Fic: RPS (Jared/Jensen): In It for Love [13 / 16] | R | 6160 words
Title: In It for Love [ 13 / 16 ]
Author: dragonspell
Fandom: RPS
Pairing: Jared/Jensen (and Jared/a slew of other characters including Misha Collins, Tom Welling, Mike Rosenbaum, Danneel Harris, Sandy McCoy and some OMCs and OFCs)
Rating: Currently R (eventual NC-17)
Warnings: AU. Cheesiness. Fandom cliches. The usual drill.
Summary (fic): After a drunken dare, award-winning writer Jensen agreed to on a reality television show to vie for the attention of megastar Jared Padalecki who he's had a crush on for years. Only Jensen doesn't know how he's going to be able to tolerate all the other contestants and their widely varying personalities and he's pretty sure that you're not supposed to be able to get used to somebody filming you 24/7.
Summary (part): The show is rocked by some big shakeups and the remaining houseguests are forced to adjust fast.
Word Count: 6160
Disclaimer: Never happened, no affiliation.
Master Post: Master Post
A/N: *waves*
Part 12 | Master Post | Part 14
Episode 7
The house was feeling emptier with each passing day. Jensen didn’t know how it was possible but he was finding that he rather missed the chaos from before. Now, with just the silence in so many of the mansion’s corners, Jensen was left with just his thoughts. It had once been comfortable and familiar ground but at the moment? Jensen was wishing for the distractions back.
He took a pull of his beer as he wandered out onto the patio. True, he could have stayed in the main room and joined in on the gossip-fest that Sandy and Danneel had roped Misha into-or, maybe it was Misha that had lassoed the girls, Jensen wasn’t sure-but Jensen rather thought that death would be preferable. Especially seeing as how they were talking about the pros and cons of certain kinds of women’s underwear and Jensen really just didn’t want to know. Jared had disappeared with Jeff about an hour ago, presumably to record some more interview footage and Ben was most likely in the gym again which left Jensen to his own devices.
Jensen wandered out into the yard where the surprisingly normal fountain was bubbling happily. In a mansion like the one that they were currently living in, Jensen would have expected the fountain to be a gigantic piece of abstract art-or maybe, possibly a statue of an orgy-but it was, instead, just a collection of rocks stacked and arranged to be pleasing to the eye. Jensen trailed his fingers through the shallow stream of water, just wetting his skin. He had to admit: he kind of liked the fountain.
Probably not as much as Misha liked the apple but whatever.
Sitting on the small ledge surrounding the pool that the fountain bubbled into, Jensen took another swallow of beer and stared off into the night. The bright lights of the patio made it almost seem like daylight in the backyard. The fountain, though, was just off from the main part, making it able for Jensen to be able to feel like he was part of the dark.
There were four more cuts left until the end of the show. When Jensen had originally gotten his call back notice and his ticket to California, he never would have imagined that he would have made it this far. He’d outlasted so many people, was maybe even a part of Jared’s affections and who would have ever guessed that? It was surreal to be hanging out with movie stars, to have one famous one in particular dating him on and off. It was unreal.
Jared Padalecki was supposed to be one of those guys that you saw on the silver screen and sighed about, thinking your whatifs and maybes and your theoretical fantasies because stuff like this never came true in real life, right? And yet here Jensen was, living a reality that surpassed even his wildest fantasies.
Jared was also one of those guys that could make you feel like you lived at the exact center of the universe and that the world revolved around you. He was just that intense of a guy-a beam of pure energy that, when focused, could be considered deadly.
Jensen was still shaking his head over the fact that he hadn’t packed. Not because he didn’t think that he’d made the right choice-in his heart, he knew that there’d been no other real option as much as he’d like to think otherwise-but because of how damn much he seemed to have changed in just a few short days. The Jensen that had lived back in Texas, writing award-winning novels, occasionally drinking with a couple of low-rent country music musicians and every now and then entertaining the usual daydreams of gorgeous movie stars would have been on the first train home a long time ago.
Jensen tipped back his head and drained the last of his beer. He brought the empty bottle back down and stared at it. Damn, that had been quick. He was possibly becoming a drunk, too.
There was only one possible explanation for all of this-for how Jensen’s brain had been seemingly replaced, how his body continuously betrayed him, and why he was out sitting beside the fountain like a loser: Jared Padalecki was the Devil. It was the only thing that made sense. Jensen nodded at the bottle. “Lord, lead me not into temptation,” he muttered.
He sat the bottle down on the pool’s edge and decisively turned his back to it. He wasn’t going to become a drunk on top of everything else. Drinking never really solved anything anyway and Jensen knew that it would do shit for the fact that he was apparently falling head over heels for Jared Padalecki. Straight on down the damn rabbit hole and there wasn’t anything to catch onto.
Most likely, Jensen thought, because he was probably already at the bottom. Even now, sitting out on the patio alone, Jensen could swear that he could hear Jared’s voice and that was definitely over the line. There was pathetic and then there was pathetic.
It took Jensen a few moments to realize, however, that he wasn’t just hearing Jared in his head-he was hearing Jared for real. Wasn’t Jared off somewhere with Jeff, though? Blinking, Jensen stood up and edged around the thick bush that Jared’s voice was coming from. He pushed aside one side of the bush and peeked through, recoiling fast when he saw Jared standing there with his arms crossed, talking with not just Jeff but Ben as well.
Jensen’s mother had tried to instill some manners in him and she’d always told him that eavesdropping was wrong but Jensen couldn’t help himself. Just once, he actually wanted to know what was going on in the house and not have to find out about it a day late and a dollar short. Jared’s apparent secret meetings with Lita and Sandy and God knew how many others was still weighing pretty damn heavily on his mind. Jensen couldn’t not listen.
“-he needs me there,” Ben was saying, his voice choked and Jensen swallowed hard because it was the first time he’d ever heard Ben sound upset. He hadn’t realized that the man had it in his emotional range, just assuming that Ben went from blank to happy with no outside area.
“I understand,” Jared said, stepping forward to clasp a hand onto Ben’s shoulder. “You need to be there for him. I wouldn’t expect you to stay.” He pulled Ben into one of his bear hugs and Jensen surprised himself by the flash of jealousy that he felt. He sucked in a quick breath and tried to bury the feeling back down deep where it belonged. Jesus. It was like he was developing an obsession. Normal people didn’t do things like that-stalkers did. “If your dad’s in the hospital than you shouldn’t be here.”
“Thank you,” Ben whispered and Jared held him for a few more seconds. When they broke apart, they both nodded and Ben cracked a smile. “We were a little awkward, anyway.”
Jared laughed and patted Ben’s shoulder. “Only a little bit,” Jared said and Jensen’s mind was already trying to connect the dots, filling in blanks about what they could be talking about because every time Jensen had seen Jared and Ben together, they’d looked just fine to him. “So I guess you need to go get packed, then.”
“Yeah.” Ben held out his hand. “It was great meeting you.”
Jared waved off the hand and pulled Ben in for another hug. He laughed as he pulled away. “If you open that restaurant, I better get an invitation to the grand opening.”
“Yes, sir!” Ben replied, winking at Jared before heading back to the house. Jensen shrank into the bush as much as he was able, even if Ben was going to emerge onto the patio on the other side. He didn’t want Ben to turn around and possibly see him because there really wasn’t a good way to explain why you were hiding in the landscaping, eavesdropping. Jensen knew that he should probably leave soon, as well, because no doubt Jared was going to have to make an announcement now and as much as Jensen didn’t want Ben to find him, he doubly didn’t want Jared to.
If this made it onto TV, too, his mother was going to give him an earful. Jensen sighed quietly because who was he kidding? Some hidden camera had probably already picked him up and it was going to be the highlight of one of the episodes. Reality shows sucked.
