Fic: The Ceiling Can't Hold Us (1/6)

[firesign10]

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"Ladies and gentlemen, may I present...Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki!"

French doors, their glass panes overlaid with intricate gilded swirls, opened at one end of the beautifully decorated ballroom. Lush arrangements of turquoise roses and hydrangeas, accented with sprays of white wisteria and heliotrope and various green ivies filled fat crystal vases sitting on the snowy white tablecloths. The vibrant tones were echoed in napkins of the same hues, and in clusters of tealight candles. White and blue fairy lights twinkled around the perimeter of the room and surrounded the French doors themselves, lending an ethereal, almost underwater glow to the large room.

Applause filled the air when a couple entered hand-in-hand through the open doors. Two handsome men walked through to the center of the ballroom, turning to wave and blow kisses. While both men wore black tuxedos, the taller, darker-haired man had a deep turquoise vest and straight tie. The lighter brown-haired man, three or four inches shorter than his partner, sported a dark green vest and bow tie. Both men smiled broadly as they gestured for quiet, and the applause died down.

Jensen Ackles spoke first, his smile creasing his face in happiness. "Thank you for joining us this evening. Jared and I are thrilled to be sharing this occasion with you. Some of you were there from the beginning, when we were babies on the set of Supernatural. Some of you we met after that, when we pursued our separate careers and lives for a while. Some of you joined along the way from various projects we've worked on through the years. But all of you have done us the tremendous favor of attending tonight, the celebration of our twentieth wedding anniversary!"

Cheers and more applause resounded. Jensen looked at Jared Padalecki, his husband of twenty years, and marveled all over again at how handsome Jared still was after all their years together.. His hair, various lengths throughout the years according to acting demands, was currently longer, close to Sam Winchester-length, still dark but shot with silver. His dimples were every bit as deep and remarkable. His eyes glowed with joy, the colors still as shifting and unidentifiable as ever. In his closely-tailored tuxedo, Jared's shoulders were broad, his waist and hips narrow. The black shawl collar emphasized the depth of his chest, and the black satin stripe down the side of his pants made his legs look a mile long.

"Goddamn, you're beautiful," Jensen said, addressing his words to Jared, unashamed to express his love and admiration in front of their guests. "How did I ever get so lucky?"

A faint blush tinted Jared's cheeks. "I think you've got that twisted around, Mr. Ackles." He leaned forward and kissed Jensen. The room filled with cheers and catcalls, and both men looked at their friends and family again, smiles wide on their faces.

"Thank you," Jared said, addressing the room. "It means so much to us to have you all here. Now, how about a drink and some music? Let's get this party started!"



Much later that night, Jared lay naked in bed, ankles crossed and hands behind his head, watching his husband. Jensen was puttering around their bedroom, putting away his cuff links and shirt studs, tucking his black dress shoes into the shoe rack in their walk-in closet. He wore black silk boxers, and Jared admired how firm Jensen's ass still was under the soft, clingy fabric. His light brown hair mostly masked any gray, but Jared had noticed how Jensen had preferred being clean-shaven lately, instead of the closely-trimmed beard he often favored. Jared wondered if it was due to the little squiggles of gray that now showed up in the darker hair of Jensen's beard. He thought it was sexy, but he figured Jensen didn't share that sentiment.

Nonetheless, Jensen was in great shape, thanks to their in-house gym and the personal trainer who came twice a week to work them both out. Shoulders still broad and well-muscled, thighs and biceps thick; Jensen easily looked younger than his age. His features had matured over the years, softer curves leaning out into a strong jawline and sculpted facial planes. Aging like a fine wine, the saying went, and goddamn if that wasn't Jensen to a tee.

Jensen looked back at Jared, mouth curling in a half-smile. "Whatcha watchin' there, big guy?"

Jared smirked back at him. "Your fine self. What about getting over here and givin' me some lovin'?"

Jensen snorted in mock-disdain. "You're a damn hound dog. Maybe I want to get some sleep after that great party. Maybe I'm all tuckered out from the dancing and carousing."

"You'll sleep better after getting off." Jared slowly ran a hand down his chest, thumbing a nipple along the way. His cock was already hardening, and he picked it up, stroking it casually. "I could help you with that."

Jensen snorted again. "I think you want me to help you." He walked over to the bed, standing by the side and looking down at Jared. "See, you're doing that all wrong."

Jared smirked again. "I think I know how to jerk off, jerk. Been doing it for the last forty-nine years."

