![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
chase_acow
part one // part two
one post at dreamwidth
Jared blinked off the residual energy from the gummi transporters and found they'd landed in an empty alleyway in the middle of some kind of urban sprawl. Nothing against forests, but he felt grateful to be in a city again; he wanted a new shield to match the growing power of the Heartless they had to fight.
Somewhere nearby a series of explosions went off and echoed down the stone walls. Jared pulled his matched set of shields off their hooks on his hips and gripped them tight. They'd been made for offensive combat, throwing at enemies and letting Jared close in for hand to hand combat. With all the unresolved sexual tension flowing through his body, he was more than ready to get into a brawl.
"I think that's our cue, guys," Jensen said, pulling his keyblade into his hands as he grinned over his shoulder at Jared.
Jared grinned back, and executed an ironic bow, his shields glinted brightly in the sunlight. "After you Keyblade Master," he said, knowing that Jensen's destiny was to forever be leading the fight just as his would be to make sure nothing ever happened to Jensen.
"Don't mind if I do," Jensen answered, tipping his imaginary hat as he jogged past Jared and out of the alley.
Chad followed right on Jensen's heels rolling his eyes as he muttered, "The two of you are enough to turn a man's stomach."
"Don't be jealous, sweetheart," Jared teased, and blew a kiss in Chad's direction.
"As if," Chad pretended to shudder as he nimbly leaped over a pile of stacked crates as they followed Jensen. "I've heard you snore."
Bantering with Chad was an age old cure for Jared's nerves. He settled into his defender head space, watching everyone and everything for possible threats to his friends. People clumped everywhere, more than they'd seen in the past several worlds, but no one looked concerned. No one looked like they were about to be set upon by monsters.
Jared skidded to a stop beside Jensen in what looked like a cleared marketplace. People in colorful costumes flocked everywhere, eating, drinking, dancing, and laughing. He had to duck under a string of decorations connecting from ribboned pole to ribboned pole. Apparently they'd stumbled right into the midst of a party.
"Guys, I'm not really getting a sense of imminent danger here," Jensen said, straightening and carefully banishing the keyblade before it called unwanted attention down on them. "Think the gummi ship made a mistake?"
"Hey, the gummi ship doesn't make mistakes!" Chad defended his baby, quickly sliding his wand into the pseudo-holster on his thigh. "If we're here, it's because there are Heartless here. Somewhere."
Music poured in from the other side of the square along with, if it was possible, even more people. They pressed in and Jared automatically shifted closer to Jensen trying to protect him from the crush. Someone bumped into him and he turned to see a young lady with the same sparkling green eyes that Jensen had, but a head full of curly raven hair.
"Oh, excuse me," she asked, covering her mouth with a hand.
"It's no problem, ma'am," Jared said, smiling at her before he turned to Jensen and Chad. "Looks like a party to me. There's so many people in costume, though, it'd be easy for a Heartless to sneak in."
Just then a giant strode into the square, and it took Jared a few seconds of disbelief before he realized that the height came from a pair of stilts. The man's clothing mixed green, yellow, and purple from his feet up to his feathered mask. He started singing, and Jared saw Jensen smack himself in the face with his palm.
"Well here look three likely lads," the man said as the population took over the song from him at the chorus. He dipped down low to speak to them over the din of noise. "This your first festival?"
Chad nodded for them.
"Enjoy, but beware," the man winked broadly at Jared and grinned hard enough to move his mask, "never know when you'll lose your pants at the Festival of Fools!"
Like a slap to the back of the head, Jared gaped down and realized that his pants were far too loose to still be tied. His lucky belt, the one the King had presented him when he made Knight, was gone. He looked up frantically, "She stole my belt!"
"Liberated, good sir! I have liberated your belt!"
With a bang and a flash of colored fireworks, the woman from before swung over the crowd and leaped onto a staged platform. She'd changed her clothing from plain to an elaborate costume of flowing red veils. The band changed from a merry dance to a tune that flowed with sultry promise and dark fantasies.
"Ladies and gentlemen!" the man on the stilts yelled, gesturing expansively from the crowd to the stage, "I present to you, Esmeralda!"
She started singing, but Jared honestly couldn't make out a single word that she said because he was so distracted by the dance. She whirled and stretched, flexing her body into impossible poses as she used Jared's belt for extra leverage and to snap anyone who tried to touch her without permission.
"Wow," Chad said, following up his statement of fact with a low whistle.
Jared blinked and reflexively wiped his chin in case of a drool accident. He could turn his head not wanting to take his eyes off her. She was amazing, the way she moved and knew exactly what was going on around her. Put a pair of matched daggers in her hands, and Jared would bet on her over half his garrison. "You can say that again," he said as she sank down with her legs in front and behind her.
"Wow."
"You like that, huh?" Jensen asked, his voice oddly hollow in the middle of all the noise.
Humming as Esmeralda executed a near perfect spin-kick that could have taken the head off a Heartless, Jared answered idly, "What's not to like?"
"Wow."
"Give it a break, Chad," Jensen said, his tone sharp enough that Jared looked over at him in surprise. The freckles on Jensen face stood out from the low flush that meant he was about two seconds away from a real incident.
Chad grabbed both Jared and Jensen's arms and turned them ninety degrees to the right, off to the side of the stage Esmeralda danced on were a mob of people had turned their attention to something else. "No, I mean – wow, would you look at that!" he said as a lone figure got pushed out of the crowd and up on the stage. "Have you ever seen anything so ugly? Think it's a Heartless?"
The man certainly wouldn't win any beauty contests, but Jared knew Heartless, and that man was just a man. He felt the mood of the crowd shift, from frantic merry-making to something more malicious and he tightened his hands on his shields.
"That's no Heartless," Jensen said before Jared could, and he started shoving his way through the crowd, leaving them to follow in his wake. "But he's going to need some help."