Just as Jensen was about to slink away, though, Jeff began to talk. He’d been standing silently beside Jared when Jared had given Ben permission to leave the show but now that Ben was gone, Jeff didn’t seem to be holding back. “This is bullshit, Jared.”
Jared glared at him. “What was I supposed to do, Jeff? Tell him he had to stay? ‘Gee, your dad might be dying, that sucks?’”
Jeff rolled his eyes. “Cut the theatrics. We’re already short and you know that. Cripes, kid-o, I’ve never had so many people up and quit a show like this.” Jared shrugged. “You’re like a curse,” Jeff muttered, rubbing a hand over his forehead. “We can still salvage this-”
“Actually, Jeff,” Jared said, cutting in quietly, “I was thinking about bumping it more.”
Jeff’s jaw dropped. “What?”
“Yeah,” Jared said, hunching his shoulders defensively, his hands sliding into his pockets. “I really don’t think I’m handling this all too well and with Ben leaving, we’re short anyway-”
“Right, so we don’t need to be cutting more people!” Jeff argued.
“We both know that Misha’s only still around because you asked him to stay and I promised that he’d be cut by Friday-”
“Jared, I have a show to produce here. A marketable show! I was promised eleven episodes and I need those eleven episodes! If you cut Misha out, too, that’s going to leave me with nine at best. I can’t market that, Jared!” Jensen was sure that his jaw must be touching the ground by now. What was he listening to? He’d thought that Misha and Jared were perfect for each other but apparently Misha was all but out the door? What else had he been missing?
“Uh, actually, I was thinking about leaving for Tahiti. Tonight.” …As in the island, Jensen thought? He glanced back over his shoulder at the looming mansion wondering what it would be like to leave its now eerily familiar walls. And to go to Tahiti no less…
Jeff’s mouth worked silently before he managed to spit out, “Tonight?” Jared nodded, hunching in on himself even more when Jeff snarled. “You are killing me. No! Absolutely not!”
“Jeff…” Jared pleaded.
“Don’t you ‘Jeff’ me!” Jeff hissed, shaking a finger at Jared. “Damn it, Jared! I’ve got to think of the show.”
“This is more than a show to me, Jeff!” Jared said, slashing his hands outward. “I mean, I can actually see a relationship here!” Jensen felt his heart speed up, wondering and hoping against hope that Jared was talking about him even as his more rational side tried to tell him that there were two other people that Jared could be talking about. Sandy would be a phenomenal match for Jared. So would Danneel.
“No, Jared,” Jeff disagreed. “A few more days isn’t going to mean anything. Except for lots of money, do you get me? You and me getting eleven episodes means it can air and that means lots and lots of money. You deciding to back out of all this means we get squat.”
“We can make it work, Jeff. And I don’t want to keep dragging people around if I don’t have to, you know? That’s unfair. This is ‘In It for Love,’ remember? Not ‘In It for Money!’”
Jeff exhaled and scrubbed at his face with his palms. Silence was hanging between him and Jared again, Jared’s face still pleading with Jeff to give in, until Jeff finally spoke again. “You know,” he muttered, “next season, I think I’m casting a real bastard as my lead.” Jeff sighed and rolled his eyes back over to Jared. “Because this nice guy shit is killing me.”
Jared dropped his shoulders, letting go of the fight that he’d been holding inside of him, and smiled. “Thanks, Jeff,” he said, his arms reaching to pull Jeff into a hug. “I knew that you’d-”
Jeff dodged him, scowling. “Don’t even try that,” he said. “You still owe me three episodes one way or the other, do you got that?” He glared at Jared who nodded hurriedly. “So, if this whole ‘relationship’ thing works out, we’re doing a Jessica Simpson or something, do you got me? Or if it doesn’t, we’re doing a whole new season.” Jeff scrubbed at his forehead again. “Christ. I can’t believe that I’m doing this...”
Jared laughed, his easy attitude at odds with Jeff’s glower of doom. “I don’t think I’d be able to take another round of this,” he said sincerely. “This last one has been enough to make me want to tear out my hair.”
“Oh, can’t have that,” Jeff replied, still glaring but slowly inching it down from ‘death ray’ to merely ‘stunner.’ “What would the world do if Jared Padalecki went bald?”
“Right?” Jared shook his head, sending his hair fanning out around him. “No one can resist these luscious locks, man. I have to keep them.”
“So I suppose we should go tell everyone.” Jeff paused, glancing over at Jared. “You’re serious about that tonight thing? Not even gonna wait a few days?”
Jared nodded. “Yeah. I think I can make that decision tonight.”
“’Cause that takes you down to just two, kid o.” Jeff held up two fingers to illustrate, wagging them at Jared and Jensen felt his heart give a painful lurch. From five to two in just one night? Ben was leaving, Misha was about to and that just left Sandy, Danneel and him. That was a two in three thirds chance that he was going with Jared to Tahiti. His breath caught because holy shit. This was a long ways away from sitting on his couch, jerking off to some fantasy based on a guy he only knew from a television screen.
That was when he realized that he was still technically eavesdropping in the bushes and Jeff and Jared were heading straight for him. Jensen sucked in a harsh breath and tried to bury himself deeper into the bushes. It was a ridiculous move because the little bit of shrubbery would never really hide him and he had two choices: either he could stay crouched down low like a first class douche and hope that Jeff and Jared were blind or he could just stand up now and face the music.
When put like that, Jensen knew that he’d already made his decision. Why he got himself into these kinds of situations, though, he’d never know. He stood up and slunk back to his original position by the fountain, grabbing his empty beer bottle while he waited for Jeff and Jared to come around the corner.
Jared’s eyes lit up when he saw Jensen. “Hi, Jen,” he chirped while Jeff just looked suspicious. Jensen swallowed and avoided Jeff’s assessing stare, facing Jared instead.
“Didn’t know that you were out here,” he said. It was very nearly the truth, after all-he hadn’t know that they were in the backyard just a little while ago.
Jared wrapped an arm around his shoulder, dragging him against Jared’s side and walking him towards the house. “Well, we’re going inside now because I’ve got a few announcements to make.” Jensen nodded slowly because there really wasn’t any use in pretending that he didn’t know what Jared was talking about. Jared, though, smiled straight ahead obliviously and it was Jeff that put two and two together, sighing again and rolling his eyes.
“I’m going to go call Chad,” Jeff said, “and get him over here.” Jared nodded his understanding and pulled Jensen inside the house while Jeff stepped off to the side, punching numbers into his cell phone.
“I thought a lot about our talk, Jen,” Jared said, dragging Jensen’s attention away from Jeff. “You made a lot of good points.” He smiled down at Jensen and gave him a one-armed squeeze that unfurled a bit of heat inside Jensen despite the rather innocent intentions. He knew that he couldn’t help it-hardwired response.
Misha was sitting on the horribly stripped couch, playing with the apple again, while Danneel and Sandy were sitting in opposite chairs, their feet curled up in nearly identical positions. “Hi, Jared!” Sandy chirped, waving her hand.
Jared waved back and, disapprovingly, released Jensen. “Hi, Sandy. So, guys, I’ve got a few announcements to make.” Jared subtly pushed Jensen towards the rest of the group who were starting to sit up straight, paying attention to whatever he had to say. Jensen took the hint and joined the rest of his fellow sheep, standing beside Danneel’s chair because he knew that there probably wasn’t much point in sitting. “I just talked with Jeff and he agreed because we’ve had a few changes and setbacks to our schedule.” Jensen wouldn’t call what Jeff had done agreeing, exactly, more like giving in, but he was willing to cede Jared the point. Close enough.
Jared shoved his hands in to the pockets of his jeans and glanced down at the floor real quick like he was trying to summon up courage. “Ben’s leaving.”
