Smoke & Lightning, Heavy Metal Thunder [29/?]
Title: Smoke And Lightning, Heavy Metal Thunder (29/?)
Authors: bloody_adorable and eviltwin
Fandoms: Supernatural RPS
Pairing: Jensen Ackles / Jared Padalecki.
Rating: PG(13)...?
Wordcount: 3,606
Summary: AU. Jared's a classic case of rich kid gone wrong, whose only sense of family comes from his motorbike, the guy he rents a garage from to live in and the precinct cops who know his face better than most already. Jensen's a hard-working student whose family are helping push him towards great things. What happens when their two worlds collide, and will Jared's troublesome nature be too much for Jensen to handle?
Disclaimer: None of the following is true in any way, and no profit is made from this work of fiction.
Author's Extra Note...from Evil!: SO GUYS. HI. I still have no laptop, but now I can sit and type out fic in my own time on another computer so. At LAST. Here is the next chapter! And yes, PG13. I'm much with the teasing suckage. But we're not going to make you wait very long at all for the next chapter (it should be up on Sunday), and I think, no, HOPE, you're going to like it...
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Jensen woke to Jared shaking his shoulder. It was still dark, only the dim light of the moon shining in through the window of the upper storey, and he had to blink a few times to get his eyes to adjust.
"What's going on?"
"I need my arm back," Jared told him, pushing gently at him until he moved. Jensen rolled onto his back, laughter rumbling in his chest as Jared rubbed the arm which had been trapped under his body.
"Sorry, man. Was I that fast asleep?"
"Yeah, for a change. I gotta take a piss. Keep the bed warm."
"Mm, sure.." Jensen could feel himself dozing off again already as Jared climbed down the ladder, complaining at the cold all the way down. He heard the door to the house open, and then he fell asleep. It was only a few minutes later when Jared's voice broke into his sleep again and he sat up, grumbling and rubbing at his eyes.
"Jen, come look at this."
"Are you kidding me? You want me to get out of bed now?"
"Come on. Promise it's worth it."
Jensen knew he wouldn't win the argument so he hauled himself out of bed and headed down the ladder, already shivering by the time he reached the bottom. "You better warm me up after this." Jared just grinned and took him by the shoulders, shoving him towards the door to the house. When he saw inside the kitchen he couldn't help but laugh. "Oh, jesus. Jeff's gonna-"
"No he ain't. He's had that girl three days and he adores her more than he does you."
"Liar. He loves me."
Jared poked him in the side, tickling his ribs. "You're thinking of someone else, but whatever. Think we should clean it up?"
Jensen stepped into the kitchen, looking at the dry dog food that was scattered all across the floor of it. The bag had been tipped over, part of it chewed away. "At least she didn't chew through anything important." He crouched down and flicked a couple of the small biscuits towards a chair leg. The noise made Shelby come running from wherever she'd been hiding from them. Jensen caught her and stood, chuckling as she licked at his face. "God, dog tongue. So not what I wanted, Shel." He held her while Jared quickly swept up as much of the food as possible. He righted the bag and took it into the garage so that Shelby wouldn't be able to get into it again.
"Okay, girl," he said, when he was done. "Back to bed."
Smiling, Jensen lifted an eyebrow at him. "You talking to me or the puppy?"
"You, asshole. Come on."
"Dick," Jensen muttered, but put Shelby on the floor and quickly followed Jared out of the kitchen. They shut the puppy inside and went back to bed. She would likely wander round the kitchen for a while and then settle in her bed. She'd been pretty good since they'd got her. Stevie had taken Jensen and Jared to look at the puppies last week and together they'd chosen one which Jared said looked a lot like the dog Jeffrey used to have. They'd picked her up three days ago and Jeffrey had fallen in love as soon as the pair had met.
It was one of several big things that had happened over the first few weeks of December. Another was that Stevie had, almost officially, moved in with Jeff. She'd told the boys about her decision regarding the school and Jared had found himself liking her more every time he spoke to her. She showed an interest in his bikes, which was definitely in her favor, and when she told him she knew somebody who would pay for his mechanic services he liked her even more. He'd been working on the guy's Honda over the last few days and would be paid enough to cover some kind of Christmas gift for Jensen and Jeff.
Doug had been extremely quiet at school of late. He hadn't come near Jensen and there had been rumors that his parents had removed a lot of his privileges at home. His friends seemed to keep a distance from Jensen too, and he couldn't help but wonder if it was because of what Jared had done or something else. He didn't much care, and neither did Chris. The more Doug left them alone, the more other people seemed inclined to talk to them. Jensen didn't make too much effort to talk back, though. He'd been thinking too much about his father and his family in general to want to socialize.
