The badge of his identity 7

[siriala]

Chapter 4/ Dominant passion

"You live entirely in the current moment ; you are confined there by a dominant passion, and everything not related to this moment seems to you antiquated and outdated."
Madame de Staël, Corinne ou l'Italie (1807)

Tahmoh was crazy. Nice, but completely unhinged.

In the few weeks Jared had worked for him, his client had taken him on more forbidden adventures than his younger self had imagined, stuck in his boring province with nothing but time to plot the ways in which he was going to become someone respected and financially secure. The very rich Mr. Penikett and he had been constantly flirting with danger, not the physical kind but the one that meant being taken into custody and presented to a judge for desecration of a monument or disorderly conduct.

Of course it didn't help that Tahmoh loved nothing more than sampling any and all alcoholic beverages and psychedelic drugs known to mankind. He'd tried to convince Jared to get high with him more than once, but Jared had seen too many people among his colleagues addicted to one substance or another to want to go down that road. He remembered far too well doing everything Hal had asked when he was still under the influence of whatever painkiller he had been given.

He had no problem with alcohol, though, and he didn't mind drinking a bit more than usual to keep up with his current client. His personality got bubblier and it was all good in the name of the job.

It explained why he had let Tahmoh persuade him to open or shed most of his clothes in the back alley of the fashionable restaurant where they'd had dinner to fuck him against the wall. He was usually far too cautious for that kind of display, too classy in his dealings. He had a reputation to uphold, especially if he wanted potential clients to forget about his past troubles with Jeff Morgan and Curtis Armstrong.

"Police !" a voice bellowed from behind Jared's right shoulder. "Get away from each other !"

Being discovered by two police officers as he was fucked in the ass by a billionaire drunkard out in a shadowy street didn't fit in the plan he had built and scrupulously followed for the last three years since he was offered another chance by Gil McKinney. Or should he say Jensen, who had confessed, long after the fact, to being the mastermind behind Gil's offer to help Jared's self-confidence and his reputation at the same time.

"No can do, guys," Tahmoh answered to the order, breathless.

Indeed, Tahmoh quickened his pace instead of stopping and pushed Jared roughly against the wall with every thrust, protecting Jared's own cock with his hand as he jerked him off.

"I said get away from each other !" the same voice commanded once again.

"Let them finish it off," the other officer suggested, a slight tremolo in his voice indicating he was possibly affected a lot more than his colleague by the intimate show of two unknown men rutting like crazy. "They won't be able to walk with such hard-ons anyway."

Jared smiled, relieved to hear the understanding in the second cop's voice. He could probably offer a very advantageous deal to make both officers forget about what they were witnessing. He let Tahmoh grip his hips and fuck his ass as he pleased, giving himself to the pleasure of the rubbered cock stroking his prostate mercilessly.

He came first, obliged to push Tahmoh's hand away when his touch became more painful than arousing and his client didn't or wouldn't read the signs warning him about it. Mere seconds later, Tahmoh followed his lead and came in the condom Jared had hastily put on him before he had been pushed face first against the white stones of the posh building.

Many of Jared's clients lost their last shred of stamina when intoxicated. Tahmoh never had this problem. It seemed on the contrary to fuel his desire constantly and made him horny like a dog in heat.

"Alright, boys," the nice cop reminded them of his presence, "sorry to burst your bubble but you're gonna have to come with us."

Jared turned but certainly did not re-dress. He stood there, half-naked and proud, displaying himself to try and sway the policemen.

"Well, officers, maybe we can come to some kind of arrangement ?" Jared asked, the offer clear in his tone and the way he positioned his body, hands on his hips to display his nakedness and his still half-hard cock in the most arousing manner.

"Well…" the first cop repeated, blatantly interested. His eyes seemed to bulge out of their sockets and Jared feared for a moment that the man was having a heart attack.

"The law is the same for everyone," the second cop cut in, but he was looking at Tahmoh, not Jared, with hatred in his eyes.

Tahmoh, owner of many industries and whose wild speculations had made him filthy rich at the expense of thousands of workers who had lost their jobs, sometimes even their life, when most foremen had refused to modernize or repair their dangerous workplaces because the big boss didn't care. Tahmoh who probably had one hundred people hating him for each one of those who despised Jared because of his job. Tahmoh who Jensen had warned Jared not to trust at all and would have preferred Jared to refuse working for him.

"I'm Jared Padalecki," Jared tried for a diversion, unsure if he had been recognized too, "maybe you've heard of me ? Your boss, Prefect McManus, is an old friend of mine."

He hadn't seen Don for quite a few years but it was worth a shot.

"Then the prefect will be happy to see you. Jared Padalecki, Tahmoh Penikett, you're under arrest for soliciting and indecent behavior in a public place. Get dressed and we'll be taking you to the central precinct."



They first walked to the district precinct, where they took a carriage that drove them to Central. In his early months as a prostitute, long before he became a reputable courtesan, Jared had spent a few nights in jail, making his way out by servicing the officer in charge. He had never been taken to Central, though, and he knew this dubious honor to be the consequence of both his and Tahmoh's fame.

Less than ten minutes later, Tahmoh was discharged with the assurance that no record would be kept of the rookie mistake the cops arresting him were responsible for. Jared was less lucky, and Tahmoh even refused to pay for him, arguing he couldn't get on the wrong side of the nice police chief who had given him a free pass out of jail.

"What wrong side ?" Jared gasped. "You discreetly offer him the right amount of money and he'll be happy enough to let the both of us go."

"Don't take it like that," Tahmoh silenced him with a caress on his face, proving that the richest men could also be the most avaricious ones. "You said the prefect was your friend, so call on him."

Tahmoh abandoned Jared in jail without a second glance or a goodbye kiss. Without the punch Jared still ached to throw square in his face many hours later, as the sun was already up and he was taken at last out of his smelly cell - where he hadn't slept at all, to make sure the other prisoners who had mocked his lavender outfit and paisley shirt all night long wouldn't attack him - to be marched to an office on the second floor.