“What?” Sandy asked. Danneel frowned and Misha stopped twirling his apple. Jensen, though, just dropped his eyes down to the spot that Jared seemed to be staring at.
“He had a family emergency and we’ve agreed that he should go home.”
“Is he going to be okay?” Jensen glanced over at Sandy, trying to decide if she was seriously this sincere or playing a part. On one hand, she looked honestly concerned, but on the other, she was an excellent actress.
Jared looked a little startled, too. “Uh, yeah, I think so-well, I hope so.” He shook himself and looked over Misha who was still clutching the gigantic apple. “And Jeff and I also agreed that you can leave whenever you want to, as well.”
Misha tilted his head, giving the apple a half turn. “You’re sure?”
Jared nodded. “Yeah. Otherwise you wouldn’t be cut by Friday and that’s when that protest that you wanted to help out at is happening, right?” Misha nodded slowly while Danneel and Sandy stared at him. “And we’re moving the schedule up anyway.” Jared moved towards Misha, touching the apple and pushing it towards Misha’s chest. “But I’d like you to have this.”
Misha grinned as he held the apple against his torso. “I’ll treasure it always,” he said.
“So, Ben’s out and Misha’s out, and we’re down to the top three?” Danneel asked, laying out the facts.
“That was really quick…” Sandy mumbled, touching a finger to her lips.
“Really quick,” Danneel agreed.
“It’s going to be even quicker,” Jared told them both and Jensen took a deep breath because this was the one thing that Jared had to say that he didn’t already know: how they were going to go down to two from three. “Tonight, I’m picking the final two.”
“How are you going to do that?” Danneel demanded. “We just had an elimination!” It seemed like forever since Lita had left the house instead of just the few hours that it had been.
Jared nodded. “Yeah. I was thinking about waiting until Chad got here and then figuring that one out.”
Danneel sighed and crossed her arms, obviously not happy with Jared’s decision while Sandy just looked thoughtful. Jensen forced himself to ignore the restless butterflies in his stomach, focusing on Misha’s twirling apple. He had a good chance at this. He had a real good chance.
He just had to remember that.
“Mini-dates.” Jensen blinked because there was no way that Chad was serious. ‘Mini-dates’ were something that you went on for speed-dating. Not this…whatever it was that they were doing. Weird-ass, limbo dating. But Jared was nodding along with Chad. Fuck.
“I spend a half-hour with each of you,” Jared said, “and at the end, I’ll pick the final two.” He smiled hopefully but nobody was nodding like usual-not even Sandy. Hell, not even Misha who was still hanging around for some reason. Jared sighed. “It’s what we got, guys. And Jeff likes it because he thinks that he can make it into an episode.” He waved a hand at Jensen. “Come on, Jen. You’re first.”
Jensen swallowed hard and rose from the couch, nervous despite the fact that he kept telling himself that he had nothing to be nervous about. He followed Jared down the long hall and into one of the mansion’s numerous spare rooms. It’d been set up with a lounge area-a small couch and a couple of chairs surrounding a low-standing table that held drinks and snacks. Jensen had a new found respect for the crew because it had only been about twenty minutes since Chad and Jared had started talking about what they were going to do and that must have been a very quick turn-around.
Jared sat down on the couch and patted the seat beside him, inviting Jensen to sit down to. When Jensen did, Jared leaned back against the side of the couch. “How are you doing?” he asked.
Jensen shrugged. “Nervous, I guess.”
“Nervous? I make you nervous, Jen?”
Aw, fuck it. Might as well go for broke. “You possibly not picking me makes me nervous,” he admitted. His eyes were trained on the floor.
“Oh.” Jared slid closer. “What makes you think that I’m not going to pick you?” he asked and Jensen finally dared to look up. Jared’s eyebrows were raised, not in curiosity, but amusement.
Jensen gave him an answering smile, letting some of his apprehension go, drowning it in a small surge of confidence. “You’d better pick me,” he said, playfully jabbing an elbow into Jared’s side.
“Oh?” Jared teased.
“Yeah, oh.” Jared moved closer again and Jensen felt a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. He was trying to think of something witty to say, but, unfortunately, he was falling short. Damn it.
“Think I’d have to be crazy not to pick you?” Jared asked. “Think we’d be good together?” Jensen shivered. He knew that Jared and he would be good together. There wasn’t any ‘thinking’ about it. “I think I’d have to be crazy not to pick you, either.” Jared raised his hand to touch the side of Jensen’s face, making him tilt his head just a little as he pressed a soft kiss to Jensen’s lips. “Because I think you’re perfect.”
The smile that had been threatening cracked across Jensen’s face. “Well, you did say that you were crazy about me,” he said.
Jared chuckled. “You got me.” His hand was doing its usual distracting circles. “So, Jeff says that you were listening outside.” It was a statement without preamble, short and sweet, and Jensen flushed. “You hear everything?”
Jensen stared at the wall even as Jared’s hand kept up its slow, soothing rubs. “…Most of it,” he confessed. There was no use hiding but there was just one thing that he wanted to know… “Did Misha quit?”
Jared’s hand paused, making Jensen fear that perhaps he’d asked a bad question, but then it started back up again. “Kind of,” Jared said. “Misha and I…just have different lives. He’s a great guy, just…different.”
“Very different,” Jensen said, thinking of the apple.
“Yes,” Jared agreed, laughing, “very different. He told me that he didn’t feel a connection and that he’d love to try and make it work anyway but there was an animal rights protest in Washington D.C. and, well…” Jensen nodded, understanding. “Different priorities.”
“Sure,” Jensen replied, not knowing what else to say.
“So, uh…you don’t have any protests or anything to make this weekend, right?” Jared was addressing the question to his own knee.
“No,” Jensen answered immediately. “No, I don’t.” Besides being with Jared, Jensen was pretty much sure that his schedule was free from now until Doomsday if that was what it took. His publisher would be pissed but hey-you couldn’t please everybody.
“Good. ‘Cause I was thinking about taking you to Tahiti. There’s this little resort there that I’ve heard is really good. Would you like to go?”
Jensen smiled. As if Jared even had to ask.
When the half hour had been up, Chad had come and collected Jensen, depositing Danneel in his place while he’d dragged Jensen off to another room, one decorated more sparsely than the one that Jared was still in, the furniture consisting only of two simple chairs and one standing lamp. Jensen had been surprised to not be taken back out into the main room but he had figured that it was just a precaution because there was no way that he’d be able to wipe the silly grin off of his face for Sandy not to be able to guess what was on his mind.
That was, until Chad had started grilling him. Jensen had figured out that he wasn’t being kept separate at all, but, instead, was in an interrogation. Complete with the cheesy, stereotypical spotlight on Chad’s ‘stool pigeon.’ Chad had shined the light directly on Jensen and then hit him hard and fast with questions like “Why do you think that you would be good for Jared?” and “What do you think that you bring to a relationship?” They were all extremely opened questions and none of them were ones that Jensen thought that he could answer confidently. Why did he think that he’d be good for Jared? Besides the fact that they seemed to get along well and that you could power a small city with the sheer amount of sparks that Jensen felt coming off of Jared in waves when they were alone. He’d ended up giving Chad a bullshit answer about how he thought that he complimented Jared’s goofball side and how they had the same interests, blah blah blah. By some miracle, however, Chad had seemed to buy it, just like he bought the rest of the answers that Jensen had babbled on as he tried to stumble his way towards coherency.
Jensen had never been interrogated in his life but he had a feeling that Chad could give the cops a run for their money. It was kind of creepy, actually, and something that he never wanted to repeat again. Then again, that tended to be his reaction to all his interactions with Chad, so maybe he should just take it with a grain of salt.