"Fuck you, bitch." Jensen slid his boxers off and climbed onto the bed. "See, first of all, your grip is too loose." He knocked Jared's hand away and gripped his dick firmly. "When you have a beast like this, you gotta show it who's boss."

"Oh, do you?" Jared said with a gasp. Mere seconds with Jensen's hand around Jared's cock was enough to make him fully hard. "I, uh...yeah, I see what you mean."

Jensen nodded approvingly. "Now he's all perked up." Squeeze. "A little extra attention here..." His thumb rubbed over Jared's tip, catching a bead of pre-come and smearing it around. "That's what I'm talking about."

"Yeah, uh, talking...uh-huh." Speaking was definitely becoming more difficult, what with all the blood in his brain relocating in his dick.

"But really, the best thing is to..." Jensen bent over and took Jared into his mouth, sucking as he sank down as far as he could. Jared exclaimed loudly, his body jerking under the wet heat enveloping his cock. His hands slid into Jensen's hair, fingers curling around the lightly gelled strands and tugging.

"Oh...oh, yes, I see...what you, uh, mean...oh!"



"Toast! Toast!" The wedding guests clamored loudly for the attendants to begin toasting the newlywed couple, Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles.

Chad Murray stood up, champagne flute in one hand. He actually looked rather elegant, Jared thought, which was downright amazing. Chad normally favored old t-shirts and hoodies, but here he was clad in a well-tailored tuxedo, as befitted a best man.

"Okay, as Jared's Best Man, it's my duty to tell you all of the embarrassing things Jared's ever done in his whole entire life." Chad paused and gave the newlywed couple an evil wink.

Jared started to protest amid a chorus of catcalls and whistles. Chad grinned at him and continued, "But I'm not going to do that! Hell, we'd be here all night!"

Jared sat back in relief, and Jensen, laughing merrily, patted his new husband's shoulder reassuringly.

"Here's their story in a nutshell. It all started years ago, back when these two goofballs--I mean, Mr. and Mr. here--got cast in a little show called Supernatural and fell in love. It took them many years to get their heads out of their asses though, but they finally did, so here we are!" Chad paused, as laughter and cheers interrupted him. "I therefore happily propose a toast to Jared and Jensen, husbands at last!"

Jared leaned over and kissed Jensen. They gazed into each other's eyes for a moment before being regaled with more cheers and catcalls.

Still grinning, Chad sat down, and Danneel Harris stood up. Her red hair was swept to the side, spilling over one shoulder and glowing like fire against her black silk gown.

"Okay, my turn. I'm the Best Woman for Jensen, and here is my toast." She cleared her throat. "I have the great fortune to be Jensen's co-star and his television wife. We've worked long hours together, and shared a lot of experiences, including a crazy producer who tried to get us hitched up for real." She paused, and there was a brief round of boos. "Yes, that was a dark moment, but the crowning glory was Jensen appearing on Ellen and declaring his love for Jared, followed by Jared's surprise appearance joining him there onstage. Jensen chose the Ellen show because years before, as I'm sure you all know, Jared had been a guest there himself to speak with Ellen about his coming out in a recent interview. And that is why you are all here today, because then they decided to finally be out together and get hitched! So congratulations to you two for braving the rocky path toward true love and happiness!"

She sat down amid more cheers and the tapping of silverware against glasses.

Jared and Jensen obliged their guests with a kiss before Jared stood up. "I don't know if it's traditional for the groom to speak, but I'm going to anyway." He smiled down at Jensen, who was regarding him with a surprised look. "I could not be happier to be sharing this occasion with y'all. Truthfully, I never thought this would happen. I've loved Jensen since our Supernatural days, but we had a long road to travel before we could get to this point. I just want to say how strong and brave my husband is to have traveled that road, and how proud I am to be his partner, and now his husband."

He tugged on Jensen's hand, drawing him to stand up and holding hands with him. "Jensen, everyone knows how devastatingly handsome you are, and how amazingly talented. What they may not know is how you fought to get here; how you faced both internal and external battles and were able to come into your own. I admire you, I respect you, and I love you with all of my heart." He pulled Jensen into his arms and they shared a kiss.

The applause was resounding. Ending the kiss, Jensen ducked his head before looking around the room.

"Okay, guess it's my turn. My husband has already said so much of what is in my heart. I want to add that his talent never fails to inspire me, his courage makes me feel braver, and his kindness and generosity teaches me to be a better person. Jared, I love you, and I thank you for giving me a second chance when I was stranded out there in the New Mexico desert."

