longsufferingly

"This is a bad idea, Chad."

"This is a fucking awesome idea, Jared," says Chad. "Don't be such a pussy."

Jared sighs. "Yeah, because nothing says strong and logical decision like going to a planet that's known for casinos and mafia and kidnapping."

"Casinos!" says Chad. "Dude, we need money. How the fuck else are we supposed to get it?"

Jared rubs his forehead. "Out of curiosity, when was the last time you heard about anyone going to Hyperion? Or getting back from there? Their reputation is at least thirty years old. And it's still creepy."

"So it's slightly illegal to go there. We do slightly illegal stuff all the damn time!" says Chad. "Why would we stop now?"

It's a good point, and Jared knows it. He just has a bad feeling about Hyperion. Like it's the kind of place they shouldn't be going.

The thing is, he and Chad are smugglers, but he can generally convince himself that he's a smuggler for the side of good. They smuggle medicine into war zones, and weapons for freedom fighters. And some things, okay, that just make them money. Which they can use to be good. Kind of.

In any case, Jared can justify most of the things he does as being, for the most part, morally acceptable. Or at least well-intentioned. But going to gamble all their funds away on a mafia planet from which there may or may not be no return is not on any level good.

"Look, I can find us a real job. Something that will make us money, guaranteed. Gambling--gambling on a planet that's been blacklisted, no less--is, well. It's a gamble, Chad. That's why they call it gambling."

"You've never seen me play blackjack," says Chad. "I'm awesome at blackjack."

Jared groans. "Chad. There are jobs that are--"

"We're ten minutes away," says Chad. "And we don't have enough fuel to get anywhere else. Like it or not, we're screwed, man. So let's just get excited, okay?"

"You want me to get excited about possibly getting shot down or killed?"

"We're smugglers," says Chad. "Possibly getting killed is our Tuesday. Or Wednesday. Any day except Sunday." Chad has very strict rules about taking Sunday off, for whatever reason. Jared's never bothered asking.

"Okay," says Jared. "Point." He sees Hyperion come into view in front of him. It's dark, no lights at all, no landing strips. "You got anything on the radio?" asks Jared. Just the sight of the planet gives him the creeps.

"No," says Chad. "But it's not the first planet we've gone to that's laying low. They're probably trying to seem uninhabited."

"Or everyone bailed years ago," says Jared. "After the police raids." He licks his lips. "Seriously, Chad, we could find something to do at Eos, even if it's odd jobs."

"So we'll land, poke around, and if there's nothing there anymore, we leave. Simple."

"I have a bad feeling about this," says Jared, grimly. Chad just rolls his eyes.

*

Chad had an outdated map that showed where the main civilization was on Hyperion, but they don't really need it. The planet is terraformed, but not completely--the government deserted it before the job was actually done. The only real outcropping of buildings is beyond obvious as soon as they break the atmosphere, an oasis of foliage and structures among the natural rocks and crags of the rest of the planet.

"See? It looks nice," says Chad.

"Really," says Jared. It looks like a ghost town, all empty buildings and whistling wind. There isn't a soul in sight. "Can we just go?"

"Dude, I swear, there is still a night life here. My buddy told me."

"Which buddy?" asks Jared. It must be someone terrible, if Chad didn't mention this early.

Unsurprisingly, Chad looks shifty. "Jake."

"Jake," Jared repeats. "As in, Jake Abel. As in the guy who tried to kill us."

"This was before he tried to kill us!"

"Was it before or after you cheated on him?" asks Jared.

"Before!" Jared gives him a look, and Chad folds. "I mean, before he found out."

"Are you sure?"

"No," Chad admits. "But he swore up and down that if you had the connections, you could still gamble here."

"And did he tell you what those connections were?"

"Not exactly," says Chad.

"So we don't have them."

"We're here," says Chad. "And I can talk anyone into anything."

"Okay," says Jared. "Great. You have fun with that. I'm going back to the ship. And you--"

"Yeah, yeah," says Chad, waving his hand. "I'll call you if I find anything. Wuss."

Jared groans. He wishes it was more surprising that Chad came to a dangerous planet on sketchy information from his grifter ex-boyfriend who not only stole their money, but tried to kill them after Chad admitted (drunkenly) to fucking someone else on the road.

Jared thinks, not for the first time, that he should really ditch Chad and go off on his own. He could get a real job. Something legitimate. Something that didn't involve getting killed with Chad.

