Fic: 'These Remain Our Glory Days' (Jared/Jensen; NC-17) 3/3
Master Post | Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Artwork
PART THREE
(Jared)
Two years after they moved into their first neighborhood, they went to a barbeque. It's the first one that Jared has been to without his parents there, without his friends there. No one knew anything about him: his small town beginnings, his foray into being a superhero at seventeen, and making a career of it for eight years. To the people at the barbeque, he's only Jared Padalecki, new husband, new dad, and a new recruit in the police force. New is a key word they keep using for everything in his life now. New life and a new beginning. They-the League, the NSA, even Jensen-threw the word around so much that Jared was beginning to believe it.
Even if it turned out that Jared got let go from the force a month later-not because he did anything out of the ordinary, but because the NSA found out and wanted "to protect him."
"Let's move," Jared had said, holding Eve on his hip. She tugged on his hair and giggled, while Jared stared holes in Jensen's back, watching him get ready for work. He had just dropped his briefcase as Jared spoke, slowly turning to look up at him.
"What? Why?"
"I was driving to meet Jim yesterday to ask if he could find me a job," Jared said, keeping his gaze on Eve, watching her poke and prod at his jacket collar. "And there was an accident. Car pile-up. And you know what? I couldn't go and use my powers to help. Because it's against the law now."
Jensen stood up and said, "There are the EMTs and police. They could… I'm sorry, Jared."
"Let's go," Jared pleaded, hiking Eve up. "Somewhere else. Travelling. We can… we can take Eve with us and-"
"And do what? Raise her on the road? Train her into… into being a superhero? Growing up too fast and seeing too much-doing the type of stuff we had to do? Do you want to do that to her?"
Jensen was right. He knew from experience.
Jared didn't want that to happen to Eve, to make her into that.
So they changed.
It's exactly why, when the alarms flash and sounds go off, when he hears Sandy's voice shake that the missiles hit, that he can feel his knees give out.
For all Jared's wants and needs, things have changed, it isn't about him any more. It's about his family, the same family in the exploding jet high above the compound.
The same family that's dead.
"Target eliminated," Sandy's saying, but it's soft and distant. Jared can feel the floor drop out beneath him, nausea roiling his stomach and his head swimming. He can barely hear the maniacal laugh in his direction, the monologue. It turns out that this job-this trial-is a ploy, just used to sharpen the skills of the robot. There's a whole grand plan behind it, and Milo, Milo, that kid he barely noticed back in the League, he's standing in front of Jared now, mocking him, saying he's won. That Jared fell for it. That he's some hotshot hero who doesn't care for anyone but himself, that now, now, Milo will swoop in, wearing his cheesy leather uniform and save the city from a group of killer robots. All these years perfecting gadgets to put to his own evil, fame seeking purposes.
It's the same story but a different twist, one Jared has heard before, in another time and place.
But Jared doesn't care about that right now. Not even when Milo leaves, and Sandy, of all people, lets Jared out of his electric binds.
"If you hurry, you can stop him," she's saying as he stands up, barely able to look at her. Her hands linger on his gloved arm and then, that's when she says, "They're okay, Jared. I saw them on the surveillance camera. Couldn't let Milo know."
The breath's knocked out of her this time, as he grabs her shoulders hard, saying, "Are you sure?"
"Yeah," Sandy gasps, shaking her head. "He never told me about attacking the city. I have friends there."
He swears he's floating on air when he hugs her immediately, grinning. Apparently, he is, since the doors open and he falls about a foot, nearly crashing to the floor when Jensen steps in. Wearing the new costume, black and red material snug around his muscles. The lines of the suit form a V that leads down to his hips, and if Jared wasn't still processing that his husband's alive, he'd immediately tackle him.
Jensen stares at both of them for a second before an arm snaps forward twenty feet and smacks Jared upside his head, a brief flash of pain.
"Oww!" Jared cries, rubbing his head as Jensen comes over.
"You idiot," Jensen says, looking at the cavernous space and computer terminals. "What the hell's wrong with you?"
The ground rumbles, dust from the high ceiling falling down. When Sandy darts off to check out the row of monitors nearby, Jared feels all of eighteen again, unable to look Jensen in the eyes. Only they aren't awkward teenagers anymore. They're adults now, with too many secrets kept between them. The cat's out of the bag, with Jensen looking murderous-and yet still very attractive-in his costume, fabric snug in all of the right places.
But that isn't the point. The point is that he's alive.
Jensen can have all the super speed reflexes that he wants, but even he's thrown when Jared grabs him and crushes his mouth against his own, kisses him as though his life depends on it. He cradles Jensen's face in his palms, grinning at the bewildered expression, the little crow's feet that Jared can see underneath the black eye makeup and domino mask.
