Chapter Text
Jared was in his quarters working on a supply order when his comlink chimed. He answered it, surprised to see that it was Captain Morgan. “I’m calling an emergency meeting in the briefing room in fifteen minutes. You’re the second-to-last name on my list. Can you collect Jensen and bring him with you?”
Jared nodded. “Of course, Sir. What’s this about?”
“I’d like to keep it under wraps until we’re in the room,” Morgan replied.
Jared’s chest tightened. That was not a good sign. Not at all.
“Is this about the Pellegrino mission?”
“No comment,” said Morgan, but the narrowed eyes and clenched jaw told Jared exactly what he needed to know.
“Understood.” Jared stood up. “Do you know if Jensen’s at the lab?”
“He should be…” Morgan trailed off.
“Point taken.” Jared grinned a little. “I’ll start at his quarters and fan out from there.”
“Thank you. I appreciate it.” Jared heard a knock at Morgan’s door. “I’ll see you in a few minutes.”
“Yes, Sir.”
Morgan ended the transmission.
Jared went out to the MagLev and headed toward Jensen’s quarters. He stepped out and glanced at the tubes along the deck to see if Winchester was around. No such luck. Jared stopped in front of Jensen’s door and knocked on it. But there was no answer. Jared went down to the lab next, but Jensen wasn’t there either. He thought for sure he’d find him at the moonpool, but no luck. Finally, he caught him coming out of the kitchen.
Jensen looked surprised. “What are you doing here?”
“Collecting you.” Jared glanced at his watch. “There’s an emergency meeting in the briefing room in five minutes.”
“What’s it about?”
“Captain wouldn’t say.”
Jensen’s face fell. “It’s about the rescue mission, isn’t it?”
Jared took a deep breath. “Most likely. But we won’t know for sure until we get there.” He took Jensen’s hand and squeezed it. “Let’s just bite the bullet and get it over with.”
They walked to the briefing room holding hands, only separating when they started to see other new members entering the deck. Briana, Sam, Rich, Rob…yeah, it was the rescue mission. Jared would’ve put money on it.
They walked into the room and sat down at the end of the table. Jared nodded to Commander Sheppard, who was sitting in front of the viewscreen. Captain Morgan ended up being the last person to arrive, and he immediately opened a satlink to UEO Command upon entering. Shit.
In seconds, Admiral Pileggi appeared on screen. “Captain Morgan, Commander Sheppard, I’ll make this brief.” He glanced over at Jared and the other crew members for a few seconds, and Jared felt a shiver run up his spine. Pileggi wasn’t one to sugar-coat bad news. “The US Attorney General and the Secretary-General of the UEO have called for a formal inquiry into the failure of the Pellegrino Nanotechnologies rescue mission. The SeaQuest is to report to Monterey to rendezvous with Captain Ruth Connell of the Navy JAG Corps and UEO Admiral Jim Beaver, who will act as your legal counsel. You will then proceed to Los Angeles, where Mr. Ackles’ lawyer, Steven Williams, will join you.”
Jensen shot bolt upright in his seat. “Wait, what?” he shouted before Morgan could stop him.
“Jensen,” Morgan said in a low voice, glaring at him in a way that made Jared practically piss his pants even though it wasn’t directed at him. Jensen shrank back in his chair, but he crossed his arms and stared at the table as though he were trying to set it on fire with his mind. Jared was sure Pileggi didn’t miss it.
“After that,” Pileggi continued, ignoring Jensen entirely, “you will report to Pearl Harbor to prepare for the hearing, which will convene two weeks from today at UEO Headquarters. Secretary-General Omundson expects the inquest to last five to seven days.”
Jesus Christ, a week? Jared pressed his knee against Jensen’s, wishing he could do more but not daring to risk it in front of Pileggi. He could feel Jensen shaking slightly, although Jared couldn’t tell whether it was fear or unbridled rage. It actually could be both.
“Captain Morgan has already transmitted Lieutenant Buckmaster’s and Mr. Ackles’s reports to Captain Connell and Admiral Beaver. They have provided the Captain with a list of questions that each of you will be required to answer. The Captain and your counsel will work with you to refine your testimony prior to the hearing.”
Jared nodded, as did most of the other crew members. Even Jensen had stopped fuming and was listening intently, although he still had his arms crossed over his chest.
“Thank you for your time, Admiral,” said Captain Morgan. “I can take it from here, Sir.”
Pileggi signed off, and Morgan closed the satlink. “Okay, that was the bad news.” His face softened. “The good news is, Admiral Beaver and I go way, way back. Well before your time,” he said to Jensen, which made Rich and Rob chuckle slightly. “We’re in good hands with him, and he handpicked Captain Connell, so I trust her as well.” He sobered, and paused before speaking again. “Jensen, your dad hired you a lawyer.”