If only he didn't like the asshole.

He's halfway back to the ship when he runs into someone, which scares him so much he lets out a very undignified squeak.

The guy is a few inches shorter than he is, dark spiky hair and striking green eyes. He gives Jared a look like he's just as surprised to see him.

"What are you doing here?" he asks. He looks weirdly familiar, but Jared can't place him at all.

"Um--nothing?" he asks. "My partner and I, um, thought this planet was deserted, but we saw the, um, buildings, and decided to look, but we're about to go--"

"I'm not with the police," says the guy. He looks Jared up and down. "You have to go."

"I know," says Jared. "I'm just waiting for my dumbass friend." He gives the guy a somewhat wary look. "What are you doing here?"

"You don't want to know," says the guy. "Where's your partner?"

Something about the guy makes Jared feel--safe. Like he can trust him. God, he's thinking with his dick--he's as bad as Chad.

"In town. He's trying to find the casino."

"He doesn't want to," says the guy. "And he doesn't want them to find him."

"There is still a casino?"

"It's a lot more than a casino." The guy looks up at the sky. "You need to get moving. Where's your ship?"

"On the outskirts of town. Outside of the terraforming."

"Good. No one goes there. Listen, you get your partner, you lay low in your ship until the clouds pass. Don't come out. You get in your ship, and you leave."

Jared swallows. "The clouds?" he asks.

"Don't ask stupid questions," says the guy. "Just get out. We don't take kindly to strangers."

Jared swallows. He switches on his comm. "Chad, we need to leave. Trust me. This is not a good place to be."

"Dude, I found a restaurant!" says Chad.

Jared looks at the guy, who looks totally spooked. "Get him out."

"It's all awesome and it's free, Jared! Get your ass over here."

"Chad, why are you taking food that's lying out in a fucking deserted planet? This is suicidally dumb, you have to--"

"Shit!" yells Chad, and there's the unmistakable sound of a scuffle, and then static.

"Your friend might actually be too dumb to live," says the guy, voice dry as sand.

Jared stares. "They killed him?"

"Probably not yet," says the guy. "They have other things to do with hostages."

Jared swallows hard. His imagination has always had a way of running away with him.

"I'd tell you to go," the guy continues, "but you don't really seem like the type to just leave someone in the lurch."

"You want me to leave him to die?" Jared asks, scandalized.

"I don't want you to die," says the guy. He looks up again, and when Jared follows his gaze, he sees clouds rolling in, thick and white. "Shit," says the guy. "Shit."

"What's--"

The clouds are coming in fast, and as soon as they've cover the buildings, lights click on. They're so thick they block out the little remaining sunlight. It's eerie.

"Come here," says the guy, and he tugs Jared into an alley, and pulls him down for a kiss.

For a minute, Jared's too shocked to notice anything. But then, out of the corner of his eye, he sees more lights flicking on, and people coming out to populate the street. The guy keeps a firm grip on his arm, a warning against pulling away. Not, admittedly, that Jared wants to. He's confused, but he's never been one to turn down a good kiss. After a few minutes, the guy pulls back, looking out into the street and then back to Jared.

"You want to save your friend?" he asks.

"Yeah," says Jared. "Of course."

The guy nods, once. "Fine. I'm going to help you. But you've got to follow some rules, okay?"

"Okay," says Jared, warily.

"One, you're an orphan."

"I am an orphan," says Jared.

The guy nods. "Good. Okay. That's easy. Two, you're going to work in the main resort. That's probably where they took your friend. I have a friend in security, he'll be able to set you up with a job. Three, I can't directly help you."

"Why are you helping me at all?" asks Jared.

The guy looks at him, thoughtful and a little calculating. "I have a soft spot for orphans," he says. "I'll take you over to Jim, he'll set you up with a cover story."

Jared licks his lips. "You aren't even going to tell me your name?"

"I'm going to have to." He grabs Jared's hand. "If anyone asks us now? I'm taking you to a hotel."

Jared swallows. "Uh, okay," he says.

"Sorry," says the guy. "It's pretty well-known I'm interested in men. No one will think it's weird. Except you."

"I don't mind," says Jared. "I mean, uh, you're not the first guy I've kissed. But I usually know their names."

