PG | Piano Nanny | J2
Title: Piano Nanny
Words 2,500
Rating/Warning: PG-ish?/Kid
Summary: For matalinolukaret's birthday! She asked for: Jared babysits his niece and Jensen is her piano teacher that has lessons when Jared's there.
Notes: LMAO I googled 'piano lessons' and there is a place in my neighborhood called Piano Nanny. It made me spit water. Also, it's 3am and I'm all giddly-goo. Why do I always write Jared as the goober with a kid around and Jensen all stoic?
On Tuesdays, Jared’s done with class by two, which, as Jeff so easily pointed out, gives him plenty of time to pick Jackie up at school and watch her until he or Sarah can get home from work. In the beginning, Jared complains. At twenty-two, senior in college, last thing he wants to do is spend his free time babysitting his ten-year-old niece.
Then Jeff promises home-cooked dinners, and he kind of eases into the idea. He’s won over a tiny bit more on that first day when Jackie screeches and charges right into his hug, giggling as he spins her around and draws all the other fourth graders’ attention. She even announces that she has “the best uncle in the world!”
Okay, kids are a big mood-booster. He’s pretty happy to do it.
But what totally, utterly, brilliantly wins him over is Jackie’s piano teacher, who conveniently comes by every Tuesday from four to five.
She lights up the second Jensen steps over the threshold, and Jensen huffs when she jumps at him. But he still easily lifts her to a hip and grins right back at her while asking about scales and chords.
In the beginning, Jared watches from afar, only chancing a few looks while he pretends to watch TV. After a while, he cruises by the piano and offers them snacks and drinks. Eventually, he just drops into a chair on Jackie’s other side and watches Jensen … her play. He watches Jackie play.
He watches her tiny fingers stumble alongside Jensen’s thick, calloused ones. He sees how her head bops in time with the songs Jensen hums for her. He spies how Jackie’s left foot taps to the same beat Jensen sets with a hand drumming against well-worn jeans that hug the hell out of his thighs.
But one afternoon, Jeff gets home early and catches Jared in full concentration of the lesson. He bats at Jared’s head then nods towards the kitchen, ignorinng Jared’s complaints. Jeff cracks open a bottle of water then tosses the cap at Jared’s nose. “Don’t hit on my kid’s teacher.”
Jared points behind him and whines, “I totally wasn’t. I was watching Jackie. She’s amazing,” he tries to gush.
Jeff rolls his eyes on his way out the door. “You’re on your own for dinner.”
“What? You know I only stay for the food,” he jokes.
“Sarah’s working late, don’t bother.”
Jared steps up next to his brother, clear on the other side of the room but still able to see Jensen with his head bowed close to Jackie’s as he teaches her a new chord. “We could order pizza in?” Jeff glares. “Or go out for sandwiches. Whichever, I’m game.”
“Go home, Jared.”
He frowns but moves over to Jackie, even while he hears his brother grumbling. Leaning down, he kisses her head. “Stay classy, Cracker Jack.”
She and Jensen both look up with a smile. Sadly, hers is much brighter than his. Jared mills around for a few seconds too long, and it’s awkward while Jensen just looks back at him, even more strange when the moment’s broken by Jeff clearing his throat and shoving Jared out of the way.
*
Jared’s happy that Sarah’s the one to show up at the house when he’s, again, camped out at the piano to watch the lesson. He smiles at Jackie and Jensen as he jumps up and out of the room, helping Sarah put groceries away.
“Jensen’s great with Jackie, huh?”
Sarah eyes him then laughs. “Don’t even. Jeff already warned me.”
“What? I’m just asking.” He stacks cans of corn and baked beans into the pantry then tries easily, “Where’d you find him? He really knows his stuff and has tons of patience.”
“Jared - ”
“Just curious. I mean, he’s so close to her, nice to know where he came from, is all.”
She doesn’t say anything and when he turns, she’s leaning against the counter with a hand on her hip and eyes firm on him.
“What?”
Sarah rolls her eyes then turns back to the paper bag full of bread and chips. “She has three weeks left.”
Jared frowns. “Then what?”
There’s just a shrug and he wants to whine, but then Jensen appears at the doorway and nods at them both with a smile. It turns into an awkward frown, and it’s so adorable, Jared wants to bite Jensen’s lips off and eat them. “She has another few lessons in the book she hasn’t followed again?”
“Really?” Sarah asks and nearly sighs. “I thought she was keeping up on it all.”