"Prefect McManus," Jared rejoiced with a real smile as the man stood to welcome him, "I'm glad to see you again."

"I'm sure you are, Jared. How have you been ?"

"Horizontal, mostly, as you well know."

"I do remember, my dear, and it's a lovely memory I still cherish."

The prefect bent down over Jared's hand, indicating with a lingering kiss that he would very much like to make the most of the opportunity. They hadn't seen each other for a long while. McManus was back from a posting in a faraway province due to his pissing off the wrong person, a favorite of the king who had asked for his head to roll. Only the fact that the woman wasn't a favorite anymore had brought McManus back into the king's good graces, and to the important position he now occupied.

"That's good to know," Jared answered with his most flirty smile. "I'm afraid there's been kind of a misunderstanding with one of your officers, but I'm sure you and I will be able to achieve a much better understanding of this situation."

"I have no doubt whatsoever."

McManus came closer, one hand sliding along Jared's waist while the other cupped his cock. The prefect was hardly his type but, as a courtesan, Jared had been left with only good memories of their time spent in bed.

"It's been what ? Three ? Four years since we last saw each other ?"

"Probably close to five."

"I'm sure you're even more beautiful than you were back then."

"I'd love to show you."

"And I'd love to see you naked again. I remember taking you more than once in my old office, for the pleasure of imagining you around whenever work got tedious. I need to make new memories to fit this new office. So please, disrobe."

Jared instantly obeyed, but he did it slowly. Enticingly, provoking McManus' desire, baring tiny bits of skin at a time. He felt sweaty and not particularly in the mood after his long, stressful night, but his training took over.

"You used to love for me to lick your nipples," McManus commented, raising his hands to play with the buds as soon as they were exposed.

"I still love it."

Jared stopped his striptease while McManus played with his nipples, effectively arousing him with an alternation of licks and bites.

"Go on, I want you naked," the prefect said when he stepped back, satisfied with the way Jared's chest glowed.

Jared resumed his task, sitting down to take off his shoes and socks, and then standing up again to let his pants fall down by his ankles. McManus' breath hitched at the sight of his underwear made of very transparent muslin, and even more when Jared turned around to let him see the lack of cloth on his butt, revealing, between the lacy bands circling his waist and his thighs to hold the unusual underpants in place, Jared's crack and his well-rounded ass cheeks.

McManus' hands answered their appeal as if summoned by a magnet. His thumbs traced Jared's crack, spreading it open, while his other fingers mapped Jared 's ass.

"Finish it," McManus pleaded, feverish. "Finish it now or I'll tear this thing apart."

Without moving, Jared untied the front lace and then pushed the underwear down his long legs, bending down to follow its position and offer the best view of his ass. He got McManus' mouth on it for his trouble, his tongue opening his hole, before he quickly found himself on his knees on the office couch, a sad little brown and beige thing that showed how much power the prefect had lost in the debacle of his disfavor.

A few years ago, the man had been all about golden furniture and showy colors. Today's furnishings had probably come with the office, the white curtains and olive green hangings, the heavy and old desk bought by a previous prefect with dubious taste. McManus hadn't been here long enough to attain the means necessary to change everything. He would pass this information to Jensen.

Taking Jared here was definitely a way to remember his past magnificence, to invoke good luck back in his life.

"Lube and condom in my pants," Jared reminded McManus before things became too heated for the man to control his desire.

The prefect prepared himself and Jared with fast efficiency and then began his resolute penetration.

"That's good, Don, you're so good at this ! Come on, give it to me !"

Hard and fast was the way Don enjoyed sex, and Jared didn't feel in this case that he was trying to put on a show, to act as he thought a manly man should. It was too much in accordance with the rest of his personality. The man was intelligent but mercurial, lacking circumspection at times, which explained his past disgrace. Sex brought out in him the same qualities and flaws. He took care of Jared, but only to the extent of his own pace.

Jared followed, jacking his own cock in time with McManus' rhythm, and then playing with his nipples when the prefect took hold of his dick. Anything to come too and make a show of his own pleasure, to satisfy the man enough to get out of his predicament without going to jail for indecent exposure.

Shallow breaths signaled that they were both at the end of their restraint, that they needed to come, right now. Jared was the first to fall apart, keeping enough mind about him to squeeze McManus' dick tight and send him over.

The prefect lay down on Jared for a short moment, gathering his wits about him, before he stood again and went to wash a bit and re-dress. He was enough of a gentleman to come back to Jared with a wet washcloth that he used to clean him up gently.

"About this misunderstanding," McManus said, "I get it, completely, and that's because I think there's been one between me and one of your closest friends."

"Really ?" Jared replied noncommittally.

He knew exactly where this was going, but still wondered how far the prefect would dare to push. Jensen had written about the man more than once. Never in a flattering way.

"Really. You know how it is. You do or say something in the heat of the moment, and then it gets reported to the wrong person, who makes it more than it should be. And then the press hears about it, and it becomes this huge thing without any relevance to the original anecdote. Do you see what I mean ?"

"Not exactly."

"Well, your friend, Mr. Ackles, has been writing those articles about my time in the province that give a very inaccurate image of my work out there."

"How unfortunate !"

"I was sure you'd understand ! Just like I'm sure, with your wonderful talent, that you could help me change his mind."

"I'd be very happy to help you reach an understanding, but Jensen and I don't have that kind of relationship. Our jobs are separate parts of our lives, that have no repercussions on the other."

"Don't sell yourself short, my dear. You two have been together for how many years ? Six ? Seven ?"

Jared nodded at the last proposition, still aloof.

"Seven !" the prefect repeated, impressed. "I'm sure you know what makes the man tick after so many years, and that he loves you very much, right ? Otherwise, he would have left you long ago to marry a blushing bride and have pretty pink babies with her. Besides, such talent in the sack means you know how to make us poor men see things the way you want. I would definitely forget your arrest today if you were to convince Mr. Ackles to back off."

"I can certainly try, but I can't make any promise."

