Battle of the Lightbulb | 8/11 | NC17
Title: The Battle of the Lightbulb (or The Perils of Shared Living) | Part Eight
Author :Meh_Forget_It
Beta: Wolfish_Willow
Fandoms: RPS
Warnings: Slash, m/m sexual relations, strong language,
Rating: NC17
Summary: Jared thought moving in to an apartment just off campus with four other guys in his second year of college was an amazing idea. It’s not long before he realises that it really wasn’t. Thankfully he has his insane best friend to keep him grounded and his childhood friend who lives in another apartment… and whose housemate is hot.
Disclaimer: I don’t own anyone, given they’re real people… And as of April 2010, owning people is illegal in Britain. Shame. So this didn’t/isn’t/won’t happen. Again, shame.
Pairing: Jared/Jensen, slight Mike/Misha
Characters: Jared Padalecki, Jensen Ackles, Misha Collins, Michael Rosenbaum, Tom Welling, Chad Michael Murray, Richard Speight Jnr, Christian Kane, Danneel Harris, Genevieve Cortese, Mark Sheppard…
Status: Complete
Word Count: 5,724 words (this part)
Part Seven
Note Fifteen
There were points in Jared's life when he wondered if there was such a thing as brain bleach, and if not, then if swallowing a whole bottle of normal bleach would have the same effect and erase certain memories from his mind.
Since the beginning of his second year of Higher Education, that thought had increased in frequency and desperation. February brought with it a new note and more pondering on the less talked about uses of bleach. It also brought a minor freak out over a certain event that happened in that month and what he was to do about it.
That freak out, however, was inadvertently solved the day before Valentine's Day, when his phone started to ring. Jared was confused to see Richard's name as the caller.
"Hello?"
"Jared! How are you this fine and glorious morning!" Jared immediately felt his suspicion rise at Richard's cheerful greeting and couldn't help wondering what he was going to end up agreeing to. Because he knew he'd agree in the end. Richard had that effect on him.
"It's four in the afternoon, Richard," Jared pointed out, not actually wanting to ask what the favour was going to be and thus deciding to delay the inevitable.
"Is it? Shit, I need to get the V and E room sorted out. The private party in there last night made a mess of it. Ejaculate all over the walls. It's like a giant tub of salty hand lotion has exploded-"
"Richard! Stop! Please! Wait… why would someone book a private session in the Voyeurism and Exhibitionism room? How is that voyeuristic or exhibitionistic?" Jared cursed his brain to mouth filter at times.
"Apparently it was the idea that they could be caught that they got off on."
"So why not have sex in a shop or the cinema or something?"
"I wouldn't arrest them if they were caught?" Richard said, not sounding entirely sure of it himself, which made Jared chuckle and then sigh.
"So what is the reason you're calling me?" Jared finally asked, deciding to just bite the bullet.
"Are you busy tomorrow night? Misha told me about your hot piece of doctor ass. You should bring him to us. Mark and myself want to see if he's suitable for you." The thought of Mark and Richard interrogating Jensen to find out if he was 'suitable' was actually a highly disturbing one for Jared, then he realised what Richard had asked.
"Er… Actually, I'm not doing anything. Jensen has to work a shift at the hospital tomorrow night so we had decided to celebrate Valentine's Day on the fifteenth. Why did you want to know?" Jared asked, looking at his door when he saw Misha dart past with two large suit bags over his shoulders.
"Ah good! Can you work as a doorman for me tomorrow night? My two normal guys had to call off. You'd be working with Mark and Aldis, a new guy I hired last week. Don't think you've met him yet," Richard told him and Jared sighed.
"What's the catch?"
"No catch! You'll be paid three hundred for the night," Richard told him and Jared had to bite his tongue to keep from agreeing straight away.
"And I'd just have to stand on the door?" Jared asked suspiciously, before he realised something. "Which door?"
"You'd be on the front. Don't worry, Jared!"
"Seriously, Richard, what is the catch? I know you, I know there's a catch," Jared said with a put-upon sigh.
"Fine. So you'd possibly have to wear a costume of sorts. It's nothing bad! Just… well, you and Aldis will be slaves of Mark’s. Because, let's be serious here, Jared, Mark would not pass as a slave. Plus, he's British, he'd shoot my kneecaps for considering it if I asked." Jared couldn't deny that, Mark probably would. Sighing, he dragged his hand through his hair. Glancing back at his door, he frowned when he saw Misha looking around his own door into Jared's room, nibbling his lip anxiously.
"Four hundred."
"Three fifty. And remember that you owe me a favour as well."
"Three hundred and fifty and I don't have to wear a gimp mask."
"Deal! Misha has your costume. You're to be here an hour before opening. Come with Misha. You can get changed over here. Thank you for this, Jared!" And with that, Richard hung up, leaving Jared to gape at the phone in his hands.
"Misha!"
Jared wasn't amused. Jensen was highly amused, but Jared wasn't amused at all. He knew Misha was in on this somehow. Just knew it. Why else would the man have had his costume with him before Jared had even agreed to it?
And 'costume' was used loosely. When Jensen had heard that Jared would be wearing a costume, he had told Jared that he and Misha had to come to their house before they left for Asylum so he could see what Jared would be wearing. Well, he had demanded that after he'd finished cackling down the phone.
He wasn't laughing now however. No, he was actually in danger of choking on his over saliva. Richard hadn't been kidding when he had said that Jared would be Mark's submissive for the night. Which was going to look amusing anyway, given Jared towered over the older man. But apparently, submissives didn't get to wear an awful lot when they were working as a doorman as well.
Jared's 'costume' for the night was a long pair of pinstripe trousers, with chains crossing over his legs in varying lengths, attaching to the opposite leg further down. He was also wearing a pair of boots that he actually thought might be class as a weapon, and had a four-inch wedge platform that made Jared ridiculously tall, and also included chains. Really, who wore chains on their shoes? Apparently, he did.
To complete it, he had to wear a loose black tie, which Jared saw no point in given he wasn't wearing a shirt, or a top at all. He had cuffs on that had a long chain attaching them together and to the centre of his trousers, along with a black leather collar with a D ring and a long chain leash attached to it. He was not impressed with the leash. Though at least there wasn't a mask.
"Ja-Who-Wha-Jay?" Jared smirked a little at Jensen's stammered greeting upon seeing Jared when he opened the door to them. Jensen coughed, cleared his throat, then squeaked before shaking his head and silently motioning for them to walk inside. Behind him, Misha began to chuckle quietly into his hand, and the two walked into the house, passing Jensen who coughed when he saw what Misha was wearing. Which was actually less than Jared, if that was possible. The skin-tight leather trousers Misha was wearing had more holes in it than a sieve. And really left nothing to the imagination. At least Misha didn't have to wear cuffs.