The guy laughs. "Subtle. I'm Jensen." He tugs Jared's hand. "Come on, we've gotta get going."

*

Jared follows Jensen through crowded, well-lit streets. There are a surprising number of people, all milling around, doing the early morning things everyone does, even though Jared is pretty sure it's night. It looks like any other city, almost--with the clouds covering the sky, the lights must not be visible from space. It's a disguise, Jared realizes, for a thriving community.

One that desperately wants to stay secret.

He wants to ask Jensen a thousand questions--where's Chad, how is Jared supposed to save him, who are these people and what are they doing, what is Jensen doing--but from the way Jensen is acting, there's no time.

"Okay," says Jensen, stopping in another alley outside the largest building in the city. "This is the Montana Resort. My friend Jim runs the security in the basement, he owes me a favor. He's going to vouch for you and get you a job. Don't tell anyone but him that I'm involved--give him this," says Jensen, and hands over an ornately carved wooden figure of a spaceship. "So he knows you really came from me." He looks worried. "Your friend isn't going to be as lucky as you."

"Lucky how?"

"He'll be put into the arena. Fights to the death."

Jared stares. "You do that here?"

"I don't," says Jensen. He looks away. "Anyway, just--go to Jim. Tell him you need a job. Stick with whatever story he gives you." He cocks his head at Jared. "What did you say your friend's name was?"

"Chad. Murray," he clarifies. He doesn't think there are any other Chads, but it seems safer. It would suck if Jensen saved the wrong Chad. Except, Jared realizes with a sick feeling, all the other people with Chad are going to die too.

Jensen nods, distracting Jared from his thoughts. "I'll see what I can find out about him. And I'll be back in touch when I can." He gives Jared a gentle push toward the door. "Go. We'll get your friend saved, don't worry."

Jared shakes his head. "I still don't know why you're helping me."

"You look like someone I knew for a while," says the guy, shrugging. "Stop worrying about it. Just go."

And Jared does.

*

Jim is an older, bearded guy, and from what Jared can tell, he must spend all his time in front of the twenty thousand monitors that show the rooms of the Montana Resort. He's got a plate of food on his left and a bottle of beer on his right, and he doesn't look away when Jared comes in, but he says, "Name and registration."

"Um, Jared Padalecki. Jensen sent me."

Jim raises one hand to gesture him forward, and Jared comes up behind the chair, putting the carved object into Jim's open palm. Jim doesn't turn, but he examines it, turning it over in his hands.

"He said he couldn't be involved in getting me a job, but you could."

Jim nods, puts Jensen's ship down. "You need to get changed," he says.

"Changed?" asks Jared.

"No one dresses like that here. You stand out like a sore thumb," says Jim. "There's a suit that should fit you okay in the closet to your left," he says. "Get changed and when Alona comes down to take my dishes, I'll send you to the boss. You're my nephew, okay?"

"Okay," says Jared. "Thanks."

"I'm not doing it for you," says Jim. "I owe Jensen."

Jared licks his lips, slipping into the closet to change. "I don't know why he's doing it either."

"He likes a pretty face," says Jim, although it doesn't sound like he believes that's really it. "You got any questions you need to ask?"

"What am I signing up for?"

"Whatever they'll take you for. You must be desperate if you're looking for work here. Once you start, you aren't getting out."

Jared swallows. He's here on a rescue mission, and Jensen knows it. He must have a plan.

"Pretty desperate," he agrees. "Yeah."

*

Alona is a pretty blonde girl, who apparently works in the bathhouse at the resort. She keeps sneaking glances at Jared, looking curious, but maybe too polite to ask what his deal is. Jared is grateful.

Finally, they make it to the lift, and Alona says, "So, you're Jim's nephew?"

"Yeah," says Jared.

She nods. "And you needed work?"

"It's scarce," says Jared. He pauses. "I'm an orphan. Uncle Jim's the only family connection I have."

That seems to have been the right answer. "Most of us here are orphans," she says. "I understand. I was surprised anyone with family would want to bring them here, but--sometimes there aren't any other choices, are there?"

"No, there aren't," Jared agrees. He licks his lips. "So--other than the bathhouse, where else is there to work here?"

"There's the security force," says Alona. "Jim's the head, but he never leaves that room. He sleeps in there. He's in constant communication with his staff, and if there's a problem, he's the one who dispatches them. Aside from that, there's the kind of staff you'd expect--kitchen, cleaning, gaming, the other services associated with a large resort." She cocks her head at Jared. "Do you have any skills that might be useful?"

