I Don't Look Good in Orange, Part 1, J2
Prologue
Kevin Frazier: Welcome to Entertainment Tonight. The world of high fashion has crowned a new king. Here's Alaina Huffman to tell you more.
Alaina Huffman: Hello. I have with me in the studio new designer Jensen Ackles, and with him, his principal model, Jared Padalecki. Gentlemen, welcome.
Jensen: Thank you, Alaina.
Jared: Thanks.
Alaina: Mr. Ackles, Jensen, you appear to have set the fashion world on its head with your recent runway show. Your use of rich, colorful fabrics for men's clothing has taken New York by storm, when for years the emphasis has been on women's couture. Can you give us a little insight into your aims for the future of your brand?
Jensen: As you know, I used to model myself, and I became tired of all the drab browns, greys, and blacks that men are expected to wear. I looked at the rest of the animal kingdom and saw that the boys all like to look pretty for their ladies. Take peacocks, for example. The ladies want the handsomest, best dressed male. Lions too. Females flock to the guy with the handsomest mane. We guys deserve to be able to display ourselves a little, too, don't you think?
Alaina: Absolutely. Tell me, Jared, how do you feel about the direction men's fashion is taking? Are you a peacock?
Jared: Yes, ma'am. I'm from Texas, and I've got western shirts with more embroidery on 'em than you can shake a stick at! :laughs: I welcome the opportunity to get a little fancy!
Alaina: Now, Jensen, there was a commotion at the end of your runway display. Can you tell us what that was about?
Jensen: That was unfortunate, and we can't say too much about it, because there's an ongoing police investigation happening, but I can say that just as the show was ending, Adrianne, one of my models, was kidnapped by a jealous boyfriend, and Aisha, the other model, was shot trying to stop it from happening. It's all settled now. We're going to try not to have that be a regular part of our shows.
Jared: We're heading for Milan next. That's going to be a blast!
Alaina: I hope it goes really well for you. I'd like to thank you both for interrupting your busy schedules to be here with me this evening. Now back to you, Kevin.
~0~
Adrianne Palicki followed the girl from reception as she led the way to the impressive double doors of what had to be the corner office of a really high prestige organization and pushed them open. The girl was bleached blonde, with a tousled mop that was badly in need of conditioning, and Adrianne smirked. Bleached hair was always tough to keep in good condition, and she was proud of her own silky, blonde mane.
“Just go in. Miss Connell doesn't like to be kept waiting.” Without saying anything further, the girl turned back to her position at the desk, leaving Adrianne to make her way into the office.
“Well, hello. Don’t be shy; come on in.”
The woman behind the desk was tiny. Adrianne had seen her photo, but hadn’t actually realized just how diminutive she was. As Adrianne entered the office and moved towards the desk, the petite woman rose to her feet and came around the desk to approach her. She was wearing an emerald green shirt that was obviously silk, tucked into a pair of distressed jeans, and 4” stilts in the same emerald green. To top it off, she had a mane of red hair that spilled over her shoulders in thick, soft waves.
She didn’t say anything further, just took Adrianne`s hand and led her over to a couch beside the wall-to-wall window, through which Central Park was visible. "There now. Would you like a cup of something, my dear?"
"Oh, no, thank you." Adrianne took a deep breath. "I have to watch my caffeine intake. It's important for my skin." She smiled. "I need to get my looks back or I'll be out of a job."
"Silly girl! You're gorgeous already, but that's not why I invited you here." The petite woman bit her lip and twirled a red curl around one finger as if she were feeling indecisive. "I wanted to make a proposition to you." She gave Adrianne a small smile. "I read about your unfortunate fight against addiction. I'm so proud of you for overcoming it, and wanted to ask you if you might entertain working for my charity, 'Kick the Habit'. We need someone high profile and beautiful like you to represent the charity, and to act as a cheerleader for the kids we're trying to help break free from addiction."
Adrianne's eyes opened wide as she listened to the soft, Scottish burr. "You want me...? What would I have to do?"
"Well, we'd kick off the program with a huge media campaign. TV, magazines, newspapers, the internet..."
"My goodness, ma'am, won't that cost an awful lot?" Still wide-eyed, Adrianne ran the numbers in her head. "You're talking at least a couple of hundred thousand dollars..."
