seen it, with only two nurses on duty. It's Sam and Sam, Smith and Ferris respectively, a couple who has been working with Jeff since the house first opened. Jared's not surprised to see they're the last ones standing, but in a place that usually has five or six nurses on duty (along with at least 15 Pokémon enthusiasts hanging out at any given time), it's a shock to see the Volunteer House so empty.
Especially when the demand hasn't thinned any. Jared's never seen this place crammed with so many Pokémon at once, and they all look to be in worse condition than Pokémon usually can get before Jeff steps in. There should be twice as many nurses as usual, not a third less.
"Well," Jared says, looking around. "I knew this economy was tough, but…"
"How do you know about the Rockets?" Jeff demands, not wasting any time.
"A friend told me."
"What friend?"
Jared laughs. "Jensen Ackles."
"That's cute, Padalecki."
Jeff stares at him coolly for a long minute before Jared tries to start on a warmer note. "Where's the Mrs.?"
Jeff's eyes narrow. "What's it to you?"
"Uh, just being polite?" Jared waits a beat, then lifts an eyebrow. "You aren't actually suspecting me of being a-"
"That's new," Jeff says pointedly, nodding down at the poké ball hooked into Jared's belt. "Come around on your morals some since last we met?"
"And you look older," Jared replies. "I wasn't gonna say anything."
Jeff's expression doesn't change, but Sam (Ferris) walks up to his side, slapping Jeff with a towel. "Paranoid is one thing," she tells him. "Accusing Jared Padalecki of being a Rocket is another."
After what seems like a very long time, Jeff huffs out a long breath, nodding. Ferris has an incredible talent not only for speaking sense but also for making anyone who didn't see things her way all along look like a moron. Finally, Jeff nods and gives Jared an apologetic pat on the back.
"Sorry, man," he tells Jared. "This place has been crazy. You wouldn't believe the old friends who fed the Rockets information about us."
"That's why…?" Jared's hand encompasses the whole room, and Jeff, Sam, and Sam all nod. "So where's Hilarie?"
Jeff looks to the other two ladies and waits for their nods before risking saying anything. "Hiding out of town, can't tell you where. I don't even know myself. Took the baby with her."
"That bad?"
Jeff nods.
"Why didn't you send for me?"
"Had no one to send. No one I could trust, at least." Jeff shifts from one foot to the other. "And I'd be suspicious about whatever friend of yours it was that told you to come here. Those bastards are keeping this tight under wraps. They pretty much own the town, but no one's talking about it."
"It's true about the ghosts?" Jared waits for Jeff's solemn nod before getting upset. "How can they keep something this big quiet?"
Jeff shakes his head sadly. "They've taken up residence on the top floor of the tower, which has always had restricted access. I'm willing to bet none of the tourists suspect a damn thing. Even some of the locals-the ones who really don't want to face it-have been able to keep pretending all is well."
"Why haven't you done anything?" Jared asks. "Why the hell are you guys staying quiet?"
Jeff looks away, clearly ashamed, but his voice is firm when he replies. "They threatened my wife and kid, Jared. Team Rocket are not people I can afford to piss off."
Smith nods and puts her hand on Ferris' shoulders. "We're healers, not fighters. We don't have the resources to lash out against them without losing the house."
"And that ain't an option," Ferris tells him, pointing to the beds full of injured Pokémon. "As you can see."
"I tried to plan some kind of response as soon as I started seeing the Rockets sneaking around town, but they took over way faster than we expected." The Sams nod along as Jeff recaps the situation for Jared. "We were hardly able to get everyone cleared out before they were knocking on the door, telling us in no uncertain terms how things were going to be around here."
"That's when Hilarie left?" Jared asks. Jeff nods. "But you stayed?"
He smiles weakly, giving a small shrug. "They toss the weak ones out when they decide it would be too much effort to level them up. Someone had to be here to scoop them up."
"And you ladies refused to leave, huh?"
Sam and Sam give Jared equally blinding grins, and Jeff scowls. "I tried to make them see sense."
"Sense," Ferris says, shaking her head and dismissing Jeff with a wave of her hand. She turns to one of the beds. "Sense in leaving the only thing we've got when it needs us most?"
"There was no talking to them," Jeff says, laughing. Jared can tell he's glad for the company, and he can finally see his friend under all the stress and worry when he laughs.
Jeff puts his hand on Jared's shoulder and begins to steer him to the kitchen. "Let's talk over some food, huh? I'm guessing you're about to be as senseless as the rest of us?"
Jared smirks, following Jeff's lead. "I'm going in today, so if you wanna tell me everything you know, I'd appreciate it."
Jeff sighs. "It's not the kind of thing you wanna take on alone, kid. I don't imagine you have some crazy powerful Pokémon in there," he says, pointing to Dean's poké ball. "A Mewtwo might stand a chance."
Jared has something a lot more powerful than that, but he shrugs. "Just your average Ninetales."
"A suicide mission, then," Jeff says cheerfully. "My specialty."
Three hours later, Jared is finally reaching the top floor of the Pokémon Tower. He hasn't been approached by more than three ghost Pokémon in his entire climb, which would be a relief if it weren't so worrying. The ones that did attack begged for help, and Jared tried to explain that that's what he was there for, but of course, they disappear as quickly as they appear.
So far, his climb has been fairly uneventful. There's nothing suspicious about a guy walking through the world's largest Pokémon resting place looking distressed, not until he's clearing the last set of staircases at least.
A gorgeous red head is sitting at reception, filing her nails into claws. "I'm sorry sir," she says, giving Jared a tight smile. "This floor is restricted."
"Right, yeah, about that," Jared says, stalling. He pulls back and reads the receptionist's name off the placard on the desk. "Alaina, I left my keycard back in my motel room. Would you mind swiping me in?"
As he talks, Jared fishes into his pocket for the sleeping gas Jeff gave him. It's made for injured Pokémon and probably won't work that long on a healthy human, so he has to time this exactly right and no hesitating.
"Yes, I would." She dismisses him and goes back to filing.
Jared takes a big breath of clean air before activating the smoke cloud. All he needs to do is get her card from her and dodge in through the door. Then she'll be locked out without her own clearance and with no phone or radio signals thanks to the effect the ghosts have on the electrical wiring. She'll not only have to leave her post to raise the alarm, but leave the tower altogether, going out searching for the nearest Rocket, and the Sams are waiting downstairs to detain her with inane questions about good places for tourists to visit. Jared probably won't need more time than that, mostly because he'll almost definitely be dead if the fight lasts more than a few minutes.
The plan is for Jeff to slip in with a team of cops and witnesses-enough people and press that the police will have to turn on the Rockets in order to keep themselves from getting busted-but of course, they can only get in if Jared gets them in. It all falls on him.
That thought gives him second thoughts about letting the level 180 Pokémon in his pocket join the fight, but he steels himself and walks down the entrance hall.
"The hell are you doing here?" A man's voice says from the very end. Jared can see three men and two women he doesn't recognize, but the words are coming from one he does. The last Rocket he'd defeated-Dean's former master.
"Came here to teach you another lesson," Jared says, sounding more confident than he feels. "This time you Rockets are really gonna catch hell."
"How'd you get in past Alaina?" One of the women asks. She turns to the group of men, addressing the shorter member of the group. "Dick, I thought you said she was a good trainer. Was that just idiot talk for you wanted in her pants?"
The guy opens his mouth to respond, but Jared cuts him off. "I'm sure she's great," he says, holding up his hand before the fight can really get rolling. "She didn't get a chance to fight, though. I'm not into Pokémon battles so much, so I just let her have a nice nap."
"Not into Pokémon battles?" The same woman replies, laughing deeply. "Then what the hell do you think you're going to accomplish here?"
"I'm going to free your Pokémon, put to a stop to whatever sick mutations you guys are trying to produce, and get all your asses sent to prison."
"By yourself?" The woman asks, raising an eyebrow. "Yeah, I'd like to see that."
She puts her hand on her belt and grabs a poké ball.
"Before you do anything you regret," Jared says, "please keep in mind that Pokémon do not attack people, and if you try to get yours to fight me, they're going to break whatever little control you've managed to get over them and turn on you. I'm just looking out for you here."
It's a fact that has served Jared well-when you've got no way to fight back, it's nice to be able to confidently count on the Pokémon to help subdue their masters.
The woman only smiles. "Aw, look how cocky you've gotten," she says, pulling out a badge booklet and letting it drop open. "I've got all eight gym badges. I can control any Pokémon."
Jared feels his gut twist. It's not possible. There's always been at least one clean gym leader in Kanto, and he was the hardest to beat. The Rockets would have to buy him to get that badge.
"But the Volcano Badge," Jared says stupidly, even though he's staring right at one; she's not lying.
"About that," says the guy who used to be Dean's master. "Donna Ackles is Blaine's daughter, and he really wants his grandson back. Enough to pay a nice ransom on top of the badge, and you're the only thing standing between us and getting that, too."
Jared makes a confused face. "I don't know where Jensen is," he says. "Did he really leave with you so that-?"
"Leave with us? Do you have any idea how much trouble it was just to kidnap that brat?" another man says. "He wouldn't even listen to us-and we offered to cut him in before we went about it the rough way."
"He didn't join willingly?" Jared asks. It's a weird time to be happy, but he's a little happy.
"No, and I'm done talking about him now." The woman who seems to be the leader of the Rockets, at least for now, steps forward. "Onix, I choose you."
She throws down her poké ball and out pops a giant rock monster. Jared is officially screwed.
"Onix, tackle."
Jared makes a last, desperate attempt to stop or at least stall this. "You don't want to do this," he tells the Onix, and he can tell from the look in its eye that he's right.
But the Pokémon attacks anyway, letting out a distressed cry as its rough, stone head pummels into Jared's stomach. Jared's been beat up a lot in the last few years, but he's never experienced pain quite as intense as this. He's halfway back down the hall on his back in seconds, the entire group of Rockets laughing hysterically.
He didn't really expect to win today, didn’t even really expect to last long, but this latest reveal has taken away the one card he had to play, and he's gonna go down embarrassingly fast. No chance Jeff will be able to muster up any kind of support to close down this operation once he's gone, which he had been hoping might be possible.
Jared tries to sit up, but the pain is too intense. He only manages to lift himself enough to see that one of the other trainers has decided to join in on the fun, releasing an Ivysaur and a Poliwrath.
"Ivysaur, vinewhip," he says.
This one doesn't belong to the trainer with the Volcano Badge, so the Pokémon only obeys long enough to give Jared one good slap across the face, leaving a deep slice on his neck, before it turns and wraps its master in thick green ropes.
