Novae Vitae-21
Chapter-21
Jared sat stunned for a long moment after Fergus left. He stared morosely at the unfinished slice of pastry on his plate- he had been enjoying the dessert if not the company- before slowly reaching for the fork again and continuing eating. He was acutely aware of the stares he was eliciting in the small restaurant, especially given the loudness of Adam’s departure but was determined to hold onto his dignity. He glanced out of the grimy glass door at him back towards the hazy parking-lot, wet with rain from earlier in the evening and looking downright unsafe at this late hour with it’s single flickering street-lamp. Then sighed as he decided that caution was the better part of valour; pulled out his phone and called Jensen.
No one answered.
Jared’s brows furrowed slightly as he stared at the screen and the blinking ‘No Answer’ before hitting re-dial. When no one picked up after three tries, and the pastry was finished, leaving him with no excuse to linger; he stood up to leave and was halted by the manager.
“You need to pay,”
Jared stared in bewilderment, “Excuse me?”
The man waved at the table he’d been sitting at and which was yet to be cleared, brows furrowed slightly like he thought Jared might be trying to scam a free meal, “You need to pay for the food.”
“Oh,” Jared hesitated. Surely Fergus was not that rude? “Uhm… didn’t my companion…?” He gestured vaguely at the door, hoping to remind the man that he’d been with Alpha Fergus who had left.
The manager looked at him sadly as comprehension dawned, “Alpha said you would pay… Do you not have…?”
Jared’s eyes widened and he lowered his head as he swallowed that bit of insult before snapping his eyes up as he understood the man’s question, “Oh. No. … No, that’s not going to be a problem. Uhm…” He offered his credit card, thanking the gods that he’d had the forethought to carry it on his ‘date’, “How much?”
The manager smiled in obvious relief and returned behind the counter to print their bill. It wasn’t a huge amount and with Jared’s expenses being at their nadir, he wasn’t worried about it hitting his pocket. Besides, it wasn’t like the restaurant was some uber-expensive joint in a five-star facility- in fact, it was near their store and in such a sad little neighbourhood that Jared had initially worried about the quality of food provided. Thankfully, his worry had been unfounded. … Nevertheless, even as he forced a smile for the manager and exited the place, Adam’s discourtesy stung.
He drew his jacket tighter as he stepped up under the lone streetlight, hoping he’d find a cab soon. The air was chilly out here and the gathered clouds were threatening imminent rain. As if his thoughts had summoned it, a large raindrop splattered on his forehead right then and he groaned. Great, this day just seemed to be getting better and better. Not.
He spotted a cab approaching and raised his hand to flag it down only to realize that it was occupied. Same thing happened with the second cab he spotted. The third and the fourth… The light drizzle was gaining strength and he desperately wanted to get out of the cold, wet street. None of the cabs in the distance looked available and a glance at the restuarant behind him indicated that it too was winding up. He definitely did not want to still be here when they closed for the night.
Sighing, he stomped his foot a few times to keep himself warm despite being wrapped in a thick coat that kept him reasonably safe from the elements (unlike a lot of the people in this part of the town) and pulled out his phone, hoping he’d get through to Jensen this time.
He jerked when a car coming from the opposite direction he was headed in made a sharp about turn and skidded to a stop in front of him. Heart in his throat, Jared prepared to run at the slightest hint of threat as the throaty purr of the muscle-car’s V8 engine broke through the stillness of the night.
“Hey, need a ride?”
Jared’s shoulders came down as relief swept through him like a wildfire at the familiar voice: “Hey Sammy. Dean. What’re you guys doing so late out?”
“Driving,” The young omega answered evasively. “You look like you need a ride. Hop in.”
Jared hesitated, “I wouldn’t want to cause troub-”
“It’s no trouble. I promise.” Dean’s deepening (but still not quite down to adult-levels yet) voice answered as he ducked to peer up at the tall omega, “C’mon in. Its not safe for an omega to be alone like this at this hour.”
Jared hesitated, but he was cold and Dean wasn’t wrong. With a small smile and a whispered ‘thanks’ he opened the back door and slipped in; sighing in pleasure at the warmth inside.
“Okay. So… which way?”