“She’s doing well when we sit together. But I really would like to see her move forward, check it all off in the book? I don’t want to push, but it’d be a great help for her to practice during the week.”
Jensen is so earnest and it’s endearing to see him really mindful of Jackie’s progression that Jared is thinking of other things he wants to bite, like flushed cheeks and freckled noses and perfect jaws.
Sarah breaks Jared from his daydream when she says, “I’ll talk to her. I’m really sorry. I thought she was doing fine.”
He spins out of the room with a wave just as Jackie passes by and high fives him.
Once he’s gone, Sarah asks, “You been doing your lessons?”
“He was just here,” Jackie defends.
“No, from the book. I see you play every day. Are you not following the book?”
“I look at the book,” she shrugs awkwardly but then smiles at Jared, who’s giving a comforting smile of his own.
Sarah crouches before her, grabbing her hands. “Are you still enjoying it? If you don’t want to do it, we can cancel. It’s not cheap, and I don’t want you to be doing something you don’t want to.”
“No, I like Jensen,” and she looks at Jared and grins. “Jensen’s great.”
Yeah, he is Jared thinks on a sigh.
*
After their last lesson, Jensen gives her a long hug that turns into playful wrestling, and when he lets her go, he ruffles her hair. And he does it again, though nicer, when he sees her frown. “What’s wrong, Jackie?”
Jared moves close and puts a hand to her back. “You okay, bean?”
She looks between them with a full-on pout, water building at her eyes, and then runs out of the room.
“I don’t … it wasn’t me … I didn’t do that, right?” Jensen asks with care in his eyes.
Jared wants to hug him, tuck his face into Jensen’s neck, and tell him everything will be okay. But then he kicks himself because he should really be doing that for Jackie, for whatever her problem is. “I’m sure you didn’t.”
“Was just saying bye,” he murmurs while staring at the empty doorway.
Jared squeezes at his bicep, and kind of lingers, because man, that muscle is tight and warm, and then it’s flexing when Jensen turns and grabs Jared’s elbow. “I, uh, am sure, she’s probably fine, nothing’s wrong, I bet,” he rambles and then frowns when Jensen frowns and shifts away.
“Guess I’ll just go. I’m sorry if I did something.”
He stares as Jensen moves through the room to collect his bag and then close up Jackie’s piano books, stacking them into a neat pile atop the piano. He’s still staring when Jensen gives a short, sad wave and leaves. Jared moves to the hallway and finds Jackie camped out on the stairs. “You okay, little bean?”
She’s frowning then grimacing. “You let him leave.”
“Yeah, you were upset - wait, what?”
Jackie rises, hands on her hips and fire in her eyes. She’s high enough on the steps that he’s actually intimidated and takes a step back. “He was sad and you let him leave.”
“You were sad. I came to see what your problem was.”
“My problem is that it’s the last day and you didn’t do anything.”
“What?” he nearly shrieks. “You eating crazy again?”
Jackie stomps, and he flinches, taking another step back. “Jensen likes you, and you let him leave.”
“He was done with lessons. Wait, what?” he actually shrieks this time. “How do you know Jensen likes me?”
Her head tips to the side, and he gulps; he knows this look. “You’re so stupid,” she meanly chuckles at him, and he feels all of his childish hackles rise up.
“Am not,” he whines. “You’re ten. What do you know about people liking each other?” Then he thinks it over and eases out, “You think he actually likes me?”
“God, you‘re boring.” She stomps up the stairs and slams her door shut.
Jared scrubs at the back of his head as he moves to the front of the house. He’s even biting into his lip when he opens the front door to sit alone on the front swing.
Only, Jensen’s already there. His feet drag on the porch to stop swinging and he quickly sits up. “She okay?”
He laughs harshly and runs a hand through his hair and off his face. “Funny, that. Guess she didn’t want you to be done?”
“Should probably make me feel good,” Jensen chuckles but still frowns. “But it really doesn’t.”
Jared rubs at his neck and finally just puts it out there because he was honestly never good at guys - or girls, really, but at least that he could chalk up to not being remotely attracted to them. “She says you like me?”
Jensen flushes and stands suddenly, appearing to make a move towards the stairs. But he stalls halfway and looks at Jared oddly. “She’s ten?” he half-says, half-asks.
“Yeah, she is.”
“And you’re talking gossip from a fourth grader?”
Jared clears his throat. “Only if it’s good gossip.” Jensen eyes him, and then Jared smirks. “I always wanted to play the piano.”
