A Most Awesome Thanksgiving
A Most Awesome Thanksgiving
1200 words; PG
Timestamp to A Most Awesome Soccer Coach, for wendy from the Holiday Prompt Post
Jensen drops down to sit at the kitchen table, sleepily rolls his eyes to the ceiling, and squints against the morning light streaking across the white paint. The blinds are slanted upward and the sun is just starting to rise; coffee is absolutely needed at this hour, as it was the hour before, and the one before that.
He kicks his feet up onto the kitchen chair to his left and tilts his head around, stretching the muscles in his shoulders and neck. In a flash, he wishes Jared was up with his giant, powerful hands and fingers to massage him loose, but he’d promised to let Jared sleep through the morning in exchange for hours of help later in the day.
“What you doin’?” comes on a small grumble from the doorway to the rest of the house.
Jensen clears his throat and narrows his eyes as he watches Nathan shuffle across the room. “What’re you doing?”
“Couldn’t sleep,” he mumbles as he rubs at his eyes.
For a few quiet moments, Jensen smiles softly and watches Nathan, now twelve, scrub over his face and through his hair in a manner that’s not so unfamiliar from his father. And even as Jensen’s watched Nathan grow these last five years, there are still obvious traces of the young boy still there.
“Why are you up so early?” Nathan asks as he slides into the chair across from Jensen.
Jensen smirks when Nathan's feet end up on the same chair as his own and wiggle into a comfortable place. “I’m watching the turkey.”
Nathan squints as he looks around the room. “Watching it what?”
“Cook,” Jensen chuckles. “In the oven.”
“All morning?”
Jensen nods and brings his coffee up to his lips. “Every hour on the hour.” He takes a small sip then puts the mug off to the side when he considers that being up with Nathan could be enough to keep them both awake. “Why can’t you sleep?”
Nathan sinks lower in his seat, but it does nothing to stop the way his shoulders hunch in like he’s trying not to shrug.
Tapping their feet together, Jensen gets Nathan’s attention and gives him a small smile. “What’s up, kiddo?”
His eyes drop for a moment then he looks around the room, everywhere but at Jensen. “First holiday … without my mom.”
Jensen holds his breath and feels it burn in his lungs. For all that he cares for Nathan, and knows that the boy cares back, Jensen has always been aware that he’s not a replacement for what Nathan and Jared have had before. Nathan still has a father and a mother he spends all his time with. Jensen considers himself more like an adjacent piece that enhances their life. And for this Thanksgiving, they’re hosting Thanksgiving at Jared’s house, for Jensen’s family, while Sandy holds her own dinner.
“I’m sure your dad will take you over there if you want.”
Nathan looks down to his lap and breathes so deep, his shoulders rise and his chest puffs out. “Do you have a big family?”
Jensen smiles softly to ease Nathan. “There’re a few of us. Older brother and his wife and kids, younger sister, then my parents. Not too many.”
“Are they nice?” he asks quietly.
This wakes Jensen right up, with wide eyes and a quick-beating heart. Are they nice? He chuckles a little, which draws Nathan’s attention back up. “They’re all really, really awful.”
Nathan rolls his eyes and slants his body to the side, but Jensen can still see him smiling. “Shuddup.”
Jensen feels his cheeks warm when he says, “They’re all excited to spend Thanksgiving with you and your dad.” And it’s true, so over-the-top true that he’s almost embarrassed by all the questions his parents have asked him about Jared and Nathan and their life together.
“I’m kinda nervous,” he mumbles.
“Why?”
Nathan makes a face and looks just beyond Jensen’s shoulder. “It’s like I’m an instant grandson, or something. Not everyone would be excited about that.”
Jensen puts his feet to the ground and leans forward to lightly shake Nathan’s foot. “I think they kinda like the instant part,” he jokes. “But, you know, they’re pretty nervous, too. They want you to like being around them and all that.”
“I like you,” Nathan says plainly. “I want to like them.”
He shakes his head fondly.
It takes a few hours for Nathan to settle, and it seems even longer given that Jensen is watching him like a hawk to make sure nothing goes awry.
While potatoes and green beans are being scooped into serving dishes and Jensen’s mom carves the bird, Jared elbows Jensen and nods off to the hallways where Nathan’s carefully listening to something Jensen’s dad is telling him.
“What’s up with you keeping tabs on Nathan all day?” Jared asks lightly.