"Jared, I hear you're going to work with Mi-whoa! Where in the hell are you working tonight?" Mike exclaimed, taking in the sight of Jared. His eyes widened when he saw Misha, who just smirked back at Mike. Jared wondered where Jensen was, when he realised the man hadn't followed them into the house. "Have you broken Jen?"
"I don't… Jensen? You alright?" Jared called out, looking behind him and down the hall to where they had seemingly left Jensen.
"Yeah. Yeah, I'm… er… I'm fine. Be right in," Jensen called back, sounding a little strained and making Mike and Misha chuckle.
"Maybe I should go see if…" Jared trailed off, looking back towards the hallway in concern, then looking at an amused Misha.
"Sure, we don’t have to leave for a few minutes, go make sure Jensen hasn't choked on his own drool," Misha told him with an absent wave towards the hallway. Jared nodded at him and walked down the hallway back to where they'd left Jensen.
He snickered when he saw Jensen leaning against the wall, head in his hands as he clearly tried to calm himself before going back to the living room with the others.
"Jen? Should I applaud that you managed to shut the do-" Jared was cut off when he was pushed against the wall and found himself being kissed deeply by Jensen, a very handsy Jensen. Moaning into Jensen's mouth, Jared clung to the shirt Jensen was wearing and widened his legs slightly so that Jensen could press his leg between them, pressing their bodies closer together.
Jared had the passing thought that Richard would probably applaud Jared should he turn up with a very obvious wet patch at the front of his trousers, before it was wiped out of his mind by Jensen's hand wrapping around the leash and tugging it around to the back of Jared's neck, pulling Jared's neck and head back with it. His breathing hitched when Jensen licked his neck, before biting down hard on the flesh between Jared's neck and shoulder.
Jared's eyes fluttered shut when Jensen began to lick at the bite mark, slowly thrusting against him and making Jared's breathing become quicker and more laboured as he the collar partially cut off his airways. He could feel his orgasm building as Jensen's thrusting became more frantic and his breathing heavier against Jared's neck and ear. The thought that Misha and Mike could walk in and see them like this at any moment was the final straw and Jared came with a strangled gasp. He slumped back against the wall, jerking in an aftershock of pleasure when Jensen bit his neck once more and muffled his own shout of pleasure.
Breathing heavily and feeling like all of his limbs were made of lead, Jared forced his eyes to open and looked down when Jensen pulled back after placing a soft kiss to Jared's neck.
"You look like you have one hell of a master," Jensen told him breathlessly and Jared stared at him incomprehensibly for a few seconds, before he chuckled.
"Tell me about it. Want to take bets on what Richard's reaction to my debauched look will be?" Jared muttered, glancing down between them to the slight damp patch on his trousers, and wanting to breathe a small sigh of relief when he noticed it wasn't too noticeable.
"Pay rise," Jensen muttered with a snicker, before moving to nuzzle his nose against Jared's neck, rubbing the now tender skin under his collar and shifting to press a kiss to it.
"Jen. We're gonna have to move, me and Misha will have to leave soon and I want to at least look a little presentable," Jared whispered, not really making any effort beyond that to move Jensen. His excuse was that he was cold and Jensen was warm and cuddly. He wasn't entirely sure Mark would appreciate being cuddled later on that night though.
"True. Well, about the moving. I don't want you to look presentable though," Jensen murmured, voice muffled against Jared's neck. Jared chuckled deeply, then gasped softly when Jensen rang a hand through his hair, making Jared look even more debauched than he had before.
"Jared! Jared we need to go-oh. We can go in a minute." Jared looked to the side to see Misha looking at them and smiling widely with a wicked gleam in his eyes. Huffing a sigh, Jared nudged at Jensen, grinning when he got a whine from the man but managed to move him.
"No, I'm ready. Jensen's got work soon too anyway, and Richard turns into a total bitch when he's kept waiting," Jared said with an amused grin. He looked at Jensen and his smile widened before he pressed a soft kiss to Jensen's lips, running his tongue lightly over them and pulling back.
"You'd better go then," Jensen muttered softly, not looking entirely happy with that plan. But Jared nodded, then cringed at the state of his trousers.
"I'm gonna just… go into the bathroom first, okay? Meesh, I'll be back in a minute, then we can leave, yeah?" Jared asked, walking swiftly toward the bathroom and ignoring the amused look Misha was sending him.
"Sure thing, Jared. We can leave whenever you're ready." Really, there was no need for Misha to sound that amused in Jared's opinion.
"I didn't think Richard would be able to convince you to get into your role quite as well as you have, Jared. Though for future reference, I'm not much of a biter." Jared felt his face light with his blush when Mark walked over to him as he waited for the doors to open and to start his role as sub to Mark. He'd met Aldis when he'd arrived an hour before and he'd been surprised at just how 'into' it Jared had appeared, much to the obvious amusement of Richard (who had indeed declared Jared would get a pay rise for the effort put into his costume) and Misha (who promptly tripped over a riding crop left next to the bar, and took out Denise, the senior barmaid and part-time dominatrix). Mark, however, hadn't been scheduled to arrive until just before they opened the doors for the night.
Which was now.
"Hey, Mark," Jared greeted, not even blinking when Mark leered at him and wrapped his leash around his wrist. He looked over to where Aldis was talking to one of the inner doormen, Niall, and then whistled shrilly, making Jared wince. "Ouch."
"Gotta keep my little subs in line, don't I?" Mark told him with a smirk and Jared just rolled his eyes while Aldis hurried over, eyes widening when he saw how Mark and Jared were standing.
"Erm…"
"Oh relax, Kid. Richard told me you're new to the scene. Jared's been around here for months now. He's old hat to being my submissive. You get to just stand behind me, next to Jared and look pretty," Mark told Aldis with a roll of his eyes. He tugged on Jared's leash with another smirk and led the two of them to the main doors for their job of the night. Jared just knew they were going to freeze.
"You might wanna stick by my other side. Some of the less behaved doms can get a bit too handsy," Jared muttered to Aldis, twisting the chain attaching his wrists together around his fingers. He shifted to get comfortable one step behind Mark, and leaned against the wall, waiting for the time to unlock the doors while Mark looked every bit the high-class Master in front of him, complete with huge metal ring of keys.
"Actually, Aldis should be alright seeing as he's a doorman, but Jared could have a point. If you don't wanna get groped hide behind Gigantor," Mark told him before he straightened up, brushed himself down and, with a clang of keys, unlocked the doors.