"Oh, heavens, call me Ruth, dearie. And of course it's expensive to do it right, but it'll be worth it to get the word out that drugs will kill. If we can save lives, it'll all be worth it." She turned to Adrianne, eyes sparkling. "We'll send you out on a tour of the nation. You'll be even more famous than you already are. The teenage boys will all fall in love with you, and all the young girls will want to be you. You'll have a wonderful effect on the opiate statistics. I just know it."
"I'd love to do it," murmured Adrianne. "I think I should go talk to Jensen about it first, though, before I say yes. I don't want to leave him in the lurch."
"Jensen?" Ruth raised her eyebrows. "Oh, yes. I remember now. House of Ackles, right? Well of course you must talk to him. You've been with him for a while now, haven't you?" She rose to her feet and went over to her desk. "Are you under contract to him right now, dear?"
Rooting through the papers on her desk, Ruth eventually found the folder she'd been looking for and turned back to where Adrianne was sitting.
"No. Not a contract - not since we did the collection last February. I've just been recovering from the attack and the drugs and stuff. I just think I owe him. He's been really good to me."
"Well, not to worry then." Ruth handed her the folder. "There. That gives you all the details of what I'm prepared to offer and a basic description of the program. Why don't you take a day or so to consider it and let me know on Wednesday? You know we'd love to have you, but we've got a timeline to consider, so don't take too long." She smiled sweetly as Adrianne took the folder and rose to her feet. "If you decide to go with us, we'll get started straight away."
Stammering her thanks, Adrianne found her way to the door, looking slightly stunned.
~0~
The atelier was in what to the outside world might appear to be a state of chaos. As Adrianne entered the office, Danneel was on the phone shrieking at a supplier whose delivery had somehow gone astray.
"We need those skins. We need them now. I don't know how to put it more clearly than that. Milan is in less than two months, and if we don't go fully prepared, because you can't keep your end of a transaction, House of Ackles will be suing you for everything you have. I'll have your skin for a goddamn lampshade, believe me." She gave Adrianne a casual wave as she passed through to the stairs before returning to her invective-filled diatribe.
Giggling, Adrianne made her way upstairs to the sewing room, to where Mark Pellegrino and Jensen were arguing over Jared, who was standing on the stool that allowed Mark to work on the pants he was wearing without having to stoop.
"I'm telling you, leather won't work. It's not going to drape the way you want it. You'll need to fit the legs more closely if you don't want the piecework to show and ruin the lines." Mark waved a pair of shears to punctuate what he was saying, and Jared's eyes followed them apprehensively. As Mark drew breath to continue his tirade, Jared slowly brought his hands around to cup his groin protectively.
Jensen, who had been frowning at his tailor, suddenly beamed and began to draw, the lines of the pants he was sketching out taking shape rapidly. "Maybe you could make it work like this." He turned his sketch around so that Mark could see it.
"Yeah. That we can do, if they ever deliver the leather." Mark put the shears down and strode over to the door, yelling for Danneel. Yanking the door open in mid yell, he came face to face with Adrianne, who was just about to enter the sewing room.
Jensen and Jared both fell about laughing as Mark suddenly deflated, his voice cut off abruptly as Adrianne pushed her index finger in the center of his chest to move him out of her way.
As she sailed past him, he stood looking confused, then headed downstairs, presumably to confront Danneel about his order but this time using his inside voice. Meanwhile, Adrianne zeroed in on Jensen, who was still chuckling.
"Jen, do you have a few minutes? I really need to talk to you."
"Of course." Jensen sobered up rapidly as he saw the serious expression on her face. Leading her over to one of the cutting tables, he held a chair for her and perched himself on the table. "Okay. What's on your mind?"
Adrianne began to tell Jensen about the offer to represent 'Kick the Habit', along with the salary on offer. Jensen could see that she was excited at the prospect of helping to stop kids from falling into the trap of addiction, the way that she had done.
"Listen, Addie." Jensen put a gentle hand over hers, where it was resting on the table. "I can tell that this is your passion. Not gonna lie, it doesn't give me a lot of time to find myself a new model in time for Milan, but I honestly think you should do it. You'll be awesome." He bit his lip and peered over his shoulder, checking to see if Mark had returned, and then grinned when he saw that he hadn't. "You do know that Mark's gonna have a nervous breakdown, don't you? He's been secretly in love with you for years!"