“Oh, you can drop me at the nearest bus-stop.” Jared told the teenager. “I wouldn’t want to keep you two-”
“Trust me, it’s not a problem. And I’d rather not have leaving an omega unescorted at this hour on my conscious. Besides, it’s not like me and Sammy had a particular destination in mind. So c’mon, gimme the directions, ‘kay?”
Jared smiled gratefully and guided them to Jensen’s house. Dean let out a low whistle as he pulled to a stop at the edge of the walkway, hurrying out and opening the door for Jared.
“Stay in the car, Sammy. I’ll just walk Jared to the door, ‘kay?”
“You don’t need to-” Jared protested.
“I know. I need a favour. Didn’t want ‘im to hear.” The teenaged alpha murmured as he walked Jared to the door with a hand on his arm.
“Oh. I-I mean sure… how can I help?” Jared answered as he fished out his keys and worked at opening the lock.
“Our bookin’ at the motel expired.” Dean confessed, head hanging and, “Don’t exactly have enough dough to renew it at the moment. And I can sleep in the car, don’t worry… but if you could give Sammy a room? I figured you might have enough space to… He-He can sleep on the couch, and he’s a good kid, okay? He- he’ll not bug you. And he’ll not touch anything or-or-or try stealing from you if that’s what you’re worried about. Hell, I’ll be back at dawn if you want and get ‘im outta your hair… but please… just give him a spot for toni-… Jared!”
Dean stopped speaking mid-word, gaze sharpening as he stepped protectively in front of the omega. The alpha’s open palm slapped into the middle of Jared’s chest as moved to step inside, halting his progress, “I scent an alpha.”
Jared’s eyes widened as he watched the teen automatically reach towards the back to his pants (Jared couldn’t see his hand under the well-worn and obviously inherited leather jacket, but he was fairly certain Dean wasn’t reaching back to hold up his pants). The boy’s posture was tense and predatory- keen eyes scanning the hallway ahead as he angled himself protectively in front of the omega.
“Dean… it’s okay.” Jared hurried to explain, reaching out to put a restraining hand on his shoulder- not wanting an accidental shoot-out. “This is my alpha-custodian’s house. And of course you can sta-”
“I thought you’d have better manners than to bring him back here, Jar-… that’s not Fergus.” Jensen’s voice interrupted.
Jared felt his lips tilt up in an automatic smile at his alpha’s voice before noticing how rough he looked. “You okay?”
“I’m fine.” The Alpha nodded absently, “You? What happened? And who’s the youngster?”
“Didn’t work out,” He explained curtly before remembering their audience. “Jensen, this is Dean Winchester. I offered them a room for the night-”
“Them?”
“Him and his kid brother, Sam-”
“Where’s the kid?”
“He’s waiting in the car.”
“You two left a child outside in the car at this time of the night? In the rain?!” Jensen’s eyes widened.
Jared felt himself flush- Jensen wasn’t wrong, it had to have been more than a few minutes that poor Sammy had been left alone-“S’rry. I- I’ll get him.”
Jensen nodded, “You do that. And set him up in the room opposite yours,” Then at Jared’s retreating back, “Oh and take an umbrella!”
Jared smiled, “Will do.”
And then the door opened and the two alphas could hear the pitter-patter of rain on the stones of the walkway.
“Dean,”
The teenager had been watching the interaction with interest, liking the older alpha’s instantaneous protective response at hearing Sam was in the car... but he recognised that alpha’s behaved differently around betas/omegas and kids, and didn’t want to get on the bad side of someone who appeared (at least superficially) to be a good man. He willed himself into docility, “Alpha.”
Jensen just chuckled as he waived the honorific away, “Oh none of that now; I remember how much I hated addressing adults like that when I was a teen. … Just call me Jensen, okay?”
Dean relaxed slightly, smiling more when Jared brought Sam in and the alpha smiled at the boy but made no move to touch the young omega as he passed by him.
“So uhm… You work with Jared, right? I’ve heard a lot about you from him and I wanted to talk to you…” Jensen said as he gestured at the teenager to follow and led the way to his study.
“Sure.”
Jensen motioned at the seat opposite as he took his customary place behind the mahogany table, “I actually have an offer for you for Sam-”
“No,” Dean snapped, climbing to his feet in outrage before Jensen had even finished speaking. “No, I’m not giving Sammy to you for a day, an hour or even a god-damned minute. I don’t care what you offer me; I’m not giving you Sammy!”