"God, I love you," Jared murmurs, feeling his grin widen as Jensen snakes an arm around his waist, almost wrapping around twice.
"You're an idiot," Jensen reminds him, which, in a way, has always been a code phrase for I love you in the weird, yet working relationship that they have. Only this time it really does apply. "You could've gotten yourself killed."
"But I didn't," Jared says proudly, even though Jensen looks like he wants to smack him. Again. "I'm sorry. I should've… I was thinking of myself. Wanted to feel like I used to, back in the day. But you and the kids, Jensen, I can't loose you. I can't. It's you guys. You're the most important-"
Jensen kisses him abruptly. "I know. City to save."
Jared grins. "And you're alive!"
"Of course I'm alive. Still need to kill you first."
"Guys, if I can interrupt?"
Over at the monitors, Sandy watches, attention rapt. "I think your kids just blew up a truck with one of the jet fighters. And now one of them is running on water?"
Jared swears he sees Jensen smirk out of the corner of his eye, a flash of pride that dissipates just as quickly, shaking his head. He can understand the push pull of emotions here: that pride from seeing them use their powers for good, or, well, for explosions. But it's tinged with disappointment, too, because as proud as he is, they can get hurt now-and Jared or Jensen can't always be there to protect them.
It's a cycle that they thought they'd be rid of, but it looks as though their kids might follow the same path too.
Judging by the whooping Zac's doing on the commlink, though, it can't be so bad.
Jared opens his mouth to speak but Jensen cuts him off, already moving to the door. "He's still grounded!"
"Aww, man. But didn't you hear? He ran on water! That's pretty-"
"Incredible," Jensen says. "Get your ass over here."
"Got it, Cowboy."
*
When the sirens start wailing down the streets and there's smoke in the air, that's when it hits Jared-this is partly his fault. If anyone, anyone gets hurt, he's to blame.
"Concentrate on getting us there in one piece," is Jensen's only response, his arms twisted tightly around the armrests of the small helicopter they'd managed to take once Sandy gave them the all clear. His face scrunches up, glaring when Jared laughs, amused that Jensen is still nauseous from jet flying after all this time.
Zac kicks the back of Jared's chair, a restless bundle of energy that isn't put off at the action they've just witnessed. "Why does Dad get to fly?"
"Because I've got a license," Jared says, unable to push down the grin as he settles the jet down to land in a wide abandoned intersection of street. Eve is shouting over the wind, screaming and pointing outside, her loose hair whipping against her face.
Within minutes, they're beginning to get a handle on the situation: three robots, all the same type, and before he was knocked out cold with a girlish scream, Milo in the middle of them, holding another large ray gun. Jared has never been able to understand where super villains get all these ideas to combat their compensation issues. Other guys might put their energy into safe areas. Golf. Jogging. Buying a sports car.
Going out on missions.
Not that he has anything to compensate for. No way.
However, the evil plan Milo had devised isn't working, because the intersection is a wasteland of rubble and twisted scraps of metal, cars on their sides, smoke in the air. People in the area are scattered: some run for their lives and others watch, amazed at the display. A couple dozen feet away, Jensen has his hands-and arms, and legs-full, limbs wrapped tight around one of the robot's appendages, trying to slow it down.
Above Jared, a laser's beam arcs and cuts a molten swath along a nearby building, sending rubble falling to the ground. His legs pound the pavement hard, jumping up to push and hold up a giant boulder, preventing it from falling down on people below. Eve and Zac join in; Eve forming an invisible barrier bubble to deflect stone and Zac racing up a cloud to spray the rubble in another direction.
"Be careful!" Jared shouts, but it's lost over the wind, his arms straining to hold a support beam.
Funnily enough, he doesn't feel hot and sweaty from exertion-he feels cold, almost freezing-
Jared jumps out of the way as a blast of ice hits the building, freezing on contact and holding it up. The crowing behind him as he turns lets him know who's the cause. Frozone-Chad-comes skating down on a giant ice floe, grinning from ear to ear. With the amount of silvery fabric Chad's wearing, Jared has always thought that Chad based at least some percentage of his costume on old school Puff Daddy, the mirror sunglasses doing well to back up that theory.
His momentum carrying him past, Chad skates over to one of the robots, icicles shooting out of his hands. "Hey, man, this is awesome! The media better get here before I waste all my kickass moves!"
The first shot of ice slicks the ground, making the robot wobble and slide.
It's slow going, because the three robots keep firing lasers, never staying in the same spot. Loud and stark noises of twisting metal limbs echo in the streets. Whatever police that have managed to get to their location can barely stand their ground, huddled near their cars as they try to get in shots whenever they can.
Jared may have super strength, but he isn't impervious to bullets. He takes care to stay out of direct gunfire before he lifts up a two by four of twisted metal, sending it crashing into the frozen leg of Chad's robot. It only shakes and steps forward, metal jutting awkwardly out of its leg.
