Fic: How Jared Met Jensen: A Love Story in the Key of D (For Dog) - 2/7
Title: How Jared Met Jensen: A Love Story in the Key of D (For Dog)
Authors:
thrdstrike and
burnfor
Rating: NC-17
Word Count: 14,200+
Summary: It's been three years since Jared and Sandy got divorced, and Jared's sister and brother think that it's time he meets someone new. Nobody said that it would be easy.
Master Post | Part One
Present Day
"Come on, Jared," Megan is pleading. "It's been three years since you and Sandy got divorced. You need to get out there and meet people. Meet someone. Your lack of dating makes me depressed."
Jared offers his sister a sad smile. "Please, Meg. I'm fine!"
Jeff enters the room a moment later saying, "You have a disturbing amount of chick flicks in your movie collection, man. When was the last time you got laid?"
Megan glares at her oldest brother, reminding him that, oh yeah, it's been over three years, so he had better shut the fuck up. Jeff's jaw clicks shut and he raises his hands in apology. "Guys, seriously," Jared protests, falling into one of the kitchen chairs. "I'll start dating when I'm ready, okay? Please don't push me into anything."
***
Jensen's phone was buzzing on the desktop next to his computer. He casts a cursory glance at the screen and rolled his eyes at Chad's name flashing across the screen. He'd call Chad back later. As soon as the phone stops buzzing, however, it was ringing again, Chad's name flashing again, and Jensen sighed, reaching to turn his phone off completely.
The silence in the small apartment he was living in was strange. After seven years of always having Danneel moving around or doing something in the next room, it was strange not having that dull buzz of activity anymore.
A moment later, Jensen's house phone rang, and he cursed in irritation, pushing away from the blank document with the cursor blinking at him mockingly. "Hello?"
"Dude, what the fuck?" Chad's voice whines into Jensen's ear. "You not taking my calls anymore?"
"This isn't really a good time, Chad," Jensen answers.
Chad snorts and Jensen crinkles his nose in distaste. "The fuck it isn't. I'm coming over. Leave the door unlocked." Before Jensen has a chance to answer, Chad hangs up, and the dead air before the dial tone hangs heavy in Jensen's ear.
"Perfect."
Jensen sits staring at his screen for a few more moments, the empty page causing his eyes to swim. He pushes away the notes he'd taken out and sighs. So much for some quality time to start work on his literary monster.
And then Chad appears at his door and there's no time to dwell on anything else.
"Bitch, come over here! I've got some exciting shit for you to look at." His friend waves several sheets of paper around and proceeds to plonk himself down in front of his computer and starts clicking and typing furiously away.
Jensen glances at the screen as Chad swivels it around to face him. And his jaw tightens.
"What the fuck. Matchmaker.com? Date.com? What've you been doing, Chad?"
Chad shrugs and levels a smirk in Jensen's direction. "Thought I'd jump-start your love life a little. It's been really dull since what's-her-name left you. Need to live vicariously through your fumbling and all that shit."
Jensen really isn't amused at this point and glares at his friend. "Just- No. Chad. No. I'm not dating. I'm fine. I don't need to date."
"Like hell you don't. Jen, when was the last time you had some fun?"
"Last week. When you fucking plied me with tequila and had me vomiting in the cab on the way home. That's your idea of fun, Chad. Not mine."
"Right," Chad grins and scratches at his neck. "Fine, so when was the last time you got laid?"
In the end when the bastard leaves, Jensen's left with a Post-It of dating sites and a firm suggestion to use his resources well.
***
Jared glances at the clock; it's nearly time for his kids to go home. "All right, guys. It's time to start putting things away so you're ready when you're parents get here." There is a mix of pleased cheers and unhappy moans at this announcement, but all of Jared's students eventually move to put their things away.
A soft knock at the door draws Jared's attention. "Kirsten. Hey."
"Hey, Jared." She smiles tiredly and comes into the classroom. "End of the day."