Jared followed Mark outside with a tug of his leash and didn't have time to feel shy or embarrassed when he saw the fairly long line of customers waiting to go inside the club before Mark tugged his leash and pointed for him to stand behind him, allowing him to lean against the door. Aldis quietly moved to stand on Jared's other side, furthest from the entrance and any grabby hands.
With a glance at them both and a nod, Mark moved and slowly started to take entrance fees, check IDs and let people inside. Jared couldn't help but wonder if Richard would bring them out some sort of coat before they caught hypothermia or after and he felt guilty about it.
Mentally sighing and trying to ignore the way he was practically being devoured visually by the customers as they passed him to enter to club, Jared settled himself for a long night of being objectified. He was never going to shut Danneel's feminist spiels out ever again after this night.
Well, he'll listen to the first five minutes at least.
Note Sixteen
Jared snickered as he read the note left on the kitchen, shrugging when he glanced over the counters and didn't really see anything wrong. Or at least, nothing that he thought required a bitchy note from Jason.
Well, beside the fact that the kitchen was probably in its clean state because Jason had been the one to frantically clean it, but Jared also didn't bother to feel guilty over that. The few times Jared had actually cleaned the kitchen, he'd come back hours later only to find Jason going over everything once more with a sponge and scary amount of bleach. So really, if the guy’s OCD was so bad that he had the urge to clean a kitchen only a couple of hours after someone else had done so, then Jared just wasn't going to bother with it anymore.
Which was why he hadn't cleaned the kitchen for a good few weeks, if not a couple of months. And he had no idea when the last time Misha had cleaned the place was. In their defence, however, it wasn't like they were there an awful lot. He rarely ate there; in fact, he figured he only slept there on an average of about once or twice a week. If that. Well, at normal, human sleeping hours that is. He did come back to nap a couple of times in the week whenever he had a good lengthy break between classes. Which, this year, he had quite a few of. Every Tuesday and Thursday, at least. So there was that time he spent in the apartment, he supposed.
All the same, as amusing as the note was, it still made Jared roll his eyes and think Jason was just being a whiny little bitch who couldn't think of anything else to whine about. Had they cleaned the kitchen all the time, then Jason would probably have moaned about how they no longer let him feed his OCD habits and let him use his daily quota of bleach on the place.
Muttering to himself under his breath, he grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and walked back to his room. He had three books that needed to be read by the end of the week, and given it was now Wednesday, he felt he was a little behind. His plan had been, that because he had the day off, and Jensen hadn't, he was going to spend the day and night catching up. He had no idea what Misha was doing that night and he hadn't actually factored in what he would do had another note been left.
He perhaps should have done that at least. It was somewhat foolish of him not to have done so. In fact, he was both annoyed and embarrassed at his seemingly optimistic view on how he would be able to spend the day. Sometimes he cursed his optimism, he really did.
He glanced at Jason’s shut door when he passed it on his way to his own room and took a moment to try and think if he'd heard the front door slam when he'd actually been woken by the sounds Jason made while cleaning the kitchen, but couldn't actually be sure. So deciding not to risk seeing if Jason was in or not, he quietly darted past the room and made it to his own, letting out a sigh of relief as he closed his door behind him. He placed the water on his bedside table and threw himself onto the bed with a groan of relief, which turned into a groan of despair when he saw the three books he'd been putting off. Eyeing the titles distastefully, he huffed and grabbed Jane Eyre off the top of the pile, deciding to get that one over and done with. He really hated most of the literature from that period.
Though Tess of the D'Urbervilles was a guilty pleasure of his, that he enjoyed reading whenever he felt in the mood to be thoroughly depressed by literature. As you do. His argument for that, when Misha had caught him and asked, was that it was hard being so cheerful all the time, so he liked to read about the pain and misery of others to make him truly realise just how good he had it.
That was probably one reason that he hadn't wanted to read it recently. Really, Tess did have a shitty time in the book, but at least she didn't have to deal with petty note wars and being turned into a scapegoat whenever something went wrong and no note was actually left. Or a note that no one wanted to own up to was left out.
It was also why he didn't want to read Jane Eyre. Unfortunately for him, however, it was part of the required reading for the year and he'd put it off long enough. Especially considering they would be discussing it starting next week if Sandy was right.
He managed to make his way through quite a fair portion of it, having mentally thanked his mother for teaching him the basics of speed reading for information when he was younger at the beginning of his first year, when he'd first seen the reading list for this course. Looking up when his door opened, he saw Misha looking in at him hopefully, nose wrinkling when he saw what Jared was reading, which was a fair and valid reaction.
"Hey, why are you reading that drivel? She's a silly tart who needs a good slapping," Misha muttered quietly, walking into the room and closing the door behind him.
"Got to read it for class next week. And she's just misunderstood, I'm sure," Jared answered, knowing that that was going to be the opinion of a certain student in his class who seemed to think everyone, fictional or real, deserved the benefit of the doubt. It got old. Even for someone as understanding and nice as Jared. In fact, sometimes he just wanted to shoot her and see if anyone cared. He doubted it. He contented himself however, by spending most of the time she spoke exchanging bitchy notes with Sandy in his notebook.
"Huh. Whiny bitch if you ask me. So, seen the new note?" Misha asked and Jared, seeing the perfect opportunity to put off reading anymore of the stupid novel, placed it face down and open on his bedside table and looked at Misha, motioning for him to join him on the bed.
"Yep, read it, ignored it and hid from anyone that might have been in the apartment all day. I've been reading in here for quite a few hours now," Jared told him with a shrug while Misha walked over and lay down on the bed next to Jared. The double beds they had was one plus side to boarding off campus, yet still didn't quite make living in Hell any better. It did make sleeping comfier though.
"I think Jason might be in, but I'm not sure. Mind if I just nap for an hour or two in here? You working later at all?" Misha asked sleepily, looking at Jared, who just shrugged and shuffled around to get comfortable.
"Nope, got the day off. No work at all, and I had a day off from classes as well. They were cancelled for some departmental meeting or review or something. I don't know, didn't care beyond it meaning I had a whole day to do nothing. Have you been at college all day?" Jared asked, rolling his eyes when Misha just nodded his head, then started to shuffle, shift and twist, trying to find the most comfortable spot. "I think I'm gonna join you in that nap, Meesh."
"Good plan. Now shut up, I'm trying to sleep."
Jared was startled awake by the sound of someone slamming a pan of some sort on the side in the kitchen. Looking down at where Misha seemed to have curled around him in his sleep, he found he was being stared at by Misha's wide eyes.
"Found the note, you think?" Misha whispered, shifting so that he could look towards the door where they could hear the muffled sound of Jason's angry mutterings.
