We're Not In Kansas Anymore (Chapter Two)
Title: We're Not In Kansas Anymore
Author:
hunters_retreat
Pairing: Jared/Jensen
Warning: student/teacher
Summary: “You remember when I said the stories were all science fiction? I think maybe we just ended up in a story book.”
Author's Note: This was written for the
j2_everafter challenge in *gasp* 2012. I wasn't able to complete the whole story at the time, but I've been sitting on about 10K more words than what was originally posted. For some reason, I decided to dust it off and finish it. Though I will say dusted lightly, more like blew across it and choked on the dust... but lets hope my writing style hasn't changed too much because after chapter four I have to write new material to keep it going :P
Link to the original: Chapter One
Mr. Ackles took the lead as he opened the door quietly and peered out. Jared was a few steps behind him but he felt the need to close the distance. He pressed himself up against Mr. Ackles back and felt his teacher stiffen. Green eyes turned to look at him and Jared tried not to let the panic into his eyes.
“Jared?”
“Yes, Mr. Ackles?”
The teacher closed the door all the way and turned back to look at Jared. “It’s going to be okay. We just need to see where we are and figure out what happened. We’re going to go out and get some information. Worst case scenario, we’re going to go out and see about some supplies until we can figure things out. Alright?”
Jared took a deep breath and let it out. “I just … yeah. Alright Mr. Ackles.”
“About that.” Mr. Ackles looked at him for a minute and gave him a small smile. “My name is Jensen.”
Jared felt his heart race a little at the permission to use his first name and he smiled back. “Alright. Jensen.”
“We’re going to be fine, Jared. I promise you that. I’ll take care of you.”
Jared nodded, not entirely sure what he was supposed to say to that comment. He just nodded instead. He felt a little better know that Mr - Jensen - was watching out for him. He didn’t know what was happening for sure but he had plenty of ideas. He’d been reading everything he could get his hands on about what was on the other side of a quantum reflection. It was like Jensen had said in the room; it was science fiction. No one believed in the stories but Jared couldn’t help himself. Not after -
And here he was, in some other place with only Jensen to help him figure out what to do. At least he wasn’t alone though. No matter what else happened, he told himself, he wasn’t alone. It made him feel better, but his heart ached just the same.
“Let’s see what we can find,” he finally managed to say. Jensen gave him a small, encouraging smile and grabbed his shoulder, squeezing lightly.
“Alright. Stay behind me, but stay close. We’ll stay out of sight until we figure out where we are.”
**
The facility was completely empty as they searched the rooms, finding only lab after lab of dust and disuse. When they reached the outer doors, they slowly went through to find themselves at the edge of a large park. In the dying light it was easy to keep to the shadows of the trees around them and to remain unnoticed. Maybe Jensen was just being paranoid, but it was better to be cautious until he knew what they’d gotten themselves into.
The park was well used and Jensen kept Jared close as they sat under a tree and watched the people around them. There didn’t seem to be much difference in the way they interacted with one another from their own world, or in the clothes they wore. They could hear people shouting hellos to one another and he was relieved that it was the same language they spoke. No one seemed to notice two young men under a tree together and Jensen just sat back and watched.
“Where do you think we are?” Jared finally broke the silence between them.
Jensen sighed as he let his head drop back against the trunk. He had no better idea now than he had when he woke us. “You remember when I said the stories were all science fiction? I think maybe we just ended up in a story book.”
Jared pulled his knees up to his chest and didn’t say anything else as he wrapped his arms around his legs and dropped his chin there. Jensen had no idea how to deal with that. Part of him wanted to wrap Jared up in his arms and keep him there but he knew that was the selfish part of himself. He wanted the comfort of another body against him as much as he wanted to comfort Jared. It wasn’t fair to Jared though. He needed Jensen to take care of him, and Jensen was going to do that. No matter how hard he had to fight his instincts.
“We’ll figure it out, Jared. You know, I wasn’t kidding when I told you that you were one of the brightest students I’ve ever met.” Jared looked at him then and Jensen smiled softly, ignoring the desire to push the hair back from Jared’s eyes. “And you know I’m the smartest student to come out of the Academy in a century.”
Jared smiled but Jensen didn’t say it to brag. Jensen had been a science protégé, graduating as fast as they would let him. It had caused some trouble when he wanted to go into teaching, being so young, but he’d won them over with his passion and his intelligence. “Between us, we’ll find out what’s happening. I’ll take care of you, I’ll protect you, but I need your help to get us home. Alright?”
“So how do we figure this out?”
Jensen allowed himself a mental pat on the back as Jared straightened up and let go of his knees along with his defeated attitude. If Jared needed to feel useful to get through this Jensen was more than okay with that. He would need Jared to get them home.
“I haven’t noticed anything out of the ordinary in the way people are interacting. We might be able to just start up a conversation and see what we can learn.”
