1,300 words of Bitter Jensen with a splash of Schmoopy Jared
I fully blame timehasa_way for enabling this, but that doesn't even matter but she's going to be all 'I accept any and all blame because YAY! TIMESTAMP!' Gah. Why I'm Talking to You. Don't say I never gave you anything.
Jensen sighs for about the fifth time, slowly drinking his wine, just watching as his mother flutters around Jared. She’s scooping another serving of corn casserole onto his plate and Jared’s beaming up at her. “Thank you so much, Mrs. Ackles.”
She smirks down on him as she gives him a second, rounded scoop. “Donna.”
Jared’s head tips to the side and he smiles up at her. “Donna. Thank you so much, Donna.”
“Jared!” Jensen’s dad calls out. “Jensen said you’ll be done this semester?”
“No, sir,” Jared says with a small shake of his head while his hands plant at his lap. He takes a second to shoot a tiny smile to his left, to Jensen, before looking back at the head of the table. “Should be next semester. Come May.”
“What’re your plans then?” Donna asks as she slips into her seat across from Jared.
“Well, a job, hopefully,” he laughs, and the Ackles chuckle right along with him.
“What kind of engineering you looking into?” Josh asks from the other end of the table as he cuts up bits of turkey for his little boy squirming next to him.
“Been focusing on mechanical. Like heating and air conditioning?”
“Hey, maybe you can swing by my dorm and get me some AC so I can stop sweating through my clothes.” Jensen shoots a look at Mackenzie, but she just smiles in return. She then makes a face that he’s seen for so long in their playful years of brother-sister bantering. Then she adds on, “That is if Jensen will release you for indentured servitude.”
Jensen rolls his eyes and spreads his hands, pointing the fork and knife into the air. “Gimme a break.”
Once the family’s done swallowing down turkey and biscuits and stuffing and all the fixin’s Donna’s arranged for, Allan calls for Jared to join him and Josh in the family room to watch the Cowboys-Seahawks game and Donna asks Jensen to help her clean up the kitchen.
“How’s Mac free from this?” Jensen asks, sliding a stack of plates onto the counter just next to the sink.
“Daddy’s Little Girl?” she smirks while scrubbing a square Pyrex dish in the soapy water.
His voice goes low as moves away to grab more dishes. “Though that was Jared.”
“Jensen,” Donna says with a light voice. But he just grumbles again because he knows her voice well enough and right now she’s up to no good. “I’m glad you finally brought Jared around.”
He takes a quick but loud breath, busying himself with the shuffle of dishes off the dining room table and into the kitchen. “Got enough guilt trips.”
She clicks her tongue, but she’s smiling. And Jensen smiles a little, too. Truth be told, he’s ecstatic his family has taking such a liking to Jared, and he’s more than elated that he could bring Jared home. But there’s still the nagging feeling he gets whenever Jared visits him at work. Everyone loves Jared. More than Jensen. It’s kind of obvious. Especially considering his dad just took him into the den to watch the game and hasn’t asked Jensen to join them, and pretty much never has. Jensen has always stayed by his mom’s side until he could just randomly slip into the room. Just the family dynamic.
And it’s a bit more awkward when he does finally drop into the doorway and sees Jared on the loveseat beside Josh. They’re laughing over something his dad just said and Logan’s in Jared’s lap, drawing haphazardly across a color book. Jensen realizes how natural Jared looks right there, and it’s like he is actually in Jensen’s place, seated with the family, beaming, playing with his nephew.
It feels good, but a small part of him tightens up.
“Jensen?” his mother calls from the kitchen. Once he’s back in the room, she’s smiling. “Think you can get another bottle started?”
“Yes,” he says emphatically and with a smile. He pours himself well more than a glass-worth and drinks down nearly half of it before he offers her some.
“Honey?” Her hand is stroking down the back of his neck, fingers scratching at the short fuzz of hair there, like she always did when he was an awkward kid and worried and a self-conscious about his place in the world. He may joke about Mackenzie being Daddy’s Little Girl, but Donna never shortchanged Jensen on attention. “How’s work been going?”
“It’s fine,” he nods. “Been working like crazy, but I’ll be off the SKYY account soon.”
Donna’s fingers lay casually at his shoulder as she smiles carefully, unsure really. “Why? Thought you liked doing SKYY?”
Jensen’s mouth quirks before he can admit it. Just a few weeks ago, he’d decided after having a moment with Jared that he would cut back on some of the extra work. He’s not sure he wants to admit this to his mom. He takes a sip of wine instead.
“JR?” she asks gently, which reminds him of so many moments in his childhood when she dared him to tell the truth.