Then Jared stops, abruptly, turning to look at Jensen. Sometimes, the super hearing is too good. It isn't perfect-within a close range of a mile or so, without heavy obstructions or thick walls, he can hear pretty much everything.
Jared can hear how Jensen tries to breathe, his heart hammering as he tries to hang on and slow down his robot.
"Jen-" Jared cuts himself off, then says, "ElastiBoy! Watch our for the heat vision!"
He hears Jensen's answer as he's swung in the air, "It's Elastic Man!" and for a second, Jared grins, like it's old times again. One could say he has his own issues for feeling nostalgia at people and things trying to kill him, but this is all he knows.
The metal piece of a No Parking sign bends in Jared's hands as he tries to twist it around the visual sensors of the nearest robot, clinging to its back. "Frozone! Take it down!"
"The Incredi-kids got this one!" Chad yells, his ice floe lifting up on a curve of clear ice, out of the way.
Jared's next words are cut off when out of nowhere, a jet of white hot energy shoots into the robot's torso, the warm burn of it nearly toasting Jared's ass. Far down the block is a hovering jet, wingspan almost scraping the buildings. The windows are tinted, but he can picture Eve and Zac in the cockpit, their faces full of amazement.
Chad punches a fist on the air. "Once this hits YouTube, my Frozone Push 'N Popsicles profits will skyrocket! It's all about the residuals, baby!"
Jared falls off the smoking hulk of metal, landing on one knee. He looks up to see Jensen still struggling with the same robot, watching its shoulder cannons glow brightly. Jensen is too close, too wrapped up on the robot to avoid damage, and the heat of it makes his body slack, more rubber than muscle.
If he doesn't get free, then-
Jared can see the last robot bounding towards him, every step leaving rubble in its wake, and he does the sensible thing.
He picks up a nearby taxi with one hand, fingers pressing through the metal, and grips it, sending it slamming into the robot full on.
It's a satisfying crunch as it hits, upper body flying clean off the bottom half.
"Jensen!"
Dropping all pretense, all rules, and only his body responding, running but he's not fast enough, he needs to be there and he lets go and he's flying, flying to Jensen and ripping off the robot head, sparks flying, whirrs of noise and Jensen, not responding, not moving-
*
THREE MONTHS LATER
SAN FRANCISCO, CA. - Reports around the country are coming in about the resurgence of superhero activity after the destruction that occurred in downtown San Francisco three months ago. In the wake of the incident and the subsequent investigation and arrest of Milo Ventimiglia and his company, public polls show support in favor of supers again, with 76% of the vote. The National Supers Agency released a statement today condoning the heroics of Mr. Incredible and his cohorts.
JIM BEAVER, NSA Director: "As for whether or not the supers will be allowed to resume activities, we'll leave it up to the public and the government to decide."
Channel Seven news has just learned that the Mayor's office has invited those supers involved to take part in a key to the city ceremony this Saturday afternoon:
MR. INCREDIBLE (Photo Credit: AP)
FROZONE (Photo Credit: Frozone Industries)
and
ELASTIC MAN (Photo Credit: Getty Images)
Zac tilts his head, staring at the stock footage on the screen, the old clips the only video that didn't show them wreathed in smoke from amateur camera work. He lunges for the remote, balancing it on his palm. "You guys looked funny."
"Your dad always looked funny," Jared says between mouthfuls of popcorn, coming over to place a bowl on the coffee table. Up on the TV screen, file photos of their past days linger: Jared when he was young, grinning with a class of school kids. Jensen, speaking into his ear piece, shouting orders at some old melee. And Chad's photo happens to be a still of his old game show-Jared can recognize the huge glittery backdrop and the backup ice girl dancers anywhere. "Oh man, Chad I can't believe you attached your name to that. Remember when-"
Zac scoots over for Jared to sit down, but Chad sprawls and takes over the precious couch space and nudges Zac with a hand.
"Go put the DVD in," Chad whispers.
"Put the DVD in of what? I wasn't finished talking," Jared protests, moving to sit on one of the recliners. "The end of the story is important."
"Dude, every time you tell this story, you make me out to be some freakin' lightweight."
If Jared is beaming at the sudden voice, he's got every right to be. Three months later and they're all intact, and Jensen stands in the doorway, a wistful grin as he keeps an arm around Eve's shoulders.
Her growth spurt this year puts her right up to Jensen's shoulder. After he kisses the top of her head, she sits down next to Zac. The popcorn's going fast, and that's without Chad eating any-he's in a sudden conversation with Misha nearby, his gaze focused on Chad. If Misha wasn't so good at being polite, Jared would swear Misha was exerting his mind control powers as Chad brainstorms about P.R. potential and how they'll be back in the game for good this time.