His mom had invited both him and Jared to dinner the following day. It was the first day Jensen had off school for the Christmas holidays and his father had gone on a trip to Chicago, to meet with some law firm there and exchange information on a case that was being transferred to his office. Jensen knew it was probably an excuse to Alan to get out of the house, away from a wife he barely spoke to any more. He certainly wasn't going to worry about it. The longer that had passed since Alan had disowned him, the more Jensen began to resent him. And he hated himself for that.
Under the blankets, Jared wrapped his arms around Jensen and told him to stop thinking and go back to sleep.
"Can't help it. You're the one that made me get out of bed and freeze my goddamn ass off."
"You want me to warm your ass up?"
"I want you to let me go back to sleep." Jensen turned in his arms, facing Jared and kissing him. "Could be a long day tomorrow."
"Oh, yeah. Dinner with Mom."
"We don't have to stay too long. We can eat and leave. She won't mind, so long as she gets to see me."
Jared leaned forward, brushing his lips against Jensen's once more. "You should spend time with your family. Especially at Christmas. It's okay, I'll cope."
"Just don't jump me before we even get in the door again and we'll be fine."
It was late in the morning when the pair of them got up, Jensen enjoying not having to wake up to an alarm and get ready for school. Jeffrey and Stevie were already out with the puppy so Jensen wanted to make the most of an empty house. He followed Jared up to the bathroom and they shaved at the same time, sharing a sink full of water and staring each other down in the mirror. Jensen got done first, and set the shower going, nice and warm. Jared joined him as he was halfway through washing his hair and, with the suds running down his face making him keep his eyes closed, Jensen didn't see his hands coming up. He jumped, muttering in surprise as Jared's hands fell against his chest. The start turned into a moan of pleasure, though, as deft fingers began toying with his nipples.
Jared still hadn't gotten Jensen to get rings yet, but the idea was becoming more appealing with every passing day. The ink, at least, was something that Jensen no longer worried about. His tattoos had spread over the past couple of weeks and they both had new additions planned for Christmas. Jared mapped them now with soapy hands, not stopping when Jensen dipped his head under the spray to wash off his shampoo.
When he'd rinsed off, he lifted his head again and quickly kissed Jared's chin. "Okay, you can stop that now. I gotta get ready and I'd rather do it without a hard-on."
"A hard-on was kind of the point," Jared insisted, gripping Jensen's shoulders and holding him against the tile wall. He looked down between them, grinning, but Jensen managed to push him back.
"Maybe for you, but I'd rather not be any later than we already will be to Mom's. I promise the wait'll be worth it by tonight."
"If I wait that long," Jared told him. He let him go, smacking his ass as he went. It made Jensen look back at him, cheeks flushed, and call him an asshole.
He dried off on the landing, and headed down to the garage with the towel wrapped round his waist. It was still chilly out there in spite of the heater that Jared had finally set up and Jensen shivered as he hurried to his set of drawers, eager to get dressed and get warm. He chose a short sleeved black shirt and ripped black jeans that hadn't actually been made that way by a designer. He wanted his tattoos to be visible, since his mom hadn't seen them yet, and she had told him not to bother dressing up.
He was glad for that; at least it meant he didn't have the added worry of trying to force Jared into a suit. He pulled on his leather jacket and boots as Jared returned from his shower. They took one look at each other and, despite Jensen's earlier protests, promptly delayed their leaving by another half hour.
Jared hadn't even gotten the bike parked up before Kenzie was running out to hug her big brother. She waited only until Jensen had both feet off the bike and then threw her arms around him happily. He squeezed her back tightly and then she let go and gave Jared a hug that was just as firm. He looked at Jensen, slightly bemused, but hugged back.
"Hey, sis. Uh, you can put him down if you want..."
Kenzie flushed red, stepping away slightly. Before she could say sorry, Jensen cut in with his own apology about their being late.
"It's okay. Mom's got everything ready and nearly on the table. Josh's girlfriend is here too, so he probably won't be around after dinner."
Jensen nodded. He'd figured as much.
"Did you guys bring presents?"
Jared snorted. "The hell we did. You can wait till Christmas day like everyone else, girl, got it?"
Kenzie looked at him, raised an eyebrow, then turned back to her brother and leaned in to whisper. "I think your boyfriend just said something, but I didn't really-"
"You heard him," Jensen cut in, laughing at her expression. "I promise we'll bring you presents over before Christmas. But not today."