"Then I'm afraid we'll have to convince him together."

Abandoning the washcloth, McManus stood and brought Jared back a sheet of paper and a pen.

"Tell him you need his help to get out of jail, and let's see how ready your friend is to support you."



Jared's letter found Jensen at home, playing at being a train, choo-chooing like a crazy man with Licia and one of Wallace's children sitting on his back, their hands gripping his shirt in tight fists but laughing delightedly. At ten, Licia was becoming too old and heavy for this kind of game but she was jealous of Jensen's attention and the other kids liked it too much for Jensen to consider putting an end to their fun.

Wallace watched them with an amused smile - Jensen had found him playing sillier games with his daughter and his own kids more than once - waiting for the train to arrive at the station and the pretty voyagers to get down before he offered the letter to his master.

Jensen,

My love, I'm deeply sorry to bother you with such matters, but an old acquaintance of mine, Prefect McManus, is ready to help me to get out of a delicate situation. In return, he's just asking for the opportunity to discuss some of the topics that have been opposing you recently.

May I ask as a personal favor that you join us at the prefecture as soon as you're free ?

With all my love,

Jared

McManus. If the old bastard thought he could threaten Jared to get Jensen to back down, he had another thing coming !



McManus was definitely getting value for money as he fucked Jared a second time. The free sex itself was nothing to sneer at, of course, but then Jared knew the fact that Jensen would find them at it was more of a petty vengeance for all the articles impugning the prefect's integrity.

Jensen stood there after he closed the door in the face of the smirking officer who had brought him to McManus's office, his eyes locked with Jared's. Jared still as naked, spread on the couch, thankfully unaroused and remembering all too well the previous time a similar situation had occurred. Jensen's presence in such a moment felt like a bucket of glacial water poured on his whole body, even though the prefect's reaction was diametrically opposite.

The fucking went on for two or three more minutes, McManus intending to put on a good show for Jensen, touching Jared everywhere to highlight the fact that his body belonged to anyone who could pay for it.

Jared felt his heart getting tighter, his breath more difficult by the second. Only Jensen's smile when McManus finished at last helped him resist the growing sensation that he was going to faint.

"Mr. Ackles," the prefect greeted the journalist once he was dressed again, "I'm so pleased you were able to join us at such short notice. Please come in and make yourself at home."

Jensen pretty much ignored the hand offered by McManus to approach Jared and help him get up. They shared a sweet kiss that settled Jared's nerves completely, and then Jensen picked up Jared's clothes before he turned back to the prefect, letting Jared dress while he began the negotiations.

"Jared wrote you wished for a discussion. Go on, I'm listening."

"Very well," McManus agreed as he sat behind his desk. "Here's the deal : you stop writing all those lies about me in your Gazette, and our mutual friend here is free to go. There will be no record of his arrest and he will never be bothered by another cop again for the rest of his life, as long as you keep your word."

Jensen burst into laughter. McManus and Jared both watched him as if he had gone mad in the last second.

"I'm sorry," Jensen said, hardly controlling his mirth. "I thought we were having a real discussion, maybe not a confrontation of ideals but at least a frank talk about the best ways to do our respective jobs. Now if the goal of this conversation is to write lies, then I'll submit tomorrow a brand new article about your love of little kids, girls and boys alike, and how you have your officers take them out of the streets to bring them to you so that you can have your wicked way with them."

"That's a lie !" the prefect erupted, getting up with the violence of his indignation. "An unjustified offense !"

Jensen kept perfectly cool as he looked down on McManus.

"I know it, and you know it. Jared too, probably. But the people out there, those who read my column, chances are they will believe that where there's smoke, there's a fire. And they trust me."

Jared had been thinking the same thing. He doubted the prefect would be interested in immature bodies, and even more that Jensen wouldn’t have already written about it if he thought this to be true. Jensen would have made sure the information was accurate and then published it, regardless of the consequences, to protect the kids who couldn't do it for themselves. Jared didn't believe for one second that Jensen's principles would let him publish a lie either, even to ensure Jared's protection, but McManus had everything to lose in this terrible bluff.

"Now we can all forget this conversation ever took place," Jensen proposed, "just like you are going to erase all record of Jared's arrest and make sure, as per your suggestion, that he'll never be bothered again, at least for as long as you occupy this position. For my part, I promise to never write anything else than the truth about you. Are we in agreement ?"

Jared read it on his face, Jensen knew he had won both the battle and the war. McManus knew it too, and he didn't like it one bit.

"We agree. Go to hell !"

After Jensen helped Jared put his jacket back on, he took his hand and kissed him again.

"Ready to leave ?"

"Absolutely."

"You think you're so smart, Ackles," the prefect lashed out as they walked to the door, "but you're pathetic ! You have to be to fall in love with a whore. I hope you'll see him again and again offering himself to other men, giving them as much pleasure as he gave me !"

Jensen squeezed Jared's hand before he turned one last time to McManus, a broad smile on his face.

"Ah, I know," Jensen gushed, "Jared's so talented. He always makes everyone so happy, it's great that you realized it. Enjoy your day, Prefect."



Jared cuddled close to Jensen in the carriage taking him back to his lover's home. He was supposed to spend the evening with Tahmoh but after his client's refusal to pay for his discharge, even though he was the one who got them in this shitty place, he could certainly go find another courtesan to entertain him. Besides, Jared needed to feel Jensen's love to put this experience behind him and reassure himself they were good.

"I'm sorry I put you in this situation."

"Don't try to bear the blame for McManus' sleaziness, none of this was your fault."

"It's not only that. I never wanted you to see me fucked by someone else again."

"And once again, it was not your fault."

Jared felt like a pardon Jensen's hand on his cheek.

"Don't worry about it anymore, okay ? I've already forgotten everything. I'm just happy I was able to get you out of trouble."

Jared scrutinized Jensen's face.

"Aren't you ever jealous ? Not even a little bit ?"