"Skills?"

"You don't need anything to work in the arena or in security, of course, but they have staff who know how to cook work in the kitchen, and ones who know how to swim working in the pool--that kind of thing."

Jared rubs the back of his neck. It sounds so mundane when she's talking about pools and cooking. "No special skills." He glances at her. "The arena?"

Alona shudders. "You don't know about the arena?"

"Bits and pieces."

"Just pray you aren't assigned there," says Alona. "And you won't have to find out."

Jared thinks it might be good if he was assigned to the arena, so he'd be able to keep an eye out for Chad, but he doesn't think he could really handle it.

"Here," says Alona, when the doors open. "Just go straight down. You've got Jim's token, right?"

Jared nods, feeling the small carving Jim gave him in his pocket. It's similar to the one Jensen had, and Jared assumes that everyone with clout has something like this, to prove their identity, or something. It seems like a strange tradition, but he guesses it isn't his place to judge. Not for this, anyway. He'll stick to judging them for the kidnapping and murder.

"All right. Just hand it over, explain that you want a job, and don't talk back. They'll assign you something, and you take it."

Jared must not hide his surprise very well, because Alona gives him a knowing look.

"I know it sounds grim, but it's much safer to go with a job you dislike and earn respect by doing well at it. Otherwise it can be--risky."

"Risky," Jared repeats. He nods. "All right." He's not planning to stay long anyway. He manages a smile for Alona. "Thanks for your help."

Alona smiles back. "Of course. Good luck."

"I guess I'll need it."

Alona doesn't deny it. It doesn't really make Jared feel better.

*

The girl behind the desk is on the young side--younger than Jared by a good few years, even--and she's talking to a comm when he comes in. She holds up a hand to silence him, and keeps talking for a few long minutes while Jared waits, trying not to shift on his feet. He's never been very good at standing still.

When she finally looks up, she gives him a sunny smile, but follows up with, "Who are you, and what the hell are you doing here? Do you work for me?"

"Not yet," says Jared, holding out Jim's token. "My uncle Jim said you might be able to find something for me."

The girl takes the token and turns it over in her hands, and then looks back at Jared. "Tall," she says, getting up to examine him like he's livestock. "Muscular. You strong?"

"Pretty strong, yeah," says Jared.

"Who brought you up here?"

"Alona," says Jared. "In the bathhouse."

"Seven-one-four-five-five," says the girl, nodding. Jared wonders if this is supposed to mean something to him. "All right. It's a conflict for you to be under your relative, so we're going to put you in the baths with 71455 for now," she says.

"Yes ma'am," says Jared. "Thank you."

The girl smiles, not kindly. "All right. Let me just get you a contract made up, and then you'll be all set. What did you say your name was?"

"Jared," says Jared. "Padalecki."

The girl nods and types some stuff into her handheld, and then says, "All right, you are now--Six-four-one-six-two," as if this is a logical response. "Here's your contract. It's non-negotiable, take it or leave it."

The contract is honestly kind of terrifying--it seems to say he's theirs for life, and Jared doesn't really want to belong to anyone for life. But Jensen's plan doesn't seem to involve Jared having to stay here for very long at all, and all he has right now is his somewhat unjustifiable trust in Jensen. So he signs his name and accepts the badge she gives him, with 64162 printed clearly on it.

"Report to the second floor," says the girl. "Your supervisor is 32166; find her and report in."

"Yes ma'am," says Jared, nodding. "Thank you, ma'am."

"Leave," says the girl, with an edge to her voice, and Jared takes off gratefully.

He heads back to the lift, leaning against the cool metal gratefully. He hopes Chad is still okay. Still alive. If he's not--Jared doesn't even want to think about it.

He wonders, briefly, how exactly you become one of the people Chad wanted to be--the ones who know the secret words. The people who are being served, instead of the ones doing the serving. Or--even worse--the entertaining. There must be some kind of invitational system, or something. Jared doesn't want to know what you have to do to get asked to come here.

The doors open on the second floor, and Jared is surprised to see Jensen there, talking to a red-haired girl who's barking out orders. Jensen says something, and the girl laughs, and Jared feels a shocking burst of jealousy. It's completely irrational. He shouldn't care about something like this, when there's so much else at stake.

