Smoke & Lightning: City of Angels, Chapter 13
I may get lynched for this.
Title: Smoke & Lightning : City Of Angels (13/?)
Authors: eviltwin and bloody_adorable
Fandoms: Supernatural RPS AU
Pairing: Jensen Ackles / Jared Padalecki.
Wordcount: 5,132
Rating: Adult.
Summary: Jensen's looking forward to seeing his best friend again, but the arrival of Chris doesn't turn out to be as happy as he hoped for.
Disclaimer: None of the following is true in any way, and no profit is made from this work of fiction.
MASTER POST
CHAPTER 13
Breathing.
In deep, out slow. Soft and even.
Such an innocent sound. Yet, under the right influence, that innocence could easily melt away, leaving wanton, breathy desire.
But, not this time.
Leaning against the doorway to the bedroom, Jared stood with his arms crossed over his muscled chest. He had a slight smile upon his face, watching Jensen sleep. Jensen lay on his stomach, hugging the pillow at his head. He actually had the morning off; and since Jared's day didn't usually start until well after noon, he was taking the time to watch Jensen sleep. The mid-morning sunshine poured through the window, through the curtains, diffused by the filmy material. Jared wished Jensen had some inkling of how beautiful he really was. It didn’t seem to matter how many times Jared told him so, Jensen always found an excuse, or found something degrading to say about himself.
It was better than when they had lived in the garage, back in Texas. Even Jeff and Stevie had done wonders for Jensen’s self-esteem. Upon the thought of his adoptive father and step-mother, Jared felt a pang of home sickness. It hadn’t been all that long since they’d seen each other, but that didn’t matter. He and Jeff had grown so close over the years. Still, they talked on the telephone, emailed, and sent videos back and forth as much as they could.
Pushing away from the doorway, Jared set first one knee upon the mattress, then the other, carefully climbing over Jensen to straddled him. Planting one hand at either side of the man's head, Jared leaned down and pressed a kiss to Jensen's shoulder, then his temple. "Wake up, sleepy-head."
Breath hitching in his lungs, Jensen awoke with a grumble, turning his head. "Wha?" he said. He was used to having to wake up and pull himself out of sleep quickly, after working in the medical profession for so long. The cat naps in the back rooms didn't make for good dreams, so he awoke straightaway. But at home, he slept sounder, so it took him a few seconds to realize he was being awakened. "What?" he croaked again. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong," Jared smiled. He nuzzled Jensen's ear, moving to kiss at his neck. "You're not always here when I wake up. I like when you are."
"Mm," Jensen mumbled. The chills Jared were creating felt good, but they were lulling him back into his slumber instead of arousing him. "You’re not always here when I go to bed. We make up for it though."
"Mm-hmm," he agreed. "Most times, we do."
Slightly annoyed that his lay-in had been interrupted, Jensen reached around to pat at Jared's leg. "Come on," he said. Still laying on his stomach, he nudged backwards with his shoulder. "Let me sleep."
"You can sleep when you're dead," Jared said, his lips brushing Jensen's ear, and tickling it.
Scrunching up his nose, Jensen scratched at his ear. "Which will be sooner, rather than later, if you don't let me sleep."
"Fuck, such drama," Jared chuckled, nipping at Jensen's ear.
"I'm serious, Jay," he returned. "I don't get a whole lot of time to sleep in. Let me rest."
He was disappointed, but not angry. He pulled back and watched Jensen's eyes drift closed again. He could lean down and insist, and no doubt Jensen would give into him, but he had a point. He didn't get a morning off all that much. Instead, he pressed one last kiss to Jensen's bare, inked shoulder and crawled off of him. He debated on lying with him for a little longer, but if he went into work early, he could get some stuff done and not have to stay so long. That way, he could get a hold of Jensen when he got home.
He moved to the closet, opened the door and searched through a couple of things. It was forecasted to be a rather chilly day. Jared chose a black button-up shirt to go over the snug red tee that Jensen loved on him. He knew that the sleeves to the black shirt would just be rolled up later, because he would get warm, but he slipped it on anyway, buttoning the cuffs.
"What time does Chris' plane get in?" Jared asked, knowing very well that Jensen hadn't yet fallen asleep again.
Turning over in bed, Jensen rested upon his back. Raising his left arm, he peered at his watch through tired eyes. Technically, he should get up soon, but his body disagreed. "Noon," he answered. He raised his head and peeked out of one open eye. "You're going to be there to pick him up, right?"
"Yes," he smiled.
"That's in just a few hours."
"Yeah, I know."
"Because he's only going to be here a week."
"He's going to be working, too, you know."
"Yeah, but he’ll be here. With us. So, promise you won’t forget to pick him up."
"I know," he nodded. "I'll be there, with bells on." He looked up from buttoning his shirt and smiled again. "I promise, Jen."
Jensen's head flopped back down upon the pillows. He pulled the blankets up to his chest and got comfortable once again. His eyes drifted closed as he listened to the buckle on Jared's belt jangle while the man pulled on the jeans he'd worn the previous day. Jared didn't care that the jeans were torn at the knees. He never was one for suits, and just because he was manager, didn't mean he had to dress like one. If anyone didn't like how he dressed, fuck 'em. They could just look the other way. He had already been through his morning routine, so after pulling on a pair of boots, Jared leaned down and gave Jensen a quick kiss and hovered over him for a moment. "You'll take Maya out before you go?"
Eyes closed, Jensen nodded.
Pushing away from the bed, Jared headed out of the room. "See you later," he called over his shoulder.
Jensen only mumbled in return.
Threading on his leather jacket, Jared grabbed his keys, wallet and the knapsack Jensen had gotten him for Christmas this past year, and moved out the door. He locked it behind him and tossed the keys in the air, catching them. He was actually excited to get into work early, take care of the things that he sometimes let go too long. In the parking garage, Jared was quick to put on his gloves and helmet, the latter being a little loose, due to the chin strap wearing out. Something he could easily replace at Memo’s later on that day. The bike engine roared to life and Jared kicked it into action.
* * *
He was comfortable in his job, but Jensen still liked to wear a long-sleeved shirt underneath his scrubs to cover most of the tattoos, regardless of how proud he was of them. He found that, while it made kids more attentive to him, it tended to put some parents off to see so much ink. Hints of the tattoos were still visible, peeking out of the shirt cuff or collar, but they were toned down enough for parents. And he could always pull up a sleeve to entertain a kid.