"Why ? And why should I be ? I realized after that first time that I can't afford to be jealous, Jared. They are your job, and I am your lover. That's all I have to think about or I'll go crazy, imagining that you might enjoy being with them more than me."

"Never !" Jared rushed to state. "I'm not saying they're all lousy lays, but I never want to go back to them unless there's money to be gained. You, I think about all the time. Even when I shouldn't."

It had even become kind of a problem in the last months, this growing difficulty to bisect his life into very distinct parts devoid of any relation. Jared often kept to himself details of his job he thought might hurt Jensen, but he also couldn't help thinking of his lover during work hours, especially when it was so very clear he was just a convenient hole to the client taking him.

He still enjoyed some moments out of his whole job, but they were getting shorter and rarer. Traveling far from Jensen and Licia brought boredom at best, intolerable longing at worst. Neither of them really complained but Jared knew they didn't ever want him to leave for more than a few days at once. It proved difficult sometimes for one of them at least to be there to take care of their already ten-year-old girl, and Jensen couldn't help the needs of his own job any more than Jared. They wouldn't have been able to pull it off without Liz's help and love.

But Licia was so good, and she took her role as big sister to Wallace and Liz's kids very seriously. Alive with children's shouts and songs, Jensen's house felt like home to Jared now, more than his own place ever did. It reminded him of his old house as a kid, the way he and his sister would run one after the other, fight and play for hours, unconcerned about the future, even after their father's death and the unpaid bills piling up on their mother's desk.

The carriage came roughly to a halt, horses' hooves and wheels sliding on the wet pavement in front of the house, and Jensen got out right after paying the driver. He held the door open for Jared and offered him his hand to help him getting down.

"Daddy !" a young voice shrieked, bringing a grin to Jared's face.

He braced himself to compensate for Licia's weight and avoid stumbling over when his daughter launched herself at him from the last step of the entrance stairway. With Licia's arms around his neck and Jensen's hand at the small of his back, Jared stopped worrying and gave himself entirely to his family life.



Jensen's room had been austere before Jared. He didn't spend much time in it and didn't see the need to decorate a place that was purely utilitarian. But Jared loved his comfort, and being surrounded with pretty things, so Jensen had happily made the effort of stripping the whole room down to turn it into something pleasant to his lover's eyes. It also benefited from the biggest bed Jensen had ever seen, to accommodate Jared's incredible height so that they could make love easily in any and all positions. Anything to encourage Jared to stick around longer, to come more often. To perfume with his unique scent the sheets and pillowcases so that Jensen would feel less alone whenever his love wasn't around.

He made sure to stock many booklets of Iffly paper and had Wallace burn some before they came back home. The poor man hadn't always approved of Jared's habits, feeling the courtesan was leading his master astray, but in the last few years, as Jared and he had spent more and more time together, his valet's feelings had slowly evolved from forced politeness to warm attentions. He never forgot nowadays to burn the paper or use Jared's favorite sheets.

Wallace's welcome had been less than stellar on Jared's first visit. Somehow, Jensen's valet had recognized the dashing visitor and almost closed the door in his face before Jensen intervened and made it clear that Mr. Padalecki was a guest of honor at all times in this house. Surly and glacial, Wallace had let him come in and dragged his feet all evening during his service - bringing cold dishes that should have been warm, knocking his glass over to spill the wine on his suit - so much that Jensen had finally sent him away to his room and served Jared himself dessert and after-dinner liquors.

The next morning, Wallace had made a show of stripping Jensen's bed of the sheets, with gloves on, to put them to wash off in too-hot water. He had done this a few more times, ruining all of Jensen's sheets in the process, continuously being insolent to Jared's nice comments, until Jensen had taken him into his office to let him know in no uncertain terms that, as satisfied as he usually was with Wallace's work, should he be forced to choose between his valet of ten years and his lover of a few months, Wallace wouldn't win.

The atmosphere had slowly cleared up between the two men. Licia had helped a lot, her kiddy charm working on Wallace like magic. Not to mention the fact that the valet wouldn’t have met Liz and started his own family if it wasn’t for Jared, who had also helped financially so that Jensen was able to add a new part to his house to lodge the growing Langham family. All in all, Jensen now wondered on occasions if Wallace didn't obey Jared more than his own master.

He found Jared already in bed, sheets hiding the bottom half of his body, pretending to read but almost asleep. The previous night had been rough on him, as evidenced by the bags under his pretty eyes, and Jensen had sent him to bed while he finished the article he had promised for the next day. He was not surprised to discover that Jared had tried to wait for him, though. Jared's favorite moment of the day had always been the few minutes they spent in each other's arms before sleep, whispering sweet nothings as well as thoughts made more troublesome by the light of day that suddenly seemed easier to let go in the dark.

Jared emerged from his doze as Jensen slid between the sheets and hooked his arm around his lover. He came closer and put his head on Jensen's shoulder.

"Sorry I couldn't stay awake. I wanted to help you with the article."

"Don't worry about it, you'll have time in the morning if you want to take a look at it."

Jensen still loved to listen to Jared's input. Their different approaches and life views often proved complementary and it always offered food for thought and a useful balance of opinions. Jared was so much more learned and intelligent than his clients wanted to know. Combined with the thorough discussions they had shared since coming together, and his renewed love for reading to find arguments and ideas to counter Jensen's or pick his interest, Jensen felt, day after day, that Jared was now more secure in his own worth beyond his talent for sex. It warmed his heart to see him glow under Jensen's compliments as much as every time he heard Jared's cries of pleasure during their lovemaking.

"I know you said you aren't jealous, but I'm sorry all the same, Jensen. I hope it won't happen ever again."

Jensen's fingers played with Jared's hair to soothe his lover.

"All I've ever asked from you is to be honest with me. I know what you're doing with your clients. I'm not saying I enjoyed seeing you with that corrupted old ass McManus, but I'm more annoyed that he used you to try to get to me. I don't have to feel jealous about that. And I take comfort in the unexpected time we get to spend together because of this incident."

"I'm happy about it, too."

