J2 | The Agent & the Analyst, Part 3: The Codename
Title: The Agent & the Analyst, Part 3: The Codename
Words: 3100
Rating: PG-13 for language
Summary: Jensen is a surly government analyst and Jared is the bodyguard that always smiles.
Notes: Part 3 of the bodyguard!verse. Also for the cottoncandy_bingo prompt Sleeping together (non-sexual).
Part Two
Jensen nods in thanks as Jared holds the back door open for him. It’s the morning after Jared had promised to not let anything happen to Jensen, but that doesn’t mean it’s any easier. Jensen had spent half the night in a fit whenever he heard a floorboard creak or leaves rustle outside his bedroom window.
It’s going to take a lot of coffee to get through the day, or at least a few naps. Jensen’s not picky.
He’s drinking his coveted coffee as he walks through his backyard, heading towards the front for Jared’s car. The cherry chocolate coffee was something Jared had added to the grocery order, and Jensen had stared at it for a good amount of time before he shook his head and finally poured himself some.
With a small, impressed smile, Jensen has to admit it tastes really freaking good.
Maybe the day’s not going to be so bad.
Of course, Jensen’s wishful thinking goes out the window a second later when he hears Jared speak into his cuff.
“Dumbo’s on the move.”
Jensen stops where he is, ten or so feet from making the full turn to the driveway, and runs it over in his head again.
“Everything okay?” Jared asks, leaning around Jensen’s side to look at him.
Jensen shuts his eyes and is certain he’s imagined it in his sleep deprivation. Sure, Jared speaks into his piece often, mumbles things about where they’re heading or if they’ve changed plans and stay put. But never, has Jensen actually heard --
“Dumbo’s stalled.”
Finally, Jensen turns on Jared. “Dumbo? Dumbo?!”
“Is everything okay?” Jared asks. His eyes are soft and open, as if there is no problem whatsoever and he’s more concerned about Jensen’s mental health than the fact that he’s assigned Jensen a horrific codename.
“I’m Dumbo?” Jensen asks.
“You’re Jensen,” Jared replies easily. “Is this a trick question?”
And now the guy is smiling, which Jensen has realized is some sick form of kryptonite. Especially when combined with Jared’s soft doe eyes, which he’s aiming at Jensen right now.
“Jensen?”
“Yeah, yeah,” Jensen sighs, waving Jared off as he heads to the car.
*
He should really listen to himself when he says it’ll be bad day. He’s hardly wrong there, evidenced by Danneel staring at him like he’s wasting her time.
Danneel blinks, sighs, then gets back to pouring herself coffee in the kitchen. “I don’t see the big deal.”
“My codename is Dumbo,” Jensen complains. “Where the hell does that come from?”
She assess him and shrugs. “Well, you do have big ears.”
“I do not!”
She shrugs again. “Either way, you’re being a drama queen.”
Two seconds later, Jensen’s left alone in the kitchen and he takes the moment to reach up and touch the edge of his ear. “I don’t have big ears,” he mumbles pathetically.
Brock Kelly, a junior analyst who’s barely past his third month, stops in the doorway and looks at Jensen.
Jensen immediately drops his hand and glares at Brock. “What?”
“It’s just … really big,” Brock says oddly.
“My ears are not big!” Jensen yells.
“I meant your bodyguard,” Brock explains then backs away when Jared appears in the doorway with a stern look on his face.
Jared’s eyes search the room for any threat until Jensen waves him off.
“There’s nothing to see here,” Jensen mutters.
“You were yelling.”
Jensen is a bit reckless as he pours coffee and shucks the pot back into place, ignoring how he spills coffee and creamer on the counter. “Yes, I was.” He marches out of the kitchen and down to his office with Jared right in step.
“I’m sensing that you’re upset.”
Jensen stops just inside his office and suddenly laughs in Jared’s face. “Well, congratulations! You’ve sensed absolutely, freaking correctly. And for a secret service agent, I’m really surprised how good you are at sensing.”
Jared frowns and Jensen feels all tension drain from his body. He does not like that look on Jared’s face. At all.