It's a comfortable atmosphere that eases the tension from his muscles, Jensen's subsequent shoulder rub helping with that. Even with the news reports talking about the likely superhero ban repeal-and the subsequent replaying footage of him and ElastiBoy, correction, now Elastic Man-Jared doesn't feel awkward. He feels proud.
And happy, because Jensen is a little handsy, dropping the stiff composure for a while and making some decidedly bedroom (and Game Room) touches all over Jared's body. It's a celebration after all.
"I could hold my own," Jensen grumbles as the DVD starts. "For an out of shape guy, you have to give me a little credit."
There's grey at Jensen's temples and his eyes crinkle whenever he laughs or gives that tiny little grin Jared loves, with the brief glimpse of teeth. Sure, there are lines on his face now, but they're both older-their highs and lows read on their faces. More years spent together than apart.
"I think you're in perfect shape for me," Jared whispers, craning his head up to lightly kiss Jensen.
"I think you're both gag inducing," Chad breaks in, looking offended. "Come on! Family Movie Night. You both would take this experience away from your children? I am shocked. Shocked. And you know what? A little sad, too."
He wipes away a fake tear as Areion giggles on Misha's lap. Zac turns up the volume.
"Is this the animated series?" Jared asks, leaning forward.
"The entire animated series. No need to thank me. The kids voted."
Eve nods. "It's good to learn about the classics."
"It was twenty years ago!" Jensen squawks indignantly. "Twenty!"
The animation though, feels a great deal older. Nowhere cool as other staples like Thundercats or, hell, Biker Mice From Mars-this is the crappy production skills of the bad years of Scooby Doo, to add more salt to the wound. It had been made after Jared's approval during a flurry of interviews and press when he came into prominence and as a result, made some crappy deals and signed his likeness away.
To Chad, as it turns out. He's always been very convincing. Come to think of it, Misha had been in the room when Jared signed that deal… The thought rolls away as soon as it arrived and Jared feels his mind ease, returning his attentions to the horrible animation playing out on the TV screen.
"Whoa, wait a minute. Is that ElastiGirl?" Eve leans forward, gaze narrowing. "Oh my God."
Jensen, meanwhile, only shakes his head, covering his eyes with his palms.
Chad turns, looking up at Jensen. "Dude, I couldn't have kids seeing two ugly guys getting it on. Jensen had to be chickified."
He turns back to look at the cartoon, pleased with himself.
"C'mon, you know Jensen would be hot in thigh-high boots."
Jared does not admit he has had fantasies about Jensen in those kind of boots.
*
For the next few hours, they watch the entire Mr. Incredible and Friends series, the kids crying out in anger when it ends on a cliffhanger involving monkey laser beams and giant bananas. The fact that the world will never know if ElastiGirl ever changed back to human from a chirpy, extremely annoying monkey sidekick is a tragedy, almost as tragic as the low ratings that finally, mercifully canceled that terrible series.
As bad at it is, it's nice to get everyone together for a Family Movie Night. Even when the night is cut short by a phone call directly from the Mayor's office, and a direct request to stop super villains from blowing up the Hollywood sign-to what end, Jared doesn't know, but he suspects alcohol is involved.
The kids rush off for their costumes, hollering and grinning all the way.
By the time they get back down, the family jet is already revving up in the backyard underground hangar, and Jared and Jensen have changed into their costumes. The jet is a new addition-a costly one, too, but Jensen really got into upgrading it, remembering to include air sickness bags.
Jared raises an eyebrow as Zac sticks an extra mask on Areion, almost rushing past Jared before he stops him, holding him by the back of his costume.
"He's a little too young to come with us, don't you think?"
"Not for long," Zac says, and at this, Areion's baby talk turns into a burp of a fireball.
Jared and Jensen stare, dumbfounded as the kids are already getting into the jet.
"He takes after my side of the family," Jared finally says. The awesome side."
Jensen rolls his eyes, holding the back patio door open for Jared.
"Am I or am I not Mr. Incredible?"
"You're Mr. Not So Bad, today. Put the mask on."
Jared slips it onto his face, feeling himself beam with pride as he leans in and kisses Jensen, gloved hand cupping Jensen's face.
Behind them, still in the living room, Chad, Misha, and Areion are engrossed by the glow of the TV, this time turning on repeats of Chad's old game show. Out of the corner of his eye, Jared can see Chad grab the popcorn bowl, settling back on the couch.
"Have fun. Don't do anything I wouldn't do."
"That covers so many things."
"Hey, Cowboy, you coming or what?" Jensen asks as the backyard flips up, revealing the hangar underneath, Jensen's scientific knowledge finally be used for extra-awesome.