Looked like he might get his fight after all. There wouldn't be any changing Jensen's mind, but they'd have to be careful not to upset the world too much. Up on stage, the original singer had disposed of his stilts and started directing some sort of contest. The ugly man won and got crowned on the spot, but within seconds, the mob turned on him and pelted him with soured fruit and vegetables. The man pleaded to be let go and used his massive frame to struggle with the bonds the crowd through over him, but he couldn't get free.
"Stop! Stop this!" Esmeralda cried, trying to calm everyone down. "He's a man! He's like us!"
Jared passed Jensen and used his broader frame to clear a quicker path through the jeering crowd. He pushed and elbowed, though he made sure not to do any real harm until they could jump up on the stage.
"Leave him alone!" Jensen shouted, dropping into a fighting stance with his keyblade solid in his grip. "This isn't right."
Taking up his place to Jensen's right, Jared surveyed the crowd. They were normal people, with no sign that the Heartless had ever come anywhere near. He felt sad knowing that there were worlds where such hatred toward kinsmen was still the norm. Chad sent a warning shot of thunder over their heads, probably hoping that would be the end of the confrontation.
The crowd gasped and backed up as if they moved with one mind. The immediate silence clearly damned them and seemed to ring as loud as the previous noise. Jensen used the distraction to break the ugly man's chain and pull him up next to them. Slowly, Jared heard whispers that slowly grew until one word was clear.
"Witches!"
Suddenly a strong voice came from the side, a man who'd watched the previous abuse without so much as a word. "Guards! Kill the witches, but bring the woman and the monster to me," he spoke both like a man used to being obeyed and like a man who cared little for anyone besides himself.
Soldiers poured in from the edges of the square, but the crowds hampered their progress. Jared turned to speak to Jensen, but that, of course, was when the Heartless decided to pop into existence to fight for the keyblade. At least it got the crowd moving away and gave them a little more room to work as the monsters destroyed the decorations and chased the people too slow to move on their own.
The Heartless came at them in three waves. First the tiny black shadows that were more irritating than anything else because of their ability to flatten low on the ground to avoid attack. The second wave consisted of more dangerous air soldiers who could zoom through the air and dodge his thrown shields with agility. The last wave were new, fast and sparked with barely contained energy.
"Careful, Chad, Jensen!" he yelled, beating a soldier down and pummeling it until it broke apart in black smoke and released its stolen heart. He looked up in time to see Jensen summersault over a trio of shadows and take them all out with one swing, "Looks like the new ones have magic shields!"
Jared turned and barely avoided getting smacked in the chest as Chad's body went flying past, sped by the power of his own spell that the new Heartless had reflected straight into his face. He quickly sent the descending Heartless spinning away by aiming his shields at them and letting them fly. Catching his weapons as they ricocheted from the monsters, Jared kneeled down at Chad's side.
"Thanks for the warning, buddy," Chad said, obviously woozy with smoke drifting up out of his throat. He shook his head and used Jared's body to push himself up to his feet. "Come on, Jare, we don't want Jensen to have all the fun!"
Smiling, Jared bumped his fist with Chad and then used a hi-potion to up Chad's health before he could jump away. "Come on, bro," Jared said, lacing his fingers together to make a stirrup. He bent down so Chad could slip his foot in. "Let's smash some Heartless!"
He heaved up with all his power and sent Chad flying over the battle so he could pinpoint the Heartless without the reflect spell and blast them to oblivion. He landed safely on the other side of the stage and started dueling with one of the air soldiers. Jared whooped and joined fray himself, fighting until he got to Jensen's side and together, they took out the new breed of monsters.
The fight came to an end, the three of them back to back to back panting in the middle of the stage. The majority of the crowd had stampeded away, but there were always those that stayed despite the danger to see a fight.
Jared turned to give Jensen a high five, but Jensen glared and turned his attention past Jared's shoulder where Esmeralda helped the ugly man to stand. Jared turned too, and noticed from the destruction around them, that they must have taken out a Heartless or two themselves. He always liked it when the locals turned out to be good in a fight.
"Guards, seize them all!"
Apparently the man hadn't taken the opportunity to run either. Now Jared could see his tall somber frame and the fanatical gleam in his eyes and knew that they were dealing with a man heartless in his own way. He was the kind of villain that Jared liked best to defeat.
"Not even a thank you. Really, what are the worlds coming to?" Chad pretended to pout as he backed up behind Jensen and Jared. He put up a good front, but Jared could see that the fight had taken a lot out of his friend. Unfortunately, he didn't have any ethers to share and Chad would have to gather his strength the old fashioned way.
"This way! Come with me!" Esmeralda yelled as she ran by them, headed straight at the man.
Jared couldn't see any way out, so he looked at Jensen and shrugged. "Sure, why not," he said, and followed the woman before Jensen could cut in front of him. If they were headed right into a battle or ambush, Jared wanted to be able to stall for time until Jensen could get away. They couldn't afford for the keyblade master to be hurt.
Esmeralda ran right to the end of the stage and then took a leaping jump to grab a pole and swung herself up on the roof of the building right next to them.
Grinning, Jared knew that they could all get away before the soldiers got to them. He jumped and used his momentum to swing around to land nimbly on the roof. There, he paused, unwilling to go any farther by himself. Jensen made the jump easy, loving the new high jump ability they'd won a few worlds behind them. He had to reach out and grab Chad's jacket though, to pull his partner the right way after a bad release.
"Get them! Scour the city and do whatever is necessary to bring that woman and the others back to me!"
Jared sketched an ironic salute down at the man as the others scrambled down the opposite side of the roof following the woman. He paused, looking for the ugly man, but there was no sign of him. He must have escaped while everyone looked at them and Esmeralda.
The extra second's pause meant that Jared was still there to see the doorway of darkness open up in an out of the way corner of the town square. His breath caught in his throat as he saw the familiar figure step out of the clutching shadows. Kane's eyes glowed more brightly even in full daylight, and Jared shivered at the cold that touched his heart.
"Jared!"
Without another look, Jared jumped over the top of the roof and slid down to where everyone waited for him.