And he kind of hates how much he hates it, because Jared is his bodyguard and should only be a mere layer of protection against whatever outside threat is gearing for him. He shouldn’t be someone who influences Jensen’s emotions on a daily basis. Yet, he is, and Jensen wishes he could stop it.
“I’m sorry for whatever I did,” Jared says, and while his face is an incredible swirl of sad and tense, his voice is incredibly level.
Jensen wonders what kind of power it takes for Jared to control his voice because Jensen can feel his own words about to waver as he apologizes, “No, you didn’t do anything.”
Except name me Dumbo, Jensen’s inner voice unhelpfully supplies.
When the awkwardness has reached unknown levels, Jensen waves at his desk. “I should probably …”
“Yeah,” Jared agrees with a nod. “And I should …”
Another moment or two passes of them looking at each other, then definitely not looking at one another, until they finally separate and Jensen goes to his desk and Jared stands just outside the doorway.
It’s the first time in a week that Jared has stood guard at the door. As they’ve become more used to one another, Jared has taken one of the chairs in Jensen’s office or even left Jensen on his own for a few hours at a time, assured that Jensen’s safety within a government building is at its best.
Jensen tries not to let it bother him that Jared is not really gone while Jensen feels his absence all the same.
*
Jensen is leaning close to his screen while his index finger rolls the scroll wheel on his mouse. He’s scanning all the data flying across his screen, but he hasn’t found the details he’s searching for to add to his file on an AnonOps kid who’s been nabbing email lists from political candidates’ websites and spamming them with literature of opposing parties.
Truth be told, Jensen’s kind of amused by it all - especially the extreme right-wingers who are receiving photos of gay couples happily making their own public displays of affection. Jensen won’t admit it to his supervisors, but he’s been really taking his time on this case.
Still, he’s combing through membership lists when there’s a happy pattern of knocking at his door frame. He glances up and it’s Brock Kelly, who Jensen is supposedly assigned to mentor, but it hasn’t worked out lately. Receiving death threats kind of puts a damper on one’s schedule.
“I thought I’d check in, see if you need any help on anything,” Brock says with a tinge of excitement in his voice.
“I’m good, thanks,” Jensen mumbles as he keeps reading his screen.
“You sure? I could run some background checks for you? Flag posts on 4chan or even lay a few bombs in Anonland.”
Jensen slowly looks up from his screen to find Brock grinning at him with his hands in his pockets and rocking on his heels like he can’t contain all of his energy. “You want to lay bombs in Anonland?”
“Yeah, why not? It’s the up and comer behind AnonOps, right?”
He wonders how a new, junior analyst would know such a thing. Danneel had mentioned it to Jensen just two weeks ago during a quick coffee break, but no one else has really vocalized it around here. Jensen’s been looking into them on the side; otherwise no one talks about it.
Then again, Brock is the epitome of over-excitable teacher’s pet.
Jensen shakes his head. “We are not laying bombs anywhere that--”
“C’mon!” Brock insists, sitting down in one of the armchairs facing Jensen’s desk. “It’d be so cool to say we stopped the baby anons right before they even got off the ground.”
Suddenly, Jensen wishes Jared were inside. For all the peace and quiet Jensen has had to roll through work today, he figures if Jared were seated in one of those chairs, Brock wouldn’t have taken the chance to plop down in Jensen’s space.
Jensen stares at Brock long enough that he gets uncomfortable that he can tell just how delirious this kid is. “Excuse me?”
Brock shrugs and finally looks a bit contrite. “I dunno. I just don’t get to do anything around here but check files and elevate reports up to you and Danneel. I want something more to do.”
Chuckling, Jensen goes back to his screen. “I’ve been here for nearly 15 years. It takes a li’l while until you’re in the gunning down baby anons stage.”
Brock comes around Jensen’s desk and spies over his shoulder. His eyes are glazed over as he watches the words fly across the screen and he murmurs, “Yeah, but it’d be so cool to learn from the master.”
Jensen stares at Brock again, feeling something akin to disgust when he recognizes Brock’s hero worship.
Before Jensen can shoo Brock away, Jared appears in the doorway and clears his throat. “Jensen, we need to see Internal Observations.”