*
Jared doesn’t own a piano, and as a college student who stocks up on Ramen like he’s planning to survive a bomb shelter, he has no intentions of ever buying one.
But Jensen does own one - two, actually, but he instantly points out that he won’t teach on the baby grand that looks more like decoration than anything operational.
They settle at the bench of his mahogany upright, and Jared spends the first five minutes watching Jensen’s fingers, those hard-knuckled and rugged things he’d stared at for far too long before, walk across the ivory to point out each scale. “Middle C right here, and the whole thing repeats every twelve keys,” Jensen is saying, but Jared’s not really listening. He just watches how Jensen’s middle finger presses the key down and the others flex up to avoid hitting any other notes.
Jensen’s quickly on to him and just withdraws his hands. “You even paying attention?”
Jared looks up at the strained tone but he sees Jensen’s small smile. “I’m trying,” Jared says, and quite earnestly; he’s proud of himself for that.
“To the keys, are you paying attention to the keys?”
Jared thunks the Middle C down. “There.” Jensen rolls his eyes and turns to hide a smile, but Jared catches it, logs it as one he wants to see immediately. So Jared sits upright, faking everything. “I do know this one. Try to keep up.”
His fingers slip right into Heart and Soul, walking up a few notes then scrambling down with the quick descent. Jensen’s fingers slip onto the keys, stroking forward then back as he prepares himself. Jared’s breath catches at the sight, fingers stuttering for a moment, and then Jensen plays the chords to set the rhythm and Jared grins.
Jared starts a new round of the song at a lower octave, and his right hand is on cruise control for the song he learned so long ago. But his eyes are trained on Jensen’s hands, how they curl over with the pads of each finger pressing into the keys before swiping down then back up to form the next chord.
Jensen leans into him to reach a lower octave then softly smiles when Jared stops playing. “All tapped out?” When Jared doesn’t answer, Jensen chuckles and pats the keys into a slow roll of chords that creates a song Jared’s barely knows, but won’t dare interrupt.
Until he can’t manage it anymore and moves into Jensen’s space, kissing him with a hand at his neck to pull him closer. Jensen turns right into it and as Jared pushes closer, Jensen is forced against the piano, keys crying out with an ugly sound. But Jensen’s whimper is lovely, so Jared just smiles.
*
Next Tuesday, Jensen comes through the front door and jokingly grumbles when Jared’s hunched over the piano with Jackie, hands moving across the key to show her a combination of notes that combine to a slow Fur Elise.
“Thought you didn’t know how to play,” he says as he dumps his bag on a nearby chair.
Jared smirks at him, mostly trouble but a little bit sweet. “I believe I said I always wanted to.”
Jensen shakes his head, failing so badly at hiding his smile that he has to bit his lip to stop it. “Can I have the bench?” he asks as levelly as possible. “Jackie does have a new lesson for today.”
“It’s amazing they pay you with that attitude,” Jared jokes as he rises.
Jensen’s further surprised when Jackie’s book is suddenly checked through and she’s surpassed even what Jensen had planned to teach her that day. “You do this?” he asks Jared, pointing at the book.
He’s across the room in an arm chair with his feet up on the ottoman while paging through a magazine. “I didn’t do it for her, but I may have given some prodding.”
Jackie beams up at him. “Jared’s been teaching me since I was six.”
“Really?” Jensen looks to Jared and waits for him to look back, but he doesn’t; he just smiles. And Jensen does, too, before flipping the book to the next lesson. “Okay, so onto the minor A.”
*
Jensen continues on with the charade, teaching Jackie and pushing her through her book, finishing a second and a third before this round of lessons is complete. He doesn’t say a word when Sarah writes the check for the next round.
And he certainly doesn’t when Jared comes by.
It’s about twenty minutes in when Jared takes away his left hand and starts up Moonlight Sonata with just his right setting the pace. Jensen slides close as he straddles the bench and uses his right to carry the song’s upper octaves. Their fingers traipse up and down the keys, clearly in-step as Jensen leans closer, left hand soft at Jared’s back. Jared edges back into the touch and then Jensen rests his chin on Jared’s shoulder, Jared nudging his head over as well.
The notes trail off at the end and Jensen quietly says, “That was kind of nice.”
With a small shift, Jared fully faces the keys and strikes up a rousing That’s All Folks! anthem.
Jensen laughs through a put-upon sigh but then tugs Jared over his lap. The loud crash of notes is a usual sound when Jared sits back and lets Jensen push his shirt up to kiss up his chest.