Jared grins softly and nods. "It's both my favourite and least favourite time of the day." He watches as Simon, a small, curly-haired boy, clumsily tries to hang his most recent painting up to dry. "Need a hand there buddy?" Jared asks, moving away from Kirsten momentarily to help with the large clips.
Simon sniffs and rubs a hand across the back of his nose. "Thanks Mr. Jared."
"You're welcome, Simon. Go on and wash your hands quick, kay?"
There is another gentle rap on the door, and this time it's Tom, the grade two teacher from around the corner. "What? Did everyone let their class out early today except me?"
Tom shrugs sheepishly.
The three adults help the kids get their backpacks and jackets together. They all line up together at the door and wait for the bell to ring before heading outside to wait for parents. Simon hovers close to Jared's legs as he waits for his mother, but bolts like a shot when he sees her wading through the crowd. "Mom! Mom!" he grabs her hand and drags her back to Jared when he reaches her.
"Hi," she says laughing a bit breathlessly. "I'm Simon's mom, Sophia."
"Hi," Jared replies. "I'm Jared. That's quite the kid you've got on your hands there," he remarks with affection.
Sophia looks down at Simon and runs an affectionate hand through Simon's curls. "He's quite the handful."
"Wait until you see the painting that I did today, mom!" Simon shouts, bouncing on his feet. "Can I go and show it to her, Mr. Jared? Can I?"
Jared grins. "Sure thing, Simon. If you want to."
Before either Jared or Sophia know it, Simon is running back towards the school and tearing the heavy doors open, not waiting to see if his mom or his teacher are following. Sophia offers Jared an awkward smile and follows after her son.
When they reach the classroom again, Sophia waits patiently by the door while Simon gets his picture that had been hung to dry. "I'm sorry," Sophia says, eyes trained on Simon.
"What for?" Jared asks. His arms are crossed over his chest. Sophia doesn't answer immediately, and Jared's eyes move from her son to his mother. However, before she can formulate a reply, Simon is running back over, paper clutched between his fingers.
"Mom! Look!" he cries, practically jumping up and down in front of her. "Look! Look!"
Sophia crouches down and takes a long look at the picture, smiling. "That's real good, baby. We can hang it up when we get home."
He continues to bounce and smiles up at Jared. "Bye Mr. Jared!" he singsongs as Sophia ushers her son back out the door and offers a quick wave.
After Jared is sure that everyone has been picked up okay, he grabs the binder with his class outlines and heads to the teacher's lounge. Tom looks up when he enters, and Jared eases into the chair next to him. "So, how are things going?" Tom asks after a moment.
"My brother and sister are trying to get me to start dating again."
Tom raises an interested eyebrow. "Doesn't seem like such a bad idea."
Jared shrugs non-committal. "I don't know if I'm ready yet."
"Jared, its been three years."
"So everyone keeps reminding me," he answers with a sigh. "How's Mike?"
Tom shrugs, jotting something in red pen on one of the papers in his lap. "He's Mike." And that just about sums it up.
***
Megan is at Jared's house when he arrives home later in the afternoon. Harley is sitting at Megan's feet, tail thumping against the floor in a steady rhythm and tongue hanging out of his mouth as his sister pets idly at his head. There is a soggy chew toy discarded underneath the table. "Megan? What are you doing here?"
She smiles at her older brother, leaning against the kitchen island, legs crossed casually and shrugs. "Do I need a reason to come and visit my brother?"
"Yes," Jared answers suspiciously.
Her smile widens into a grin and she slips off the stool. "Okay. Fine. I am not here for simple visitation; although I think it's unfair of you to assume otherwise." Jared waits for her to elaborate. "Because I am an awesome sister, I went ahead and created a profile for you for potential dates."
"You what?"
"Dating, Jared. I've been watching you mope around for too long. It's time you found someone."
Jared's eyes grow wide. "I don't like the sound of this; so it's no to whatever you're trying to get me to do." He pads over to his computer and waves at it. "Off. Get the profile off. Preferably right now so I know you'll do it."