"You idiot," the woman says. "Leave him to me, dammit. Someone subdue that Ivsaur."
Within seconds, Jared sees an Arbok appear, about to lash out at the Ivysaur. He doesn’t get much of a chance to wonder which one will win. The lady Rocket has turned her attention back on him.
"You're a bigger nuisance than you should be," she says. "But I'm about done here. Onix, dig."
The Pokémon disappears into the ground, and Jared tries to roll away before it can come back up and crack his back, but it still catches him on the side. He's got at least two broken ribs now and it's about game over when she yells, "Rock Throw!"
Within seconds, there's a storm of rocks tumbling down around him. Small ones make contact, but Jared's knows it's only a matter of time before a boulder lands on him and puts him out of this for good.
On the plus side, even in his weak state, unable to stand or kick or even crawl very much, he'll be able to break Dean's poké ball to free him now that there are big, spiky rocks everywhere. He's closer to the entrance than the Rockets are, and Dean will be able to withstand this Onix in a way Jared's weaker human body can't. Dean will be okay.
"Onix, bind him! Kill him!"
He reaches down, grabbing for the ball, and clicks to release his Ninetales. He smiles at Dean as he smashes the ball on a boulder, but Dean makes an angry noise when he sees Jared's condition, apparently realizing he was made to sit out more of the battle than he wanted.
"Go, boy," Jared says, wincing when he feels how much it hurts to talk. "Get outta here. You promised."
Dean doesn't take off running. He makes the Onix faint with one simple fire spin, and Jared feels a small relief when the rocks stop falling. He's still got no way to carry himself out of here alive, but for the moment, living to see if Dean wins is preferable to being smashed flat by a rock.
"You let him get the Ninetales out?" shouts the only Rocket here who can properly appreciate just how bad this news is for them. "Throw every Pokémon you have at that thing. Stop that Ninetales."
Dean growls when he hears his one-time master's voice, and he opens his mouth. Jared sees fire beginning to build in his throat. He swallows hard. If a Pokémon as powerful as Dean spits even a modest flamethrower across this hallway, it's not just gonna kill the Rockets and all their Pokémon, which would be bad enough. The building will probably catch, taking all the innocent staff, mourners, tourists, the ghost Pokémon, and the resting ones, not to mention himself and Dean down with it.
"Don't," he says. His voice is desperate, and he tries to put force into it, but it's hardly a whisper. Dean is too angry and too strong, and the fire is already spilling from the edge of his mouth. "Please don't."
To his surprise, Dean looks back to him, and stares for a long few seconds before he swallows the attack. Then his eyes flash from deep green to the bright red that most Ninetales have, and Jared thinks he must be hallucinating, because not only are his Pokémon's eyes changing color, he hears a voice in his head.
Jensen's voice to be exact. "Duck your head and cover your eyes."
Jared looks around on instinct. "Jensen?" he asks. "Are you here? Did you come after all?"
The warning repeats, much more urgent this time. "Cover your damn eyes!"
Well, it's probably the blood loss talking, but since Jared's already given himself up for dead, he figures it can't hurt. So he turns his face down toward the ground and wraps his arm around his eyes as an extra shield.
Even through all those barriers, Jared sees orange on the back of his closed eyelids, a carryover from how bright the flash is. It's pretty brilliant-the Rockets will all be blinded, their Pokémon temporarily so, and all without killing or maiming anyone. Even if the Rockets do deserve it.
"Free their Pokémon," Jared tells Dean, looking across the hall and trusting the Ninetales to follow his glance. "You understand, don't you? Bite their poké balls until they snap. You guys can wrap them up, and hopefully hold them until-if the cops come."
Dean gives an agreeable bark and runs off to do as told. Jared misses him immediately, but it doesn't matter now. They might still win this. He won't get to see it, but it's a good note to go out on.
He closes his eyes and feels himself slipping, but then there are warm, human hands on his face. With some effort, Jared manages to open his eyes and look up. Jensen is kneeling beside him, looking terribly concerned. Jared knows he can't really be here, that he must be hallucinating again, but that's okay. He smiles at the opportunity to sooth his guilty conscience, even if it isn’t the real Jensen hovering above him.
"Jen," he says. "I'm sorry. I should have let you explain about the-"
"Shh," Jensen says. "Don't worry about that. Just stay with me, okay? I'm gonna get you out of here. You're gonna be alright if you just hold on a little longer."
"Mmm," Jared says. He coughs, and some blood comes up. "Don't feel so good."
Jensen's tender touch on Jared's face puts him to sleep as fast as ever.
The S.S. Anne is a big fucking ship. Jared knew this from the commercials and ads, but his imagination could never have really envisioned sailing away on something so grand. He arrives at the Vermillion Pier a week after his successful attack on Team Rocket, though he spent five of the last seven days asleep and drugged on potions before his nurses (Sam and Sam, of course) cleared him for travel.
Jeff had insisted he borrow a flying Pokémon instead of walking, and Jared agreed despite himself, half because it was a short journey and Jeff's Fearow would make it with ease and half because he still felt like shit.
Now he's sitting on one of the main deck benches, staring out at the water, wondering how many Horseas and Magikarps are swimming below them.
"It's a nice view, huh?"
Jared doesn't know if he's surprised to see Jensen sitting down next to him, but he decides to act like he was expecting it all along. "Pretty impressive, yeah."
"How'd the Lavender Town thing go?" he asks casually, and Jared can hear him rustling through his pockets for a cigarette.
"I'm sure you know," Jared replies. "I'm the one that doesn't watch the news, and even I know it's everywhere."
"Ah, but they're all saying this Jeffrey Dean Morgan character saved the day." Jared snorts, and Jensen asks, "It doesn't bother you that he's getting all the credit?"
Jared shakes his head. "I asked Jeff not to mention me. No good getting too much attention, you know? Don't want the Rockets actively looking for me."
"They will be after this. You know that, right?" Jensen fusses with his lighter until he finally gets the cigarette lit and holds it between his lips. "Word'll work its way up the ladder."
"Yeah." Jared figured, but he wants to put that off as long as possible. "Not so good at making friends, but I'm great at making enemies."
Jensen snorts and stands up, walking a few feet to the ship's railing and leaning on it as he smokes. Jared watches him for a while before standing and limping to his side. He puts his back on the railing and says, "So, Jeff tells me I owe my life to Jensen Ackles."
"That a fact?" Jensen asks, waving at a cloud of smoke as he releases it.
"Yup. He says you carried me out and let him know it was time to move in." Jared licks his lips. "I told him that was bullshit. Maybe Jensen carried me out, but it was Dean that saved my life."
"Ah," Jensen answers, quirking his lips. "And what does Mr. Morgan say to that?"
"He still can't believe I know Jensen Ackles." Jensen cracks up, and Jared grins, turning around. "I should really figure out who you are, huh?"
"It might be helpful. Eventually." Jensen looks over at him while taking a drag from his cigarette, his expression dimming a little more with every second. "How's Dean?"
The Ninetales had shown up at Jeff's doorstep the night of the incident and hadn't left Jared's bedside for the first few days. Every time he awoke, it was to warmth and excited barking and licks on his face and a good, good weight from the heavy Pokémon dozing on his legs. But as soon as Jared was well enough to be up and about…
"I haven't seen Dean in days," Jared replies. "I guess he figures he paid me back for saving his life and he's done with me." Jensen makes an upset face at his cigarette, then turns away from Jared. Jared puts a hand on Jensen's shoulder, and Jensen looks back. "Or, at least, that's what I thought until right now."
"What changed your mind?" asks Jensen.
Jared looks up at him for so long it's probably pretty awkward for Jensen, but what Jared is about to say is crazy, and a part of him is still considering not saying it at all. "You're him, aren't you? You're my Ninetales?"
If Jensen has him institutionalized, Jared would probably not blame him. He knows how fucking nuts it is, but it explains so much: Jensen's coming and going, Dean's intelligence and strength, why Jensen wouldn't say anything about himself, even why they both lost interest in him once Team Rocket was defeated. Everything except how his Pokémon and the guy he's been kind of accidentally dating could possibly be the same.
Jared has even thought it was kind of obvious once it occurred to him, one of the many times this past week that he's sat and thought over everything that's happened since he freed that Ninetales. He missed Dean and he missed Jensen and somehow realizing that it might be the same rejection didn't make it hurt any less.
But here Jensen is now, half of the wound healed, and if he's somehow right, maybe that'll mean his Pokémon didn't run from him after all.
Jensen doesn't confirm or deny it. He just tosses his cigarette butt off the end of the ship and takes Jared's hand. "Let's go to your room."
"You are so not about to distract me with sex," Jared tells him. "Until after we talk about this."
Jensen leans in, giving him a careful kiss on the lips and pulls away. "Just not something I wanna talk about in public."
Jared nods. There's no one on the ship deck, but whatever. He and Jensen walk the rest of the way to Jared's spacious room in silence, and Jensen sits on the sofa as soon as they're inside, waiting for Jared to close the door behind him.
"Is it true?" Jared asks.
Jensen watches him for a minute, then flashes that cocky smile of his. Before Jared can ask what he's smiling about, there's a Ninetales landing on his four paws just in front of Jared's sofa. Jared's eyes feel like they're about to boggle out of his head, so he takes a seat at the end of his bed, staring at Dean-or at Jensen, or at Jensen as Dean, or something.
Dean jumps up next to him, putting his chin on Jared's cheek, and Jared reaches up to stroke the fur on his neck, but by the time his hand gets there, it's skin he's touching and Jensen's face on his shoulder, his lips pressing a kiss into the side of Jared's neck. "Now you know why I followed you. Why I'll always follow you."
"It's not possible," Jared says, which is ridiculous, because he just watched it. He would think this was a dream if not for the warmth rolling off of Jensen. "How is it possible?"
Jensen shrugs. Because apparently being able to turn into a Pokémon at will just isn't that interesting to him. "My family-actually, a lot of the really old families on Cinnibar Island-we all turn into Pokémon. It's just something that has always been in our blood."
"Oh, yeah, just a routine family curse-"
"It's not a curse," Jensen says. "Do you think it's a curse?"
"No, Jensen, that's not what I meant." His eyebrows draw together and then smooth out. "I don't know what to think." He takes a deep breath. "Is this why you're famous? Do people know this is a thing that happens? Man, I have got to start watching the news."
Jensen laughs like that delights him and squeezes Jared's hand. "My family is very powerful, Jared, and very rich, and that's why we're famous. No one knows about the whole werePokémon thing except the people on our Island. We keep quiet about it. That's why I never told you," Jensen makes a sorry face and now Jared's the one squeezing his hand, "it's not that I didn't trust you with my secret. If it was just me, I would have told you weeks ago. It was my family's secret. My island's secret."