In the end, Chad had kicked him out of the room with no indication of his opinion one way or the other. He’d just told Jensen to wait in the main room while he took off with Sandy, no doubt giving her to Jared while he grilled Danneel to the nth degree. Jensen had been hoping that the worst was over after that but that was before he saw Jeff approaching with one of the cameramen. Fuck.
“Hey, Jensen,” Jeff said conversationally, sitting down opposite Jensen on the couch. “So, while Jared and Chad are doing their things, I was thinking that we could get some more interview footage in. We’re going to need it considering how things have been going lately. Are you feeling up to it?”
Somehow, Jensen had the feeling that even if he were to say no, Jeff would still take it as a yes. He nodded hesitantly. “Great! So let’s get in it. Lita just left a few hours ago….” He trailed off, like he was expecting Jensen to pick it up but Jensen had no more intention on touching that statement than he did a python. Jensen just nodded again. “I’ve had a few interesting opinions on her. She actually had a few things to say about you.”
Jensen furled his eyebrows. What the fuck would Lita have had to say about him? He knew that he shouldn’t ask the question, but he also knew that he couldn’t not ask. “Like what?”
Jeff shrugged casually-a little too casually. “I believe that she said that you were a bit of a doormat? That you were going to get walked all over.” Jensen averted his eyes, fighting back the instinctive defensiveness. That wouldn’t get him anywhere and, in fact, would just make things worse if Jeff thought that he hit a nerve. “Last night, she said that you were frigid.” Jeff let that statement hang in the air, too, wanting to see if it would get a rise out of Jared and, when it didn’t, he took it one step further. “She said that she’d steal Jared right out from under you because you didn’t give it up.”
Jensen clenched his teeth. As if Jared would have wanted a two-bit skank anyway. Just where the fuck did she get off? He knew that Jeff was baiting him but Jensen had no way of knowing if what he was saying was true or not, even if it did sound like Lita’s usual games. “She watched you leave for your room and then went to go comfort Jared, telling him that you shouldn’t have left him hanging like that and that she knew just how to take care of him.”
“Jared didn’t-” Jensen snapped his mouth closed, unable to believe what he’d just been about to say. Defending Jared’s possible virtue like a high school girl with a crush. That would have been fantastic to have on camera.
“Jared didn’t?” Jeff asked.
Fucking Jeff and his pitbull ways. “Jared said that they talked.”
“I’ll bet,” Jeff shot back, winking and Jensen had a quick flash of ripping out Jeff’s throat. Jesus. Maybe Lita had been rubbing off on him. She must have been contagious.
“He didn’t keep her, now did he?” Jensen snapped, knowing better but not caring. Jeff wasn’t going to stop until he got a reaction anyway. “If Jared had wanted anything to do with her, he would have kept her around. Obviously he didn’t.”
Jeff quirked a smile. “Maybe he already got what he wanted.”
“He didn’t fuck her,” Jensen spat, rising to the bait despite himself. “Or if he did, maybe he should go get himself checked and I don’t want to know about it.” His vision was narrowing to just Jeff’s smug little smile, he was so damn pissed, and it took Jeff’s slow clap to even realize what he’d just said. Fuck
“Very good, kid-o,” Jeff said, congratulating Jensen on a job well done, bitching out one of his housemates. “Was that so hard?”
Jensen glared. “Oh, fu-screw you, Jeff.” He changed the swear word at the last minute, not because he thought that Jeff didn’t deserve it or even that Jeff would mind, but more because he didn’t want another soundbite like that to be on camera for Jeff to edit in wherever he felt like it.
Jeff chuckled. “Fair enough. How do you feel about being in the top three?”
Jensen shrugged roughly. “I’m in the final three.”
“Your competition is two beautiful girls.” Jensen raised his eyebrows, telling Jeff to get to the point already. “Do you think that you have a chance?”
Jensen stared straight ahead at Jeff. “He likes me or I wouldn’t have gotten this far.” Jared also obviously liked a little dick, too, but Jensen wasn’t putting that out on camera anymore than he was an insult.
“Who do you think will be in the top two?” Jeff asked, continuing on. “Everybody always votes for themselves, so who do you think is going to be there with you?”
Jensen finally dropped his eyes away from Jeff-he couldn’t take anymore of Jeff’s all too knowing looks. And, truthfully, he didn’t have a clue. Sandy would be perfect for Jared and Jared had to know that-same lifestyle and all-but that was just it. Maybe Sandy was too perfect and Jared wouldn’t like that. Danneel also shared Jared’s lifestyle-up to a point-and she was down to Earth where Sandy was bubbly. Maybe Jared would like that? Jensen wasn’t quite sure where he fit into to any of it. Unlike either of the girls, he wouldn’t exactly be a trophy to cart around to the premieres-he wouldn’t be able to tolerate all the smoozing and the small talk and the obnoxious paparazzi.
So he just shrugged and gave Jeff nothing again. “Either of them would be a good choice?” Jensen nodded slowly, cautiously agreeing with that assessment. “Sandy thinks that it’s going to be Danneel and her.”
Jensen kept his face blank even as the words stabbed a bolt of fear into him. Either of the girls would do great with Jared. And, gay marriage being legal or not, they were someone that society would more easily accept him with.
Regardless of how much Jensen was trying to hide, Jeff zeroed in on the weak point like it was a bull’s-eye. “She says that you’re not right for Jared and he’d be more likely to chose a girl anyway.”
“I think…” Jensen started, cutting Jeff off before he had a chance to dig the knife in any deeper because a reaction was all Jeff wanted. “I think that that’s all up to Jared.”
Jeff cracked a smile, letting Jensen have the point but Jensen knew that the battle wasn’t over. He’d never had a half hour go so slow.
Jensen took a deep breath as he told himself that this was really happening. After Chad’s interrogation and Jeff’s sheer torture, Jensen had been exhausted and drained, wanting nothing more than to go home and sleep for a week. Frankly, Jensen thought that he’d rather be waterboarded than have to run afoul of Jeff again. The man was still pissed at Jared, no doubt, and taking it out on everybody else, trying to wring out every last bit of dramatic footage that he could.
When Jared had lined them up all up again, though, Jensen had felt ready to explode. What if Jared did pick Sandy and Danneel? What if Sandy was right and that Jensen wasn’t as right for Jared as he was hoping? What if, what if, what if?
Jared had first made them wait while he’d told Misha goodbye, hugging him and wishing him well, promising to attend the next protest that Misha organized. It had all been very touching, but Jensen had spent it just wishing that it was over with because he just had to know.
When they were finally done-Jared still apparently liked to talk to Misha and had happily chatted away with him until Chad had none too subtly cleared his throat-Jared had finally turned to face them. It had felt like an eternity since Jensen had first heard Jared and Jeff and Ben talking behind the bushes and even longer since the first time that Jensen had stepped into the house but none of that could compare with how long it felt for Jared to announce just who was getting on a plane with him and which one was being left behind.
In retrospect, Jensen liked to assure himself that he’d had nothing to worry about. That didn’t mean that he’d felt that way standing on the podium, waiting for Jared to pronounce judgment.
“Doing okay?” Jensen turned his head to look at Jared who was sitting next to him, holding his hand. He smiled because just seeing Jared set off a small glow inside of him and he might as well enjoy it.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” Jensen replied.
“That’s good,” Jared said and turned away to ask Sandy the same question. She giggled and clasped her free hand over the one that Jared was hanging on to.
“I’d doing great,” Sandy told him. “I love planes.” Jensen didn’t say as if he blamed her-especially not for private jets. Jensen glanced out the window and watched the clouds fly by, occasionally seeing a peak of the ocean below him.
Tahiti. Tahiti with Jared. It definitely beat the Hell out of sitting on his couch at home watching Tropic Storm again. Who needed a movie shot of Jared shirtless on a tropical beach when Jensen was going to get to see the real thing, live and in person?
This had all started out as a drunken dare but Jensen knew that he could never regret it.
