lucifersprize | Jun. 24th, 2020

Jun. 24th, 2020

Fic title: Past the Garden Shed and Straight Ahead
Artist name: amberdreams
Pairing: Jensen Ackles/Jared Padalecki
Rating: NC-17
Word count: ~31k
Warnings: past domestic abuse, sexual language, non explicit sex, cussing, Chad
Summary: When Jared was a child, his mother betrothed him to a faerie in their herb garden. Now, at twenty six, Jared had his own tiny and rather precarious gardening business. When wealthy playboy Jensen Ackles engaged him to transform the neglected garden of his historic mansion, he fell in love with it, and found himself falling for Jensen too but how could he allow himself to love someone he could never be with? And could a quest really release him from his fate?
Link to fic on AO3
Link to art: AO3 LJ

Please admire the fabulous art by AmberDreams which brought my world and characters and life and leave lots of love on their post.

Huge thanks to

wendy for running the legend that is spn-j2bigbang, again this year.

Many thanks to my many helpers who kept me on track, waved pom poms and made suggestions, including Fufaraw, Meus-Venator, SylsDarkPlace, Merenwen. Special thanks to Wendy, Neal and Anne at Berwick Writers' Workshop who help me along without a single judgement about the content I write.

What a traumatic year it has been, the last season of Supernatural and so much worse. This little corner of fandom at least allows me an alternative world where the only thing I have to worry about is whether two beautiful boys can get together in the end! I hope it provides some shelter for others too.

Usual disclaimer: This isn't real. It isn't for profit. The boys are not mine but I borrow their fanon facsimiles. The story copyright IS mine. Please do not reproduce, repost, translate or claim any part without my permission.

On to fic:
Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10
Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20

Comments are candy for my soul.

Current Mood: nervous

Fic title: Past the Garden Shed and Straight Ahead
Artist name: amberdreams
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: past domestic abuse, sexual language, cussing, Chad

Back to full description and chapter index.

***

Being kind is not supposed to get you into trouble.

Jared’s best friend and co-worker, Chad, would argue that it was generally the source of Jared’s troubles. Jared always blamed ‘the faeries’.

This time, they could agree that the blame for Jared’s woes lay firmly with the mean spirited son of Mr. Spendlethift. R.I.P.

( Read more... )

Fic title: Past the Garden Shed and Straight Ahead : Chapter 1
Artist name: amberdreams
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: past domestic abuse, sexual language, non explicit sex, cussing, Chad

Back to full description and chapter index.

***

The next day Jared dropped Chad off at a local school where there were soccer pitches to mow and lines to repaint. It wasn’t ‘Better Homes and Gardens’ but it was a regular income for the business. Then, at five minutes to seven he rang the rattling old bell at the Ackles house. If he had put a little too much thought into his neat polo and work jeans specifically to impress him, then it was disappointing to find a procession of workmen also pulling into the premises. Various foremen set about claiming Jensen’s full attention and he waved at Jared from behind of wall of them, yelling a cursory, “Jared! You know what you’re doing. Surprise me!”

( Read more... )

Current Mood: nervous

***

Jared had to agree, Jensen’s ride was as close to a unicorn as he would get. The interior of his mint condition 1967 Chevy Impala smelled of leather, wood polish and Jensen’s cologne, while the exterior gleamed with mirror finish. The purr of the engine held the promise of a wildcat, and a whirling breeze from the rolled-down window whipped through his hair to cool the heat of the sun. Chad would not believe him, and if he did, his jealousy would know no bounds.

( Read more... )

Current Mood: nervous

Fic title: Past the Garden Shed and Straight Ahead
Artist name: amberdreams
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: past domestic abuse, sexual language, non explicit sex, cussing, Chad

Back to full description and chapter index.

***

The next morning, Jensen’s commitment to being professional consisted of a five minute meeting, with instructions to concentrate on restoring the south terrace, south lawn and the orchard. He shot off an email address for Jared to contact him, and told him that he looked forward to seeing his designs for the gardens. He left in a plain black limousine, with a smart redhead who was very concerned about connecting flights and briefing documents. As the car turned in the uneven drive, his window slid open and he waved cheerfully at Jared, like a kid going on holiday, “A dream wish in Vegas,” he shouted, “I’ll be back in two weeks. Ask Christian if you need anything.” With that, he was gone.

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***

Three turns, a set of traffic lights, a side road and then a left up a long, private drive - Jared knew every inch of the ride to Beechwood Psychiatric Hospital. He tapped his fingers to the radio and rehearsed words in his head that he knew he wouldn’t say.

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***

Jared spent the rest of the evening flinging clothes from his closet in despair. He had one suit with an unidentifiable stain near the elbow of the jacket, the collar of his shirts curled up however many times he ironed them, and his dress shoes had seen better days.

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***

Saturday morning was dedicated to paperwork and accounts. The Spendlethift debacle was still fresh in Jared’s mind so he resolved to put all thoughts of Jensen, Christian and even faeries out of his mind until his last piece of paper was filed and his books were balanced. Jensen had kept his word and the first week’s invoice had already been paid. Once Jared had settled all of his outgoings he was marginally in the black for the first time in several months. It felt good.

( Read more... )

***

Next Chapter

Jared checked his phone - nine in the morning. Jensen snuffled and placed a muscular and freckled arm around his waist and pulled him back into a sleepy embrace with his head on Jared’s chest.

