csi_sanders1129 | Fic: 12 Days

Title: 12 Days
Chapters: Day 11/12
Author:

csi_sanders1129
Genre: AU. Drama. Romance. Mystery.
Ratings: T
Word Count: ~2,300
Pairings/Characters: Jason/Spinelli, Spinelli/Other.
Synopsis: Jason and Spinelli suffer through 12 days of complete and total hell at the hands of the Creepy Christmas Stalker out to win Spinelli over.
Comments: Major thanks to

suerum on this one, as well. Day 12, now that we’re all caught up, will be posted sometime tomorrow. Again, I’m being dragged into work until late tonight so I’m posting now. Boys aren’t mine. Enjoy and Happy Holidays to all!

Days 1-4
Days 5-8
Days 9-10

It was after midnight when they’d been allowed back inside, which meant that Day 11 had arrived. Jason had wanted them to move rooms again first, before they did anything else, but Spinelli was having none of it. The bloody wound on Jason’s arm was his first priority.

“Just… hold still, Stone Cold.” He implored, leaving Jason seated on the unmade bed that they’d left so abruptly just hours ago. Spinelli ducked into the bathroom and retrieved the first aid kit from where it sat under the sink, just as it had been in their last room. Returning to his mentor’s side, he tugged carefully at the ruined shirt.

“Might as well just cut it, it’ll be easier.” Jason said. With the rest of the clothes he’d brought destroyed, he’d have to get Carly or someone to bring him something to wear in the morning.

Spinelli complied with his request, finding the scissors in the kit and slowly removing the blood stained shirt, and then he found himself staring at the wound.

It was on his left arm, from wrist to elbow, the gash varied in depth, but never went dangerously so.

“You okay?” Jason pressed, when the frozen Spinelli didn’t move to begin the process of fixing it up. He was actually shaking. His hands, all of him, trembling. “Spinelli?”

The younger startled, but seemed rooted once again in reality. “Oh, much apologies. The Jackal will tend to your injury without further intermission.” Even still, he spent more time staring at it while he worked, and the look on Spinelli’s face told Jason that his mind was as shaken as the rest of him. He cleaned and bandaged the wound, and really, it only took a few moments, but to Spinelli it took forever. “Task completed.”

Jason nodded. “Thanks.”

“No thanks necessary, Stone Cold, for it was entirely the Jackal’s fault that you were harmed in the first place.” Spinelli mumbled, ducking out of the room to return to the first-aid kit. He returned, but didn’t settle down. Instead, he paced and fidgeted and moved about with an air of anxiety that Jason couldn’t ignore.

“It wasn’t your fault, Spinelli. It’s not your fault that this guy is after you. You didn’t do anything.” He assured the younger man. “He went after me because he thinks I’m in his way, and he’s right. I’m not making any of this easy for him.”

The speech had little effect on Spinelli’s still trembling hands. Jason could see that much from across the room. “But something I did had to have set this behavior into motion. That has to - at least in some abstract way - make the Ace of Cyberspace at fault.”

Jason stood, approached his completely blameless best friend. “Stop.” He said simply, hands settling on Spinelli’s shoulders. “Stop moving. Stop thinking. Just… stop, okay?”

But Spinelli didn’t stop. In fact, he seemed even more on edge and unstable now that Jason was right there, right in front of him. Before Jason could process what was happening, Spinelli had pitched forward, pressing their lips together in a kiss unlike the one’s they’d shared when they’d been curled up in bed. Intense, demanding, different. Not the easy, lazy kisses from the previous day. But, even still, Jason didn’t protest.

“Stone Cold...” The younger mumbled out, his hands landing on Jason’s bare chest.

The hands that he’d previously settled on Spinelli’s shoulders shifted quickly once the unexpected onslaught had begun. One curled around Spinelli’s neck, the leverage he needed to pull Spinelli closer. The other settled on Spinelli’s back, snaked under his shirt.

They still hadn’t changed rooms, which Jason should probably have stopped and insisted that they do – this one was left alone and could have been bugged in their time spent outside – but instead he found himself tugging Spinelli back toward the bed.

The younger followed him eagerly enough, falling onto the bed first, Jason just after him, hovering. The kiss was momentarily broken, so Jason took the opportunity to question. “You sure about this?”