Standing at the nurse's station, Jensen clicked his pen in his hand as he read over a folder of papers. He scribbled down a few things and signed a couple papers, then closed the folder. He stacked a few other folders on top of that one and picked them all up in his arms. "On rounds," he told Barbie, the sole nurse behind the desk at the moment. "Page me if the world falls apart."
She smiled and winked at him. "My world is falling apart, now that you're leaving me," she teased.
"Good one," Jensen chuckled. "You should be a rock star."
"Oh, I am, baby," she returned. "Didn't know about my moonlighting gig, did you?"
"Nope. Mostly because my moonlighting gig is here."
She giggled and watched him leave, heading down the hall and turning the corner.
Though he’d had his ups and downs working in the Peds unit, Jensen still loved his job. He saw a lot of kids with cancer-related illnesses. He'd treated a couple HIV positive kids. He had diagnosed several of his patients as Autistic. He'd seen far too many cases of child abuse. And, of course, he’d had kids die. But he also got new patients, little ones that he adored. Kids weren't judgmental. They didn't care how you lived, who you lived with, what color your skin was. Just as long as they were happy and fed. They didn't even have to be healthy. Just happy and fed. Two of Jensen’s new kids were like that. They were happy, regardless of the fact that they’d been in and out of hospitals since they were two and three years old. He went and saw them first, checking on them and making sure they were just as he’d left them - happy.
After seeing them, Jensen made his way down the hall, stopping before he was at the end of the corridor. He tried not to play favorites, but from the moment he’d met little Matty Marshall, Jensen's heart was his. He spent the longest with Matty, talked more with him than any of his other patients. Maybe it was Matty's situation, his lack of a good male role model, or maybe they just clicked with each other. Whatever the case, Jensen made sure to spend as much time with Matty as he could.
Eight-year-old Matty still had pneumonia, and still had a broken leg. His father hadn’t seen him since he’d been taken away by Social Services. And, though they didn’t tell Matty, his father never made an effort to even try to see him. Jensen had to give Social Services some credit. They had run all sorts of tests on Matty to make sure he didn’t have Brittle Bone Disease, or that he wasn’t asthmatic. Or even some other kind of answer to the question of why he’d had so many hospital visits. They had deemed Mister Marshall unfit to be Matty’s father, and talks were now proceeding regarding Foster Care.
At first, Matty worried about the repercussions of such a thing. He told Jensen that his father would find out and be very mad at him, and he was going to pay for it. When Jensen assured him that his father couldn't get to him, Matty opened up a little more still. He had thought that the abuse was his own fault. He still sometimes shied away from Jensen's hand, but more readily met his eyes these days.
After nearly a week of being around Jensen and the hospital staff, the boy seemed a little more at ease. Not completely healed, of course, but he'd at least been given a glimpse of a gentler life. Jensen was always amazed at how quickly kids bounced back from the atrocities of their lives.
"Hey, big man," Jensen said as he entered the room. He glanced up at the television, seeing a cartoon bouncing noisily around on-screen. "Ah, back to Ben Ten, eh?"
"Yeah," Matty said, frowning. "I'm bored."
"You're bored, huh?" He sat down on the edge of the mattress and folded his hands atop the stack of folders. "How are you feeling?"
Matty looked up at him, his dark eyes wide. "Bored." He wasn’t on oxygen anymore, which had made both Matty and Jensen very happy.
Chuckling, Jensen nodded his head. "Okay," he said softly. "I'll tell you what. You call the nurse in here, get dressed for the day, and I'll take you outside after my rounds."
Matty liked the idea, Jensen could tell, but the boy scrunched up one eye. "I don't got no jacket," he admitted.
Taking a second to think, Jensen shrugged. "I think we have one or two lying around here," he said. "Okay?"
Matty smiled and nodded. "Okay."
"But you gotta take your medicine and eat breakfast."
"Hey, that wasn't part of the deal."
"It is now, kiddo," he said. "I'll be back in a little while."
* * *
"Ugh, did you make these?"
Tisha, Jared’s co-bartender at night, turned and looked at the basket of fries and wings that Jared was holding up. "Nope, Shell did."
Getting up from the stool, Jared stepped around the bar and into the back room. "Shell," he said. "Did you make these?"
"It's what you ordered," the woman said, looking over her shoulder at him. She turned on the water at the sink as she rinsed out an empty bottle of Jack Daniels. She was a stocky, masculine woman with short, buzzed hair and biker boots. She had a tattoo of barbed wire around her neck, and the letters H A T E inked onto the knuckles of each hand. Jared was a little scared of her. She was one of the two women employed by the Blue. Tisha was at least cute, and Jared much preferred working with her.
"I know it is," he nodded. "Have you changed the oil in the fryer in the past month or two?"
Shell rolled her eyes at his dramatics. "Yes, Jared," she answered. She turned off the water and set the bottle on the counter. She collected the bottles, she had said, and always took them off the bar’s hands. "It was changed when it was supposed to be changed."
"Well, change it again," he said. "It's disgusting."
"It's not time," she reminded him, drying off her wet hands with a bar towel.
"Make it time," he said, tossing the food into the garbage. He'd have to get something to eat at the airport when he picked up Chris. "People aren't going to want to eat that shit."
"Weird," Shell said sarcastically. "I thought we were a bar."
"Weird," Jared mocked, with an annoyed smile, "I thought I was the manager."
She sighed and rolled her eyes again. "Fine." She didn't see the point, really. The place wasn't known for its food. They were known for their booze, for their live bands and for their rambunctious crowds. But, since the place had opened, they'd served fries, chicken wings, nuggets, and other quick-fix foods. Anything they could deep-fry.
Jared took the bar towel from Shell and wiped off his hands and mouth. He glanced down at his watch, and suddenly kicked himself. "Fuck," he cursed. "Alright, I'm outta here. I'm late. I gotta go pick up a friend from the airport." He tossed the towel into the dirty bin and walked into the back room where the boss' office was. Jared had made his own little space there. Tacked up a Harley Davidson poster and everything. The past few hours he'd been at work had been spent at the desk he and Ricky Rob shared, counting money, documenting the tally, and balancing the books. Sure, they had an accountant to do the taxes every year, but the bastard wasn't worth shit the rest of the time.