Jensen’s eyes widened at the outburst before furrowing in concern, “Kid, all I’m offering is a chance at a scholarship for your brother. Jared’s told me how brilliant he is academically and I thought it might be something that might interest you. Now, I don’t know what you think I was offering; but if it is what I think it is? Then frankly I’m worried about the kind of company you are keeping if people making offers for your underage kid brother are a regular occurrence.”
Dean flushed as he sat back down, chastised.
“Is it?” Jensen pressed, “Because the way you went off indicates that it wouldn’t have been the first time you heard something like that if I had made that kind of an offer…”
“He’s an omega…” Dean whispered, “And some alphas are…”
Jensen sighed, “You be careful with him now, hear me?”
Dean nodded, “No one’s going to touch him as long as I’m around,”
“Good,” Jensen agreed definitively, “What about your parents?”
“Mom died when we were kids and Dad’s been … busy. Money’s short…”
“You and your brother can come to me or Jared whenever you need, okay? Put us down as additional emergency contacts if you have to… and if you give me a bit of time I can get an add-on card for you which would link you to my account. That way you’d always have access to some cash for emergencies.”
“I can’t accept-” Dean protested, eyes filling at the unexpected kindness.
“It’s not free,” Jensen cut in, “You’d be working at the pharmacy in exchange. We’ve got branches all over the country, so you can continue irrespective of where you end up…”
“How can you-?”
“I’ve got my sources, kid.” Jensen cut him off pre-emptively, “Don’t worry ‘bout it.”
Dean smiled, “Thank you. Really… You don’t know what your offer means-”
“You two hungry?” Jensen interrupted, uncomfortable with gratitude.
“We ate,” Dean answered truthfully, accepting the change of topic gracefully.
Jensen nodded, “Okay then. Explain my offer to your brother. Talk it over, ‘kay? You can tell me your decision tomorrow.”
∞-∞-ʘ-∞-ʘ-∞-∞
Jensen was looking forward to hitting the hay when he stepped into his room, his good mood evaporating at the sight of Jared waiting. The omega stood up at his appearance, absently wringing his hands as he tried to formulate his request.
Unfortunately, Jensen wasn’t in the mood, “Not tonight, Jared… Given my mood, I’d really recommend you not trying my patience.”
“I-I know I messed up… that you’re angry-”
“I’m not angry, Jared. I have no reason to be, have I? Its not like you promised anything. … and I’ve always told you that you’d have complete freedom to choose your partner. So no, I’m not angry.”
“No?” Jared challenged softly, trying to keep the argument from his voice or posture, but trying to show Jensen that he didn’t have to be brave this time… that Jared had learnt to take responsibility for his actions…
“I said no, didn’t I?” Jensen growled, mindful of their guests in the adjoining rooms.
Jared refused to back down, staring back at the irritable alpha, “No… I guess you’re right. You’re not angry, you’re hurt.”
Jensen’s head shot up, “What?”
“I hurt you.” Jared acknowledged, “I didn’t mean to… but I did- I have-”
Jensen sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose for a few seconds before raising his head again to meet the omega’s gaze, “Alright; put yourself in my shoes… You share a heat with me, treat me like I’m your alpha… we share meals and attend events together. Hell, we’ve even shared a bed- even if it’s platonically- on more than one occasion...and then you go out on a date with someone else. What would you do?”
Jared swallowed, “The question is what you’re going to do, Jensen; because honestly? If our positions had been reversed, you wouldn’t have all this freedom. I’m not proud of the knowledge, but I’d not be the considerate alpha that you are, Jensen. I’d have kept you barefoot and pregnant. Hell, by now you’d have already popped out a few pups for me or been ready to. And if I’d caught you cosy-ing up to another alpha…” He trailed off, shaking his head.
Jensen met his confession with narrowed eyes, “You really think now is the best time to rile me up?”
Jared swallowed nervously but forged on, “I’m not-… I’m not trying to rile you up. You asked what I’d have done in your place… I’m just trying to explain to you that such a situation wouldn’t have risen if our positions had been reversed.”