Jared grins and flies towards the jet, and towards his family, ready to save the day.
END
PART THREE
(Jared)
Two years after they moved into their first neighborhood, they went to a barbeque. It's the first one that Jared has been to without his parents there, without his friends there. No one knew anything about him: his small town beginnings, his foray into being a superhero at seventeen, and making a career of it for eight years. To the people at the barbeque, he's only Jared Padalecki, new husband, new dad, and a new recruit in the police force. New is a key word they keep using for everything in his life now. New life and a new beginning. They-the League, the NSA, even Jensen-threw the word around so much that Jared was beginning to believe it.
Even if it turned out that Jared got let go from the force a month later-not because he did anything out of the ordinary, but because the NSA found out and wanted "to protect him."
"Let's move," Jared had said, holding Eve on his hip. She tugged on his hair and giggled, while Jared stared holes in Jensen's back, watching him get ready for work. He had just dropped his briefcase as Jared spoke, slowly turning to look up at him.
"What? Why?"
"I was driving to meet Jim yesterday to ask if he could find me a job," Jared said, keeping his gaze on Eve, watching her poke and prod at his jacket collar. "And there was an accident. Car pile-up. And you know what? I couldn't go and use my powers to help. Because it's against the law now."
Jensen stood up and said, "There are the EMTs and police. They could… I'm sorry, Jared."
"Let's go," Jared pleaded, hiking Eve up. "Somewhere else. Travelling. We can… we can take Eve with us and-"
"And do what? Raise her on the road? Train her into… into being a superhero? Growing up too fast and seeing too much-doing the type of stuff we had to do? Do you want to do that to her?"
Jensen was right. He knew from experience.
Jared didn't want that to happen to Eve, to make her into that.
So they changed.
It's exactly why, when the alarms flash and sounds go off, when he hears Sandy's voice shake that the missiles hit, that he can feel his knees give out.
For all Jared's wants and needs, things have changed, it isn't about him any more. It's about his family, the same family in the exploding jet high above the compound.
The same family that's dead.
"Target eliminated," Sandy's saying, but it's soft and distant. Jared can feel the floor drop out beneath him, nausea roiling his stomach and his head swimming. He can barely hear the maniacal laugh in his direction, the monologue. It turns out that this job-this trial-is a ploy, just used to sharpen the skills of the robot. There's a whole grand plan behind it, and Milo, Milo, that kid he barely noticed back in the League, he's standing in front of Jared now, mocking him, saying he's won. That Jared fell for it. That he's some hotshot hero who doesn't care for anyone but himself, that now, now, Milo will swoop in, wearing his cheesy leather uniform and save the city from a group of killer robots. All these years perfecting gadgets to put to his own evil, fame seeking purposes.
It's the same story but a different twist, one Jared has heard before, in another time and place.
But Jared doesn't care about that right now. Not even when Milo leaves, and Sandy, of all people, lets Jared out of his electric binds.
"If you hurry, you can stop him," she's saying as he stands up, barely able to look at her. Her hands linger on his gloved arm and then, that's when she says, "They're okay, Jared. I saw them on the surveillance camera. Couldn't let Milo know."
The breath's knocked out of her this time, as he grabs her shoulders hard, saying, "Are you sure?"
"Yeah," Sandy gasps, shaking her head. "He never told me about attacking the city. I have friends there."
He swears he's floating on air when he hugs her immediately, grinning. Apparently, he is, since the doors open and he falls about a foot, nearly crashing to the floor when Jensen steps in. Wearing the new costume, black and red material snug around his muscles. The lines of the suit form a V that leads down to his hips, and if Jared wasn't still processing that his husband's alive, he'd immediately tackle him.
Jensen stares at both of them for a second before an arm snaps forward twenty feet and smacks Jared upside his head, a brief flash of pain.
"Oww!" Jared cries, rubbing his head as Jensen comes over.
"You idiot," Jensen says, looking at the cavernous space and computer terminals. "What the hell's wrong with you?"
The ground rumbles, dust from the high ceiling falling down. When Sandy darts off to check out the row of monitors nearby, Jared feels all of eighteen again, unable to look Jensen in the eyes. Only they aren't awkward teenagers anymore. They're adults now, with too many secrets kept between them. The cat's out of the bag, with Jensen looking murderous-and yet still very attractive-in his costume, fabric snug in all of the right places.
But that isn't the point. The point is that he's alive.
Jensen can have all the super speed reflexes that he wants, but even he's thrown when Jared grabs him and crushes his mouth against his own, kisses him as though his life depends on it. He cradles Jensen's face in his palms, grinning at the bewildered expression, the little crow's feet that Jared can see underneath the black eye makeup and domino mask.
"God, I love you," Jared murmurs, feeling his grin widen as Jensen snakes an arm around his waist, almost wrapping around twice.