"This way," Esmeralda said, dropping like a cat down to the cobblestoned street. She led them through so many twists and turns that Jared honestly didn't think that he could have found his way to where they'd started. She paused at a small side door located at the back of a building bigger and grander than any they'd seen yet on their mission. "In here, we'll be safe."
Jared piled in right after Jensen, pressing close in the pitch black interior of the building. He didn't want to get separated in case there were any traps laid by Kane or the Heartless. He felt Chad grab a handful of his vest and knew that they were on the same wavelength.
They moved in far enough to give Esmeralda room to join them and then stopped, waiting. Jared had to throw a hand up to shield his eyes when she lit a lantern and held it over her head. The light moved up, illuminating rafters, and stained-glass windows, and a curving staircase.
"Welcome to the Notre Dame," she said with a small smile.
Jensen knew he shouldn't be so annoyed, but he still sulked at the rear of the group while Jared made their introductions. Esmeralda was a beautiful woman, and he could easily see why Jared would be taken with her. Didn't mean he had to like it.
The church wasn't helping matters either. The tall ceiling and echoing chambers made him nervous thinking about all the places a Heartless could hide. Something else wasn't sitting right inside him, but he couldn't put his finger on it past his irritation with Jared.
He'd thought that after they'd woken up together this morning it would be easier for him to settle into whatever it was they were doing. It still felt odd, but he couldn't deny the thrill that shot through his skin every time Jared touched him. He wanted to explore it, but if Jared was jerking him around then he didn't know what he'd do. Jared was his rock.
"I need to go find the Archdeacon," Esmeralda said, untying a shawl from around her waist to cover her head. "You should be safe if you stay here. Don't go outside yet."
She walked away, but Jensen waited until even the echo of her footsteps faded before he pivoted on his heels. He still avoided Jared's eyes and moved around a statue of an unknown saint so that they wouldn't accidently touch while Jared spun around with his neck craned trying to look at everything all at once.
Chad craned his neck between them and coughed somewhat delicately. "You know, I think I'm going to go look for the little traveler-from-another-world's room," he said, backing away as if scared to turn his back on them. He waited until he'd cleared the corridor and then quickly ducked away.
"Finally, we're alone," Jared said softly, sidling up to Jensen and wrapping his arm around Jensen's shoulders. He lowered his head and nosed gently along Jensen's cheek.
"Jared!" Jensen hissed, jerking away and looking around to make sure no one had seen them. The halls were just as empty as before, but he glared angrily, "You can't do things like that in a church."
Jared scrunched his eyebrows down in a move that Jensen tried really hard not to find adorable. He stepped away and dropped his hands, obviously confused. "What's a church?" he finally asked.
"Of course," Jensen could have slapped himself on the forehead. He felt in his heart that they belonged together, but he still forgot that Jared was basically an alien. Or he was. Whatever. "Churches are holy. No kissing zones."
"That's silly," Jared said, inching closer until he could grab both sides of Jensen's hips in his wide palms. "Besides, it's not your church."
Jensen struggled with himself, trying to decide whether to pull away or push closer. If this was what Kane felt for Danneel, then maybe he could understand why the darkness had driven his friend to madness. Jared felt so good, and Jensen couldn't believe he'd never thought of the possibility of a man with a man himself.
"Not here, Jared," Jensen finally said, physically pulling Jared's hands off so he could step away. The need and attraction he felt for Jared almost smothered him, making his chest burn and constrict with want like he'd never felt before.
"Sure, Jensen," Jared said, his smile faltered even though he kept his tone light. "Hey, are you all right?"
"I'm fine," Jensen said automatically, rubbing his hands up and down his arms. The air in the church chilled him, but it wasn't cold enough to really make him shiver. He'd been fine before, he realized, before when he didn't have anything to lose.
Already, he couldn't imagine his life without Jared.
He took a deep breath and grasped for something to keep Jared from seeing what really bothered him. "I- You know. What they were doing to that man out there was horrible," Jensen said, still upset about the depth of cruelty people. "He was just a guy, and he looked so happy for that short sixty seconds before they turned on him."
"Thank you," a voice said quietly from a darkened recess behind Jensen.
Before Jensen could summon the keyblade, Jared pulled him away by the material of his jacket and interposed himself between him and the darkness. His shields flashed like colorful jewels in the dim light from the windows.
"I mean you no harm," the voice said quickly. A darker shadow separated itself and moved further into the light until Jensen could see that it was the ugly man. "My name is Quasimodo."
Jensen put a calming hand on Jared's bicep and bumped their shoulders together until Jared lowered his arms. "I'm Jensen," he said, "This is Jared and-"
"Holy mother of ugly fuckers!"
Jensen blinked, rolled his eyes and put on his best sorry about the douche face before he continued, "And this is Chad. Don't pay any attention to him, I don't."
"Hey!" Chad yelled, fisting his hands on his hips. "I tell the truth, I can't help it if people can't take it."
"Yeah, but you don't have to be a jerk about it," Jared said, shoving Chad into the wall.
"No, it's okay," Quasimodo said, his voice sounded so gentle that Jensen found it hard to believe that it came from such a hunchbacked deformed creature. "I know what I am. You all need to come with me now. The soldiers have surrounded the church and Esmeralda asked me to find her a way out."
Esmeralda again, Jensen stifled the urge to curl his lip. It was insane, he was acting insane. As far as he could tell, Esmeralda happened to be one of those unique individuals who were suited for being the hero. Her beauty only added up to part of the equation, she'd also shown that she could be courageous and had a good heart.
If Jared picked her over him, then he should be happy for the both of them. If Kane and Danneel were meant to be together, he should be happy for them too. It might mean that he'd be alone forever, but somehow he'd always figured that would be his path.
"Jensen, are you coming?" Quasimodo asked, hanging off a lantern scone on the wall while he gestured for them to pass by him in the narrow hidden staircase.
Jared looked over his shoulder with concern written plainly all over his face.
"Yeah, I'm right behind you," Jensen said, passing Jared so he could follow Chad and try to keep the wizard out of trouble, as if anybody could. At least it might keep his mind off his own troubles for a little bit.