“Most assuredly.” Spinelli answered without hesitation, but he was still trembling and squirming, and his fingers were constantly moving over Jason’s chest, travelling lower as time passed, as if Jason wouldn’t notice.

The kissing continued, only interrupted again when Jason had worked Spinelli’s shirt off of him. He pressed his lips against Spinelli’s neck for a long moment – it would leave a mark, he realized, and absently he hoped that Spinelli’s stalker would never have occasion to know that - but then Spinelli’s incessantly shifting hands found their way into his pants and he wasn’t thinking at all, absently or otherwise.

Jason worked at the button on Spinelli’s jeans, tugged them down his hips a little once he had them opened, mirrored what Spinelli’s uninjured hand was doing to him.

“Nngh, Stone Cold.” Spinelli groaned, arching off the bed to catch Jason’s lips again.

A few moments more and they were both close, moving a little more erratically now.

Spinelli was the first to come undone, head falling back to the bed even as he kept moving on Jason, pulling him closer and closer along behind him. The feel of the younger tensing beneath him was almost enough to end it for Jason, too, but it was Spinelli’s totally uncoordinated grip on him as a result that ultimately did it.

“Mm, Spin…” He mumbled out against the skin over Spinelli’s collarbone. He pressed a hard kiss there and waited for his muscles to start obeying him again. He was relieved to see, once he shifted away, that Spinelli wasn’t buzzing with anxiety anymore. He was still, relaxed, calm.

Within moments, after quick clean up and some adjusting of clothing, they were asleep again, Spinelli wrapped up in Jason’s arms.

The next time they woke on Day 11, it was to a snowy wonderland outside of the hotel. It looked as if they were going to have a white Christmas. What a shame it was that they wouldn’t get to enjoy it given their current interactions with the as-of-yet-unidentified one.

Jason woke first, but didn’t rouse Spinelli. He just watched the younger sleep peacefully. There was no way he was letting anything happen tomorrow when their time was up. He would protect Spinelli, no matter what. He wouldn’t lose someone else he loved.

When he did finally get out of bed, he called Carly to ask for the favor of finding him some clothes, and intercepted her before she could knock and wake Spinelli.

Carly entered with an eyebrow raised upon realized she’d walked in on the same situation again. If she was a little closer to the truth this time, Jason didn’t tell her. “Should I ask what happened to your clothes? Or to your arm? Or perhaps why that room down the hall is totally trashed?”

“Like Spinelli said the other day: It’s a long story.” Jason answered, and that was all the explanation she was going to get out of him.

“You confuse me more and more every time I see you.” She shook her head and took her leave, wondering when her best friend had gotten so weird.

Jason wasn’t concerned with her, though. Once he’d cleaned up and changed into the new clothes, he finally did wake Spinelli. They gathered up their things once Spinelli was ready, with plans to relocate rooms shortly, and headed down to the Cyber Café so Spinelli could check some leads he’d had running.

What he found, upon the analysis of his information, was very little. The photo from the security footage had yet to produce a result, so they still had no name to go with the face. They had not yet received Day 11’s plans, which meant that they couldn’t decide what to do about that yet, either.

Jason, who’d been sitting beside him watching him work, nodded to the vending machine. “Orange soda?” He questioned, and the younger nodded.

Continuing with his research, he checked his email, waiting for results from another source he’d tried. Nothing from that, but he did have two new messages from an unfamiliar address. The first was a ticket to The Scottish Regimental Pipers on special engagement all the way from Edinburgh. They were set to perform in the park that night, all eleven of them.

That solved one mystery at least, but he had a sinking feeling that he knew what the second message was concerning.

~Judas, my heart is rent asunder that you would deign to let one such as he to defile you with his base touch. I can only trust that you are bewitched and once he is removed from this mortal plane, I shall claim that which is mine. Be warned though, you are sullied and it shall require a cleansing ritual before you are once more pure enough to be embraced by my love and ascend to the celestial sphere, wrapped for eternity in your true lover's embrace.

Spinelli frowned at the note, once again actively threatening Stone Cold, and now it was going on about rituals. It never ended. But, he had to make sure it did. There was no way that he was allowing his mentor to fall prey to this disturbed individual.