"You're an idiot," Jensen reminds him, which, in a way, has always been a code phrase for I love you in the weird, yet working relationship that they have. Only this time it really does apply. "You could've gotten yourself killed."
"But I didn't," Jared says proudly, even though Jensen looks like he wants to smack him. Again. "I'm sorry. I should've… I was thinking of myself. Wanted to feel like I used to, back in the day. But you and the kids, Jensen, I can't loose you. I can't. It's you guys. You're the most important-"
Jensen kisses him abruptly. "I know. City to save."
Jared grins. "And you're alive!"
"Of course I'm alive. Still need to kill you first."
"Guys, if I can interrupt?"
Over at the monitors, Sandy watches, attention rapt. "I think your kids just blew up a truck with one of the jet fighters. And now one of them is running on water?"
Jared swears he sees Jensen smirk out of the corner of his eye, a flash of pride that dissipates just as quickly, shaking his head. He can understand the push pull of emotions here: that pride from seeing them use their powers for good, or, well, for explosions. But it's tinged with disappointment, too, because as proud as he is, they can get hurt now-and Jared or Jensen can't always be there to protect them.
It's a cycle that they thought they'd be rid of, but it looks as though their kids might follow the same path too.
Judging by the whooping Zac's doing on the commlink, though, it can't be so bad.
Jared opens his mouth to speak but Jensen cuts him off, already moving to the door. "He's still grounded!"
"Aww, man. But didn't you hear? He ran on water! That's pretty-"
"Incredible," Jensen says. "Get your ass over here."
"Got it, Cowboy."
*
When the sirens start wailing down the streets and there's smoke in the air, that's when it hits Jared-this is partly his fault. If anyone, anyone gets hurt, he's to blame.
"Concentrate on getting us there in one piece," is Jensen's only response, his arms twisted tightly around the armrests of the small helicopter they'd managed to take once Sandy gave them the all clear. His face scrunches up, glaring when Jared laughs, amused that Jensen is still nauseous from jet flying after all this time.
Zac kicks the back of Jared's chair, a restless bundle of energy that isn't put off at the action they've just witnessed. "Why does Dad get to fly?"
"Because I've got a license," Jared says, unable to push down the grin as he settles the jet down to land in a wide abandoned intersection of street. Eve is shouting over the wind, screaming and pointing outside, her loose hair whipping against her face.
Within minutes, they're beginning to get a handle on the situation: three robots, all the same type, and before he was knocked out cold with a girlish scream, Milo in the middle of them, holding another large ray gun. Jared has never been able to understand where super villains get all these ideas to combat their compensation issues. Other guys might put their energy into safe areas. Golf. Jogging. Buying a sports car.
Going out on missions.
Not that he has anything to compensate for. No way.
However, the evil plan Milo had devised isn't working, because the intersection is a wasteland of rubble and twisted scraps of metal, cars on their sides, smoke in the air. People in the area are scattered: some run for their lives and others watch, amazed at the display. A couple dozen feet away, Jensen has his hands-and arms, and legs-full, limbs wrapped tight around one of the robot's appendages, trying to slow it down.
Above Jared, a laser's beam arcs and cuts a molten swath along a nearby building, sending rubble falling to the ground. His legs pound the pavement hard, jumping up to push and hold up a giant boulder, preventing it from falling down on people below. Eve and Zac join in; Eve forming an invisible barrier bubble to deflect stone and Zac racing up a cloud to spray the rubble in another direction.
"Be careful!" Jared shouts, but it's lost over the wind, his arms straining to hold a support beam.
Funnily enough, he doesn't feel hot and sweaty from exertion-he feels cold, almost freezing-
Jared jumps out of the way as a blast of ice hits the building, freezing on contact and holding it up. The crowing behind him as he turns lets him know who's the cause. Frozone-Chad-comes skating down on a giant ice floe, grinning from ear to ear. With the amount of silvery fabric Chad's wearing, Jared has always thought that Chad based at least some percentage of his costume on old school Puff Daddy, the mirror sunglasses doing well to back up that theory.
His momentum carrying him past, Chad skates over to one of the robots, icicles shooting out of his hands. "Hey, man, this is awesome! The media better get here before I waste all my kickass moves!"
The first shot of ice slicks the ground, making the robot wobble and slide.
It's slow going, because the three robots keep firing lasers, never staying in the same spot. Loud and stark noises of twisting metal limbs echo in the streets. Whatever police that have managed to get to their location can barely stand their ground, huddled near their cars as they try to get in shots whenever they can.
Jared may have super strength, but he isn't impervious to bullets. He takes care to stay out of direct gunfire before he lifts up a two by four of twisted metal, sending it crashing into the frozen leg of Chad's robot. It only shakes and steps forward, metal jutting awkwardly out of its leg.