Jared reached under the table and squeezed Jensen’s kneecap as hard as he could to try to keep Jensen from exploding in anger. “Don’t,” he muttered under his breath.
Jensen didn’t say anything for long enough that Morgan felt comfortable continuing. “I know you’re mad as hell about that, and I can’t blame you. But I checked the guy out, and while he’s corporate, he’s got an amazing win record. So I think you might actually be in good hands. He’s at least worth hearing out.”
Jared could feel Jensen vibrating with pent-up anger that he had a feeling he was going to need to fuck out of him later. “So, Jensen and Jared, I’ll meet with you together in a few days. Lt. Buckmaster, I’ll save you for the end as well. Commander Sheppard and I will meet with [Lt.] Speight and [Lt.] Benedict tomorrow, and Commander Smith the day after that.” He and Sheppard stood up. “Dismissed.”
Jared pushed down on Jensen’s leg to keep him in place while the rest of the crew filed out. Sheppard left as well, but Morgan hung back. He walked over in front of Jensen and gazed down at him sympathetically. “You can say it.”
“Fucking rat bastard!” Jensen shoved his chair back from the table. “How’d he even find out about this?”
“A UEO insider, I’m guessing,” replied Morgan. “You know he didn’t make your initial deal with me, right? I got my marching orders from Admiral Pileggi. And God only knows how high above him it went.”
Jared placed a heavy hand on Jensen’s shoulder, trying to comfort him, or at least get through to him.
“He hasn’t said a word to me since—” Jensen stopped himself, and when he spoke up again, his voice dropped so low in volume that Jared barely heard him. “Shit, I don’t even know.”
“Jesus,” whispered Jared, sliding his chair closer and putting his arm around Jensen’s shoulder. Jensen sucked in a deep, shaking breath, and Jared realized he was actually closer to crying than screaming. Then it sank in what Jensen actually said. He didn’t even know when the last time he talked to his dad was? Christ, that family was screwed up.
“Hey, I fully agree with you,” said Morgan, kneeling down in front of Jensen. “Your dad is a colossal dick. That’s not a minority opinion. But—I think he’s actually trying to show you that he cares. It’s a selfish, stupid, asshole way to do that, don’t get me wrong. But I think he might have your best interests at heart on this one. At least, I don’t think he’s trying to do wrong by you. I think he’s trying to support you in the only way he knows how.”
“By throwing money at the problem,” Jensen spat, eyes darkening like thunderheads.
“When all you’ve got is a hammer—”
Jensen nodded. “Yeah, I know.” He sighed and sagged back against his chair, closing his eyes. “I hate him so goddamn much.” But he sounded more defeated than angry.
“For what it’s worth, I hate him too,” replied Morgan. “I hate that he pulls shit like this that hurts you this badly. If he was here right now, I’d punch his lights out.”
That got a flicker of a smile from Jensen, which put a smile on Jared’s face as well. Jared hugged Jensen as hard as he could from his own chair.
“I think more highly of you than he ever will,” Morgan continued. “And I can protect you better than he ever will. So try to relax, and let the grown-ups handle it as much as we can. I’ve got a satlink conference with your lawyer in three days, and I’ve already sent him a copy of your report.”
Morgan stood up. “Listen to me.” He locked eyes with Jensen. “You. Did. Nothing. Wrong.”
Jared nudged Jensen’s shoulder with his own. “See? I told you.”
“I’ve got your back, Jensen. And yours too, Jared. I stand behind all of you one hundred percent.”
“Thank you, Sir,” said Jared. After a beat, Jensen echoed him.
Morgan motioned toward the door. “I’ve kept you long enough,” he said. “Go do something fun.” Jared opened his mouth to protest that he still had two hours left in his shift, but Morgan addressed that before he could. “That goes for you too, Padalecki. Captain’s orders.”
“Yes, Sir.” Jared smiled and stood up, reaching for Jensen’s hand.
Morgan reached out and patted Jensen on the shoulder. “We’re all here for you, Jensen. Whatever you need, whenever you need it. Don’t be afraid to reach out.” He grinned at Jared. “That goes triple for Jared, but I assume you knew that already.”
Jensen chuckled at that. “Yeah, I got that.” He pushed his chair in. “Thank you, Captain.”
Jared led Jensen out of the briefing room. “Do you want to go to the moonpool or your quarters?”
Jensen thought about it for a second, then smirked. “He did tell us to have fun.”
“You and your one-track mind.” Jared shook his head, but he was laughing. “We should at least stop and say hi to Winchester first.”