Where Jensen had been momentarily thankful for Jared’s interruption, he’s immediately soured and nauseous, and sort of wishes Brock would hang around longer to pester him. Anything’s better than learning there’s another threat, especially here at work when Jensen thought his safety was at its highest.
Rising, Jensen rights his suit vest then straightens his glasses as he passes Jared in the doorway, mostly just so he doesn’t have to look at Jared’s stoic face to know how serious this is. He doesn’t bother asking what it’s about, even if he is dying for some conversation.
He’s utterly confused, however, when Jared leads him left instead of right, through a side door, and outside to the deck off of the cafeteria. Dumbly, Jensen follows Jared to the coffee cart where a pleasant woman - name tag: Judy - graciously serves Jared some concoction he didn’t even have to name, just the usual he had insisted.
A few more words are exchanged; they all sound fancy and French, so Jensen has no idea what’s happening until he has a piping hot cup of coffee in his hand. Seconds later, Jared is leading him to a table in the far corner where they’re shielded from the sun by the roof overhang of the wing next to them.
“So, we’re meeting Jeffrey out here?” Jensen asks. “How bad is it?”
“Oh, it’s pretty bad,” Jared replies. While the words could completely upend Jensen’s tenuous patience, it’s really how easily Jared had said it, or how he’s smiling right now. He takes a healthy sip of his coffee, whip cream dotting the tip of his nose, and gives Jensen a sly look. “Bad enough to make you leave your babysitting post.”
Jensen knows he should be embarrassed about how long it takes him to figure it out. Jared just seems amused by it. “So you made up a fake threat to get me away from Kelly?”
“It’s not as though it’s a fake threat. I’m sure there are some very real ones on the horizon.”
Jensen’s stomach rolls. “That’s not helping.”
“Sorry, very sorry,” Jared insists with a blush spreading high on his cheeks. “That’s kind of an inside joke.”
“I think the service needs to find new inside jokes.”
Jared smiles easily, though he still looks red-faced. It’s jarring, yet very nice to see. “You’re probably right.”
“Something a little further from home,” Jensen suggests.
“I would agree.”
“Maybe something more like … I must’ve done something awful to get Kelly attached to my hip.”
“You really must’ve. He’s a piece of work.” Jared laughs, bright eyed and wide-mouthed, and it does things to Jensen. Makes him wish that he’d met Jared some other way, that Jared wasn’t his damned bodyguard, that he didn’t even need a bodyguard. And now he’s wondering how many times a day he’s thought any of those things in the last two weeks.
The answer is a lot.
Jensen nods and drinks, appreciating the smooth coffee flavor tempered by a lick of sweetness. Much better than the standard brew in his department. “I think they assumed I wanted an assistant. Or that i like working with other people.”
“Little did they know...”
When Jensen glances up, Jared’s slanting an interested look his way and Jensen takes the dig for what it feels like: flirtation.
*
“Are you playing tonight?” Jared asks, leaning against the doorway to Jensen’s study. He makes a good picture with his suit jacket and tie gone, shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows and showing tanned forearms.
They’ve only been home a few minutes and Jensen came to his study feeling jittery, like he had to do something after a long day of work and a few slips of flirtation with Jared. He’s completely lost as to what to really say. “I don’t have to.” He sets the game controller back to the coffee table and faces Jared. “Something else up?”
Jared waves it off and strolls into the room. “No, nothing’s up. Just seeing what you were doing.”
“I was thinking of it,” Jensen says idly, watching Jared roam the room and look at every bit of decoration on the walls. It’s mostly just framed techno-art, but Jared seems interested.
“You can play if you want.”
Jensen shrugs. “I’m not really committed to it or anything.” Jared offers him a small smile from over his shoulder and Jensen drops down to sit on the couch just so he’s not standing stupidly in the middle of the room. Jared joins him less than a minute later and Jensen’s not sure if he can stand how close they’re sitting. He is absolutely certain that he will break out of his skin if they have to keep stepping around one another with this attraction growing stronger.