"I understand," Jared reassures him. "Well, understand the 'you not telling me' thing. Still working on the 'my boyfriend's a Pokémon' thing."
"You trying to stake a claim or something?"
Jared feels his face burning, so he decides to throw the embarrassment. "Were you, like, a Vulpix when you were little? Because that is just too adorable."
"Shut up," Jensen says, slapping Jared's thigh, but he can't hide his smile. "Yeah, I was. My dad got me a fire stone for my 18th birthday and I evolved."
"Are you all-your family, I mean, are you all Ninetales?"
Jensen shakes his head. "Most of the weres on Cinnibar are fire species, but we've got a good mix. My parents met as Magmars before they met as humans. My little sister is a Ponyta, but I'm pretty sure she's gonna be a Rapidash-wow, I guess she's probably evolved by now. Been off my island for too damn long." Jensen looks thoughtful for a second, but he shakes the thoughts out. "My older brother was born a Moltres and has never shifted. He's just a fullblown Pokémon."
"Your mom gave birth to a Moltres?" Jared asks skeptically.
"As a Magmar," Jensen clarifies. Like that somehow makes it all very logical.
"That can happen?" Jared blinks a few times. "Were your parents upset?"
Jensen shakes his head, patient even though Jared is having several small panic attacks. "It's believed to be a good omen, actually. And a Pokémon as strong as Moltres? It's a great honor."
"But?" Jared adds, because Jensen doesn't look honored. He looks grumpy.
"But it also means he can't inherit the family title, which left me as the heir. Not really a position I wanted. So I left the island as soon as I could in some idiotic rebellion." Jensen shakes his head. "I was a dumb kid, and I thought I knew a thing about being out on my own."
"What dumb thing led to the Rockets?"
"A pretty face." Jensen smiles wistfully. "I didn't think anyone off the island knew weres existed, let alone that I was one. I guess not everyone is as loyal as I believed. And the idea of someone trapping a human in a poké ball-" Jensen shudders. "Things like that never even occurred to me in my charmed life. So I got drunk with some boy who acted like he just wanted to be able to say he slept with Jensen Ackles, and after I passed out they gave me something that forced me into my Pokémon form. The next time I woke up, I was caught."
"I'm so sorry, Jensen." Jared looks down at his hands. "I was way out of line when I told you you had a choice about working with them."
"You didn't know," Jensen says, smiling as he tucks a hair behind Jared's ear. "How could you have known?"
"I shouldn't have assumed-"
"You should have. I never gave you any reason to listen to me." Jensen looks as ashamed as Jared feels when Jared looks up at him. "And I tried to talk you out of stopping them. I don't blame you for hating me then. I was too scared-" He frowns and his voice sounds stretched thin. "I'm not brave like you are, Jared. I'm a fucking coward. After all the things they did to me, I should have been the one rushing in there, but I couldn't be like you."
"You did come," Jared points out. "You saved my life. Surer than I saved yours."
"No," Jensen looks up defiantly. "You freed me. You don't understand what that means and I hope you never do, but I could save your life a thousand times and I would still be in your debt."
"The point stands. You're not a coward. You came back for me, even after-fuck, Jensen, I can't believe I made you fight them again after the things they did to you. I couldn't have done it. You're braver than anyone I've ever met."
Jensen shakes his head. "You're a hero. You do things just because they're right. When I told you what the Rockets were using me for, I did want you to go after them, but I also meant it when I was trying to talk you out of going. And I didn't mean it. I fell in love with you the first time I saw you stand up to my master-even if you hadn’t managed to free me, I would have loved you. And when you kept insisting you were going to come to Lavender Town and fight-fuck, I fell even more in love with you. Even as I wanted to hit you over the head with something for it." He laughs at himself. "I didn't come back because it was the right thing. I came back because I'm selfish. I loved you too much to just let you go in there and die."
"Call it what you want, Jensen," Jared says. "At the end of the day, I'm alive because of you."
Jensen gives him a half-smile and looks away.
"I don't get why they caught you for a ransom and then worked you nearly to death."
"Ah," Jensen says. "Well, their plans changed. Their leader, Giovanni, got cocky. Thought he could move onto our island and take over our gym. We didn’t think it would be prudent to declare war openly, so we trapped him in the nicest way possible." Jared raises an eyebrow and Jensen grins. "There are no jailers in Kanto more effective than his overbearingly polite neighbors, I assure you. Giovanni hasn't been able to plan anything for the Rockets since he moved to Cinnibar."
Jared laughs. "Nice!"
"Yeah, we had it pretty well under wraps until some idiot went and got himself caught."
"But that still doesn't explain why they held onto you after they kidnapped you."
"How loyal do you think the average Rocket is?" Jared concedes the point. "The jerk that caught me did it initially to free Giovanni and win a little prestige within the organization, but when he realized how strong werePokémon are he figured he could be the new Giovanni with that much power. Lucky for me, you threw a wrench in that plan."
"I see," Jared says. "So your family fights Team Rocket?"
"Only when they dared to come to our doorstep. After this-once I get home and tell my family about the things they do to Pokémon, I'm going to make sure we redirect our resources to fighting them. I meant that much when I was trying to talk you out of fighting. You won't be the only one standing up to them anymore."
Jared smiles. "So I'm going to meet the parents, huh?"
"If you want to. If not, we can go somewhere else," Jensen replies. "When you said you were coming to Cinnibar, I decided to follow you just for the protection, you know? Someone I knew would keep me from Team Rocket until I could run back to mommy and daddy. After a few days with you, all I wanted was to be your Ninetales."
"That's kind of kinky," Jared jokes. Jensen doesn't take it the wrong way, just chuckles and kisses Jared. "I want to go home with you. I want you to come with me when I leave. I've never been happier than I have been since you started following me."
"Together we'll stick it to Team Rocket, huh?"
"Definitely." Jared kisses Jensen a little harder then, and Jensen moans, pushing Jared back onto the bed. "And sex on the way."
"And sex on the way!" Jensen declares, raising his fist. "What a battle cry."
"Quit being snarky and let me see your giant dick already," Jared tells him. "Don't think I've forgotten about it. It haunts my dreams."
"Uh, yeah, about that," Jensen says awkwardly. "There's one more thing I need to tell you before-"
Unfortunately for Jensen's cool and collected approach, Jared's hand is already in his underwear, stroking his dick. "Holy crap, what the fuck?"
Jensen's cheeks go bright red under the freckles. "Right. So. My dick."
"Your dick is insane," Jared informs him, pulling it out and confirming that, yes, there is some kind of swelling at the base and wow it's so big Jared is a little worried he's going to faint. "And huge."
"Yes, well."
"Explain," Jared demands, pointing to Jensen's groin.
"It's my knot," he says. "I, uh. Well. It's like this: you know how I have a lot of human characteristics when I'm Dean?"
Jared nods dumbly.
"This would be my carryover from being a Ninetales."
"Wow, wow, wow," Jared says. "You have a Pokémon dick. This is just too weird."
Jensen frowns, trying to tuck himself away. "It's okay, Jared. I know it's…different. You don't have to be into it. Just let me take care of you."
"This is why you wouldn't let me touch your dick before?" Jared asks. "This is why?"
"Obviously."
"Who holds out like that when there are weird new and exciting dicks to be had?" Jared stares for a little while longer and then asks, "Can I-I mean-would it…fit? Could you fuck me? Is that possible?" Jared swallows hard. He's almost salivating, and that's probably weird, but he really could not care less right now. That is a very, very large cock. "Can that please be possible?"
Jensen snorts. "Hello, size queen."
"Hi, nice to meet you," Jared says, sticking his hand out like he's going to shake Jensen's.
Jensen laughs and sits back. "You're serious? It doesn't turn you off."
"What part of I want that in me twenty minutes ago are you having such a hard time understanding?"
"It's possible," Jensen tells him, kissing him slowly.
They move up the bed as they make out, Jared sliding his hand between Jensen's legs every chance he gets to learn the new feel of this dick.
"I haven't been with anyone since I left home. At least not for anything that involved them seeing my knot. But back on Cinnibar, where everyone knows weres exist, even if they aren't one." Jensen gives him a filthy smile and then bites his bottom lip. "Oh, yeah, Jared. I can fuck you. But it's gonna be tight. And it's gonna be-we can't just stop if you don't like it. I'll get stuck once I'm in and then-" Jensen coughs. "Then I'll breed you until the knot goes down."
"You'll breed me?"
"I'll come and come and then come some more. There will be a lot of come before the knot unties. And it might hurt a little."
"But on the other hand, gigantic dick, right?"
"Yes," Jensen answers. "There is that."
"I would like to volunteer myself for this breeding," says Jared. "I am an excellent fuck and can provide references if necessary."
Jensen rolls his eyes. "You're certainly a very enthusiastic lay."
"And we haven't even gotten started yet."
"Let's fix that?" Jensen straddles Jared, pulling his shirt off over his head.
Jared does the same and moves his hand down Jensen's bare chest to the already open flap of his jeans. He traces the line of a long scar, realizing that Jensen is covered in them, and wanting to crush every Rocket in Kanto even as he's so turned on he's burning up.
Jensen freezes on top of him and rolls off Jared. He rubs his face with two hands. "I don't know what I look like anymore."
Jared's eyebrows draw together. "Good? You look better than humans are supposed to look, so don't you worry your pretty head about that."
"I mean…" Jensen pushes Jared's jeans and underwear down and Jared squirms to make it possible for Jensen to remove them. He's stark naked at Jensen's side, but Jensen's hand trembles when Jared reaches out to do the same to him. "They branded me, Jared. I'm marked as their property."
Jared sucks in a quick breath, remembering the ugly mark seared into Dean's side. He moves slower now, not wanting to spook Jensen. "You're not theirs," he reminds Jensen, dragging him down for a kiss. "You're mine now. You're all mine, and I'm yours."
Jensen nods, returning the kiss and letting Jared work off the last of his clothing, though slower than Jared would like. Once Jensen's naked, Jared pulls back and looks him over: all those scars and burns and the bright red brand on his thigh. "You look like someone who did the right thing and won. That's what you look like."
He moves down on the bed, kissing Jensen's chest, sliding his tongue down the track of a scar and finding that he's kind of into this. He follows it back up, the pink tissue slices through one of Jensen's nipples, but Jensen shivers and lets out a moan when Jared's tongue flicks at what's left of it.
Jensen's hands bunch in Jared's hair, and he says Jared's name in a low, reverential tone.