Still, he doesn't see anywhere else to go, so he approaches the girl and Jensen, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Hi, I'm--um. 64162? I was supposed to report to the bathhouse?"

The girl types something into the computer and nods. Jared can see 32166 on her blouse, and that seems familiar, maybe. He's never had a head for numbers. "Padalecki, Jared," she says. "You'll be working with 71455--that's Alona. She's currently in Bath 5. It's--"

"You aren't going to let him go to work like that, are you, 32166?"

The girl bristles, very slightly. "I don't know what you mean, sir."

"Your suit doesn't fit you very well, 64162," says Jensen. Jared notices he doesn't have a number. Jensen looks back to the girl. "I'm taking him to six, they should have some more appropriate attire for him."

"There wasn't a note from Miss Montana," says the woman, a little archly.

"I'll have him back to you in no time, Danneel," says Jensen, a little more gently. "You don't want to get in trouble."

Danneel looks placated. "You're right, sorry. Okay. 64162, when you get back, you'll go directly to bath five. Jensen will tell you how to get there."

"Thank you, ma'am."

"Miss Harris is fine," says Danneel. "I'll see you soon."

Jensen jerks his head, and Jared follows him down the hall. It's like Jensen has eyes in the back of his head, because every time he opens his mouth, Jensen just holds up his hand.

Finally, they make it to the elevator, and Jensen says, "You really have to act like you don't know me."

"I was!" says Jared.

Jensen considers this. "Well, if you'd talked you would have blown it."

Jared rolls his eyes. "I would not."

"Fine," says Jensen. He looks Jared up and down. "Your suit actually fits pretty well, miraculously," he adds. "Looks good on you."

Jared feels himself flushing. "Thanks."

"Anyway, I wanted to let you know that Chad's got a week."

"A week?"

"Before he's scheduled to go in the arena." Jensen makes a face. "I don't like his odds. He's scrawny."

"He's tenacious," says Jared, but he doesn't love Chad's chances either. A drunken bar fight is pretty different from a to-the-death arena, and at bars, Jared is around to have Chad's back. He sighs. "A week. Okay. What do I need to do in a week?"

Jensen rubs the back of his neck. "Good question," he says. "I'm gonna look into that."

Jared raises his eyebrows. "So, this was just you telling me--that Chad's alive?"

"Yeah," says Jensen, flushing a little himself. "I just--wanted to make sure you were all right." He looks away as the lift stops. "Oh good, we're here."

Jared can't help feeling a little smug as they leave. He might not have any reason to trust Jensen, but he feels good about it anyway.

*

Jared gets a different outfit, less classy, more functional. There's a slot for his code right on the breast pocket, and it feels much more restrictive than the suit did. Much more binding.

"All right, 64162," says Jensen, all business, with no hint of the familiarity they had earlier. "Follow me. Pay attention, because no one is going to show you around tomorrow. You have to take care of yourself."

Jared nods and follows on Jensen's heels. They're not alone again as they head back, so there's no chance for conversation. Everyone they pass nods to Jensen or bows, and it's clear that, whoever he is, he's a big deal. Jared finds him increasingly confusing--he'd think it was a set-up, except that Jensen tried to get him out before anything else. He tried to make Jared leave, and Jared didn't. And Jensen is helping him anyway.

Alona is in the large bath room, scrubbing the tub clean. She looks up at Jared, clearly about to greet him, but her expression gets serious when she sees Jensen.

"Sir," she says, with a bow.

"71455," says Jensen, giving her a curt nod. "You're going to show 64162 the ropes. He's your responsibility now."

"Do I get a raise?" asks Alona. "Some kind of compensation?"

Jared's a little surprised that she sounds so defiant, but he doesn't think he's supposed to speak without permission, so he keeps quiet.

"You don't get fired," says Jensen harshly. "Whip him into shape, or it's your neck on the line."

"Yes sir," says Alona, through gritted teeth. "Thank you, Mr. Montana."

"Good," says Jensen. He leaves without another word.

"Holy shit," says Alona, staring at Jared. "Why did they send him with you?"

"I don't know," says Jared. "He was talking to Miss Harris when I went down, he said I needed a more suitable outfit." He does his best to sound casual. "Who is he, anyway? I got that he was a big deal, but--"

"Jensen Montana," says Alona. "He started out just another orphan shipped in with the rest of us, but the Montana family saw potential. He got promoted fast and now he's part of the family. I don't know his exact job title, but he's being groomed to be the next head of the entire planet."