“You don’t think they’ll know we-“
Jared stopped mid-sentence and his eyes grew wide as he looked over Jensen’s shoulder. Jensen had put himself in a position of protection, and his body was angled between Jared and the rest of the park in case anything happened. When he looked over his shoulder he knew what had Jared surprised. Everyone in the park lined up next to a large bus. Jensen pushed Jared back behind the tree to keep them from being seen. Next to the vehicles were armed androids that watched the people as they stepped onto the vehicle. The interactions seemed congenial, the people smiled at the robots as they entered. The androids answered back so Jensen knew the robotics of this world were more advanced than their own. He knew that there had been a push a few centuries ago to have more advanced AI, robots that could think independently but the movement had died out. Moral implications of what AI could mean for the human race popped up and, for once, the leading edges of technology had listened to the call. They hadn’t stopped creating advanced technology for fields such as medicine or scientific research but they had ended all thoughts of robots that could do the work of man or that could help destroy one another in faster, more efficient manners.
It had been a turning point in their own history, an end to the terrors of the technological warfare that had enabled governments to threaten one another from afar. It had allowed people to return to the joys of a job well done without the fear that their passions would be turned over to a robot who could do it faster.
As he watched the robots look out over the park, Jensen’s mind rushed to the worst of the scenarios that had been brandied about back in those days; the takeover of civilization by a species of androids that cared for mankind the way a person might care for a pet. It send a shiver down his spine and he pushed back closer to the tree, feeling Jared’s chest press against his back as they both tried to stay hidden.
Whatever the androids were doing though, they didn’t seem to be looking for strays because they didn’t go to investigate Jensen’s hiding place before they stepped up onto the bus and drove off.
When Jensen stood, Jared moved with him, sticking close. Jensen reached back and took Jared’s hand, squeezed it tightly as he looked around the park. “It looks all clear. We should check the park out.”
“It didn’t look violent Mr-” Jared took a deep breath. “Jensen. But I don’t think those people had a choice about getting on the bus.”
“It’s a good assumption Jared, and I think we should stay away from the androids for now, but remember that it is just an assumption. We need to see if we can find something to eat and drink. There were people walking back from the east building with food. We should see if we can get in there.”
When Jensen started to walk, he felt Jared still with him, fingers twining through his as though he was afraid to get lost without Jensen to hold him there. He pushed aside the need to wrap an arm around Jared and just squeezed Jared’s hand back. He didn’t try to regain his hand though.
**
The park was deserted and Jensen and Jared moved along the edge of the trees without disruption. It made Jensen a little jumpy, but he took comfort in Jared at his side. The park was laid out with four distinct areas, three with the same design. On the other side of the trees that blocked the lab from plain sight was a children’s playground. Next to it were picnic benches and flower beds that gave each area a feel of separation from the others. An open grass field filled out the rest of the space, with a building at the edge with restrooms and food services. For the fourth area there were sports fields and concession areas.
They snuck into the restrooms at the sport complex and found locker rooms complete with showers. Jensen wasn’t ready to let his guard down enough to strip down, but it was good to know they had access. They washed their hands and faces though and Jensen felt better for it. When they left the locker rooms, they found the kitchen area.
Jensen pushed open the kitchen doors and stared for a moment. It was a huge kitchen with shelf lined walls and what looked like ovens and microwaves. A low counter that ran half the width of the room separated the room from a large dining area.
Jared pulled away from him and left Jensen to miss the heat of his hand immediately, but he turned to watch as Jared found a bag and opened it up. “Apple chips,” he said with a smile as he took a bite of one.
Jensen shook his head and smiled. “Gonna share?”
“Get your own, Professor,” Jared teased as he threw a bag at Jensen.
“Maybe I just want to steal yours,” Jensen said as he stepped closer to Jared. He crowded him against the wall of shelves, then reached into the bag and took a chip. He raised a brow at Jared’s wide eyes as he bit down on it. “Sometimes, it just tastes better when you take what you want.”
He stepped away from Jared before he could follow through on any other thoughts of taking that were going through his mind. He shook his head slightly, wondered what the hell was wrong with him but he kept moving. They needed more than fruit chips.
“Hey, you remember those bags in the locker room?” Jensen asked as he looked over his shoulder. “Think you can grab us two? We should probably grab some food to take with us, in case we can’t get back here.”
Jared nodded, but he hesitated before he headed to the door. Jensen needed a little space between them so he ignored it and opened a door he hoped held more food. He was right in his assumption and he stared into a large walk in refrigerator. He explored a few minutes before he finally came out with what looked like two complete meals ready for heating. He placed the food in the heating unit and was surprised to find easy to understand directions beside it. It only took a few minutes before they had warm food. Jensen took the food out to the tables, but he felt too exposed like that and walked them back into the kitchen. Instead, he found a couple stools and pulled them up to the counter.
“Got ‘em,” Jared said, brandishing two backpacks as he walked into the kitchen. “Something smells really good,” he added, as he set the packs on the counter next to the food.
Jensen laughed as he handed eating utensils to the younger man. “Eat. I’ll get us packed up.”
Jared let himself be guided to the plate and Jensen began to fill one bag with snack bags. He found bottled juices and waters and added those to both packs. He loaded the second bag with the fresh fruits and vegetables he found. When he was done Jared was almost done with his food. Jensen turned to his own plate then and dug in. “If you want more, it’s through the big doors,” he said as he pointed. He wasn’t surprised when Jared finished up and went in for more. He’d walked through the dining hall at the Academy a time or two and seen Jared with his friends, his food tray piled impossibly high.