Jared grins darkly, meeting Jensen's eyes. Jensen looks so fucking wrecked it's obscene, and Jared wants so much of him.
"Right. Lube," Jared says. "You have been a Pokémon for the last however long, so I have to get the lube."
"Good, yeah," Jensen says, lying back on the mattress. When Jared returns, Jensen takes the bottle of lube and turns onto his side while Jared slides in under him, spreading his legs. "You sure you want to do-?"
"Oh, get on with it already," Jared growls, putting one hand on the back of Jensen's neck and yanking him in for a rougher kiss.
Jensen makes a feral sound, rubbing his face into the crook of Jared's neck. "You're gonna pay for that mouth of yours," he promises. "I'm gonna fuck you 'til you can't say a word."
"Put up or shut up," Jared replies with a smartass grin. It's not his best work, but it gets the point across. Simple, direct.
Jensen's tongue is down his throat again in seconds, and Jared's so busy sucking on it that it's a shock to him when a slick, cool finger presses against his hole. Jared gasps, but Jensen doesn't stop and ask if he's reconsidering again. He slides his index finger into Jared all the way to the knuckle and twists it like a pro.
Jared makes a sound that is probably not a real word, but he will never admit that to Jensen.
"I've got more for you," Jensen promises, replacing his one finger with two and sucking on Jared's jaw line. "You think you like a big dick, Jared? You haven't had one yet."
"Please." Jared's body arches up and he writhes shamelessly as Jensen's two fingers work at him. "Please, please."
Jensen pulls his fingers away, and Jared gets really excited, but he doesn't get Jensen's cock yet. Just more fingers. Three this time, with Jensen's pinky teasing at his hole. So much teasing and not nearly enough getting fucked.
"Jensen," he nearly sobs, and Jensen laughs at him, the bastard.
"You need to be ready for this. I don't want to hurt you."
"Oh, for the love of-hurt me. Just hurry up and do it."
"Okay," Jensen replies, pinching the bridge of his nose with his other hand. "Okay, just let me…it's been a while, Jay. Don't want to lose it on you before I even get in."
That brings to mind images of Jensen jerking off on him, all the come he promised flowing over Jared, making him filthy. His brain is actually broken from the visual, and by the time he's got it back on line, the tip of Jensen's cock is lined up with him.
He files away the jerk off thing for future reference and reaches down, urging Jensen into him. Jensen inches in slowly. He has to. Jared thought he knew what he was in for, but, yeah, he's pretty surprised if it does fit as advertised, because Jensen's only halfway in and Jared feels like he's going to rip apart at the seams.
"Oh god," Jared says, panting. "That's-a lot."
"Told you." Jensen strokes a hand through Jared's sweaty hair. "You still on board?"
"Yeah. Just. Be careful."
"I won't hurt you," Jensen promises. "I want to make you feel so good, Jay. It's all I've wanted. You don't know how bad. Didn't ever think you'd want this, too."
"I do," Jared assures him, even though with the burn of it, he's starting to wonder if he really does.
At least until Jensen finally finishes easing in. He pulls back quickly, which tugs at Jared, giving him a better understanding of what Jensen meant by being stuck, but then he shoves in harder than when he'd been pacing himself to give Jared's body time to adjust and that's when he hits Jared's prostate with a force that literally makes Jared see stars for a few seconds. He has to blink more than once before it clears out and he can see Jensen watching him for a sign of whether to keep going or not.
Jared grabs Jensen's face. "Do that again. Do that forever-"
Jensen must get tired of hearing it, because he starts fucking into Jared, alternating between quick, sharp thrusts and smoother rolls of his hips. One repeats the force, with quick jolts of pleasure so good it's almost too much to bear, and the other lets Jared settle into the feeling as it spreads slowly from his ass to his dick and on until it's nothing but a sweet tingling in his fingers.
Jared wraps an arm around Jensen's neck using that for leverage as he tries to move with Jensen, but it's true that there's not much space for it. They're grinding together like they're one incredibly horny creature instead of two, and Jared's finding that he actually enjoys the tug when Jensen's knot gets caught on him.
"I'm gonna come," Jensen whispers.
Jared's kind of disappointed, because they haven't really been going that long, and he could do this all night without wanting to lose the connection between them.
Jensen laughs and kisses Jared's mouth, and Jared realizes he was pouting. "I'm gonna keep coming for a really long time, Jay. We're not even almost done."
"That much?" Jared asks. He sounds a little giddier than he meant to.
"Mmm, yeah," Jensen pulls Jared's head sharply to the side, and he feels rough stubble tease at his neck. "You have no idea what you're in for."
Jared really doesn't, not until Jensen starts to release and he feels the wet hot thrill of being filled up, even as he was already past capacity. None of the come can get out, so Jensen's thrusts become a little more fluid, a lot easier inside of Jared now that there's a little more lubrication.
Between all the come trapped inside of him, Jensen's heavy breathing as he fucks away on top of Jared, and the constant stimulation, Jared realizes he's about to come. He hasn't even touched his dick, but he's pretty sure-
It's a yell that comes out of his mouth as he shoots. Maybe not as much as Jensen is, but certainly a lot more than he ever has. Jensen doesn't laugh all cocky now, he's too busy fucking Jared, holding onto the mattress for dear life as he comes and comes and just keeps coming.
Jared feels every bit of stimulation, but he's so worn out from his orgasm that for a few minutes that he just lies there, breathing in the fiery scent of Jensen and making low sounds of approval when something feels too good to keep quiet about. He's spent for now, but he enjoys the slip of Jensen's dick inside him as finally the knot begins to loosen enough for Jensen to fuck in and out.
Above him, Jensen is keening like he's in agony, and Jared puts a hand on the back of his head, soothing his fingers over the short spiky hairs and making calming sounds as Jensen's last thrusts transition into smaller ones, until he's humping Jared shallowly and shooting his last few bursts.
It's weird when Jensen pulls out-not that it hadn't been kind of weird to have that much in him, but the fuck lasted so long and felt so good that Jared's poor addled brain apparently forgot how it felt to be empty.
Not completely empty, of course. Jared's a mess with so much of Jensen's jizz between his legs, and he's not sure why it's so hot, but it is. He dips his fingers down, pushing them into his raw hole and then drawing them to his lips, licking Jensen right off himself.
"You're filthy," Jensen tells him, but he says it warmly, and he cups Jared's face gingerly as he draws Jared in for a kiss. "Fuck, I love how dirty you are for me."
Jared smiles against his mouth. "Probably leave that part out when you introduce me to your parents."
"Mom, Dad, this is Jared. He's a filthy cockslut." Jensen grins and then puts on a falsetto, which Jared can only assume is supposed to be his mother's voice. "'Oh, Jensen. Just what we always wanted for you! Someone to love you for who you are and because he has a weird thing for knots.'"
"I'm too well fucked to even bother fighting any affronts to my honor." Jared turns over, and then he remembers he wasn't 100% from the battle yet, and maybe that was more physical exertion than he should have gotten up to. "Ow."
Jensen smiles and rests his face on his elbow so he can look at Jared. "We're really doing this, then?"
"Not the part about telling your parents how I feel about your cock."
"No, I meant the other thing, the one not about my cock."
Jared pretends to look confused. "There was a thing that wasn't about your cock?" He waves a hand between them. "Never mind. I'm not interested."
Jensen laughs and kisses him, but Jared pulls back. "Jen, what if they don't like me? Or if they have a problem with their son and heir abandoning his duties again to chase after bad guys?"
He's not ready to give Jensen up, but he won't stay put on Cinnibar Island and let money and connections do all the work for him, either.
"Jared, it's you and me now. And me as a Ninetales, which is sometimes different from regular me. Either way. We're a team. I want to fight, thanks to you. So we're gonna do that with or without my parents' blessing."
"Good," Jared says, nodding.
He stifles a yawn, and Jensen gives him a knowing smile. "Starting tomorrow?"
"Starting tomorrow," Jared agrees. "What was that brilliant battle cry of ours?"
"Together we'll stick it to Team Rocket-and sex on the way!"
"That's fucking beautiful." Jared gives Jensen a Very Very Serious Expression, complete with capital letters. "We're catchier than Pokémon."
The End.
Back to Part One
Back to Part Two
PART THREE
The next morning, Jared is roused by a series of excited licks to his face. He sits up, knowing he should be stern with Dean for coming back, but he can't manage it. He pushes the Ninetales away, which only encourages Dean to rush in with twice as much energy.
"You are bad," Jared tells him warmly, scratching the mane of hair on Dean's neck. "You are such a bad Pokémon. Did Jensen let you in, huh? On his way out? Guess you guys finally met."
Dean barks and turns around a few times, chasing nine tails so long he has to be trying not to catch them and trampling allover Jared in the process. Jared laughs. It's a better start to his day than he was expecting, even if he's still a little annoyed he fell asleep with his arms around Jensen only to wake up to find Dean snuggled up against his side instead.
After a while, Dean stops going in circles and swoops down to pick something up in his mouth. He drops it into Jared's lap, and Jared feels his blood turn to ice. It's a poké ball; it's an empty poké ball.
"No, Dean," Jared says. "That's not a toy. We'll find a stick or something if you wanna play fetch, okay? Just let me get dressed."
Jared tries to get up then, but Dean shakes his head stubbornly and noses the poké ball again, rolling it into Jared's palm.
Lavender Town's Pokémon Tower doesn't allow living Pokémon to accompany their masters outside of a poké ball because the ghosts tend to be a little traumatizing. In other words, the only way Dean could come into this Team Rocket fight with Jared would be if Jared caught him and then released him once the Rockets attacked.
But there's no way Dean could know that, and there's no way he's asking Jared to trap him in a poké ball and carry him right back to the gang that tortured him nearly to death.
But then Dean locks eyes with Jared, and Jared knows that's exactly what the Ninetales wants him to do.
"No way," Jared replies, shoving Dean off of him. "Between your bad ideas and Jensen's bad ideas…"
Dean whimpers, turning on his side so that Jared can see the Team Rocket brand on his left thigh. Like he's trying to tell Jared this is his fight, too. Which, fine, fair enough, it is, but Jared's not going to lead another Pokémon he loves into a death-by-Rocket.
And then he gets a kind of horrible idea. If he refuses to catch Dean, Dean will probably be his stubborn self and still follow Jared to the Pokémon Tower, maybe stand outside waiting until Jared comes out (if Jared comes out at all). If the town is crawling with Rockets like Jensen says it is, any one of them could pass by, see him, and nab him. If Jared catches Dean, he can keep the Ninetales out of the fight against the Pokémon's wishes and let him go afterward if he lives, or release him during the battle if it's not looking like he's gonna make it out.