They never, ever finish a lesson.
Words 2,500
Rating/Warning: PG-ish?/Kid
Summary: For matalinolukaret's birthday! She asked for: Jared babysits his niece and Jensen is her piano teacher that has lessons when Jared's there.
Notes: LMAO I googled 'piano lessons' and there is a place in my neighborhood called Piano Nanny. It made me spit water. Also, it's 3am and I'm all giddly-goo. Why do I always write Jared as the goober with a kid around and Jensen all stoic?
On Tuesdays, Jared’s done with class by two, which, as Jeff so easily pointed out, gives him plenty of time to pick Jackie up at school and watch her until he or Sarah can get home from work. In the beginning, Jared complains. At twenty-two, senior in college, last thing he wants to do is spend his free time babysitting his ten-year-old niece.
Then Jeff promises home-cooked dinners, and he kind of eases into the idea. He’s won over a tiny bit more on that first day when Jackie screeches and charges right into his hug, giggling as he spins her around and draws all the other fourth graders’ attention. She even announces that she has “the best uncle in the world!”
Okay, kids are a big mood-booster. He’s pretty happy to do it.
But what totally, utterly, brilliantly wins him over is Jackie’s piano teacher, who conveniently comes by every Tuesday from four to five.
She lights up the second Jensen steps over the threshold, and Jensen huffs when she jumps at him. But he still easily lifts her to a hip and grins right back at her while asking about scales and chords.
In the beginning, Jared watches from afar, only chancing a few looks while he pretends to watch TV. After a while, he cruises by the piano and offers them snacks and drinks. Eventually, he just drops into a chair on Jackie’s other side and watches Jensen … her play. He watches Jackie play.
He watches her tiny fingers stumble alongside Jensen’s thick, calloused ones. He sees how her head bops in time with the songs Jensen hums for her. He spies how Jackie’s left foot taps to the same beat Jensen sets with a hand drumming against well-worn jeans that hug the hell out of his thighs.
But one afternoon, Jeff gets home early and catches Jared in full concentration of the lesson. He bats at Jared’s head then nods towards the kitchen, ignorinng Jared’s complaints. Jeff cracks open a bottle of water then tosses the cap at Jared’s nose. “Don’t hit on my kid’s teacher.”
Jared points behind him and whines, “I totally wasn’t. I was watching Jackie. She’s amazing,” he tries to gush.
Jeff rolls his eyes on his way out the door. “You’re on your own for dinner.”
“What? You know I only stay for the food,” he jokes.
“Sarah’s working late, don’t bother.”
Jared steps up next to his brother, clear on the other side of the room but still able to see Jensen with his head bowed close to Jackie’s as he teaches her a new chord. “We could order pizza in?” Jeff glares. “Or go out for sandwiches. Whichever, I’m game.”
“Go home, Jared.”
He frowns but moves over to Jackie, even while he hears his brother grumbling. Leaning down, he kisses her head. “Stay classy, Cracker Jack.”
She and Jensen both look up with a smile. Sadly, hers is much brighter than his. Jared mills around for a few seconds too long, and it’s awkward while Jensen just looks back at him, even more strange when the moment’s broken by Jeff clearing his throat and shoving Jared out of the way.
*
Jared’s happy that Sarah’s the one to show up at the house when he’s, again, camped out at the piano to watch the lesson. He smiles at Jackie and Jensen as he jumps up and out of the room, helping Sarah put groceries away.
“Jensen’s great with Jackie, huh?”
Sarah eyes him then laughs. “Don’t even. Jeff already warned me.”
“What? I’m just asking.” He stacks cans of corn and baked beans into the pantry then tries easily, “Where’d you find him? He really knows his stuff and has tons of patience.”
“Jared - ”
“Just curious. I mean, he’s so close to her, nice to know where he came from, is all.”
She doesn’t say anything and when he turns, she’s leaning against the counter with a hand on her hip and eyes firm on him.
“What?”
Sarah rolls her eyes then turns back to the paper bag full of bread and chips. “She has three weeks left.”
Jared frowns. “Then what?”
There’s just a shrug and he wants to whine, but then Jensen appears at the doorway and nods at them both with a smile. It turns into an awkward frown, and it’s so adorable, Jared wants to bite Jensen’s lips off and eat them. “She has another few lessons in the book she hasn’t followed again?”
“Really?” Sarah asks and nearly sighs. “I thought she was keeping up on it all.”