The silence stretched, leading Jensen to believe Jared had fallen asleep for good this time, until his voice was heard again in the dark.

"I love you so much. Do you still love me ?"

"Always," Jensen whispered with a kiss to Jared's forehead.



The Republic of my heart, by Jensen Ackles

I've always been an idealist. An unashamed believer in a better world for the whole human race, through the choices of the many and not the interests of a few. A world where girls are educated just as much the boys, where younger siblings are just as important as the oldest ones, where being rich or poor just doesn't count to be heard.

This day is within easy reach, my friends.

The financial scandals that have been rocking the court lately, tying the king to some shady companies, here and overseas, prove that the time has come to show him what we really want. We all know how patronage works and keeps the current government alive, those puppets moved by the money accumulating in their purse instead of the common good.

To hell with those corrupt profiteers who have sucked the people's blood for centuries ! Let them see what we're made of. Let them learn what it means to anger us, to push so many of us to desperation.

Our ancestors showed us the way with a first revolution. It's our turn to prove that we're no less deserving of the Republic than they were, but that we learned from their errors.

We can make it work without any bloodshed, we can create a true Republic, one that will welcome all of us, men and women, black and white, rich and poor, young and old, religious and atheist, and everyone in between.

This is why I call upon you, my friends. United, we stand our best chance to make our dream come true. I beg of you, do not let this moment pass. Come to the meetings organized by the republicans all around the country. Demonstrate with us, protest at your workplaces.

Join those of us who are ready to fight to depose the king and create the Republic of our heart.



Whatever he might have thought in his youth, Jared was neither particularly enthused by nor thoroughly against the king nowadays. Same thing about the republic, for he figured all those people, whatever their political circle of influence, would always see him as a second-class citizen, a godless and lawless prostitute who liked his money more than a sovereign or his compatriots.

But Jensen was overjoyed by the new political developments. Jared knew already that his time in the army had been in the name of the country, and not for the benefit of a distant leader who thought himself more important than anyone else. He couldn't be happier than now, when the prospect of a more egalitarian world was so close at hand. Ready to fight to ensure that the Republic he dreamed of would be permanent this time.

Ready enough to refuse to back down, even after he had been thrown in prison for a few days, accused of encouraging sedition after his broadside against the king and his government, along with some colleagues of the same persuasion. Jared had cried, pleaded for Jensen to retract his article, but this was the one topic over which his lover, uncompromising, had stayed unaffected by Jared's supplication and Licia's tears.

In the end, the reporters' arrests had acted as the proverbial last straw, the event triggering the current situation. A crowd, joined by Jared, gathered around the prison to demand the release of the freethinkers. Fearing an uprising, the government had quickly relented, only to be overthrown anyway by the populace's revolt when the most common goods' prices had rocketed.

Journalistically, it was a dream come true for Jensen. It left little time to see his lover but Jared tried to remain understanding. Jensen wanted to be everywhere, right in the heart of the events, and Jared had only made him promise to send news daily that he was safe and uninjured - he had been grazed by bullets at least twice, and fisticuffs happened on a daily basis - in case he couldn't come and assuage Jared's fears by himself.

Jared never imagined he would be the one danger found.

In his own house, no less.



They were four. Four revolutionaries - or rather four of those opportunists Jensen so often raged about - who had forced Jared's door open, wearing military jackets that, judging from the bloody holes adorning them, had been stolen from dead bodies they had passed by in the streets, and then pushed Chadwick inside in search for the house master.

Jared heard the cries and found the intruders in the dining room, helping themselves to his brandy. Chadwick sat on a nearby chair, threatened by one of the men's pistol.

"What can I do for you, citizens ?" Jared enquired in a level tone.

All eyes turned on him.

"Citizens, he says !" the leader laughed, followed by the other men, before he became deadly serious again. "Don't try to make yourself pass for one of us."

"I am, though. Born without a title, brought up in relative poverty, obliged to work and sell my body to make ends meet. I may have succeeded in my career, it doesn't mean I've forgotten my origins. My lover is the journalist Jensen Ackles, who has called repeatedly for the revolution and the Republic, I have protested against the abusive arrests and financially supported the anti-royalist movements. I'd be happy to help you in any way I can, provided you don't hurt my staff or me."

"Do you hear that, guys ? He'd be happy to help us."

"Yeah, Plotnick, we did hear."

The man came closer and leered at Jared.

"That's great, your highness, that's really great ! My friends and I have been feeling the need for a bit of love. We figured that it was our turn to get a taste of a king's delicacy."

Jared felt fear overwhelm him and chase his calmness. He needed to stay focused, though, to get a chance to save Chadwick and Sophia, and preferably himself too.

"And we want to drink !" another man yelled, soon imitated by the three others.

"Of course, anything for the combatants for the Republic," Jared tried to temporize. "Would you prefer wine or liquor ?"

"We want wine," one of the older men answered, "and we want meat, and pastries, everything you hide in your pantry for the rich men you entertain."

"Good idea, McBeath," Plotnick approved. "Food and drinks, for all of us."

"Very well, Chadwick will make it his duty to prepare the most succulent meal in your honor if you let him go to the kitchen."

He could only hope Sophia had managed to hide after she heard the commotion. He didn't dare imagine she had found a way to escape and run to Jensen for help. Going to the police or the military would be tricky. Regiments like Ty's had allied with the Republic, but others were still faithful to the king. McManus had been run out of the prefecture but not all policemen had accepted the revolution, discords symptomatic of the country's division, and chaos made the streets definitely unsafe, especially for a young and pretty woman.

"Right, Chadwick," Plotnick ordered, "go do your duty. Sanford, go with him. Lindberg, you go too and bring back the wine immediately."

Sanford, the one aiming at the valet with his pistol, nodded and pushed Chadwick out of the room.

Plotnick turned back to Jared as soon as his men were out of the room, undressing him with his lusty gaze in a way not many clients had ever dared use so crudely when they were not alone.

"Now it's time for a bit of entertainment, sweetheart, don't you think ?"

