DJ!Verse EP #17 : Broken
So, you remember that fluffy, schmoopy V-Day DJ EP? Yeah? This isn't it. I didn't intentionally go to the opposite side of the spectrum. Nope, not at all. I actually was writing a little bit of my whenboy fic and then...this happened. I don't know. But hey, 1700 more words, right?!
Um, enjoy?
Jensen made his way down the empty hallway, slightly unnerved by the silence. It was always a bit weird to be at the school after hours, but he was getting used to it. Right now, he just wanted to get to Jared. The sooner, the better.
The radio station took up the entire back half of the building. Jensen pushed through the entrance door and headed down a second, smaller corridor. He glanced through the window into the DJ booth and saw Mike hunched over a young guy he didn't recognize, pointing out various things on the console. After checking the light to verify they weren't on the air, Jensen tapped the glass to get his roommate's attention.
Mike glanced up and gave Jensen a small smile, a bare twist of his lips, and held up a finger. Jensen nodded and leaned against the wall, waiting for him to exit.
"Sorry, new kid needs to master the training wheels before he can ride with the big boys." Mike slipped out into the hallway, cackling as the guy glared at his retreating back. "Daddy's going to check on Mommy. Don't screw up!"
"So you finally found someone to replace...what was his name?"
"Her name was Carolyn and yeah, we did. Nearly a week ago."
"Oh." Jensen shrugged. The turnover rate at the station was bordering on ridiculous that semester. "Another case of mono?"
"Yeah. Some kid took his lesson on sharing and caring a little too far. Seems like half the sophomore class caught it this time around."
Jensen turned and found Mike watching him with a serious expression. "What?"
Mike bit his lip and Jensen felt his anxiety ratchet up another notch. "How often do you talk to Jared?"
"Every day, usually." Jensen tilted his head to the side. "But you know that. Why're you asking now?"
"Now don't go gettin' all mad at me for asking this because you know I love you, man-" Mike held up his hands and Jensen lifted one eyebrow, waiting for him to continue. "When was the last time you actually talked to him?"
"Day before yesterday."
"You sure?"
Jensen wasn't sure he liked Mike's tone. He frowned and thought back. The past couple of weeks had been pretty crazy. He'd been spending a lot of time with Alicia and Abby, adding extra tutoring sessions to try to keep them from failing. And then he had to study for his own exams. Jared had his own chaos to deal with at the station but they always managed to find time to talk. It couldn't have been that long ago, could it?
Mike sighed, taking his silence as an admission. "That's what I was afraid of."
"Mike, what's going on?"
Mike rubbed a hand across his head and Jensen uneasiness grew. "I told him to call you. To be honest, he's freaking us all out."
Jensen couldn't prevent the growl from slipping past his lips. "What happened?"
"That's what we all want to know. Maybe you can get him to talk." Mike didn't say another word, simply stepped back and pushed open the door to the office.
The room was dark but Jensen could see Jared on the couch along the back wall. He had his back to the door and was curled in on himself, making Jensen's chest ache for him. Jensen frowned and glanced back at Mike but his roommate only shrugged.
Jensen moved across the room and knelt down next to the couch. He reached out and gently shook Jared's shoulder, his concern growing as he felt the fine tremors beneath his fingertips.
"Go away." Jared's voice was quiet and rough, so unlike his usual happy drawl.
"Hey, it's me," Jensen rubbed Jared's back through the thin t-shirt, not sure what was going on but wanting to be there for his boyfriend no matter what. "Come on, Jay, talk to me."
"Jen?"
Jared rolled over and immediately wrapped his arms around Jensen's shoulders, pulling him close.
Jensen reached out on arm, pressing his palm into the couch cushion to keep from toppling over. He wrapped his other arm around Jared's back, just holding him while Jared buried his nose in Jensen's neck.
"What're you doin' here?"
Jared's voice was muffled but Jensen was fluent in Jared by now. He turned his head and kissed Jared's temple. The position was awkward, but Jensen sensed Jared needed the comfort.
"Sophia called me. She's worried about you." Jensen glanced over his shoulder and saw Mike still standing there, watching them. Mike ducked his head, blushing, but didn't even pretend to leave. "I think everyone is. You even made Mike go all quiet. I didn't think that was even possible."
"Sorry," Jared mumbled. He pulled away from Jensen and settled on his side, this time facing away from the couch.
Jensen could see his eyes lined with red in the faint glow from the hall light. He gently brushed his thumb across Jared's cheekbone. "Talk to me. What's going on? Why's everyone worried and why wasn't I even aware there was a reason to worry?"
Jared lowered his eyes, staring at something beyond the shadows. He sniffled. "Chad kicked me out."
