12 Days of a J2 Christmas: Day 9
Master Post and Notes
Jensen had heard Jared slipping out of bed, wrangling the dogs together, and taking them outside for their morning walk. But he was surprised when he was barely falling asleep, just five minutes later, and Jared rushed under the fluffy comforter and pushed himself into Jensen’s personal space. He grumbled, “What’re you doin’?”
“It’s fuckin’ cold, man,” Jared mumbled as he slid even closer, hands slipping under Jensen’s shirt and feet winding together.
In that instant, Jensen felt just how cold as the bitter freeze of Jared’s fingers and toes hit his skin. Jensen yelped, jumping out of Jared’s reach, but Jared followed, holding tighter. “C’mon, man!” Jensen yelled back, certainly awake with Jared’s blast of cold. He caught Jared’s upset look. The one that was shades of anger, annoyance, disappointment, and sadness. Jensen sighed and tried to sound nicer, but he just sounded whiny. “Can you put on some socks? Maybe gloves?”
“You’re making me put on winter wear to come back to bed?”
He switched gears, trying to avoid the fact that, yes, he was asking that. “You were gone for two minutes. How’d you get that cold?”
“It’s like 40 below!” Jared nearly shrieked in return.
“Go take the kids for a run, you’ll warm up in no time.”
Jared snorted and his annoyance with Jensen seemed to dissipate. He huddled under the covers, giving Jensen enough room for his own cocoon of warmth. Jared tugged the edge of the covers right up to his nose and spoke through the fabric. “I am not subjecting them to the horrors of all that snow.”
Jensen slid down in bed, facing and imitating Jared’s position. “How can it snow when it’s that cold?”
“What am I? Your meteorologist?”
“Yeah,” Jensen shot back, trying to hide his smile. Jared kicked him, and while it hurt, the shock of the cold skin was a bigger issue. “You’re freezing.”
“I know,” Jared whined. “And I turned up the heat, but I don’t think the furnace is up to task.”
Jensen sighed, grumbled a little, and frowned as he closed his eyes and willed himself back to sleep. Of course, he was unable to as Jared shifted around, rubbing his hands together, flexing his feet out and in, trying so hard to warm his muscles up. Jensen moved to the end of the bed but kept his half of the blankets tight around him. He then tucked the other portion around Jared’s feet and rubbed quickly before lying back down and grabbing Jared’s hands under the covers. He gripped them tight in his own and huffed warm air into the center.
Jared smiled, resting his lips at Jensen’s forehead as he murmured, “Thank you.”
“You are freezing” Jensen gritted out, as if he hadn’t said it before.
“Yeah, I know,” he mumbled, sounding annoyed again.
When Jared’s hands warmed up, Jensen stopped breathing into them, but he did continue holding and clenching them within his. He turned to his side, one hand still holding Jared’s, while the other reached for the remote and flicked on the TV. He flipped through the channels until he found A Christmas Story running one of its seasonal marathons. The remote was tossed to the side as Jensen slid closer to Jared, arms and legs twining and warm.
Jared nudged his head to Jensen’s and made a satisfied hmm noise.
Jensen smiled and nudged right back before murmuring, “I call a snowday.”
With a small chuckle, Jared said, “That’s fine, but we’re not gonna watch this twenty times in a row are we?”
His mouth went to Jared’s hair as he spoke. “Nah, just a handful.”
Jared’s response was burrowing in closer and sighing happily.
But of course, the pleasant quiet didn’t last long because Jared’s stomach growled and even Jensen couldn’t ignore how thirsty he was. Jensen prodded Jared away, ignoring his minor protests and said, “I’ll grab us some breakfast.”
As Jensen stumbled through the room to grab his slippers, robe, and glasses, Jared asked, “What’re you gonna make?”
“Something healthy?” he smiled on his way out the door.
Jared snuck back under the covers, pulling them tight around him, but he still yelled, “How about some danishes?”
“No sweets!”
It was a good fifteen minutes when Jensen reappeared with a full tray of breakfast foods and other goodies that amazed Jared, given Jensen’s no sweets declaration. But Jensen couldn’t even compute Jared’s surprised smile because he stared at the room, closed off from outside light by drawn shades and curtains and only lit by tiny bursts of reds and blues, greens, yellows, and oranges. “Do you like it?” Jared asked with a childlike smile.
Jensen walked further into the room and set the large tray on the bed, taking in the ceiling and the Christmas lights Jared had strung up. He didn’t answer Jared. Instead he asked his own question with the same light, playful tone. “What’d you do?”
Jared spied the spread Jensen had brought up and grinned. “What’d you do?” Upon full inspection, he spotted pancakes, bacon, and coffee, as well as peppermint bark, jelly-filled shortbread cookies, and a bag of red- and green-wrapped Hershey kisses. He immediately grabbed the bag of chocolates, only to have Jensen bat his hand away. “C’mon!” he whined. “What’d you bring these for?”
“For later,” he said, a bit short, as he grabbed the containers of treats and moved them onto the floor.
“You’re such a tease.”
Jensen smirked at Jared’s little pout. “Yeah, I know.” He slipped into bed, seated with his back against the headboard, and pulled the tray into his lap. Jensen furnished Jared with a fork and smiled. “Dig in.”
With the first bite, Jared groaned in appreciation and garbled around his chewing. “Dese choco chi’?”
“Yup.”
Jared took another healthy stab into the tall pile and munched some more. “Oh, mah gawd.” He chewed again then moaned after he swallowed. “You used maple syrup.”
“Sure did,” Jensen replied easily while cutting off his own piece of pancake.
“You’re the greatest,” Jared beamed, leaning in to kiss Jensen’s temple.
“I know.” They worked through breakfast in relative silence … forgoing the TV and the munching and loud, happy whimpers Jared made as he ate, sounding his approval for the food. When Jared reached for the coffee, Jensen shot a hand out . “Hang on!” he said loudly but with a small smile. Jensen pulled a creamer bottle from the pocket of his robe and tapped some into the black coffee. Jared eyed him with curious eyes and Jensen smirked. “Italian Crème.”
Jared shook his head, took a deep breath, and then beamed. “I fucking love you.” The corner of Jensen’s mouth slid up but he turned back to the TV to deflect the attention. Jared still moved in, crowding Jensen and the tray, nearly upending all the goods as he covered Jensen with fumbly arms and messy kisses.
Jensen laughed, pushing Jared off and trying to keep hold on the coffee mugs so they wouldn’t spill onto the bed. He sighed and shook his head, doing his best to hide a smile. “Okay, okay. I get it. You’re in love with me.”
Settling back in bed, Jared bumped his shoulder to Jensen’s. “You are, too.”
It took a few seconds for Jensen to respond. His eyes first flipped up to the ceiling, to the food, and finally to Jared. He softly smiled then leaned over and kissed him.
Day 10