Quasimodo led them up a flight of stairs where they found Esmeralda waiting. The hunchback took her hand and then led them all on an insane path through the rafters, over the ramparts and down the rain gutters. Jensen slipped once, hanging a hundred feet above the courtyard, but Jared caught and steadied him until he got his feet under him.
"Thanks," he whispered, his heart still beating a mile a minute inside his chest.
"Anytime," Jared replied, his mouth so close to Jensen's ear that he could feel Jared's lips move. He kept hold of Jensen's waist until they made it safely inside the church, and even then he squeezed Jensen once as if he were reluctant to let go.
"Here, this is where you can pass by the guards," Quasimodo said, swinging open a large grate in the floor. "But you should hurry in case Master remembers it soon."
Esmeralda caught Jared's eye and asked, "Do you three have any place to go?"
After exchanging glances with Jensen and Chad, Jared shrugged, "Not particularly. We kinda came to town to fight those monsters. Didn't really expect to be voted public enemy number one."
"You can come with me then," she said, shifting to sit on the floor with her feet hanging through the hole. "We can at least give you a place for a night's rest and maybe in the morning we can help each other out."
Jensen studied the rough edges of his fingernails, but he could still feel the weight of Jared's gaze. Finally, Jared sighed, "Yeah, sounds like a plan."
"Quasimodo, I want to give you this," Esmeralda said as she slipped something from around her own neck and over his. "If you ever need me, remember that you wear a map of Paris around your neck."
The two of them hugged and then Quasimodo gently took her hands and lowered her to the tunnel below. He turned and offered his help to Chad, but the wizard shook his head and jumped down himself. A second later, they heard a splash and the sound of him cursing.
Smirking, Jared bent over and slowly dropped in a more graceful and probably less wet jump. Jensen stuck out his hand for Quasimodo to shake. "Thanks," he said, realizing that even if Quasimodo was a monster, he had kind eyes and a kind heart. "We'll be around for a little while if you need us."
"Thank you, Jensen," Quasimodo said, ducking his head.
Jensen crouched and held on to the edge of the hole as he extended his legs down. When he stretched out as much as he could he let go and dropped the last few feet to the ground. "Okay," he asked, brushing the grime from his hands off on his pants. "Now what?"
"Now," Esmeralda said, striking flint together to light a lantern, "I take you to the Court of Miracles."
It took them over an hour to make their way through the guts of Paris to the Court of Miracles. They had to go topside twice, and each time, Jensen couldn't help but feel eyes watching everything he did. He shivered and urged the group to hurry until they descended through a fake crypt into yet another set of tunnels.
Before too long, a group of rough looking people surrounded them and demanded to know their business. Though, once they saw Esmeralda, they were all smiles, and as her guest, the three of them were admitted as well.
"Gentlemen, I present to you, the Court of Miracles," said the man who they'd originally met at the Festival of Fools whose name was Clopin.
Out of necessity, the gypsies and other hunted people had retreated underground hiding from the discrimination they faced from the native Frenchmen. Lights and decorations made it seem less like a dank dungeon and more like a home. Seating and tables of modest but plentiful food made the place Heaven as far as Jensen was concerned.
Chad had already zeroed in on a group of young, but not too young, ladies to woo with his stories of adventure and daring. Jensen tried not to roll his eyes. Usually watching Chad get shot down was a fun diversion, but he simply wasn't in the mood.
"I'm going to go get some food," he said, raising his voice loud enough to be heard over the little band playing from the other side of the room. "You go find us someplace to sit."
"Okay," Jared agreed, but then he jerked his head to the side in a double take. "Wait, I've got to do something first. I'll meet you in a sec."
Jensen tried really hard not to let his heart break as he watched Jared walk away from him and straight to where Esmeralda held conference with half a dozen other gypsies. He turned away, unwilling to watch while she got everything that he wanted. At the food tables, he piled too much food on his plate, especially since he didn't think he'd probably ever be hungry again.
He took a seat on the first empty couch he came to, glad that it was pushed out of the way from most the traffic. Watching with disinterest, he saw the girls con Chad into a ring dance and then leave him looking like a fool while they giggled off together. He nibbled on a piece of fruit.
"Hey, I thought you were going to come back to me."
Jensen jerked his head up, "What?"
Jared smiled down and then took a seat on the couch, right next to Jensen so that their bodies touched from knee to shoulder. Then as if that wasn't enough of a tease, he slung his arm around Jensen's shoulders and leaned in to take a piece of bread off Jensen's plate.
"What are you doing?" he asked stupidly, not understanding why Jared was there with him when he could have been with Esmeralda. If she'd turned him down then obviously she wasn't as smart as he'd given her credit for.
"Eating," Jared said as he crammed the food in his mouth. He ended up dropping crumbs all over Jensen's clothes as he spoke. "Sorry."
Shaking his head, Jensen tried to inch away from Jared's octopus arms, "No, I mean. I thought that you and Esmeralda were…"
The smile dropped from Jared's face, his dimples smoothing out. "I went to get my belt," he said, shifting his hips so that Jensen couldn't help but look down to see the buckle of the King's three circles peeking out from under Jared's shirt. "What did you think I was doing?"
Suddenly, Jensen felt beyond stupid, and awful for assuming that Jared would ever be mean enough to lead Jensen on and then rub his face in his own failure. "Nothing, nothing," he said, and laughed nervously, trying to pass it off as a bad joke. "Try the grapes."
"Jensen, look at me," Jared said. When he couldn't seem to lift his face, Jared reached with a warm hand and caught Jensen's chin, turning him until he had to look Jared in the face. "I thought you understood. I have never felt this way about anyone but you. This is it Jensen. I belong to you."
Jensen struggled with himself. He wanted, badly, to say or do something to reassure Jared that he felt the same way, but he couldn't help remembering all the people surrounding them. He didn't know what they'd think. If they'd kick them out or try to kill them on the spot. Maybe that's why there weren't any male pairings in Texas.
"It's the Court of Miracles, Jensen," Jared said quietly, leaning close so Jensen felt safe inside Jared's strength. "No one will care what we do here as long as we're not hurting anyone."
