College AU | Part F0ur
“You fucking buttfucks,” Chad drunkenly yells the second he’s in the room.
They wake, shifting to look at the light from the hallway and Chad charging into the room to leap at them on the bed. “Oh, fuck!” Jared yells when he gets a knee to his back. Jensen shuffles off the bed and yanks the blanket from Chad’s bed around him.
Chad keeps fighting against Jared, crawling onto his back and scrubbing hands through his hair in the world’s worst noogie. “I told you, homo. No gay sex in the room.”
Jensen moves to the doorway where Mike and Misha are laughing maniacally at the whole thing. “Thanks, guys,” he says with a crabby smile. “You were supposed to keep him with you.”
“What?” Mike shrugs and smirks. “Chad missed Jared and was worried about him.”
“It smells like anal sex in here! Jesus Christ,” Chad whines, smacking Jared’s head.
He finally laughs with the whole thing and kicks and pushes Chad right to the floor. He drags his blanket around him and kicks Chad once more. “You totally just jumped me in bed. I’m naked, assfuck.”
Chad stumbles to his feet and then onto his bed, grasping at the fitted sheet. He looks to the doorway, sees Jensen, and whines. “Aw, you fucker. That’s my blanket touching your gay penis.”
Jared leans forward, smacking his head. “Shut up, asshole.”
He scowls at Jared then looks to Jensen with an odd glance, almost sorry. His voice gets low. “I’m sorry. You can keep my gay blanket.”
Jared kicks at Chad’s knee. “Your blanket is not gay.”
“Is now.”
He looks to the doorway and scowls at Mike and Misha. “I hate you assholes.”
“Hey!” Mike quickly argues. “You forced him onto us for the last five hours.”
“You couldn’t handle him for a few more?”
Tom appears behind the group. “That asshole was calling every girl we saw ‘vagina.’ You think I wanted to spend any more time with him than was possible? Ruined any chance I had to get laid.” Then Tom looks to Jensen in a blanket and Jared much the same way. “Dude, you guys are sleeping together now?”
Mike pushes at his head. “You’re the dumbest shit I’ve ever known. Get out of here,” he adds, shoving then leading him down the hall.
Misha motions to Chad. “Let’s go, homophobe. You can crash on my floor.”
Chad’s in the hallway, but he can still be heard whining, “I’m not a homophobe. I love my Big Gay Roommate.”
Jensen watches Misha lead Chad down to his room then he frowns at Jared. “I don’t think Chad was kidding about Rule One.”
On cue, Jared rubs his back where Chad’s knee had dug into his muscles and spine. “Yeah, I don’t think so.”
“You okay?” he asks as he sits next to Jared.
“Yeah. Fucking sore.”
“You moved a lot faster than I thought you would … you know, considering …”
Jared tries to hide his laugh, but he fails and then just smiles as he elbows Jensen. “Shut the hell up.”
Chad stumbles back into the room with arms swung out wide. “You’re not sexing again are you? I just have to change.” He sways in front of his dresser and fumbles with pulling his clothes off while Jared and Jensen watch with barely hidden horror.
“You wanna go back to my place?” Jensen asks.
Jared thinks about it and between the pain in his back and the dull ache further down, he winces. “I don’t know if I can walk that far.”
Chad drops onto his bed, luckily wearing sleep pants, and stares at them. “J, you let him poke you in the ass?” he asks, sounding quite coherent considering the last ten minutes of drunken fighting.
Jared shakes his head and sighs as he stands and nudges Jensen. “Alright, let’s go.”
X + X + X + X + X
As finals week looms, Jensen bans Jared from his house during the week but Jared refuses to not see Jensen … so they meet up at the library every night to study together. Yet most of the time, Jared just wraps his feet around Jensen’s ankles and distracts him by talking about every little thing he can come up with that doesn’t have anything to do with his textbooks.
“Jared,” Jensen says with strength in his voice.
“What?” Jared asks a bit too innocently.
Jensen just motions to his books and notes where he’s scribbled all the important bits of information he needs to know by heart next week.
Jared tips his head to the side, ignoring the fact that Jensen goes back to reading and taking notes. “What’re you doing for break?”
“Going home,” he says absently while his hand runs loops over the paper.
“Yeah, but what’re you doing at home?”
“Anything that doesn’t have to do with school.”
“Like?”
