A Whole New World - Chapter Four
Title: A Whole New World
Author: reckless_thing
Rating: NC-17
Characters: Jared Padalecki/Jensen Ackles, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Chad Michael Murray, Christian Kane, Steve Carlson, Sophia Bush, Danneel Harris
Warnings: Angst, underage sex, abuse, almost non-con (very brief) and swearing.
Summary: What happens when fate brings a homeless boy who is wanted by the police, already juggling more than anyone could understand and a poor little rich boy together?
Author’s Note: So, it turns out I can’t read/watch/listen to anything without making it into J2’d goodness! So yes, this is the J2 remix of the Disney classic Aladdin (my favourite movie as a child). Also this is a work in progress but I am very close to being finish. I will be updating chapters once a week so stay tuned!
Non-beta’d
“So, whatcha name kid?” Jared asks as he climbs the rickety stairs leading the boy to the top level of the building and wincing when breathing hurts his ribs. He hears the footsteps behind him falter and the kids breathing halt.
“Erm, Jason.” He says hesitantly.
“Well, Jason. It’s nice to meet you.” Jared offers him an apologetic smile, “I’d turn around and shake your hand but breathing is a bitch so it’s sorta out of the question.”
Jason’s eyes widen slightly and Jared is a little confused, was it supposed to do with not turning around to properly greet him or the swearing? Jared was so used to being by himself that he never had to censor his language.
The fourth story comes up and Jared holds his finger up to his lips gesturing to Jason to be quiet as he opens the door and tips his head in to check on Ellie and Ben. Jared had allowed them to have that entire floor to themselves; it was one of the cleaner ones and directly under the top floor which allowed Jared to hear if anything was happening down there - he’s been a light sleeper since he started sleeping on the streets. Ellie and Ben are sleeping soundly on a pile of extra sheets that Jared was able to scrounge up and Jared’s hoodies that he never has to use in summer.
“Who are they?” Jason asks quietly over Jared’s right shoulder.
“Ellie and Ben,” Jared smiles slightly and slowly pulls the door shut before guiding Jason up the remaining stairs, “They’re homeless too.”
“But they’re so young.” Jason asks, low voice cracking slightly.
Jared sighs, “They never knew their dad so when their mom died they had to live with her boyfriend who was an abusive drunk.” Shakes his head, it pained Jared every time he thought of what these two kids had seen, heard, been through. “So one day Ellie packed her little brother up and left.” Jared’s eyes begin to sting with emotion and he blinks forcefully trying to get rid of them.
“That’s horrible.” Jason says softly, his voice more than a little raw.
“Yeah, I know. I’m just glad I can look after them.”
~*~*~*~*~
When they had walked in Harley had awoken immediately, tail wagging and ran over, tiny steps with his little legs toward Jared and Jason. Jason had huffed with amusement when he gave Harley a pat enthusiastically. Jared bit his lip and felt a little pang of affection for the guy.
They’re sitting on the floor leaning against the walls where they meet and form a corner. The large bay window - which never actually had a pane of glass - is allowing warm air into the large room. Huge shadows are cast across the walls by the fire lighting up the space from the fire place, it was hot already but Jason was looking uncomfortable when they stepped into the dark room. Jared gave his half decent candles to Ellie and Ben because the little boy was afraid of the dark and really hadn’t thought anything of it. Harley had fallen asleep less than a foot away from Jared and Jason when the excitement wore off.
“So are you okay without your glasses?” Jared asks when Jason squints as he attempts to get used to his surroundings.
He makes a face, “Yeah, I can see colors and shapes but other than that it’s fuzzy.”
Jared nods before tipping the cheap bottle of whiskey upward and swallowing down the smoky, bitter taste. He thrusts it forward offering it to Jason who shakes his head almost immediately.
“Sure? It can make your aches and pains hurt a little less. Make you sleep a little sounder?” With that Jared takes another swig. He’d had this one bottle from a while ago; veronica had given it to him on his 21st birthday. Since he was 18 Veronica insisted that no one should be alone on their birthday so when his 21st birthday came around she bought him booze and a birthday cake which had made him smile. It wasn’t the first time he had been drunk and Jared could feel in his gut that it wasn’t going to last by a long shot.
Jason clenches his jaw and gestures for the bottle, “Give it here.” He insists and Jared passes it over with a smirk.
He’s about to warn Jason about the burn that slips down your throat when you’re inexperienced but the boy doesn’t give him a chance before he tips it upward and Jared watches as Jason’s Adam apple bobs as his throat works. The boy splutters and coughs as he blinks his eyes shut and then opening them wide.