Jared opens his mouth to talk, even gets a few words out, but Jensen isn’t aware of what they are because he leans in and kisses Jared. For about ten seconds, Jared kisses leans closer and kisses him back, pushes his tongue up against Jensen’s.
Jensen sets his hand to Jared’s knee, and presses his fingers around the joint, feels Jared’s muscles twitch beneath his hand. He squeezes more and moves closer.
Jared covers Jensen’s hand with his own and shifts back with a tiny noise that seems wrong. Especially when he clears his throat and firmly says, “Jensen.”
“That sounds bad,” Jensen mumbles as he darts his eyes away.
“It’s not,” he says, but there isn’t much power behind the words. “It’s just … against the rules.”
“Rules are dumb.” And okay, Jensen knows he sounds childish as he says it.
Jared chuckles. “They are. But they’re real.”
“Real dumb.”
Another chuckle and Jared sits up, looking at his hands folded together between his knees. “It’s my fault, I know. I should’ve kept more space.”
“Yeah,” he says pathetically.
Jared is far too smart because he makes a point when he says, “It could alter my ability to protect you.”
Jensen, however, is wheedling as he offers, “Or you could be on the top of your game by watching so close.”
“I’ve been watching pretty close already.”
Jensen looks up at that and while Jared is watching the blank TV screen in front of them, he’s smiling, and Jensen counts that as a win. “It’s the camera in my room, isn’t it?” Then he chuckles when Jared shakes his head with a bigger smile. “That was more of a joke, but I’m strangely happy to know it’s true.”
Jared laughs, sits back against the cushions, and surprises Jensen by motioning at the TV. “How about a movie or something?”
Jensen happily reaches for the remote on the side table. “Yeah, a movie sounds great.”
*
Jensen wakes with a crick in his neck, the TV blaring some children’s cartoon, and Jared’s head on his shoulder.
He doesn’t dare move because Jared is warm along his side, curled into himself with his arms crossed at his chest. He closes his eyes and smiles as he leans into Jared, recalling how nice it was the night before as they talked through a cop flick they’d found on late-night cable. He’d found out that Jared always wanted to be in law enforcement, but had gone into political science then was recruited by the service his senior year of college because of his high GPA and his commitment to the Army ROTC.
He also figured out that Jared is unable to ignore what’s growing between them despite his respect for his job and need to stay completely objective to the detail. Much to Jensen’s disappointment, they didn’t get any further than their aborted kiss, but Jared had been pretty obvious that he’s not adverse to it. His presence throughout the night and now his head on Jensen’s shoulder seem to be enough to go by.
Jared sniffs and rubs his cheek on Jensen’s shoulder as he slowly wakes. His eyes find Jensen’s and he softly smiles with an even softer, “Morning,” as he sits up.
“Good morning,” Jensen mumbles, unsure of what to say at this point.
Jared groans and stretches then checks his watch. “You should probably get ready soon.”
“Yeah.”
As if Jared realizes this isn’t what should be happening, he firmly says, “I should get ready.”
“Yeah,” Jensen repeats, still lost for words. Before he realizes it, Jared is up and walking out of the room. “You, uh,” he says, just to stop Jared at the doorway.
“I’ll make coffee. You should get in the shower.”
Then Jared winks and Jensen slaps his legs to get himself going. “Yes,” he says happily. “You, coffee. Me, shower.”
Jared nods in agreement and leaves the room, calling back, “I’ll see you in thirty.”
Jensen nods in return. “Definitely.”
A few seconds later, Jared appears in the doorway again. “Just so you know, I don’t think you’re ears are too big.”
Self-consciously, Jensen touches his ear. “Nah, I didn’t think so.”
Jared takes a deep breath and recites, “Through the blinding lightning flash, and the mighty thunder crash, ever faithful, ever true, nothing stops him, he'll get through.”
Jensen stares at Jared, blinks a few times. He guesses that’s from Dumbo the movie, and he gives Jared a pointed look. “Really?”
With a shrug, Jared smiles. “Well, they’re not that big.”
“Rude.”
Jared laughs, and it sounds happy and open, two things Jared hasn’t been in these last two weeks. “Thirty minutes.”