She giggled. "Davy would have something to say about that! I'll miss him." Tears welled up in her eyes as she considered the change and leaving the House of Ackles. "I'll miss all of you. You're my family. Oh, God! I can't."
"Of course you can." Jensen put an arm around her. "You'll be amazing."
She gave him a little smile, which faded rapidly as he added, "Of course, Mark will probably want to staple your feet to the floor. He hates change, you know."
"Oh, no!" She looked around furtively, but Mark was apparently still downstairs. "I don't want to leave you in the lurch over Milan. Mark would never forgive me. What can I do?"
"We'll manage." Jensen gave her a squeeze before letting her go, then turned to return to Jared, still standing up on the stool, covered in muslin pattern pieces, checking his phone as he waited for someone to either release him or finish sticking pins in him.
The thundering on the stairs heralded Mark's return, and he burst back into the sewing room just as Jensen was about to let Jared get down from his perch.
"Danneel's fixed it. They're sending over the shipment right now," he announced and beamed as he saw Adrianne. "Hey, baby! Gonna dress you up like Xena, I think. You'll be a riot." He sauntered over to her and pulled her into a hug.
"Down, boy!" Jensen's words made Mark temporarily pause as he nuzzled into her neck. "Addie's got more important things to do than trot around in a leather kilt. She's going to work for 'Kick the Habit.'"
Mark deflated, and Jared gasped too, from his lofty position. "You're leaving?" asked Mark.
"I am. I've been offered the position as spokesman for the charity, and I think I want to pay forward the second chance I got, thanks to you guys. It's my chance to make amends for the stupid things I did." Adrianne's eyes teared up as she was speaking, and so did Mark's.
"Aww, baby, I'll miss you." Mark kissed her cheek. "I won't have anyone to yell at any more."
"Now, that I won't miss," she replied with a giggle.
"Well, come see me about a wardrobe when you're ready." Mark still looked a little teary. "I'll make you the most gorgeous spokesperson in the world."
"Thank you." She stumbled over to the stairs through falling tears and made her way out with a muffled, "Bye."
There was a pause after she'd gone. Mark's nose was decidedly pink, and he sniffed a lot, but he shrugged his shoulders as he turned to face Jensen. "What now, oh, fearless leader?”
"I guess we need to find someone new, as soon as possible. We don't have long, so we need to get started." Jensen grinned. "Danni will organize it."
Jared laughed out loud at that, and then yelped as half a dozen pins impaled him in tender parts of his body.
~0~
The leathers they had been awaiting arrived shortly after Adrianne's departure, and the whole collection began to take shape. Jensen had agreed that Mark was right about the way pants in suede and leather would drape, but he was determined to have at least one Samurai style pair in his collection, so an order of microsuede had been added to the beautiful, buttery leather and suede skins they were working with.
Jared found himself garbed in costumes that would be perfect in a sword and sorcery production, and decided that he probably had the best job in the world.
He was working out, bulking up a little so that the clothes could be shown at their best, and had changed significantly from the lean, slender youth who'd first arrived in New York. His photos were in all the glossy magazines, and he had just signed a contract to endorse an energy drink for runners. All in all, life couldn't be better. If only he didn't have to spend half his day standing perfectly still while people used him as a pincushion, it would be perfect.
He was reflecting on his good fortune as he tried on one of the latest designs, pants and a harness designed to fit over a leather shirt, and he was feeling pretty good about himself.
Emerging from the dressing room to show it, he was overjoyed to find Matt Bomer sitting with the others.
"Hey, how's it going?" Jared ignored the whistles from Sandy and Aisha as he hurried over to fistbump his friend and catch up with how things on Broadway were progressing without him. "I bet you're missing my crap all over your couch, aren't you?"
"Kind of." Matt pulled him in for a hug and slapped his shoulder. "I was just telling Jensen. I got raided by the cops the other night. They arrived with a search warrant and went through my stuff. I don't think they found what they were looking for because they just thanked me and left, but it was weird." Matt shook his head in wonder at the ways of the NYPD. "Anyway, that's not why I dropped by. He winked at Jensen. "I've got an evening off, because I have a bit of a sore throat, and I figured it might be nice to go out for drinks or something, so long as you don't think I'm coming down with the Coronavirus or something."