"What?" Jensen kept stroking Jared's face, his thumb keeping up its steady motion, but he felt like he'd been kicked in the chest. "When? Why?"
"You're forgetting 'who' and 'how.'" Jared gave a humorless laugh. He sighed and pressed his cheek into Jensen's palm.
"Ok," Jensen started, keeping his voice soft while trying to remain calm even while his heart kept jackhammering in his chest. "So tell me what happened."
"You remember that girl he started seeing? The one that made me feel uncomfortable?"
Jensen nodded and gave a quiet murmur of acknowledgement. Jared had been complaining about Chad's new girlfriend for the past couple weeks or so.
Jared gave an awkward shrug with one shoulder and continued. "Turns out she doesn't want me around, said I'm no good for Chad and that I was obviously after something."
Jensen snorted, couldn't stop himself. "That's absurd. You and Chad have been friends forever. You'd never go there."
"I know," Jared said. "I mean, I actually know where Chad's been and...ew. Just ew."
Jensen buried his fingers in Jared's hair and pushed his bangs away from his face. "Keep going."
"She just kept saying all these horrible things about me and about...us. Things like I'm always hanging all over people and I'm obviously cheating on you because I talk too much-"
"She's wrong, Jay. You're the best person I know. And I know you'd never cheat. You're just a happy guy." Jensen had never hated someone he'd never met as much as he hated this girl. "Please tell me Chad didn't agree with her."
"Chad never heard the things she said. She always made sure he wasn't around."
"So..."
"I was at the Broken Record checking out the new arrivals and she was there. With this other guy and she was wrapped around him and I didn't think she'd seen me, but..."
"But she did?" Jensen already knew the answer.
"When I tried to tell Chad that I'd seen her, because I just had to, he's my best friend.."
Jensen pulled Jared's head onto his shoulder, wishing he could do more.
"Anyway, he said that she told him I'd say something like that. That I told her I'd do anything to break them up. And when I told him that if he didn't believe me, that was fine, but I couldn't sit there and watch her toy with him. So I told him it was her or me-"
"Oh Jay," Jensen's heart broke for his boyfriend.
"My best friend for years and he-" Jared's voice broke and he took a moment, breathing deep, trying to gather some control. "He chose her."
"Fuck."
Jensen heard Mike's exclamation from behind him, knew he'd heard everything. He pulled Jared tighter to him, despite the awkward angles, Jared still on the couch and him still kneeling on the floor. His knees were aching, but he couldn't move, not with Jared breaking in his arms.
"When did this happen?"
"Couple of days ago. Just grabbed some of my stuff and came here." Jared took a shaky breath. "Didn't know where else to go."
Jensen pulled back slightly, horrified that this had been going on for days and he hadn't known. "Why didn't you come to me? You know I'm going to kick Chad's ass." Jensen had never been Chad's biggest fan, but he was Jared's friend, so he put up with him. But now, he just wanted to knock some sense into the moron.
"I just didn't want you to worry. You've got those two big midterms coming up and....really, it's nothing. I'm fine."
"Baby, no. Just...no." Jensen pressed his lips to Jared's forehead. "That's bullshit. You hurt, you come to me. I don't care when it is or what's going on. Exams...they're nothing. You're first. Let me take care of you."
"But-"
Jensen shushed him as he rolled up onto his feet. His knees throbbed from sitting on them for so long but he had other things to think about. He grabbed Jared's arm and tugged him up.
"Come on. Grab your stuff." He nodded toward the door. "I'm taking you home, where you belong."
"Jen, really, I'm-"
"Don't you dare say you're fine," Jensen growled. He bent down and pressed his lips to Jared's more for comfort than anything else. "You're not fine. Chad's an ass and we'll deal with him later. But for now, I want you with me. At home. In my bed. You look like you could use a good night's sleep."
"Yeah," Jared mumbled. He stood up on shaky legs and grabbed a couple bags from the corner.
Jensen moved forward and took on of Jared's bags. He settled it on his shoulder and reached for Jared's hand, twining their fingers together. "Come on, let's go."
"Ok," Jared mumbled. He kept his eyes down on the ground but he followed when Jensen tugged gently on his hand, urging him forward.
As they reached the door, Jensen leaned in toward Mike, who was watching them with clenched teeth and fire in his eyes. "We'll see you at home," he said loudly and then at a much softer level. "And if you feel like making a pit stop...just make sure you leave some punches for me."
*For the record, DJ!verse Chad isn't a complete asshole in the future. You'll just have to trust me on this one for now. He just has a lot of growing up (and making up) to do.