Jensen smiles back and salutes. “Yes, sir.”
Part Four
Words: 3100
Rating: PG-13 for language
Summary: Jensen is a surly government analyst and Jared is the bodyguard that always smiles.
Notes: Part 3 of the bodyguard!verse. Also for the cottoncandy_bingo prompt Sleeping together (non-sexual).
Part Two
Jensen nods in thanks as Jared holds the back door open for him. It’s the morning after Jared had promised to not let anything happen to Jensen, but that doesn’t mean it’s any easier. Jensen had spent half the night in a fit whenever he heard a floorboard creak or leaves rustle outside his bedroom window.
It’s going to take a lot of coffee to get through the day, or at least a few naps. Jensen’s not picky.
He’s drinking his coveted coffee as he walks through his backyard, heading towards the front for Jared’s car. The cherry chocolate coffee was something Jared had added to the grocery order, and Jensen had stared at it for a good amount of time before he shook his head and finally poured himself some.
With a small, impressed smile, Jensen has to admit it tastes really freaking good.
Maybe the day’s not going to be so bad.
Of course, Jensen’s wishful thinking goes out the window a second later when he hears Jared speak into his cuff.
“Dumbo’s on the move.”
Jensen stops where he is, ten or so feet from making the full turn to the driveway, and runs it over in his head again.
“Everything okay?” Jared asks, leaning around Jensen’s side to look at him.
Jensen shuts his eyes and is certain he’s imagined it in his sleep deprivation. Sure, Jared speaks into his piece often, mumbles things about where they’re heading or if they’ve changed plans and stay put. But never, has Jensen actually heard --
“Dumbo’s stalled.”
Finally, Jensen turns on Jared. “Dumbo? Dumbo?!”
“Is everything okay?” Jared asks. His eyes are soft and open, as if there is no problem whatsoever and he’s more concerned about Jensen’s mental health than the fact that he’s assigned Jensen a horrific codename.
“I’m Dumbo?” Jensen asks.
“You’re Jensen,” Jared replies easily. “Is this a trick question?”
And now the guy is smiling, which Jensen has realized is some sick form of kryptonite. Especially when combined with Jared’s soft doe eyes, which he’s aiming at Jensen right now.
“Jensen?”
“Yeah, yeah,” Jensen sighs, waving Jared off as he heads to the car.
*
He should really listen to himself when he says it’ll be bad day. He’s hardly wrong there, evidenced by Danneel staring at him like he’s wasting her time.
Danneel blinks, sighs, then gets back to pouring herself coffee in the kitchen. “I don’t see the big deal.”
“My codename is Dumbo,” Jensen complains. “Where the hell does that come from?”
She assess him and shrugs. “Well, you do have big ears.”
“I do not!”
She shrugs again. “Either way, you’re being a drama queen.”
Two seconds later, Jensen’s left alone in the kitchen and he takes the moment to reach up and touch the edge of his ear. “I don’t have big ears,” he mumbles pathetically.
Brock Kelly, a junior analyst who’s barely past his third month, stops in the doorway and looks at Jensen.
Jensen immediately drops his hand and glares at Brock. “What?”
“It’s just … really big,” Brock says oddly.
“My ears are not big!” Jensen yells.
“I meant your bodyguard,” Brock explains then backs away when Jared appears in the doorway with a stern look on his face.
Jared’s eyes search the room for any threat until Jensen waves him off.
“There’s nothing to see here,” Jensen mutters.
“You were yelling.”
Jensen is a bit reckless as he pours coffee and shucks the pot back into place, ignoring how he spills coffee and creamer on the counter. “Yes, I was.” He marches out of the kitchen and down to his office with Jared right in step.
“I’m sensing that you’re upset.”
Jensen stops just inside his office and suddenly laughs in Jared’s face. “Well, congratulations! You’ve sensed absolutely, freaking correctly. And for a secret service agent, I’m really surprised how good you are at sensing.”
Jared frowns and Jensen feels all tension drain from his body. He does not like that look on Jared’s face. At all.