After stuffing all of the money, rolled and loose change into the zip bag, Jared threaded his arms through his leather jacket, hopped into the dreaded chaps, and grabbed his bike helmet. He stepped back out into the store room and nodded to Shell. "Call me if you need me," he said, putting the helmet on.
She smiled and nodded, but waited until he was out of earshot before she mumbled, "Trust me, asshole. I will never need you."
Out the back door to Blue, sat Jared's bike. It was the same one Jeffrey had won at the raffle a few years ago and gave to him. He treated it better than his other bikes, partial to its look, its feel. He swung his leg over the bike and sat down, turned the engine over and let it idle while he put his gloves on. Though he knew their purpose, he hated the leathers he wore because, even though it was a little chilly, he was hot with the damn things on. He reached around himself and opened the vents on the leather jacket he wore. Tucking the money bag into the inside of his jacket, Jared flipped up the kickstand and pulled out of the employee parking area.
The bike sounded beautiful. It purred when it needed to, and let out a deep, throaty lion-like roar when it was kicked into gear. He could feel the sound all around him, rumbling in his chest, vibrating his muscled frame.
The trip to the bank was taken care of in record time, thanks to Jared's ability to weave in and out of the heavy traffic like a pro. Had a cop seen him, he probably would have gotten at least a ticket, but they were all off doing something else, eating at some nameless doughnut joint.
The airport was a good twenty minutes away. With any luck, Chris' plane had been delayed, and Jensen wouldn't phone, and wouldn't get upset with him for being late. Jared suspected he could get there in ten minutes if he was lucky. Fifteen if he actually took his time and looked for cops. Out on the highway, the traffic was lighter than in the city, and it wasn't rush hour, but there was still a good amount of people traveling. He was faster than they were, so he bobbed in and out of lines of cars, trucks, and trailers, moving along at a good clip, picking up speed as he went and leaving them all in his wake.
That's why it was bad -- really bad -- when a Jeep SUV, on the opposite side of the highway, swerved over the median and hit Jared.
* * *
The quad was bright and airy, just a slight breeze circling the walkways, rustling the trees. There were four trees, to be exact, one planted in each corner of the square, sunny patch, bordered by four hospital corridors. A park bench stood before each tree, angled toward a rock fountain decorated that stood in the center. Jensen liked to sit there, day or night, during his breaks. At night, the fountain was lit with solar garden lights, as were the mulched areas around the trees. Every year, the trees bloomed with white, fragrant blossoms. It was a gorgeous little outdoor area for the patients and staff to go.
Matty seemed to think so, too. He sat in a wheelchair, his broken leg extended out in front of him, propped up by the wheelchair. He had his head back and was looking up at the sun. "It's nice out," he said.
Jensen leaned in a little closer and tugged the zipper higher on the hooded sweatshirt Barbie had managed to find in the Lost and Found. It was a little big on the boy, but it was warm. "It is," he nodded. "Glad you got yourself up and moving for this?"
Matty nodded, his smile bright.
It was quiet between them. Sounds of the traffic out on the main road could be heard, punctuated by an occasional scream of an ambulance siren. Jensen took a deep breath and looked down at his watch. He had promised Matty twenty minutes, at least, of fresh air and sunshine.
"Doc?"
Turning, Jensen looked over at the boy.
"Do I have to go back?"
He smiled. "Well, yeah," he told him. "You'd get sick if you stayed out here all night, kiddo."
"No, I mean..." Matty clarified. "...do I have to go back to my Dad?"
Jensen's smile faded. It was a serious subject that they hadn't really talked about too much. Not in depth, anyway. "No, bud," he said. "Social Services took you away from him."
"So..." He was quiet for a second or two, thinking. "Where do I go when I leave here?"
Jensen frowned slightly. Matty had no other family that could take him in. No mother, no aunts, no grandparents, not even a stray, distant cousin. "You'll go with them," he said, trying to sound positive. "They'll make sure you get placed in a good home where no one will ever hurt you again."
With is big, sad brown eyes, Matty looked up at Jensen. "Can't I go with you?"
Instantly, Jensen felt his heart swell with love. He would love nothing better than to take Matty home with him forever. But he wasn't sure if they could afford it just yet, and he most definitely wasn't sure about Jared's reaction. Sure, they’d talked about it, but Jared had admitted that they still weren’t ready. Smiling, Jensen reached out and touched Matty's face. "Why would you want to live with me, kiddo?"
"Because," he shrugged. "You're nice."
"Mm, maybe I'm not nice outside of the hospital," he teased. "Maybe I'm really like Doctor Jekyll and Mister Hyde."
Matty returned the smile and shook his head emphatically. "No way," he argued. "I like you."
"Well, I like you too," he told him. "But I don't know if I can adopt you."
"Why not?"
The question was so innocent, so desperate. Taking a deep breath, Jensen sighed. "Well, there's a lot of stuff to think about, a lot of stuff to iron out."
"I can help," he nodded. "I'm really good at figuring stuff out."
Chuckling, Jensen nodded his head. "I bet you are, big man." He patted Matty's knee and cleared his throat nervously. "And you're a great kid, but I have to tell you something." He was sure the news would turn the boy off of wanting to live with him. "I'm not married. Not really."
"No, 'cause you live with a guy."
Surprised, Jensen sat up a little straighter. "Yeah," he agreed. "I do. How'd you know that?"
He shrugged. "I asked Nurse Barbie about you," he admitted, reaching out to Jensen. He must have re-thought his actions, and pulled his hands back. "Don't be mad at her, I made her tell me. I wanted to know so I could ask you about coming to live with you."
Sitting there, Jensen was amazed. The little boy was such a grown up little guy. Of course, due to his lifestyle, he didn't have any choice but to grow up fast and learn how to survive. He couldn't -- wouldn't -- deny that he hadn't thought of taking the little boy home with him. He knew Jared would adore him. Smiling at Matty, Jensen reached out and patted the kid's knee. "I'll tell you what," he assured him, "I'll look into it, alright?"
Matty's eyes sparkled, the most life Jensen had seen in them since his arrival.