“Are you telling me that I should’ve handled things differently, Jared?” Jensen asked; his voice dangerous though it was absolutely without inflection.
Jared took an unconscious step back, “I’m just saying that I messed up and that I need to be held responsible for my actions. “
Jensen regarded him quietly for a moment before shaking his head and turning away, “Not like this. I told you, I’m not in the right frame of mi-”
“I can handle it. I trust you.”
“What if I hurt you?” Jensen demanded, glancing over his shoulder towards the omega.
“The fact that you’re asking me that question tells me that you won’t,”
The alpha took a fortifying breath before slowly turning back to face the omega, “Okay. Fine, you get your wish. But I’ll do it on the bare. Twenty-five strokes of my hand.”
Jared trembled minutely at the pronouncement: it had been awhile since he’d been spanked on the bare- ever since Jensen’s hospitalisation, they had stuck to non-corporal punishments- and he had never taken so many hits at a time before but he forced himself to nod: “I accept your judgment.”
“Good. Get to it, then.” Jensen told him, taking his place on the bed and waiting for the omega to drape himself over his lap. “I want you to maintain count: if you don’t count it, then neither shall I.”
“Aloud?” Jared enquired as he pushed down his pants and briefs and laid himself over the alpha’s knee.
“Yes,” Jensen said, placing a warm palm on the tense skin, “Can you do it?”
“I- I’ll try my best.” Jared whispered, grabbing the alpha’s ankles for support.
“Good.”
And that was all the warning he got before the first hit. Jared jerked, managing a choked ‘one’ barely in time before there was a second hit. “Two.”
Tears coursed down his cheeks by twelve and his nose was blocked with snot and tears by twenty. He barely had voice left to keep count and Jensen’s arm across his waist was the only thing keeping him from sliding off.
“Twenty-twoooooooooo! Oowww...! Alpha ple-!!!” His words cut off at the sound of the door opening. Both men scrambled to hide the omega’s partial nudity.
The teenaged alpha stood panting at the door; chest heaving from exertion as he took in the scene before him but his hand was steady, “Get away from him,”
Jensen regarded the gun aimed at him with apprehension but refused to move from between the pointed barrel and Jared. He forced as much alpha into his voice as he could when he spoke, “No, you’re not touching him.”
“What? Like you were touching him?!” The boy sneered before focusing on the omega, “Jared, come here. The bastard’s not going to hurt you anymore. You’re safe!”
And the proverbial light bulb clicked.
“Its not what it looks like, Dean!” Jared hurried to explain, “Jensen wasn’t hurting me-”
“The brilliant crimson of your arse begs to differ,”
Jared sighed, “I mean… it- it was consensual, okay? I asked him to punish me… Hell, I had to beg him to do this.”
And the first flickers of doubt glimmered on the boy’s face, “What? Like-like some kind of fucked up foreplay?”
Jared sighed in relief, “Exactly like foreplay.”
“You actually wanted that?” Dean asked in disbelief, gesturing vaguely in their direction.
“I did,” Jared confirmed bashfully, for once glad of the inappropriate erection he’d sprung during his punishment. He pulled the thin sheets he’d hastily wrapped around his hips tighter, making sure there was no doubt in anybody’s mind about how much he’d been enjoying it.
“Dude!”
“Don’t knock it till you try it!” Jared tossed back, “Trust me, nothing that happens in here is without my consent.”
“Oh…” Dean hesitated, cheeks staining a comical pink, “Uhm… I guess I owe you guys an apology in that case. Sorry. “
They nodded as the teenager beat a hasty retreat before Jared hurried to the door and locked it.
“O-kay, so where were we?” Jared asked, dropping the covers he’d hastily knotted at his waist and letting them drop on the floor; he sauntered up to the alpha as he revelled in the other’s darkening gaze.
Jensen’s fingers nimbly undid the knot he’d made from the covers at his waist and pressed firmly against the heated skin of his rear as the alpha smirked, “I believe we were in the middle of teaching you responsibility...”
Jared faltered, “We-... we’re not done?”