DJ EP #17 - Broken
01. Cold - A Different Kind of Pain
02. Stephen Kellogg & the Sixers - Hearts in Pain
03. Daniel Bedingfield - Nothing Hurts Like Love (acoustic)
04. Plumb - Damaged
05. Matt Nathanson - Falling Apart
06. Jump, Little Children - Broken
Zip
Um, enjoy?
Jensen made his way down the empty hallway, slightly unnerved by the silence. It was always a bit weird to be at the school after hours, but he was getting used to it. Right now, he just wanted to get to Jared. The sooner, the better.
The radio station took up the entire back half of the building. Jensen pushed through the entrance door and headed down a second, smaller corridor. He glanced through the window into the DJ booth and saw Mike hunched over a young guy he didn't recognize, pointing out various things on the console. After checking the light to verify they weren't on the air, Jensen tapped the glass to get his roommate's attention.
Mike glanced up and gave Jensen a small smile, a bare twist of his lips, and held up a finger. Jensen nodded and leaned against the wall, waiting for him to exit.
"Sorry, new kid needs to master the training wheels before he can ride with the big boys." Mike slipped out into the hallway, cackling as the guy glared at his retreating back. "Daddy's going to check on Mommy. Don't screw up!"
"So you finally found someone to replace...what was his name?"
"Her name was Carolyn and yeah, we did. Nearly a week ago."
"Oh." Jensen shrugged. The turnover rate at the station was bordering on ridiculous that semester. "Another case of mono?"
"Yeah. Some kid took his lesson on sharing and caring a little too far. Seems like half the sophomore class caught it this time around."
Jensen turned and found Mike watching him with a serious expression. "What?"
Mike bit his lip and Jensen felt his anxiety ratchet up another notch. "How often do you talk to Jared?"
"Every day, usually." Jensen tilted his head to the side. "But you know that. Why're you asking now?"
"Now don't go gettin' all mad at me for asking this because you know I love you, man-" Mike held up his hands and Jensen lifted one eyebrow, waiting for him to continue. "When was the last time you actually talked to him?"
"Day before yesterday."
"You sure?"
Jensen wasn't sure he liked Mike's tone. He frowned and thought back. The past couple of weeks had been pretty crazy. He'd been spending a lot of time with Alicia and Abby, adding extra tutoring sessions to try to keep them from failing. And then he had to study for his own exams. Jared had his own chaos to deal with at the station but they always managed to find time to talk. It couldn't have been that long ago, could it?
Mike sighed, taking his silence as an admission. "That's what I was afraid of."
"Mike, what's going on?"
Mike rubbed a hand across his head and Jensen uneasiness grew. "I told him to call you. To be honest, he's freaking us all out."
Jensen couldn't prevent the growl from slipping past his lips. "What happened?"
"That's what we all want to know. Maybe you can get him to talk." Mike didn't say another word, simply stepped back and pushed open the door to the office.
The room was dark but Jensen could see Jared on the couch along the back wall. He had his back to the door and was curled in on himself, making Jensen's chest ache for him. Jensen frowned and glanced back at Mike but his roommate only shrugged.
Jensen moved across the room and knelt down next to the couch. He reached out and gently shook Jared's shoulder, his concern growing as he felt the fine tremors beneath his fingertips.
"Go away." Jared's voice was quiet and rough, so unlike his usual happy drawl.
"Hey, it's me," Jensen rubbed Jared's back through the thin t-shirt, not sure what was going on but wanting to be there for his boyfriend no matter what. "Come on, Jay, talk to me."
"Jen?"
Jared rolled over and immediately wrapped his arms around Jensen's shoulders, pulling him close.
Jensen reached out on arm, pressing his palm into the couch cushion to keep from toppling over. He wrapped his other arm around Jared's back, just holding him while Jared buried his nose in Jensen's neck.
"What're you doin' here?"
Jared's voice was muffled but Jensen was fluent in Jared by now. He turned his head and kissed Jared's temple. The position was awkward, but Jensen sensed Jared needed the comfort.
"Sophia called me. She's worried about you." Jensen glanced over his shoulder and saw Mike still standing there, watching them. Mike ducked his head, blushing, but didn't even pretend to leave. "I think everyone is. You even made Mike go all quiet. I didn't think that was even possible."
"Sorry," Jared mumbled. He pulled away from Jensen and settled on his side, this time facing away from the couch.
Jensen could see his eyes lined with red in the faint glow from the hall light. He gently brushed his thumb across Jared's cheekbone. "Talk to me. What's going on? Why's everyone worried and why wasn't I even aware there was a reason to worry?"
Jared lowered his eyes, staring at something beyond the shadows. He sniffled. "Chad kicked me out."
"What?" Jensen kept stroking Jared's face, his thumb keeping up its steady motion, but he felt like he'd been kicked in the chest. "When? Why?"