They ate in silence, knees brushing together as they sat side by side. Jensen kept one eye on the empty dining area and the other on his food as he tried to get his mind off how right it felt to have Jared with him so much; on why he was having so much trouble focusing on the rest of the problem with Jared there beside him.
Yes, he’d had the inappropriate thought or two about his student. It really wasn’t that hard to imagine, with the small age gap between them. Jensen was only 22 and Jared was 18. Jared was smart and funny and Jensen would have had to be blind to miss the way he filled out his tall form. So yes, Jensen was only human and Jared was someone he wouldn’t think twice about hitting on if he wasn’t a student. Still, he’d never been so close to crossing over those boundaries before. It was stress, he knew. They were in a strange place and the only person he had to rely on was Jared.
The real problems he needed to face, inappropriate thoughts of Jared aside, were that they had no way of getting them home. He had no way to know if they were safe. He had no way to know what their next step would be and he was terrified he’d screw it all up and Jared would get hurt.
Jared broke him out of his thoughts as he put his trash in the bin and sat back down next to Jensen. “So, what next?”
Jensen pushed his own food away and turned to look at Jared. “I think we should probably get back to the lab we woke up in. We have food and drinks in case we can’t get back here, but we should see what else we can find there. The place was dusty so it’s safe to assume no one has been in there in a long time. We can look around some more and see if we can figure things out.”
Jared nodded, and then got up to throw Jensen’s food in the trash before he grabbed one of the bags. Jensen did the same, feeling Jared move behind him as he stepped back out into the main lobby of the concession area. When they got back out into the park, Jared grabbed his hand again. Jensen looked back at him, but Jared was looking out across the park, pointedly ignoring Jensen’s gaze while his cheeks turned pink. The kid was gonna be the end of him.
He squeezed Jared’s hand and turned back to retrace their steps to the lab. He just hoped they could find answers there.
**
Jared hoped his face wasn’t as red as it felt, but after everything that had happened, he needed to keep Jensen within reach. His teacher didn’t seem to mind, but squeezed his hand and Jared took a deep breath, relieved that Jensen wasn’t going to make an issue of it.
The walk back to the lab was uneventful but Jared found himself looking everywhere for danger. They didn’t know what was happening but Jared couldn’t help but think of the way the people had been loaded up in the bus to be taken away. No one asked to stay later. No one tried to sneak off. Not even the kids. It was a different world, but it sent all sort of warning bells off in his head.
They followed their footprints from earlier to head back to the room they’d been in. Nothing had changed and Jensen pulled his hand out of Jared’s as he set his backpack of food down on the table closest to the door. Jared ignored the need to keep Jensen close and put his backpack beside Jensen’s as he looked around the room. There were no lights inside so they had to make do with what little light made its way in the room through the high windows.
“We should have stolen some towels from the locker room. I doubt we’ll find any blankets to sleep with tonight and it could get cold,” Jensen said as he stood in the corner.
“I can take a look,” Jared offered. “You never know. Maybe someone kept a cot in their lab or something. “
Jensen looked at him with an unreadable expression but Jared gave him a weak smile. “We’ve gotta survive, right? I’ll go look for blankets and you can … do whatever you need to do.” He waved his hands back towards the quantum reflection that had brought them there.
He didn’t wait for Jensen’s okay. Jared was nervous that Jensen might find something that would help them find a way home. He wasn’t ready to face the questions Jensen was sure to ask about his fear of the reflection now. Once Jensen stopped to think about it, he’d realize that Jared had been afraid of it before they went through it and he’d want to know what Jared knew. Looking for supplies was the best excuse he had for walking away, no matter how much he wanted to stay with Jensen.
Being close to Jensen made Jared feel safer, even if his teacher was throwing out mixed signals again. He shivered as he remembered the way Jensen had nearly pressed him into the wall when he’d found the food. Jensen had always thrown out innuendos at Jared but never with any intent behind the words. Besides the way he’d moved towards Jared as he spoke, there was something in Jensen’s eye this time that had made Jared think there was something real between them.
Jared shook his head of that sort of thought. Even if Jensen was interested - and that was a big if - there was no way he would risk his career to date one of his students. Jensen was sexy and funny and an honest to god science protégé. He didn’t need to look to his geeky students to get laid.
His thoughts were all a moot point anyway, unless they could find a way home.
They had to find a way home.
After his sister … well … his parents wouldn’t be able to handle his disappearance. It wasn’t fair that they were going to have to deal with this. They were probably already worried when he didn’t come home. What would they think when they found he’d disappeared along with the one professor he was always talking about?
It was all going to be a mess and he’d worked hard over the last year to be the perfect son. It wasn’t possible, he knew that, but he had to make up for his mistake.
Maybe it was something about him? It wasn’t a coincidence was it?
He shrugged the thought away and looked over his shoulder to the door Jensen stood behind. He couldn’t see inside it, but he knew his teacher had to be in there trying to figure out what their next move was. Jared needed to get home, needed Jensen to figure it out, but he couldn’t stop his fear. Even if they managed to turn on the quantum reflection, there was no telling where they would end up, or if they would end up there together.
