Chapter 18: Past the Garden Shed and Straight Ahead (J2, NC-17)
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
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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.
A maddening itch in his ankle became unbearable. He could hardly wait until next week when his cast was removed. He considered a small phial of clear liquid that had arrived with a card from Felicia, picked it up and threw it in the bin. Then he poked a garden stake into the gap between his leg and his cast and scratched until it stung. He could almost hear Jensen’s voice telling him not to and his soft, elegant hand, staying his own hand until the urge passed. He had to stop thinking these things. It was over. He would never have that again.
The doorbell rang once more. He stomped with one crutch to open it, glowering because it was undoubtedly Chad, come to nag him about personal hygiene and the need to stay in touch. Jared was still working, damnit! Aldis and Chad had a schedule and he was finalizing designs, placing orders and managing sub contractors. He even had shelves of seedlings on his balcony. In fact Padalecki Landscaping Services had gained four new clients, a Facebook page and an Instagram account, and the book keeping was entirely up to date. He was rocking office work.
The mailman recoiled from the angry, smelly, caveman who flung the door open and bellowed “What now!”
“I need a signature,” he squeaked at Jared, proffering a very official looking envelope.
Oops.
“Yeah sure.” He signed meekly with an apologetic glance at the poor man.
‘Tooley and Sons, Attorneys at Law.’ He turned it over thoughtfully. Could somebody be suing him? Was there a debt he hadn’t paid? He put it to one side, he didn’t think he could face it straight away.
He spent the evening, the same way he had for the past week. Ramen noodles, canned fruit, Candy Crush and then scrolling through YouTube for glimpses of Jensen in old footage on the Dream Faeries Channel. He always looked good in a tux and the whole freakin’ family featured in the wishes. Ruth, Christian, Felicia and Jensen appeared wholesome, charitable and kind. Jensen flirted with everybody but never seemed to be with anybody. And yeah, of course it was edited but there wasn’t a hint of anything untoward.
Chad called, they hadn’t been out for weeks and the weather was perfect.
“No,” he replied.
Jo grabbed the phone from her boyfriend and begged Jared to go for a drink with Chad because he was annoying the hell out of her being home every night. Anyway, they were both worried about him. Did he want to come over for dinner?
“No.”
“Good,” Chad rode straight over his objections. “BBQ at our place, tomorrow evening. Bring beer.”
“We have an announcement,” yelled Jo excitedly, in the background.
Jared groaned, he knew he couldn’t refuse.
He hopped to the fridge for some Ben and Jerry’s. It was all so unfair.
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