Jensen glances around and catches how his mom is not-so-stealthily listening. “Just making sure he’s okay. He said he was nervous about all the new people.”
“Really?” he asks quickly and then seems worried when he looks up to Nathan and Jensen’s dad still talking. “I thought it’d be okay, it’s been a while with us, and-”
“It’s fine,” Jensen assures him, rubbing softly over Jared’s arm. “He’s calmed down since this morning and given who he’s talking to, I think he’ll be a-okay.”
“I don’t know,” he mumbles, reminding Jensen all too much of how quiet and awkward Nathan was in the morning.
“Jared,” Jensen’s mom says with comfort. “Nathan’ll be fine.”
When she winks at Jensen, he smirks and pats Jared’s arm, but it doesn’t seem to ease any of Jared’s discomfort.
“But what if,” Jared worries, but then takes on a low, “Ohh,” when Nathan suddenly drops his mouth open in elated shock.
Jensen leans into Jared and they watch the conversation in the hallway turn into something more light and fun. “Yeah, Dad’s probably now talking about when he played in Wembly Stadium.”
“You’re dad played in Wembly? Nathan’ll go crazy.”
“It was two games,” Jensen’s mom sighs, like she’s heard this all before.
“He trained for a week when he was in college,” Jensen defends.
“At the old stadium,” she sighs.
“It still counts,” Jensen argues playfully.
“I didn’t know your dad played,” Jared says.
“Where do you think I got it from?” Jensen asks with a smirk and a raised eyebrow.
Jared grins and leans in to kiss, as if just the mention of Jensen playing soccer turns him on. Jensen moves right into him, fitting his hands over Jared’s hips and slipping his tongue into Jared’s mouth, but a short cough stops them dead. Jensen pulls back and aims a short smile towards his mom as Jared mumbles something about checking on Nathan and leaves the room.
“When it’s not disgusting, it’s adorable.”
Jensen nervously glances to his mom and she goes on with a soft smile.
“The way Jared adores you, and you adore Nathan. Could’ve all been a big mess.”
“Well,” he says slowly with an even slower smile. “Thankfully it all worked out.”
She tips her head and smiles, too. “Thankfully indeed.”
1200 words; PG
Timestamp to A Most Awesome Soccer Coach, for wendy from the Holiday Prompt Post
Jensen drops down to sit at the kitchen table, sleepily rolls his eyes to the ceiling, and squints against the morning light streaking across the white paint. The blinds are slanted upward and the sun is just starting to rise; coffee is absolutely needed at this hour, as it was the hour before, and the one before that.
He kicks his feet up onto the kitchen chair to his left and tilts his head around, stretching the muscles in his shoulders and neck. In a flash, he wishes Jared was up with his giant, powerful hands and fingers to massage him loose, but he’d promised to let Jared sleep through the morning in exchange for hours of help later in the day.
“What you doin’?” comes on a small grumble from the doorway to the rest of the house.
Jensen clears his throat and narrows his eyes as he watches Nathan shuffle across the room. “What’re you doing?”
“Couldn’t sleep,” he mumbles as he rubs at his eyes.
For a few quiet moments, Jensen smiles softly and watches Nathan, now twelve, scrub over his face and through his hair in a manner that’s not so unfamiliar from his father. And even as Jensen’s watched Nathan grow these last five years, there are still obvious traces of the young boy still there.
“Why are you up so early?” Nathan asks as he slides into the chair across from Jensen.
Jensen smirks when Nathan's feet end up on the same chair as his own and wiggle into a comfortable place. “I’m watching the turkey.”
Nathan squints as he looks around the room. “Watching it what?”
“Cook,” Jensen chuckles. “In the oven.”
“All morning?”
Jensen nods and brings his coffee up to his lips. “Every hour on the hour.” He takes a small sip then puts the mug off to the side when he considers that being up with Nathan could be enough to keep them both awake. “Why can’t you sleep?”
Nathan sinks lower in his seat, but it does nothing to stop the way his shoulders hunch in like he’s trying not to shrug.
Tapping their feet together, Jensen gets Nathan’s attention and gives him a small smile. “What’s up, kiddo?”
His eyes drop for a moment then he looks around the room, everywhere but at Jensen. “First holiday … without my mom.”