Jensen’s head remains down and he flips pages over until he reads a few lines and scribbles more bits of information down. “Like thinking that I just might’ve passed my finals.”
Jared’s feet tuck tighter around Jensen’s ankles. “Any chance you can fit in thoughts of your boyfriend?”
“If I survive next week, it’s possible.”
“Jensen,” Jared says with more push in his voice.
He finally stops and looks up. “What?” he sighs.
Jared’s surprised by Jensen’s tired look and voice. He looks down at his biology book and moves his hand like he’ll write words into the margins but he doesn’t. He just stares down at the figure on the page he’s stuck at. “I dunno … it’ll be a month.”
“Yeah.”
His mouth works and then twists before he says, “A long month.”
Jensen takes a breath and twists his foot between Jared’s. “Yeah, I know.”
Jared shrugs a little but still won’t look Jensen in the face. He brushes a thumb over his eyebrow. “Maybe we could meet up or something?”
He stares for a few moments then he tips his head to the side with light eyes. “Jared, yeah. I’m not gonna just ignore you for four weeks.”
The smile is tiny as Jared tries to hide it. “No, I know,” he says quickly, like he’s trying to squash his tiny bit of panic over not seeing Jensen for a whole month. “I just … maybe we could make plans, or something?” He looks up, nervous and hesitant. “I dunno. Am I being a chick about this?”
Jensen smirks and goes back to his notes. “You are most definitely being a chick about this.”
Jared chuckles, more uncomfortably than amused because like so many times before, he’s feeling like he’s chasing Jensen. The guy jokes about Jared being too attached, being co-dependent, and he feels it even more right here without Jensen even saying the words. It stews in his head and he sits on those thoughts for the rest of their time in the library. He focuses more on his studying, at least with his eyes because he doesn’t look at Jensen much until they’re ready to leave. Jared shuffles a few steps behind Jensen as they head out of the building and through the quad.
“Jesus, I’m wiped,” Jensen sighs, swallowing down a yawn. His mouth is crooked and eyes flat, like he can’t manage to hold himself together. They really have spent every night at the library to study.
Jared quickly swipes a hand over Jensen’s back and says, “I’ll see ya in class tomorrow.”
Jensen stops and watches Jared start to turn. He grabs onto his elbow. “Hey, you’re not coming over?”
He shrugs. “You look like you could use the sleep.”
“Well, yeah, but you can still come by.”
“Really?”
Jensen snorts, tugging Jared closer. “Of course. Since when do I turn you away?”
“Christmas?” he asks with a playful smile.
“Jared, serious. We’ll see each other.”
“Yeah, I know,” he says, but his voice is uneasy. “I just … this week and finals and you. It’s just … I dunno.”
Jensen waits for Jared to clarify that, to explain the self-doubt. But it doesn’t come and Jensen’s eyes droop and he looks like he’s now just a few minutes away from passing out. “I’m gonna crash the second I get in, but I wouldn’t mind you being my pillow.”
Jared remembers the few other times when Jensen was drained beyond comprehension and how he tended to let random comments leak out. This moment eases him a bit and he jokes, “Well, I can’t turn that down.”
“C’mon then,” Jensen says tiredly as he drags Jared along with him.
When they drop into bed, Jensen truly using Jared as a body pillow, Jared swipes his hand down Jensen’s back. His voice is quiet when he chances to ask, “Maybe we can plan to meet up halfway. On weekends or something?”
“Hmm?”
“Over break. I just … you think I’m being a baby. I just … I like to know. Like to have it out there that there’s an actual plan to follow.”
Jensen takes a loud breath and shifts against Jared but doesn’t look at him. “Stop worrying,” he says in a flat tone.
“I’m not,” Jared argues back, even when he is worrying.
“I’mma wake up one mornin’ with you on my front step, aren’t I?”
Jared tenses and goes quiet. He’s been so consumed with wanting to see Jensen over break that he’d been avoiding the thought of them actually visiting either home. It’s equal parts worry that Jensen’s family might not like him, that Jensen wouldn’t want it to happen because it signals this as way too serious for only being together two months, and mostly, Jensen has never mentioned it, so Jared had thrown that idea out.
Before Jared can answer, he feels the steady rise and fall of Jensen’s chest, signaling that he’s sleeping and no longer a part of the conversation.
X + X + X + X + X
After their Calc final, Jared finds Mike outside the building, seated on a decorative brick half wall and playing with his cell. Once Jared nears, he snaps it shut and goads, “Doomed to fail?”