"You know, as an older brother? You really suck." With that, Kenzie turned and headed back into the house, leaving Jensen and Jared no choice but to follow.
Josh was in the kitchen with Cathy and his mom, helping her by carving up the meat. He looked around when Jensen and Jared came in, though he didn't say a word as Donna wiped her hands off on her apron and drew both of the boys into her arms in turn. She looked only slightly less tired than the last time Jensen had seen her and he felt guilt gnawing at his stomach; he knew that it was largely his fault. Jensen's mom stepped back when she finally let him go, and she looked at him as she brought a hand up to cup his cheek.
"Are you doing okay, sweetheart?"
"Doing great, mom," he answered, glad he could say that without feeling like it was a lie.
"Good," she told him, patting the side of his face and then letting her hand drop. "I'm glad to hear it." She stepped aside as Cathy came over and gave Jensen a hug too. Evidently Josh's frostiness towards his brother hadn't affected her feelings, and he was thankful to her for that.
He waited until she let him go and then said his brother's name, holding out his hand. Jared kept quiet, said nothing when Donna had to nudge her other son to make him put down the carving knife and shake his brother's hand. Josh did as he was urged, though he couldn't seem to look Jensen in the eyes while he did it and Donna looked upset on his behalf. She masked it with a smile, though, clapping her hands together and telling them to sit down.
"This all looks great, Mrs Ackles," Jared said, finally breaking his silence with her as he removed his leather jacket and folded it neatly over the back of his chair. Jensen felt his cheeks heat slightly when he noticed both his sister and Cathy checking out Jared's ink-covered arms, but he managed not to react. He was slightly sure there'd be enough noise when he took his own jacket off.
There wasn't, not at first. His sister and brother both gaped at him in silence, and he shifted under their scrutiny, smiling uncomfortably. His mother's gaze travelled over each arm in turn, taking in the tattoos, and then she met his eyes.
"Well," she said, her voice disturbing the stillness in the kitchen. "You certainly like to surprise me, don't you?"
"I figured it was about time you knew," he answered. He felt awkward, stood there, and he crossed one arm over his chest and wrapped his hand around his side. "Jared kind of-"
"I'll bet he did," Josh muttered, interrupting. Donna looked round sharply, frowning at him.
"He explained why people get them," Jensen continued. "And it just felt right, that's all."
"Plus they're pretty hot," Jared added, smirking behind him. Kenzie snickered at that, and it seemed to help break the tension a bit more. Donna was smiling again at least.
"I'm not angry, Jensen," she said. "Just shocked. I keep forgetting that you're an adult, I suppose."
"I have to grow up sometime, mom," he told her, his voice soft.
"I know, sweetheart. But you speak to any mom and they'll all tell you that we never want our kids to grow up."
"But that'd mean that Kenzie would be an annoying teenager forever and that's just not-" He cut off as his sister reached out and whacked his arm for him. "Hey!"
"That's for calling me annoying," Kenzie said. "And that," she hit him again, more gently, "is for not bringing presents."
Donna took her daughter by the shoulder, pulling her back. "Okay, okay. Let's leave the family fights until after dinner, right? C'mon. Sit down, everyone, before the food gets cold!"
Dinner, Jensen thought, was way more awkward than it ought to have been. His sister, mother and Cathy were fine, but Josh stayed moody and barely spoke. Jared was quieter too, joking only now and again, and he was fidgety. Jensen felt like it was an effort to sit there and not touch Jared himself, so he could only hope that the reason for the other man's behavior was the same one. He suspected, though, that it was Josh's odd reaction to him that was making him feel that way.
"So what is it you normally do at Christmas, Jared?" Donna asked, halfway through dessert. She was making an effort to include him, but her question seemed to catch him off-guard and he dropped what was on his spoon as he hesitated before answering.
"Uh. I.. I have this tradition for Christmas morning that I'm gonna show Jen this year. Just something I used to do when I was a kid and I kind of carried on. And I visit Mom. And, uh, Jeff usually buys in dinner 'cause, well, he ain't as good a cook as you are.."
Donna laughed at that, shaking her head. "I'm sure he can't be all that bad?"
"He's getting better. Stevie... Think she's taught him a few things now. Says she wants to be in charge of Christmas dinner, though, which is fine."
"What about Christmas Eve? Bet you don't have to go to church, right?" Kenzie asked, her eyes going wide and mock-innocent when her mother shot her a look.
"Well, not usually. Christmas Eve is..." He trailed off, grinned over at Jensen. "I wouldn't want to spoil the surprise. Although New Year's Eve there's this big party that Jeff's organized. Costume party."