"Alright," Jared accepted, ready for anything to get them out of this or buy enough time for Jensen to arrive. "What would you enjoy ?"

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe seeing you naked, for a start. You really look overdressed. Right, McBeath ?"

A hearty "Hell, yes !" agreed with Plotnick's proposition, leaving Jared with no choice but to act upon it.

"Gentlemen, please take a seat and I'll oblige."

Steeling his nerves to appear completely at ease, Jared first took his shirt off. Catcalls and whistles grew in noise and frequency as he shed more clothes and soon found himself entirely naked.

"Now that's what I call a whore !" McBeath exclaimed. "Look at that body ! And he knows how to make us drool for it."

"Come nearer," Plotnick called with a clear sign of his index finger.

Jared did it slowly, making the men wait and desire him all the more, until he was close enough for McBeath to take hold of his hand and force him closer, right between him and the leader of the group. The action displeased Plotnick, who had Jared sitting on his lap in no time to caress him.

"Your skin is so smooth, and yet you say that you've been working all your life."

"Sleeping with men for money is a job. I always do my best to make them happy. It takes time and effort."

"So you're gonna do your best for us tonight ?"

"Absolutely. I'm sure you boys deserve all the thanks I can muster for freeing us from the tyrant and his clique."

"That's a good little bitch," McBeath concluded, his hand sliding along Jared's thigh to get to his hardening cock.

Plotnick had already forced his legs apart to caress his balls, but as one of his fingers entered Jared from behind, dry and hard, he abandoned Jared's jewels to let McBeath play with them and took hold of Jared's face to bring it down and kiss him roughly.

Jared submitted, as much aware of his growing erection as the sound of the dumbwaiter lifting food to this story.

"Dinner is coming," Jared said as he backed off slowly, trying again to buy time.

"Lindberg," Plotnick addressed the youngest man standing still a few meters away with two bottles in each hand he had found in the cellar, his eyes bulging out of their sockets at the sight of Jared, "make yourself useful if you're not gonna play with us and bring the food back here."

Lindberg came out of his trance and put the bottles down on the table.

"Yes, sir !" Lindberg saluted, as a real soldier, before he departed for the next room.

The younger man had probably served in a master's house, and he showed it by taking the food already there on the nearby tray and then sending the dumbwaiter back to the kitchen. He did it three more times before everything was unloaded and brought to the main table.

Plotnick and McBeath hadn't stopped playing with Jared's body for one second, and Chadwick came back for his service to find them at it. His reaction was as unpredictable as it was swift, throwing himself with a cry of rage at his master's attackers. Jared didn't have time to exhort him to calm, and a few punches brought him down in less than a minute.

"Sanford, Lindberg, you tie him up and you lock him in that lodge we've seen by the entry."

Jared asked that they avoid hurting Chadwick as he watched his unconscious valet secured by tight knots with the curtain tiebacks, then dragged by his arms towards the stairs.

"Okay," Plotnick smiled, "first we eat, and then we fuck."

Jared very much agreed, if only with the hope of seeing a rescue party arrive before things could go further. Plotnick only let him go so that he could do the service for them and the two other men once they were back. It angered Jared to see these four petty criminals take advantage of his house and himself but he kept quiet and showed only the most gracious manners, even when his ass and genitals were repeatedly groped and fondled during the improvised dinner.

He wondered if Chadwick might have regained consciousness and freed himself to run for help. But as he watched the little hand on the clock turn and the dinner about to end, he felt his hope diminishing inversely of his growing fear of dying.

With a grunt of pleasure at the last mouthful of macaroons, Plotnick slapped his hand on the table and then on Jared's ass.

"Time for the show !" he yelled.

Unconcerned that two of his men hadn't finished their dinner, he slid the tablecloth off the table, sending precious china and burning candles to shatter on the floor. McBeath extinguished the starting fire with the untouched water pitcher while Plotnick pushed Jared face first onto the table. Spreading his ass cheeks, he slotted his nose in Jared's crack and smelled him.

"I saw you, a long time ago," Plotnick said suddenly, voice muffled by Jared's ass. "You used to work for my boss back then. Naked all the time, fucked by him, and his son, everywhere, any and all hours. In front of all of us peasants and boors, as if we weren't even here, as if we meant nothing. You don't know how many times I've come with these memories, imagining you taking my cock just like you took theirs, and now you're mine. You're gonna do everything I say, because I have the power, and you're my bitch."

"I'll do anything you want, I promise."

"Do you know what I fantasized the most about ? Rimming you. They did it every fucking time before they took you, and they enjoyed it so much, seeing you there, taking it, crying for it, right before they fucked you raw."

Plotnick matched his memories with the present, rubbing his tongue around Jared's rim like the most delicious candy. Jared tried to play along and display the same kind of professional false passion he was particularly good at but he thought he fell far from the mark.

Or maybe not that far of Plotnick's reconstructed fantasies based on his jealousy towards his former master. Jared knew what was about to happen right before the penetration when he felt the man move up and position his hips to his liking.

"It's fit for a king !" Plotnick exclaimed as he pushed inside Jared, quickly bottoming out.

His men roared in laughter. They kept on laughing as their leader erased years of frustration and hate of the rich and powerful by fucking the symbol of their privileges, putting himself in their position to prove he had it in him too to rule over the masses. Jared understood he was just a means to an end but the bitterness was still there that once again he found himself put in the middle, accepted by no social class, not even the one he had come from, tired and hurt to be damned both for his origins and because he had tried to better his life.

Jensen was going to be devastated when he learned of what these men had done to him, people he had put all his faith in to change the world for a better place. For everyone, Jared and all his colleagues included. Jared wished to be there, still alive by then, to help him with the downfall.

He had successfully managed to distance himself enough that he felt Plotnick's release as a surprise when the man's rhythm faltered, began again and then stopped altogether. Plotnick's weight on his back lasted only for a few more seconds before he pulled out and called McBeath to take his place. Jared didn't have time to move a finger. He got fucked again by the older man, and it was so reminiscent of Jeff's weekends of fun, all those gentlemen lining to take a turn at him, that he found it difficult to remember where he was for a moment.