"Sounds like it. Who do you think is the one being scolded?" Jared asked, snickering slightly at the thought of anyone being put through one of Jason's reprimands.
"No clue. Should we try and escape while we still can?" Misha asked in a whisper, and Jared thought on it for a second before he shrugged.
"Where to? I mean, I agree, we need to get out, but Jensen's working, Mike is… who knows where, I think he mention Tom, possibly. Neither of us are working… so… what? Should we go to our workplaces anyway?" Jared asked, also keeping his voice quiet in the hopes that neither Jason nor Jason's current victim heard them and realised they were in.
"Only plan we have. Head to Café Sol first, then, when that closes, head to Asylum. Ooh, no! We could go to Dreaded Fairies afterwards, instead!" Misha whispered excitedly, and Jared narrowed his eyes at him, but then shrugged and nodded.
"Sounds good to me. Also, I think it's Chad," Jared added, just when he thought he could possibly hear Chad responding to Jason's rants, followed quickly by more clattering and crashing of pans. "Let's head out now."
"We need to get dressed. I'll be back in a second. No need to dress up. Jeans, t-shirt… you know. That kinda thing," Misha told him before getting up and promptly falling over the edge of the bed, having not realised just how tangled he and Jared had become. Jared snorted and looked over the side of the bed to a dazed Misha.
"This is why Jensen thought we were an item, by the way. Just thought you should know that. I'll meet you outside the apartment in ten minutes, should be easier if we leave separately. Less noise maybe," Jared explained to Misha as he moved to help him get up from the floor, before standing up from his bed in the first place.
"Good idea. See you outside in a little bit then," Misha told him, turning and quietly hurrying out of Jared's room to go to his own.
Turning quickly, Jared grabbed a pair of jeans and a clean t-shirt from his drawers and got changed. He ran his fingers through his hair briefly and then grabbed his phone, keys and wallet, placing them in his pockets as he quietly left his room.
With a quick glance towards Misha's closed door, Jared quietly hurried down the hallway and paused by the kitchen door, wincing when he heard Chad shout at Jason about his OCD, accompanied by a loud crash, which Jared hoped wasn't anything of his. Using the resulting backlash of Jason's angry yelling as his cover, Jared ran to the front door and almost silently opened it and shut it again behind him.
"What are you doing here? You're not scheduled in are you? Oh god, tell me I haven't cocked up the rota. Gen arrived an hour ago," Danneel whined as soon as she saw Jared walk into the coffee shop. Jared just grinned at her, nodding his head to Misha next to him.
"New note."
"Ah, it's all gone down hill then?" Danneel said with an understanding nod, looking at Misha when he snorted in disbelief.
"When was it ever up hill? No, really, when? I'd love to know," Misha muttered grumpily. Danneel narrowed her eyes at him dangerously, making Jared quickly smile charmingly at his boss before steering Misha to their regular table.
"I'll just bring your coffees over to you, shall I?" Danneel snapped out after them and Jared muttered under his breath before turning around to once more smile winningly at her.
"I'll be over in a second. Don’t worry!" Jared called out before turning back to Misha, scowl firmly in place, making Misha look contrite. "You know she doesn't like back talk! She'll eat you alive, Meesh and you know it!"
"Sorry," Misha muttered and Jared rolled his eyes before turning to walk back to grab their coffees.
"Here," Jared muttered, placing the coffee down in front of Misha before taking a sip of his own. He then quickly put his mug down on the table and pulled his phone out.
"Who're you texting?"
"Milo, thought I'd warn him to stay away from the apartment for a while," Jared explained while typing out the message for Milo. Seconds later he got a reply thanking him; apparently Milo was going to stay out of sight for the rest of the week. When he told Misha this, Misha snorted and shook his head.
"You do know that it was Milo's scheduled turn to actually clean the kitchen, right?" Misha pointed out, and Jared sighed, glancing at his coffee in front of him. He really needed something stronger.
When Misha had said that Dreaded Fairies wasn't quite like The Asylum, he wasn't kidding. It was so far from The Asylum that it could well have been a completely different planet. The music playing was trance music and had a good heavy beat to it that made Jared feel like he could actually dance without causing someone some serious injury.
What was more surprising, possibly, was the fact that it was almost pitch black. The walls were black, the floor was a dark wood by the looks of it and Jared could just about make out a raised seating area nearer the bar on the other side of the room to the entrance. Between them and the tables was a large dance floor full of writhing people. It was incredible, and what made it more so was the fact that it was so dark because most of the lighting were black lights, making any white clothing, or neon clothing anyone was wearing, glow.
Glancing to the side where Misha was standing with a grin on his face, Jared chuckled and noticed Mark heading his way over to them, leer on his face as he took them in.
"We getting very drunk? Please say yes!" Jared shouted over the music to Misha, who smiled brightly and nodded his head, before tugging Jared so they could meet with Mark.
"Welcome to my humble abode! There's paint over there, should you wish to be a little brighter. And the paint drums are brought out at eleven," Mark told them in a loud voice, turning sharply to lead them around the throngs of people on the dance floor until they reached the table area. He led them to a more secluded table and motioned for them to take a seat.
"What's the drum thing?" Jared asked once he'd taken a seat and Mark and Misha had also sat around the table with him. Mark glanced over his shoulder and jerked his head to whoever he was looking at before turning back to face Jared and Misha.
"I've got two big steel drums. I fill 'em with neon paint and then people can play 'em, get splattered with the paint. Make themselves glow even more. Apparently acid and E make it look even more amazing. There's face paint too. By the way, Richard told me to tell you both that he won't be impressed if either of you take anything when you're here! I don't know what he thinks this place is like!" Mark said in an insulted tone, as though he hadn't, moments before, mentioned people here taking drugs casually.
"Er… We won’t? We just want to get drunk," Misha told him and Jared noticed a woman heading towards them with a notebook, making Jared think that Mark must have been calling her over earlier.
"Right, well I can help with that then. Drinks are on the house for tonight. Drink what you like, go dance and have clothed sex with strangers. Oh! You can have temporary paint put in your hair as well, should you rather not get your faces painted," Mark told them before he stood up to leave the table when the waitress finally got to them. Misha and Jared thanked him, told the girl what they wanted, and then turned to look at one another.
"Hair paint?" Jared asked with a grin once the waitress had left to get their drinks. Misha looked at him with an answering grin on his face.
"Definitely hair paint. Maybe face paint too. We gonna go on the drums later too?"
"Damn right we are. Before though, before we have to get drunk," Jared said with a firm nod, ignoring the small voice in the back of his head that told him he'd be going to his morning classes the next day hung-over and with painted hair. He'd worry about that when it happened. Now he just wanted to get really, really drunk.