Jensen holds his breath and feels it burn in his lungs. For all that he cares for Nathan, and knows that the boy cares back, Jensen has always been aware that he’s not a replacement for what Nathan and Jared have had before. Nathan still has a father and a mother he spends all his time with. Jensen considers himself more like an adjacent piece that enhances their life. And for this Thanksgiving, they’re hosting Thanksgiving at Jared’s house, for Jensen’s family, while Sandy holds her own dinner.
“I’m sure your dad will take you over there if you want.”
Nathan looks down to his lap and breathes so deep, his shoulders rise and his chest puffs out. “Do you have a big family?”
Jensen smiles softly to ease Nathan. “There’re a few of us. Older brother and his wife and kids, younger sister, then my parents. Not too many.”
“Are they nice?” he asks quietly.
This wakes Jensen right up, with wide eyes and a quick-beating heart. Are they nice? He chuckles a little, which draws Nathan’s attention back up. “They’re all really, really awful.”
Nathan rolls his eyes and slants his body to the side, but Jensen can still see him smiling. “Shuddup.”
Jensen feels his cheeks warm when he says, “They’re all excited to spend Thanksgiving with you and your dad.” And it’s true, so over-the-top true that he’s almost embarrassed by all the questions his parents have asked him about Jared and Nathan and their life together.
“I’m kinda nervous,” he mumbles.
“Why?”
Nathan makes a face and looks just beyond Jensen’s shoulder. “It’s like I’m an instant grandson, or something. Not everyone would be excited about that.”
Jensen puts his feet to the ground and leans forward to lightly shake Nathan’s foot. “I think they kinda like the instant part,” he jokes. “But, you know, they’re pretty nervous, too. They want you to like being around them and all that.”
“I like you,” Nathan says plainly. “I want to like them.”
He shakes his head fondly.
It takes a few hours for Nathan to settle, and it seems even longer given that Jensen is watching him like a hawk to make sure nothing goes awry.
While potatoes and green beans are being scooped into serving dishes and Jensen’s mom carves the bird, Jared elbows Jensen and nods off to the hallways where Nathan’s carefully listening to something Jensen’s dad is telling him.
“What’s up with you keeping tabs on Nathan all day?” Jared asks lightly.
Jensen glances around and catches how his mom is not-so-stealthily listening. “Just making sure he’s okay. He said he was nervous about all the new people.”
“Really?” he asks quickly and then seems worried when he looks up to Nathan and Jensen’s dad still talking. “I thought it’d be okay, it’s been a while with us, and-”
“It’s fine,” Jensen assures him, rubbing softly over Jared’s arm. “He’s calmed down since this morning and given who he’s talking to, I think he’ll be a-okay.”
“I don’t know,” he mumbles, reminding Jensen all too much of how quiet and awkward Nathan was in the morning.
“Jared,” Jensen’s mom says with comfort. “Nathan’ll be fine.”
When she winks at Jensen, he smirks and pats Jared’s arm, but it doesn’t seem to ease any of Jared’s discomfort.
“But what if,” Jared worries, but then takes on a low, “Ohh,” when Nathan suddenly drops his mouth open in elated shock.
Jensen leans into Jared and they watch the conversation in the hallway turn into something more light and fun. “Yeah, Dad’s probably now talking about when he played in Wembly Stadium.”
“You’re dad played in Wembly? Nathan’ll go crazy.”
“It was two games,” Jensen’s mom sighs, like she’s heard this all before.
“He trained for a week when he was in college,” Jensen defends.
“At the old stadium,” she sighs.
“It still counts,” Jensen argues playfully.
“I didn’t know your dad played,” Jared says.
“Where do you think I got it from?” Jensen asks with a smirk and a raised eyebrow.
Jared grins and leans in to kiss, as if just the mention of Jensen playing soccer turns him on. Jensen moves right into him, fitting his hands over Jared’s hips and slipping his tongue into Jared’s mouth, but a short cough stops them dead. Jensen pulls back and aims a short smile towards his mom as Jared mumbles something about checking on Nathan and leaves the room.
“When it’s not disgusting, it’s adorable.”
Jensen nervously glances to his mom and she goes on with a soft smile.
“The way Jared adores you, and you adore Nathan. Could’ve all been a big mess.”
“Well,” he says slowly with an even slower smile. “Thankfully it all worked out.”
She tips her head and smiles, too. “Thankfully indeed.”