“She’s doing well when we sit together. But I really would like to see her move forward, check it all off in the book? I don’t want to push, but it’d be a great help for her to practice during the week.”
Jensen is so earnest and it’s endearing to see him really mindful of Jackie’s progression that Jared is thinking of other things he wants to bite, like flushed cheeks and freckled noses and perfect jaws.
Sarah breaks Jared from his daydream when she says, “I’ll talk to her. I’m really sorry. I thought she was doing fine.”
He spins out of the room with a wave just as Jackie passes by and high fives him.
Once he’s gone, Sarah asks, “You been doing your lessons?”
“He was just here,” Jackie defends.
“No, from the book. I see you play every day. Are you not following the book?”
“I look at the book,” she shrugs awkwardly but then smiles at Jared, who’s giving a comforting smile of his own.
Sarah crouches before her, grabbing her hands. “Are you still enjoying it? If you don’t want to do it, we can cancel. It’s not cheap, and I don’t want you to be doing something you don’t want to.”
“No, I like Jensen,” and she looks at Jared and grins. “Jensen’s great.”
Yeah, he is Jared thinks on a sigh.
*
After their last lesson, Jensen gives her a long hug that turns into playful wrestling, and when he lets her go, he ruffles her hair. And he does it again, though nicer, when he sees her frown. “What’s wrong, Jackie?”
Jared moves close and puts a hand to her back. “You okay, bean?”
She looks between them with a full-on pout, water building at her eyes, and then runs out of the room.
“I don’t … it wasn’t me … I didn’t do that, right?” Jensen asks with care in his eyes.
Jared wants to hug him, tuck his face into Jensen’s neck, and tell him everything will be okay. But then he kicks himself because he should really be doing that for Jackie, for whatever her problem is. “I’m sure you didn’t.”
“Was just saying bye,” he murmurs while staring at the empty doorway.
Jared squeezes at his bicep, and kind of lingers, because man, that muscle is tight and warm, and then it’s flexing when Jensen turns and grabs Jared’s elbow. “I, uh, am sure, she’s probably fine, nothing’s wrong, I bet,” he rambles and then frowns when Jensen frowns and shifts away.
“Guess I’ll just go. I’m sorry if I did something.”
He stares as Jensen moves through the room to collect his bag and then close up Jackie’s piano books, stacking them into a neat pile atop the piano. He’s still staring when Jensen gives a short, sad wave and leaves. Jared moves to the hallway and finds Jackie camped out on the stairs. “You okay, little bean?”
She’s frowning then grimacing. “You let him leave.”
“Yeah, you were upset - wait, what?”
Jackie rises, hands on her hips and fire in her eyes. She’s high enough on the steps that he’s actually intimidated and takes a step back. “He was sad and you let him leave.”
“You were sad. I came to see what your problem was.”
“My problem is that it’s the last day and you didn’t do anything.”
“What?” he nearly shrieks. “You eating crazy again?”
Jackie stomps, and he flinches, taking another step back. “Jensen likes you, and you let him leave.”
“He was done with lessons. Wait, what?” he actually shrieks this time. “How do you know Jensen likes me?”
Her head tips to the side, and he gulps; he knows this look. “You’re so stupid,” she meanly chuckles at him, and he feels all of his childish hackles rise up.
“Am not,” he whines. “You’re ten. What do you know about people liking each other?” Then he thinks it over and eases out, “You think he actually likes me?”
“God, you‘re boring.” She stomps up the stairs and slams her door shut.
Jared scrubs at the back of his head as he moves to the front of the house. He’s even biting into his lip when he opens the front door to sit alone on the front swing.
Only, Jensen’s already there. His feet drag on the porch to stop swinging and he quickly sits up. “She okay?”
He laughs harshly and runs a hand through his hair and off his face. “Funny, that. Guess she didn’t want you to be done?”
“Should probably make me feel good,” Jensen chuckles but still frowns. “But it really doesn’t.”
Jared rubs at his neck and finally just puts it out there because he was honestly never good at guys - or girls, really, but at least that he could chalk up to not being remotely attracted to them. “She says you like me?”
Jensen flushes and stands suddenly, appearing to make a move towards the stairs. But he stalls halfway and looks at Jared oddly. “She’s ten?” he half-says, half-asks.
“Yeah, she is.”
“And you’re talking gossip from a fourth grader?”
Jared clears his throat. “Only if it’s good gossip.” Jensen eyes him, and then Jared smirks. “I always wanted to play the piano.”