Jensen’s smile was dark, the wordless promise in them sliding slow as molasses down Jared’s skittering pulse and lighting them on fire. “Whatever made you think that I was done with you, Sweetheart?”
nEXT
Jared sat stunned for a long moment after Fergus left. He stared morosely at the unfinished slice of pastry on his plate- he had been enjoying the dessert if not the company- before slowly reaching for the fork again and continuing eating. He was acutely aware of the stares he was eliciting in the small restaurant, especially given the loudness of Adam’s departure but was determined to hold onto his dignity. He glanced out of the grimy glass door at him back towards the hazy parking-lot, wet with rain from earlier in the evening and looking downright unsafe at this late hour with it’s single flickering street-lamp. Then sighed as he decided that caution was the better part of valour; pulled out his phone and called Jensen.
No one answered.
Jared’s brows furrowed slightly as he stared at the screen and the blinking ‘No Answer’ before hitting re-dial. When no one picked up after three tries, and the pastry was finished, leaving him with no excuse to linger; he stood up to leave and was halted by the manager.
“You need to pay,”
Jared stared in bewilderment, “Excuse me?”
The man waved at the table he’d been sitting at and which was yet to be cleared, brows furrowed slightly like he thought Jared might be trying to scam a free meal, “You need to pay for the food.”
“Oh,” Jared hesitated. Surely Fergus was not that rude? “Uhm… didn’t my companion…?” He gestured vaguely at the door, hoping to remind the man that he’d been with Alpha Fergus who had left.
The manager looked at him sadly as comprehension dawned, “Alpha said you would pay… Do you not have…?”
Jared’s eyes widened and he lowered his head as he swallowed that bit of insult before snapping his eyes up as he understood the man’s question, “Oh. No. … No, that’s not going to be a problem. Uhm…” He offered his credit card, thanking the gods that he’d had the forethought to carry it on his ‘date’, “How much?”
The manager smiled in obvious relief and returned behind the counter to print their bill. It wasn’t a huge amount and with Jared’s expenses being at their nadir, he wasn’t worried about it hitting his pocket. Besides, it wasn’t like the restaurant was some uber-expensive joint in a five-star facility- in fact, it was near their store and in such a sad little neighbourhood that Jared had initially worried about the quality of food provided. Thankfully, his worry had been unfounded. … Nevertheless, even as he forced a smile for the manager and exited the place, Adam’s discourtesy stung.
He drew his jacket tighter as he stepped up under the lone streetlight, hoping he’d find a cab soon. The air was chilly out here and the gathered clouds were threatening imminent rain. As if his thoughts had summoned it, a large raindrop splattered on his forehead right then and he groaned. Great, this day just seemed to be getting better and better. Not.
He spotted a cab approaching and raised his hand to flag it down only to realize that it was occupied. Same thing happened with the second cab he spotted. The third and the fourth… The light drizzle was gaining strength and he desperately wanted to get out of the cold, wet street. None of the cabs in the distance looked available and a glance at the restuarant behind him indicated that it too was winding up. He definitely did not want to still be here when they closed for the night.
Sighing, he stomped his foot a few times to keep himself warm despite being wrapped in a thick coat that kept him reasonably safe from the elements (unlike a lot of the people in this part of the town) and pulled out his phone, hoping he’d get through to Jensen this time.
He jerked when a car coming from the opposite direction he was headed in made a sharp about turn and skidded to a stop in front of him. Heart in his throat, Jared prepared to run at the slightest hint of threat as the throaty purr of the muscle-car’s V8 engine broke through the stillness of the night.
“Hey, need a ride?”
Jared’s shoulders came down as relief swept through him like a wildfire at the familiar voice: “Hey Sammy. Dean. What’re you guys doing so late out?”
“Driving,” The young omega answered evasively. “You look like you need a ride. Hop in.”
Jared hesitated, “I wouldn’t want to cause troub-”
“It’s no trouble. I promise.” Dean’s deepening (but still not quite down to adult-levels yet) voice answered as he ducked to peer up at the tall omega, “C’mon in. Its not safe for an omega to be alone like this at this hour.”
Jared hesitated, but he was cold and Dean wasn’t wrong. With a small smile and a whispered ‘thanks’ he opened the back door and slipped in; sighing in pleasure at the warmth inside.
“Okay. So… which way?”