“Just need some time to myself, ya know?”
Donna’s mouth tips up and her eyes brighten before she moves back to the counter to dry a few dinner plates. “Yes, I can see that.”
“What’s that mean?” he asks with a tiny bit of defensive heat in his voice.
She glances over her shoulder with a tiny smirk. Instead of answering, she asks, “Can you take the garbage out?”
Jensen shakes his head, a bit glad he doesn’t have to answer but also reading something a bit too mischievous on her face.
He’s outside in the late fall Easterly chill. The garbage bag has been dumped into its bin and he’s got his hands tucked into his pockets while staring out onto the suburban block he’s known for most of his life. The Jennings across the way already have their mutli-colored twinkly lights going and, three doors down from there, the Dingmans have an inflatable snow globe working. Jensen’s pretty sure none of that was there in the daylight when they had arrived.
“Avoiding the cleanup?” he hears Jared call behind him.
Jensen looks back for a second then stares across the street again. “I wonder when the heck these people make time for turkey and reindeer.”
Jared chuckles as he settles in behind him, arms circling and hands tucking tight into Jensen’s belly. “I bet they’re the types to get Halloween going in August.”
He shakes his head with a light smile and tucks his fingers tighter into his pockets, just enjoying the moment as it is. “I don’t even know how they can prioritize holidays. I barely remember when Easter comes.”
“That’s the one with the peanut butter crucifixes, right?” Jared jokes. Jensen chuckles and then Jared tucks his face against Jensen’s shoulder. “What do you guys do for Christmas?”
Jensen shrugs in the hold. “Same as this. Except with ham and sangria.”
“Shit. I love fruity wine.”
He chuckles and leans back and into Jared. “Mom and Mac make it from scratch.”
“Man, we gotta get some of that.”
Jensen tenses for a second, and Jared seems to sense it because he gently squeezes Jensen closer. “I’m okay,” Jensen says before Jared can ask. He tips his head to the side so he can see Jared from the corner of his eye. He finally says what he’s been thinking this whole time. His voice is quiet but he’s got a small smile on his face. “Never brought anyone home before.”
There are a few quiet moments before Jared says with a smile that mirrors Jensen’s, “Think you hit a home run right out the box.”
He chuckles a bit bitterly but still tips his head back onto Jared’s shoulder. “Yeah. Like everyone else in the free world, they love you.”
“Yeah,” Jared says in a goofy tone. “But I love you more.”
Jensen sighs for about the fifth time, slowly drinking his wine, just watching as his mother flutters around Jared. She’s scooping another serving of corn casserole onto his plate and Jared’s beaming up at her. “Thank you so much, Mrs. Ackles.”
She smirks down on him as she gives him a second, rounded scoop. “Donna.”
Jared’s head tips to the side and he smiles up at her. “Donna. Thank you so much, Donna.”
“Jared!” Jensen’s dad calls out. “Jensen said you’ll be done this semester?”
“No, sir,” Jared says with a small shake of his head while his hands plant at his lap. He takes a second to shoot a tiny smile to his left, to Jensen, before looking back at the head of the table. “Should be next semester. Come May.”
“What’re your plans then?” Donna asks as she slips into her seat across from Jared.
“Well, a job, hopefully,” he laughs, and the Ackles chuckle right along with him.
“What kind of engineering you looking into?” Josh asks from the other end of the table as he cuts up bits of turkey for his little boy squirming next to him.
“Been focusing on mechanical. Like heating and air conditioning?”
“Hey, maybe you can swing by my dorm and get me some AC so I can stop sweating through my clothes.” Jensen shoots a look at Mackenzie, but she just smiles in return. She then makes a face that he’s seen for so long in their playful years of brother-sister bantering. Then she adds on, “That is if Jensen will release you for indentured servitude.”
Jensen rolls his eyes and spreads his hands, pointing the fork and knife into the air. “Gimme a break.”
Once the family’s done swallowing down turkey and biscuits and stuffing and all the fixin’s Donna’s arranged for, Allan calls for Jared to join him and Josh in the family room to watch the Cowboys-Seahawks game and Donna asks Jensen to help her clean up the kitchen.
“How’s Mac free from this?” Jensen asks, sliding a stack of plates onto the counter just next to the sink.
“Daddy’s Little Girl?” she smirks while scrubbing a square Pyrex dish in the soapy water.
His voice goes low as moves away to grab more dishes. “Though that was Jared.”
“Jensen,” Donna says with a light voice. But he just grumbles again because he knows her voice well enough and right now she’s up to no good. “I’m glad you finally brought Jared around.”