Megan smiles sweetly. "No can do, brother dearest. And I wouldn't even if I could. This is for your own good. Give it at chance at least, okay?"
He scowls and runs a hand through his hair. "Look, Meg. I know you're doing this out of well-meaning, and Jeff's probably egging you on, but there's no need. I'm doing perfectly fine on my own with absolutely no need to find a date online."
Megan lets out a long suffering sigh. "Look, Jared. This isn't about needing to find a date online. It's about putting yourself out there. You can't keep moping around the house all the time." She sits Jared down at the computer, hand warm on his shoulder. "At least take a look and give it a chance, okay? I'm worried."
"I don't mope," Jared grumps, slumping in the chair. "And I hang out with Tom and Mike all the time." Megan rolls her eyes at the mention of the not-so-ambiguously gay duo, reminding Jared that friends who are already in a serious relationship with each other don't count.
***
Jared is unsurprised when roughly twenty minutes or so later, Jeff knocks on the door and lets himself in. "How's it going?" he calls as he comes into the kitchen.
Megan gives Jeff a so-so motion with her hand and gestures to the fact that Jared is at least looking at the page that she'd set up for him. "Anyone interesting?" he asks joining Megan behind Jared.
"Megan," Jared asks suddenly. "Can I please ask why you said I am looking for men and women?"
Jeff coughs to cover a laugh. "I just wanted to make sure you had lots of options, that's all. And besides. It's not like I don't know that you've had boyfriends in the past."
Jared chokes and turns around spluttering. "Wait, you knew? You never said!"
"Aw, Jared. You weren't exactly the subtlest kid on the block, you know." Jeff is grinning now, and he reaches out to ruffle his brother's hair. "Have fun with Megan. I've gotta run and pick up Cody from practice."
And then Jeff's gone. Jared is sitting there idly flipping through profiles when Megan grabs his arms and points excitedly at the flashing "3 new messages" at the top right corner.
Against Jared's better judgment, he follows Megan's advice and sets up dates with a few of the people who had mentioned they were interested.
Disaster is not a strong enough word for how they turned out.
Part Three
Authors:
thrdstrike and
burnfor
Rating: NC-17
Word Count: 14,200+
Summary: It's been three years since Jared and Sandy got divorced, and Jared's sister and brother think that it's time he meets someone new. Nobody said that it would be easy.
Master Post | Part One
Present Day
"Come on, Jared," Megan is pleading. "It's been three years since you and Sandy got divorced. You need to get out there and meet people. Meet someone. Your lack of dating makes me depressed."
Jared offers his sister a sad smile. "Please, Meg. I'm fine!"
Jeff enters the room a moment later saying, "You have a disturbing amount of chick flicks in your movie collection, man. When was the last time you got laid?"
Megan glares at her oldest brother, reminding him that, oh yeah, it's been over three years, so he had better shut the fuck up. Jeff's jaw clicks shut and he raises his hands in apology. "Guys, seriously," Jared protests, falling into one of the kitchen chairs. "I'll start dating when I'm ready, okay? Please don't push me into anything."
***
Jensen's phone was buzzing on the desktop next to his computer. He casts a cursory glance at the screen and rolled his eyes at Chad's name flashing across the screen. He'd call Chad back later. As soon as the phone stops buzzing, however, it was ringing again, Chad's name flashing again, and Jensen sighed, reaching to turn his phone off completely.
The silence in the small apartment he was living in was strange. After seven years of always having Danneel moving around or doing something in the next room, it was strange not having that dull buzz of activity anymore.
A moment later, Jensen's house phone rang, and he cursed in irritation, pushing away from the blank document with the cursor blinking at him mockingly. "Hello?"
"Dude, what the fuck?" Chad's voice whines into Jensen's ear. "You not taking my calls anymore?"
"This isn't really a good time, Chad," Jensen answers.
Chad snorts and Jensen crinkles his nose in distaste. "The fuck it isn't. I'm coming over. Leave the door unlocked." Before Jensen has a chance to answer, Chad hangs up, and the dead air before the dial tone hangs heavy in Jensen's ear.