“Oh, you can drop me at the nearest bus-stop.” Jared told the teenager. “I wouldn’t want to keep you two-”
“Trust me, it’s not a problem. And I’d rather not have leaving an omega unescorted at this hour on my conscious. Besides, it’s not like me and Sammy had a particular destination in mind. So c’mon, gimme the directions, ‘kay?”
Jared smiled gratefully and guided them to Jensen’s house. Dean let out a low whistle as he pulled to a stop at the edge of the walkway, hurrying out and opening the door for Jared.
“Stay in the car, Sammy. I’ll just walk Jared to the door, ‘kay?”
“You don’t need to-” Jared protested.
“I know. I need a favour. Didn’t want ‘im to hear.” The teenaged alpha murmured as he walked Jared to the door with a hand on his arm.
“Oh. I-I mean sure… how can I help?” Jared answered as he fished out his keys and worked at opening the lock.
“Our bookin’ at the motel expired.” Dean confessed, head hanging and, “Don’t exactly have enough dough to renew it at the moment. And I can sleep in the car, don’t worry… but if you could give Sammy a room? I figured you might have enough space to… He-He can sleep on the couch, and he’s a good kid, okay? He- he’ll not bug you. And he’ll not touch anything or-or-or try stealing from you if that’s what you’re worried about. Hell, I’ll be back at dawn if you want and get ‘im outta your hair… but please… just give him a spot for toni-… Jared!”
Dean stopped speaking mid-word, gaze sharpening as he stepped protectively in front of the omega. The alpha’s open palm slapped into the middle of Jared’s chest as moved to step inside, halting his progress, “I scent an alpha.”
Jared’s eyes widened as he watched the teen automatically reach towards the back to his pants (Jared couldn’t see his hand under the well-worn and obviously inherited leather jacket, but he was fairly certain Dean wasn’t reaching back to hold up his pants). The boy’s posture was tense and predatory- keen eyes scanning the hallway ahead as he angled himself protectively in front of the omega.
“Dean… it’s okay.” Jared hurried to explain, reaching out to put a restraining hand on his shoulder- not wanting an accidental shoot-out. “This is my alpha-custodian’s house. And of course you can sta-”
“I thought you’d have better manners than to bring him back here, Jar-… that’s not Fergus.” Jensen’s voice interrupted.
Jared felt his lips tilt up in an automatic smile at his alpha’s voice before noticing how rough he looked. “You okay?”
“I’m fine.” The Alpha nodded absently, “You? What happened? And who’s the youngster?”
“Didn’t work out,” He explained curtly before remembering their audience. “Jensen, this is Dean Winchester. I offered them a room for the night-”
“Them?”
“Him and his kid brother, Sam-”
“Where’s the kid?”
“He’s waiting in the car.”
“You two left a child outside in the car at this time of the night? In the rain?!” Jensen’s eyes widened.
Jared felt himself flush- Jensen wasn’t wrong, it had to have been more than a few minutes that poor Sammy had been left alone-“S’rry. I- I’ll get him.”
Jensen nodded, “You do that. And set him up in the room opposite yours,” Then at Jared’s retreating back, “Oh and take an umbrella!”
Jared smiled, “Will do.”
And then the door opened and the two alphas could hear the pitter-patter of rain on the stones of the walkway.
“Dean,”
The teenager had been watching the interaction with interest, liking the older alpha’s instantaneous protective response at hearing Sam was in the car... but he recognised that alpha’s behaved differently around betas/omegas and kids, and didn’t want to get on the bad side of someone who appeared (at least superficially) to be a good man. He willed himself into docility, “Alpha.”
Jensen just chuckled as he waived the honorific away, “Oh none of that now; I remember how much I hated addressing adults like that when I was a teen. … Just call me Jensen, okay?”
Dean relaxed slightly, smiling more when Jared brought Sam in and the alpha smiled at the boy but made no move to touch the young omega as he passed by him.
“So uhm… You work with Jared, right? I’ve heard a lot about you from him and I wanted to talk to you…” Jensen said as he gestured at the teenager to follow and led the way to his study.
“Sure.”
Jensen motioned at the seat opposite as he took his customary place behind the mahogany table, “I actually have an offer for you for Sam-”
“No,” Dean snapped, climbing to his feet in outrage before Jensen had even finished speaking. “No, I’m not giving Sammy to you for a day, an hour or even a god-damned minute. I don’t care what you offer me; I’m not giving you Sammy!”