Holding up a finger, Jensen tried to calm the little boy. "I can't promise anything though, okay?"
Matty nodded, his hands clasped in his lap.
"Social Services might not agree with me. And I have to talk to Jay." He put his finger down and smiled again. "But I would really love it if it could all work out for us."
After the conversation, Matty didn't care at all that Jensen brought him back to his room a little early. It was still an hour or so before dinner, but Matty asked for something to eat. Another good sign. It was tough to get the kid to eat lately, so asking for even something as simple as Jell-O was a step in the right direction. Jensen nodded and asked Barbie to have something sent up for him.
With the little boy taken care of, and rounds finished, Jensen stepped out of the ward, into another hallway. He couldn't use his cell phone inside the hospital, so he decided to walk across the street for a cup of coffee. Before he even left the floor, Jensen passed a familiar corridor. He smiled and eyed the door that had a sign on it, reading STORAGE #5. Memories flooded his mind. He remembered after just a few days of working at the LA hospital, Jared had showed up. When he’d asked for a tour, Jensen had obliged. Only, Jared had other ideas. A janitor had just left the room, letting the door swing slowly closed on its own. Before the door closed all the way, Jared grabbed the handle and pushed it back open. He took Jensen inside with him, pinning him up against the door with a brutal kiss.
"You're so fucking hot in that uniform," Jared had breathed against Jensen's mouth. "I need you."
Swallowing hard to recover from the passionate kiss, Jensen eyed him for a moment. "What, right now?"
Jared had nodded. "Right now," he agreed.
They'd had sex right there in the storeroom. Rough, needful, biting and thrusting. Jensen remembered reaching back behind him, threading his fingers through Jared's hair and pulling the man's mouth down upon his shoulder. He swore even today he had a mark on his skin from Jared's teeth. He could easily recall the sound of Jared's belt, jangling as he thrust deep, but not so hard that the sound of their skin coming into contact would alert anyone to what was going on in the storeroom. They came together, hard, shuddering against one another, their knees buckling. They hadn't cleaned up the mess they'd created, instead leaving a wet, sticky spot upon the floor.
"The janitor will think it's some sort of cleaning fluid someone spilled," Jared had laughed, trying his best to be quiet. "He'll be all pissy while he's cleaning it up."
"That's sick," Jensen had returned, laughing just as hard.
He had thought for sure someone would find out what they'd done, and he would be fired. But no one ever did.
"Doctor?"
Realizing he had been standing there for quite some time with a stupid grin on his face, Jensen straightened and looked at the nurse. She wasn't one that worked on his ward, but he had seen her around the building. "Yes," he said to her.
"Do you need something?"
"What?"
She pointed to the storeroom. "Do you need something?"
"Oh," he chuckled. "No, no. No, I'm sorry, I was lost in thought."
"Must've been a good thought," she smiled. "You looked happy."
He let his smile grow upon his lips and nodded. "It was a great one."
She returned his smile and nod before moving down the corridor again, once more on task. He watched her go, took one last look at the storeroom and headed towards the elevators. He needed a coffee.
Down on the street, Jensen looked around, shielding his eyes from the sun for just a moment. There was some clatter over by the emergency room entrance, as a stretcher was wheeled in from an ambulance. Jensen wished he'd taken the time to go to his office and get his sunglasses, but he couldn't be bothered to go back now. He nodded a greeting to a fellow employee, looked one more time at the ambulance, and started on his way. Fishing his phone out of his pocket, he only glanced up from the cell every now and then to make sure he didn't run into people, or to cross the street. His feet knew where the place was, and took him there as reliably as a seeing-eye dog.
As he walked, he dialed and put the phone up to his ear. He expected to hear ringing on the other end, but instead, Jared's phone went right to voicemail. "Can't talk. You know what to do," the man's message said, the same as it always had been.
"Hey," Jensen said, trying to mask the annoyance in his voice and failing quite miserably. "Where are you? I hope you remembered to go pick up Chris at the airport, or you're a dead man. I'll see you tonight. I have something really important to talk to you about. Bye." He snapped the phone closed and stopped just outside the coffee shop. Thinking for a moment, he opened the phone again and dialed once more.
And once more, he got voicemail. "Hey," Chris' voice said, cheerfully. "I probably can't find the damn phone. So, leave a message and I'll get back to you as soon as I find it."
Jensen sighed. "Hey," he said. "Where are you? I get voicemail for Jay, too. Hopefully, you guys aren't doing anything illegal. And if you are, why didn't you include me? I'll see you after work, dude. Bye."
Frowning, he closed the phone again, pocketing it. He moved into the coffee shop and got his regular, sipping it as he walked back down the street again. He knew he should have something more nutritious for lunch, but he didn't have the time, really. And if he ate at the cafeteria, he didn't get out at all during his shift. He enjoyed the scenery on his walk back, not so caught up in his cell phone. He crossed the street against the light, running to make it across before the traffic flooded over the crosswalk. Coffee spilled out from underneath the lid he had on the cup, scalding his fingers. "Son of a..." He shook the hot coffee from his appendages and dabbed them on his scrub pants. He took another sip to try and lessen the volume of the coffee, but it was hot. He decided to walk slower back to the hospital, until his beeper went off. He pushed his white lab coat aside and peeked down at the number. It was Barbie. He picked up the pace, doing his best to not burn himself again.
Inside the sliding glass doors, Jensen started on his way towards the elevator. He stopped short, however, when someone stepped in front of him. "Whoa!" he said, doing his best not to spill his coffee. He did a double-take when he saw who it was. "Chris?"
"Jen," he said.
Laughing, Jensen reached out and put his arms around his best friend, pulling him closer. He hugged him tightly, slapping Chris' shoulder before pulling back. "How'd you get here?"
"I took a cab."
Jensen could sense something was amiss. He stepped back a little further, looking into Chris's eyes. "What? Where's Jay? I tried calling both of you."
He was silent for a few seconds, swallowing. "Jen," he finally managed. His voice cracked as he talked.
Jensen's smile had faded, but he didn't remember when he'd stopped smiling. "What?"
"There's..."
Jensen had seen that face before. Chris was doing his best to not choke up, break down and cry right there.
"What, Chris?"
Chris looked down at his feet, composing himself, and then back up at Jensen. "There's been an accident."