Blinking, Jensen finally really looked around him and saw that there were several same-sex couples, including a pair of women so tangled with each other that he honestly couldn't tell where one stopped and the other began. He knew that Jared must be right; these weren't the kind of people who judged others.
"Kiss me."
"I – what?"
Jared tugged Jensen's shoulder and twisted on the couch to face Jensen. The soft light from the torches washed the planes of his face with soft red and orange. "I know this is new to you," Jared said slowly, "but I'd really like to know that you want this too. That you want me."
Reflexively, Jensen looked around again still not quite able to believe that so many worlds accepted two men loving each other when his own world couldn't even bear the thought of the possibility. He slowly inched his way further into Jared's body and put his hand on Jared's thigh as he turned.
He could feel his heart beating like a wild thing caught in his chest, and he couldn't quite lift his eyes to meet Jared's. It wasn't like he'd never kissed anyone before. With the girls at home kissing had rules, but when he managed to get Joanna to give him the time of day, it had been a fling, casually started and forgettable in its end. Besides Kane and Danneel, Jensen hadn't ever had a relationship so important to him. There was so much he could screw up.
"It's okay, Jensen. Everything's gonna be fine," Jared said, pulling his arm away from Jensen's shoulders and scooting away.
Jensen pounced, lifted his hands and grabbed Jared's head to hold his face still while Jensen leaned forward and pressed a frantic kiss to the side of Jared's mouth. He dropped his hands and fisted Jared's vest, holding him close as Jensen shut his eyes and slid their mouths together. That kiss made fire flare up in his belly like their real first kiss had. Jared's stubble rubbed across his chin, but he couldn't help shifting, trying to get even closer.
He hadn't realized how much he felt like he'd been drifting since the Heartless had destroyed Texas. Everything that made him, him came from identifying as a Texan – from the horses, the round-ups, and the endless days doing honest work to the food and soft guitar music. It had always been Kane and Danneel who pushed to find a way to visit other worlds. Now Jensen was the visitor, never actually home, and always forced to leave new friends behind.
Jared made all that better. He only had to touch Jensen for him to feel safe, like he had a place that was his and no one else's. Jensen couldn't believe that he'd taken it for granted for so long, but Jared had never just been a friend. He realized that he'd fallen in love at first sight, and been too ignorant to know how very lucky he'd been.
Underneath him, Jared sighed and opened his mouth wider, tickling Jensen's lips with his tongue. He stoked in softly, giving Jensen every opportunity to pull away. When Jensen stayed put, Jared wrapped his hand across Jensen's neck, urging his head down and his mouth wider.
Jensen couldn't help moaning a little as Jared licked into his mouth and teased until Jensen pushed back. The room had already been warm, but the furnace building between their bodies made sweat break out all the way down his spine. He wiggled closer, rubbing his body against as much of Jared that he could reach. He felt completely out of control, but with Jared, he knew he'd be okay.
Finally he broke away, gasping quickly for air before he dived back in, kissing across Jared's jaw and down his neck. He lapped at the hollow underneath Jared's ear and hummed under his breath when he felt Jared's hands skim down his sides and grab his hips. Jared's hands were perfect, huge and everything they did, Jensen loved.
"Guys."
Jared shifted and suddenly Jensen felt an answering hardness next to his own. Only a few thin layers of clothing separated his cock from Jared's, and while the idea should have been terrifying, Jensen needed something more. On instinct, he rolled his hips down and almost came right then when Jared groaned and bucked up to meet him.
"Hey, guys."
The voice finally penetrated the pleasure haze in his mind, and Jensen looked up to realize that he'd climbed up in Jared's lap. No one looked directly at them, but he colored when he realized what a show they must be putting on. For his part, Jared looked completely wrecked, glassy eyes and panting with kiss-plumped lips as he ignored everything else but Jensen.
"Um, sorry?" Jensen tried, sure that he didn't feel very sorry at all.
Esmeralda laughed and her eyes gleamed as she shook her head at them. "There are guest quarters through the right tunnel there," she said, gesturing to the side. "Flip the card to the side so everyone will know the room is occupied."
"Thanks," Jensen answered, glad that she hadn't poked fun at them losing their control. He tried to slide off Jared's lap, but Jared wouldn't let him. "Hey, you need to let go now."
"I do, huh?" Jared teased, smiling hard enough that his dimples stood out. "Says who?"
Tightening his grip on Jensen's hips, Jared drew them closer together, before he gathered his strength and heaved them both up. Jensen couldn't believe it; he knew Jared was a big guy, but he wasn't exactly a lightweight himself. Jared made it look effortless, and before he could really react, Jensen wrapped his legs around Jared's waist for extra leverage.
"Whoa," Jensen said, looking over his shoulder at the ground. He kept his hands tight around Jared's neck.
"Now, which way was it?" Jared asked Esmeralda, acting as if he always picked Jensen up and carried him around like a teddy bear.
Esmeralda pointed and laughed, "There's a trunk next to the bed. You should find all the items necessary to spend a pleasant night."
Jared nodded his thanks, bounced Jensen up a little higher and then walked straight past everyone on his way out.
Jensen tried not to look, but he could only imagine the spectacle they made. When they got to the exit, he heard one of the girls say, Wow, what a lucky man. He brushed his fingers up into the curls of Jared's hair and couldn't help but agree.
They waited underground for two days hoping that the heat would back off. Instead, the Judge increased patrols, put prices on their heads, and started persecuting the innocent common folk. The Court of Miracles drew in those with no other place to go until all the rooms filled and then overflowed.
Jensen ground his teeth with irritation, but there wasn't anything he could do. For some reason, the Heartless kept a low profile, and Jared reminded him that they couldn't interfere in the world order, no matter how much they disagreed with it. It rankled, but Jensen knew how important his job made it to support the world's heroes instead of taking over himself. He nearly lost all his self control when a group of orphaned children arrived looking for asylum.
Thankfully, Jared found the perfect way to distract him and then leave him in a pleasant state of bliss for the next hour or so.