Jensen’s eyes widened at the outburst before furrowing in concern, “Kid, all I’m offering is a chance at a scholarship for your brother. Jared’s told me how brilliant he is academically and I thought it might be something that might interest you. Now, I don’t know what you think I was offering; but if it is what I think it is? Then frankly I’m worried about the kind of company you are keeping if people making offers for your underage kid brother are a regular occurrence.”
Dean flushed as he sat back down, chastised.
“Is it?” Jensen pressed, “Because the way you went off indicates that it wouldn’t have been the first time you heard something like that if I had made that kind of an offer…”
“He’s an omega…” Dean whispered, “And some alphas are…”
Jensen sighed, “You be careful with him now, hear me?”
Dean nodded, “No one’s going to touch him as long as I’m around,”
“Good,” Jensen agreed definitively, “What about your parents?”
“Mom died when we were kids and Dad’s been … busy. Money’s short…”
“You and your brother can come to me or Jared whenever you need, okay? Put us down as additional emergency contacts if you have to… and if you give me a bit of time I can get an add-on card for you which would link you to my account. That way you’d always have access to some cash for emergencies.”
“I can’t accept-” Dean protested, eyes filling at the unexpected kindness.
“It’s not free,” Jensen cut in, “You’d be working at the pharmacy in exchange. We’ve got branches all over the country, so you can continue irrespective of where you end up…”
“How can you-?”
“I’ve got my sources, kid.” Jensen cut him off pre-emptively, “Don’t worry ‘bout it.”
Dean smiled, “Thank you. Really… You don’t know what your offer means-”
“You two hungry?” Jensen interrupted, uncomfortable with gratitude.
“We ate,” Dean answered truthfully, accepting the change of topic gracefully.
Jensen nodded, “Okay then. Explain my offer to your brother. Talk it over, ‘kay? You can tell me your decision tomorrow.”
∞-∞-ʘ-∞-ʘ-∞-∞
Jensen was looking forward to hitting the hay when he stepped into his room, his good mood evaporating at the sight of Jared waiting. The omega stood up at his appearance, absently wringing his hands as he tried to formulate his request.
Unfortunately, Jensen wasn’t in the mood, “Not tonight, Jared… Given my mood, I’d really recommend you not trying my patience.”
“I-I know I messed up… that you’re angry-”
“I’m not angry, Jared. I have no reason to be, have I? Its not like you promised anything. … and I’ve always told you that you’d have complete freedom to choose your partner. So no, I’m not angry.”
“No?” Jared challenged softly, trying to keep the argument from his voice or posture, but trying to show Jensen that he didn’t have to be brave this time… that Jared had learnt to take responsibility for his actions…
“I said no, didn’t I?” Jensen growled, mindful of their guests in the adjoining rooms.
Jared refused to back down, staring back at the irritable alpha, “No… I guess you’re right. You’re not angry, you’re hurt.”
Jensen’s head shot up, “What?”
“I hurt you.” Jared acknowledged, “I didn’t mean to… but I did- I have-”
Jensen sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose for a few seconds before raising his head again to meet the omega’s gaze, “Alright; put yourself in my shoes… You share a heat with me, treat me like I’m your alpha… we share meals and attend events together. Hell, we’ve even shared a bed- even if it’s platonically- on more than one occasion...and then you go out on a date with someone else. What would you do?”
Jared swallowed, “The question is what you’re going to do, Jensen; because honestly? If our positions had been reversed, you wouldn’t have all this freedom. I’m not proud of the knowledge, but I’d not be the considerate alpha that you are, Jensen. I’d have kept you barefoot and pregnant. Hell, by now you’d have already popped out a few pups for me or been ready to. And if I’d caught you cosy-ing up to another alpha…” He trailed off, shaking his head.
Jensen met his confession with narrowed eyes, “You really think now is the best time to rile me up?”
Jared swallowed nervously but forged on, “I’m not-… I’m not trying to rile you up. You asked what I’d have done in your place… I’m just trying to explain to you that such a situation wouldn’t have risen if our positions had been reversed.”