NEXT
Title: Smoke & Lightning : City Of Angels (13/?)
Authors: eviltwin and bloody_adorable
Fandoms: Supernatural RPS AU
Pairing: Jensen Ackles / Jared Padalecki.
Wordcount: 5,132
Rating: Adult.
Summary: Jensen's looking forward to seeing his best friend again, but the arrival of Chris doesn't turn out to be as happy as he hoped for.
Disclaimer: None of the following is true in any way, and no profit is made from this work of fiction.
MASTER POST
CHAPTER 13
Breathing.
In deep, out slow. Soft and even.
Such an innocent sound. Yet, under the right influence, that innocence could easily melt away, leaving wanton, breathy desire.
But, not this time.
Leaning against the doorway to the bedroom, Jared stood with his arms crossed over his muscled chest. He had a slight smile upon his face, watching Jensen sleep. Jensen lay on his stomach, hugging the pillow at his head. He actually had the morning off; and since Jared's day didn't usually start until well after noon, he was taking the time to watch Jensen sleep. The mid-morning sunshine poured through the window, through the curtains, diffused by the filmy material. Jared wished Jensen had some inkling of how beautiful he really was. It didn’t seem to matter how many times Jared told him so, Jensen always found an excuse, or found something degrading to say about himself.
It was better than when they had lived in the garage, back in Texas. Even Jeff and Stevie had done wonders for Jensen’s self-esteem. Upon the thought of his adoptive father and step-mother, Jared felt a pang of home sickness. It hadn’t been all that long since they’d seen each other, but that didn’t matter. He and Jeff had grown so close over the years. Still, they talked on the telephone, emailed, and sent videos back and forth as much as they could.
Pushing away from the doorway, Jared set first one knee upon the mattress, then the other, carefully climbing over Jensen to straddled him. Planting one hand at either side of the man's head, Jared leaned down and pressed a kiss to Jensen's shoulder, then his temple. "Wake up, sleepy-head."
Breath hitching in his lungs, Jensen awoke with a grumble, turning his head. "Wha?" he said. He was used to having to wake up and pull himself out of sleep quickly, after working in the medical profession for so long. The cat naps in the back rooms didn't make for good dreams, so he awoke straightaway. But at home, he slept sounder, so it took him a few seconds to realize he was being awakened. "What?" he croaked again. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong," Jared smiled. He nuzzled Jensen's ear, moving to kiss at his neck. "You're not always here when I wake up. I like when you are."
"Mm," Jensen mumbled. The chills Jared were creating felt good, but they were lulling him back into his slumber instead of arousing him. "You’re not always here when I go to bed. We make up for it though."
"Mm-hmm," he agreed. "Most times, we do."
Slightly annoyed that his lay-in had been interrupted, Jensen reached around to pat at Jared's leg. "Come on," he said. Still laying on his stomach, he nudged backwards with his shoulder. "Let me sleep."
"You can sleep when you're dead," Jared said, his lips brushing Jensen's ear, and tickling it.
Scrunching up his nose, Jensen scratched at his ear. "Which will be sooner, rather than later, if you don't let me sleep."
"Fuck, such drama," Jared chuckled, nipping at Jensen's ear.
"I'm serious, Jay," he returned. "I don't get a whole lot of time to sleep in. Let me rest."
He was disappointed, but not angry. He pulled back and watched Jensen's eyes drift closed again. He could lean down and insist, and no doubt Jensen would give into him, but he had a point. He didn't get a morning off all that much. Instead, he pressed one last kiss to Jensen's bare, inked shoulder and crawled off of him. He debated on lying with him for a little longer, but if he went into work early, he could get some stuff done and not have to stay so long. That way, he could get a hold of Jensen when he got home.
He moved to the closet, opened the door and searched through a couple of things. It was forecasted to be a rather chilly day. Jared chose a black button-up shirt to go over the snug red tee that Jensen loved on him. He knew that the sleeves to the black shirt would just be rolled up later, because he would get warm, but he slipped it on anyway, buttoning the cuffs.
"What time does Chris' plane get in?" Jared asked, knowing very well that Jensen hadn't yet fallen asleep again.
Turning over in bed, Jensen rested upon his back. Raising his left arm, he peered at his watch through tired eyes. Technically, he should get up soon, but his body disagreed. "Noon," he answered. He raised his head and peeked out of one open eye. "You're going to be there to pick him up, right?"
"Yes," he smiled.
"That's in just a few hours."
"Yeah, I know."
"Because he's only going to be here a week."
"He's going to be working, too, you know."
"Yeah, but he’ll be here. With us. So, promise you won’t forget to pick him up."
"I know," he nodded. "I'll be there, with bells on." He looked up from buttoning his shirt and smiled again. "I promise, Jen."
Jensen's head flopped back down upon the pillows. He pulled the blankets up to his chest and got comfortable once again. His eyes drifted closed as he listened to the buckle on Jared's belt jangle while the man pulled on the jeans he'd worn the previous day. Jared didn't care that the jeans were torn at the knees. He never was one for suits, and just because he was manager, didn't mean he had to dress like one. If anyone didn't like how he dressed, fuck 'em. They could just look the other way. He had already been through his morning routine, so after pulling on a pair of boots, Jared leaned down and gave Jensen a quick kiss and hovered over him for a moment. "You'll take Maya out before you go?"
Eyes closed, Jensen nodded.
Pushing away from the bed, Jared headed out of the room. "See you later," he called over his shoulder.
Jensen only mumbled in return.
Threading on his leather jacket, Jared grabbed his keys, wallet and the knapsack Jensen had gotten him for Christmas this past year, and moved out the door. He locked it behind him and tossed the keys in the air, catching them. He was actually excited to get into work early, take care of the things that he sometimes let go too long. In the parking garage, Jared was quick to put on his gloves and helmet, the latter being a little loose, due to the chin strap wearing out. Something he could easily replace at Memo’s later on that day. The bike engine roared to life and Jared kicked it into action.
* * *
He was comfortable in his job, but Jensen still liked to wear a long-sleeved shirt underneath his scrubs to cover most of the tattoos, regardless of how proud he was of them. He found that, while it made kids more attentive to him, it tended to put some parents off to see so much ink. Hints of the tattoos were still visible, peeking out of the shirt cuff or collar, but they were toned down enough for parents. And he could always pull up a sleeve to entertain a kid.