Part Nine
Author :Meh_Forget_It
Beta: Wolfish_Willow
Fandoms: RPS
Warnings: Slash, m/m sexual relations, strong language,
Rating: NC17
Summary: Jared thought moving in to an apartment just off campus with four other guys in his second year of college was an amazing idea. It’s not long before he realises that it really wasn’t. Thankfully he has his insane best friend to keep him grounded and his childhood friend who lives in another apartment… and whose housemate is hot.
Disclaimer: I don’t own anyone, given they’re real people… And as of April 2010, owning people is illegal in Britain. Shame. So this didn’t/isn’t/won’t happen. Again, shame.
Pairing: Jared/Jensen, slight Mike/Misha
Characters: Jared Padalecki, Jensen Ackles, Misha Collins, Michael Rosenbaum, Tom Welling, Chad Michael Murray, Richard Speight Jnr, Christian Kane, Danneel Harris, Genevieve Cortese, Mark Sheppard…
Status: Complete
Word Count: 5,724 words (this part)
Part Seven
Note Fifteen
There were points in Jared's life when he wondered if there was such a thing as brain bleach, and if not, then if swallowing a whole bottle of normal bleach would have the same effect and erase certain memories from his mind.
Since the beginning of his second year of Higher Education, that thought had increased in frequency and desperation. February brought with it a new note and more pondering on the less talked about uses of bleach. It also brought a minor freak out over a certain event that happened in that month and what he was to do about it.
That freak out, however, was inadvertently solved the day before Valentine's Day, when his phone started to ring. Jared was confused to see Richard's name as the caller.
"Hello?"
"Jared! How are you this fine and glorious morning!" Jared immediately felt his suspicion rise at Richard's cheerful greeting and couldn't help wondering what he was going to end up agreeing to. Because he knew he'd agree in the end. Richard had that effect on him.
"It's four in the afternoon, Richard," Jared pointed out, not actually wanting to ask what the favour was going to be and thus deciding to delay the inevitable.
"Is it? Shit, I need to get the V and E room sorted out. The private party in there last night made a mess of it. Ejaculate all over the walls. It's like a giant tub of salty hand lotion has exploded-"
"Richard! Stop! Please! Wait… why would someone book a private session in the Voyeurism and Exhibitionism room? How is that voyeuristic or exhibitionistic?" Jared cursed his brain to mouth filter at times.
"Apparently it was the idea that they could be caught that they got off on."
"So why not have sex in a shop or the cinema or something?"
"I wouldn't arrest them if they were caught?" Richard said, not sounding entirely sure of it himself, which made Jared chuckle and then sigh.
"So what is the reason you're calling me?" Jared finally asked, deciding to just bite the bullet.
"Are you busy tomorrow night? Misha told me about your hot piece of doctor ass. You should bring him to us. Mark and myself want to see if he's suitable for you." The thought of Mark and Richard interrogating Jensen to find out if he was 'suitable' was actually a highly disturbing one for Jared, then he realised what Richard had asked.
"Er… Actually, I'm not doing anything. Jensen has to work a shift at the hospital tomorrow night so we had decided to celebrate Valentine's Day on the fifteenth. Why did you want to know?" Jared asked, looking at his door when he saw Misha dart past with two large suit bags over his shoulders.
"Ah good! Can you work as a doorman for me tomorrow night? My two normal guys had to call off. You'd be working with Mark and Aldis, a new guy I hired last week. Don't think you've met him yet," Richard told him and Jared sighed.
"What's the catch?"
"No catch! You'll be paid three hundred for the night," Richard told him and Jared had to bite his tongue to keep from agreeing straight away.
"And I'd just have to stand on the door?" Jared asked suspiciously, before he realised something. "Which door?"
"You'd be on the front. Don't worry, Jared!"
"Seriously, Richard, what is the catch? I know you, I know there's a catch," Jared said with a put-upon sigh.
"Fine. So you'd possibly have to wear a costume of sorts. It's nothing bad! Just… well, you and Aldis will be slaves of Mark’s. Because, let's be serious here, Jared, Mark would not pass as a slave. Plus, he's British, he'd shoot my kneecaps for considering it if I asked." Jared couldn't deny that, Mark probably would. Sighing, he dragged his hand through his hair. Glancing back at his door, he frowned when he saw Misha looking around his own door into Jared's room, nibbling his lip anxiously.
"Four hundred."
"Three fifty. And remember that you owe me a favour as well."
"Three hundred and fifty and I don't have to wear a gimp mask."
"Deal! Misha has your costume. You're to be here an hour before opening. Come with Misha. You can get changed over here. Thank you for this, Jared!" And with that, Richard hung up, leaving Jared to gape at the phone in his hands.
"Misha!"
Jared wasn't amused. Jensen was highly amused, but Jared wasn't amused at all. He knew Misha was in on this somehow. Just knew it. Why else would the man have had his costume with him before Jared had even agreed to it?
And 'costume' was used loosely. When Jensen had heard that Jared would be wearing a costume, he had told Jared that he and Misha had to come to their house before they left for Asylum so he could see what Jared would be wearing. Well, he had demanded that after he'd finished cackling down the phone.
He wasn't laughing now however. No, he was actually in danger of choking on his over saliva. Richard hadn't been kidding when he had said that Jared would be Mark's submissive for the night. Which was going to look amusing anyway, given Jared towered over the older man. But apparently, submissives didn't get to wear an awful lot when they were working as a doorman as well.
Jared's 'costume' for the night was a long pair of pinstripe trousers, with chains crossing over his legs in varying lengths, attaching to the opposite leg further down. He was also wearing a pair of boots that he actually thought might be class as a weapon, and had a four-inch wedge platform that made Jared ridiculously tall, and also included chains. Really, who wore chains on their shoes? Apparently, he did.
To complete it, he had to wear a loose black tie, which Jared saw no point in given he wasn't wearing a shirt, or a top at all. He had cuffs on that had a long chain attaching them together and to the centre of his trousers, along with a black leather collar with a D ring and a long chain leash attached to it. He was not impressed with the leash. Though at least there wasn't a mask.
"Ja-Who-Wha-Jay?" Jared smirked a little at Jensen's stammered greeting upon seeing Jared when he opened the door to them. Jensen coughed, cleared his throat, then squeaked before shaking his head and silently motioning for them to walk inside. Behind him, Misha began to chuckle quietly into his hand, and the two walked into the house, passing Jensen who coughed when he saw what Misha was wearing. Which was actually less than Jared, if that was possible. The skin-tight leather trousers Misha was wearing had more holes in it than a sieve. And really left nothing to the imagination. At least Misha didn't have to wear cuffs.
