Paranormal 101: Part Five

[dugindeep]

Jensen goes to the front door and yanks on the handle, but it won’t budge. He checks over his shoulder to see Chris is still standing with Jared, who’s now slouching in a chair and staring into space.

If he thought Jared was the truly vindictive type, he’d think Jared was paying him back. That he’s playing up - enhancing - his reactions in this room. No matter how tense things have been, Jensen can’t believe Jared would do that, which means something else is wrong.

He tugs the door handle again; it still won’t do him any good. He knocks on the door and tries to see through the glass windows on either side of the door. He doesn’t spot the owner in sight and knocks harder. They’ve never had to call a lockdown before. Not since, well, Steve. That was something completely different, though, and Jensen feels more anxious this time around.

If Jared is sick or whatever, he’d rather not continue on.

Something grabs his shoulder and he spins with his hands flying out to hit Chris, looking just as alarmed.

“Dude, it’s just me!”

Jensen sighs. “Yeah, I see that. The owner’s gone,” he says, pointing towards the window.

“Why’re you looking for him?”

“To get Jared out. If he’s sick or …” Jensen trails off.

“No big deal. Jared’s fine now.”

“What do you mean he’s fine now?”

“I got him some juice from the bar and he’s got his head back on.”

Jensen walks right back into the bar area and finds Jared upright and almost looking like himself as he stands from his seat. “Chris says you’re feeling better?”

“Yeah, I am,” Jared says with more of his usual comfortable tone. Jensen continues to check him over, and Jared nods and smiles a little. “I feel better. Let’s keep going. Just get this over with.”

“Alright, let’s go.” Jensen grabs the flashlight, clicks it off, and pockets it. He picks his camera back up and aims it forward, moving to the back of the bar where stairs lead to the basement.

Jensen’s never had a problem leading in a lockdown; he feeds off the adrenaline of stepping first into the dark. He’s never worried about it before. Right now, he’s taking the stairs slower than usual, training his ears on the sounds of two sets of footfalls following him into the cement basement. He checks behind him while looking through his viewfinder to make sure Jared and Chris are still there and each in one relatively normal piece.

When Chris nods at him, Jensen creeps through the space and keeps his eyes on Chris’s camera so he can explain what they’re doing.

“Down in the basement is where the waitress said she saw the dark form standing in the corner, another server had unexplained scratch marks on her back, and the owner experienced heightened anger, a fierce rage overtake him. We believe it might be one of the pirate spirits that remain in The Pirate’s Head.”

Jensen walks to the middle of the space and holds his EVP recorder up. “Are there spirits here?” he calls out. “Is anyone with us?”

He roams the area and gets back into his script, building himself back up. “If you’re down here, why’re you so scared to talk to us? Why don’t you show us you’re here? Shove some stuff around again, like you did with the waitress!”

His voice echoes after him and it’s completely quiet until Chris makes a harsh noise and when Jensen turns to him, he looks confused. “It’s getting colder down here.”

Nearly every time they claim temperature drops on this show, Chris starts it. He has some internal trigger to force his arm hairs on end. It used to be a cheap party trick, then it became one of the best plays on their show. Chris nearly seems surprised, now, to feel anything.

Focusing on Jared, Jensen asks, “Do you feel it?”

Jared seems hesitant to reply, but agrees that he does.

Jensen fumbles his mel meter out and films the screen dropping from sixty-nine to fifty-two in seconds. He stretches his fingers away from the box. The temperature falls a few more degrees, and Jensen feels his skin prickle, so he takes his walkie talkie out again. “Matt, turn off your signals.”

“They’re off, man. They went out about ten minutes ago.”

He pauses and thinks back to when they were upstairs. “What do you mean they went out?”

“They went out, what do you want me to say?” The walkie squeaks and whistles at Jensen until Matt adds on, “The whole connection keeps dropping. I tried to warn you.”

Jensen clips the walkie into the back of his jeans and holds the EVP out again. “Is there someone here making it this cold? Are you the one who’s been hurting people? Are you the one making them all angry?”

There’s a whisper behind him, but when he turns around there’s only the brick wall in his viewfinder.