Standing at the nurse's station, Jensen clicked his pen in his hand as he read over a folder of papers. He scribbled down a few things and signed a couple papers, then closed the folder. He stacked a few other folders on top of that one and picked them all up in his arms. "On rounds," he told Barbie, the sole nurse behind the desk at the moment. "Page me if the world falls apart."
She smiled and winked at him. "My world is falling apart, now that you're leaving me," she teased.
"Good one," Jensen chuckled. "You should be a rock star."
"Oh, I am, baby," she returned. "Didn't know about my moonlighting gig, did you?"
"Nope. Mostly because my moonlighting gig is here."
She giggled and watched him leave, heading down the hall and turning the corner.
Though he’d had his ups and downs working in the Peds unit, Jensen still loved his job. He saw a lot of kids with cancer-related illnesses. He'd treated a couple HIV positive kids. He had diagnosed several of his patients as Autistic. He'd seen far too many cases of child abuse. And, of course, he’d had kids die. But he also got new patients, little ones that he adored. Kids weren't judgmental. They didn't care how you lived, who you lived with, what color your skin was. Just as long as they were happy and fed. They didn't even have to be healthy. Just happy and fed. Two of Jensen’s new kids were like that. They were happy, regardless of the fact that they’d been in and out of hospitals since they were two and three years old. He went and saw them first, checking on them and making sure they were just as he’d left them - happy.
After seeing them, Jensen made his way down the hall, stopping before he was at the end of the corridor. He tried not to play favorites, but from the moment he’d met little Matty Marshall, Jensen's heart was his. He spent the longest with Matty, talked more with him than any of his other patients. Maybe it was Matty's situation, his lack of a good male role model, or maybe they just clicked with each other. Whatever the case, Jensen made sure to spend as much time with Matty as he could.
Eight-year-old Matty still had pneumonia, and still had a broken leg. His father hadn’t seen him since he’d been taken away by Social Services. And, though they didn’t tell Matty, his father never made an effort to even try to see him. Jensen had to give Social Services some credit. They had run all sorts of tests on Matty to make sure he didn’t have Brittle Bone Disease, or that he wasn’t asthmatic. Or even some other kind of answer to the question of why he’d had so many hospital visits. They had deemed Mister Marshall unfit to be Matty’s father, and talks were now proceeding regarding Foster Care.
At first, Matty worried about the repercussions of such a thing. He told Jensen that his father would find out and be very mad at him, and he was going to pay for it. When Jensen assured him that his father couldn't get to him, Matty opened up a little more still. He had thought that the abuse was his own fault. He still sometimes shied away from Jensen's hand, but more readily met his eyes these days.
After nearly a week of being around Jensen and the hospital staff, the boy seemed a little more at ease. Not completely healed, of course, but he'd at least been given a glimpse of a gentler life. Jensen was always amazed at how quickly kids bounced back from the atrocities of their lives.
"Hey, big man," Jensen said as he entered the room. He glanced up at the television, seeing a cartoon bouncing noisily around on-screen. "Ah, back to Ben Ten, eh?"
"Yeah," Matty said, frowning. "I'm bored."
"You're bored, huh?" He sat down on the edge of the mattress and folded his hands atop the stack of folders. "How are you feeling?"
Matty looked up at him, his dark eyes wide. "Bored." He wasn’t on oxygen anymore, which had made both Matty and Jensen very happy.
Chuckling, Jensen nodded his head. "Okay," he said softly. "I'll tell you what. You call the nurse in here, get dressed for the day, and I'll take you outside after my rounds."
Matty liked the idea, Jensen could tell, but the boy scrunched up one eye. "I don't got no jacket," he admitted.
Taking a second to think, Jensen shrugged. "I think we have one or two lying around here," he said. "Okay?"
Matty smiled and nodded. "Okay."
"But you gotta take your medicine and eat breakfast."
"Hey, that wasn't part of the deal."
"It is now, kiddo," he said. "I'll be back in a little while."
* * *
"Ugh, did you make these?"
Tisha, Jared’s co-bartender at night, turned and looked at the basket of fries and wings that Jared was holding up. "Nope, Shell did."
Getting up from the stool, Jared stepped around the bar and into the back room. "Shell," he said. "Did you make these?"
"It's what you ordered," the woman said, looking over her shoulder at him. She turned on the water at the sink as she rinsed out an empty bottle of Jack Daniels. She was a stocky, masculine woman with short, buzzed hair and biker boots. She had a tattoo of barbed wire around her neck, and the letters H A T E inked onto the knuckles of each hand. Jared was a little scared of her. She was one of the two women employed by the Blue. Tisha was at least cute, and Jared much preferred working with her.
"I know it is," he nodded. "Have you changed the oil in the fryer in the past month or two?"
Shell rolled her eyes at his dramatics. "Yes, Jared," she answered. She turned off the water and set the bottle on the counter. She collected the bottles, she had said, and always took them off the bar’s hands. "It was changed when it was supposed to be changed."
"Well, change it again," he said. "It's disgusting."
"It's not time," she reminded him, drying off her wet hands with a bar towel.
"Make it time," he said, tossing the food into the garbage. He'd have to get something to eat at the airport when he picked up Chris. "People aren't going to want to eat that shit."
"Weird," Shell said sarcastically. "I thought we were a bar."
"Weird," Jared mocked, with an annoyed smile, "I thought I was the manager."
She sighed and rolled her eyes again. "Fine." She didn't see the point, really. The place wasn't known for its food. They were known for their booze, for their live bands and for their rambunctious crowds. But, since the place had opened, they'd served fries, chicken wings, nuggets, and other quick-fix foods. Anything they could deep-fry.
Jared took the bar towel from Shell and wiped off his hands and mouth. He glanced down at his watch, and suddenly kicked himself. "Fuck," he cursed. "Alright, I'm outta here. I'm late. I gotta go pick up a friend from the airport." He tossed the towel into the dirty bin and walked into the back room where the boss' office was. Jared had made his own little space there. Tacked up a Harley Davidson poster and everything. The past few hours he'd been at work had been spent at the desk he and Ricky Rob shared, counting money, documenting the tally, and balancing the books. Sure, they had an accountant to do the taxes every year, but the bastard wasn't worth shit the rest of the time.