"Sounds like a plan," announced Jensen, elbowing Jared.
"I know just the cure for your throat." Mark chipped in as he studied the way Jared's pants fit over his behind. "And, Jay, if I wasn't already married, I'd be proposing to you right now. This is the best look I've ever seen on you. I'll be astonished if the whole of Europe isn't swaggering around like extras from Game of Thrones, once they see you in this." He smacked Jared's ass and grinned. "Go hang it up and put on your civvies before I behave inappropriately."
"You mean more inappropriately," smirked Jared as he made his way back to the dressing room. "You're a terrible man!"
"Sorry, not sorry," called Mark as he turned back to Jensen and Matt. "Did somebody say drinks?"
~0~
The atmosphere at Olive or Twist was laid back, mellow, and just the antidote to the frantic pace of the last few weeks. For once, Jensen appeared relaxed, and Jared was overjoyed to see his man laughing and joking instead of stressed by the hundred things that seemed to be going wrong with his attempt to get a collection together for Milan.
It seemed as if everything had been going wrong recently. First, Aisha, who had been shot when Adrianne had been abducted, was still healing from the scar that the bullet had left. She needed her runway outfits to be redesigned to conceal the angry red wound. Then, fabric orders had gone astray on a regular basis. One shipment of expensive silk had arrived in tatters, looking as if it had been slashed by Freddy Krueger as it passed through Elm Street on its way to the atelier. Another was somehow lost in the mail, and Danneel had finally traveled to Thailand to buy and transport the goods in person. That had caused all kinds of problems with customs, who were evidently suffering from hangovers from the way they'd behaved. Poor Danneel had been held in customs for 13 hours before she'd been cleared and permitted to bring the much needed goods back home.
The leathers and suedes they had ordered from their usual supplier simply never arrived, and excuse after excuse had been given, until finally Danneel had found a second wholesaler who had filled the order for them. Now they were going to have to find a new model who would serve as a contrast to Aisha and replace Adrianne. Jared wasn't usually inclined to credit conspiracy theories, but he was starting to think that someone out there was trying to sabotage the House of Ackles.
Matt was on form, telling them some of the funny things that were happening behind the scenes during his musical, and Mark, who had apparently been to see it three times already, was full of questions about the costumes.
Jensen, who had acted in high school, began a tale about his performance in 'West Side Story.' "We'd rehearsed the dance scene for weeks, and it was looking pretty good by the time the dress rehearsal came by. The costumes were mostly from what was stored away in the green room, but Mari was wearing her own dress for part of the play. We started 'Tonight' okay, but somehow, when I twirled her, the fastener on the back of her bodice got caught on my zipper or something, and she twirled right out of her dress. I was mortified."
"I bet she was traumatized. I would've died!" Mark looked horrified at the thought.
"Baby, you would never wear your own dress on stage," smirked David Haydn-Jones, his arm around his other half.
"Too right! Let them pay for me all the way." Mark nodded in agreement..
"You're too big to twirl anyway," added Jensen. "I don't think even Jared here could twirl you."
"Oh, I don't know." Matt studied first Mark and then Jared. "He's pretty strong. I think we should have them try it out and see if it's possible."
"Hmmm." David threw five dollars onto the table. "My money's on Jared."
"Don't you give him a hernia," yelled Jensen. "My money's on Mark."
"Traitor," hissed Jared. "I'll twirl him. You'll see."
"Okay, fine," said Mark, wearing his most world-weary expression. "But I'm not wearing a dress."
"You're all insane." Danni had been sitting quietly, sipping her highball. “But I'll hold the money. Place your bets, gentlemen."
"We should probably do this outside," said David. Several onlookers had also placed bets and there was a small crowd around them now, apparently excited to see grown men behaving stupidly.
"I guess we should be going home now anyway," said Jensen. "I've got to get up tomorrow and start searching for a new model, now that Addie's out of the picture."
There was agreement generally at that, and Jensen began telling Jared and Mark just what the moves should be in order to reproduce the twirl they were supposed to be doing.
"So you spin him with the one hand first and then you put your arms around him and twirl him off the ground, right?”
"Got it." Jared cracked his knuckles and beat his chest a couple of times.