Memory came back with Sanford adding his offering to the community effort, though the transition was smooth and hardly noticeable. Change only manifested when Lindberg refused to go at him unthinkingly.

"I'm not sure, Plotnick," he argued. "That's rape."

"Ah, but that's the beauty of it : he wants you to. Right, Padalecki ?"

"Yes. Yes, anything for you freedom fighters," Jared answered as his fists tightened, shivering despite his fervent tone.

He should have been an actor, really, if these guys believed him.

"See ? So go on, Lindberg. Our host is waiting, you can't leave him hanging like that. That's not manly and it won't do at all. Unless you're not really a man…"

"You know I am, dammit ! We've fought side by side. You saw me kill that guy."

"I know, man, and that's why I also know you can do it now."

Plotnick had found the right words and with a determined expression, Lindberg unbuttoned his trousers and long johns and took his cock out. He stroked it a few times before he penetrated Jared in his turn. There was nothing voluntarily nasty in this act beyond the basic rape, Lindberg was not playing on a hidden kink. He had succumbed easily to manipulation, poor lamb trying to survive amongst wolves by hurting other sacrificial lambs. There was no guessing what would happen once Lindberg was done and Jared had been taken by the four intruders to satisfy Plotnick's envy towards richer men and his thirst for power.

"Jensen," he thought, not above begging inside his own head, "please come and rescue me."

He didn't want his life to end like this. When the time came, he wanted Jensen to be there, holding his hand to tell him they would be together again in the next life and kissing his lips with all his love.



Jensen had promised to do his best to make an appearance at Aliénor's dinner. In the current situation, the aging woman couldn't entertain the way she used to and Jensen felt sorry for her, stuck in her old house, alone if not for her devoted people. But even then, she managed to gather quite a lot of information that Jensen had already put to good use. He hoped to learn more tonight about the counter-revolutionaries' projects. The prospect of seeing Jared there also caused him to hurry to finish his work and be on his way.

Only Jared wasn't there when he arrived, and Aliénor was obviously worried.

"He never missed any of our rendezvous in the past," she said, "not without sending word anyway."

"I'm sure it's nothing bad, Aliénor, he's probably just feeling under the weather and he fell asleep, comfortable in his bed. I'll go and check on him, if you don't mind."

"On the contrary, my dear, please go and take good care of him."

Jensen left with the promise that he would have Jared sending word as soon as he was there. To be perfectly honest, he was more than a little worried himself. Jared was totally reliable in regards to his friends or his job, and his absence might be the sign of something bad happening.

There were lights and noise coming from the dining room on the second story, which at any other time would lead him to think that Jared was having his own party right now at home. But Jensen knew Jared was not throwing parties these days, mostly out of respect for the events and all the deaths they had brought, and also because he didn't want to attract the wrong kind of attention.

But something was definitely wrong here.

Jensen didn't knock. He let himself in and went to confirm his first impression that there was no guest in attendance by checking the lodge for capes and coats. Two steps in, he stopped at once upon finding Jared's valet sitting on a chair, body straining to fall down but kept in place thanks to the ropes circling his torso.

Jensen raced to check on him. He had a moment of fear that Chadwick was dead already but the man moaned through his gag and showed him his bound hands as soon as he spotted him. The valet had probably played dead for the attackers' benefit.

"What happened ?" Jensen asked as soon as he had taken the gag off.

"Four men came in. I'm so sorry, Master Ackles, I couldn't fight them off."

"Don't worry, Chadwick, I know you did all you could. No one takes better care of Jared than you."

Jensen saw the partial relief hitting the valet but he didn't have time to make it really better.

"Where are they now ?"

"I'm not sure, I don't know how long I've been here unconscious, but the last time I saw them they were in the dining room. They had Master Jared naked and it was easy to know what they wanted."

"Did they say anything ?" Jensen asked again as he finished untying Chadwick. "Who they are ? Why they were here in particular ?"

"They're revolutionaries, I'm sorry," Chadwick repeated, well aware of Jensen's political beliefs. "They said they wanted a king's delicacy."

Jensen bit his lip in anger. He knew of course that some shameful people used the opportunity of the current political unrest to steal and murder, accusing their prey of anti-republican activities to justify their acts, but this struck too close. Too personal. You couldn't touch Jared and get away with it. They'd better not have hurt him or else Jensen didn't know what he would do. Let alone if…

Sure the men on the second story wouldn't hear him because of all the noise they made, Jensen went back to the entrance and gently whistled to attract the attention of one of the kids playing close-by. He paid him to go look for Ty, or the police in case his friend might be absent, and bring them back here as soon as possible. Promised with twice the price he had already earned if he did it quickly, the young messenger left running at the top speed his short legs could take him.

Back in the lodge, Jensen took one of the pistols Chadwick had dug up from their hiding place behind the row of Jared's multicolored coats. He armed it and then hesitated to let the valet come with him any further but Chadwick would not hear about staying behind.

"I've been in the army too, sir, and I know very well how to use a pistol."

Jensen realized there was nothing he could do or say, short of tying him again, to prevent Chadwick from repairing the mistake he thought he had made by not saving his master and his wife earlier. He didn't even know where Sophia might be. Probably hidden so well that no one would ever find her if she didn't want them to. Chadwick's face lit up with the shadow of a smile at the fond memory of their childhood and Sophia's talent at this game back then.

Jensen agreed and asked him to go to the dining room through the salon, while he himself would arrive by the other side. It was merely a trick to ensure they would not both be caught.

"You want to take the marble stairs ?" Chadwick concluded, afraid again. "Don't do that, Master Ackles. There's nowhere to hide, it's too dangerous !"