"Jared, I hear you're going to work with Mi-whoa! Where in the hell are you working tonight?" Mike exclaimed, taking in the sight of Jared. His eyes widened when he saw Misha, who just smirked back at Mike. Jared wondered where Jensen was, when he realised the man hadn't followed them into the house. "Have you broken Jen?"
"I don't… Jensen? You alright?" Jared called out, looking behind him and down the hall to where they had seemingly left Jensen.
"Yeah. Yeah, I'm… er… I'm fine. Be right in," Jensen called back, sounding a little strained and making Mike and Misha chuckle.
"Maybe I should go see if…" Jared trailed off, looking back towards the hallway in concern, then looking at an amused Misha.
"Sure, we don’t have to leave for a few minutes, go make sure Jensen hasn't choked on his own drool," Misha told him with an absent wave towards the hallway. Jared nodded at him and walked down the hallway back to where they'd left Jensen.
He snickered when he saw Jensen leaning against the wall, head in his hands as he clearly tried to calm himself before going back to the living room with the others.
"Jen? Should I applaud that you managed to shut the do-" Jared was cut off when he was pushed against the wall and found himself being kissed deeply by Jensen, a very handsy Jensen. Moaning into Jensen's mouth, Jared clung to the shirt Jensen was wearing and widened his legs slightly so that Jensen could press his leg between them, pressing their bodies closer together.
Jared had the passing thought that Richard would probably applaud Jared should he turn up with a very obvious wet patch at the front of his trousers, before it was wiped out of his mind by Jensen's hand wrapping around the leash and tugging it around to the back of Jared's neck, pulling Jared's neck and head back with it. His breathing hitched when Jensen licked his neck, before biting down hard on the flesh between Jared's neck and shoulder.
Jared's eyes fluttered shut when Jensen began to lick at the bite mark, slowly thrusting against him and making Jared's breathing become quicker and more laboured as he the collar partially cut off his airways. He could feel his orgasm building as Jensen's thrusting became more frantic and his breathing heavier against Jared's neck and ear. The thought that Misha and Mike could walk in and see them like this at any moment was the final straw and Jared came with a strangled gasp. He slumped back against the wall, jerking in an aftershock of pleasure when Jensen bit his neck once more and muffled his own shout of pleasure.
Breathing heavily and feeling like all of his limbs were made of lead, Jared forced his eyes to open and looked down when Jensen pulled back after placing a soft kiss to Jared's neck.
"You look like you have one hell of a master," Jensen told him breathlessly and Jared stared at him incomprehensibly for a few seconds, before he chuckled.
"Tell me about it. Want to take bets on what Richard's reaction to my debauched look will be?" Jared muttered, glancing down between them to the slight damp patch on his trousers, and wanting to breathe a small sigh of relief when he noticed it wasn't too noticeable.
"Pay rise," Jensen muttered with a snicker, before moving to nuzzle his nose against Jared's neck, rubbing the now tender skin under his collar and shifting to press a kiss to it.
"Jen. We're gonna have to move, me and Misha will have to leave soon and I want to at least look a little presentable," Jared whispered, not really making any effort beyond that to move Jensen. His excuse was that he was cold and Jensen was warm and cuddly. He wasn't entirely sure Mark would appreciate being cuddled later on that night though.
"True. Well, about the moving. I don't want you to look presentable though," Jensen murmured, voice muffled against Jared's neck. Jared chuckled deeply, then gasped softly when Jensen rang a hand through his hair, making Jared look even more debauched than he had before.
"Jared! Jared we need to go-oh. We can go in a minute." Jared looked to the side to see Misha looking at them and smiling widely with a wicked gleam in his eyes. Huffing a sigh, Jared nudged at Jensen, grinning when he got a whine from the man but managed to move him.
"No, I'm ready. Jensen's got work soon too anyway, and Richard turns into a total bitch when he's kept waiting," Jared said with an amused grin. He looked at Jensen and his smile widened before he pressed a soft kiss to Jensen's lips, running his tongue lightly over them and pulling back.
"You'd better go then," Jensen muttered softly, not looking entirely happy with that plan. But Jared nodded, then cringed at the state of his trousers.
"I'm gonna just… go into the bathroom first, okay? Meesh, I'll be back in a minute, then we can leave, yeah?" Jared asked, walking swiftly toward the bathroom and ignoring the amused look Misha was sending him.
"Sure thing, Jared. We can leave whenever you're ready." Really, there was no need for Misha to sound that amused in Jared's opinion.
"I didn't think Richard would be able to convince you to get into your role quite as well as you have, Jared. Though for future reference, I'm not much of a biter." Jared felt his face light with his blush when Mark walked over to him as he waited for the doors to open and to start his role as sub to Mark. He'd met Aldis when he'd arrived an hour before and he'd been surprised at just how 'into' it Jared had appeared, much to the obvious amusement of Richard (who had indeed declared Jared would get a pay rise for the effort put into his costume) and Misha (who promptly tripped over a riding crop left next to the bar, and took out Denise, the senior barmaid and part-time dominatrix). Mark, however, hadn't been scheduled to arrive until just before they opened the doors for the night.
Which was now.
"Hey, Mark," Jared greeted, not even blinking when Mark leered at him and wrapped his leash around his wrist. He looked over to where Aldis was talking to one of the inner doormen, Niall, and then whistled shrilly, making Jared wince. "Ouch."
"Gotta keep my little subs in line, don't I?" Mark told him with a smirk and Jared just rolled his eyes while Aldis hurried over, eyes widening when he saw how Mark and Jared were standing.
"Erm…"
"Oh relax, Kid. Richard told me you're new to the scene. Jared's been around here for months now. He's old hat to being my submissive. You get to just stand behind me, next to Jared and look pretty," Mark told Aldis with a roll of his eyes. He tugged on Jared's leash with another smirk and led the two of them to the main doors for their job of the night. Jared just knew they were going to freeze.
"You might wanna stick by my other side. Some of the less behaved doms can get a bit too handsy," Jared muttered to Aldis, twisting the chain attaching his wrists together around his fingers. He shifted to get comfortable one step behind Mark, and leaned against the wall, waiting for the time to unlock the doors while Mark looked every bit the high-class Master in front of him, complete with huge metal ring of keys.
"Actually, Aldis should be alright seeing as he's a doorman, but Jared could have a point. If you don't wanna get groped hide behind Gigantor," Mark told him before he straightened up, brushed himself down and, with a clang of keys, unlocked the doors.