After stuffing all of the money, rolled and loose change into the zip bag, Jared threaded his arms through his leather jacket, hopped into the dreaded chaps, and grabbed his bike helmet. He stepped back out into the store room and nodded to Shell. "Call me if you need me," he said, putting the helmet on.
She smiled and nodded, but waited until he was out of earshot before she mumbled, "Trust me, asshole. I will never need you."
Out the back door to Blue, sat Jared's bike. It was the same one Jeffrey had won at the raffle a few years ago and gave to him. He treated it better than his other bikes, partial to its look, its feel. He swung his leg over the bike and sat down, turned the engine over and let it idle while he put his gloves on. Though he knew their purpose, he hated the leathers he wore because, even though it was a little chilly, he was hot with the damn things on. He reached around himself and opened the vents on the leather jacket he wore. Tucking the money bag into the inside of his jacket, Jared flipped up the kickstand and pulled out of the employee parking area.
The bike sounded beautiful. It purred when it needed to, and let out a deep, throaty lion-like roar when it was kicked into gear. He could feel the sound all around him, rumbling in his chest, vibrating his muscled frame.
The trip to the bank was taken care of in record time, thanks to Jared's ability to weave in and out of the heavy traffic like a pro. Had a cop seen him, he probably would have gotten at least a ticket, but they were all off doing something else, eating at some nameless doughnut joint.
The airport was a good twenty minutes away. With any luck, Chris' plane had been delayed, and Jensen wouldn't phone, and wouldn't get upset with him for being late. Jared suspected he could get there in ten minutes if he was lucky. Fifteen if he actually took his time and looked for cops. Out on the highway, the traffic was lighter than in the city, and it wasn't rush hour, but there was still a good amount of people traveling. He was faster than they were, so he bobbed in and out of lines of cars, trucks, and trailers, moving along at a good clip, picking up speed as he went and leaving them all in his wake.
That's why it was bad -- really bad -- when a Jeep SUV, on the opposite side of the highway, swerved over the median and hit Jared.
* * *
The quad was bright and airy, just a slight breeze circling the walkways, rustling the trees. There were four trees, to be exact, one planted in each corner of the square, sunny patch, bordered by four hospital corridors. A park bench stood before each tree, angled toward a rock fountain decorated that stood in the center. Jensen liked to sit there, day or night, during his breaks. At night, the fountain was lit with solar garden lights, as were the mulched areas around the trees. Every year, the trees bloomed with white, fragrant blossoms. It was a gorgeous little outdoor area for the patients and staff to go.
Matty seemed to think so, too. He sat in a wheelchair, his broken leg extended out in front of him, propped up by the wheelchair. He had his head back and was looking up at the sun. "It's nice out," he said.
Jensen leaned in a little closer and tugged the zipper higher on the hooded sweatshirt Barbie had managed to find in the Lost and Found. It was a little big on the boy, but it was warm. "It is," he nodded. "Glad you got yourself up and moving for this?"
Matty nodded, his smile bright.
It was quiet between them. Sounds of the traffic out on the main road could be heard, punctuated by an occasional scream of an ambulance siren. Jensen took a deep breath and looked down at his watch. He had promised Matty twenty minutes, at least, of fresh air and sunshine.
"Doc?"
Turning, Jensen looked over at the boy.
"Do I have to go back?"
He smiled. "Well, yeah," he told him. "You'd get sick if you stayed out here all night, kiddo."
"No, I mean..." Matty clarified. "...do I have to go back to my Dad?"
Jensen's smile faded. It was a serious subject that they hadn't really talked about too much. Not in depth, anyway. "No, bud," he said. "Social Services took you away from him."
"So..." He was quiet for a second or two, thinking. "Where do I go when I leave here?"
Jensen frowned slightly. Matty had no other family that could take him in. No mother, no aunts, no grandparents, not even a stray, distant cousin. "You'll go with them," he said, trying to sound positive. "They'll make sure you get placed in a good home where no one will ever hurt you again."
With is big, sad brown eyes, Matty looked up at Jensen. "Can't I go with you?"
Instantly, Jensen felt his heart swell with love. He would love nothing better than to take Matty home with him forever. But he wasn't sure if they could afford it just yet, and he most definitely wasn't sure about Jared's reaction. Sure, they’d talked about it, but Jared had admitted that they still weren’t ready. Smiling, Jensen reached out and touched Matty's face. "Why would you want to live with me, kiddo?"
"Because," he shrugged. "You're nice."
"Mm, maybe I'm not nice outside of the hospital," he teased. "Maybe I'm really like Doctor Jekyll and Mister Hyde."
Matty returned the smile and shook his head emphatically. "No way," he argued. "I like you."
"Well, I like you too," he told him. "But I don't know if I can adopt you."
"Why not?"
The question was so innocent, so desperate. Taking a deep breath, Jensen sighed. "Well, there's a lot of stuff to think about, a lot of stuff to iron out."
"I can help," he nodded. "I'm really good at figuring stuff out."
Chuckling, Jensen nodded his head. "I bet you are, big man." He patted Matty's knee and cleared his throat nervously. "And you're a great kid, but I have to tell you something." He was sure the news would turn the boy off of wanting to live with him. "I'm not married. Not really."
"No, 'cause you live with a guy."
Surprised, Jensen sat up a little straighter. "Yeah," he agreed. "I do. How'd you know that?"
He shrugged. "I asked Nurse Barbie about you," he admitted, reaching out to Jensen. He must have re-thought his actions, and pulled his hands back. "Don't be mad at her, I made her tell me. I wanted to know so I could ask you about coming to live with you."
Sitting there, Jensen was amazed. The little boy was such a grown up little guy. Of course, due to his lifestyle, he didn't have any choice but to grow up fast and learn how to survive. He couldn't -- wouldn't -- deny that he hadn't thought of taking the little boy home with him. He knew Jared would adore him. Smiling at Matty, Jensen reached out and patted the kid's knee. "I'll tell you what," he assured him, "I'll look into it, alright?"
Matty's eyes sparkled, the most life Jensen had seen in them since his arrival.