"C'mere, I want to try something new," Jared said, rolling to the side halfway through a make-out session. The bed was barely big enough to fit them both lying side by side, but Jared got around that by spending most of his time on top of Jensen.
Immediately, Jensen missed Jared's heat and strength holding him down on the bed. Since the first time, when Jared had opened him up on his belly, they'd done it face to face with him on his back. After the initial strangeness, he found that he liked Jared holding him open and kissing him breathless.
"What?" Jensen asked, curiosity and a tiny bit of insecurity warring inside him, but Jared just kept tugging until Jensen followed him and rolled on top of Jared's wide chest. "Hi."
"Hi," Jared smiled, kissing Jensen's nose. In the past day, he'd made it a point to kiss every single inch of Jensen's flesh. Repeatedly. "Sit up, I want you to ride me."
With Jared's urging, Jensen straightened and pushed himself up until he straddled Jared's waist. The lanterns hanging on the wall made strange shadows flicker over Jared's face. He cocked his head, trying to understand what Jared asked for, "Like a horse?"
"Not quite, cowboy," Jared teased and reached around Jensen's hips to knead his ass. "You never did this with a girlfriend?"
Jensen flushed, both at his own inexperience and because Jared dipped his fingers down, rubbing them across his hole. "No," he said quietly. "Mostly she was on her back and I stayed above her between her legs. Like you do to me."
He'd been embarrassed at first, but Jared eased him through it, showing him how good it felt to have Jared inside him. None of the other times he'd fucked his girlfriends had ever felt as intimate as Jared holding his eyes while slowly pushing into Jensen's body. It was like all his life he'd been walking around looking at things in black and white, but suddenly now he could see in technicolor.
Now when Jared touched him, he shivered remembering how Jared's hands could take him apart and put him back together. He knew what Jared looked like when he didn't have any masks on, and Jensen had felt their hearts beat as one. No one else had ever been as close to him as Jared, and their new relationship was probably the scariest and most wonderful ride Jensen had ever experienced.
"Okay, follow me," Jared used one hand to scoot up the bed and the other to tug Jensen to walk forward on his knees. When he reached the headboard, Jared lifted up and put his back against it. "Remember that first night? When you sat on my lap?"
Jensen nodded; he settled back on his heels and felt Jared's cock brush against the inside of his thighs. He palmed the side of Jared's neck and leaned up, pressing their mouths tight together. After several seconds, he tried to pull away, but Jared held him still. His eyes popped open and he found Jared looking back at him, eyes full of heat and need.
So close, Jensen felt like Jared must be able to see straight into his heart and know all the things that he wanted to say but couldn't yet. His burning lungs suddenly didn't seem as important as getting as close as he possibly could. At the last second, when Jensen felt like his chest would explode, Jared let him go to take deep panting breaths.
Diving back in, Jensen wiggled, rubbing their chests together as Jared dipped his fingers back between his thighs and slid a slick finger into his ass. He felt like a drowning man given his first taste of water, and if Jared didn't start fucking him soon, Jensen had the sinking feeling there might be a song in their future.
"Do it," he said, lips still moving against Jared's mouth. "I'm still loose from this morning."
"I don't wanna hurt you," Jared replied, easing a second finger in beside the first.
After another kiss, Jensen took matters into his own hands. He groped to the side until he found the vial of oil they used to ease the way, and dribbled it over his hand. With two long jerks on Jared's cock, Jensen had him distracted enough to be putty in his hands. "You wouldn't ever hurt me," he answered, dislodging Jared's fingers only to sink down slowly Jared's cock.
Jared groaned, the tendons on his neck standing out as he struggled to stay still. "Shit," he said, blinking the sweat out of his eyes, "I think you're trying to kill me."
"You've finally caught on to my diabolical scheme," Jensen ground out, relaxing his muscles until he found himself fully seated across Jared's hips. It burned a little bit, but the look on Jared's face made it all worth it. "I'mma kill you to take your collection of lucid gems."
"They're yours if you start moving five seconds ago," Jared promised, his fingers spasming around Jensen's waist.
Jensen moved and the world outside their door stopped turning until they eventually wandered out for dinner.
Everything changed on the fourth day.
"There's a new man with Judge Frollo," the gypsy said, gasping as Clopin cleaned a wound on the man's head. "Maybe it's a man, though he acts like the very devil himself. He stays in the shadows, and wears a hood, but I saw his face once. It was terrible and his eyes glowed yellow with the very fires of Hell."
Jensen's blood ran cold. Kane was there, on the world with them. So close. He turned to Jared, but instantly saw that something was wrong; for the first time since they'd started sleeping together, Jared wouldn't meet his eyes. His heart dropped as he put the pieces together. He'd felt something that first night, and it had to have been Kane.
"You knew, didn't you?" he accused, stepping away from Jared, stung and betrayed. His vision swam as he forced himself to stand steady on his own two feet. "You knew Kane was here and you didn't tell me."
"Jensen, I don't want him to hurt you again," Jared said, balling his hands into fists on his legs. "I was trying to protect you."
He didn't even know that he could get so angry, and never could have imagined that he'd feel that way toward Jared. "I am the keyblade master, Jared," he said, voice tight as he tried not to yell. "You don't get to decide what to protect me from. You know I've been looking for Kane. How would you like it if I saw King JDM and didn't tell you?"
"Jensen-"
"No, shut up, Chad!" Jensen yelled, completely losing it. Kane could be long gone, or he could have done something that he'd never forgive himself for later. All the destruction in this world could have been because Jared decided to be a lousy hypocrite in what they could and could not get involved with. "For once just shut your fucking mouth!"
Chad glowered, but crossed his hands over his chest while he stood there silently.
"Jensen," Jared said, and his voice sounded broken by that one word. He sunk down to his knees and reached out, but Jensen stumbled away.
"How can I trust you?" Jensen asked, sadness welling up inside his heart. Jared might have acted in what he thought were Jensen's best interests, but Jensen couldn't believe it. He thought they'd become partners in everything, but he must have been totally wrong. "Why?"