“Yeah, careful there. It can take you by surprise.” Jared says as he leans against the wall and hisses when his ribs just barely bump the plaster behind him.
Jared watches as the flicker of the fire dances in the green of Jason’s iris’, the orange glow from the fire makes Jason’s skin look golden and Jared just has to swallow hard. Jared’s seen plenty of boys in his time but none of them have looked like Jason. Working down, the boy had eyes that were sea-moss green, barely visible, cinnamon colored freckles that are scattered across the bridge of his nose and lips - oh Jesus - his lips… Jared’s brain stalls on the thought and begins to skip ahead from looks to feels, he wonders what they would feel like and in between the rips of Jason’s shirt and the skin that is blemished with purple and green bruises it is soft and pure and Jared can see the lines of muscles that just barely protrude.
Jared runs the tip of his tongue across his lips when they turn dry and suddenly Jared can hear the sound of his father’s voice. “It’s sick, this thing that you have. It’s not right, Jared.” But it’s interrupted by his conscious condemning him for thinking about this kid in that way after he was almost assaulted in the worst way and abused in another. He shakes himself when he hears Jason wince as a cut on his arm is brought to his attention.
“Shit,” Jared says leaning forward carefully to rock forward onto his knees for a closer look, “Here, let me help you.” Jared takes the hem of his shirt and pulls it over his head and inspects it for a part clean enough to put over the wound. Dirt and blood stain the material and he can’t find a piece long enough that would be suitable. Jared looks around the room and catches sight of Jason’s torn but clean shirt. “Could you take your shirt off?”
“What? Why?” He says hurriedly and it occurs to Jared that he never explained what he intended on doing, his mind was racing a mile a minute.
“I need to wrap your cut. It’s not that deep but we need to cover it so that if doesn’t get dirt in it.” Jared inspects the wound, “We don’t want an infection now, do we?”
Jason shakes his head slowly and uses his good arm to tug the hem upward.
Leaning back slowly, Jared fetches a bottle of water that he kept near his makeshift bed and turns back to face a now shirtless Jason sitting hunched over using his good arm to wrap around his chest as some form of security or comfort, or maybe both.
Jason looks quickly around the room trying not to make eye contact with Jared who feels a little bad for the boy.
“It’s okay, hey man. It’s all good.” Jared soothes slowly crawling closer.
The corner of Jason’s mouth twitches up in a shy smile, “Thank you.”
“Now, um, brace yourself.” Jared warns before tipping the water on the wound, Jason hisses and his other hand reaches out for the whiskey bottle. Jared passes it to him and continues to clean his cut and Jason takes a large gulp of the liquor as he tips his head back. “There, that’s a little better.”
Jared tears a strip of fabric from the shirt and wraps it around the back of Jason’s bicep. Jared has to shake his ridiculously long hair out of the way so that he can see what he’s doing. He hasn’t had it cut in almost a year, for his birthday he lets Veronica spoil him - it’s the only day that he allows her to actually help him out, considering she’s barely more well off than he is - it hangs over his eyes and the back almost dangles to his shoulders which is more than embarrassing. Jared tucks a piece of hair behind his ear and gets back to work wrapping the material around Jason’s arm several times before tying it securely at the front, “Not too tight?” He asks and Jason shakes his head.
Smiling, Jared sits back down and leans against the wall with his knees bent upward and his arms resting comfortably between them. “So, why are you out here?” He asks and Jason eyes go real big with surprise.
“Erm…”
“It’s kinda obvious that you haven’t been on the streets too long, you’re too clean and pretty.” Jared says before thinking and he freezes for a second when the boy lowers his eyebrows at him in confusion. “Uh, you know. Groomed. I meant groomed and well your clothes are a little too good for you to have stolen them or gotten them from a thrift shop. So spill. Where’d you come from?” Jared takes the bottle of whiskey and takes a long pull from it. ‘Idiot.’
“What does it matter? I left and I am not going back.” His tone is cold and bitter as he looks away from Jared’s gaze.
The boy sighs, “I ran away.” He says simply and Jared tilts his head in question. “My fath - dad was trying to control my life. He wanted to make me live a life I don’t want.”
“So you’d rather be on the streets?” Jared asks quirking an eyebrow.
Jason sighs, “I was just sick of him controlling me.” When he turns away he looks so lost and Jared kinda wants to hug him.
After years of being alone Jared almost ached with the need for real human connection, to hold someone who wanted him but he quickly shakes that thought away. “Why are you out here?”
Jared takes another drink from the bottle and swallows it with an exaggerated sigh, “Got kicked out when I was 15,” The sounds of his father yelling at him, his baby sister and mother crying rings in his head.