Instead of letting himself worry about that though, he stepped away from the door and walked down the hallway. Jensen had already gone through the rooms but that was more about safety and assessing the situation than thinking about supplies to bunk down with.
Jensen had already told him that the building was full of dusty labs but his teacher hadn’t gone in all of them to search in the cabinets so Jared still had hopes of finding something useful. He went into the rooms where Jensen’s footprints stopped in the doorway. He opened the first set of cabinets and didn’t find anything more useful than lab equipment. He kept going from room to room until he heard another door open.
“Jared?”
Jared stuck his head out the door and looked back at Jensen. The older man looked worried and Jared closed the door behind him as he stepped back into the hall.
“Jensen? Is everything alright?”
“Yeah,” Jensen said as he gave him a small smile. “Just worried when you were gone so long.”
“These rooms are mostly the same but it pays to be thorough, right?”
Jensen gave him a tight smile. “You don’t have to do this. We’ll manage tonight if we can’t find anything.”
“I know. Just a few more rooms though and I’m done.”
Jensen didn’t look happy about it, but Jared ducked into the next room. He wasn’t going to be a burden on Jensen. He was smart and capable, even if he was only 18, and he could be helpful.
The room was a bust and on impulse, Jared moved past the other doors and opened up the last door. The room looked the same as the others, but there was another door at the back. None of the others had anything like that and Jared thought about going back to get Jensen. He decided against it though; he could go through the door on his own.
There was no window in the door so he opened it slowly. He expected another lab but instead found himself inside an office. The carpet was lush and soft, though as with the labs, everything was covered in dust. The walls were lined with bookcases and only a single large window was located on the wall behind the desk. It was covered with thick dark blinds with only a small window section at the top that let in light from the dying sun.
The desk was empty, cleared away like it was waiting for a new inhabitant. Across from the desk was a large table, surrounded by two comfortable looking chairs and a matching couch. He continued to look through the room and finally found what he wanted. A single pillow and throw blanket.
He didn’t know how long they’d be there but they had food now and someplace a little more comfortable to bunk down in than the lab. Whatever had happened, he was stranded with one of the smartest men in the field of science so his chances to get home were a lot greater. He felt lighter as he walked back into the hallway to go back to Jensen.
“Found something,” Jared said as he walked back into the room.
Jensen closed his eyes and let out a deep breath as Jared came in. Jared couldn’t help but smile at the relief on Jensen’s face. “Yeah? What did you find?”
“An office off the back laboratory. No bed, but at least its more comfortable than the lab.”
“Great. I don’t think I can get much else done. The light is too low for me to keep working on it.” Jensen said as he stepped away from the quantum reflection. Jared was grateful that most of the cover was still on it. Jensen seemed to notice where he’d looked and smiled softly. “I’m not taking the cover off unless you’re with me. I don’t know what caused it last time but I’m not leaving you behind, got it?”
Jared nodded and felt more than a little relief from that himself. “Yeah. So, I’ll show you the office?”
“Lead the way Jared.”
**
He was going to hell. There was no way around it. He couldn’t find it in himself to care at the moment though. He had options but Jensen took one look at the couch and knew what to do.
“Jared, you’re not sleeping on the floor. It’s already getting cold in here.”
“And you’re going to do better on the floor?”
“The couch is big. There’s no reason we can’t figure out a way to make this work.”
Jared looked at him doubtfully. He wasn’t wrong to look at him like that but Jensen couldn’t stand the idea of Jared being out of arms reach. He’d had a hard enough time when Jared walked through the rooms and he couldn’t see or hear him. He knew he couldn’t make it through the night without holding him close.
Jensen chalked it up to the situation but he was trying not to take advantage of that. He was going to get them home and the last thing Jensen needed when they returned was trouble with the Padalecki family because Jared told them Jensen had been acting inappropriately.
“Are you sure?” Jared asked, looking down at his feet.
Jensen stepped closer. “Look Jared, we’re going to make it out of here together, but with everything that’s happened I just feel better having you close. Alright?”
Jared let out a shaky breath. “Me too.”
Jensen closed the distance between them and clasped his hand on Jared’s shoulder, his thumb trailing gently over the soft skin of his neck. Jared looked up at him then and Jensen smiled. “Let’s just get some sleep. Everything will seem better in the morning, right?”
Jared shivered and Jensen pulled him close, wrapping his arms around Jared. “We’ll be alright, you and me. As long as we’re together, everything is going to be alright. Got it?”
Jared relaxed against him. “Yeah.”
Jensen didn’t say anything after that. He pulled Jared over to the couch with him. He pushed the pillow up against the arm of the couch and laid back on it. When he was comfortable he grabbed Jared’s hand, and pulled his student down to rest his head on his chest. His body slid perfectly between Jensen’s spread legs. Jared was still against him for a few minutes but as Jensen pulled the blanket up and over the both of them Jared relaxed. Jensen turned his head slightly and took a deep breath as his nose brushed over Jared’s hair. He let one hand run up and down Jared’s back and let out a deep sigh of contentment.
“Good night Jensen.”
Yes. He was going to hell.
It was the last thought he had for the night. With Jared in his arms he was finally able to stop the constant cycle of thoughts in his head and he relaxed with the warm body pressed against him.