And he kind of hates how much he hates it, because Jared is his bodyguard and should only be a mere layer of protection against whatever outside threat is gearing for him. He shouldn’t be someone who influences Jensen’s emotions on a daily basis. Yet, he is, and Jensen wishes he could stop it.
“I’m sorry for whatever I did,” Jared says, and while his face is an incredible swirl of sad and tense, his voice is incredibly level.
Jensen wonders what kind of power it takes for Jared to control his voice because Jensen can feel his own words about to waver as he apologizes, “No, you didn’t do anything.”
Except name me Dumbo, Jensen’s inner voice unhelpfully supplies.
When the awkwardness has reached unknown levels, Jensen waves at his desk. “I should probably …”
“Yeah,” Jared agrees with a nod. “And I should …”
Another moment or two passes of them looking at each other, then definitely not looking at one another, until they finally separate and Jensen goes to his desk and Jared stands just outside the doorway.
It’s the first time in a week that Jared has stood guard at the door. As they’ve become more used to one another, Jared has taken one of the chairs in Jensen’s office or even left Jensen on his own for a few hours at a time, assured that Jensen’s safety within a government building is at its best.
Jensen tries not to let it bother him that Jared is not really gone while Jensen feels his absence all the same.
*
Jensen is leaning close to his screen while his index finger rolls the scroll wheel on his mouse. He’s scanning all the data flying across his screen, but he hasn’t found the details he’s searching for to add to his file on an AnonOps kid who’s been nabbing email lists from political candidates’ websites and spamming them with literature of opposing parties.
Truth be told, Jensen’s kind of amused by it all - especially the extreme right-wingers who are receiving photos of gay couples happily making their own public displays of affection. Jensen won’t admit it to his supervisors, but he’s been really taking his time on this case.
Still, he’s combing through membership lists when there’s a happy pattern of knocking at his door frame. He glances up and it’s Brock Kelly, who Jensen is supposedly assigned to mentor, but it hasn’t worked out lately. Receiving death threats kind of puts a damper on one’s schedule.
“I thought I’d check in, see if you need any help on anything,” Brock says with a tinge of excitement in his voice.
“I’m good, thanks,” Jensen mumbles as he keeps reading his screen.
“You sure? I could run some background checks for you? Flag posts on 4chan or even lay a few bombs in Anonland.”
Jensen slowly looks up from his screen to find Brock grinning at him with his hands in his pockets and rocking on his heels like he can’t contain all of his energy. “You want to lay bombs in Anonland?”
“Yeah, why not? It’s the up and comer behind AnonOps, right?”
He wonders how a new, junior analyst would know such a thing. Danneel had mentioned it to Jensen just two weeks ago during a quick coffee break, but no one else has really vocalized it around here. Jensen’s been looking into them on the side; otherwise no one talks about it.
Then again, Brock is the epitome of over-excitable teacher’s pet.
Jensen shakes his head. “We are not laying bombs anywhere that--”
“C’mon!” Brock insists, sitting down in one of the armchairs facing Jensen’s desk. “It’d be so cool to say we stopped the baby anons right before they even got off the ground.”
Suddenly, Jensen wishes Jared were inside. For all the peace and quiet Jensen has had to roll through work today, he figures if Jared were seated in one of those chairs, Brock wouldn’t have taken the chance to plop down in Jensen’s space.
Jensen stares at Brock long enough that he gets uncomfortable that he can tell just how delirious this kid is. “Excuse me?”
Brock shrugs and finally looks a bit contrite. “I dunno. I just don’t get to do anything around here but check files and elevate reports up to you and Danneel. I want something more to do.”
Chuckling, Jensen goes back to his screen. “I’ve been here for nearly 15 years. It takes a li’l while until you’re in the gunning down baby anons stage.”
Brock comes around Jensen’s desk and spies over his shoulder. His eyes are glazed over as he watches the words fly across the screen and he murmurs, “Yeah, but it’d be so cool to learn from the master.”
Jensen stares at Brock again, feeling something akin to disgust when he recognizes Brock’s hero worship.
Before Jensen can shoo Brock away, Jared appears in the doorway and clears his throat. “Jensen, we need to see Internal Observations.”