Then Jared stops, abruptly, turning to look at Jensen. Sometimes, the super hearing is too good. It isn't perfect-within a close range of a mile or so, without heavy obstructions or thick walls, he can hear pretty much everything.
Jared can hear how Jensen tries to breathe, his heart hammering as he tries to hang on and slow down his robot.
"Jen-" Jared cuts himself off, then says, "ElastiBoy! Watch our for the heat vision!"
He hears Jensen's answer as he's swung in the air, "It's Elastic Man!" and for a second, Jared grins, like it's old times again. One could say he has his own issues for feeling nostalgia at people and things trying to kill him, but this is all he knows.
The metal piece of a No Parking sign bends in Jared's hands as he tries to twist it around the visual sensors of the nearest robot, clinging to its back. "Frozone! Take it down!"
"The Incredi-kids got this one!" Chad yells, his ice floe lifting up on a curve of clear ice, out of the way.
Jared's next words are cut off when out of nowhere, a jet of white hot energy shoots into the robot's torso, the warm burn of it nearly toasting Jared's ass. Far down the block is a hovering jet, wingspan almost scraping the buildings. The windows are tinted, but he can picture Eve and Zac in the cockpit, their faces full of amazement.
Chad punches a fist on the air. "Once this hits YouTube, my Frozone Push 'N Popsicles profits will skyrocket! It's all about the residuals, baby!"
Jared falls off the smoking hulk of metal, landing on one knee. He looks up to see Jensen still struggling with the same robot, watching its shoulder cannons glow brightly. Jensen is too close, too wrapped up on the robot to avoid damage, and the heat of it makes his body slack, more rubber than muscle.
If he doesn't get free, then-
Jared can see the last robot bounding towards him, every step leaving rubble in its wake, and he does the sensible thing.
He picks up a nearby taxi with one hand, fingers pressing through the metal, and grips it, sending it slamming into the robot full on.
It's a satisfying crunch as it hits, upper body flying clean off the bottom half.
"Jensen!"
Dropping all pretense, all rules, and only his body responding, running but he's not fast enough, he needs to be there and he lets go and he's flying, flying to Jensen and ripping off the robot head, sparks flying, whirrs of noise and Jensen, not responding, not moving-
*
THREE MONTHS LATER
SAN FRANCISCO, CA. - Reports around the country are coming in about the resurgence of superhero activity after the destruction that occurred in downtown San Francisco three months ago. In the wake of the incident and the subsequent investigation and arrest of Milo Ventimiglia and his company, public polls show support in favor of supers again, with 76% of the vote. The National Supers Agency released a statement today condoning the heroics of Mr. Incredible and his cohorts.
JIM BEAVER, NSA Director: "As for whether or not the supers will be allowed to resume activities, we'll leave it up to the public and the government to decide."
Channel Seven news has just learned that the Mayor's office has invited those supers involved to take part in a key to the city ceremony this Saturday afternoon:
MR. INCREDIBLE (Photo Credit: AP)
FROZONE (Photo Credit: Frozone Industries)
and
ELASTIC MAN (Photo Credit: Getty Images)
Zac tilts his head, staring at the stock footage on the screen, the old clips the only video that didn't show them wreathed in smoke from amateur camera work. He lunges for the remote, balancing it on his palm. "You guys looked funny."
"Your dad always looked funny," Jared says between mouthfuls of popcorn, coming over to place a bowl on the coffee table. Up on the TV screen, file photos of their past days linger: Jared when he was young, grinning with a class of school kids. Jensen, speaking into his ear piece, shouting orders at some old melee. And Chad's photo happens to be a still of his old game show-Jared can recognize the huge glittery backdrop and the backup ice girl dancers anywhere. "Oh man, Chad I can't believe you attached your name to that. Remember when-"
Zac scoots over for Jared to sit down, but Chad sprawls and takes over the precious couch space and nudges Zac with a hand.
"Go put the DVD in," Chad whispers.
"Put the DVD in of what? I wasn't finished talking," Jared protests, moving to sit on one of the recliners. "The end of the story is important."
"Dude, every time you tell this story, you make me out to be some freakin' lightweight."
If Jared is beaming at the sudden voice, he's got every right to be. Three months later and they're all intact, and Jensen stands in the doorway, a wistful grin as he keeps an arm around Eve's shoulders.
Her growth spurt this year puts her right up to Jensen's shoulder. After he kisses the top of her head, she sits down next to Zac. The popcorn's going fast, and that's without Chad eating any-he's in a sudden conversation with Misha nearby, his gaze focused on Chad. If Misha wasn't so good at being polite, Jared would swear Misha was exerting his mind control powers as Chad brainstorms about P.R. potential and how they'll be back in the game for good this time.