"Nah, I've done that kind of thing plenty of times, I know how to pass unnoticed. The trick is to attract people's attention elsewhere, but I'm pretty sure I won't need it with those men. They're probably drunk by now, and completely focused on Jared. You know how attractive your master is. I'll be fine. Now you be careful ! Don't do anything stupid and wait for my signal, or Sophia will have my head."

They each went their own way, Chadwick using the employees' mundane staircase, hidden behind a service door that was itself hidden behind a tapestry hanging on the wall, while Jensen began his slow and silent ascension of the huge marble one that had every new guest speechless in wonder.

As he had planned, no one noticed Jensen's presence when he managed to get to the wide-open double doors and hide behind one of them to take in the situation through the tiny space between door and wall. To keep thinking clearly, he forced himself out of the feelings of rage and murder when he watched as Jared, lying naked on the mahogany table, was fucked in the ass by one of the trespassers and in the mouth by another. The two other men were sitting on chairs, close enough to fondle any part of Jared's body in any way they wished while drinking endlessly.

"Guys, let's drink again for the Republic !"

Even the men currently fucking approved in a great shout and one of the seated so-called revolutionaries left towards the hallway to go get more bottles of Jared's pricy wine.

Jensen was reminded of another time, when he had hidden behind a mask and not a door to watch his lover entertaining a party. Jared had worn more clothes back then, not that much but it felt more natural, seduction in the making, not an obligatory offering of his beauty to the brute force of his kidnappers.

"I'll drink with you for this great cause, if it's okay," Jared proposed after his mouth was freed.

Even with the rough treatment occasioned by probably more than one dick down his throat, Jensen could read worry in his lover's voice. He was pretty sure, though, that the ruffians were all played by his theatrical joyfulness and the way he let them all touch him, especially the one who, going by Jared's fake reverence, seemed to lead the group. The man was still fucking Jared, showing no hurry and care, appreciating the gift he had stolen to the full of his ability. It took two more minutes at least to end it, two of the longest minutes Jensen had ever endured in his life.

Jensen was going to make the guy pay for everything.

The fourth man chose this moment to come back, two bottles in each hand and another one under each armpit, passing right next to him. Jensen didn't think. He emerged from his hiding place and pushed his loaded pistol against the man's temple, squeezing his other hand tight around his neck. No one saw them in the darker hallway until the bottles smashed on the floor, wine spilling over everything around, and then four pair of eyes, including Jared's, converged towards him.

"Looks like the cavalry's here, guys," the leader announced as he stood up with deliberate slowness and finished re-dressing, a smirk on his face, before he addressed Jensen. "What do you think you're doing, all alone against three men ? Four if I count Sanford in your arms. Hell, five ! Because I sure count our friend Jared, he's enjoying himself so much with us !"

"That's right, Plotnick," Jared intervened, sliding off the table to stand up again, "let me talk to him and explain the situation. I'm glad I was able to do this for you and I'm sure we can all come to an agreement without anyone being hurt."

"No need, beautiful. Your boyfriend is going to leave now, or he'll have to watch you taken again and again until you bleed to death before I kill him."

"Not a chance," Jensen objected. "Jared comes here and we leave together, otherwise I fire and you're dead."

"Maybe you can kill me, maybe Sanford too, but you're outnumbered. You won't make it out alive and you know it. Don't be dumb, just go. He won't be of any use to you now."

"I said he comes with me. He's mine, let him go."

"He's not yours. We all had him, man ! Best sex he ever had, with real men, not those ditzy, blue-blood weaklings he used to work for, and he made it so good for us all."

"And it's gonna be your last mistake," Jensen bellowed as he hit the guy in front of him with the butt of his pistol and then pushed his unconscious body at the man he wanted to kill.

Jared used the diversion to grip a vase on the nearby dresser and break it on the leader's head to try and slow him down. Chadwick moved in then, like a fury, to exchange blows with the oldest man. The guy might have been older, he was still a tough opponent for the valet, rusty and already sore from his earlier beating. Jensen could only take a look at Chadwick's situation once in a few seconds, when he felt like the two guys after him, the leader and the youngest, would stay away while they recuperated from his punches.

Jared took on the younger one, using everything Jensen had taught him over the years to defend himself. The guy quickly went down, no match at all against Jared's formidable size and his right hook.

It left only the leader for Jensen, both desperate to come out on top and kill their opponent. Each fired and missed several times, unable to aim properly while trying to hide from the other's pistol. Jensen used his last bullet when he saw an opening to wound and bring down Chadwick's adversary, the same guy he stumbled upon a few seconds later when he ran to a better hiding place and then fell, putting himself dangerously at Plotnick's mercy.

"Jensen !" Jared cried, terrified.

Jensen scrambled away, desperately searching for a weapon, and then saw the remains of Jared's broken china on the floor. Among dozens of crystal and earthenware shards, Jensen found what he needed just in time to turn around and face Plotnick's next attack.

The man was so close he didn't see Jensen's arm striking before the terrible pain hit and made him look down. The slender, jagged shard still protruded from the place where it was buried deep in the man's intestines. Blood began to seep, slowly at first, mixing with Jensen's where the crystal had cut his hand, then the flow intensified and Plotnick couldn't stay upright anymore. He sat and then lay on the floor, as his hand opened to let the pistol fall away and pull the shard out, only to make the blood pump faster out of his body.

Jared came by Jensen, shaken out of his fear when his lover moved in to take the pistol far from Plotnick. He settled a hand on Jensen's shoulder to make sure he was fine, before he turned to watch his attacker dying.

"I didn't believe you, you know," Plotnick whispered, blood leaking from his open mouth. "You're not a true republican. I was gonna kill you after I made you pay, because… because you're a parasite…"

He coughed and more blood spilled onto the floor.

"I wanted to kill you and I hope… I hope the Republic will get rid of you and your kind, once and for all."

Plotnick turned his head after that and refused to utter one more word.

When Ty arrived less than half an hour later with two of his men and the police, Plotnick was dead and the three other aggressors tied and ready to be taken into custody.

His face hidden in his lover's neck, body protected under his jacket, Jared never acknowledged anyone other than Jensen.