“I heard something,” Chris says. Instead of his normal, excitable reaction, his voice sounds tight. “What was that?”

Jensen rewinds the tape and plays it back. He squeezes his eyes shut to focus on what he hears; there’s his own voice asking questions, then a faded I’m gonna hurt you, too. The EVP slips from his hands and he scrabbles to pick it up again.

“Jensen, dude,” Chris mumbles, and Jensen’s sure they’re thinking the same thing.

That line was not what they had pre-taped.

He trades the EVP in his pockets for the spirit box. Before he starts it, he warns Matt not to use the signals, that they’re doing this solo. Matt sounds confused, but insists they’re disconnected. The box blares with stuttered noises and Jensen spins in place as he talks. “Is there someone there? Speak into this box if you’re here.”

After a four-second delay, the box spits out, Here, and Jensen tightens his grip around it.

“Why are you still here?”

Hurt you.

“Jensen,” Chris says, “What’s going on?”

“I don’t know,” he grumbles. Because he really fucking doesn’t. “Why do you want to hurt us?”

You … Trespass

Before Jensen can think of his next question, there’s a shuffle of noise to his left. He whips his camera in that direction and sees Jared turning towards the wall and cursing. “What is it?” Jensen asks in a rush.

“I felt it again.”

“Felt what?”

“The scratches.”

Jensen goes to Jared and angles his camera close to Jared and that’s when he sees three distinct scratches down the column of Jared’s neck. He runs his fingers over them and Jared hisses then nudges Jensen away from him.

“Is this some new trick of yours?” Jared asks.

“No, and fuck you,” Jensen spits out before he knows what he’s saying. His heart pounds hard enough that he’s feeling its harsh beat in his temples. Jared comes in close with his camera, and Jensen immediately shoves his hand over the lens and pushes him away. “Get that out of my face.”

“What the hell?” Jared complains as he rights his camera.

Seconds later, Jensen loses his grip on the spirit box and it drops to the ground. He thinks about picking it up, but his knees are locked tight and he’s suddenly too dizzy to move.

Got you stutters out of the box

Jensen shakes his head, wills himself to move. When he does, however, it’s just a few wobbly steps. A couple more and he starts to get his wits about him and breathes deep to get himself back in order.

“What’s going on?” Jared asks with his camera trained right on him.

“I just … I can’t, I can’t breathe.”

“But you’re okay?” Chris asks.

“Yeah, I’ll be okay. Gimme a second.”

The room falls silent as Jensen levels his breathing and his equilibrium rights itself. When he stands up, Jared jerks and shouts, “Holy shit! Behind you!”

Jensen twists around to a man in his viewfinder. He’s dressed just like all the portraits upstairs, has hollowed out eyes and mouth, and is reaching toward Jensen with a misty hand. “What the fuck?!” Jensen yells as he stumbles back into Jared. Moments later, the apparition is gone.

Jared slips his hand under Jensen’s arm and keeps him upright, which is great because Jensen’s knees are so wobbly, he’s not sure he could turn around to run even if he wanted to. It’s the first time he’s truly seen something in person, and the spirit box stammering on isn’t helping him calm down.

They each film the area and search for the apparition, but it’s just an empty, dusty basement again, boxes piled in one corner.

“Jared, you taping?”

“Never stopped.”

“Welcome to your first real hunt,” he jokes, but it’s obviously tense.

A box flies off the top of the pile and a half dozen liquor bottles crack and spill out on the floor.

“Hey, I got you,” Jared says quietly, tugging Jensen out of range.

Jensen sighs even as his body tenses up. “Appreciated.”

“Oh god!” Chris shouts and shuffles back against a wall.

Jared and Jensen each train their camera on the spot where Chris had been seconds earlier, right at the base of the stairs where the apparition now stands.

Jensen shifts around Jared, letting Jared zoom in, while Jensen talks into his camera to describe the whirlwind of the apparition throughout the room. His words get faster and more excited as he goes, and it’s fucking fantastic.

“We’re here in the basement and Jared and Chris are filming our spirit. It’s one of the pirates, and he’s been reacting to us all evening, now making his second appearance. This is awesome”

“Dude, so awesome,” Chris adds on.