They kissed again.

"Oh, and one more thing," Jensen said. "I want to thank AT&T for having installed a pay phone next to Penny's Diner, so that when I got there after a three hour hike in the desert, I saw it shining in the sun like the Holy Grail, and I knew it was a sign to call Jared right then and there. And to my astonishment and eternal gratitude...he answered."

They kissed again. Every face in the room had a smile on as they watched the newlyweds.

"Okay! Enough of the chick flick moments! Everybody eat, because we got some amazing food here, and then we're going to dance our butts off!" Jared called out, grinning broadly as he raised his and Jensen's clasped hands triumphantly.



Nathan Fillion clapped loudly, a wide grin on his face. He felt an invested interest in the nuptial proceedings, having been friends with Jared for the last few years. They'd met while working together in the movie Secrets of Arkham; Nathan had taken the helm as Batman, and Jared had been cast as his sidekick Nightwing. While they'd been filming, Jared had confided in Nathan about how he and Jensen had fallen in love during Supernatural, but Jensen had refused to come out at that time. They'd subsequently broken up, remaining separated for years. Jared had come out as bisexual in a print interview a couple of years post-break-up, and had gone on to discuss this with Ellen while a guest on her show. The crux of the matter was, he'd done it while wearing a bracelet that was a token of love from Jensen, dating back to the idyllic vacation in the Outer Banks, North Carolina. That was where they had first revealed their feelings for each other, and Jensen had bought identical cuffs for each of them, a simple, elegant curve of gold and silver together, as a sign of their commitment.

As Jared had recounted to Nathan, a few years after they'd broken up Jensen had heard that Jared was to be Ellen's guest in a neighboring studio to Jensen's show, Carry On. Curious and still pining, Jensen had sneaked in to watch Jared taping. Inspired by Jared's openness about his sexuality, Jensen had decided to address his own demons in the form of going back to Texas to confront his parents about his closeted homosexuality. After a successful reunion with his family, Jensen had been returning to L.A. to confess his feelings to Jared, only a car breakdown and a desert hike had interfered. Stumbling into a tiny town, Jensen had taken the sight of a pay phone shining in the sun as a sign to call Jared right the fuck then.

That conversation had gone a thousand times better than anticipated, and had ended with Jared driving out to rescue Jensen. And now here they were, beaming with love and joy, enjoying their wedding reception.

When Jared finished speaking, he raised his and Jensen's hands and bade their guests to party, Nathan could see the silver and gold cuffs that both men always wore winking in the lights.

Nathan turned to his seatmate on his right.

"See that? They're wearing the bracelets. The ones that Jensen said he knew were a sign, when he saw Jared wearing it on your show. I guess he was right, huh?"

His seatmate agreed. "I thought that was so romantic! So did Portia." Portia deRossi, exquisite in a pale green lace gown, smiled and nodded.

Nathan sighed happily. "I think we did good, don't you?"

Ellen deGeneres flashed a huge smile at Nathan.

"Absolutely!"



Jensen walked onto the living room set for his television show, Carry On. After eight years, it was as familiar and comfortable to him as his own home. All of the furniture looked warm and lived in--the big dark brown sofa with the squishy cushions, the blue leather recliner, the maple coffee table strewn with magazines and school books. The afghan Danneel had actually crocheted on camera throughout one season lay across the back of the sofa. Jensen had resisted at first when the producer had introduced her character in season four; a new love interest for Jensen's Zach Logan, abruptly widowed and suddenly single father to his two children, thirteen-year-old Robby and eleven-year-old Mandy. But Danni had blended right in with the cast and crew, and her Cynthia had braved both being the second love of Zach's life and becoming a stepmom to his kids.

Trailing his fingers along the afghan, Jensen remembered how grateful he'd been to land this role. After Supernatural had ended, along with his relationship with Jared, Jensen had been professionally and personally adrift, floating through a few dead-end shows and parts. His heart broken, his spirit lost, he'd been drinking heavily to drown out his pain. A former producer from Supernatural had thrown him a lifeline with the role of Zach Logan, and Jensen had had enough sense and sobriety to seize the opportunity and breathe life into a character who was also adrift. He'd saved himself in the process.