Dean is unbelievably powerful-he'll at least be able to fight the Rockets long enough to escape on his own.
"Okay, boy," he says, picking up the poké ball and relearning the once-familiar feel of it in his palm. He fiddles with it for a few seconds and looks at the Pokémon. "But you gotta promise that if anything happens to me while we're fighting, you'll run like hell. You got that?"
Dean nods, licking Jared's face one last time just so it's really clear he's listening.
"I'll, uh," Jared says, pressing his thumb into the release button and letting the poké ball fall onto the floor of the tent open, "just don't step into it if this isn't what you want."
Dean puts two paws out and falls in, disappearing as the poké ball swings shut with a quiet click. He doesn't struggle, though it would be easy for him to break out. That's how bad he wants to be a part of this fight, and Jared picks up the ball, feeling the slight increase in weight that means it's not empty anymore. He apologizes to the thick plastic casing even though he knows Dean won't hear it.
"Jared Padalecki, as I live and breathe." Jeff Morgan stands in the door to his famous Pokémon volunteer house with a bright, wide grin under his salt and pepper scruff, but he doesn't move forward to give Jared an embrace or backward to welcome Jared in.
It sends up warning flags immediately. Jeff can be a scary bastard when he needs to be, but he's never been anything but kind to friends of Pokémon, and his volunteer house is one of the few places in Kanto Jared has ever found any degree of understanding, even if Jeff jokingly calls him a hippie whenever they get into the debate over keeping and catching Pokémon.
Jared decides to play off his suspicion a few seconds longer. "Got some lodging for a weary traveler?"
Jeff's smile is frozen on his face, which makes it look both uncomfortable and unconvincing. "Would you believe we're all full? Sorry you came all this way."
"How about a warm meal then?" Jared asks, giving him an equally strained smile.
"Jared," Jeff glances back inside nervously and then shakes his head, "look, it's just not a good time."
"I know about the Rockets," Jared whispers in as low a voice as he can manage. "I'm here to help."
Jeff goes a few shades whiter, but, to his credit, he doesn't play dumb. Instead he reaches out and pulls Jared in roughly by the shirt, slamming the door behind them. "Don't be a goddamn idiot," he snaps. "Talking about things like that in the middle of the street."
"This never used to be a censored town," Jared replies, looking around.
The Pokémon house is emptier than Jared's ever seen it, with only two nurses on duty. It's Sam and Sam, Smith and Ferris respectively, a couple who has been working with Jeff since the house first opened. Jared's not surprised to see they're the last ones standing, but in a place that usually has five or six nurses on duty (along with at least 15 Pokémon enthusiasts hanging out at any given time), it's a shock to see the Volunteer House so empty.
Especially when the demand hasn't thinned any. Jared's never seen this place crammed with so many Pokémon at once, and they all look to be in worse condition than Pokémon usually can get before Jeff steps in. There should be twice as many nurses as usual, not a third less.
"Well," Jared says, looking around. "I knew this economy was tough, but…"
"How do you know about the Rockets?" Jeff demands, not wasting any time.
"A friend told me."
"What friend?"
Jared laughs. "Jensen Ackles."
"That's cute, Padalecki."
Jeff stares at him coolly for a long minute before Jared tries to start on a warmer note. "Where's the Mrs.?"
Jeff's eyes narrow. "What's it to you?"
"Uh, just being polite?" Jared waits a beat, then lifts an eyebrow. "You aren't actually suspecting me of being a-"
"That's new," Jeff says pointedly, nodding down at the poké ball hooked into Jared's belt. "Come around on your morals some since last we met?"
"And you look older," Jared replies. "I wasn't gonna say anything."
Jeff's expression doesn't change, but Sam (Ferris) walks up to his side, slapping Jeff with a towel. "Paranoid is one thing," she tells him. "Accusing Jared Padalecki of being a Rocket is another."
After what seems like a very long time, Jeff huffs out a long breath, nodding. Ferris has an incredible talent not only for speaking sense but also for making anyone who didn't see things her way all along look like a moron. Finally, Jeff nods and gives Jared an apologetic pat on the back.
"Sorry, man," he tells Jared. "This place has been crazy. You wouldn't believe the old friends who fed the Rockets information about us."
"That's why…?" Jared's hand encompasses the whole room, and Jeff, Sam, and Sam all nod. "So where's Hilarie?"
Jeff looks to the other two ladies and waits for their nods before risking saying anything. "Hiding out of town, can't tell you where. I don't even know myself. Took the baby with her."
"That bad?"
Jeff nods.
"Why didn't you send for me?"
"Had no one to send. No one I could trust, at least." Jeff shifts from one foot to the other. "And I'd be suspicious about whatever friend of yours it was that told you to come here. Those bastards are keeping this tight under wraps. They pretty much own the town, but no one's talking about it."
"It's true about the ghosts?" Jared waits for Jeff's solemn nod before getting upset. "How can they keep something this big quiet?"
Jeff shakes his head sadly. "They've taken up residence on the top floor of the tower, which has always had restricted access. I'm willing to bet none of the tourists suspect a damn thing. Even some of the locals-the ones who really don't want to face it-have been able to keep pretending all is well."
"Why haven't you done anything?" Jared asks. "Why the hell are you guys staying quiet?"
Jeff looks away, clearly ashamed, but his voice is firm when he replies. "They threatened my wife and kid, Jared. Team Rocket are not people I can afford to piss off."
Smith nods and puts her hand on Ferris' shoulders. "We're healers, not fighters. We don't have the resources to lash out against them without losing the house."
"And that ain't an option," Ferris tells him, pointing to the beds full of injured Pokémon. "As you can see."
"I tried to plan some kind of response as soon as I started seeing the Rockets sneaking around town, but they took over way faster than we expected." The Sams nod along as Jeff recaps the situation for Jared. "We were hardly able to get everyone cleared out before they were knocking on the door, telling us in no uncertain terms how things were going to be around here."
"That's when Hilarie left?" Jared asks. Jeff nods. "But you stayed?"
He smiles weakly, giving a small shrug. "They toss the weak ones out when they decide it would be too much effort to level them up. Someone had to be here to scoop them up."
"And you ladies refused to leave, huh?"
Sam and Sam give Jared equally blinding grins, and Jeff scowls. "I tried to make them see sense."
"Sense," Ferris says, shaking her head and dismissing Jeff with a wave of her hand. She turns to one of the beds. "Sense in leaving the only thing we've got when it needs us most?"
"There was no talking to them," Jeff says, laughing. Jared can tell he's glad for the company, and he can finally see his friend under all the stress and worry when he laughs.
Jeff puts his hand on Jared's shoulder and begins to steer him to the kitchen. "Let's talk over some food, huh? I'm guessing you're about to be as senseless as the rest of us?"
Jared smirks, following Jeff's lead. "I'm going in today, so if you wanna tell me everything you know, I'd appreciate it."
Jeff sighs. "It's not the kind of thing you wanna take on alone, kid. I don't imagine you have some crazy powerful Pokémon in there," he says, pointing to Dean's poké ball. "A Mewtwo might stand a chance."
Jared has something a lot more powerful than that, but he shrugs. "Just your average Ninetales."
"A suicide mission, then," Jeff says cheerfully. "My specialty."
Three hours later, Jared is finally reaching the top floor of the Pokémon Tower. He hasn't been approached by more than three ghost Pokémon in his entire climb, which would be a relief if it weren't so worrying. The ones that did attack begged for help, and Jared tried to explain that that's what he was there for, but of course, they disappear as quickly as they appear.
So far, his climb has been fairly uneventful. There's nothing suspicious about a guy walking through the world's largest Pokémon resting place looking distressed, not until he's clearing the last set of staircases at least.
A gorgeous red head is sitting at reception, filing her nails into claws. "I'm sorry sir," she says, giving Jared a tight smile. "This floor is restricted."
"Right, yeah, about that," Jared says, stalling. He pulls back and reads the receptionist's name off the placard on the desk. "Alaina, I left my keycard back in my motel room. Would you mind swiping me in?"
As he talks, Jared fishes into his pocket for the sleeping gas Jeff gave him. It's made for injured Pokémon and probably won't work that long on a healthy human, so he has to time this exactly right and no hesitating.
"Yes, I would." She dismisses him and goes back to filing.
Jared takes a big breath of clean air before activating the smoke cloud. All he needs to do is get her card from her and dodge in through the door. Then she'll be locked out without her own clearance and with no phone or radio signals thanks to the effect the ghosts have on the electrical wiring. She'll not only have to leave her post to raise the alarm, but leave the tower altogether, going out searching for the nearest Rocket, and the Sams are waiting downstairs to detain her with inane questions about good places for tourists to visit. Jared probably won't need more time than that, mostly because he'll almost definitely be dead if the fight lasts more than a few minutes.
The plan is for Jeff to slip in with a team of cops and witnesses-enough people and press that the police will have to turn on the Rockets in order to keep themselves from getting busted-but of course, they can only get in if Jared gets them in. It all falls on him.
That thought gives him second thoughts about letting the level 180 Pokémon in his pocket join the fight, but he steels himself and walks down the entrance hall.
"The hell are you doing here?" A man's voice says from the very end. Jared can see three men and two women he doesn't recognize, but the words are coming from one he does. The last Rocket he'd defeated-Dean's former master.
"Came here to teach you another lesson," Jared says, sounding more confident than he feels. "This time you Rockets are really gonna catch hell."
"How'd you get in past Alaina?" One of the women asks. She turns to the group of men, addressing the shorter member of the group. "Dick, I thought you said she was a good trainer. Was that just idiot talk for you wanted in her pants?"
The guy opens his mouth to respond, but Jared cuts him off. "I'm sure she's great," he says, holding up his hand before the fight can really get rolling. "She didn't get a chance to fight, though. I'm not into Pokémon battles so much, so I just let her have a nice nap."
"Not into Pokémon battles?" The same woman replies, laughing deeply. "Then what the hell do you think you're going to accomplish here?"
"I'm going to free your Pokémon, put to a stop to whatever sick mutations you guys are trying to produce, and get all your asses sent to prison."
"By yourself?" The woman asks, raising an eyebrow. "Yeah, I'd like to see that."
She puts her hand on her belt and grabs a poké ball.
"Before you do anything you regret," Jared says, "please keep in mind that Pokémon do not attack people, and if you try to get yours to fight me, they're going to break whatever little control you've managed to get over them and turn on you. I'm just looking out for you here."