“You’re right,” said Jensen. They grabbed a MagLev and headed up to the moonpool.
Winchester was already there when they arrived. “Jensen play?”
“Just for a minute,” replied Jensen. He picked up a spiky ball and tossed it into the water. Winchester retrieved it, then launched it right at Jensen’s head. Jensen ducked, laughing, as it sailed past him and onto the deck behind Jared. “Nice throw. Too bad dolphins can’t play Major League Baseball.”
“Base...ball?”
Jensen mimed swinging a bat. “You hit a ball with a wooden bat and run around a diamond.”
“Game?”
“Yes, it’s a human game.”
“Silly game.”
Jared snickered. “I’m with you, Winchester.”
“It’s the American Pastime!” protested Jensen.
“It passes the time, all right. All seven hours of it.”
Jensen frowned. “Wait, do you really hate baseball?” He looked genuinely hurt.
“I don’t hate it,” said Jared. “I just prefer my sports a little faster paced. Like hockey.”
“Did you play a lot of hockey in San Antonio, Texas?”
“Dallas has a hockey team.”
“Dallas isn’t in the desert,” countered Jensen. “What, did you use tumbleweeds as pucks?”
Jared rolled his eyes. “Splash him, Winchester. He’s being a jerk.”
Winchester slapped his beak on the surface of the water, which sprayed upward into Jensen’s face. Jensen grabbed the ball from the deck and threw it at Jared’s head. It bounced harmlessly off into the water.
Dr. Rhodes entered the moonpool before Jared could respond to Jensen’s insolence. “Sorry, guys, but I’m doing a study with Winchester, so I have to ask you to leave.”
“That’s okay, we just came to say hi,” replied Jared.
Jensen leaned over the side of the moonpool and rubbed Winchester’s beak. “See you later, buddy.” Winchester whistled and clicked his version of “goodbye.”
Jensen seemed less upset than he’d been after the meeting, but he went quiet once he and Jared got back to Jensen’s quarters. Jared sat down on Jensen’s computer chair, giving Jensen the space Jared figured he might need to process what all had just happened. Jensen sat heavily on the bed.
“Do you wanna talk about it?” asked Jared, keeping his tone light.
Jensen shook his head, but didn’t respond verbally.
Jared frowned. “Do you want me to leave?”
“No.” Jensen looked down at the floor and sighed. “I don’t…” He trailed off, seemingly unable to complete the sentence.
“You don’t know what you want,” said Jared gently. “That’s okay.”
Jensen nodded, still not looking at Jared. “I’m sorry,” he murmured, barely audible.
“Nothing to be sorry for.”
Jensen ran a hand through his floppy, too-long hair and shook his head. “I can’t stand this. I need to do something.”
“You wanna go down to the gym?” said Jared, wondering why he hadn’t thought of that in the first place. “Take it out on the bag?”
Jensen’s eyes lit up. “Yeah.”
“I’ll go get changed and meet you down there,” said Jared, standing up.
Jensen jumped up before Jared could take a step toward the door and threw his arms around him. “Thanks,” he mumbled into Jared’s shoulder.
Jared patted Jensen’s back. “No problem,” he said lightly, disentangling himself from the teenager’s grip. “I’ll see you in a few minutes.”
Jared went back to his own quarters and changed into workout gear. Day crew still had an hour left on their shift, so he figured the gym wouldn’t be too crowded. He grabbed his gym bag and headed to the MagLev.
Jensen was waiting for him with boxing gloves in hand. Jared grabbed a pair for himself and helped Jensen get his on. There were three punching bags hanging in the far corner of the room, but one was already in use. Jared motioned to the medium bag. “You can go first.”
What Jensen lacked in finesse, he more than made up for in passion. Jared assumed he was envisioning his father’s face. Even his own extremely brief rendezvous with Alan Ackles made it crystal clear why Jensen despised the man. Jared suspected that Jensen considered Alan hiring a lawyer a condescending form of “charity,” and he was pissed as hell at having to accept it.
Jared watched Jensen slam his fists against the bag, his form getting sloppier as he got angrier. Jared reached out and grasped Jensen’s shoulder to get his attention. Jensen startled, jumping slightly, and Jared stilled his hands. “Hey, come on, you’re gonna hurt yourself.”
Jensen glared death at Jared and wiped his already sweat-soaked hair away from his eyes.
Jared stepped behind Jensen, careful not to press his already half-hard dick against the small of Jensen’s back. Jensen’s cheeks were flushed with rage, which brought his cheekbones into sharp relief. His jaw was clenched tight, and his breath came in short gasps that were nearly obscene.