Jared followed Mark outside with a tug of his leash and didn't have time to feel shy or embarrassed when he saw the fairly long line of customers waiting to go inside the club before Mark tugged his leash and pointed for him to stand behind him, allowing him to lean against the door. Aldis quietly moved to stand on Jared's other side, furthest from the entrance and any grabby hands.
With a glance at them both and a nod, Mark moved and slowly started to take entrance fees, check IDs and let people inside. Jared couldn't help but wonder if Richard would bring them out some sort of coat before they caught hypothermia or after and he felt guilty about it.
Mentally sighing and trying to ignore the way he was practically being devoured visually by the customers as they passed him to enter to club, Jared settled himself for a long night of being objectified. He was never going to shut Danneel's feminist spiels out ever again after this night.
Well, he'll listen to the first five minutes at least.
Note Sixteen
Jared snickered as he read the note left on the kitchen, shrugging when he glanced over the counters and didn't really see anything wrong. Or at least, nothing that he thought required a bitchy note from Jason.
Well, beside the fact that the kitchen was probably in its clean state because Jason had been the one to frantically clean it, but Jared also didn't bother to feel guilty over that. The few times Jared had actually cleaned the kitchen, he'd come back hours later only to find Jason going over everything once more with a sponge and scary amount of bleach. So really, if the guy’s OCD was so bad that he had the urge to clean a kitchen only a couple of hours after someone else had done so, then Jared just wasn't going to bother with it anymore.
Which was why he hadn't cleaned the kitchen for a good few weeks, if not a couple of months. And he had no idea when the last time Misha had cleaned the place was. In their defence, however, it wasn't like they were there an awful lot. He rarely ate there; in fact, he figured he only slept there on an average of about once or twice a week. If that. Well, at normal, human sleeping hours that is. He did come back to nap a couple of times in the week whenever he had a good lengthy break between classes. Which, this year, he had quite a few of. Every Tuesday and Thursday, at least. So there was that time he spent in the apartment, he supposed.
All the same, as amusing as the note was, it still made Jared roll his eyes and think Jason was just being a whiny little bitch who couldn't think of anything else to whine about. Had they cleaned the kitchen all the time, then Jason would probably have moaned about how they no longer let him feed his OCD habits and let him use his daily quota of bleach on the place.
Muttering to himself under his breath, he grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and walked back to his room. He had three books that needed to be read by the end of the week, and given it was now Wednesday, he felt he was a little behind. His plan had been, that because he had the day off, and Jensen hadn't, he was going to spend the day and night catching up. He had no idea what Misha was doing that night and he hadn't actually factored in what he would do had another note been left.
He perhaps should have done that at least. It was somewhat foolish of him not to have done so. In fact, he was both annoyed and embarrassed at his seemingly optimistic view on how he would be able to spend the day. Sometimes he cursed his optimism, he really did.
He glanced at Jason’s shut door when he passed it on his way to his own room and took a moment to try and think if he'd heard the front door slam when he'd actually been woken by the sounds Jason made while cleaning the kitchen, but couldn't actually be sure. So deciding not to risk seeing if Jason was in or not, he quietly darted past the room and made it to his own, letting out a sigh of relief as he closed his door behind him. He placed the water on his bedside table and threw himself onto the bed with a groan of relief, which turned into a groan of despair when he saw the three books he'd been putting off. Eyeing the titles distastefully, he huffed and grabbed Jane Eyre off the top of the pile, deciding to get that one over and done with. He really hated most of the literature from that period.
Though Tess of the D'Urbervilles was a guilty pleasure of his, that he enjoyed reading whenever he felt in the mood to be thoroughly depressed by literature. As you do. His argument for that, when Misha had caught him and asked, was that it was hard being so cheerful all the time, so he liked to read about the pain and misery of others to make him truly realise just how good he had it.
That was probably one reason that he hadn't wanted to read it recently. Really, Tess did have a shitty time in the book, but at least she didn't have to deal with petty note wars and being turned into a scapegoat whenever something went wrong and no note was actually left. Or a note that no one wanted to own up to was left out.
It was also why he didn't want to read Jane Eyre. Unfortunately for him, however, it was part of the required reading for the year and he'd put it off long enough. Especially considering they would be discussing it starting next week if Sandy was right.
He managed to make his way through quite a fair portion of it, having mentally thanked his mother for teaching him the basics of speed reading for information when he was younger at the beginning of his first year, when he'd first seen the reading list for this course. Looking up when his door opened, he saw Misha looking in at him hopefully, nose wrinkling when he saw what Jared was reading, which was a fair and valid reaction.
"Hey, why are you reading that drivel? She's a silly tart who needs a good slapping," Misha muttered quietly, walking into the room and closing the door behind him.
"Got to read it for class next week. And she's just misunderstood, I'm sure," Jared answered, knowing that that was going to be the opinion of a certain student in his class who seemed to think everyone, fictional or real, deserved the benefit of the doubt. It got old. Even for someone as understanding and nice as Jared. In fact, sometimes he just wanted to shoot her and see if anyone cared. He doubted it. He contented himself however, by spending most of the time she spoke exchanging bitchy notes with Sandy in his notebook.
"Huh. Whiny bitch if you ask me. So, seen the new note?" Misha asked and Jared, seeing the perfect opportunity to put off reading anymore of the stupid novel, placed it face down and open on his bedside table and looked at Misha, motioning for him to join him on the bed.
"Yep, read it, ignored it and hid from anyone that might have been in the apartment all day. I've been reading in here for quite a few hours now," Jared told him with a shrug while Misha walked over and lay down on the bed next to Jared. The double beds they had was one plus side to boarding off campus, yet still didn't quite make living in Hell any better. It did make sleeping comfier though.
"I think Jason might be in, but I'm not sure. Mind if I just nap for an hour or two in here? You working later at all?" Misha asked sleepily, looking at Jared, who just shrugged and shuffled around to get comfortable.
"Nope, got the day off. No work at all, and I had a day off from classes as well. They were cancelled for some departmental meeting or review or something. I don't know, didn't care beyond it meaning I had a whole day to do nothing. Have you been at college all day?" Jared asked, rolling his eyes when Misha just nodded his head, then started to shuffle, shift and twist, trying to find the most comfortable spot. "I think I'm gonna join you in that nap, Meesh."
"Good plan. Now shut up, I'm trying to sleep."
Jared was startled awake by the sound of someone slamming a pan of some sort on the side in the kitchen. Looking down at where Misha seemed to have curled around him in his sleep, he found he was being stared at by Misha's wide eyes.
"Found the note, you think?" Misha whispered, shifting so that he could look towards the door where they could hear the muffled sound of Jason's angry mutterings.
"Sounds like it. Who do you think is the one being scolded?" Jared asked, snickering slightly at the thought of anyone being put through one of Jason's reprimands.