Part 12 | Master Post | Part 14
Author: dragonspell
Fandom: RPS
Pairing: Jared/Jensen (and Jared/a slew of other characters including Misha Collins, Tom Welling, Mike Rosenbaum, Danneel Harris, Sandy McCoy and some OMCs and OFCs)
Rating: Currently R (eventual NC-17)
Warnings: AU. Cheesiness. Fandom cliches. The usual drill.
Summary (fic): After a drunken dare, award-winning writer Jensen agreed to on a reality television show to vie for the attention of megastar Jared Padalecki who he's had a crush on for years. Only Jensen doesn't know how he's going to be able to tolerate all the other contestants and their widely varying personalities and he's pretty sure that you're not supposed to be able to get used to somebody filming you 24/7.
Summary (part): The show is rocked by some big shakeups and the remaining houseguests are forced to adjust fast.
Word Count: 6160
Disclaimer: Never happened, no affiliation.
Master Post: Master Post
A/N: *waves*
Part 12 | Master Post | Part 14
Episode 7
The house was feeling emptier with each passing day. Jensen didn’t know how it was possible but he was finding that he rather missed the chaos from before. Now, with just the silence in so many of the mansion’s corners, Jensen was left with just his thoughts. It had once been comfortable and familiar ground but at the moment? Jensen was wishing for the distractions back.
He took a pull of his beer as he wandered out onto the patio. True, he could have stayed in the main room and joined in on the gossip-fest that Sandy and Danneel had roped Misha into-or, maybe it was Misha that had lassoed the girls, Jensen wasn’t sure-but Jensen rather thought that death would be preferable. Especially seeing as how they were talking about the pros and cons of certain kinds of women’s underwear and Jensen really just didn’t want to know. Jared had disappeared with Jeff about an hour ago, presumably to record some more interview footage and Ben was most likely in the gym again which left Jensen to his own devices.
Jensen wandered out into the yard where the surprisingly normal fountain was bubbling happily. In a mansion like the one that they were currently living in, Jensen would have expected the fountain to be a gigantic piece of abstract art-or maybe, possibly a statue of an orgy-but it was, instead, just a collection of rocks stacked and arranged to be pleasing to the eye. Jensen trailed his fingers through the shallow stream of water, just wetting his skin. He had to admit: he kind of liked the fountain.
Probably not as much as Misha liked the apple but whatever.
Sitting on the small ledge surrounding the pool that the fountain bubbled into, Jensen took another swallow of beer and stared off into the night. The bright lights of the patio made it almost seem like daylight in the backyard. The fountain, though, was just off from the main part, making it able for Jensen to be able to feel like he was part of the dark.
There were four more cuts left until the end of the show. When Jensen had originally gotten his call back notice and his ticket to California, he never would have imagined that he would have made it this far. He’d outlasted so many people, was maybe even a part of Jared’s affections and who would have ever guessed that? It was surreal to be hanging out with movie stars, to have one famous one in particular dating him on and off. It was unreal.
Jared Padalecki was supposed to be one of those guys that you saw on the silver screen and sighed about, thinking your whatifs and maybes and your theoretical fantasies because stuff like this never came true in real life, right? And yet here Jensen was, living a reality that surpassed even his wildest fantasies.
Jared was also one of those guys that could make you feel like you lived at the exact center of the universe and that the world revolved around you. He was just that intense of a guy-a beam of pure energy that, when focused, could be considered deadly.
Jensen was still shaking his head over the fact that he hadn’t packed. Not because he didn’t think that he’d made the right choice-in his heart, he knew that there’d been no other real option as much as he’d like to think otherwise-but because of how damn much he seemed to have changed in just a few short days. The Jensen that had lived back in Texas, writing award-winning novels, occasionally drinking with a couple of low-rent country music musicians and every now and then entertaining the usual daydreams of gorgeous movie stars would have been on the first train home a long time ago.
Jensen tipped back his head and drained the last of his beer. He brought the empty bottle back down and stared at it. Damn, that had been quick. He was possibly becoming a drunk, too.
There was only one possible explanation for all of this-for how Jensen’s brain had been seemingly replaced, how his body continuously betrayed him, and why he was out sitting beside the fountain like a loser: Jared Padalecki was the Devil. It was the only thing that made sense. Jensen nodded at the bottle. “Lord, lead me not into temptation,” he muttered.
He sat the bottle down on the pool’s edge and decisively turned his back to it. He wasn’t going to become a drunk on top of everything else. Drinking never really solved anything anyway and Jensen knew that it would do shit for the fact that he was apparently falling head over heels for Jared Padalecki. Straight on down the damn rabbit hole and there wasn’t anything to catch onto.
Most likely, Jensen thought, because he was probably already at the bottom. Even now, sitting out on the patio alone, Jensen could swear that he could hear Jared’s voice and that was definitely over the line. There was pathetic and then there was pathetic.
It took Jensen a few moments to realize, however, that he wasn’t just hearing Jared in his head-he was hearing Jared for real. Wasn’t Jared off somewhere with Jeff, though? Blinking, Jensen stood up and edged around the thick bush that Jared’s voice was coming from. He pushed aside one side of the bush and peeked through, recoiling fast when he saw Jared standing there with his arms crossed, talking with not just Jeff but Ben as well.
Jensen’s mother had tried to instill some manners in him and she’d always told him that eavesdropping was wrong but Jensen couldn’t help himself. Just once, he actually wanted to know what was going on in the house and not have to find out about it a day late and a dollar short. Jared’s apparent secret meetings with Lita and Sandy and God knew how many others was still weighing pretty damn heavily on his mind. Jensen couldn’t not listen.
“-he needs me there,” Ben was saying, his voice choked and Jensen swallowed hard because it was the first time he’d ever heard Ben sound upset. He hadn’t realized that the man had it in his emotional range, just assuming that Ben went from blank to happy with no outside area.
“I understand,” Jared said, stepping forward to clasp a hand onto Ben’s shoulder. “You need to be there for him. I wouldn’t expect you to stay.” He pulled Ben into one of his bear hugs and Jensen surprised himself by the flash of jealousy that he felt. He sucked in a quick breath and tried to bury the feeling back down deep where it belonged. Jesus. It was like he was developing an obsession. Normal people didn’t do things like that-stalkers did. “If your dad’s in the hospital than you shouldn’t be here.”
“Thank you,” Ben whispered and Jared held him for a few more seconds. When they broke apart, they both nodded and Ben cracked a smile. “We were a little awkward, anyway.”
Jared laughed and patted Ben’s shoulder. “Only a little bit,” Jared said and Jensen’s mind was already trying to connect the dots, filling in blanks about what they could be talking about because every time Jensen had seen Jared and Ben together, they’d looked just fine to him. “So I guess you need to go get packed, then.”
“Yeah.” Ben held out his hand. “It was great meeting you.”
Jared waved off the hand and pulled Ben in for another hug. He laughed as he pulled away. “If you open that restaurant, I better get an invitation to the grand opening.”
“Yes, sir!” Ben replied, winking at Jared before heading back to the house. Jensen shrank into the bush as much as he was able, even if Ben was going to emerge onto the patio on the other side. He didn’t want Ben to turn around and possibly see him because there really wasn’t a good way to explain why you were hiding in the landscaping, eavesdropping. Jensen knew that he should probably leave soon, as well, because no doubt Jared was going to have to make an announcement now and as much as Jensen didn’t want Ben to find him, he doubly didn’t want Jared to.
If this made it onto TV, too, his mother was going to give him an earful. Jensen sighed quietly because who was he kidding? Some hidden camera had probably already picked him up and it was going to be the highlight of one of the episodes. Reality shows sucked.