Jared had never seen anyone hotter in his entire fucking life.
He grasped Jensen’s wrists with his hands. “You’re hitting straight on and you’re gonna break your fucking wrist. You gotta go up, not out.” He pushed Jensen’s hand against the bag, demonstratingthe right angle to take. He sucked in a sharp breath as his jaw brushed Jensen’s cheek.
Jensen angled his head slightly, and Jared glanced quickly around the room to make sure no one was watching them. Jared slid to the side and pressed his lips to Jensen’s, which were hot like fire from all the exertion. Since Jensen was wearing gloves and wraps, he really couldn’t hold on to Jared, but he still pressed the gloves against Jared’s hipbones in a way that really shouldn’t have been as hot as it was.
“Do you want to shower here or in your room?” asked Jared.
Jensen smirked. “What do you think?”
Jared was thrilled to see him acting like himself again. “Lead the way.”
They managed to keep their hands off each other in the MagLev, but it was tough. Jensen barely managed to wait for the door to his room to close before he threw off his shirt, and Jared was momentarily distracted by the rivulets of sweat dripping down Jensen’s chest. “Jesus Christ,” Jared breathed. He was already starting to get hard.
Jensen pushed his damp hair off his forehead and grinned wolfishly. He stepped right up to Jared, close enough that Jared could feel Jensen’s hot breath on his cheek, and without a word pulled Jared’s own shirt over his head. Jensen tossed Jared’s shirt on the floor next to his own and traced a finger down Jared’s sternum, feather-light. Jared felt like he was coming out of his skin. His breath hitched, his chest quivering under Jensen’s touch, and Jensen’s hooded eyes lit up with lust.
“You like that?” murmured Jensen. He traced a line down past Jared’s abs to his navel, slow enough to drive Jared to the brink. He was rock-hard now, lust and tension burning in his belly and groin. Shit, when did Jensen get so good at teasing him?
Jensen’s fingertip dipped down below the waistband of Jared’s shorts. Jared’s breath was coming out in ragged gasps, and he was sweating even harder than when they were in the gym. Jensen grasped the elastic waistband in one hand and slid the other down the back of Jared’s shorts to cup his ass.
“Fucking hell,” groaned Jared. One corner of Jensen’s mouth turned up in a smirk that made him look far older than his sixteen years. Jensen slid Jared’s shorts off in one smooth motion and gripped Jared’s hips to support him as he stepped out of them.
“You’re way too dressed for this,” muttered Jared.
Jensen cocked one eyebrow. “What are you gonna do about it?”
Jared reached for Jensen’s sweatpants and yanked them down in one smooth motion. Jensen, startled, nearly lost his balance, but Jared pressed a hand to his hip to steady him. Jensen kicked his sweatpants underneath his computer desk and inclined his head toward the bathroom. “Shower?”
“Thought you’d never ask,” replied Jared in a voice that was low and rough with barely concealed lust. He was about to jump out of his fucking skin if he didn’t get off posthaste. He slid his hand past Jensen’s hipbone to the curve of his ass and nudged him toward the bathroom door.
The shower was regulation-size and barely big enough to fit Jared by himself, let alone two six-foot-plus men. Jensen frowned when he realized that it probably wasn’t going to work the way he fantasized. Jared turned on the spray to warm it up and pressed a kiss to the back of Jensen’s shoulder. “Get in. Leave the rest to me,” he murmured in Jensen’s ear. Jensen shivered at the contrast between Jared’s hot breath on his skin and the cold mist from the shower spray.
After about thirty seconds, the water was hot enough to be comfortable. Jensen stepped over the lip of the stall and underneath the flowing water. Jared grabbed a couple of towels off the rack and folded them up. He placed them on the floor next to the stall and knelt down. Jensen broke out in a smile when he realized what Jared was planning to do, and his cock went from half-mast to fully hard in one short moment. Jensen brushed his wet hair out of his eyes and braced his hands on the front and back walls of the stall. Jared, echoing Jensen’s earlier teasing, gently ran the pad of his finger around the underside of Jensen’s cockhead, eliciting a short, sharp moan from deep in Jensen’s throat. Jensen dropped his head back against the shower wall.
Jared traced a line from the ridge of Jensen’s cockhead straight down the shaft, and then encircled the base of Jensen’s cock with his whole hand. Jensen had his eyes clenched shut against the falling water, but he opened them and looked down when Jared started to jack his cock with swift, sure strokes. Droplets of water ran down Jensen’s nose and cheeks, and in the low light from the overhead fan, they sparkled like diamonds. Jared leaned forward and used his tongue to catch the stream of water that ran down the cut of Jensen’s hipbone. Jensen groaned and gripped the base of the faucet as hard as he could. Jared licked a trail down between Jensen’s hip and thigh until he reached the base of Jensen’s cock. Jensen’s knees were shaking slightly with the effort of staying upright, so Jared moved his hands to Jensen’s hips and steadied him.