It's a fact that has served Jared well-when you've got no way to fight back, it's nice to be able to confidently count on the Pokémon to help subdue their masters.
The woman only smiles. "Aw, look how cocky you've gotten," she says, pulling out a badge booklet and letting it drop open. "I've got all eight gym badges. I can control any Pokémon."
Jared feels his gut twist. It's not possible. There's always been at least one clean gym leader in Kanto, and he was the hardest to beat. The Rockets would have to buy him to get that badge.
"But the Volcano Badge," Jared says stupidly, even though he's staring right at one; she's not lying.
"About that," says the guy who used to be Dean's master. "Donna Ackles is Blaine's daughter, and he really wants his grandson back. Enough to pay a nice ransom on top of the badge, and you're the only thing standing between us and getting that, too."
Jared makes a confused face. "I don't know where Jensen is," he says. "Did he really leave with you so that-?"
"Leave with us? Do you have any idea how much trouble it was just to kidnap that brat?" another man says. "He wouldn't even listen to us-and we offered to cut him in before we went about it the rough way."
"He didn't join willingly?" Jared asks. It's a weird time to be happy, but he's a little happy.
"No, and I'm done talking about him now." The woman who seems to be the leader of the Rockets, at least for now, steps forward. "Onix, I choose you."
She throws down her poké ball and out pops a giant rock monster. Jared is officially screwed.
"Onix, tackle."
Jared makes a last, desperate attempt to stop or at least stall this. "You don't want to do this," he tells the Onix, and he can tell from the look in its eye that he's right.
But the Pokémon attacks anyway, letting out a distressed cry as its rough, stone head pummels into Jared's stomach. Jared's been beat up a lot in the last few years, but he's never experienced pain quite as intense as this. He's halfway back down the hall on his back in seconds, the entire group of Rockets laughing hysterically.
He didn't really expect to win today, didn’t even really expect to last long, but this latest reveal has taken away the one card he had to play, and he's gonna go down embarrassingly fast. No chance Jeff will be able to muster up any kind of support to close down this operation once he's gone, which he had been hoping might be possible.
Jared tries to sit up, but the pain is too intense. He only manages to lift himself enough to see that one of the other trainers has decided to join in on the fun, releasing an Ivysaur and a Poliwrath.
"Ivysaur, vinewhip," he says.
This one doesn't belong to the trainer with the Volcano Badge, so the Pokémon only obeys long enough to give Jared one good slap across the face, leaving a deep slice on his neck, before it turns and wraps its master in thick green ropes.
"You idiot," the woman says. "Leave him to me, dammit. Someone subdue that Ivsaur."
Within seconds, Jared sees an Arbok appear, about to lash out at the Ivysaur. He doesn’t get much of a chance to wonder which one will win. The lady Rocket has turned her attention back on him.
"You're a bigger nuisance than you should be," she says. "But I'm about done here. Onix, dig."
The Pokémon disappears into the ground, and Jared tries to roll away before it can come back up and crack his back, but it still catches him on the side. He's got at least two broken ribs now and it's about game over when she yells, "Rock Throw!"
Within seconds, there's a storm of rocks tumbling down around him. Small ones make contact, but Jared's knows it's only a matter of time before a boulder lands on him and puts him out of this for good.
On the plus side, even in his weak state, unable to stand or kick or even crawl very much, he'll be able to break Dean's poké ball to free him now that there are big, spiky rocks everywhere. He's closer to the entrance than the Rockets are, and Dean will be able to withstand this Onix in a way Jared's weaker human body can't. Dean will be okay.
"Onix, bind him! Kill him!"
He reaches down, grabbing for the ball, and clicks to release his Ninetales. He smiles at Dean as he smashes the ball on a boulder, but Dean makes an angry noise when he sees Jared's condition, apparently realizing he was made to sit out more of the battle than he wanted.
"Go, boy," Jared says, wincing when he feels how much it hurts to talk. "Get outta here. You promised."
Dean doesn't take off running. He makes the Onix faint with one simple fire spin, and Jared feels a small relief when the rocks stop falling. He's still got no way to carry himself out of here alive, but for the moment, living to see if Dean wins is preferable to being smashed flat by a rock.
"You let him get the Ninetales out?" shouts the only Rocket here who can properly appreciate just how bad this news is for them. "Throw every Pokémon you have at that thing. Stop that Ninetales."
Dean growls when he hears his one-time master's voice, and he opens his mouth. Jared sees fire beginning to build in his throat. He swallows hard. If a Pokémon as powerful as Dean spits even a modest flamethrower across this hallway, it's not just gonna kill the Rockets and all their Pokémon, which would be bad enough. The building will probably catch, taking all the innocent staff, mourners, tourists, the ghost Pokémon, and the resting ones, not to mention himself and Dean down with it.
"Don't," he says. His voice is desperate, and he tries to put force into it, but it's hardly a whisper. Dean is too angry and too strong, and the fire is already spilling from the edge of his mouth. "Please don't."
To his surprise, Dean looks back to him, and stares for a long few seconds before he swallows the attack. Then his eyes flash from deep green to the bright red that most Ninetales have, and Jared thinks he must be hallucinating, because not only are his Pokémon's eyes changing color, he hears a voice in his head.
Jensen's voice to be exact. "Duck your head and cover your eyes."
Jared looks around on instinct. "Jensen?" he asks. "Are you here? Did you come after all?"
The warning repeats, much more urgent this time. "Cover your damn eyes!"
Well, it's probably the blood loss talking, but since Jared's already given himself up for dead, he figures it can't hurt. So he turns his face down toward the ground and wraps his arm around his eyes as an extra shield.
Even through all those barriers, Jared sees orange on the back of his closed eyelids, a carryover from how bright the flash is. It's pretty brilliant-the Rockets will all be blinded, their Pokémon temporarily so, and all without killing or maiming anyone. Even if the Rockets do deserve it.
"Free their Pokémon," Jared tells Dean, looking across the hall and trusting the Ninetales to follow his glance. "You understand, don't you? Bite their poké balls until they snap. You guys can wrap them up, and hopefully hold them until-if the cops come."
Dean gives an agreeable bark and runs off to do as told. Jared misses him immediately, but it doesn't matter now. They might still win this. He won't get to see it, but it's a good note to go out on.
He closes his eyes and feels himself slipping, but then there are warm, human hands on his face. With some effort, Jared manages to open his eyes and look up. Jensen is kneeling beside him, looking terribly concerned. Jared knows he can't really be here, that he must be hallucinating again, but that's okay. He smiles at the opportunity to sooth his guilty conscience, even if it isn’t the real Jensen hovering above him.
"Jen," he says. "I'm sorry. I should have let you explain about the-"
"Shh," Jensen says. "Don't worry about that. Just stay with me, okay? I'm gonna get you out of here. You're gonna be alright if you just hold on a little longer."
"Mmm," Jared says. He coughs, and some blood comes up. "Don't feel so good."
Jensen's tender touch on Jared's face puts him to sleep as fast as ever.
The S.S. Anne is a big fucking ship. Jared knew this from the commercials and ads, but his imagination could never have really envisioned sailing away on something so grand. He arrives at the Vermillion Pier a week after his successful attack on Team Rocket, though he spent five of the last seven days asleep and drugged on potions before his nurses (Sam and Sam, of course) cleared him for travel.
Jeff had insisted he borrow a flying Pokémon instead of walking, and Jared agreed despite himself, half because it was a short journey and Jeff's Fearow would make it with ease and half because he still felt like shit.
Now he's sitting on one of the main deck benches, staring out at the water, wondering how many Horseas and Magikarps are swimming below them.
"It's a nice view, huh?"
Jared doesn't know if he's surprised to see Jensen sitting down next to him, but he decides to act like he was expecting it all along. "Pretty impressive, yeah."
"How'd the Lavender Town thing go?" he asks casually, and Jared can hear him rustling through his pockets for a cigarette.
"I'm sure you know," Jared replies. "I'm the one that doesn't watch the news, and even I know it's everywhere."
"Ah, but they're all saying this Jeffrey Dean Morgan character saved the day." Jared snorts, and Jensen asks, "It doesn't bother you that he's getting all the credit?"
Jared shakes his head. "I asked Jeff not to mention me. No good getting too much attention, you know? Don't want the Rockets actively looking for me."
"They will be after this. You know that, right?" Jensen fusses with his lighter until he finally gets the cigarette lit and holds it between his lips. "Word'll work its way up the ladder."
"Yeah." Jared figured, but he wants to put that off as long as possible. "Not so good at making friends, but I'm great at making enemies."
Jensen snorts and stands up, walking a few feet to the ship's railing and leaning on it as he smokes. Jared watches him for a while before standing and limping to his side. He puts his back on the railing and says, "So, Jeff tells me I owe my life to Jensen Ackles."
"That a fact?" Jensen asks, waving at a cloud of smoke as he releases it.
"Yup. He says you carried me out and let him know it was time to move in." Jared licks his lips. "I told him that was bullshit. Maybe Jensen carried me out, but it was Dean that saved my life."
"Ah," Jensen answers, quirking his lips. "And what does Mr. Morgan say to that?"
"He still can't believe I know Jensen Ackles." Jensen cracks up, and Jared grins, turning around. "I should really figure out who you are, huh?"
"It might be helpful. Eventually." Jensen looks over at him while taking a drag from his cigarette, his expression dimming a little more with every second. "How's Dean?"
The Ninetales had shown up at Jeff's doorstep the night of the incident and hadn't left Jared's bedside for the first few days. Every time he awoke, it was to warmth and excited barking and licks on his face and a good, good weight from the heavy Pokémon dozing on his legs. But as soon as Jared was well enough to be up and about…
"I haven't seen Dean in days," Jared replies. "I guess he figures he paid me back for saving his life and he's done with me." Jensen makes an upset face at his cigarette, then turns away from Jared. Jared puts a hand on Jensen's shoulder, and Jensen looks back. "Or, at least, that's what I thought until right now."
"What changed your mind?" asks Jensen.
Jared looks up at him for so long it's probably pretty awkward for Jensen, but what Jared is about to say is crazy, and a part of him is still considering not saying it at all. "You're him, aren't you? You're my Ninetales?"
If Jensen has him institutionalized, Jared would probably not blame him. He knows how fucking nuts it is, but it explains so much: Jensen's coming and going, Dean's intelligence and strength, why Jensen wouldn't say anything about himself, even why they both lost interest in him once Team Rocket was defeated. Everything except how his Pokémon and the guy he's been kind of accidentally dating could possibly be the same.