It's a comfortable atmosphere that eases the tension from his muscles, Jensen's subsequent shoulder rub helping with that. Even with the news reports talking about the likely superhero ban repeal-and the subsequent replaying footage of him and ElastiBoy, correction, now Elastic Man-Jared doesn't feel awkward. He feels proud.
And happy, because Jensen is a little handsy, dropping the stiff composure for a while and making some decidedly bedroom (and Game Room) touches all over Jared's body. It's a celebration after all.
"I could hold my own," Jensen grumbles as the DVD starts. "For an out of shape guy, you have to give me a little credit."
There's grey at Jensen's temples and his eyes crinkle whenever he laughs or gives that tiny little grin Jared loves, with the brief glimpse of teeth. Sure, there are lines on his face now, but they're both older-their highs and lows read on their faces. More years spent together than apart.
"I think you're in perfect shape for me," Jared whispers, craning his head up to lightly kiss Jensen.
"I think you're both gag inducing," Chad breaks in, looking offended. "Come on! Family Movie Night. You both would take this experience away from your children? I am shocked. Shocked. And you know what? A little sad, too."
He wipes away a fake tear as Areion giggles on Misha's lap. Zac turns up the volume.
"Is this the animated series?" Jared asks, leaning forward.
"The entire animated series. No need to thank me. The kids voted."
Eve nods. "It's good to learn about the classics."
"It was twenty years ago!" Jensen squawks indignantly. "Twenty!"
The animation though, feels a great deal older. Nowhere cool as other staples like Thundercats or, hell, Biker Mice From Mars-this is the crappy production skills of the bad years of Scooby Doo, to add more salt to the wound. It had been made after Jared's approval during a flurry of interviews and press when he came into prominence and as a result, made some crappy deals and signed his likeness away.
To Chad, as it turns out. He's always been very convincing. Come to think of it, Misha had been in the room when Jared signed that deal… The thought rolls away as soon as it arrived and Jared feels his mind ease, returning his attentions to the horrible animation playing out on the TV screen.
"Whoa, wait a minute. Is that ElastiGirl?" Eve leans forward, gaze narrowing. "Oh my God."
Jensen, meanwhile, only shakes his head, covering his eyes with his palms.
Chad turns, looking up at Jensen. "Dude, I couldn't have kids seeing two ugly guys getting it on. Jensen had to be chickified."
He turns back to look at the cartoon, pleased with himself.
"C'mon, you know Jensen would be hot in thigh-high boots."
Jared does not admit he has had fantasies about Jensen in those kind of boots.
*
For the next few hours, they watch the entire Mr. Incredible and Friends series, the kids crying out in anger when it ends on a cliffhanger involving monkey laser beams and giant bananas. The fact that the world will never know if ElastiGirl ever changed back to human from a chirpy, extremely annoying monkey sidekick is a tragedy, almost as tragic as the low ratings that finally, mercifully canceled that terrible series.
As bad at it is, it's nice to get everyone together for a Family Movie Night. Even when the night is cut short by a phone call directly from the Mayor's office, and a direct request to stop super villains from blowing up the Hollywood sign-to what end, Jared doesn't know, but he suspects alcohol is involved.
The kids rush off for their costumes, hollering and grinning all the way.
By the time they get back down, the family jet is already revving up in the backyard underground hangar, and Jared and Jensen have changed into their costumes. The jet is a new addition-a costly one, too, but Jensen really got into upgrading it, remembering to include air sickness bags.
Jared raises an eyebrow as Zac sticks an extra mask on Areion, almost rushing past Jared before he stops him, holding him by the back of his costume.
"He's a little too young to come with us, don't you think?"
"Not for long," Zac says, and at this, Areion's baby talk turns into a burp of a fireball.
Jared and Jensen stare, dumbfounded as the kids are already getting into the jet.
"He takes after my side of the family," Jared finally says. The awesome side."
Jensen rolls his eyes, holding the back patio door open for Jared.
"Am I or am I not Mr. Incredible?"
"You're Mr. Not So Bad, today. Put the mask on."
Jared slips it onto his face, feeling himself beam with pride as he leans in and kisses Jensen, gloved hand cupping Jensen's face.
Behind them, still in the living room, Chad, Misha, and Areion are engrossed by the glow of the TV, this time turning on repeats of Chad's old game show. Out of the corner of his eye, Jared can see Chad grab the popcorn bowl, settling back on the couch.
"Have fun. Don't do anything I wouldn't do."
"That covers so many things."
"Hey, Cowboy, you coming or what?" Jensen asks as the backyard flips up, revealing the hangar underneath, Jensen's scientific knowledge finally be used for extra-awesome.
Jared grins and flies towards the jet, and towards his family, ready to save the day.
END