"You're forgetting 'who' and 'how.'" Jared gave a humorless laugh. He sighed and pressed his cheek into Jensen's palm.
"Ok," Jensen started, keeping his voice soft while trying to remain calm even while his heart kept jackhammering in his chest. "So tell me what happened."
"You remember that girl he started seeing? The one that made me feel uncomfortable?"
Jensen nodded and gave a quiet murmur of acknowledgement. Jared had been complaining about Chad's new girlfriend for the past couple weeks or so.
Jared gave an awkward shrug with one shoulder and continued. "Turns out she doesn't want me around, said I'm no good for Chad and that I was obviously after something."
Jensen snorted, couldn't stop himself. "That's absurd. You and Chad have been friends forever. You'd never go there."
"I know," Jared said. "I mean, I actually know where Chad's been and...ew. Just ew."
Jensen buried his fingers in Jared's hair and pushed his bangs away from his face. "Keep going."
"She just kept saying all these horrible things about me and about...us. Things like I'm always hanging all over people and I'm obviously cheating on you because I talk too much-"
"She's wrong, Jay. You're the best person I know. And I know you'd never cheat. You're just a happy guy." Jensen had never hated someone he'd never met as much as he hated this girl. "Please tell me Chad didn't agree with her."
"Chad never heard the things she said. She always made sure he wasn't around."
"So..."
"I was at the Broken Record checking out the new arrivals and she was there. With this other guy and she was wrapped around him and I didn't think she'd seen me, but..."
"But she did?" Jensen already knew the answer.
"When I tried to tell Chad that I'd seen her, because I just had to, he's my best friend.."
Jensen pulled Jared's head onto his shoulder, wishing he could do more.
"Anyway, he said that she told him I'd say something like that. That I told her I'd do anything to break them up. And when I told him that if he didn't believe me, that was fine, but I couldn't sit there and watch her toy with him. So I told him it was her or me-"
"Oh Jay," Jensen's heart broke for his boyfriend.
"My best friend for years and he-" Jared's voice broke and he took a moment, breathing deep, trying to gather some control. "He chose her."
"Fuck."
Jensen heard Mike's exclamation from behind him, knew he'd heard everything. He pulled Jared tighter to him, despite the awkward angles, Jared still on the couch and him still kneeling on the floor. His knees were aching, but he couldn't move, not with Jared breaking in his arms.
"When did this happen?"
"Couple of days ago. Just grabbed some of my stuff and came here." Jared took a shaky breath. "Didn't know where else to go."
Jensen pulled back slightly, horrified that this had been going on for days and he hadn't known. "Why didn't you come to me? You know I'm going to kick Chad's ass." Jensen had never been Chad's biggest fan, but he was Jared's friend, so he put up with him. But now, he just wanted to knock some sense into the moron.
"I just didn't want you to worry. You've got those two big midterms coming up and....really, it's nothing. I'm fine."
"Baby, no. Just...no." Jensen pressed his lips to Jared's forehead. "That's bullshit. You hurt, you come to me. I don't care when it is or what's going on. Exams...they're nothing. You're first. Let me take care of you."
"But-"
Jensen shushed him as he rolled up onto his feet. His knees throbbed from sitting on them for so long but he had other things to think about. He grabbed Jared's arm and tugged him up.
"Come on. Grab your stuff." He nodded toward the door. "I'm taking you home, where you belong."
"Jen, really, I'm-"
"Don't you dare say you're fine," Jensen growled. He bent down and pressed his lips to Jared's more for comfort than anything else. "You're not fine. Chad's an ass and we'll deal with him later. But for now, I want you with me. At home. In my bed. You look like you could use a good night's sleep."
"Yeah," Jared mumbled. He stood up on shaky legs and grabbed a couple bags from the corner.
Jensen moved forward and took on of Jared's bags. He settled it on his shoulder and reached for Jared's hand, twining their fingers together. "Come on, let's go."
"Ok," Jared mumbled. He kept his eyes down on the ground but he followed when Jensen tugged gently on his hand, urging him forward.
As they reached the door, Jensen leaned in toward Mike, who was watching them with clenched teeth and fire in his eyes. "We'll see you at home," he said loudly and then at a much softer level. "And if you feel like making a pit stop...just make sure you leave some punches for me."
*For the record, DJ!verse Chad isn't a complete asshole in the future. You'll just have to trust me on this one for now. He just has a lot of growing up (and making up) to do.
DJ EP #17 - Broken
01. Cold - A Different Kind of Pain
02. Stephen Kellogg & the Sixers - Hearts in Pain
03. Daniel Bedingfield - Nothing Hurts Like Love (acoustic)
04. Plumb - Damaged
05. Matt Nathanson - Falling Apart
06. Jump, Little Children - Broken
Zip