Holding up a finger, Jensen tried to calm the little boy. "I can't promise anything though, okay?"
Matty nodded, his hands clasped in his lap.
"Social Services might not agree with me. And I have to talk to Jay." He put his finger down and smiled again. "But I would really love it if it could all work out for us."
After the conversation, Matty didn't care at all that Jensen brought him back to his room a little early. It was still an hour or so before dinner, but Matty asked for something to eat. Another good sign. It was tough to get the kid to eat lately, so asking for even something as simple as Jell-O was a step in the right direction. Jensen nodded and asked Barbie to have something sent up for him.
With the little boy taken care of, and rounds finished, Jensen stepped out of the ward, into another hallway. He couldn't use his cell phone inside the hospital, so he decided to walk across the street for a cup of coffee. Before he even left the floor, Jensen passed a familiar corridor. He smiled and eyed the door that had a sign on it, reading STORAGE #5. Memories flooded his mind. He remembered after just a few days of working at the LA hospital, Jared had showed up. When he’d asked for a tour, Jensen had obliged. Only, Jared had other ideas. A janitor had just left the room, letting the door swing slowly closed on its own. Before the door closed all the way, Jared grabbed the handle and pushed it back open. He took Jensen inside with him, pinning him up against the door with a brutal kiss.
"You're so fucking hot in that uniform," Jared had breathed against Jensen's mouth. "I need you."
Swallowing hard to recover from the passionate kiss, Jensen eyed him for a moment. "What, right now?"
Jared had nodded. "Right now," he agreed.
They'd had sex right there in the storeroom. Rough, needful, biting and thrusting. Jensen remembered reaching back behind him, threading his fingers through Jared's hair and pulling the man's mouth down upon his shoulder. He swore even today he had a mark on his skin from Jared's teeth. He could easily recall the sound of Jared's belt, jangling as he thrust deep, but not so hard that the sound of their skin coming into contact would alert anyone to what was going on in the storeroom. They came together, hard, shuddering against one another, their knees buckling. They hadn't cleaned up the mess they'd created, instead leaving a wet, sticky spot upon the floor.
"The janitor will think it's some sort of cleaning fluid someone spilled," Jared had laughed, trying his best to be quiet. "He'll be all pissy while he's cleaning it up."
"That's sick," Jensen had returned, laughing just as hard.
He had thought for sure someone would find out what they'd done, and he would be fired. But no one ever did.
"Doctor?"
Realizing he had been standing there for quite some time with a stupid grin on his face, Jensen straightened and looked at the nurse. She wasn't one that worked on his ward, but he had seen her around the building. "Yes," he said to her.
"Do you need something?"
"What?"
She pointed to the storeroom. "Do you need something?"
"Oh," he chuckled. "No, no. No, I'm sorry, I was lost in thought."
"Must've been a good thought," she smiled. "You looked happy."
He let his smile grow upon his lips and nodded. "It was a great one."
She returned his smile and nod before moving down the corridor again, once more on task. He watched her go, took one last look at the storeroom and headed towards the elevators. He needed a coffee.
Down on the street, Jensen looked around, shielding his eyes from the sun for just a moment. There was some clatter over by the emergency room entrance, as a stretcher was wheeled in from an ambulance. Jensen wished he'd taken the time to go to his office and get his sunglasses, but he couldn't be bothered to go back now. He nodded a greeting to a fellow employee, looked one more time at the ambulance, and started on his way. Fishing his phone out of his pocket, he only glanced up from the cell every now and then to make sure he didn't run into people, or to cross the street. His feet knew where the place was, and took him there as reliably as a seeing-eye dog.
As he walked, he dialed and put the phone up to his ear. He expected to hear ringing on the other end, but instead, Jared's phone went right to voicemail. "Can't talk. You know what to do," the man's message said, the same as it always had been.
"Hey," Jensen said, trying to mask the annoyance in his voice and failing quite miserably. "Where are you? I hope you remembered to go pick up Chris at the airport, or you're a dead man. I'll see you tonight. I have something really important to talk to you about. Bye." He snapped the phone closed and stopped just outside the coffee shop. Thinking for a moment, he opened the phone again and dialed once more.
And once more, he got voicemail. "Hey," Chris' voice said, cheerfully. "I probably can't find the damn phone. So, leave a message and I'll get back to you as soon as I find it."
Jensen sighed. "Hey," he said. "Where are you? I get voicemail for Jay, too. Hopefully, you guys aren't doing anything illegal. And if you are, why didn't you include me? I'll see you after work, dude. Bye."
Frowning, he closed the phone again, pocketing it. He moved into the coffee shop and got his regular, sipping it as he walked back down the street again. He knew he should have something more nutritious for lunch, but he didn't have the time, really. And if he ate at the cafeteria, he didn't get out at all during his shift. He enjoyed the scenery on his walk back, not so caught up in his cell phone. He crossed the street against the light, running to make it across before the traffic flooded over the crosswalk. Coffee spilled out from underneath the lid he had on the cup, scalding his fingers. "Son of a..." He shook the hot coffee from his appendages and dabbed them on his scrub pants. He took another sip to try and lessen the volume of the coffee, but it was hot. He decided to walk slower back to the hospital, until his beeper went off. He pushed his white lab coat aside and peeked down at the number. It was Barbie. He picked up the pace, doing his best to not burn himself again.
Inside the sliding glass doors, Jensen started on his way towards the elevator. He stopped short, however, when someone stepped in front of him. "Whoa!" he said, doing his best not to spill his coffee. He did a double-take when he saw who it was. "Chris?"
"Jen," he said.
Laughing, Jensen reached out and put his arms around his best friend, pulling him closer. He hugged him tightly, slapping Chris' shoulder before pulling back. "How'd you get here?"
"I took a cab."
Jensen could sense something was amiss. He stepped back a little further, looking into Chris's eyes. "What? Where's Jay? I tried calling both of you."
He was silent for a few seconds, swallowing. "Jen," he finally managed. His voice cracked as he talked.
Jensen's smile had faded, but he didn't remember when he'd stopped smiling. "What?"
"There's..."
Jensen had seen that face before. Chris was doing his best to not choke up, break down and cry right there.
"What, Chris?"
Chris looked down at his feet, composing himself, and then back up at Jensen. "There's been an accident."
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