Jensen grins at Jared and in the viewfinder, he sees that Jared’s tiny, nervous smiling is growing wider the longer he films the spirit.


* * *

More boxes get tossed, bottles break, and items fly off shelves in the storage area beneath the stairs. They film it all and are only disappointed when light starts to filter into the tiny windows and the activity slows down with the coming morning.

Chris leads them up to the front hallway where they wait for Thomas to let them out, slowly unlocking and tugging the chains away from the door handles. Long moments later, they stumble out onto the brick sidewalk and Jensen jogs out into the street to stare at the building. Chris drops down to sit on the sidewalk and Jared staggers towards Jensen. He keeps looking between Jensen and the building, chest rising and face pale as ever.

Suddenly they both start smiling, then laughing, and Jensen can’t stop himself from grabbing hold of Jared’s face and yanking him in to kiss. He feels as shocked as Jared looks, but Jared then smiles again and there is energy flying in the air.

“I cannot believe this,” Jensen says as he lets Jared go. “Jesus fucking Christ, dude!” he exclaims, turning towards Chris.

But Chris isn’t nearly as excited, putting up a hand in warning. “Don’t you bring that mouth near me.”

Jensen smiles at Jared and feels a flare of excitement when Jared returns the fond look.

“You boys find anything?” Thomas asks. His voice is dry and rough, like he hardly understands what’s going on, or doesn’t believe they could honestly answer yes.

Jensen chuckles and shakes his head. “You wouldn’t believe it if I told ya.”

Thomas kicks a little dirt and nods. “Yeah, kinda figured.”

“Good thing we’ve got it on tape then,” Jared points out, motioning his camera.

The man’s face drops and Jensen immediately grins. At Thomas, Chris, and then Jared again.

He stalls when he realizes those marks on Jared’s neck stand out dark red and harsh, like they’ve begun to bleed. Jensen reaches towards him, his hand just barely touching the scratches before he loses his train of thought.

“Well, what kinda stuff?” Thomas asks.

Jared searches Jensen’s face then licks his lips and aims a playful look at Thomas. “Guess you’ll have to watch it on TV. Just like everyone else.”

Chris whistles at Jared’s cockiness – Jensen would, too, if he weren’t so shocked by it.

Once Thomas lets them be, Jensen nudges Jared around to face him. “What’s with the big bravado?”

“Yeah,” Chris asks as he gets up to his feet. “Three weeks ago you were gonna tear up your contract.”

Jared shrugs with attitude. “And today, I’m the one sayin’ I told ya so.”

Jensen huffs, but can’t deny he’s smiling along with Jared now. “Alright, hot shot, let’s get us some grub and get outta here.”


* * *

Back in L.A., Chris is dropped off first then they’re pulling up to Jensen’s place. He isn’t the only one getting out as he insists Jared help with the equipment. “We should keep the goods locked up tight here,” Jensen insists.

Jared is suspicious as he gets out of the SUV, but he’s out and Jensen counts that as a win. “What? Like you don’t trust my place?”

“Your door has a habit of being broken.”

“By you!” Jared laughs.

Jensen shrugs then nods towards his building. “You wanna bring the stuff up or what?”

Outright ignoring how Matt is staring at them like they each grew four heads, Jensen awaits Jared’s glance toward the building, and then his long look right at Jensen.

“You’re wastin’ my time,” Matt complains, glaring at Jared.

That gets Jared going, nabbing his bags and the equipment out of the SUV as he glares equally as hard in return. “Just so you know, Matty” – and Matt scowls even deeper – “You’re a huge douchetip with no applicable skills. And your eyebrows are huge.”

Matt grumbles as he runs a hand over his eyebrows then quickly shifts the vehicle into gear and drives away.

“You feel better now, champ?” Jensen asks.

Jared nods. “Yeah, a little. I never really liked him.” Then he frowns. “Though now I’ll have to get a cab, I guess.”

“No one really likes him,” he replies as he leads Jared into the building. “And I’ll get you a ride home.”

“Then why do you keep him around?”

“He used to lift all the heavy things. Then he kinda just grew on us.”