"Costumes?" Jensen echoed. "You didn't say costumes when you told me about it before."
Jared shrugged. "Forgot."
Kenzie watched the exchange between them, glowing with excitement. "I'll help you out with a costume," she offered, and Jensen couldn't say no.
When they'd done cleaning the table and putting the dishes away, Josh excused himself and Cathy and they both left. Jensen didn't know if he just wanted to be away from his brother and from Jared, but he didn't ask. He didn't want to start any arguments, not when everything else was going so well. He and Jared sat with his mom and Kenzie for a while, chatting about all the things that Jensen had missed. Carefully avoiding any mention of Alan.
Kenzie waited until Donna left the room to get them all a drink and told Jensen that she wasn't missing their father at all.
"That's not a real nice thing to say," Jensen told her, frowning.
"Whenever he's here all he and mom do is either fight or ignore each other. I don't know which is worse, really. Josh might ask Cathy to marry him at Christmas, just so they can get a house together and he can move out too. He'll probably chicken out, though. That's why he's pissed at you, I think. Cause you don't have to be here listening to it and for some reason he thinks-"
"I can tell just fine what he thinks."
Kenzie's lip curled. "Yeah. He's not exactly subtle. But he also doesn't want you to know that he blames Dad for this and not you. I don't know why he's taking it out on you."
"I don't care who he blames. He's still my brother."
Donna returned then and they each had a drink, Jared downing his quietly.
"It's so good to see you both, you know," said Jensen's mother, after a while of comfortable silence. "As far as I'm concerned, Jared, you're always welcome here."
"Thanks, Mrs A. Jeff said the same about you."
"Well, that's good to hear, since I'll be dropping off your gifts on Christmas Eve."
"Mom, you don't-"
She held up a hand, silencing her son. "Yes, I do. I've always treated my son at Christmas; I won't stop now. And if your father can buy Josh's girlfriend some stupid gift from the two of us, then I can surely spoil my son's boyfriend too. Now, I hope you'll excuse me. It's been a tiring week and I think I could use a rest."
"Of course, mom. Hey, has anything been moved from my room?"
"No, nothing. I left everything in there that you didn't take with you."
"Okay. I think I'll take Jared up there and show him something I forgot to pick up."
Donna's mouth twitched like she wanted to smile knowingly, but didn't. "It's your room, dear," was all she said, before heading for the door.
Kenzie was all smiles as soon as she was on the stairs. "Are you two going up there to make out?"
Jensen flushed red at his sister's obnoxious question and Jared just laughed at her. "Why don't you go play some Nintendo and mind your own business?" He asked, only laughing harder when she huffed at him. "He's only gonna show me his old report cards. Maybe we'll take a nap too."
"Just keep your clothes on," she told him, hands on her hips. "Mom's the one who's got to strip that bed afterward and-"
"Kenzie," Jensen interrupted. "Shut the hell up."
His sister rolled her eyes at him, but did leave him alone after that and wandered through to the den to watch a movie.
Jensen led Jared up to his room and closed the door behind them, breathed a sigh of relief.
"Thank God," Jared said, pulling Jensen to him and kissing him firmly. "Been trying to keep my hands off you all through dinner and it's been fucking torture."
"Thought you were kind of quiet," Jensen answered.
"Does your door lock?"
Jensen turned the latch in answer and crossed the room to draw the white blinds closed.
"And here I thought you really were gonna show me your old report cards."
"Ha ha. I can if you want."
"You got a stereo in here?"
Jensen shrugged, brow furrowed at the sudden change in subject. "Yeah. Mom said nothing's been moved, so.." He opened up a cabinet set into an alcove opposite the bed and Jared whistled when he saw the flatscreen TV and stereo system that it housed.
"And you left all this to come live with me? I'm flattered."
"You should be. If I didn't love you so much you're damn right I'd still be here, living it up-"
"Partying every night, I bet." He ignored Jensen poking his tongue out and joined him in front of the stereo, digging a CD from his shirt pocket and slipping it into the player. Making sure the volume was loud enough to disguise any noise they might make, but not so loud that it would wake Jensen's mom down the hall, Jared set the music going. Rob Zombie's Feel So Numb soon filled the room and Jensen looked over at him in disbelief.
"Seriously? This is your makeout music?"
"Kind of... It's not all Zombie, okay?"
Jensen shot him a doubtful look and Jared just licked his lips and reached out both arms to loop around the younger man's neck. He closed the distance between them and kissed Jensen's jaw, nothing more than a flash of contact, wet on dry.