“Fuck no,” Jared laughs. “Aced it.”
“Really?”
“Okay, maybe not ace,” he relents. “But I feel good about it.”
“You two spent enough time studying for it.”
Jared drops down next to Mike. “Fucker banned me from the house, so I could only see him at the library.”
Mike laughs. “Yeah, sounds like Jenny’s little finals freak out.”
“Freak out?”
“He gets tense about tests, especially the big ones.” Mike goes back to his cell, tapping out a text message. “Surprised he even let you study with him.”
Jared kicks his feet out and back into the wall. “Well, he ignored me half the time, and the other half he mocked me for asking about break.”
“What are you doing for break?”
“Going home? Not seeing him?” he shrugs with minimal pouting.
Mike laughs as he stands and slaps Jared’s back. “Like he would stay away?”
Jared’s about to ask about that but Jensen joins them with a tense smile. “I fucking hate calc.”
Mike points out, “I do believe yesterday it was ‘I fucking hate stats.’”
“Yeah, I hate that, too,” Jensen grumbles as they fall in line to leave. “How’d you do?” he asks Jared.
Jared answers, “Fine, I guess,” as Mike goads, “Fucker says he aced.”
Jensen grumbles and shakes his head. “And you hardly even studied, just distracted me the whole time.”
“What? I studied,” he argues back, not really sure why, but he suddenly feels defensive. “And I didn’t ace,” he grits out at Mike. “I said I felt fine about it.”
Mike laughs at them both. “You girls two seconds from a catfight?” They both shoot him annoyed looks and Jared rolls his eyes. “When you headin’ out?” he asks Jensen.
Jensen adjusts his backpack as he answers, “Few hours? Don’t really wanna hang around and remember how awful this week was.”
Jared tenses but doesn’t say anything, not really sure what the right response is.
“You’re such a bitchy little whiner,” Mike says. “You moan about every test ever.”
“I take my shit seriously, alright?” Jensen shoots back and Jared just grabs tighter to the strap on his shoulder bag. “I can’t help it that Jared’s got, like, a fucking photographic memory, and you stash answers on your calculator.”
Jared can tell that Jensen’s getting tenser as Mike tries to playfully argue, but he doesn’t want to say anything about it, worried that Jensen will get more upset. Instead, he excuses himself and Mike just waves him off.
But Jensen stops and tugs at the hem of Jared’s shirt. “Hey, c’mere,” he says without the usual little smirk, but there is strength in the words. He pulls Jared into a hug, one arm around the back of his neck and tucking him in tight. Jensen kisses the side of his neck and talks at the skin. “I’ll call in a few days.”
He takes a breath, squeezes back and nods. “Yeah, don’t worry,” he tries to say smoothly.
Jensen pulls on Jared’s neck, bringing him in to kiss. It’s short and gentle, but it’s still a nice gesture, especially in the middle of campus and in the open. Jensen’s mouth twitches between being level and trying to not smile. Jared’s does the same, but he can feel it tip more towards a frown. He wants to say more in this goodbye, but Mike’s there and Jensen’s moving away. “Don’t pine too much. Stay away from the Dashboard Confessional, and don’t cut yourself.”
“Fuck off,” he says with a small smile and a roll of his eyes. He waves his hand in the air with the middle finger out and he turns away to head back to the dorm.
X + X + X + X + X
Jared’s dad and Chad haul another round of luggage and boxes down to the family van while Jared and his mom tidy up the few things he’s leaving behind that aren’t needed over break.
“Survived another semester,” his mom says with a smile.
He flips his eyebrows up but won’t do much more. He is not in any way looking forward to going home. Usually he can’t wait to get back to his parents’ house to visit and see the family, hang out with Megan and just relax without having homework or tests or early mornings. But this semester has been such a big deal to him - meeting Mike and the guys and Jensen, living with Chad, being with Jensen - he wishes it didn’t have to stop being that way.
“You okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. Just tired,” he says carefully. “Been a long week.” And he so feels it. Tension with Jensen and trying to avoid repeats of the ‘what’re we gonna do over break’ conversation have grated more on his nerves than any of his finals.
“You sure your classes were okay?” She turns from the desk she’d been wiping down and gives him a comforting glance. “Not worried about any of them? I’d rather we know now than when the grades come in.”