Once inside, Jared sets the bags to the floor and looks around. The place isn’t overly decorated, but Jensen’s aware that it’s classy enough with high-end furniture and expertly framed art on the walls to imply he isn’t poor by any means. Jensen can tell that Jared’s more than impressed with the sprawling entertainment center and leather sectional framing the living room.

“You want the grand tour?” Jensen offers.

“Do I need the grand tour?”

Jensen lifts an eyebrow and Jared seems to mock him by doing the same. “You’re gonna make me work for this, aren’t you?” When Jared shrugs, Jensen shakes his head and chuckles. He moves into the kitchen to grab a bottle of water and hands one to Jared, too. “You told me so. There.”

“That was so heartfelt,” Jared says. Jensen’s about to defend himself, but Jared puts his hand up to stop him. “You don’t need to say anything else. It’s not even an ‘I told you so’. More like a ‘finally it’s real,’ or something. I don’t know.”

“It’s definitely real. Judging by your neck.”

Jared seems self-conscious as he reaches up and runs fingers along the mark.

Jensen nods at him. “You should get it looked at.”

“And tell ‘em what? That I have an angry ex-girlfriend?”

With a snort, Jensen says, “About the same level of anger.”

Jared lamely smiles and keeps glancing away then at Jensen.

“You don’t have any angry ex-girlfriends, do you?”

“No,” Jared replies, confused. “Do you?”

“No.” He sighs at himself for being in this stupid situation. For the last few weeks, he’s thought about how he could have avoided pissing Jared off, disappointing him, but he’s not sure it would have changed a thing. Jared would’ve been upset earlier on and they would not have had those few days together in New Orleans. “But I got this guy that I wish I didn’t make so angry.”

“I’m not that angry.”

Jensen feels his face go warm as nerves hit him, and he tries to smile at Jared, but he’s sure it’s more of a grimace. “What happened back at The Pirate’s House? It was pretty insane and –”

“And pretty awesome,” Jared cuts in happily.

He takes a deep breath and nods, acknowledging that it really was. For all the years he and Chris have been doing this – even further back when Jensen sat at home watching Unsolved Mysteries and chilling ghost movies – this is the first time he’s had a true face-to-face encounter. “Definitely awesome. Awesome to have seen it together.”

Jared visibly swallows and seems to tense up. Jensen’s not sure if it’s for good or bad, and he figures he’ll just go for it. It seems like the right time to finally be serious and open.

“I’m sorry for everything. The lying about the show, not cluing you in when I realized you didn’t know, for how you found out. If I could take it all it back, I would, just to make it better for you.”

“All of it?”

“Yeah, I would’ve done it all differently. I wouldn’t have …” Then he stops as he sees something in Jared’s eyes. “I wouldn’t have given you a hard time when you first joined us.” Jared blushes and Jensen adds, “And I wouldn’t have put you off for so long, or waited for something between us.”

After a few quiet seconds, Jared asks, “And?”

“And I wouldn’t have invited you up here without trying to make something happen.”

“Like that grand tour?”

“You want it?”

Jared licks his lips and glances around at the areas he can see – the kitchen and living and dining rooms. “Maybe not grand tour, but you know …”

Jensen smiles crookedly and motions toward his bedroom. “After you.”

Jared moves slowly to the hallway and on through to the bedroom with Jensen trailing behind. As soon as Jensen’s crossed the threshold, Jared grabs his face and thoroughly kisses him. It’s a surprise for how quick heated it is. Jensen immediately wraps his arms around Jared’s waist to pull them flush together.

In moments, they’re on the bed and Jared is working Jensen’s jeans open and down, his warm palms stroking over Jensen’s thighs, up and across his ass and back.

Jensen does Jared the same favor and pushes Jared’s shirt up to his arms to suck along his chest, focusing on one nipple then the other. Jared whines, and Jensen mouths higher up Jared’s chest, moving to his jaw before looking him in the face. “Apology accepted, I’d assume?”

“Are we really talking now?”

Jensen reaches down to stroke Jared through his boxers, pleased when Jared whimpers and shifts his hips forward. “Just making sure you know I’m not just trying to take advantage of you.”