"Perfect."
Jensen sits staring at his screen for a few more moments, the empty page causing his eyes to swim. He pushes away the notes he'd taken out and sighs. So much for some quality time to start work on his literary monster.
And then Chad appears at his door and there's no time to dwell on anything else.
"Bitch, come over here! I've got some exciting shit for you to look at." His friend waves several sheets of paper around and proceeds to plonk himself down in front of his computer and starts clicking and typing furiously away.
Jensen glances at the screen as Chad swivels it around to face him. And his jaw tightens.
"What the fuck. Matchmaker.com? Date.com? What've you been doing, Chad?"
Chad shrugs and levels a smirk in Jensen's direction. "Thought I'd jump-start your love life a little. It's been really dull since what's-her-name left you. Need to live vicariously through your fumbling and all that shit."
Jensen really isn't amused at this point and glares at his friend. "Just- No. Chad. No. I'm not dating. I'm fine. I don't need to date."
"Like hell you don't. Jen, when was the last time you had some fun?"
"Last week. When you fucking plied me with tequila and had me vomiting in the cab on the way home. That's your idea of fun, Chad. Not mine."
"Right," Chad grins and scratches at his neck. "Fine, so when was the last time you got laid?"
In the end when the bastard leaves, Jensen's left with a Post-It of dating sites and a firm suggestion to use his resources well.
***
Jared glances at the clock; it's nearly time for his kids to go home. "All right, guys. It's time to start putting things away so you're ready when you're parents get here." There is a mix of pleased cheers and unhappy moans at this announcement, but all of Jared's students eventually move to put their things away.
A soft knock at the door draws Jared's attention. "Kirsten. Hey."
"Hey, Jared." She smiles tiredly and comes into the classroom. "End of the day."
Jared grins softly and nods. "It's both my favourite and least favourite time of the day." He watches as Simon, a small, curly-haired boy, clumsily tries to hang his most recent painting up to dry. "Need a hand there buddy?" Jared asks, moving away from Kirsten momentarily to help with the large clips.
Simon sniffs and rubs a hand across the back of his nose. "Thanks Mr. Jared."
"You're welcome, Simon. Go on and wash your hands quick, kay?"
There is another gentle rap on the door, and this time it's Tom, the grade two teacher from around the corner. "What? Did everyone let their class out early today except me?"
Tom shrugs sheepishly.
The three adults help the kids get their backpacks and jackets together. They all line up together at the door and wait for the bell to ring before heading outside to wait for parents. Simon hovers close to Jared's legs as he waits for his mother, but bolts like a shot when he sees her wading through the crowd. "Mom! Mom!" he grabs her hand and drags her back to Jared when he reaches her.
"Hi," she says laughing a bit breathlessly. "I'm Simon's mom, Sophia."
"Hi," Jared replies. "I'm Jared. That's quite the kid you've got on your hands there," he remarks with affection.
Sophia looks down at Simon and runs an affectionate hand through Simon's curls. "He's quite the handful."
"Wait until you see the painting that I did today, mom!" Simon shouts, bouncing on his feet. "Can I go and show it to her, Mr. Jared? Can I?"
Jared grins. "Sure thing, Simon. If you want to."
Before either Jared or Sophia know it, Simon is running back towards the school and tearing the heavy doors open, not waiting to see if his mom or his teacher are following. Sophia offers Jared an awkward smile and follows after her son.
When they reach the classroom again, Sophia waits patiently by the door while Simon gets his picture that had been hung to dry. "I'm sorry," Sophia says, eyes trained on Simon.
"What for?" Jared asks. His arms are crossed over his chest. Sophia doesn't answer immediately, and Jared's eyes move from her son to his mother. However, before she can formulate a reply, Simon is running back over, paper clutched between his fingers.
"Mom! Look!" he cries, practically jumping up and down in front of her. "Look! Look!"