On to Chapter Three
Author:
hunters_retreat
Pairing: Jared/Jensen
Warning: student/teacher
Summary: “You remember when I said the stories were all science fiction? I think maybe we just ended up in a story book.”
Author's Note: This was written for the
j2_everafter challenge in *gasp* 2012. I wasn't able to complete the whole story at the time, but I've been sitting on about 10K more words than what was originally posted. For some reason, I decided to dust it off and finish it. Though I will say dusted lightly, more like blew across it and choked on the dust... but lets hope my writing style hasn't changed too much because after chapter four I have to write new material to keep it going :P
Link to the original: Chapter One
Mr. Ackles took the lead as he opened the door quietly and peered out. Jared was a few steps behind him but he felt the need to close the distance. He pressed himself up against Mr. Ackles back and felt his teacher stiffen. Green eyes turned to look at him and Jared tried not to let the panic into his eyes.
“Jared?”
“Yes, Mr. Ackles?”
The teacher closed the door all the way and turned back to look at Jared. “It’s going to be okay. We just need to see where we are and figure out what happened. We’re going to go out and get some information. Worst case scenario, we’re going to go out and see about some supplies until we can figure things out. Alright?”
Jared took a deep breath and let it out. “I just … yeah. Alright Mr. Ackles.”
“About that.” Mr. Ackles looked at him for a minute and gave him a small smile. “My name is Jensen.”
Jared felt his heart race a little at the permission to use his first name and he smiled back. “Alright. Jensen.”
“We’re going to be fine, Jared. I promise you that. I’ll take care of you.”
Jared nodded, not entirely sure what he was supposed to say to that comment. He just nodded instead. He felt a little better know that Mr - Jensen - was watching out for him. He didn’t know what was happening for sure but he had plenty of ideas. He’d been reading everything he could get his hands on about what was on the other side of a quantum reflection. It was like Jensen had said in the room; it was science fiction. No one believed in the stories but Jared couldn’t help himself. Not after -
And here he was, in some other place with only Jensen to help him figure out what to do. At least he wasn’t alone though. No matter what else happened, he told himself, he wasn’t alone. It made him feel better, but his heart ached just the same.
“Let’s see what we can find,” he finally managed to say. Jensen gave him a small, encouraging smile and grabbed his shoulder, squeezing lightly.
“Alright. Stay behind me, but stay close. We’ll stay out of sight until we figure out where we are.”
**
The facility was completely empty as they searched the rooms, finding only lab after lab of dust and disuse. When they reached the outer doors, they slowly went through to find themselves at the edge of a large park. In the dying light it was easy to keep to the shadows of the trees around them and to remain unnoticed. Maybe Jensen was just being paranoid, but it was better to be cautious until he knew what they’d gotten themselves into.
The park was well used and Jensen kept Jared close as they sat under a tree and watched the people around them. There didn’t seem to be much difference in the way they interacted with one another from their own world, or in the clothes they wore. They could hear people shouting hellos to one another and he was relieved that it was the same language they spoke. No one seemed to notice two young men under a tree together and Jensen just sat back and watched.
“Where do you think we are?” Jared finally broke the silence between them.
Jensen sighed as he let his head drop back against the trunk. He had no better idea now than he had when he woke us. “You remember when I said the stories were all science fiction? I think maybe we just ended up in a story book.”
Jared pulled his knees up to his chest and didn’t say anything else as he wrapped his arms around his legs and dropped his chin there. Jensen had no idea how to deal with that. Part of him wanted to wrap Jared up in his arms and keep him there but he knew that was the selfish part of himself. He wanted the comfort of another body against him as much as he wanted to comfort Jared. It wasn’t fair to Jared though. He needed Jensen to take care of him, and Jensen was going to do that. No matter how hard he had to fight his instincts.
“We’ll figure it out, Jared. You know, I wasn’t kidding when I told you that you were one of the brightest students I’ve ever met.” Jared looked at him then and Jensen smiled softly, ignoring the desire to push the hair back from Jared’s eyes. “And you know I’m the smartest student to come out of the Academy in a century.”
Jared smiled but Jensen didn’t say it to brag. Jensen had been a science protégé, graduating as fast as they would let him. It had caused some trouble when he wanted to go into teaching, being so young, but he’d won them over with his passion and his intelligence. “Between us, we’ll find out what’s happening. I’ll take care of you, I’ll protect you, but I need your help to get us home. Alright?”
“So how do we figure this out?”
Jensen allowed himself a mental pat on the back as Jared straightened up and let go of his knees along with his defeated attitude. If Jared needed to feel useful to get through this Jensen was more than okay with that. He would need Jared to get them home.
“I haven’t noticed anything out of the ordinary in the way people are interacting. We might be able to just start up a conversation and see what we can learn.”