"And it's not exactly makeout music..."
--TBC--
Authors: bloody_adorable and eviltwin
Fandoms: Supernatural RPS
Pairing: Jensen Ackles / Jared Padalecki.
Rating: PG(13)...?
Wordcount: 3,606
Summary: AU. Jared's a classic case of rich kid gone wrong, whose only sense of family comes from his motorbike, the guy he rents a garage from to live in and the precinct cops who know his face better than most already. Jensen's a hard-working student whose family are helping push him towards great things. What happens when their two worlds collide, and will Jared's troublesome nature be too much for Jensen to handle?
Disclaimer: None of the following is true in any way, and no profit is made from this work of fiction.
Author's Extra Note...from Evil!: SO GUYS. HI. I still have no laptop, but now I can sit and type out fic in my own time on another computer so. At LAST. Here is the next chapter! And yes, PG13. I'm much with the teasing suckage. But we're not going to make you wait very long at all for the next chapter (it should be up on Sunday), and I think, no, HOPE, you're going to like it...
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Jensen woke to Jared shaking his shoulder. It was still dark, only the dim light of the moon shining in through the window of the upper storey, and he had to blink a few times to get his eyes to adjust.
"What's going on?"
"I need my arm back," Jared told him, pushing gently at him until he moved. Jensen rolled onto his back, laughter rumbling in his chest as Jared rubbed the arm which had been trapped under his body.
"Sorry, man. Was I that fast asleep?"
"Yeah, for a change. I gotta take a piss. Keep the bed warm."
"Mm, sure.." Jensen could feel himself dozing off again already as Jared climbed down the ladder, complaining at the cold all the way down. He heard the door to the house open, and then he fell asleep. It was only a few minutes later when Jared's voice broke into his sleep again and he sat up, grumbling and rubbing at his eyes.
"Jen, come look at this."
"Are you kidding me? You want me to get out of bed now?"
"Come on. Promise it's worth it."
Jensen knew he wouldn't win the argument so he hauled himself out of bed and headed down the ladder, already shivering by the time he reached the bottom. "You better warm me up after this." Jared just grinned and took him by the shoulders, shoving him towards the door to the house. When he saw inside the kitchen he couldn't help but laugh. "Oh, jesus. Jeff's gonna-"
"No he ain't. He's had that girl three days and he adores her more than he does you."
"Liar. He loves me."
Jared poked him in the side, tickling his ribs. "You're thinking of someone else, but whatever. Think we should clean it up?"
Jensen stepped into the kitchen, looking at the dry dog food that was scattered all across the floor of it. The bag had been tipped over, part of it chewed away. "At least she didn't chew through anything important." He crouched down and flicked a couple of the small biscuits towards a chair leg. The noise made Shelby come running from wherever she'd been hiding from them. Jensen caught her and stood, chuckling as she licked at his face. "God, dog tongue. So not what I wanted, Shel." He held her while Jared quickly swept up as much of the food as possible. He righted the bag and took it into the garage so that Shelby wouldn't be able to get into it again.
"Okay, girl," he said, when he was done. "Back to bed."
Smiling, Jensen lifted an eyebrow at him. "You talking to me or the puppy?"
"You, asshole. Come on."
"Dick," Jensen muttered, but put Shelby on the floor and quickly followed Jared out of the kitchen. They shut the puppy inside and went back to bed. She would likely wander round the kitchen for a while and then settle in her bed. She'd been pretty good since they'd got her. Stevie had taken Jensen and Jared to look at the puppies last week and together they'd chosen one which Jared said looked a lot like the dog Jeffrey used to have. They'd picked her up three days ago and Jeffrey had fallen in love as soon as the pair had met.
It was one of several big things that had happened over the first few weeks of December. Another was that Stevie had, almost officially, moved in with Jeff. She'd told the boys about her decision regarding the school and Jared had found himself liking her more every time he spoke to her. She showed an interest in his bikes, which was definitely in her favor, and when she told him she knew somebody who would pay for his mechanic services he liked her even more. He'd been working on the guy's Honda over the last few days and would be paid enough to cover some kind of Christmas gift for Jensen and Jeff.
Doug had been extremely quiet at school of late. He hadn't come near Jensen and there had been rumors that his parents had removed a lot of his privileges at home. His friends seemed to keep a distance from Jensen too, and he couldn't help but wonder if it was because of what Jared had done or something else. He didn't much care, and neither did Chris. The more Doug left them alone, the more other people seemed inclined to talk to them. Jensen didn't make too much effort to talk back, though. He'd been thinking too much about his father and his family in general to want to socialize.