Not waiting for a response, he took off running and picked a direction at random. Jensen splashed through tunnels seeking a little privacy to have his break down. He'd have to go after Kane, and now he'd have to do it alone if he couldn't trust that Chad and Jared would have his back. The prospect looked bleak.
He'd be betting everything, the chance to find Danneel, and the future of every world he'd visited that there'd still be some small bit of Kane left in there. A small piece of his friend who would still listen to reason and hadn't been consumed by the darkness. Jensen prayed that he wasn't making a huge mistake.
Before he realized, Jensen had made it all the way to the end of the tunnel and looked up at the grate above him. He could barely see the night sky through the bars, but he was overcome by the need to see the stars after so long stuck underground. He pushed the grate aside, and climbed up into the street.
The air smelled so much fresher above, and he hadn't realized how much he'd missed the wind. Even inside the city, there was a breeze blowing. It was still early in the evening, but the streets were deserted, probably because of Frollo and Kane's new policy of arresting anyone out after twilight.
Jensen heard footsteps and quickly retreated into the shadows of the building beside him, making it barely in time. A battalion of Heartless, better controlled than he'd ever seen them before marched by the end of the alley. They were bigger than the soldiers he'd fought before, and better armored against attack. Through the darkness, he could see that he'd have to destroy their suits before he could start in on them. It'd take twice the time and twice the effort.
Creeping silently, Jensen managed to get to the end of the alley in time to see the Heartless surround a small book shop. A hooded figure in the front banged on the door until it opened, revealing a small scared man.
"You've been accused of witchcraft and selling contraband materials," Kane's voice was low but unmistakable. "How do you plead?"
"Mercy! Please have mercy, monsieur!" the man begged, falling to his knees and taking Kane's cloak in his hands.
Kane pushed his hood down on his shoulders and snarled, kicking the man away from him. Even from the distance, Jensen could see his eyes glowing with a fierce yellow light. He snapped his fingers and the Heartless descended, mindless killing machines once again.
"No!" Jensen yelled springing into action before he could knew what he was doing. He couldn't sit idly by while the Heartless took another heart. The keyblade flashed into his hands and he struck as hard as he could into the ground, using the magic he'd learned to send out an explosion to stun all the monsters.
Unexpectedly, Kane held his position, letting the Heartless form a line in front of him that Jensen needed to break through. The fight raged on, but Jensen managed to destroy all the armor and set the captive hearts free. Unfortunately, he'd used up his diminished supply of potions and ethers during the battle. At barely a quarter strength, Jensen took up a guard position and finally faced Kane.
"Are you sure you want to do this, Jensen?" Kane asked, summoning his own weapon, a sword that looked like a bat's wing set in a tangle of thorns forged by the darkness itself. Jared said it was known as a souleater. "I wiped the plains with you when we were kids, and that was before I found the power of darkness."
"Don't be an idiot, Kane," Jensen said, breathing through his nose so Kane wouldn't see how tired he was. "There is no power in darkness, only pain."
"I'll show you my power," Kane promised before he collected the force of shadows into his blade and sent the energy right into Jensen's chest.
There wasn't even time to yell before Jensen fell into a pool of nothing and lost consciousness.
When he woke, for the first time since the entire adventure started, it took Jensen several seconds to realize that he wasn't lying in his own bedroom back in Texas. He sat up in a comfortable bed and looked around the room. Other than the bars on the window, it could have been a room anywhere.
Jensen pushed the blankets away and brushed his hands down the pajamas he'd been dressed in. After a quick search, he found his clothing folded in one of the drawers of the dresser. He felt strong, rested, and ready to take on whatever came at him. Determination gave him a sharp focus as he studied the room.
The door was locked, but that shouldn't be any trouble at all with his keyblade. He tried to summon it, but for some reason it wouldn't come. The pathway that he usually used had been blocked off, and when he tried harder all he managed was a headache. He spent thirty minutes alternating between pleading with the keyblade and trying to force the door himself before he sank down on the floor next to the window and dropped his face in his hands.
He'd lost Jared, and he'd lost the keyblade. Jensen didn't know which one hurt more, but together, the pain was nearly enough to drag his soul down to darkness. Without at least one, he wouldn't have a chance to find Danneel or save the worlds.
The lock creaked and a second later the entire door swung open. Jensen lifted his head to see Kane walk inside. He still had on the dark robe, but his wild hair was pulled back in a ponytail, showing off his golden eyes better than before.
"Good, you're awake," Kane said, and then held his hand out to summon his weapon. For a moment, Jensen thought Kane would finish him off right there, but then he saw what was in Kane's hand. "Looking for this?"
It was the keyblade, morphed into the original settings as when it had come to him so long ago on the beaches of Texas when he'd defeated the Darkseed. King JDM's key ring dangled from the hilt, one large circle with two smaller ones attached. Jensen reached out his hand before he could stop himself.
Kane jerked away and swung the blade through the air. "It's mine now, Jensen," he said, voice smug, "It came to me because your heart is too weak. Mine is strong, and with this, I can find a way to save Danneel."
"Danneel? You found her?" Jensen asked, excitement overriding the panic at losing the keyblade. He jumped to his feet and touched Kane's shoulder, "Is she all right? Where is she?"
"Like you really care," Kane said, shrugging off Jensen's hand. He sneered up at Jensen's face and stuck his chin out, "You're too busy gallivanting around, having fun with your new friends."
Jensen shook his head in denial. "Kane, I told you it wasn't like that," he said, inwardly cursing Chad for telling Kane he couldn't go with them when they'd first met. "I looked for you and Danneel. It was all I could think about."
Kane scowled and shoved Jensen into the wall, holding him in place with a hand on his chest. "Maybe, but I'm the one who found her, and I'm the one who'll find her a new heart," he promised.
"She…she lost her heart?" Jensen could feel his own heart breaking for his best friend. Danneel had always been so happy, and full of life. He couldn't imagine what she must be like without a heart, just an empty shell.