*
Jared doesn’t own a piano, and as a college student who stocks up on Ramen like he’s planning to survive a bomb shelter, he has no intentions of ever buying one.
But Jensen does own one - two, actually, but he instantly points out that he won’t teach on the baby grand that looks more like decoration than anything operational.
They settle at the bench of his mahogany upright, and Jared spends the first five minutes watching Jensen’s fingers, those hard-knuckled and rugged things he’d stared at for far too long before, walk across the ivory to point out each scale. “Middle C right here, and the whole thing repeats every twelve keys,” Jensen is saying, but Jared’s not really listening. He just watches how Jensen’s middle finger presses the key down and the others flex up to avoid hitting any other notes.
Jensen’s quickly on to him and just withdraws his hands. “You even paying attention?”
Jared looks up at the strained tone but he sees Jensen’s small smile. “I’m trying,” Jared says, and quite earnestly; he’s proud of himself for that.
“To the keys, are you paying attention to the keys?”
Jared thunks the Middle C down. “There.” Jensen rolls his eyes and turns to hide a smile, but Jared catches it, logs it as one he wants to see immediately. So Jared sits upright, faking everything. “I do know this one. Try to keep up.”
His fingers slip right into Heart and Soul, walking up a few notes then scrambling down with the quick descent. Jensen’s fingers slip onto the keys, stroking forward then back as he prepares himself. Jared’s breath catches at the sight, fingers stuttering for a moment, and then Jensen plays the chords to set the rhythm and Jared grins.
Jared starts a new round of the song at a lower octave, and his right hand is on cruise control for the song he learned so long ago. But his eyes are trained on Jensen’s hands, how they curl over with the pads of each finger pressing into the keys before swiping down then back up to form the next chord.
Jensen leans into him to reach a lower octave then softly smiles when Jared stops playing. “All tapped out?” When Jared doesn’t answer, Jensen chuckles and pats the keys into a slow roll of chords that creates a song Jared’s barely knows, but won’t dare interrupt.
Until he can’t manage it anymore and moves into Jensen’s space, kissing him with a hand at his neck to pull him closer. Jensen turns right into it and as Jared pushes closer, Jensen is forced against the piano, keys crying out with an ugly sound. But Jensen’s whimper is lovely, so Jared just smiles.
*
Next Tuesday, Jensen comes through the front door and jokingly grumbles when Jared’s hunched over the piano with Jackie, hands moving across the key to show her a combination of notes that combine to a slow Fur Elise.
“Thought you didn’t know how to play,” he says as he dumps his bag on a nearby chair.
Jared smirks at him, mostly trouble but a little bit sweet. “I believe I said I always wanted to.”
Jensen shakes his head, failing so badly at hiding his smile that he has to bit his lip to stop it. “Can I have the bench?” he asks as levelly as possible. “Jackie does have a new lesson for today.”
“It’s amazing they pay you with that attitude,” Jared jokes as he rises.
Jensen’s further surprised when Jackie’s book is suddenly checked through and she’s surpassed even what Jensen had planned to teach her that day. “You do this?” he asks Jared, pointing at the book.
He’s across the room in an arm chair with his feet up on the ottoman while paging through a magazine. “I didn’t do it for her, but I may have given some prodding.”
Jackie beams up at him. “Jared’s been teaching me since I was six.”
“Really?” Jensen looks to Jared and waits for him to look back, but he doesn’t; he just smiles. And Jensen does, too, before flipping the book to the next lesson. “Okay, so onto the minor A.”
*
Jensen continues on with the charade, teaching Jackie and pushing her through her book, finishing a second and a third before this round of lessons is complete. He doesn’t say a word when Sarah writes the check for the next round.
And he certainly doesn’t when Jared comes by.
It’s about twenty minutes in when Jared takes away his left hand and starts up Moonlight Sonata with just his right setting the pace. Jensen slides close as he straddles the bench and uses his right to carry the song’s upper octaves. Their fingers traipse up and down the keys, clearly in-step as Jensen leans closer, left hand soft at Jared’s back. Jared edges back into the touch and then Jensen rests his chin on Jared’s shoulder, Jared nudging his head over as well.
The notes trail off at the end and Jensen quietly says, “That was kind of nice.”
With a small shift, Jared fully faces the keys and strikes up a rousing That’s All Folks! anthem.
Jensen laughs through a put-upon sigh but then tugs Jared over his lap. The loud crash of notes is a usual sound when Jared sits back and lets Jensen push his shirt up to kiss up his chest.
They never, ever finish a lesson.