Fic: A Mile in My Shoes, a Lifetime in My Head (6/6)
Back to Masterpost
Back to Part 5
The sun sent sneaky rays of light between the curtains; annoying little intruders that poked at Jared's head, making him wake up. He groaned softly and rolled over, trying to bury his head in the welcoming pillow. He felt warm and boneless; the sheets were just the right temperature, the mattress was cradling his body perfectly. The rich smell of coffee wafted in, further stimulation that told him that Jensen was already up. He sighed and pushed his way upright, swinging his feet over the side of the bed. Something felt a little off, but he couldn't put his finger on it. He rubbed his hands over his face and then pushed his hair back behind his ears.
His long hair.
Jared gasped and opened his eyes. There was the bedroom, every line and edge crystal clear. He looked down and saw long legs with knobby knees, muscular and lean. He ran his hand over his chest and felt the curve of his pecs, the coarseness of his dark chest hair.
"Oh my God," he whispered. "Oh my God!" He yelled out hoarsely, "Jensen! Jen!"
He scrambled to get out of the bed, kicking off the clinging blanket and sheets. Where was Jensen? He needed to see him, see that he was in fact in his own body as well!
"Jen!"
He got to the door and threw it open, and there was Jensen on the other side. Jensen, with his short, light brown hair all messy and and his trimly muscled body, his big green eyes open wide as he stared at Jared.
"Jay! Are you okay?" He reach out and grabbed Jared's arm, his with the bulging biceps and the vitiligo patches of whiter skin.
"Jared?"
"Jen! We're - our bodies - we swapped! We're back!"
He clutched at Jensen, pulling him close and hugging him tightly. The spiky hair tickled his nose and he laughed, throwing his head back and feeling ridiculously delighted at hearing his own booming laugh ringing out.
"Yes, we are! And I agree, it's fantastic! So come downstairs for some coffee and a special breakfast - I have pancakes waiting!" Jensen smiled at Jared's eager expression. "Seems I remember how hungry a certain body can be. And, Jay?" Jared, turning to re-enter the bedroom, turned back to him. "Put some sweats on, it's chilly."
Jensen went back downstairs as Jared looked down and realized that he was stark naked. And it was a little chilly, and no one liked shrinkage.
They had a glorious breakfast. Jensen had made both chocolate chip and apple cinnamon pancakes, with warm maple syrup - the good kind, they did live in Canada after all - while Jared rustled up a big pile of bacon and some sliced fruit. There was plenty of fresh coffee and a pitcher of refreshing cranberry cocktail juice. They were silly as they ate, exclaiming about their various parts and expressing the joy of being back in the proper body again. There was the occasional meaningful look, but they chose to avoid the elephant in the room and simply savor the moment.
The food was cleared up and the dishes done when they finally got more serious.
"You know we have that appointment still today, the therapist one?" Jared asked quietly.
"Yeah, I know," said Jensen pensively.
He walked over to the window and stood looking out into the back yard.
"You okay with this, babe?" Jared followed after him, circling an arm around Jensen's waist and kissing his hair.
Jensen nodded and cleared his throat. Jared could hear how close he was to crying.
"Yeah, it's okay. I mean - I have to follow through with this. We didn't go through all of that just to have me blow off the diganosis. And I - I do want to get better. Feel better."
He turned within the circle of Jared's arm and looked up at him with a smile.
"Jeez, so tall again. That was kinda fun, you know? Being the tall one for once."
Then the smile fled and Jared saw those green eyes darken with the emotion filling Jensen.
"We learned what we needed to learn, Jay, and I'm going to stick with the plan. I think we should drop off the lithium prescription at the drugstore on the way to the therapist, and then we'll meet with him and, if we like him, we'll set up a schedule." He put his arms around Jared's neck and laced his fingers together. "I love you, Jay, and you did something freakin' amazing for me. For us. I want to do something for us too, and that's deal with this bipolar shit. I want to be with you a long time, Jared. I want us to be happy a long time. And that means I've got to face the facts."
Jared's chest felt tight, and he struggled a second to catch his breath.
"You're amazing, Jensen Ross Ackles. I love you, and I'm going to be with you every step of the way."
It was a sunny morning, and Jared was glad he'd brought his sunglasses as they drove to the therapist. His office was in a beautiful old house, with flowers and mature trees surrounding it, set in a quiet neighborhood. Jared pulled up and parked on the street. He got out and joined Jensen as they walked up to the front door. It was a heavy wooden door, with a stained glass insert and brass hardware that many hands had buffed to a dull shine.
They went inside and walked into the waiting room. It was spacious but cozy, with mismatched chairs and a comfortable-looking couch loaded with throw pillows. They sat on the edge of it, perched uneasily and holding hands. Jensen felt like Jared's hand was the only thing mooring him; otherwise, he might float away. He held on tightly - he wanted to be here, despite his anxiety. This mattered. It mattered more than anything.
Jared's hand tightened on his.
"Listen . . ." he murmured.
Footsteps came down the hall and approached the waiting room. They stood up as a tall, slender man with thick blond hair and wire frame glasses entered. He gave them a wide smile and stuck his hand out.
"Hello! You must be Jared and Jensen. My name is Tom. Won't you come into my office?"
They looked at each other. Yes?
Yes?
Yes.
They shook his hand and followed Tom down the hall.