Jared stares, shocked by this revelation. It wasn't at all what he expected. He realizes his surprise is probably blowing his cover, so he tries to school his face and temper his reaction. "Wow," he says. "I--man, I had no idea he was such a big deal."

"He and Danneel--that's Miss Harris--came in around the same time," says Alona, apparently convinced by Jared's explanation. "So he visits her sometimes. He just usually doesn't concern himself with lowly employees." She looks up and down Jared, and then shrugs. "Well, you're tall and pretty, so I guess you're his type. He didn't watch you change, did he?"

"No!" says Jared, insulted for Jensen's sake that Alona would even suggest such a thing. "He just took me down there."

Alona shrugs. "A lot of the low-level employees get some extra money or prestige through--unconventional methods. If you're interested, he's probably your best bet."

"I'm not," says Jared, archly. It's not entirely true--he'd be lying if he said he hadn't noticed Jensen was attractive--but he has more important things to worry about at the moment than money or prestige.

"Have it your way," says Alona, clearly unconcerned. "Come on, I'll show you what to do."

*

As it turns out what to do is a lot of scrubbing and cleaning, first of the baths themselves, and then of the patrons. Alona explains that, in general, they try to have one male and one female employee assigned to each bath, so that the patrons can choose what they want. Some have two males or two females, to cater to a different kind of fantasy--"I used to be part of a two-female team, it was much less fun," Alona tells him--but there's no outright prostitution in the bathhouse.

"If anyone tries to get you to do anything, your partner will pull the security alarm. Everyone knows the rules," Alona explains. "There are other facilities for that. If you're interested--"

"I'm not," Jared says quickly.

Alona nods. "Good. Don't worry about it, everyone knows the rules pretty well here. Unless you get someone who's really drunk, there isn't much chance of an incident."

Their first patron is an older woman, no one who looks familiar to Jared. Somehow, he thought with the reputation of the place, it would cater to the rich and famous, the glamorous unscrupulous, but she's no one, as far as he knows. She looks between him and Alona and nods for him, and Jared has to scrub her back, her breasts, get her clean. It's clear that she's enjoying herself, but as Alona said, she makes no overtures, and when she leaves, she just gives Jared an exaggerated wink and a huge tip.

"The bathhouse is a pretty good placement if you're looking to make money."

"What do you do with it?" Jared asks. From what he can tell, they get no real time off.

"If you make enough, you can buy your way into a different department."

"Oh," he says. The idea makes him feel a little sick, for some reason.

"And you get one day off a week," she adds. "You can buy certain items, if you want them." She shrugs. "I don't know why they don't just call us slaves, except that they want us competing with each other. Money is an incentive."

"Great," says Jared.

"You really didn't know much when you came here, did you?" asks Alona.

Jared shrugs. "I was out of options," he says, and that much is true. "Why, did you?"

Alona looks away, focusing her attention on the tub. "I was an orphan, and it was a job. I didn't think I would ever be adopted. It seemed--like a good option." She shrugs. "Probably it was. I didn't have anything better waiting for me. I make a little extra helping Jim out. Once Danneel gets promoted, I'll get her job. It's a life."

"I wasn't judging. I was just curious," says Jared. They finish cleaning out the tub and hit the button that indicates they're ready for another patron, and Jared's night keeps going.

*

Alona explains that, the way the terraforming ended up, the cloud cover stays over the casino for 11 hours during the night, and those are the hours they work, when the lights are shielded from passing ships. Then they have 9 hours off, the daytime hours, during which they relax and sleep. By the time Jared makes it to his bed, he's exhausted and aching, and he's barely had time to think about Chad and how to get out. He's never been unfit or afraid of hard work, but he's never had to labor like this like this. Working out with the equipment he and Chad have managed to scrounge for the ship is nothing like scrubbing out baths and mopping floors, to say nothing of the dirty feeling he has from washing rich people who get off on it.

When he gets to his room, he's all ready to collapse and get a good night's sleep--or a good day's sleep, he doesn't even know--but instead, Jensen is sitting on his bed, waiting for him.

"Close the door," Jensen says, and Jared complies instantly. "Come on."