“You don’t think they’ll know we-“
Jared stopped mid-sentence and his eyes grew wide as he looked over Jensen’s shoulder. Jensen had put himself in a position of protection, and his body was angled between Jared and the rest of the park in case anything happened. When he looked over his shoulder he knew what had Jared surprised. Everyone in the park lined up next to a large bus. Jensen pushed Jared back behind the tree to keep them from being seen. Next to the vehicles were armed androids that watched the people as they stepped onto the vehicle. The interactions seemed congenial, the people smiled at the robots as they entered. The androids answered back so Jensen knew the robotics of this world were more advanced than their own. He knew that there had been a push a few centuries ago to have more advanced AI, robots that could think independently but the movement had died out. Moral implications of what AI could mean for the human race popped up and, for once, the leading edges of technology had listened to the call. They hadn’t stopped creating advanced technology for fields such as medicine or scientific research but they had ended all thoughts of robots that could do the work of man or that could help destroy one another in faster, more efficient manners.
It had been a turning point in their own history, an end to the terrors of the technological warfare that had enabled governments to threaten one another from afar. It had allowed people to return to the joys of a job well done without the fear that their passions would be turned over to a robot who could do it faster.
As he watched the robots look out over the park, Jensen’s mind rushed to the worst of the scenarios that had been brandied about back in those days; the takeover of civilization by a species of androids that cared for mankind the way a person might care for a pet. It send a shiver down his spine and he pushed back closer to the tree, feeling Jared’s chest press against his back as they both tried to stay hidden.
Whatever the androids were doing though, they didn’t seem to be looking for strays because they didn’t go to investigate Jensen’s hiding place before they stepped up onto the bus and drove off.
When Jensen stood, Jared moved with him, sticking close. Jensen reached back and took Jared’s hand, squeezed it tightly as he looked around the park. “It looks all clear. We should check the park out.”
“It didn’t look violent Mr-” Jared took a deep breath. “Jensen. But I don’t think those people had a choice about getting on the bus.”
“It’s a good assumption Jared, and I think we should stay away from the androids for now, but remember that it is just an assumption. We need to see if we can find something to eat and drink. There were people walking back from the east building with food. We should see if we can get in there.”
When Jensen started to walk, he felt Jared still with him, fingers twining through his as though he was afraid to get lost without Jensen to hold him there. He pushed aside the need to wrap an arm around Jared and just squeezed Jared’s hand back. He didn’t try to regain his hand though.
**
The park was deserted and Jensen and Jared moved along the edge of the trees without disruption. It made Jensen a little jumpy, but he took comfort in Jared at his side. The park was laid out with four distinct areas, three with the same design. On the other side of the trees that blocked the lab from plain sight was a children’s playground. Next to it were picnic benches and flower beds that gave each area a feel of separation from the others. An open grass field filled out the rest of the space, with a building at the edge with restrooms and food services. For the fourth area there were sports fields and concession areas.
They snuck into the restrooms at the sport complex and found locker rooms complete with showers. Jensen wasn’t ready to let his guard down enough to strip down, but it was good to know they had access. They washed their hands and faces though and Jensen felt better for it. When they left the locker rooms, they found the kitchen area.
Jensen pushed open the kitchen doors and stared for a moment. It was a huge kitchen with shelf lined walls and what looked like ovens and microwaves. A low counter that ran half the width of the room separated the room from a large dining area.
Jared pulled away from him and left Jensen to miss the heat of his hand immediately, but he turned to watch as Jared found a bag and opened it up. “Apple chips,” he said with a smile as he took a bite of one.
Jensen shook his head and smiled. “Gonna share?”
“Get your own, Professor,” Jared teased as he threw a bag at Jensen.
“Maybe I just want to steal yours,” Jensen said as he stepped closer to Jared. He crowded him against the wall of shelves, then reached into the bag and took a chip. He raised a brow at Jared’s wide eyes as he bit down on it. “Sometimes, it just tastes better when you take what you want.”
He stepped away from Jared before he could follow through on any other thoughts of taking that were going through his mind. He shook his head slightly, wondered what the hell was wrong with him but he kept moving. They needed more than fruit chips.
“Hey, you remember those bags in the locker room?” Jensen asked as he looked over his shoulder. “Think you can grab us two? We should probably grab some food to take with us, in case we can’t get back here.”
Jared nodded, but he hesitated before he headed to the door. Jensen needed a little space between them so he ignored it and opened a door he hoped held more food. He was right in his assumption and he stared into a large walk in refrigerator. He explored a few minutes before he finally came out with what looked like two complete meals ready for heating. He placed the food in the heating unit and was surprised to find easy to understand directions beside it. It only took a few minutes before they had warm food. Jensen took the food out to the tables, but he felt too exposed like that and walked them back into the kitchen. Instead, he found a couple stools and pulled them up to the counter.
“Got ‘em,” Jared said, brandishing two backpacks as he walked into the kitchen. “Something smells really good,” he added, as he set the packs on the counter next to the food.
Jensen laughed as he handed eating utensils to the younger man. “Eat. I’ll get us packed up.”
Jared let himself be guided to the plate and Jensen began to fill one bag with snack bags. He found bottled juices and waters and added those to both packs. He loaded the second bag with the fresh fruits and vegetables he found. When he was done Jared was almost done with his food. Jensen turned to his own plate then and dug in. “If you want more, it’s through the big doors,” he said as he pointed. He wasn’t surprised when Jared finished up and went in for more. He’d walked through the dining hall at the Academy a time or two and seen Jared with his friends, his food tray piled impossibly high.