“Are you telling me that I should’ve handled things differently, Jared?” Jensen asked; his voice dangerous though it was absolutely without inflection.
Jared took an unconscious step back, “I’m just saying that I messed up and that I need to be held responsible for my actions. “
Jensen regarded him quietly for a moment before shaking his head and turning away, “Not like this. I told you, I’m not in the right frame of mi-”
“I can handle it. I trust you.”
“What if I hurt you?” Jensen demanded, glancing over his shoulder towards the omega.
“The fact that you’re asking me that question tells me that you won’t,”
The alpha took a fortifying breath before slowly turning back to face the omega, “Okay. Fine, you get your wish. But I’ll do it on the bare. Twenty-five strokes of my hand.”
Jared trembled minutely at the pronouncement: it had been awhile since he’d been spanked on the bare- ever since Jensen’s hospitalisation, they had stuck to non-corporal punishments- and he had never taken so many hits at a time before but he forced himself to nod: “I accept your judgment.”
“Good. Get to it, then.” Jensen told him, taking his place on the bed and waiting for the omega to drape himself over his lap. “I want you to maintain count: if you don’t count it, then neither shall I.”
“Aloud?” Jared enquired as he pushed down his pants and briefs and laid himself over the alpha’s knee.
“Yes,” Jensen said, placing a warm palm on the tense skin, “Can you do it?”
“I- I’ll try my best.” Jared whispered, grabbing the alpha’s ankles for support.
“Good.”
And that was all the warning he got before the first hit. Jared jerked, managing a choked ‘one’ barely in time before there was a second hit. “Two.”
Tears coursed down his cheeks by twelve and his nose was blocked with snot and tears by twenty. He barely had voice left to keep count and Jensen’s arm across his waist was the only thing keeping him from sliding off.
“Twenty-twoooooooooo! Oowww...! Alpha ple-!!!” His words cut off at the sound of the door opening. Both men scrambled to hide the omega’s partial nudity.
The teenaged alpha stood panting at the door; chest heaving from exertion as he took in the scene before him but his hand was steady, “Get away from him,”
Jensen regarded the gun aimed at him with apprehension but refused to move from between the pointed barrel and Jared. He forced as much alpha into his voice as he could when he spoke, “No, you’re not touching him.”
“What? Like you were touching him?!” The boy sneered before focusing on the omega, “Jared, come here. The bastard’s not going to hurt you anymore. You’re safe!”
And the proverbial light bulb clicked.
“Its not what it looks like, Dean!” Jared hurried to explain, “Jensen wasn’t hurting me-”
“The brilliant crimson of your arse begs to differ,”
Jared sighed, “I mean… it- it was consensual, okay? I asked him to punish me… Hell, I had to beg him to do this.”
And the first flickers of doubt glimmered on the boy’s face, “What? Like-like some kind of fucked up foreplay?”
Jared sighed in relief, “Exactly like foreplay.”
“You actually wanted that?” Dean asked in disbelief, gesturing vaguely in their direction.
“I did,” Jared confirmed bashfully, for once glad of the inappropriate erection he’d sprung during his punishment. He pulled the thin sheets he’d hastily wrapped around his hips tighter, making sure there was no doubt in anybody’s mind about how much he’d been enjoying it.
“Dude!”
“Don’t knock it till you try it!” Jared tossed back, “Trust me, nothing that happens in here is without my consent.”
“Oh…” Dean hesitated, cheeks staining a comical pink, “Uhm… I guess I owe you guys an apology in that case. Sorry. “
They nodded as the teenager beat a hasty retreat before Jared hurried to the door and locked it.
“O-kay, so where were we?” Jared asked, dropping the covers he’d hastily knotted at his waist and letting them drop on the floor; he sauntered up to the alpha as he revelled in the other’s darkening gaze.
Jensen’s fingers nimbly undid the knot he’d made from the covers at his waist and pressed firmly against the heated skin of his rear as the alpha smirked, “I believe we were in the middle of teaching you responsibility...”
Jared faltered, “We-... we’re not done?”
Jensen’s smile was dark, the wordless promise in them sliding slow as molasses down Jared’s skittering pulse and lighting them on fire. “Whatever made you think that I was done with you, Sweetheart?”
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