"No clue. Should we try and escape while we still can?" Misha asked in a whisper, and Jared thought on it for a second before he shrugged.
"Where to? I mean, I agree, we need to get out, but Jensen's working, Mike is… who knows where, I think he mention Tom, possibly. Neither of us are working… so… what? Should we go to our workplaces anyway?" Jared asked, also keeping his voice quiet in the hopes that neither Jason nor Jason's current victim heard them and realised they were in.
"Only plan we have. Head to Café Sol first, then, when that closes, head to Asylum. Ooh, no! We could go to Dreaded Fairies afterwards, instead!" Misha whispered excitedly, and Jared narrowed his eyes at him, but then shrugged and nodded.
"Sounds good to me. Also, I think it's Chad," Jared added, just when he thought he could possibly hear Chad responding to Jason's rants, followed quickly by more clattering and crashing of pans. "Let's head out now."
"We need to get dressed. I'll be back in a second. No need to dress up. Jeans, t-shirt… you know. That kinda thing," Misha told him before getting up and promptly falling over the edge of the bed, having not realised just how tangled he and Jared had become. Jared snorted and looked over the side of the bed to a dazed Misha.
"This is why Jensen thought we were an item, by the way. Just thought you should know that. I'll meet you outside the apartment in ten minutes, should be easier if we leave separately. Less noise maybe," Jared explained to Misha as he moved to help him get up from the floor, before standing up from his bed in the first place.
"Good idea. See you outside in a little bit then," Misha told him, turning and quietly hurrying out of Jared's room to go to his own.
Turning quickly, Jared grabbed a pair of jeans and a clean t-shirt from his drawers and got changed. He ran his fingers through his hair briefly and then grabbed his phone, keys and wallet, placing them in his pockets as he quietly left his room.
With a quick glance towards Misha's closed door, Jared quietly hurried down the hallway and paused by the kitchen door, wincing when he heard Chad shout at Jason about his OCD, accompanied by a loud crash, which Jared hoped wasn't anything of his. Using the resulting backlash of Jason's angry yelling as his cover, Jared ran to the front door and almost silently opened it and shut it again behind him.
"What are you doing here? You're not scheduled in are you? Oh god, tell me I haven't cocked up the rota. Gen arrived an hour ago," Danneel whined as soon as she saw Jared walk into the coffee shop. Jared just grinned at her, nodding his head to Misha next to him.
"New note."
"Ah, it's all gone down hill then?" Danneel said with an understanding nod, looking at Misha when he snorted in disbelief.
"When was it ever up hill? No, really, when? I'd love to know," Misha muttered grumpily. Danneel narrowed her eyes at him dangerously, making Jared quickly smile charmingly at his boss before steering Misha to their regular table.
"I'll just bring your coffees over to you, shall I?" Danneel snapped out after them and Jared muttered under his breath before turning around to once more smile winningly at her.
"I'll be over in a second. Don’t worry!" Jared called out before turning back to Misha, scowl firmly in place, making Misha look contrite. "You know she doesn't like back talk! She'll eat you alive, Meesh and you know it!"
"Sorry," Misha muttered and Jared rolled his eyes before turning to walk back to grab their coffees.
"Here," Jared muttered, placing the coffee down in front of Misha before taking a sip of his own. He then quickly put his mug down on the table and pulled his phone out.
"Who're you texting?"
"Milo, thought I'd warn him to stay away from the apartment for a while," Jared explained while typing out the message for Milo. Seconds later he got a reply thanking him; apparently Milo was going to stay out of sight for the rest of the week. When he told Misha this, Misha snorted and shook his head.
"You do know that it was Milo's scheduled turn to actually clean the kitchen, right?" Misha pointed out, and Jared sighed, glancing at his coffee in front of him. He really needed something stronger.
When Misha had said that Dreaded Fairies wasn't quite like The Asylum, he wasn't kidding. It was so far from The Asylum that it could well have been a completely different planet. The music playing was trance music and had a good heavy beat to it that made Jared feel like he could actually dance without causing someone some serious injury.
What was more surprising, possibly, was the fact that it was almost pitch black. The walls were black, the floor was a dark wood by the looks of it and Jared could just about make out a raised seating area nearer the bar on the other side of the room to the entrance. Between them and the tables was a large dance floor full of writhing people. It was incredible, and what made it more so was the fact that it was so dark because most of the lighting were black lights, making any white clothing, or neon clothing anyone was wearing, glow.
Glancing to the side where Misha was standing with a grin on his face, Jared chuckled and noticed Mark heading his way over to them, leer on his face as he took them in.
"We getting very drunk? Please say yes!" Jared shouted over the music to Misha, who smiled brightly and nodded his head, before tugging Jared so they could meet with Mark.
"Welcome to my humble abode! There's paint over there, should you wish to be a little brighter. And the paint drums are brought out at eleven," Mark told them in a loud voice, turning sharply to lead them around the throngs of people on the dance floor until they reached the table area. He led them to a more secluded table and motioned for them to take a seat.
"What's the drum thing?" Jared asked once he'd taken a seat and Mark and Misha had also sat around the table with him. Mark glanced over his shoulder and jerked his head to whoever he was looking at before turning back to face Jared and Misha.
"I've got two big steel drums. I fill 'em with neon paint and then people can play 'em, get splattered with the paint. Make themselves glow even more. Apparently acid and E make it look even more amazing. There's face paint too. By the way, Richard told me to tell you both that he won't be impressed if either of you take anything when you're here! I don't know what he thinks this place is like!" Mark said in an insulted tone, as though he hadn't, moments before, mentioned people here taking drugs casually.
"Er… We won’t? We just want to get drunk," Misha told him and Jared noticed a woman heading towards them with a notebook, making Jared think that Mark must have been calling her over earlier.
"Right, well I can help with that then. Drinks are on the house for tonight. Drink what you like, go dance and have clothed sex with strangers. Oh! You can have temporary paint put in your hair as well, should you rather not get your faces painted," Mark told them before he stood up to leave the table when the waitress finally got to them. Misha and Jared thanked him, told the girl what they wanted, and then turned to look at one another.
"Hair paint?" Jared asked with a grin once the waitress had left to get their drinks. Misha looked at him with an answering grin on his face.
"Definitely hair paint. Maybe face paint too. We gonna go on the drums later too?"
"Damn right we are. Before though, before we have to get drunk," Jared said with a firm nod, ignoring the small voice in the back of his head that told him he'd be going to his morning classes the next day hung-over and with painted hair. He'd worry about that when it happened. Now he just wanted to get really, really drunk.
Part Nine