Just as Jensen was about to slink away, though, Jeff began to talk. He’d been standing silently beside Jared when Jared had given Ben permission to leave the show but now that Ben was gone, Jeff didn’t seem to be holding back. “This is bullshit, Jared.”
Jared glared at him. “What was I supposed to do, Jeff? Tell him he had to stay? ‘Gee, your dad might be dying, that sucks?’”
Jeff rolled his eyes. “Cut the theatrics. We’re already short and you know that. Cripes, kid-o, I’ve never had so many people up and quit a show like this.” Jared shrugged. “You’re like a curse,” Jeff muttered, rubbing a hand over his forehead. “We can still salvage this-”
“Actually, Jeff,” Jared said, cutting in quietly, “I was thinking about bumping it more.”
Jeff’s jaw dropped. “What?”
“Yeah,” Jared said, hunching his shoulders defensively, his hands sliding into his pockets. “I really don’t think I’m handling this all too well and with Ben leaving, we’re short anyway-”
“Right, so we don’t need to be cutting more people!” Jeff argued.
“We both know that Misha’s only still around because you asked him to stay and I promised that he’d be cut by Friday-”
“Jared, I have a show to produce here. A marketable show! I was promised eleven episodes and I need those eleven episodes! If you cut Misha out, too, that’s going to leave me with nine at best. I can’t market that, Jared!” Jensen was sure that his jaw must be touching the ground by now. What was he listening to? He’d thought that Misha and Jared were perfect for each other but apparently Misha was all but out the door? What else had he been missing?
“Uh, actually, I was thinking about leaving for Tahiti. Tonight.” …As in the island, Jensen thought? He glanced back over his shoulder at the looming mansion wondering what it would be like to leave its now eerily familiar walls. And to go to Tahiti no less…
Jeff’s mouth worked silently before he managed to spit out, “Tonight?” Jared nodded, hunching in on himself even more when Jeff snarled. “You are killing me. No! Absolutely not!”
“Jeff…” Jared pleaded.
“Don’t you ‘Jeff’ me!” Jeff hissed, shaking a finger at Jared. “Damn it, Jared! I’ve got to think of the show.”
“This is more than a show to me, Jeff!” Jared said, slashing his hands outward. “I mean, I can actually see a relationship here!” Jensen felt his heart speed up, wondering and hoping against hope that Jared was talking about him even as his more rational side tried to tell him that there were two other people that Jared could be talking about. Sandy would be a phenomenal match for Jared. So would Danneel.
“No, Jared,” Jeff disagreed. “A few more days isn’t going to mean anything. Except for lots of money, do you get me? You and me getting eleven episodes means it can air and that means lots and lots of money. You deciding to back out of all this means we get squat.”
“We can make it work, Jeff. And I don’t want to keep dragging people around if I don’t have to, you know? That’s unfair. This is ‘In It for Love,’ remember? Not ‘In It for Money!’”
Jeff exhaled and scrubbed at his face with his palms. Silence was hanging between him and Jared again, Jared’s face still pleading with Jeff to give in, until Jeff finally spoke again. “You know,” he muttered, “next season, I think I’m casting a real bastard as my lead.” Jeff sighed and rolled his eyes back over to Jared. “Because this nice guy shit is killing me.”
Jared dropped his shoulders, letting go of the fight that he’d been holding inside of him, and smiled. “Thanks, Jeff,” he said, his arms reaching to pull Jeff into a hug. “I knew that you’d-”
Jeff dodged him, scowling. “Don’t even try that,” he said. “You still owe me three episodes one way or the other, do you got that?” He glared at Jared who nodded hurriedly. “So, if this whole ‘relationship’ thing works out, we’re doing a Jessica Simpson or something, do you got me? Or if it doesn’t, we’re doing a whole new season.” Jeff scrubbed at his forehead again. “Christ. I can’t believe that I’m doing this...”
Jared laughed, his easy attitude at odds with Jeff’s glower of doom. “I don’t think I’d be able to take another round of this,” he said sincerely. “This last one has been enough to make me want to tear out my hair.”
“Oh, can’t have that,” Jeff replied, still glaring but slowly inching it down from ‘death ray’ to merely ‘stunner.’ “What would the world do if Jared Padalecki went bald?”
“Right?” Jared shook his head, sending his hair fanning out around him. “No one can resist these luscious locks, man. I have to keep them.”
“So I suppose we should go tell everyone.” Jeff paused, glancing over at Jared. “You’re serious about that tonight thing? Not even gonna wait a few days?”
Jared nodded. “Yeah. I think I can make that decision tonight.”
“’Cause that takes you down to just two, kid o.” Jeff held up two fingers to illustrate, wagging them at Jared and Jensen felt his heart give a painful lurch. From five to two in just one night? Ben was leaving, Misha was about to and that just left Sandy, Danneel and him. That was a two in three thirds chance that he was going with Jared to Tahiti. His breath caught because holy shit. This was a long ways away from sitting on his couch, jerking off to some fantasy based on a guy he only knew from a television screen.
That was when he realized that he was still technically eavesdropping in the bushes and Jeff and Jared were heading straight for him. Jensen sucked in a harsh breath and tried to bury himself deeper into the bushes. It was a ridiculous move because the little bit of shrubbery would never really hide him and he had two choices: either he could stay crouched down low like a first class douche and hope that Jeff and Jared were blind or he could just stand up now and face the music.
When put like that, Jensen knew that he’d already made his decision. Why he got himself into these kinds of situations, though, he’d never know. He stood up and slunk back to his original position by the fountain, grabbing his empty beer bottle while he waited for Jeff and Jared to come around the corner.
Jared’s eyes lit up when he saw Jensen. “Hi, Jen,” he chirped while Jeff just looked suspicious. Jensen swallowed and avoided Jeff’s assessing stare, facing Jared instead.
“Didn’t know that you were out here,” he said. It was very nearly the truth, after all-he hadn’t know that they were in the backyard just a little while ago.
Jared wrapped an arm around his shoulder, dragging him against Jared’s side and walking him towards the house. “Well, we’re going inside now because I’ve got a few announcements to make.” Jensen nodded slowly because there really wasn’t any use in pretending that he didn’t know what Jared was talking about. Jared, though, smiled straight ahead obliviously and it was Jeff that put two and two together, sighing again and rolling his eyes.
“I’m going to go call Chad,” Jeff said, “and get him over here.” Jared nodded his understanding and pulled Jensen inside the house while Jeff stepped off to the side, punching numbers into his cell phone.
“I thought a lot about our talk, Jen,” Jared said, dragging Jensen’s attention away from Jeff. “You made a lot of good points.” He smiled down at Jensen and gave him a one-armed squeeze that unfurled a bit of heat inside Jensen despite the rather innocent intentions. He knew that he couldn’t help it-hardwired response.
Misha was sitting on the horribly stripped couch, playing with the apple again, while Danneel and Sandy were sitting in opposite chairs, their feet curled up in nearly identical positions. “Hi, Jared!” Sandy chirped, waving her hand.
Jared waved back and, disapprovingly, released Jensen. “Hi, Sandy. So, guys, I’ve got a few announcements to make.” Jared subtly pushed Jensen towards the rest of the group who were starting to sit up straight, paying attention to whatever he had to say. Jensen took the hint and joined the rest of his fellow sheep, standing beside Danneel’s chair because he knew that there probably wasn’t much point in sitting. “I just talked with Jeff and he agreed because we’ve had a few changes and setbacks to our schedule.” Jensen wouldn’t call what Jeff had done agreeing, exactly, more like giving in, but he was willing to cede Jared the point. Close enough.
Jared shoved his hands in to the pockets of his jeans and glanced down at the floor real quick like he was trying to summon up courage. “Ben’s leaving.”
“What?” Sandy asked. Danneel frowned and Misha stopped twirling his apple. Jensen, though, just dropped his eyes down to the spot that Jared seemed to be staring at.