( Read more... )

Fic title: Past the Garden Shed and Straight Ahead
Artist name: amberdreams
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: past domestic abuse, non explicit sex, sexual language, cussing, Chad

Back to full description and chapter index.

***

Sunlight filtered through the gap in Jared’s curtains and he could feel the morning warmth on his bare chest. He stretched his aching, satisfied body and his skin felt only the tangled mess of sheets. He opened his eyes - he was in his bed alone. He sat up and noticed that Jensen’s clothes were gone. A glass of water and two advil rested on the nightstand beside him so he swallowed them down, closed his eyes and let himself fall back with a heavy whumpf. Jensen was gone. Sweet and considerate in every way he had sneaked out in compliance with Jared’s own rules. He should be grateful. Instead he felt selfish and lonely. His life was unfair, he was in limbo with no way of ending the uncertainty and disappointment.

( Read more... )

***

Jared hated to admit that Chad was right but Jensen’s sudden appearance at The Hawthorn Tree had been odd and it did prove better to swap shifts. He avoided any awkward encounters with Jensen, Mrs. Fowler recommended them to a neighbor, and the school playing fields were an easy day. He wasn’t entirely ignoring the Ackles garden, he negotiated an incredible deal with Beaver’s nursery on white oaks and bulbs for the driveway and a contractor was selected for fencing and paths. And yes, he had taken some time to think about his past and his future. Not that he had drawn any conclusions or made any decisions but he was twenty six, his mother was hospitalized for a mental disorder, his best friend was a whisker away from getting married and he was avoiding his client because of faeries and an ill considered weekend of sex. It couldn’t go on but he had no idea how to turn it around either.

( Read more... )

***

It was a glorious day for a road trip. Summer air was heavy and sweet as they motored through country lanes. Jensen tapped his fingers and sang along to Kansas blasting from the stereo while Jared watched the dappled sunlight illuminate his perfect cheekbones and reflect from his shades. He tried to guess where they were headed but the ribbon of blacktop wound in unexpected directions and road signs were sparse. It had been twenty minutes since he last saw a house. He should probably be worried, Chad would say it was the perfect spot for a murder. He didn’t have the energy to be concerned though, he was having too much fun and, as he looked at Jensen, he had to admit the views were exceptional.

An avenue of stunning red and green beech trees gave the game away.

( Read more... )

Fic title: Past the Garden Shed and Straight Ahead : Chapter 12
Artist name: amberdreams
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: past domestic abuse, sexual language, non explicit sex, cussing, Chad

Back to full description and chapter index.

***

Jared disentangled his limbs from Jensen at five in the morning, slipped out of bed and into his shorts. He thought Jensen looked beautiful, sleep-mussed and fucked out. He was a good lover, adventurous and considerate, and with the sort of stamina that could really impress a guy. Still, Jared couldn’t sleep, because he was ready for more. Not just sex, though it undoubtedly rocked, but more of Jensen.

( Read more... )

***

It wasn’t fair. He couldn’t bear to let Jensen go.

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***

This was a stupid plan. It was the stupidest thing he had ever done in a long history of stupid.

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***

They checked their supplies for the journey, that was yet to come. They had a lantern (battery powered from Halloween supplies) and some sturdy wooden staffs carefully fashioned from orchard branches by Jared. They didn’t strictly need them but he felt like any mythical quest required them. They each had a leather satchel packed with a sandwich and a bottle of water. Jared carefully added his iPAD, five dollar coins and his mother’s gold wedding ring to his pack. Jensen handed him their map - a plan of his home and its surrounding land, taken from the deeds of the house. They glanced at the clock. It was 11.15 at night. Jared breathed out slow, gathering his strength. He was sure that this quest could not save him, but if it could he would soon come face to face with the faerie who had haunted him his whole life. It was a terrifying prospect. “I’m good, let’s go.”

( Read more... )

***

He was under a dazzling spotlight with the Queen, while everything else faded into a black fog around them.

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***

Jared didn’t get out of bed in the morning. He switched his phone off, ate gummy bears until he felt sick and tossed and turned in heat-festering sheets.

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***

Flowers started arriving. Or rather, plants, because of course the bastard wouldn’t send anything that he could put in the trash. He couldn’t punish a living organism for Jensen’s faults, so his apartment was starting to look like the exotics section of a garden center. He stepped around a four foot variegated monstera plant that arrived yesterday to open his door to a delivery girl proffering a cute and beautifully presented lucky bamboo. He wanted to snap at her and tell her to take it back but she had done nothing wrong and every small business deserved a boost. He pasted on his best fake smile, told her it was lovely, tipped her and closed the door. He returned to his resting frown- face and placed the lucky bamboo with it’s ‘Call me?” card on a crowded shelf next to a Carnelian Bonsai from three days earlier with its “I’m sorry,” card.

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***

Jared believed in being fashionably late, so the party was in full swing by the time he arrived. Everyone was comfortably relaxed, any awkward introductions to Chad’s raucous family were over, and food was already cooked. It was excellent planning. Except...

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***

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~end~

This is the story I never expected to finish in time. In the end, lockdown and some unexpected and lovely comments on my old fic spurred me on as well as all my amazing pompom wavers). So here we are. Thank you for sticking with me all this way <3. Comments, however short, truly do fuel a fanfic writer x