“Why?” Jason asks quietly surprised.
He shrugs trying his best to show that the memory doesn’t still affect him, “Dad caught me jerking off the neighbor’s boy who was supposed to be tutoring me in math.” Jason’s eyes go wide. “Turns out he taught me a whole lot more.”
“Oh,” And Jared swears that he can see a crimson blush tinting the boy’s face before he ducks his head.
“He said I either had to get help or get out. So it was easy really.” Jared looks out the window trying to distance himself from the moment, “I finally admitted to myself that I was gay when I was 14 but I knew that I was different much earlier and tried my best to hide it from everyone. Daddy dearest was the town’s reverend so the whole ‘fag’ thing didn’t sit too well with him.”
Jason’s eyes turn pained.
“I was sick of hiding it. In the end I was relieved. After he shoved me into a wall and screamed in my face about how I was going to hell, I knew how he felt about me.” Jared swallows thickly feeling that goddamn lump in his throat, “Gave me twenty minutes to pack my shit and leave and every second he looked at me with absolute disgust.” Jared sniffs harshly and dips his head, “Ha, fuckin’ bastard.” He says bitterly, trying to speak through the dryness in his throat. “He told all the cops how bad and dirty I was so I had to leave after they tried beating me. It was a bad town to be a gay boy in.”
The heat in the room from the fire is almost stifling and when Jared wipes his forehead with the back of his wrist he can feel the moisture that is beading on his skin.
Jensen swallows thickly, “What happened to the other guy?”
“He said it was a onetime thing. He was just ‘experimenting’ and would get help. He told his parents that he was sorry.” Jared knows that he sounds bitter but hell, he deserves a little bitching. “Last thing I heard was that he was shipped off to one of those brainwashing camps for parents wanting to fuck up their kids.”
“Why didn’t you think it was wrong?” Jason’s voice is quiet, secretly searching for an answer to not only that particular question but a hundred other questions that he obviously had polluting his mind.
“I was always told that God never made mistakes. So if that was true than obviously he knew what I was.” Jared corrects himself, “who I am.” Jared looks at Jason, “I would rather live my life and make myself happy, you know, live the way I want to and be happy then pretend that I’m something else and live by someone else’s expectations.”
Jason’s silent and Jared shifts a little uncomfortably under the boys gaze even despite the ridiculous color of his eyes.
Licking his lips, Jason gets to his knees after failing a couple of times, tipping backward and looking a little dizzy but he keeps his eyes fixated on Jared with every movement. Jared can tell the alcohol is affecting him and is a little confused about what the kid is doing.
“Jason…” Jared tries to lean away as he comes closer, swaying slightly.
His hands are warm against Jared’s neck when he curls his fingers around it and leans in slightly.
“Hey, what are you doing?”
“I don’t wanna live by everyone else’s expectations, I wanna be happy.” He looks so confused and scared, “I wanna be...” His voice cracks before he leans in and presses his lips uncoordinatedly against Jared’s, holding him close by the grip on his neck.
He gets a little lost in the feeling of Jason’s lips against his, but the moral side of his brain pulls Jared away. “Jason, stop.”
When the boy’s eyes open, they’re shocked and he quickly presses a hand to his mouth and falls away, looking deflated. All that self doubt and confusion is distorting his features and it makes Jared’s chest clench a little. “I’m sorry, I just… When you said I was pretty I just thought maybe…”
Jared holds a hand up, “No. Don’t -”
“I’m - I’m sorry. It was a stupid thing to do.” Jason stutters and backs away.
“Hey,” Jared says forcefully trying to get Jason’s attention. “Don’t apologize. Please don’t. I really like you. I do. But you don’t know me and I know you’re confused but you don’t want to do something you going to regret.”
Jason looks down but when his gaze returns to Jared it’s hard and stubborn, his jaw clenches tight before he grits out, “Don’t tell me what I don’t want to do. Don’t do it, Jared.” Jason leans forward again, his hand lifts and his fingers curl around Jared’s neck, he squeezes and his nails bite slightly into Jared’s skin before he pulls Jared quickly toward himself.
Jason leans back an inch, licks his lips again and kisses Jared again, breathing deeply through his nose. His lips open slightly and he sucks Jared’s bottom lip in, running the tip of his tongue along it and Jared has to hold his breath to keep from whimpering. When Jason leans away again there are tears in his eyes and Jared kind of wants to wrap his arms around him.