Sophia crouches down and takes a long look at the picture, smiling. "That's real good, baby. We can hang it up when we get home."
He continues to bounce and smiles up at Jared. "Bye Mr. Jared!" he singsongs as Sophia ushers her son back out the door and offers a quick wave.
After Jared is sure that everyone has been picked up okay, he grabs the binder with his class outlines and heads to the teacher's lounge. Tom looks up when he enters, and Jared eases into the chair next to him. "So, how are things going?" Tom asks after a moment.
"My brother and sister are trying to get me to start dating again."
Tom raises an interested eyebrow. "Doesn't seem like such a bad idea."
Jared shrugs non-committal. "I don't know if I'm ready yet."
"Jared, its been three years."
"So everyone keeps reminding me," he answers with a sigh. "How's Mike?"
Tom shrugs, jotting something in red pen on one of the papers in his lap. "He's Mike." And that just about sums it up.
***
Megan is at Jared's house when he arrives home later in the afternoon. Harley is sitting at Megan's feet, tail thumping against the floor in a steady rhythm and tongue hanging out of his mouth as his sister pets idly at his head. There is a soggy chew toy discarded underneath the table. "Megan? What are you doing here?"
She smiles at her older brother, leaning against the kitchen island, legs crossed casually and shrugs. "Do I need a reason to come and visit my brother?"
"Yes," Jared answers suspiciously.
Her smile widens into a grin and she slips off the stool. "Okay. Fine. I am not here for simple visitation; although I think it's unfair of you to assume otherwise." Jared waits for her to elaborate. "Because I am an awesome sister, I went ahead and created a profile for you for potential dates."
"You what?"
"Dating, Jared. I've been watching you mope around for too long. It's time you found someone."
Jared's eyes grow wide. "I don't like the sound of this; so it's no to whatever you're trying to get me to do." He pads over to his computer and waves at it. "Off. Get the profile off. Preferably right now so I know you'll do it."
Megan smiles sweetly. "No can do, brother dearest. And I wouldn't even if I could. This is for your own good. Give it at chance at least, okay?"
He scowls and runs a hand through his hair. "Look, Meg. I know you're doing this out of well-meaning, and Jeff's probably egging you on, but there's no need. I'm doing perfectly fine on my own with absolutely no need to find a date online."
Megan lets out a long suffering sigh. "Look, Jared. This isn't about needing to find a date online. It's about putting yourself out there. You can't keep moping around the house all the time." She sits Jared down at the computer, hand warm on his shoulder. "At least take a look and give it a chance, okay? I'm worried."
"I don't mope," Jared grumps, slumping in the chair. "And I hang out with Tom and Mike all the time." Megan rolls her eyes at the mention of the not-so-ambiguously gay duo, reminding Jared that friends who are already in a serious relationship with each other don't count.
***
Jared is unsurprised when roughly twenty minutes or so later, Jeff knocks on the door and lets himself in. "How's it going?" he calls as he comes into the kitchen.
Megan gives Jeff a so-so motion with her hand and gestures to the fact that Jared is at least looking at the page that she'd set up for him. "Anyone interesting?" he asks joining Megan behind Jared.
"Megan," Jared asks suddenly. "Can I please ask why you said I am looking for men and women?"
Jeff coughs to cover a laugh. "I just wanted to make sure you had lots of options, that's all. And besides. It's not like I don't know that you've had boyfriends in the past."
Jared chokes and turns around spluttering. "Wait, you knew? You never said!"
"Aw, Jared. You weren't exactly the subtlest kid on the block, you know." Jeff is grinning now, and he reaches out to ruffle his brother's hair. "Have fun with Megan. I've gotta run and pick up Cody from practice."
And then Jeff's gone. Jared is sitting there idly flipping through profiles when Megan grabs his arms and points excitedly at the flashing "3 new messages" at the top right corner.
Against Jared's better judgment, he follows Megan's advice and sets up dates with a few of the people who had mentioned they were interested.
Disaster is not a strong enough word for how they turned out.
Part Three