Jensen had lucked out with the new show. The show had struck a chord with the audience from its inception, everyone enjoying the balance of humor and drama with a family struggling to survive a death, and it had grown to be a network hit. The cast and crew of Carry On had been solid, letting Jensen finally build a trust on-set that he hadn't experienced since his Dean Winchester days. Even the two teenage actors, Jenna Silver and Damon Mathews, had been cool; not precocious Hollywood brats, but genuine and intelligent. They'd been invested in portraying real emotions about children who'd lost their mother, with a dad floundering in his own grief and struggling to give them some stability. And yes, find the humor along the way.

And now, he was deciding to call it done. It was time to wrap it up and tie it with a bow, time for everyone to move on to other things. As much as that prospect excited him, he felt sadness at leaving this behind. This show, this character, had changed his life, saving him from heading-into-a-bottle has-been to television leading man, watched by millions.

"I think it's time to say goodbye to Zach Logan," Jensen said to Jared as they lay in bed cuddling comfortably.

He felt the impact of that statement hit Jared, the surprise that rippled through Jared's body.

"Really? What's bringing this on? You know I support whatever you want to do, of course, but what led you to this decision?"

Jensen nuzzled Jared's shoulder, closing his eyes and enjoying the smooth warmth of Jared's skin. "I know you do, thank you. I just--I love Zach, and working with Danni and the kids and all, I just feel like it's run its course. I've done and said all I have to do and say about him. I want to try other things, other characters. And I don't want to completely give up the thought of movie roles."

He'd never envied Jared's success on the big screen, and he'd made sure that Jared knew that. He did however hope to make that transition himself at some point.

"Sure, I can understand that. You going to talk to Sebastian first?" Sebastian Roche had been the producer to take over after Kurt Fuller's ignominious Departure, providing a calm and stable guiding hand to the show.

"Yeah, him, then Danni. Then we can all talk together with the cast and crew. I think that Damon and Jenna are getting a little ansty too--they're getting nibbles from other shows and some movie offers, but they're loyal to this. Time to set everyone free." Jensen ran a finger down Jared's rib cage, watching it rise and fall with Jared's breath.

Jared turned to face Jensen more fully and kissed him. "Sounds like a plan."

Sitting in Sebastian Roche's office two days later, Jensen let his producer know his thoughts as they sat on the black leather chairs. Sebastian favored a very modern aesthetic, and the office was all black furniture and white walls, with bold, colorful movie posters on the walls.

"I love the show. You know that. We have the best cast and an amazing crew. It's just that it's been eight years, and I feel we've told all the story we can about the Logans."

Sebastian nodded. "Frankly, while I'm sad to hear this, I can't say that I'm surprised. The show is still doing really well, but it's always better to go out on top, yes? You have plenty of time to do other things. I know that Jenna and Damon are definitely looking at new projects--they're young adults now, not teens anymore, and ready to change things up. I'm sad to lose you, of course, but I understand." He sat back and sighed. "Happily, with this much notice, we have plenty of time to prepare for this upcoming season as the last. We can do it right and really wrap the story lines up for everyone."

He stood up, and Jensen did as well. Clasping Jensen's shoulder, Sebastian said, "Jensen, it's been an honor to work with you. I'd do it again in a heartbeat, and of course I'll be happy to recommend you to anyone."

"Thanks, Seb. It's been great to work with you too." They hugged, and Jensen felt a pang of grief at the same time as a sense of freedom washed through him. These had been good days, days of hard work and effort, of laughter and camaraderie. It was as hard to leave as it was exciting to contemplate new horizons.

Sebastian stepped back and clapped Jensen's shoulder. "You'll do well, my boy. And you and Jared are happy together. Life smiles upon you, yes?" He smiled. "Let's have a toast to Zach Logan and his portrayer."

They stepped over to the bar that every producer had in their plushy offices. Sebastian's was recessed into one wall, glasses and bottles gleaming against black granite. He poured them each a short whiskey. Handing one glass to Jensen, Sebastian raised his own and toasted. "À de nouvelles aventures!"

"Thank you for everything, Seb." Jensen clinked his glass with Sebastian's and they drank.

Jensen put his glass down. "Could I talk to Danni first, and then the three of us can talk to the rest of the cast and crew together?"

"Sure thing. I'll talk to the writers tomorrow, give them the heads up, you get together with Danni, and we can announce it on Friday."



Jared sighed with relief as he collapsed into the studio car that would drive him home. He was between Nightwing movies, so was happy to be filming in California for this interim movie role instead of being somewhere remote for location shooting. The second Batman & Nightwing movie, Ark of Darkness, had been out for a couple of months already and was doing well both at the box office and critically. Now he was shooting a hiatus movie, a small indie quickie, before he started working on his next superhero movie with continuing co-star Nathan Fillion.