“He had a family emergency and we’ve agreed that he should go home.”
“Is he going to be okay?” Jensen glanced over at Sandy, trying to decide if she was seriously this sincere or playing a part. On one hand, she looked honestly concerned, but on the other, she was an excellent actress.
Jared looked a little startled, too. “Uh, yeah, I think so-well, I hope so.” He shook himself and looked over Misha who was still clutching the gigantic apple. “And Jeff and I also agreed that you can leave whenever you want to, as well.”
Misha tilted his head, giving the apple a half turn. “You’re sure?”
Jared nodded. “Yeah. Otherwise you wouldn’t be cut by Friday and that’s when that protest that you wanted to help out at is happening, right?” Misha nodded slowly while Danneel and Sandy stared at him. “And we’re moving the schedule up anyway.” Jared moved towards Misha, touching the apple and pushing it towards Misha’s chest. “But I’d like you to have this.”
Misha grinned as he held the apple against his torso. “I’ll treasure it always,” he said.
“So, Ben’s out and Misha’s out, and we’re down to the top three?” Danneel asked, laying out the facts.
“That was really quick…” Sandy mumbled, touching a finger to her lips.
“Really quick,” Danneel agreed.
“It’s going to be even quicker,” Jared told them both and Jensen took a deep breath because this was the one thing that Jared had to say that he didn’t already know: how they were going to go down to two from three. “Tonight, I’m picking the final two.”
“How are you going to do that?” Danneel demanded. “We just had an elimination!” It seemed like forever since Lita had left the house instead of just the few hours that it had been.
Jared nodded. “Yeah. I was thinking about waiting until Chad got here and then figuring that one out.”
Danneel sighed and crossed her arms, obviously not happy with Jared’s decision while Sandy just looked thoughtful. Jensen forced himself to ignore the restless butterflies in his stomach, focusing on Misha’s twirling apple. He had a good chance at this. He had a real good chance.
He just had to remember that.
“Mini-dates.” Jensen blinked because there was no way that Chad was serious. ‘Mini-dates’ were something that you went on for speed-dating. Not this…whatever it was that they were doing. Weird-ass, limbo dating. But Jared was nodding along with Chad. Fuck.
“I spend a half-hour with each of you,” Jared said, “and at the end, I’ll pick the final two.” He smiled hopefully but nobody was nodding like usual-not even Sandy. Hell, not even Misha who was still hanging around for some reason. Jared sighed. “It’s what we got, guys. And Jeff likes it because he thinks that he can make it into an episode.” He waved a hand at Jensen. “Come on, Jen. You’re first.”
Jensen swallowed hard and rose from the couch, nervous despite the fact that he kept telling himself that he had nothing to be nervous about. He followed Jared down the long hall and into one of the mansion’s numerous spare rooms. It’d been set up with a lounge area-a small couch and a couple of chairs surrounding a low-standing table that held drinks and snacks. Jensen had a new found respect for the crew because it had only been about twenty minutes since Chad and Jared had started talking about what they were going to do and that must have been a very quick turn-around.
Jared sat down on the couch and patted the seat beside him, inviting Jensen to sit down to. When Jensen did, Jared leaned back against the side of the couch. “How are you doing?” he asked.
Jensen shrugged. “Nervous, I guess.”
“Nervous? I make you nervous, Jen?”
Aw, fuck it. Might as well go for broke. “You possibly not picking me makes me nervous,” he admitted. His eyes were trained on the floor.
“Oh.” Jared slid closer. “What makes you think that I’m not going to pick you?” he asked and Jensen finally dared to look up. Jared’s eyebrows were raised, not in curiosity, but amusement.
Jensen gave him an answering smile, letting some of his apprehension go, drowning it in a small surge of confidence. “You’d better pick me,” he said, playfully jabbing an elbow into Jared’s side.
“Oh?” Jared teased.
“Yeah, oh.” Jared moved closer again and Jensen felt a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. He was trying to think of something witty to say, but, unfortunately, he was falling short. Damn it.
“Think I’d have to be crazy not to pick you?” Jared asked. “Think we’d be good together?” Jensen shivered. He knew that Jared and he would be good together. There wasn’t any ‘thinking’ about it. “I think I’d have to be crazy not to pick you, either.” Jared raised his hand to touch the side of Jensen’s face, making him tilt his head just a little as he pressed a soft kiss to Jensen’s lips. “Because I think you’re perfect.”
The smile that had been threatening cracked across Jensen’s face. “Well, you did say that you were crazy about me,” he said.
Jared chuckled. “You got me.” His hand was doing its usual distracting circles. “So, Jeff says that you were listening outside.” It was a statement without preamble, short and sweet, and Jensen flushed. “You hear everything?”
Jensen stared at the wall even as Jared’s hand kept up its slow, soothing rubs. “…Most of it,” he confessed. There was no use hiding but there was just one thing that he wanted to know… “Did Misha quit?”
Jared’s hand paused, making Jensen fear that perhaps he’d asked a bad question, but then it started back up again. “Kind of,” Jared said. “Misha and I…just have different lives. He’s a great guy, just…different.”
“Very different,” Jensen said, thinking of the apple.
“Yes,” Jared agreed, laughing, “very different. He told me that he didn’t feel a connection and that he’d love to try and make it work anyway but there was an animal rights protest in Washington D.C. and, well…” Jensen nodded, understanding. “Different priorities.”
“Sure,” Jensen replied, not knowing what else to say.
“So, uh…you don’t have any protests or anything to make this weekend, right?” Jared was addressing the question to his own knee.
“No,” Jensen answered immediately. “No, I don’t.” Besides being with Jared, Jensen was pretty much sure that his schedule was free from now until Doomsday if that was what it took. His publisher would be pissed but hey-you couldn’t please everybody.
“Good. ‘Cause I was thinking about taking you to Tahiti. There’s this little resort there that I’ve heard is really good. Would you like to go?”
Jensen smiled. As if Jared even had to ask.
When the half hour had been up, Chad had come and collected Jensen, depositing Danneel in his place while he’d dragged Jensen off to another room, one decorated more sparsely than the one that Jared was still in, the furniture consisting only of two simple chairs and one standing lamp. Jensen had been surprised to not be taken back out into the main room but he had figured that it was just a precaution because there was no way that he’d be able to wipe the silly grin off of his face for Sandy not to be able to guess what was on his mind.
That was, until Chad had started grilling him. Jensen had figured out that he wasn’t being kept separate at all, but, instead, was in an interrogation. Complete with the cheesy, stereotypical spotlight on Chad’s ‘stool pigeon.’ Chad had shined the light directly on Jensen and then hit him hard and fast with questions like “Why do you think that you would be good for Jared?” and “What do you think that you bring to a relationship?” They were all extremely opened questions and none of them were ones that Jensen thought that he could answer confidently. Why did he think that he’d be good for Jared? Besides the fact that they seemed to get along well and that you could power a small city with the sheer amount of sparks that Jensen felt coming off of Jared in waves when they were alone. He’d ended up giving Chad a bullshit answer about how he thought that he complimented Jared’s goofball side and how they had the same interests, blah blah blah. By some miracle, however, Chad had seemed to buy it, just like he bought the rest of the answers that Jensen had babbled on as he tried to stumble his way towards coherency.
Jensen had never been interrogated in his life but he had a feeling that Chad could give the cops a run for their money. It was kind of creepy, actually, and something that he never wanted to repeat again. Then again, that tended to be his reaction to all his interactions with Chad, so maybe he should just take it with a grain of salt.
In the end, Chad had kicked him out of the room with no indication of his opinion one way or the other. He’d just told Jensen to wait in the main room while he took off with Sandy, no doubt giving her to Jared while he grilled Danneel to the nth degree. Jensen had been hoping that the worst was over after that but that was before he saw Jeff approaching with one of the cameramen. Fuck.