“No, no,” he shakes his head confidently. “Grades should be fine.” He’s confident in that. “Just tired,” he shrugs.
“I think he’s sad he won’t see me for a month,” Chad says when he and Jared’s dad return to the room.
“Yes, exactly that,” Jared nods with a terse smile. “Don’t know how I’ll survive without you.”
Chad swipes over Jared’s head, and it’s obvious he’s being careful with his words in front of the parents. His voice is surprisingly easy and encouraging. “You’ll be fine. We can have a little sweetheart’s weekend while you’re home.”
“Shut up,” he laughs, pushing Chad away.
“When are you heading home?” Jared’s mom asks.
“Have one more final mañana then I’m out,” he says, rubbing his hands together. “Room all to myself tonight.” Jared tips his head with a skeptical face but Chad just smiles. “Think I’ll eat chili fries in your bed and use the rest of your fruity little shampoo.”
The parents chuckle, and Jared’s laughing fairly easily until there’s a knock at the door and Jensen’s in the doorway.
“Gay Fantastic,” Chad snorts before he can realize it.
Jared gives Chad a sharp look before checking with his parents to see their reaction, but they’re just watching him. They know he’s gay, but he hadn’t exactly talked much about Jensen. He really hasn’t talked to them much at all since Jensen came along. Partly because he didn’t want to jinx it, and also because he was always with Jensen. Not much time to be on the phone to talk about it. “Hey,” Jared says as easily as possible while tightly holding a couple tees in his hand. Just a quick turn to his right and he could put them into his last duffle bag, but he just holds them and stares at Jensen.
Jensen absently taps fingers on the doorframe. “Just making rounds, saying bye.” His eyes coast over to Jared’s parents and it’s obvious that he’s uncomfortable. His voice goes light and he looks down the hallway. “You guys seen Mike or Tom? Thought I’d check in before I head out.”
“No, I haven’t,” Jared says while glancing at Chad.
Chad rolls his eyes.”You are hopeless.”
“JT?” his mom asks carefully.
Jared snaps out of the stare he has on Jensen and smiles awkwardly at his mom. “Yeah, Mom, Dad, this is Jensen. Friends with some guys down the hall.” He squirms a bit when he sees Jensen tense while trying to smile and shakes their hands. Jared doesn’t exactly want to say ‘this is the guy I’ve been sleeping with,’ and worse yet, he doesn’t know what Jensen would want him to say.
Chad, on the other hand, can’t handle the tension and takes over. He looks at Jared’s parents. “Think we can handle these?” he asks while pointing at a few of the last items to go.
His mom seems awkward but Chad not-too-subtly raises an eyebrow and nods toward Jensen. They seem to get it because Jared and Jensen are left alone in seconds.
“Thought you were heading out earlier?” Jared asks as easily as possible.
Jensen laughs awkwardly, scrubs fingers into the back of his head. “Yeah, I was.” He takes a moment then asks carefully, “Do your parents not know?”
He shrugs and feels guilty in a second. “I’ve barely talked to them this whole semester. Didn’t know where to fit in ‘by the way, I’ve been spending all my free time being co-dependently attached to this guy’.”
There’s a snort then Jensen rests a hand at Chad’s dresser and works his mouth a bit before he says, “You know … I seriously hate finals week.”
Jared chuckles uncomfortably. “Don’t think anyone loves it.”
He shrugs and takes a deep breath. “I was 20 minutes out and so glad it was over. I freaking stress so much on these things, you have no idea.”
“Think I’m starting to get the idea.”
Jensen goes on like Jared hasn’t said anything. “And then this, and I was just fucked over every day. I was 20 minutes out and I turned around to say bye to you.”
Jared blinks and thinks already said bye, after the final. He lamely says, “Thought you were looking for Mike ‘n Tom?”
His head tips to the side and he’s giving the most critical look Jared’s ever seen. “I’m standing here, aren’t I?”
All of Jensen’s words stream through his mind again and he’s stuck on 20 minutes out and I turned around. His smile is small, but he can feel it warming his face with his revelation. “You’re gonna miss me.” Jensen’s eyebrows flick up in response, and Jared’s smile gets bigger. “You’re honest-to-goodness gonna miss me, and you had to come back to say bye again.”
Jensen rolls his eyes but says, “What of it?”
“Thought I was the one obsessed?”
“You kinda are,” Jensen points out. “Asking me daily what we were gonna do over break.”