Man, he loved working with Nathan. They'd bonded during their first venture together a few years ago, Secrets of Arkham, and then had a blast shooting Ark of Darkness. The Dark War would be their third outing together. Jared looked forward to the continuing saga of Batman and Nightwing as well as hanging out with one of his best friends.

Jensen usually accompanied Jared on the location shoots. During the previous location shoots for Secrets of Arkham, distance and limited communications had played havoc on their relationship, especially on Jensen's end. Carry On producer Kurt Fuller had tried to manipulate Jensen and his co-star/eventual TV wife Danneel Harris into a behind-the-scenes/in front of the paparazzi relationship to mirror their onscreen one. When Jensen had come out publicly, Fuller had gone off the rails. Ultimately he'd been fired and subsequently prosecuted for assault.

The whole thing had been a hot mess, with Jensen trying to figure out what Fuller's agenda was and how he was gaslighting Jensen. In addition, since Jared was only getting dribs and drabs from paparazzi reports, Jensen had to reassure Jared that there really was nothing going on between him and Danni. After that, Jensen and Jared had agreed to travel together as much as they could when Jared had to go to Portugal or Taiwan or whatever other exotic places were required.

So now it was lovely to just drive home after a day's filming, to have a drink on their own patio and swim in their own pool. Sure, Jared enjoyed the excitement of filming a blockbuster superhero movie, but he also relished the quieter pace and home-based shooting of his interim projects.

He also looked forward to Jensen being home more in the evenings once Carry On wrapped. Shooting an hour-long show meant long days and late nights, and it would be wonderful that they'd be home relaxing together more frequently. Of course, they both wanted to work, but Jensen had been on his show the last couple of years since they'd married. Jared's work was more in blocks of time--away for a few weeks on a location, and then home for the rest of the shooting. In between he had weeks where his schedule was more his own. Jensen was tied to the daily filming necessary for a weekly network show.

But soon, they'd have that time, and Jared couldn't wait.



"Hey, Jensen, how you doing today? Looking forward to tomorrow night?" Linda, one of the production assistants, walked onto the set, clipboard at the ready. "Is Jared going to walk the red carpet with you?"

Jensen smiled, his heart warming as it always did when he thought about Jared. "You bet. I wouldn't go without him." He chuckled. "It's only fair, after I went with him to the last Nightwing premieres."

Danneel Harris joined them, already in Cynthia's usual outfit of vintage t-shirt and soft, worn jeans. "Yeah, but did you get a new tux this time?"

"Maybe. You'll just have to wait and see, missy." Jensen plopped onto the couch. "Man, how did this season finish so soon? Seems like we just started shooting last week."

"Speak for yourself. Besides, the kids both grew like three inches. I heard Meggie in costuming complaining." Danneel joined Jensen on the couch, her ponytail bouncing. "Are you guys going someplace exotic again?" She put a hand to her mouth, eyes wide. "I almost said during hiatus, but it really isn't hiatus this time, is it? We'll be done for good."

Jensen nodded. "Yeah, it's weird to think about it like that. But yes, Jared's done the first round of set shots for The Dark War, so we'll be doing the location shooting now. I think he said Egypt, Greece, and um...Morocco? Monte Carlo? Someplace with an M."

"Jen! Good grief! Those are really different places, you can't even remember?" Danni smacked Jensen's knee.

"Hey, I'm busy remembering lines and blocking. He's in charge of destinations. He just hands me a suitcase and a passport and I follow."

"Well, he'll be following you tomorrow, right down that red carpet. Wait until you see my gown, it's amazing!" She smirked. "Steve said we'll have super hot limo sex on the way there."

"Ew!!! Don't tell me that!" Jensen mock-gagged. "Blech!" He scowled at her. "If I see any wet spots, I'm gonna gag right there in front of the E Online camera!"

They laughed together. Danni had always had as raunchy a sense of humor as any guy Jensen knew; it was one of the things that had endeared her to him from the get-go.

"No, no, we'll look perfect, I promise. Same goes for you too, mister. I know what a scamp Jared can be." She gave him a dirty wink.

"You're not wrong. Pact--no before-ceremony limo sex for either of us."

"Okay. But afterward, all bets are off!"

They pinky-swore to their pre-show chastity, then cackled like hyenas as the rest of the cast started arriving to rehearse.

On to Part 2