His mom had invited both him and Jared to dinner the following day. It was the first day Jensen had off school for the Christmas holidays and his father had gone on a trip to Chicago, to meet with some law firm there and exchange information on a case that was being transferred to his office. Jensen knew it was probably an excuse to Alan to get out of the house, away from a wife he barely spoke to any more. He certainly wasn't going to worry about it. The longer that had passed since Alan had disowned him, the more Jensen began to resent him. And he hated himself for that.
Under the blankets, Jared wrapped his arms around Jensen and told him to stop thinking and go back to sleep.
"Can't help it. You're the one that made me get out of bed and freeze my goddamn ass off."
"You want me to warm your ass up?"
"I want you to let me go back to sleep." Jensen turned in his arms, facing Jared and kissing him. "Could be a long day tomorrow."
"Oh, yeah. Dinner with Mom."
"We don't have to stay too long. We can eat and leave. She won't mind, so long as she gets to see me."
Jared leaned forward, brushing his lips against Jensen's once more. "You should spend time with your family. Especially at Christmas. It's okay, I'll cope."
"Just don't jump me before we even get in the door again and we'll be fine."
It was late in the morning when the pair of them got up, Jensen enjoying not having to wake up to an alarm and get ready for school. Jeffrey and Stevie were already out with the puppy so Jensen wanted to make the most of an empty house. He followed Jared up to the bathroom and they shaved at the same time, sharing a sink full of water and staring each other down in the mirror. Jensen got done first, and set the shower going, nice and warm. Jared joined him as he was halfway through washing his hair and, with the suds running down his face making him keep his eyes closed, Jensen didn't see his hands coming up. He jumped, muttering in surprise as Jared's hands fell against his chest. The start turned into a moan of pleasure, though, as deft fingers began toying with his nipples.
Jared still hadn't gotten Jensen to get rings yet, but the idea was becoming more appealing with every passing day. The ink, at least, was something that Jensen no longer worried about. His tattoos had spread over the past couple of weeks and they both had new additions planned for Christmas. Jared mapped them now with soapy hands, not stopping when Jensen dipped his head under the spray to wash off his shampoo.
When he'd rinsed off, he lifted his head again and quickly kissed Jared's chin. "Okay, you can stop that now. I gotta get ready and I'd rather do it without a hard-on."
"A hard-on was kind of the point," Jared insisted, gripping Jensen's shoulders and holding him against the tile wall. He looked down between them, grinning, but Jensen managed to push him back.
"Maybe for you, but I'd rather not be any later than we already will be to Mom's. I promise the wait'll be worth it by tonight."
"If I wait that long," Jared told him. He let him go, smacking his ass as he went. It made Jensen look back at him, cheeks flushed, and call him an asshole.
He dried off on the landing, and headed down to the garage with the towel wrapped round his waist. It was still chilly out there in spite of the heater that Jared had finally set up and Jensen shivered as he hurried to his set of drawers, eager to get dressed and get warm. He chose a short sleeved black shirt and ripped black jeans that hadn't actually been made that way by a designer. He wanted his tattoos to be visible, since his mom hadn't seen them yet, and she had told him not to bother dressing up.
He was glad for that; at least it meant he didn't have the added worry of trying to force Jared into a suit. He pulled on his leather jacket and boots as Jared returned from his shower. They took one look at each other and, despite Jensen's earlier protests, promptly delayed their leaving by another half hour.
Jared hadn't even gotten the bike parked up before Kenzie was running out to hug her big brother. She waited only until Jensen had both feet off the bike and then threw her arms around him happily. He squeezed her back tightly and then she let go and gave Jared a hug that was just as firm. He looked at Jensen, slightly bemused, but hugged back.
"Hey, sis. Uh, you can put him down if you want..."
Kenzie flushed red, stepping away slightly. Before she could say sorry, Jensen cut in with his own apology about their being late.
"It's okay. Mom's got everything ready and nearly on the table. Josh's girlfriend is here too, so he probably won't be around after dinner."
Jensen nodded. He'd figured as much.
"Did you guys bring presents?"
Jared snorted. "The hell we did. You can wait till Christmas day like everyone else, girl, got it?"
Kenzie looked at him, raised an eyebrow, then turned back to her brother and leaned in to whisper. "I think your boyfriend just said something, but I didn't really-"
"You heard him," Jensen cut in, laughing at her expression. "I promise we'll bring you presents over before Christmas. But not today."
"You know, as an older brother? You really suck." With that, Kenzie turned and headed back into the house, leaving Jensen and Jared no choice but to follow.