“Hey, Jensen,” Jeff said conversationally, sitting down opposite Jensen on the couch. “So, while Jared and Chad are doing their things, I was thinking that we could get some more interview footage in. We’re going to need it considering how things have been going lately. Are you feeling up to it?”
Somehow, Jensen had the feeling that even if he were to say no, Jeff would still take it as a yes. He nodded hesitantly. “Great! So let’s get in it. Lita just left a few hours ago….” He trailed off, like he was expecting Jensen to pick it up but Jensen had no more intention on touching that statement than he did a python. Jensen just nodded again. “I’ve had a few interesting opinions on her. She actually had a few things to say about you.”
Jensen furled his eyebrows. What the fuck would Lita have had to say about him? He knew that he shouldn’t ask the question, but he also knew that he couldn’t not ask. “Like what?”
Jeff shrugged casually-a little too casually. “I believe that she said that you were a bit of a doormat? That you were going to get walked all over.” Jensen averted his eyes, fighting back the instinctive defensiveness. That wouldn’t get him anywhere and, in fact, would just make things worse if Jeff thought that he hit a nerve. “Last night, she said that you were frigid.” Jeff let that statement hang in the air, too, wanting to see if it would get a rise out of Jared and, when it didn’t, he took it one step further. “She said that she’d steal Jared right out from under you because you didn’t give it up.”
Jensen clenched his teeth. As if Jared would have wanted a two-bit skank anyway. Just where the fuck did she get off? He knew that Jeff was baiting him but Jensen had no way of knowing if what he was saying was true or not, even if it did sound like Lita’s usual games. “She watched you leave for your room and then went to go comfort Jared, telling him that you shouldn’t have left him hanging like that and that she knew just how to take care of him.”
“Jared didn’t-” Jensen snapped his mouth closed, unable to believe what he’d just been about to say. Defending Jared’s possible virtue like a high school girl with a crush. That would have been fantastic to have on camera.
“Jared didn’t?” Jeff asked.
Fucking Jeff and his pitbull ways. “Jared said that they talked.”
“I’ll bet,” Jeff shot back, winking and Jensen had a quick flash of ripping out Jeff’s throat. Jesus. Maybe Lita had been rubbing off on him. She must have been contagious.
“He didn’t keep her, now did he?” Jensen snapped, knowing better but not caring. Jeff wasn’t going to stop until he got a reaction anyway. “If Jared had wanted anything to do with her, he would have kept her around. Obviously he didn’t.”
Jeff quirked a smile. “Maybe he already got what he wanted.”
“He didn’t fuck her,” Jensen spat, rising to the bait despite himself. “Or if he did, maybe he should go get himself checked and I don’t want to know about it.” His vision was narrowing to just Jeff’s smug little smile, he was so damn pissed, and it took Jeff’s slow clap to even realize what he’d just said. Fuck
“Very good, kid-o,” Jeff said, congratulating Jensen on a job well done, bitching out one of his housemates. “Was that so hard?”
Jensen glared. “Oh, fu-screw you, Jeff.” He changed the swear word at the last minute, not because he thought that Jeff didn’t deserve it or even that Jeff would mind, but more because he didn’t want another soundbite like that to be on camera for Jeff to edit in wherever he felt like it.
Jeff chuckled. “Fair enough. How do you feel about being in the top three?”
Jensen shrugged roughly. “I’m in the final three.”
“Your competition is two beautiful girls.” Jensen raised his eyebrows, telling Jeff to get to the point already. “Do you think that you have a chance?”
Jensen stared straight ahead at Jeff. “He likes me or I wouldn’t have gotten this far.” Jared also obviously liked a little dick, too, but Jensen wasn’t putting that out on camera anymore than he was an insult.
“Who do you think will be in the top two?” Jeff asked, continuing on. “Everybody always votes for themselves, so who do you think is going to be there with you?”
Jensen finally dropped his eyes away from Jeff-he couldn’t take anymore of Jeff’s all too knowing looks. And, truthfully, he didn’t have a clue. Sandy would be perfect for Jared and Jared had to know that-same lifestyle and all-but that was just it. Maybe Sandy was too perfect and Jared wouldn’t like that. Danneel also shared Jared’s lifestyle-up to a point-and she was down to Earth where Sandy was bubbly. Maybe Jared would like that? Jensen wasn’t quite sure where he fit into to any of it. Unlike either of the girls, he wouldn’t exactly be a trophy to cart around to the premieres-he wouldn’t be able to tolerate all the smoozing and the small talk and the obnoxious paparazzi.
So he just shrugged and gave Jeff nothing again. “Either of them would be a good choice?” Jensen nodded slowly, cautiously agreeing with that assessment. “Sandy thinks that it’s going to be Danneel and her.”
Jensen kept his face blank even as the words stabbed a bolt of fear into him. Either of the girls would do great with Jared. And, gay marriage being legal or not, they were someone that society would more easily accept him with.
Regardless of how much Jensen was trying to hide, Jeff zeroed in on the weak point like it was a bull’s-eye. “She says that you’re not right for Jared and he’d be more likely to chose a girl anyway.”
“I think…” Jensen started, cutting Jeff off before he had a chance to dig the knife in any deeper because a reaction was all Jeff wanted. “I think that that’s all up to Jared.”
Jeff cracked a smile, letting Jensen have the point but Jensen knew that the battle wasn’t over. He’d never had a half hour go so slow.
Jensen took a deep breath as he told himself that this was really happening. After Chad’s interrogation and Jeff’s sheer torture, Jensen had been exhausted and drained, wanting nothing more than to go home and sleep for a week. Frankly, Jensen thought that he’d rather be waterboarded than have to run afoul of Jeff again. The man was still pissed at Jared, no doubt, and taking it out on everybody else, trying to wring out every last bit of dramatic footage that he could.
When Jared had lined them up all up again, though, Jensen had felt ready to explode. What if Jared did pick Sandy and Danneel? What if Sandy was right and that Jensen wasn’t as right for Jared as he was hoping? What if, what if, what if?
Jared had first made them wait while he’d told Misha goodbye, hugging him and wishing him well, promising to attend the next protest that Misha organized. It had all been very touching, but Jensen had spent it just wishing that it was over with because he just had to know.
When they were finally done-Jared still apparently liked to talk to Misha and had happily chatted away with him until Chad had none too subtly cleared his throat-Jared had finally turned to face them. It had felt like an eternity since Jensen had first heard Jared and Jeff and Ben talking behind the bushes and even longer since the first time that Jensen had stepped into the house but none of that could compare with how long it felt for Jared to announce just who was getting on a plane with him and which one was being left behind.
In retrospect, Jensen liked to assure himself that he’d had nothing to worry about. That didn’t mean that he’d felt that way standing on the podium, waiting for Jared to pronounce judgment.
“Doing okay?” Jensen turned his head to look at Jared who was sitting next to him, holding his hand. He smiled because just seeing Jared set off a small glow inside of him and he might as well enjoy it.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” Jensen replied.
“That’s good,” Jared said and turned away to ask Sandy the same question. She giggled and clasped her free hand over the one that Jared was hanging on to.
“I’d doing great,” Sandy told him. “I love planes.” Jensen didn’t say as if he blamed her-especially not for private jets. Jensen glanced out the window and watched the clouds fly by, occasionally seeing a peak of the ocean below him.
Tahiti. Tahiti with Jared. It definitely beat the Hell out of sitting on his couch at home watching Tropic Storm again. Who needed a movie shot of Jared shirtless on a tropical beach when Jensen was going to get to see the real thing, live and in person?
This had all started out as a drunken dare but Jensen knew that he could never regret it.
Part 12 | Master Post | Part 14