He peered over his shoulder at Jason, who was still fighting with the vending machine and quickly hit the reply button.

As-Of-Yet-Unidentified-One, the Jackal is aware that he has not been appreciative of the efforts you have gone to in compiling these extravagant gifts. He is also aware that his involvement with the Stone Cold one has offended you tremendously. As you assumed, I have indeed been bewitched, but I shall find my escape. Tomorrow. I need but one more day to complete my planning. However, I must ask for one further contingency. The Jackal does not desire to have the start of our eternal union be tainted by the death of an unworthy one, so I request that Stone Cold remain unharmed. I shall meet you at the Penthouse following the final gift’s presentation.

Jason was making his return. Spinelli quickly hit the ‘send’ button, and deposited the original message to the trash can. With just the concert information remaining, his secret was safe.

“Find anything new?” The elder asked, setting the orange soda can down beside Spinelli as he sipped a water bottle and reclaimed his spot.

“We have received an email from the Creepy Christmas Stalker confirming the locale and time of today’s event.” He pulled up that message, so Jason could read it himself. He didn’t seem overly thrilled by the prospect.

He sighed. “Port Charles winter, in the snow, with bagpipe music. This’ll be fun.”

Spinelli laughed softly. “One could call it that.”

Several hours later, they were bundled up in warm coats and gloves, heading out of the hotel toward the park. Jason tugged playfully at the hat Spinelli wore, slung an arm around his shoulder as they walked to the venue, which was already suitably crowded.

“You think he’ll show after your struggle last night?” Spinelli inquired, as they settled in under a tree that shielded them from the falling snow.

“I’m sure.” Jason said. “He’ll have a black eye; that should make him a little easier to spot.”

Unfortunately, they never did spot him. The concert went smoothly, which meant that they’d had to stay for the whole event, just in case. By the time the eleven bagpipers had finished their performance, Jason was far from happy with the situation. It figured that this would be a calm event.

“I’m glad that’s over.” Jason grumbled, as they started the trip back to the MetroCourt. It was still snowing, they were both pretty well chilled, and the prospect of curling up in bed was sounding better and better the closer they got.

Spinelli, once again tucked against his side as they walked, seemed quiet.

“You alright?”

Spinelli nodded. “Fine, Stone Cold. Just… thinking, is all.”

Jason paused. “We’ll… we’ll find him, okay?” He said, and it sounded like a promise, even though Spinelli had already secretly sealed his own fate. Unknowing of the deal Spinelli had made, he ducked his head, pressing a kiss against the younger’s lips.

It was interrupted, just a scant second later, just as Spinelli’s hands had slid into the warmth of Jason’s coat, when a snowball came whirling towards them. It hit Jason with a surprisingly audible thud. Spinelli, if he would have had to guess, would say it had hidden a rock.

“Damn it,” Jason growled out, wheeling to see who’d thrown it. A figure was running away, already a good distance off. With the choices of chasing or staying with Spinelli, he opted for the latter. He wouldn’t catch up anyway. He rubbed the bump already forming on his shoulder blade and turned back to Spinelli.

“Perhaps we should return to the relative safety of the room.” Spinelli said, beating Jason to the suggestion. His good hand caught Jason’s, fingers lacing together as they headed inside.

After a cursory check for bugs, Jason deemed the room uncompromised and they settled in for the night.

“Stone Cold?” He prompted, approaching the elder once they’d both changed out of their snow soaked clothes, once wounds had been re-bandaged.

“Hmm?” Was the response from Jason, busy adjusting the tape covering the gauze on his arm.

Spinelli hesitated, stopping just in front of his mentor. “Perhaps we could…” He swallowed, eyeing the clock that told him Day 12 was rapidly approaching. “Perhaps we could find some way to enjoy ourselves on this snow-white Christmas Eve?” He proposed, hoping Jason would get the idea.

He did, and Jason was the one, this time, to move forward and initiate the kissing. This time things progressed much further than the previous nights activities had.

It was somewhere on the way to the bed that it really dawned on Spinelli. Tomorrow he would surrender himself to the Creepy Christmas Stalker, and, if the various notes and emails had anything to say about it, he would then meet his own demise. But Jason would be safe and that was what mattered.

Right now, though, these were potentially his last hours with Stone Cold, and he planned to make the most of them.