Josh was in the kitchen with Cathy and his mom, helping her by carving up the meat. He looked around when Jensen and Jared came in, though he didn't say a word as Donna wiped her hands off on her apron and drew both of the boys into her arms in turn. She looked only slightly less tired than the last time Jensen had seen her and he felt guilt gnawing at his stomach; he knew that it was largely his fault. Jensen's mom stepped back when she finally let him go, and she looked at him as she brought a hand up to cup his cheek.
"Are you doing okay, sweetheart?"
"Doing great, mom," he answered, glad he could say that without feeling like it was a lie.
"Good," she told him, patting the side of his face and then letting her hand drop. "I'm glad to hear it." She stepped aside as Cathy came over and gave Jensen a hug too. Evidently Josh's frostiness towards his brother hadn't affected her feelings, and he was thankful to her for that.
He waited until she let him go and then said his brother's name, holding out his hand. Jared kept quiet, said nothing when Donna had to nudge her other son to make him put down the carving knife and shake his brother's hand. Josh did as he was urged, though he couldn't seem to look Jensen in the eyes while he did it and Donna looked upset on his behalf. She masked it with a smile, though, clapping her hands together and telling them to sit down.
"This all looks great, Mrs Ackles," Jared said, finally breaking his silence with her as he removed his leather jacket and folded it neatly over the back of his chair. Jensen felt his cheeks heat slightly when he noticed both his sister and Cathy checking out Jared's ink-covered arms, but he managed not to react. He was slightly sure there'd be enough noise when he took his own jacket off.
There wasn't, not at first. His sister and brother both gaped at him in silence, and he shifted under their scrutiny, smiling uncomfortably. His mother's gaze travelled over each arm in turn, taking in the tattoos, and then she met his eyes.
"Well," she said, her voice disturbing the stillness in the kitchen. "You certainly like to surprise me, don't you?"
"I figured it was about time you knew," he answered. He felt awkward, stood there, and he crossed one arm over his chest and wrapped his hand around his side. "Jared kind of-"
"I'll bet he did," Josh muttered, interrupting. Donna looked round sharply, frowning at him.
"He explained why people get them," Jensen continued. "And it just felt right, that's all."
"Plus they're pretty hot," Jared added, smirking behind him. Kenzie snickered at that, and it seemed to help break the tension a bit more. Donna was smiling again at least.
"I'm not angry, Jensen," she said. "Just shocked. I keep forgetting that you're an adult, I suppose."
"I have to grow up sometime, mom," he told her, his voice soft.
"I know, sweetheart. But you speak to any mom and they'll all tell you that we never want our kids to grow up."
"But that'd mean that Kenzie would be an annoying teenager forever and that's just not-" He cut off as his sister reached out and whacked his arm for him. "Hey!"
"That's for calling me annoying," Kenzie said. "And that," she hit him again, more gently, "is for not bringing presents."
Donna took her daughter by the shoulder, pulling her back. "Okay, okay. Let's leave the family fights until after dinner, right? C'mon. Sit down, everyone, before the food gets cold!"
Dinner, Jensen thought, was way more awkward than it ought to have been. His sister, mother and Cathy were fine, but Josh stayed moody and barely spoke. Jared was quieter too, joking only now and again, and he was fidgety. Jensen felt like it was an effort to sit there and not touch Jared himself, so he could only hope that the reason for the other man's behavior was the same one. He suspected, though, that it was Josh's odd reaction to him that was making him feel that way.
"So what is it you normally do at Christmas, Jared?" Donna asked, halfway through dessert. She was making an effort to include him, but her question seemed to catch him off-guard and he dropped what was on his spoon as he hesitated before answering.
"Uh. I.. I have this tradition for Christmas morning that I'm gonna show Jen this year. Just something I used to do when I was a kid and I kind of carried on. And I visit Mom. And, uh, Jeff usually buys in dinner 'cause, well, he ain't as good a cook as you are.."
Donna laughed at that, shaking her head. "I'm sure he can't be all that bad?"
"He's getting better. Stevie... Think she's taught him a few things now. Says she wants to be in charge of Christmas dinner, though, which is fine."
"What about Christmas Eve? Bet you don't have to go to church, right?" Kenzie asked, her eyes going wide and mock-innocent when her mother shot her a look.
"Well, not usually. Christmas Eve is..." He trailed off, grinned over at Jensen. "I wouldn't want to spoil the surprise. Although New Year's Eve there's this big party that Jeff's organized. Costume party."