In lieu of answering, Jared forces Jensen to his back, pinning him down with the weight and length of his body, legs twining with Jensen’s. He slips his hand into the back of Jensen’s underwear and presses his finger along Jensen’s hole, making Jensen swear this time.

“Maybe I wanna take advantage of you,” Jared suggests.

“Don’t get too cocky there.”

Jared rocks down on Jensen, showing Jensen just how cocky he really is, and it takes all of Jensen’s willpower to not whimper and hump against Jared’s leg before this gets anywhere good. Jensen sighs and shuts his eyes, putting forth his best effort to not shoot off right now. “Just tryin’ to remind you, the audience loves sweet, little Jay.”

Jared pauses, and it makes Jensen open his eyes. Their faces are incredibly close, eyes crossing to look at one another. “And what about you?”

There’s no way he can voice it properly, so instead he surges up to kiss Jared, deep and slow. Just like that first time, Jensen relishes the way they’re instantly in tune and Jared matches right back, lips and tongue intent and gliding right over Jensen’s. He knows Jared’s gotten the message when Jared’s finger goes back to pressing against Jensen’s hole, bearing all of his weight down on him.

Jensen is completely aware of Jared’s fingers inside him, of Jared sucking along the sensitive dip beneath his jaw, of them moving to their sides and tugging one another closer as they just grind together and breathily moan right through it. What’s more consuming, though, is the way he can’t breathe, can’t think, barely aware either of them are coming until they’re both slick with come and sweat, both breathing harshly. Jared has filled his senses completely because the critical thinking segment of his brain has gone offline.

He’s now laid out on his back with his arms thrown out lifelessly, one resting above Jared’s head as his fingers carelessly thread through the tips of Jared’s hair.

Equally lax, Jared slants toward him with a leg between Jensen’s and tucks his head down into the pillow as his breathing eases up. “Good thing Matt didn’t stick around and wait,” Jared mumbles.

Jensen laughs and turns to his side. He kisses the top of Jared’s head and rings his other arm around Jared’s back. He could fall asleep just like this and love it.

“You never really answered,” Jared murmurs, face moving just enough to look at Jensen. “Which Jared you like.”

“I thought that was kinda obvious.”

“You’re good with words. Use a few.”

Jensen raises an eyebrow, prepared to chuckle at Jared’s newfound bravado. He has always liked Jared’s sweet, carefree sense of humor, and also how wondrous and willing to learn and ask questions he’s been. He’d bet that the last few weeks have given Jared a bit of attitude, but it’s a nice addendum to Jensen’s picture of him: to see Jared standing on his own.

“Any that stick around,” Jensen murmurs. After a moment, he cups Jared’s chin and tips his face up so they can properly look at each other. “I told you before that I like you. That hasn’t gone away.” Jensen swallows and just goes for it by adding, “Probably won’t for a while. I like all of your Jareds.”

“Those are some good words.”

“Shut up,” Jensen complains as he playfully pushes Jared away. “Now you’re just mocking me.”

“I would never,” Jared replies, just barely sounding earnest. His smile betrays him, though. “Okay, maybe I would. I do owe you for a few months of hazing.”

Jensen looks across Jared’s face, taking in the scruff starting to grow, his bright eyes, and the mess of hair across his forehead. He brushes the hair away then matches Jared’s fond look. “Yeah? How you gonna punish me for that?”

Jared practically glows as he bites the corner of his mouth, and his dimples pop. “I’ve got a few ideas. Maybe make you check the baggage for a while. Carry your own damn cameras.”

Jensen laughs with Jared. He briefly considers taking over equipment duty that just to be nice to him, to share the load. He’s sure he will be a lot nicer to Jared in a various ways.

It doesn’t hurt that Jensen’s feeling rejuvenated with the job thanks to their latest find, to have experienced it with Jared right alongside him. And now Jared is stretching out along Jensen’s side, and Jensen is sure that life in general will be a lot better with Jared next to him. Just, everything in general feels a little brighter now that they’ve made up.

So he’s pretty smug when he smiles and nods. “Can’t wait.”


<<< part four | master post | The End