Jared knows better at this point than to ask questions, but he's still shocked when Jensen wordlessly opens the window and climbs out. Jared makes himself follow, exhausted as he is, and finds Jensen waiting on the ledge, looking like he does this all the time. Jared opens his mouth to ask a question, but Jensen holds a finger up to his lips and takes Jared's hand, pulling him across the ledge to a ladder, and down, into the deserted street.

"We need to hide your ship," Jensen explains, in a low voice. "I'm the only one expected to patrol today, so you're pretty safe from being found, but the ship needs a little better camouflage."

"Why are you turning against your family for me?" Jared asks, unable to keep it in.

Jensen licks his lips and looks away. "They're not my family," he says, in a soft voice. "Not how they're supposed to be."

Jared's desire to learn more about Jensen is apparently stronger than his need for sleep, and he speeds up a little so they're walking next to each other. "How old were you? When you came here?"

"Sixteen," says Jensen. "Twelve years ago. God, it feels like forever." He sighs. "They generally take kids straight out of the orphanages," he explains. "Once they hit majority and don't have anywhere to go, they're desperate. Half of them can't read--I could, I was lucky--and agree to anything to get a good meal." The position is familiar to Jared--if he hadn't had Chad when he got out, the same could have happened to him. "I don't know, they liked me. I stood out. I don't really know what I did. But I'm as bound here as anyone else." He gives Jared a small, unhappy smile. "Just because I knew what the contract said doesn't mean I didn't sign it."

"I signed it too," Jared points out. "And you're planning on having me leave."

"Yeah," Jensen admits.

"You could come," says Jared, small and hopeful. The idea of leaving Jensen here is--awful.

"I couldn't," says Jensen. Jared starts to object, and he holds up his hand. "You have a ship, you have a way out. I'm too high up." He rolls up his right sleeve, showing a red light blinking just under his skin. "Once you stop having a number, you get one of these. It explodes if you leave the planet without permission."

"No," says Jared, shocked. "Really?"

Jensen laughs, mirthlessly. "They lose a few low-levels, that's nothing. They lose me--I could do a lot of damage." He must not be able to take the expression on Jared's face, because he speeds up, changing the subject too loudly. "Okay, so, I've got a camo net for your ship--not many other people come out here, shouldn't be a big deal."

Jared nods, swallowing down a lump in his throat. There must be a way, he thinks. To save Jensen too.

"I've been thinking about your friend Chad," says Jensen. "Do you know when your day off is?"

"It's--what is it today? The fourteenth?"

"Yeah."

"Eighteenth."

Jensen nods. "Okay, not ideal. But doable. Day after tomorrow night, they'll have a parade of new fighters in the arena. Chad would probably like to see you and--I know there's some resistance around at the arena. I can't talk to them, but you can."

"Okay. How am I supposed to get to the arena?"

Jensen clucks his tongue. "I'll recommend you. You're strong, attractive. It would be totally believable that I would take an interest in you."

Jared licks his lips. "That's--pretty much what actually happened, right?"

Jensen smiles. "You're a pretty face, don't get me wrong. But I see tons of those."

"You keep not telling me what it actually is," Jared points out.

"You remind me of someone I used to know," says Jensen. "I have a sentimental streak. Sue me."

Jared considers this. Jensen is flushing again, and he smiles. "Well, thanks."

"I'll get you into the arena for day after tomorrow. You think you can survive another day in the baths?"

"Yeah."

Jensen smiles. "Okay. Good."

"Does Chad--have you seen him?"

Jensen nods. "I'll see if I can find a way to get you in a position to meet with him while you're at the arena," says Jensen. "But I can't make any promises."

"Good enough for me."

They get the ship covered in short order, and Jensen gives Jared a smile. "You look like you're about to collapse. Go get some sleep."

Jared flushes. "What about you?"

"I slept most of the day," says Jensen. "Or the night. Either way, don't worry, I'm fine." He ruffles Jared's hair, a strangely sweet gesture. "Get some sleep, kid."

It makes Jared feel like he's ten again, with another one of the orphans taking care of him, and there's a strange memory niggling at the corners of his mind, but he can't find it. Instead he ducks his head away from Jensen with a grin. "Don't patronize me," he teases.

Jensen laughs. "Just go."

"I'm going, I'm going. See you tomorrow?"

Jensen smiles. "Yeah, tomorrow."

*

PART TWO