"Costumes?" Jensen echoed. "You didn't say costumes when you told me about it before."
Jared shrugged. "Forgot."
Kenzie watched the exchange between them, glowing with excitement. "I'll help you out with a costume," she offered, and Jensen couldn't say no.
When they'd done cleaning the table and putting the dishes away, Josh excused himself and Cathy and they both left. Jensen didn't know if he just wanted to be away from his brother and from Jared, but he didn't ask. He didn't want to start any arguments, not when everything else was going so well. He and Jared sat with his mom and Kenzie for a while, chatting about all the things that Jensen had missed. Carefully avoiding any mention of Alan.
Kenzie waited until Donna left the room to get them all a drink and told Jensen that she wasn't missing their father at all.
"That's not a real nice thing to say," Jensen told her, frowning.
"Whenever he's here all he and mom do is either fight or ignore each other. I don't know which is worse, really. Josh might ask Cathy to marry him at Christmas, just so they can get a house together and he can move out too. He'll probably chicken out, though. That's why he's pissed at you, I think. Cause you don't have to be here listening to it and for some reason he thinks-"
"I can tell just fine what he thinks."
Kenzie's lip curled. "Yeah. He's not exactly subtle. But he also doesn't want you to know that he blames Dad for this and not you. I don't know why he's taking it out on you."
"I don't care who he blames. He's still my brother."
Donna returned then and they each had a drink, Jared downing his quietly.
"It's so good to see you both, you know," said Jensen's mother, after a while of comfortable silence. "As far as I'm concerned, Jared, you're always welcome here."
"Thanks, Mrs A. Jeff said the same about you."
"Well, that's good to hear, since I'll be dropping off your gifts on Christmas Eve."
"Mom, you don't-"
She held up a hand, silencing her son. "Yes, I do. I've always treated my son at Christmas; I won't stop now. And if your father can buy Josh's girlfriend some stupid gift from the two of us, then I can surely spoil my son's boyfriend too. Now, I hope you'll excuse me. It's been a tiring week and I think I could use a rest."
"Of course, mom. Hey, has anything been moved from my room?"
"No, nothing. I left everything in there that you didn't take with you."
"Okay. I think I'll take Jared up there and show him something I forgot to pick up."
Donna's mouth twitched like she wanted to smile knowingly, but didn't. "It's your room, dear," was all she said, before heading for the door.
Kenzie was all smiles as soon as she was on the stairs. "Are you two going up there to make out?"
Jensen flushed red at his sister's obnoxious question and Jared just laughed at her. "Why don't you go play some Nintendo and mind your own business?" He asked, only laughing harder when she huffed at him. "He's only gonna show me his old report cards. Maybe we'll take a nap too."
"Just keep your clothes on," she told him, hands on her hips. "Mom's the one who's got to strip that bed afterward and-"
"Kenzie," Jensen interrupted. "Shut the hell up."
His sister rolled her eyes at him, but did leave him alone after that and wandered through to the den to watch a movie.
Jensen led Jared up to his room and closed the door behind them, breathed a sigh of relief.
"Thank God," Jared said, pulling Jensen to him and kissing him firmly. "Been trying to keep my hands off you all through dinner and it's been fucking torture."
"Thought you were kind of quiet," Jensen answered.
"Does your door lock?"
Jensen turned the latch in answer and crossed the room to draw the white blinds closed.
"And here I thought you really were gonna show me your old report cards."
"Ha ha. I can if you want."
"You got a stereo in here?"
Jensen shrugged, brow furrowed at the sudden change in subject. "Yeah. Mom said nothing's been moved, so.." He opened up a cabinet set into an alcove opposite the bed and Jared whistled when he saw the flatscreen TV and stereo system that it housed.
"And you left all this to come live with me? I'm flattered."
"You should be. If I didn't love you so much you're damn right I'd still be here, living it up-"
"Partying every night, I bet." He ignored Jensen poking his tongue out and joined him in front of the stereo, digging a CD from his shirt pocket and slipping it into the player. Making sure the volume was loud enough to disguise any noise they might make, but not so loud that it would wake Jensen's mom down the hall, Jared set the music going. Rob Zombie's Feel So Numb soon filled the room and Jensen looked over at him in disbelief.
"Seriously? This is your makeout music?"
"Kind of... It's not all Zombie, okay?"
Jensen shot him a doubtful look and Jared just licked his lips and reached out both arms to loop around the younger man's neck. He closed the distance between them and kissed Jensen's jaw, nothing more than a flash of contact, wet on dry.
"And it's not exactly makeout music..."
--TBC--