Where Jensen had been momentarily thankful for Jared’s interruption, he’s immediately soured and nauseous, and sort of wishes Brock would hang around longer to pester him. Anything’s better than learning there’s another threat, especially here at work when Jensen thought his safety was at its highest.
Rising, Jensen rights his suit vest then straightens his glasses as he passes Jared in the doorway, mostly just so he doesn’t have to look at Jared’s stoic face to know how serious this is. He doesn’t bother asking what it’s about, even if he is dying for some conversation.
He’s utterly confused, however, when Jared leads him left instead of right, through a side door, and outside to the deck off of the cafeteria. Dumbly, Jensen follows Jared to the coffee cart where a pleasant woman - name tag: Judy - graciously serves Jared some concoction he didn’t even have to name, just the usual he had insisted.
A few more words are exchanged; they all sound fancy and French, so Jensen has no idea what’s happening until he has a piping hot cup of coffee in his hand. Seconds later, Jared is leading him to a table in the far corner where they’re shielded from the sun by the roof overhang of the wing next to them.
“So, we’re meeting Jeffrey out here?” Jensen asks. “How bad is it?”
“Oh, it’s pretty bad,” Jared replies. While the words could completely upend Jensen’s tenuous patience, it’s really how easily Jared had said it, or how he’s smiling right now. He takes a healthy sip of his coffee, whip cream dotting the tip of his nose, and gives Jensen a sly look. “Bad enough to make you leave your babysitting post.”
Jensen knows he should be embarrassed about how long it takes him to figure it out. Jared just seems amused by it. “So you made up a fake threat to get me away from Kelly?”
“It’s not as though it’s a fake threat. I’m sure there are some very real ones on the horizon.”
Jensen’s stomach rolls. “That’s not helping.”
“Sorry, very sorry,” Jared insists with a blush spreading high on his cheeks. “That’s kind of an inside joke.”
“I think the service needs to find new inside jokes.”
Jared smiles easily, though he still looks red-faced. It’s jarring, yet very nice to see. “You’re probably right.”
“Something a little further from home,” Jensen suggests.
“I would agree.”
“Maybe something more like … I must’ve done something awful to get Kelly attached to my hip.”
“You really must’ve. He’s a piece of work.” Jared laughs, bright eyed and wide-mouthed, and it does things to Jensen. Makes him wish that he’d met Jared some other way, that Jared wasn’t his damned bodyguard, that he didn’t even need a bodyguard. And now he’s wondering how many times a day he’s thought any of those things in the last two weeks.
The answer is a lot.
Jensen nods and drinks, appreciating the smooth coffee flavor tempered by a lick of sweetness. Much better than the standard brew in his department. “I think they assumed I wanted an assistant. Or that i like working with other people.”
“Little did they know...”
When Jensen glances up, Jared’s slanting an interested look his way and Jensen takes the dig for what it feels like: flirtation.
*
“Are you playing tonight?” Jared asks, leaning against the doorway to Jensen’s study. He makes a good picture with his suit jacket and tie gone, shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows and showing tanned forearms.
They’ve only been home a few minutes and Jensen came to his study feeling jittery, like he had to do something after a long day of work and a few slips of flirtation with Jared. He’s completely lost as to what to really say. “I don’t have to.” He sets the game controller back to the coffee table and faces Jared. “Something else up?”
Jared waves it off and strolls into the room. “No, nothing’s up. Just seeing what you were doing.”
“I was thinking of it,” Jensen says idly, watching Jared roam the room and look at every bit of decoration on the walls. It’s mostly just framed techno-art, but Jared seems interested.
“You can play if you want.”
Jensen shrugs. “I’m not really committed to it or anything.” Jared offers him a small smile from over his shoulder and Jensen drops down to sit on the couch just so he’s not standing stupidly in the middle of the room. Jared joins him less than a minute later and Jensen’s not sure if he can stand how close they’re sitting. He is absolutely certain that he will break out of his skin if they have to keep stepping around one another with this attraction growing stronger.
Jared opens his mouth to talk, even gets a few words out, but Jensen isn’t aware of what they are because he leans in and kisses Jared. For about ten seconds, Jared kisses leans closer and kisses him back, pushes his tongue up against Jensen’s.