"Yes," Kane growled, but then he took a breath and dropped his hand away. "Look, you can come with me Jensen. You can help me as long as you don't get in my way."
Jensen could barely believe his ears, but one look at Kane's strange new eyes and the set of his shoulders told Jensen that Kane spoke the truth. He nearly leaped at the chance, but then he remembered that he had others to think about. "What about Chad and Jared?" he asked, still angry with them, but unwilling to ignore them.
"They're not invited," Kane said, anger creeping into his voice. He grabbed Jensen by the elbow and led him out to the hallway, not bothering to be gentle. "In fact, before you can come with me there's something you have to do."
He almost had to jog to keep up with Kane's fast pace. He knew that he probably didn't want to hear the answer, but he had to ask anyway, "What do I have to do?"
They made it to the end of the hallway, and Kane pushed open a set of doors that led out to a small courtyard. The place was full of people, but all their attention centered at the far end where a new platform stood. There, with hoods over their heads kneeled Esmeralda, Jared, and Chad chained together in position to be forced forward, their necks over the chopping block.
"You have to say goodbye to them," Kane answered, pushing Jensen forward with the tip of the keyblade. He raised his voice and yelled out over the mob noises, "Make way! Clear a path!"
Once the people saw who was trying to get through, they fell all over themselves trying to get out of Kane's way. Jensen could barely breathe; he couldn't take his eyes off the figures on the platform. Jared looked so small with his strength chained and Chad and Esmeralda didn't bother to try to stifle their shivering.
"Kane, why are you doing this?" Jensen asked, forcing himself up the stairs with Kane right behind him. He remembered a time when Kane was the gentlest of all of them, the only one able to quiet nervous colts. "This isn't you!"
"Maybe you never really knew me," Kane offered with a shrug. He exchanged glances with Frollo and then moved them to a corner while some other toady started reading the charges against them. "Say goodbye to them now, Jensen. I'll take you away before you have to see them die and we can go to Danneel. Together we can save her."
Jensen looked at his friends. Chad struggled harder, but without his wand, there wasn't any way he could break through the chains. Jared though, he could have broken the locks and freed himself if he really wanted to. Jensen frowned, and then realized that Jared must be suffering with a broken heart too, and all the strength in the world couldn't fix it.
But Jensen could.
"I'm sorry, Kane," he said, voice soft and he hoped that his friend really could hear the sorrow in his voice. "I can't go with you."
"Fuck you, Jensen!" Kane shoved him hard, and Jensen tripped, landing hard on his tailbone. Heartless popped into existence, all around them, clearly as agitated as Kane, "I don't need you. How are you going to fight me? The keyblade's mine now."
Shaking his head and his stinging palms, Jensen shrugged, "I don't know Kane, but Chad and Esmeralda are my friends just like you and Danneel are my friends, and I love Jared just like you love Danneel," he said, watching out of the corner of his eye as his three blindfolded friends heard him and started listening. "And there's no way I can leave them here. I don't care if the Heartless rip me to pieces, I'll fight with my last breath."
Kane lifted the keyblade, clearly intending to destroy Jensen before he could even get up to fight, but at the apex of his swing, the blade vibrated and they disappeared in a flash of light that made the crowd gasp and cover their eyes.
Jensen blinked and found himself holding the keyblade, returned with the keyring that Pocahontas had given him.
"No, it was mine," Kane whispered, staring at his empty hands. "I need it to save Danneel."
"Stop this, Kane! We can save her together, but you have to turn away from the darkness!" Jensen yelled, jumping to his feet.
"Never," Kane said grimly and then motioned with his hands until a doorway of darkness opened up behind him. He leaped through it before Jensen could stop him.
The Heartless chose that moment to attack, and Jensen had his hands full. He slashed his way to his friends' side and used the keyblade to break the chains holding them.
"It's about time!" Chad yelled, leaping to his feet and running over to the table where Frollo had put their weapons on display.
Jared acted slower, yanking the hood away from his face and looking up into Jensen's face with an odd expression on his face. "Did you mean it?" he asked, distractedly ducking as a Blue Rhapsody flew over his head.
"Mean what?" Jensen asked, swinging the keyblade around his head to scatter the attacking Heartless.
"That you love me?"
"Could you two possibly pick a worse time to do this?" Chad yelled, hitting Jared in the shoulder with shield as Chad started destroying Heartless with Fire. "I mean, I'm all for happy endings, but do you have to be so cliché?"
"Shut up, Chad," they said in unison.
Jensen smiled, bending over he kissed the end of Jared's nose. "I think I've kinda learned to love you, Defender," he said, using Jared's official title. For the first time, he kind of wished that a song would come along so he could shout his feelings to the world.
"Likewise, Keyblade Master," Jared grinned and jumped to his feet, shaking his hair out of his face. He grabbed the front of Jensen clothes and jerked him forward for a real kiss. "Now how about we kill these Heartless?"
"Sounds like a plan," he answered, twisting to call down Thunder on a batch of approaching Heartless. He took Jared's hand in his, and promised, "Everything's gonna be fine now, Jared. You'll see."
Kingdom Hearts: A Soundtrack
The Warrior's Code by Dropkick Murphys
Immigrant Song by Led Zeppelin
No Sleep Tonight by The Faders
Secret In Your Eyes by Paul Gross & David Keeley
The Eyes of Texas by Masters of Reality
Accidents Will Happen by The Von Bondies
Undressing You by Emma Bunton
This Years Love by David Gray
The Tavern Of The Temptress by All Left Out
Heavy Heart by You Am I
Candy Cane Crawl by The Twilight Singers
Little By Little by Oasis
Heroic Doses by Glueleg
Turn to Stone by Joe Walsh
Black Black Heart by David Usher
The Soldiering Life by The Decemberists
With A Little Help From My Friends by Jim Sturgess & Joe Anderson
The Search Is Over by Survivor
Eep Opp Ork Ah-Ah (Means I Love You) by Violent Femmes
Find the entire list in a .rar here at sendspace!
part one // part two
one post at dreamwidth