Jared has even thought it was kind of obvious once it occurred to him, one of the many times this past week that he's sat and thought over everything that's happened since he freed that Ninetales. He missed Dean and he missed Jensen and somehow realizing that it might be the same rejection didn't make it hurt any less.
But here Jensen is now, half of the wound healed, and if he's somehow right, maybe that'll mean his Pokémon didn't run from him after all.
Jensen doesn't confirm or deny it. He just tosses his cigarette butt off the end of the ship and takes Jared's hand. "Let's go to your room."
"You are so not about to distract me with sex," Jared tells him. "Until after we talk about this."
Jensen leans in, giving him a careful kiss on the lips and pulls away. "Just not something I wanna talk about in public."
Jared nods. There's no one on the ship deck, but whatever. He and Jensen walk the rest of the way to Jared's spacious room in silence, and Jensen sits on the sofa as soon as they're inside, waiting for Jared to close the door behind him.
"Is it true?" Jared asks.
Jensen watches him for a minute, then flashes that cocky smile of his. Before Jared can ask what he's smiling about, there's a Ninetales landing on his four paws just in front of Jared's sofa. Jared's eyes feel like they're about to boggle out of his head, so he takes a seat at the end of his bed, staring at Dean-or at Jensen, or at Jensen as Dean, or something.
Dean jumps up next to him, putting his chin on Jared's cheek, and Jared reaches up to stroke the fur on his neck, but by the time his hand gets there, it's skin he's touching and Jensen's face on his shoulder, his lips pressing a kiss into the side of Jared's neck. "Now you know why I followed you. Why I'll always follow you."
"It's not possible," Jared says, which is ridiculous, because he just watched it. He would think this was a dream if not for the warmth rolling off of Jensen. "How is it possible?"
Jensen shrugs. Because apparently being able to turn into a Pokémon at will just isn't that interesting to him. "My family-actually, a lot of the really old families on Cinnibar Island-we all turn into Pokémon. It's just something that has always been in our blood."
"Oh, yeah, just a routine family curse-"
"It's not a curse," Jensen says. "Do you think it's a curse?"
"No, Jensen, that's not what I meant." His eyebrows draw together and then smooth out. "I don't know what to think." He takes a deep breath. "Is this why you're famous? Do people know this is a thing that happens? Man, I have got to start watching the news."
Jensen laughs like that delights him and squeezes Jared's hand. "My family is very powerful, Jared, and very rich, and that's why we're famous. No one knows about the whole werePokémon thing except the people on our Island. We keep quiet about it. That's why I never told you," Jensen makes a sorry face and now Jared's the one squeezing his hand, "it's not that I didn't trust you with my secret. If it was just me, I would have told you weeks ago. It was my family's secret. My island's secret."
"I understand," Jared reassures him. "Well, understand the 'you not telling me' thing. Still working on the 'my boyfriend's a Pokémon' thing."
"You trying to stake a claim or something?"
Jared feels his face burning, so he decides to throw the embarrassment. "Were you, like, a Vulpix when you were little? Because that is just too adorable."
"Shut up," Jensen says, slapping Jared's thigh, but he can't hide his smile. "Yeah, I was. My dad got me a fire stone for my 18th birthday and I evolved."
"Are you all-your family, I mean, are you all Ninetales?"
Jensen shakes his head. "Most of the weres on Cinnibar are fire species, but we've got a good mix. My parents met as Magmars before they met as humans. My little sister is a Ponyta, but I'm pretty sure she's gonna be a Rapidash-wow, I guess she's probably evolved by now. Been off my island for too damn long." Jensen looks thoughtful for a second, but he shakes the thoughts out. "My older brother was born a Moltres and has never shifted. He's just a fullblown Pokémon."
"Your mom gave birth to a Moltres?" Jared asks skeptically.
"As a Magmar," Jensen clarifies. Like that somehow makes it all very logical.
"That can happen?" Jared blinks a few times. "Were your parents upset?"
Jensen shakes his head, patient even though Jared is having several small panic attacks. "It's believed to be a good omen, actually. And a Pokémon as strong as Moltres? It's a great honor."
"But?" Jared adds, because Jensen doesn't look honored. He looks grumpy.
"But it also means he can't inherit the family title, which left me as the heir. Not really a position I wanted. So I left the island as soon as I could in some idiotic rebellion." Jensen shakes his head. "I was a dumb kid, and I thought I knew a thing about being out on my own."
"What dumb thing led to the Rockets?"
"A pretty face." Jensen smiles wistfully. "I didn't think anyone off the island knew weres existed, let alone that I was one. I guess not everyone is as loyal as I believed. And the idea of someone trapping a human in a poké ball-" Jensen shudders. "Things like that never even occurred to me in my charmed life. So I got drunk with some boy who acted like he just wanted to be able to say he slept with Jensen Ackles, and after I passed out they gave me something that forced me into my Pokémon form. The next time I woke up, I was caught."
"I'm so sorry, Jensen." Jared looks down at his hands. "I was way out of line when I told you you had a choice about working with them."
"You didn't know," Jensen says, smiling as he tucks a hair behind Jared's ear. "How could you have known?"
"I shouldn't have assumed-"
"You should have. I never gave you any reason to listen to me." Jensen looks as ashamed as Jared feels when Jared looks up at him. "And I tried to talk you out of stopping them. I don't blame you for hating me then. I was too scared-" He frowns and his voice sounds stretched thin. "I'm not brave like you are, Jared. I'm a fucking coward. After all the things they did to me, I should have been the one rushing in there, but I couldn't be like you."
"You did come," Jared points out. "You saved my life. Surer than I saved yours."
"No," Jensen looks up defiantly. "You freed me. You don't understand what that means and I hope you never do, but I could save your life a thousand times and I would still be in your debt."
"The point stands. You're not a coward. You came back for me, even after-fuck, Jensen, I can't believe I made you fight them again after the things they did to you. I couldn't have done it. You're braver than anyone I've ever met."
Jensen shakes his head. "You're a hero. You do things just because they're right. When I told you what the Rockets were using me for, I did want you to go after them, but I also meant it when I was trying to talk you out of going. And I didn't mean it. I fell in love with you the first time I saw you stand up to my master-even if you hadn’t managed to free me, I would have loved you. And when you kept insisting you were going to come to Lavender Town and fight-fuck, I fell even more in love with you. Even as I wanted to hit you over the head with something for it." He laughs at himself. "I didn't come back because it was the right thing. I came back because I'm selfish. I loved you too much to just let you go in there and die."
"Call it what you want, Jensen," Jared says. "At the end of the day, I'm alive because of you."
Jensen gives him a half-smile and looks away.
"I don't get why they caught you for a ransom and then worked you nearly to death."
"Ah," Jensen says. "Well, their plans changed. Their leader, Giovanni, got cocky. Thought he could move onto our island and take over our gym. We didn’t think it would be prudent to declare war openly, so we trapped him in the nicest way possible." Jared raises an eyebrow and Jensen grins. "There are no jailers in Kanto more effective than his overbearingly polite neighbors, I assure you. Giovanni hasn't been able to plan anything for the Rockets since he moved to Cinnibar."
Jared laughs. "Nice!"
"Yeah, we had it pretty well under wraps until some idiot went and got himself caught."
"But that still doesn't explain why they held onto you after they kidnapped you."
"How loyal do you think the average Rocket is?" Jared concedes the point. "The jerk that caught me did it initially to free Giovanni and win a little prestige within the organization, but when he realized how strong werePokémon are he figured he could be the new Giovanni with that much power. Lucky for me, you threw a wrench in that plan."
"I see," Jared says. "So your family fights Team Rocket?"
"Only when they dared to come to our doorstep. After this-once I get home and tell my family about the things they do to Pokémon, I'm going to make sure we redirect our resources to fighting them. I meant that much when I was trying to talk you out of fighting. You won't be the only one standing up to them anymore."
Jared smiles. "So I'm going to meet the parents, huh?"
"If you want to. If not, we can go somewhere else," Jensen replies. "When you said you were coming to Cinnibar, I decided to follow you just for the protection, you know? Someone I knew would keep me from Team Rocket until I could run back to mommy and daddy. After a few days with you, all I wanted was to be your Ninetales."
"That's kind of kinky," Jared jokes. Jensen doesn't take it the wrong way, just chuckles and kisses Jared. "I want to go home with you. I want you to come with me when I leave. I've never been happier than I have been since you started following me."
"Together we'll stick it to Team Rocket, huh?"
"Definitely." Jared kisses Jensen a little harder then, and Jensen moans, pushing Jared back onto the bed. "And sex on the way."
"And sex on the way!" Jensen declares, raising his fist. "What a battle cry."
"Quit being snarky and let me see your giant dick already," Jared tells him. "Don't think I've forgotten about it. It haunts my dreams."
"Uh, yeah, about that," Jensen says awkwardly. "There's one more thing I need to tell you before-"
Unfortunately for Jensen's cool and collected approach, Jared's hand is already in his underwear, stroking his dick. "Holy crap, what the fuck?"
Jensen's cheeks go bright red under the freckles. "Right. So. My dick."
"Your dick is insane," Jared informs him, pulling it out and confirming that, yes, there is some kind of swelling at the base and wow it's so big Jared is a little worried he's going to faint. "And huge."
"Yes, well."
"Explain," Jared demands, pointing to Jensen's groin.
"It's my knot," he says. "I, uh. Well. It's like this: you know how I have a lot of human characteristics when I'm Dean?"
Jared nods dumbly.
"This would be my carryover from being a Ninetales."
"Wow, wow, wow," Jared says. "You have a Pokémon dick. This is just too weird."
Jensen frowns, trying to tuck himself away. "It's okay, Jared. I know it's…different. You don't have to be into it. Just let me take care of you."
"This is why you wouldn't let me touch your dick before?" Jared asks. "This is why?"
"Obviously."
"Who holds out like that when there are weird new and exciting dicks to be had?" Jared stares for a little while longer and then asks, "Can I-I mean-would it…fit? Could you fuck me? Is that possible?" Jared swallows hard. He's almost salivating, and that's probably weird, but he really could not care less right now. That is a very, very large cock. "Can that please be possible?"
Jensen snorts. "Hello, size queen."
"Hi, nice to meet you," Jared says, sticking his hand out like he's going to shake Jensen's.
Jensen laughs and sits back. "You're serious? It doesn't turn you off."
"What part of I want that in me twenty minutes ago are you having such a hard time understanding?"
"It's possible," Jensen tells him, kissing him slowly.
They move up the bed as they make out, Jared sliding his hand between Jensen's legs every chance he gets to learn the new feel of this dick.