Jensen sets his hand to Jared’s knee, and presses his fingers around the joint, feels Jared’s muscles twitch beneath his hand. He squeezes more and moves closer.
Jared covers Jensen’s hand with his own and shifts back with a tiny noise that seems wrong. Especially when he clears his throat and firmly says, “Jensen.”
“That sounds bad,” Jensen mumbles as he darts his eyes away.
“It’s not,” he says, but there isn’t much power behind the words. “It’s just … against the rules.”
“Rules are dumb.” And okay, Jensen knows he sounds childish as he says it.
Jared chuckles. “They are. But they’re real.”
“Real dumb.”
Another chuckle and Jared sits up, looking at his hands folded together between his knees. “It’s my fault, I know. I should’ve kept more space.”
“Yeah,” he says pathetically.
Jared is far too smart because he makes a point when he says, “It could alter my ability to protect you.”
Jensen, however, is wheedling as he offers, “Or you could be on the top of your game by watching so close.”
“I’ve been watching pretty close already.”
Jensen looks up at that and while Jared is watching the blank TV screen in front of them, he’s smiling, and Jensen counts that as a win. “It’s the camera in my room, isn’t it?” Then he chuckles when Jared shakes his head with a bigger smile. “That was more of a joke, but I’m strangely happy to know it’s true.”
Jared laughs, sits back against the cushions, and surprises Jensen by motioning at the TV. “How about a movie or something?”
Jensen happily reaches for the remote on the side table. “Yeah, a movie sounds great.”
*
Jensen wakes with a crick in his neck, the TV blaring some children’s cartoon, and Jared’s head on his shoulder.
He doesn’t dare move because Jared is warm along his side, curled into himself with his arms crossed at his chest. He closes his eyes and smiles as he leans into Jared, recalling how nice it was the night before as they talked through a cop flick they’d found on late-night cable. He’d found out that Jared always wanted to be in law enforcement, but had gone into political science then was recruited by the service his senior year of college because of his high GPA and his commitment to the Army ROTC.
He also figured out that Jared is unable to ignore what’s growing between them despite his respect for his job and need to stay completely objective to the detail. Much to Jensen’s disappointment, they didn’t get any further than their aborted kiss, but Jared had been pretty obvious that he’s not adverse to it. His presence throughout the night and now his head on Jensen’s shoulder seem to be enough to go by.
Jared sniffs and rubs his cheek on Jensen’s shoulder as he slowly wakes. His eyes find Jensen’s and he softly smiles with an even softer, “Morning,” as he sits up.
“Good morning,” Jensen mumbles, unsure of what to say at this point.
Jared groans and stretches then checks his watch. “You should probably get ready soon.”
“Yeah.”
As if Jared realizes this isn’t what should be happening, he firmly says, “I should get ready.”
“Yeah,” Jensen repeats, still lost for words. Before he realizes it, Jared is up and walking out of the room. “You, uh,” he says, just to stop Jared at the doorway.
“I’ll make coffee. You should get in the shower.”
Then Jared winks and Jensen slaps his legs to get himself going. “Yes,” he says happily. “You, coffee. Me, shower.”
Jared nods in agreement and leaves the room, calling back, “I’ll see you in thirty.”
Jensen nods in return. “Definitely.”
A few seconds later, Jared appears in the doorway again. “Just so you know, I don’t think you’re ears are too big.”
Self-consciously, Jensen touches his ear. “Nah, I didn’t think so.”
Jared takes a deep breath and recites, “Through the blinding lightning flash, and the mighty thunder crash, ever faithful, ever true, nothing stops him, he'll get through.”
Jensen stares at Jared, blinks a few times. He guesses that’s from Dumbo the movie, and he gives Jared a pointed look. “Really?”
With a shrug, Jared smiles. “Well, they’re not that big.”
“Rude.”
Jared laughs, and it sounds happy and open, two things Jared hasn’t been in these last two weeks. “Thirty minutes.”
Jensen smiles back and salutes. “Yes, sir.”
Part Four