Jared’s confidence deflates a bit, but he’s still fired up with Jensen being here, in his room, right now. “I was curious.”
“Obsessed.”
He snaps back to the point in front of him, the point of Jensen’s presence. His voice comes out a bit arrogant. “Hey! This whole thing right now is because you’re here and so attached to me that you had to run right back and say bye. Again.”
Jensen tips his head to the side and sighs, but he’s smiling. “Okay, yeah. That is my point in being here. You gonna ruin it by being smug?”
“No, of course not,” Jared chuckles as he moves close, hands on hips and mouth immediately on Jensen’s. Their arms wind around each other as Jared pulls Jensen in tight. Once he needs air, he rests his forehead against Jensen’s. “That better?”
“Yeah, a little.” Jensen kisses him again. “I have no idea on plans, but I’ll find a way to escape this weekend.”
Jared smiles. “You’re so cute. You can’t even be away for three days.”
His eyebrow goes high. “You’re the one who never tried a day without me.”
“Yeah, but it’s kinda nice to see it the other way around.”
“Okay, so I have feelings,” he says on a tired sigh, but Jared can see where Jensen’s starting to smile.
“You’re in looooove.”
Jensen rolls his eyes and grumbles, “Shut up.”
“You’re in love with meeeee,” Jared smirks against Jensen’s lips.
They work small, slow kisses, and Jensen sounds a little dazed. “I was slow, but I caught up.”
Jared holds Jensen’s face and says against Jensen’s mouth, “You’re totally in love with me and you’re gonna miss me.”
Jensen chuckles and pulls back. “Think maybe you could say something else?”
“No,” he says, shaking his head and beaming. “This is the best revelation I’ve ever had.”
“Hey, gaybags, beware the parents,” Chad warns as he slips around them and to his bed.
“JT, baby, you ready?” his mom asks.
Jared moves back but his hand is firm in Jensen’s with fingers twined when his mom smiles from the doorway. “Hey, Mama,” he says sweetly. “Think it’s time you met Jensen.”
She looks confused as he says, “Well, yeah, before - ”
“Jensen’s my boyfriend.”
His parents look surprised, and so does Jensen, but Jared just smiles. Jared’s mom glances at her husband for a second and they look awkward, but not uneasy. “Didn’t know you were seeing anyone.”
Jared clears his throat. “A little too busy seeing him to tell anyone.”
“Right,” Chad snorts.
Jared wants to smack Chad but he’s kind of grateful for the break in tension because she seems to accept that and smiles as she moves back in with a hand out to shake. “Jensen, it’s really nice to meet you.”
Jensen’s smile is small but Jared can tell it’s real, like he’s nervous but excited right here. “You, too, ma’am. Sir,” he nods at Jared’s father.
“Sherry,” she admonishes. “And Gerry.”
He nods and Jared squeezes his hand again.
“What’re your plans for break?” Sherry asks him.
Jensen looks at Jared. “Going home.”
“Well, when you get the chance to get near, you need to come for dinner.” Jensen nearly laughs at how insistent she is. “No ifs, ands, or buts.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he nods and then corrects, “Sherry. Thank you. That’d be nice.”
She winks then pats Jared on the cheek. “We’ll be downstairs.”
Once they’re gone, Jared’s grinning. “You have to come now. No one says no to Mama Padalecki.”
Jensen watches him for a second then asks cynically, “You call her mama?”
“Yeah, of course.”
“Is your entire family co-dependent?”
Chad buts in, “Where do you think he gets it from?”
“Shut up, dick,” Jared says as he swings at Chad’s head.
“You homos gonna leave any time soon? I’d like to watch my porn in private.”
"Since when?” Jensen asks, laughing.
“Fuck you with a dick.”
“I already do,” Jared says, smacking Chad’s head.
Chad’s voice goes loud and high. “I hate you so fucking much.”
“You’re imagining it, aren’t you?”
“Get out of here,” Chad grumbles, trying his best to ignore them.
Jared pushes a bag at Jensen. “You gonna help or just stand there lookin’ pretty?”
Jensen’s grumbling as he heaves the duffel over his shoulder but then he’s in close and kissing Jared, holding firm at his waist.
As they head out the door, Jared smiles and slips his hand into Jensen’s. “You’re totally gonna be miserable without me.”
“Pretty much,” Jensen replies.
“I knew it.”
Bonus timestamp! Written weeks and weeks ago in anticipation of this story.