"I haven't been with anyone since I left home. At least not for anything that involved them seeing my knot. But back on Cinnibar, where everyone knows weres exist, even if they aren't one." Jensen gives him a filthy smile and then bites his bottom lip. "Oh, yeah, Jared. I can fuck you. But it's gonna be tight. And it's gonna be-we can't just stop if you don't like it. I'll get stuck once I'm in and then-" Jensen coughs. "Then I'll breed you until the knot goes down."
"You'll breed me?"
"I'll come and come and then come some more. There will be a lot of come before the knot unties. And it might hurt a little."
"But on the other hand, gigantic dick, right?"
"Yes," Jensen answers. "There is that."
"I would like to volunteer myself for this breeding," says Jared. "I am an excellent fuck and can provide references if necessary."
Jensen rolls his eyes. "You're certainly a very enthusiastic lay."
"And we haven't even gotten started yet."
"Let's fix that?" Jensen straddles Jared, pulling his shirt off over his head.
Jared does the same and moves his hand down Jensen's bare chest to the already open flap of his jeans. He traces the line of a long scar, realizing that Jensen is covered in them, and wanting to crush every Rocket in Kanto even as he's so turned on he's burning up.
Jensen freezes on top of him and rolls off Jared. He rubs his face with two hands. "I don't know what I look like anymore."
Jared's eyebrows draw together. "Good? You look better than humans are supposed to look, so don't you worry your pretty head about that."
"I mean…" Jensen pushes Jared's jeans and underwear down and Jared squirms to make it possible for Jensen to remove them. He's stark naked at Jensen's side, but Jensen's hand trembles when Jared reaches out to do the same to him. "They branded me, Jared. I'm marked as their property."
Jared sucks in a quick breath, remembering the ugly mark seared into Dean's side. He moves slower now, not wanting to spook Jensen. "You're not theirs," he reminds Jensen, dragging him down for a kiss. "You're mine now. You're all mine, and I'm yours."
Jensen nods, returning the kiss and letting Jared work off the last of his clothing, though slower than Jared would like. Once Jensen's naked, Jared pulls back and looks him over: all those scars and burns and the bright red brand on his thigh. "You look like someone who did the right thing and won. That's what you look like."
He moves down on the bed, kissing Jensen's chest, sliding his tongue down the track of a scar and finding that he's kind of into this. He follows it back up, the pink tissue slices through one of Jensen's nipples, but Jensen shivers and lets out a moan when Jared's tongue flicks at what's left of it.
Jensen's hands bunch in Jared's hair, and he says Jared's name in a low, reverential tone.
Jared grins darkly, meeting Jensen's eyes. Jensen looks so fucking wrecked it's obscene, and Jared wants so much of him.
"Right. Lube," Jared says. "You have been a Pokémon for the last however long, so I have to get the lube."
"Good, yeah," Jensen says, lying back on the mattress. When Jared returns, Jensen takes the bottle of lube and turns onto his side while Jared slides in under him, spreading his legs. "You sure you want to do-?"
"Oh, get on with it already," Jared growls, putting one hand on the back of Jensen's neck and yanking him in for a rougher kiss.
Jensen makes a feral sound, rubbing his face into the crook of Jared's neck. "You're gonna pay for that mouth of yours," he promises. "I'm gonna fuck you 'til you can't say a word."
"Put up or shut up," Jared replies with a smartass grin. It's not his best work, but it gets the point across. Simple, direct.
Jensen's tongue is down his throat again in seconds, and Jared's so busy sucking on it that it's a shock to him when a slick, cool finger presses against his hole. Jared gasps, but Jensen doesn't stop and ask if he's reconsidering again. He slides his index finger into Jared all the way to the knuckle and twists it like a pro.
Jared makes a sound that is probably not a real word, but he will never admit that to Jensen.
"I've got more for you," Jensen promises, replacing his one finger with two and sucking on Jared's jaw line. "You think you like a big dick, Jared? You haven't had one yet."
"Please." Jared's body arches up and he writhes shamelessly as Jensen's two fingers work at him. "Please, please."
Jensen pulls his fingers away, and Jared gets really excited, but he doesn't get Jensen's cock yet. Just more fingers. Three this time, with Jensen's pinky teasing at his hole. So much teasing and not nearly enough getting fucked.
"Jensen," he nearly sobs, and Jensen laughs at him, the bastard.
"You need to be ready for this. I don't want to hurt you."
"Oh, for the love of-hurt me. Just hurry up and do it."
"Okay," Jensen replies, pinching the bridge of his nose with his other hand. "Okay, just let me…it's been a while, Jay. Don't want to lose it on you before I even get in."
That brings to mind images of Jensen jerking off on him, all the come he promised flowing over Jared, making him filthy. His brain is actually broken from the visual, and by the time he's got it back on line, the tip of Jensen's cock is lined up with him.
He files away the jerk off thing for future reference and reaches down, urging Jensen into him. Jensen inches in slowly. He has to. Jared thought he knew what he was in for, but, yeah, he's pretty surprised if it does fit as advertised, because Jensen's only halfway in and Jared feels like he's going to rip apart at the seams.
"Oh god," Jared says, panting. "That's-a lot."
"Told you." Jensen strokes a hand through Jared's sweaty hair. "You still on board?"
"Yeah. Just. Be careful."
"I won't hurt you," Jensen promises. "I want to make you feel so good, Jay. It's all I've wanted. You don't know how bad. Didn't ever think you'd want this, too."
"I do," Jared assures him, even though with the burn of it, he's starting to wonder if he really does.
At least until Jensen finally finishes easing in. He pulls back quickly, which tugs at Jared, giving him a better understanding of what Jensen meant by being stuck, but then he shoves in harder than when he'd been pacing himself to give Jared's body time to adjust and that's when he hits Jared's prostate with a force that literally makes Jared see stars for a few seconds. He has to blink more than once before it clears out and he can see Jensen watching him for a sign of whether to keep going or not.
Jared grabs Jensen's face. "Do that again. Do that forever-"
Jensen must get tired of hearing it, because he starts fucking into Jared, alternating between quick, sharp thrusts and smoother rolls of his hips. One repeats the force, with quick jolts of pleasure so good it's almost too much to bear, and the other lets Jared settle into the feeling as it spreads slowly from his ass to his dick and on until it's nothing but a sweet tingling in his fingers.
Jared wraps an arm around Jensen's neck using that for leverage as he tries to move with Jensen, but it's true that there's not much space for it. They're grinding together like they're one incredibly horny creature instead of two, and Jared's finding that he actually enjoys the tug when Jensen's knot gets caught on him.
"I'm gonna come," Jensen whispers.
Jared's kind of disappointed, because they haven't really been going that long, and he could do this all night without wanting to lose the connection between them.
Jensen laughs and kisses Jared's mouth, and Jared realizes he was pouting. "I'm gonna keep coming for a really long time, Jay. We're not even almost done."
"That much?" Jared asks. He sounds a little giddier than he meant to.
"Mmm, yeah," Jensen pulls Jared's head sharply to the side, and he feels rough stubble tease at his neck. "You have no idea what you're in for."
Jared really doesn't, not until Jensen starts to release and he feels the wet hot thrill of being filled up, even as he was already past capacity. None of the come can get out, so Jensen's thrusts become a little more fluid, a lot easier inside of Jared now that there's a little more lubrication.
Between all the come trapped inside of him, Jensen's heavy breathing as he fucks away on top of Jared, and the constant stimulation, Jared realizes he's about to come. He hasn't even touched his dick, but he's pretty sure-
It's a yell that comes out of his mouth as he shoots. Maybe not as much as Jensen is, but certainly a lot more than he ever has. Jensen doesn't laugh all cocky now, he's too busy fucking Jared, holding onto the mattress for dear life as he comes and comes and just keeps coming.
Jared feels every bit of stimulation, but he's so worn out from his orgasm that for a few minutes that he just lies there, breathing in the fiery scent of Jensen and making low sounds of approval when something feels too good to keep quiet about. He's spent for now, but he enjoys the slip of Jensen's dick inside him as finally the knot begins to loosen enough for Jensen to fuck in and out.
Above him, Jensen is keening like he's in agony, and Jared puts a hand on the back of his head, soothing his fingers over the short spiky hairs and making calming sounds as Jensen's last thrusts transition into smaller ones, until he's humping Jared shallowly and shooting his last few bursts.
It's weird when Jensen pulls out-not that it hadn't been kind of weird to have that much in him, but the fuck lasted so long and felt so good that Jared's poor addled brain apparently forgot how it felt to be empty.
Not completely empty, of course. Jared's a mess with so much of Jensen's jizz between his legs, and he's not sure why it's so hot, but it is. He dips his fingers down, pushing them into his raw hole and then drawing them to his lips, licking Jensen right off himself.
"You're filthy," Jensen tells him, but he says it warmly, and he cups Jared's face gingerly as he draws Jared in for a kiss. "Fuck, I love how dirty you are for me."
Jared smiles against his mouth. "Probably leave that part out when you introduce me to your parents."
"Mom, Dad, this is Jared. He's a filthy cockslut." Jensen grins and then puts on a falsetto, which Jared can only assume is supposed to be his mother's voice. "'Oh, Jensen. Just what we always wanted for you! Someone to love you for who you are and because he has a weird thing for knots.'"
"I'm too well fucked to even bother fighting any affronts to my honor." Jared turns over, and then he remembers he wasn't 100% from the battle yet, and maybe that was more physical exertion than he should have gotten up to. "Ow."
Jensen smiles and rests his face on his elbow so he can look at Jared. "We're really doing this, then?"
"Not the part about telling your parents how I feel about your cock."
"No, I meant the other thing, the one not about my cock."
Jared pretends to look confused. "There was a thing that wasn't about your cock?" He waves a hand between them. "Never mind. I'm not interested."
Jensen laughs and kisses him, but Jared pulls back. "Jen, what if they don't like me? Or if they have a problem with their son and heir abandoning his duties again to chase after bad guys?"
He's not ready to give Jensen up, but he won't stay put on Cinnibar Island and let money and connections do all the work for him, either.
"Jared, it's you and me now. And me as a Ninetales, which is sometimes different from regular me. Either way. We're a team. I want to fight, thanks to you. So we're gonna do that with or without my parents' blessing."
"Good," Jared says, nodding.
He stifles a yawn, and Jensen gives him a knowing smile. "Starting tomorrow?"
"Starting tomorrow," Jared agrees. "What was that brilliant battle cry of ours?"
"Together we'll stick it to Team Rocket-and sex on the way!"
"That's fucking beautiful." Jared gives Jensen a Very Very Serious Expression, complete with capital letters. "We're catchier than Pokémon."
The End.