“I got you, babe,” Jared assured him, the tip of his nose brushing against the underside of Jensen’s cock as he spoke. Jensen sucked in a sharp breath that echoed off the tiles. Jared licked a trail down the shaft to the very tip of Jensen’s cockhead. Jensen pressed his back against the shower wall to steady himself. Jared flicked the tip of his tongue over the sensitive slit, and Jensen groaned, deep and guttural. It was the hottest damn thing Jared had ever heard. Jared was suddenly aware of how painfully hard he was. He reached down and started jacking his own cock to relieve the pressure momentarily. Then he took Jensen into his mouth about halfway and used his other hand to pull Jensen’s ass toward him, encouraging him to fuck Jared’s mouth.
Jensen didn’t need to be told twice. Jared had to stop jerking himself to brace his hand against the wall as Jensen thrust deeper and deeper each time. Jensen’s ass slapped the wall as he rocked back and forth, and it sent tiny plumes of water down his ass cheeks to his taint, which forced Jared to move back a bit from the shower in order to keep from swallowing water.
Jared wasn’t surprised that Jensen didn’t last much longer, considering that he was already worn out from the gym. He came with bitten-off groan, spilling his seed down Jared’s throat. Jared sucked him through the orgasm and the aftershocks and then rose from the ground. Jensen smirked and reached for Jared’s still rock-hard cock. Jared managed to slip behind him into the stall, but they were chest-to-chest and dick-to-dick. Jensen jacked Jared’s cock with swift, sure strokes, and Jared didn’t think he’d last all that long himself. He locked eyes with Jensen, although Jensen’s longer-than-regulation hair was dangling over his eyes. Jared surged forward and captured Jensen’s water-slick lips for a bruising kiss. Jensen slid his other hand down Jared’s back to cup his ass, and even though they were already touching, he pulled Jared even closer. Jensen broke the kiss and pressed their foreheads together as he jacked Jared to completion. Jared came with such force that he briefly saw stars, and Jensen had to steady him as his own knees went slightly weak.
Jared took a moment to regroup before stepping out of the shower. “You should actually clean up now,” he gasped, not trusting his voice to have its proper strength. He was breathing harder than Jensen had in the gym.
Jensen nodded and reached for the shampoo. He made quick work of washing his hair—God, Jared hoped he’d never have to cut it to regulation length, that would be a fucking travesty—and soaping off the sweat and grime from the gym. After he was done, he hopped out and gave Jared a quick kiss. Jared got back under the spray and washed his own hair and body, all the while watching Jensen towel off, which would have gotten him hard in any other circumstances. As it was, he still quite enjoyed the show. Jensen’s lithe teenage body was surprisingly in shape despite the fact that he ate as much junk food and drank as many energy drinks as still existed. Jared watched appreciatively as Jensen toweled off the creamy golden skin of his back, ass, and thighs. He didn’t realize that his breath had speeded up and deepened until he heard his ragged pants echoing off the tiles. He waited for Jensen to finish drying off and then stepped out of the shower. Jensen grabbed a clean, dry towel out of the tiny linen closet, but instead of handing it to Jared, Jensen simply wrapped it around Jared’s damp shoulders and pulled him in for a sensual kiss. Jensen’s chest was warm and soft against Jared’s cold, slickly wet abs. Jensen shivered slightly and pulled away, exhaling deliciously hot air against Jared’s cold cheek.
Jensen lovingly used the towel to dry Jared’s back, arms, and chest. Jared had never had anyone do that for him before, and he had no idea how intimate it would be. Jensen’s touch was firm but soft, lovingly caressing Jared’s ass cheeks, thighs, and dick, which was doing its best to rejoin the affair. Not that Jared was old by any means, but he certainly wasn’t 16 anymore, and he needed more recovery time than Jensen did.
Jensen knelt down and started toweling off Jared’s knees and calves. Jared’s breath hitched as Jensen moved the towel up to his dick and balls, giving them the same careful, tender attention. Jared had to brace himself against the wall to stay upright. Even though his dick wasn’t hard, it was still sensitized, and Jared’s knees went weak as Jensen rubbed the towel lightly, teasingly, against the shaft of his dick.
“God,” gasped Jared. He wasn’t articulate enough to say anything else.
Jensen smirked, which looked so damn sexy on his otherwise angelic face. “Close enough.”