"Oh, my God, Jared! If I'd known how easy it was to get you to hug me, I'd have set this up weeks and weeks ago!" Mark fluttered his eyelashes and pretended to fan himself as he waited for Jared to quit mugging for the audience.
There was the kind of silence that usually only occurs when either a death-defying feat or a total disaster is anticipated. Someone began to mimic a drumroll, and the two men went into action. At first it seemed as if they were both going to fall over, and everyone hurriedly moved back, but then, gradually, Mark's feet left the ground and he was swung around in a full circle. A round of applause broke out as the winnings were handed out, and people began to drift away, some back into the bar and others to head for home.
As Jared and Jensen were about to make their way back to the House of Ackles, Mark called, "Hey, Jared, maybe we can do the lift from Dirty Dancing next. What d'you think?"
Jared was laughing as he flipped Mark off and slid his arm around Jensen's shoulders, ready to go home. Matt murmured a thank you for the awesome evening and hugged them both before he climbed into his car. Waving, the two men set out to walk the couple of blocks to the atelier.
Raising a hand in farewell as Matt sped past them, Jensen was still laughing at the earlier event. "I'll never get over Mark's face. I really think he was terrified when you actually managed to swing him round with his feet off the ground. I'm going to have to design Tarzan outfits for you. Jungle print with a collar would look really good, don't you think?"
"You want to make me look like Fred Flintstone?" Jared said with a laugh. He was about to say something else, but as they turned the corner he could see what appeared to be an altercation at the gates to the atelier. Clif was waving his arms around at a small group of men who appeared to be in contention with him about something.
"What the hell?" Jared pointed at the scene up ahead and Jensen finally noticed and frowned as he made out several vehicles with flashing lights. The two of them quickened their pace as they went to find out what was happening. They could soon see that there were police uniforms on some of the men confronting Clif, and Jensen shook his head, hoping that there hadn't been a break-in or something of that nature. "Clif, what's going on?"
"Jen, these guys want to search the place, and I said they needed to wait for you. They won't tell me what the problem is or what they're looking for." Clif folded his arms and leaned back against the garage door. "We don't want anyone to get photos of the new collection, and I couldn't watch them all at once."
"That's fine, Clif. Thank you for taking care of things for me." He turned to the group of police. "Sorry to keep you. Who's in charge here?"
The man who stepped forward was heavy set and bearded. "I'm Lieutenant Kurt Fuller," he said. "And I have a warrant to search these premises."
Frowning, Jensen asked Jared to call Mark to get him over there, "And if David's with him, so much the better." Turning back to Fuller, he nodded. "That's fine, officer," he said. "Feel free to search anywhere. Just, because I'm trying to keep my collection confidential, I will need to be with whoever is searching the sewing room." He raised his palms. "Just to make sure that nobody takes photos. Clif, you're with me. Jared, stay here, babe."
Turning, he headed inside and up to the sewing room, followed by Fuller and Clif while two other officers made their way upstairs to the apartments.
Jared stood outside, confused and unsure about what to do while half the police present streamed into the building. He could see Mark running up the sidewalk towards them, followed by David, and so he was completely unprepared for two of the remaining cops to shove him to the ground and taze him, cuffing him as he lay twitching.
"Jared Padalecki, you are under arrest for the murder of Dmitri Krushnic. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say may be held against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford one, one will be appointed for you..."
Jared was hauled to his feet and bundled into one of the police vehicles as Mark finally made it to the gate, leaving him raging impotently on the sidewalk as David ran up to join him, wondering what exactly had just happened.
"They arrested Jared." Mark sounded absolutely stunned.
"Why on earth would they do that?" David shook his head in an attempt to process the information.
"They said he murdered someone. Never heard of the guy before, but the name sounded Russian, or maybe some other Slavic language." Mark shrugged. "The whole thing doesn't make sense. I have no idea why the cops are searching us either."
"Jensen's going to be devastated," murmured David, leading the way into the atelier and frowning as he looked at the mess that the police search had caused.
"Oh, no doubt." Mark began picking up receipts and invoices that had been scattered across the floor. "Jensen's going to be pissed, but not as badly as Danneel. Just look at this mess!"
~0~
Master Post | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Artwork | AO3 | Author's Notes and Acknowledgements