He takes a quick but loud breath, busying himself with the shuffle of dishes off the dining room table and into the kitchen. “Got enough guilt trips.”
She clicks her tongue, but she’s smiling. And Jensen smiles a little, too. Truth be told, he’s ecstatic his family has taking such a liking to Jared, and he’s more than elated that he could bring Jared home. But there’s still the nagging feeling he gets whenever Jared visits him at work. Everyone loves Jared. More than Jensen. It’s kind of obvious. Especially considering his dad just took him into the den to watch the game and hasn’t asked Jensen to join them, and pretty much never has. Jensen has always stayed by his mom’s side until he could just randomly slip into the room. Just the family dynamic.
And it’s a bit more awkward when he does finally drop into the doorway and sees Jared on the loveseat beside Josh. They’re laughing over something his dad just said and Logan’s in Jared’s lap, drawing haphazardly across a color book. Jensen realizes how natural Jared looks right there, and it’s like he is actually in Jensen’s place, seated with the family, beaming, playing with his nephew.
It feels good, but a small part of him tightens up.
“Jensen?” his mother calls from the kitchen. Once he’s back in the room, she’s smiling. “Think you can get another bottle started?”
“Yes,” he says emphatically and with a smile. He pours himself well more than a glass-worth and drinks down nearly half of it before he offers her some.
“Honey?” Her hand is stroking down the back of his neck, fingers scratching at the short fuzz of hair there, like she always did when he was an awkward kid and worried and a self-conscious about his place in the world. He may joke about Mackenzie being Daddy’s Little Girl, but Donna never shortchanged Jensen on attention. “How’s work been going?”
“It’s fine,” he nods. “Been working like crazy, but I’ll be off the SKYY account soon.”
Donna’s fingers lay casually at his shoulder as she smiles carefully, unsure really. “Why? Thought you liked doing SKYY?”
Jensen’s mouth quirks before he can admit it. Just a few weeks ago, he’d decided after having a moment with Jared that he would cut back on some of the extra work. He’s not sure he wants to admit this to his mom. He takes a sip of wine instead.
“JR?” she asks gently, which reminds him of so many moments in his childhood when she dared him to tell the truth.
“Just need some time to myself, ya know?”
Donna’s mouth tips up and her eyes brighten before she moves back to the counter to dry a few dinner plates. “Yes, I can see that.”
“What’s that mean?” he asks with a tiny bit of defensive heat in his voice.
She glances over her shoulder with a tiny smirk. Instead of answering, she asks, “Can you take the garbage out?”
Jensen shakes his head, a bit glad he doesn’t have to answer but also reading something a bit too mischievous on her face.
He’s outside in the late fall Easterly chill. The garbage bag has been dumped into its bin and he’s got his hands tucked into his pockets while staring out onto the suburban block he’s known for most of his life. The Jennings across the way already have their mutli-colored twinkly lights going and, three doors down from there, the Dingmans have an inflatable snow globe working. Jensen’s pretty sure none of that was there in the daylight when they had arrived.
“Avoiding the cleanup?” he hears Jared call behind him.
Jensen looks back for a second then stares across the street again. “I wonder when the heck these people make time for turkey and reindeer.”
Jared chuckles as he settles in behind him, arms circling and hands tucking tight into Jensen’s belly. “I bet they’re the types to get Halloween going in August.”
He shakes his head with a light smile and tucks his fingers tighter into his pockets, just enjoying the moment as it is. “I don’t even know how they can prioritize holidays. I barely remember when Easter comes.”
“That’s the one with the peanut butter crucifixes, right?” Jared jokes. Jensen chuckles and then Jared tucks his face against Jensen’s shoulder. “What do you guys do for Christmas?”
Jensen shrugs in the hold. “Same as this. Except with ham and sangria.”
“Shit. I love fruity wine.”
He chuckles and leans back and into Jared. “Mom and Mac make it from scratch.”
“Man, we gotta get some of that.”
Jensen tenses for a second, and Jared seems to sense it because he gently squeezes Jensen closer. “I’m okay,” Jensen says before Jared can ask. He tips his head to the side so he can see Jared from the corner of his eye. He finally says what he’s been thinking this whole time. His voice is quiet but he’s got a small smile on his face. “Never brought anyone home before.”
There are a few quiet moments before Jared says with a smile that mirrors Jensen’s, “Think you hit a home run right out the box.”
He chuckles a bit bitterly but still tips his head back onto Jared’s shoulder. “Yeah. Like everyone else in the free world, they love you.”
“Yeah,” Jared says in a goofy tone. “But I love you more.”