They ate in silence, knees brushing together as they sat side by side. Jensen kept one eye on the empty dining area and the other on his food as he tried to get his mind off how right it felt to have Jared with him so much; on why he was having so much trouble focusing on the rest of the problem with Jared there beside him.
Yes, he’d had the inappropriate thought or two about his student. It really wasn’t that hard to imagine, with the small age gap between them. Jensen was only 22 and Jared was 18. Jared was smart and funny and Jensen would have had to be blind to miss the way he filled out his tall form. So yes, Jensen was only human and Jared was someone he wouldn’t think twice about hitting on if he wasn’t a student. Still, he’d never been so close to crossing over those boundaries before. It was stress, he knew. They were in a strange place and the only person he had to rely on was Jared.
The real problems he needed to face, inappropriate thoughts of Jared aside, were that they had no way of getting them home. He had no way to know if they were safe. He had no way to know what their next step would be and he was terrified he’d screw it all up and Jared would get hurt.
Jared broke him out of his thoughts as he put his trash in the bin and sat back down next to Jensen. “So, what next?”
Jensen pushed his own food away and turned to look at Jared. “I think we should probably get back to the lab we woke up in. We have food and drinks in case we can’t get back here, but we should see what else we can find there. The place was dusty so it’s safe to assume no one has been in there in a long time. We can look around some more and see if we can figure things out.”
Jared nodded, and then got up to throw Jensen’s food in the trash before he grabbed one of the bags. Jensen did the same, feeling Jared move behind him as he stepped back out into the main lobby of the concession area. When they got back out into the park, Jared grabbed his hand again. Jensen looked back at him, but Jared was looking out across the park, pointedly ignoring Jensen’s gaze while his cheeks turned pink. The kid was gonna be the end of him.
He squeezed Jared’s hand and turned back to retrace their steps to the lab. He just hoped they could find answers there.
**
Jared hoped his face wasn’t as red as it felt, but after everything that had happened, he needed to keep Jensen within reach. His teacher didn’t seem to mind, but squeezed his hand and Jared took a deep breath, relieved that Jensen wasn’t going to make an issue of it.
The walk back to the lab was uneventful but Jared found himself looking everywhere for danger. They didn’t know what was happening but Jared couldn’t help but think of the way the people had been loaded up in the bus to be taken away. No one asked to stay later. No one tried to sneak off. Not even the kids. It was a different world, but it sent all sort of warning bells off in his head.
They followed their footprints from earlier to head back to the room they’d been in. Nothing had changed and Jensen pulled his hand out of Jared’s as he set his backpack of food down on the table closest to the door. Jared ignored the need to keep Jensen close and put his backpack beside Jensen’s as he looked around the room. There were no lights inside so they had to make do with what little light made its way in the room through the high windows.
“We should have stolen some towels from the locker room. I doubt we’ll find any blankets to sleep with tonight and it could get cold,” Jensen said as he stood in the corner.
“I can take a look,” Jared offered. “You never know. Maybe someone kept a cot in their lab or something. “
Jensen looked at him with an unreadable expression but Jared gave him a weak smile. “We’ve gotta survive, right? I’ll go look for blankets and you can … do whatever you need to do.” He waved his hands back towards the quantum reflection that had brought them there.
He didn’t wait for Jensen’s okay. Jared was nervous that Jensen might find something that would help them find a way home. He wasn’t ready to face the questions Jensen was sure to ask about his fear of the reflection now. Once Jensen stopped to think about it, he’d realize that Jared had been afraid of it before they went through it and he’d want to know what Jared knew. Looking for supplies was the best excuse he had for walking away, no matter how much he wanted to stay with Jensen.
Being close to Jensen made Jared feel safer, even if his teacher was throwing out mixed signals again. He shivered as he remembered the way Jensen had nearly pressed him into the wall when he’d found the food. Jensen had always thrown out innuendos at Jared but never with any intent behind the words. Besides the way he’d moved towards Jared as he spoke, there was something in Jensen’s eye this time that had made Jared think there was something real between them.
Jared shook his head of that sort of thought. Even if Jensen was interested - and that was a big if - there was no way he would risk his career to date one of his students. Jensen was sexy and funny and an honest to god science protégé. He didn’t need to look to his geeky students to get laid.
His thoughts were all a moot point anyway, unless they could find a way home.
They had to find a way home.
After his sister … well … his parents wouldn’t be able to handle his disappearance. It wasn’t fair that they were going to have to deal with this. They were probably already worried when he didn’t come home. What would they think when they found he’d disappeared along with the one professor he was always talking about?
It was all going to be a mess and he’d worked hard over the last year to be the perfect son. It wasn’t possible, he knew that, but he had to make up for his mistake.
Maybe it was something about him? It wasn’t a coincidence was it?
He shrugged the thought away and looked over his shoulder to the door Jensen stood behind. He couldn’t see inside it, but he knew his teacher had to be in there trying to figure out what their next move was. Jared needed to get home, needed Jensen to figure it out, but he couldn’t stop his fear. Even if they managed to turn on the quantum reflection, there was no telling where they would end up, or if they would end up there together.