“I …. You’re just so self sacrificing, Jared. You’ve taken in this puppy and you’re looking after kids that would probably be dead now if it weren’t for you.” His chest hitches, “You saved me from those… those…”
“Dick-heads?” Jared whispers, his eyes slipping shut. He feels like he needs to be quiet, like if he speaks to loudly Jason might be scared off.
“Yeah. You’re a good person Jared. You are.”
Jared huffs, “Not really.”
“You really are. I just…” Jason takes a deep breath as if readying himself for something big; Jason settles on the backs of his shins and lowers his head in what looks like shame as he says, “Before I left, the life that my father was trying to force me into involved a wife and 2.5 kids.” Jason looks up, “I don’t want that. Well, the kids would be nice but I don’t - I mean - I don’t want a wife. I never have but my father has been telling me since I was little that it was my duty.” His voice gets thick and raspy, “I didn’t get a choice. I’ve had to keep my mouth shut and disappoint my father every time I rejected a girl.”
Jared’s forehead creases, “You’re just a kid.”
“I’m 17,” He whispers, correcting Jared, “18 in a month.”
“Shit.” Jared scrubs a hand over his face.
“I just couldn’t marry someone I didn’t know. It’s not right. But because of who my father is I’m just going to have to be alone because he can’t have a son that…” Jason hesitates for a second, fiddling with his fingers, “doesn’t want a wife.” He says finally.
Jared looks sadly at Jason, “I know what that’s like, but trust me; it isn’t fair for you to be unhappy because you’re scared of what other people think. Don’t do it.”
He places his hand on Jason’s thigh and the boy looks back up at him and shakes his head slightly, “Then help me.” Jason looks at him, leans in slightly, giving Jared the option and he really wants to take it, he wants to tell this boy that it’ll be all right. Jared would tell Jason that he would look after him. That he didn’t have to pretend anymore. Jared offers him a sad little smile and presses a soft chaste kiss to his forehead and then to the corner of his lips.
He hesitates there for a second and he doesn’t really know why, they both have their heads ducked down, Jared’s forehead barely touching Jason’s temple, breathing the same air, slightly tilted inward that has their noses almost bumping. Jared watches Jason’s fingers twitch where they rest on his thigh before they lift slowly and lightly touch the side of Jared’s face.
Jared’s chest clenches tight and his mind is telling him to take a step back, slow things down but his body fucking craves a gentle touch and the smallest sign of affection.
Letting his body take over, Jared seals their mouths together, squeezing his eyes shut in a vain attempt of shutting off his brain. Soon and without his consent, Jared’s hand is carding through Jason’s short spikes on the back of his head. Jared’s other hand rests on Jason’s neck but when his thumb brushes past no shirt hem, he is reminded that Jason isn’t wearing one. He allows his hand to slowly drop down and wraps his fingers around the other boy’s waist. Their tongues just barely touch and Jared is fighting his body from slowly leaning Jason’s back onto the floor and kissing him all over but Jared swallows hard and his stomach turns a little when he tastes the whiskey on Jason’s tongue. “Jas…” Jared whispers but the boy kisses him again. “Jason. Hey, you’re drunk.”
Jason sits down and sighs loudly. “What now?” He whines slightly and the corner of Jared’s mouth twitches upward. He is still just a kid.
“I don’t want you to wake up tomorrow and hate me. I can’t do that.”
“I won’t - “
Jared huffs a little sadly, “You say that now. Why don’t we just go to sleep and we can talk tomorrow, okay?” Jared says trying to get his breathing to return to normal. “I’ll get us some pain medication and tomorrow everything will be better.”
Jason’s eyes don’t meet Jared’s and he guesses the boy is just embarrassed. Jared slowly stands up and from underneath the curtain of his hair Jared can see Jason’s eyes weighing heavily on him. He decides not to look up; he’ll close his eyes and feign sleep while he comes up with something to do.
Dragging over the pile of sheets and old clothes, Jared offers the crude imitation of a bed to Jason to sleep on, telling him that he’ll sleep on the floor, he doesn’t mind, he’s used to much worse, but when he gets up and stares at it Jared is about to apologize for it but the boy bends slightly and begins to spread the sheets out, making it wider and longer.
When he’s done, Jason looks at him and shrugs. He doesn’t say anything before he lies on one side, pillowing his head on his folded in arm and staring at a long forgotten mud stain from when Jared had first brought Harley home. The poor abandoned puppy was covered in mud, barely the size of Jared’s palm shivering from the heavy rain outside.
Jared lies down on the side that doesn’t ache. Before he shuts his eyes he notices that he and Jason are sleeping on the same side and they are maybe a little too close - Jensen curved back almost slotting perfectly against Jared's chest. He shifts a few inches back, giving the boy some room.