Instead of letting himself worry about that though, he stepped away from the door and walked down the hallway. Jensen had already gone through the rooms but that was more about safety and assessing the situation than thinking about supplies to bunk down with.
Jensen had already told him that the building was full of dusty labs but his teacher hadn’t gone in all of them to search in the cabinets so Jared still had hopes of finding something useful. He went into the rooms where Jensen’s footprints stopped in the doorway. He opened the first set of cabinets and didn’t find anything more useful than lab equipment. He kept going from room to room until he heard another door open.
“Jared?”
Jared stuck his head out the door and looked back at Jensen. The older man looked worried and Jared closed the door behind him as he stepped back into the hall.
“Jensen? Is everything alright?”
“Yeah,” Jensen said as he gave him a small smile. “Just worried when you were gone so long.”
“These rooms are mostly the same but it pays to be thorough, right?”
Jensen gave him a tight smile. “You don’t have to do this. We’ll manage tonight if we can’t find anything.”
“I know. Just a few more rooms though and I’m done.”
Jensen didn’t look happy about it, but Jared ducked into the next room. He wasn’t going to be a burden on Jensen. He was smart and capable, even if he was only 18, and he could be helpful.
The room was a bust and on impulse, Jared moved past the other doors and opened up the last door. The room looked the same as the others, but there was another door at the back. None of the others had anything like that and Jared thought about going back to get Jensen. He decided against it though; he could go through the door on his own.
There was no window in the door so he opened it slowly. He expected another lab but instead found himself inside an office. The carpet was lush and soft, though as with the labs, everything was covered in dust. The walls were lined with bookcases and only a single large window was located on the wall behind the desk. It was covered with thick dark blinds with only a small window section at the top that let in light from the dying sun.
The desk was empty, cleared away like it was waiting for a new inhabitant. Across from the desk was a large table, surrounded by two comfortable looking chairs and a matching couch. He continued to look through the room and finally found what he wanted. A single pillow and throw blanket.
He didn’t know how long they’d be there but they had food now and someplace a little more comfortable to bunk down in than the lab. Whatever had happened, he was stranded with one of the smartest men in the field of science so his chances to get home were a lot greater. He felt lighter as he walked back into the hallway to go back to Jensen.
“Found something,” Jared said as he walked back into the room.
Jensen closed his eyes and let out a deep breath as Jared came in. Jared couldn’t help but smile at the relief on Jensen’s face. “Yeah? What did you find?”
“An office off the back laboratory. No bed, but at least its more comfortable than the lab.”
“Great. I don’t think I can get much else done. The light is too low for me to keep working on it.” Jensen said as he stepped away from the quantum reflection. Jared was grateful that most of the cover was still on it. Jensen seemed to notice where he’d looked and smiled softly. “I’m not taking the cover off unless you’re with me. I don’t know what caused it last time but I’m not leaving you behind, got it?”
Jared nodded and felt more than a little relief from that himself. “Yeah. So, I’ll show you the office?”
“Lead the way Jared.”
**
He was going to hell. There was no way around it. He couldn’t find it in himself to care at the moment though. He had options but Jensen took one look at the couch and knew what to do.
“Jared, you’re not sleeping on the floor. It’s already getting cold in here.”
“And you’re going to do better on the floor?”
“The couch is big. There’s no reason we can’t figure out a way to make this work.”
Jared looked at him doubtfully. He wasn’t wrong to look at him like that but Jensen couldn’t stand the idea of Jared being out of arms reach. He’d had a hard enough time when Jared walked through the rooms and he couldn’t see or hear him. He knew he couldn’t make it through the night without holding him close.
Jensen chalked it up to the situation but he was trying not to take advantage of that. He was going to get them home and the last thing Jensen needed when they returned was trouble with the Padalecki family because Jared told them Jensen had been acting inappropriately.
“Are you sure?” Jared asked, looking down at his feet.
Jensen stepped closer. “Look Jared, we’re going to make it out of here together, but with everything that’s happened I just feel better having you close. Alright?”
Jared let out a shaky breath. “Me too.”
Jensen closed the distance between them and clasped his hand on Jared’s shoulder, his thumb trailing gently over the soft skin of his neck. Jared looked up at him then and Jensen smiled. “Let’s just get some sleep. Everything will seem better in the morning, right?”
Jared shivered and Jensen pulled him close, wrapping his arms around Jared. “We’ll be alright, you and me. As long as we’re together, everything is going to be alright. Got it?”
Jared relaxed against him. “Yeah.”
Jensen didn’t say anything after that. He pulled Jared over to the couch with him. He pushed the pillow up against the arm of the couch and laid back on it. When he was comfortable he grabbed Jared’s hand, and pulled his student down to rest his head on his chest. His body slid perfectly between Jensen’s spread legs. Jared was still against him for a few minutes but as Jensen pulled the blanket up and over the both of them Jared relaxed. Jensen turned his head slightly and took a deep breath as his nose brushed over Jared’s hair. He let one hand run up and down Jared’s back and let out a deep sigh of contentment.
“Good night Jensen.”
Yes. He was going to hell.
It was the last thought he had for the night. With Jared in his arms he was finally able to stop the constant cycle of thoughts in his head and he relaxed with the warm body pressed against him.
On to Chapter Three