FIC: Estuary
Title: Estuary
Pairing/Characters: Jensen/Jared
Rating: R
Word Count: 5,693
Warnings: Oblique mentions of MPREG. Tom Welling.
Thanks: loony_moony for the looking over/input & dark_reaction for her always amazing beta magic. ♥♥
Notes: This is set right after the last chapter in The Seahorse, before the epilogue. Written for wendy for her donation to help_haiti, I really hope you like it!! ♥♥
Summary: Wherein Jared nests himself into Jensen's life. And Jensen learns about the other side of the story.
Estuary
The blanket is this paisley-pink print, the cotton soft and warm against his skin, but that's not what catches his eye, it's the lump that shifts across from his side to settle on top of him, and Jensen smiles because it's like watching a bed-shark swim across the mattress.
"We have to-ummm." Which is all Jensen manages to say before his eyes roll back into his head as Jared curls his tongue the right spot against his bare chest; kissing wet and sweet, moving down lower and lower. It leaves Jensen thinking in that flowery dialogue he thought was only reserved for Renaissance fairs and greeting cards.
"Ummm?" Jared asks, lifting his head up so that the blanket falls back and Jensen can see the playful look Jared's giving him, just edging Jensen on more. For a moment, he forgets about what he wanted to say, and quirks his mouth, looking at Jared with mussed hair and wet, red lips parted. It's as if his hand has a mind of his own as Jensen can't really help but ruffle Jared's hair. But as he does, Jensen catches sight of his wristwatch.
"Shit! Jared, I have to get back to the hospital," Jensen says and sighs. Jared sucks his teeth in, disappointed.
"I know," Jared says as he rolls off of Jensen, settling at his side. "Huh, when did I think to pull the couch-bed out?" Jared wonders, realizing they're no longer squished together.
"You didn't, I did while you were on the phone with the super about all the uh-" Jensen ducks his head and mutters, "screaming and stuff."
Jared smiles. "Aw, c'mon, it was nice of him to be worried like that."
"Yeah," Jensen trails off, his hand cupping the side of Jared's face, thumb brushing over his cheekbone. He sighs, heavier now, "I really do have to go."
"I missed you so much," Jared says at the same time and they laugh, softly.
Jensen pulls himself up, his body fighting against him, wanting to rest. Maybe from the strain of recently catering to the whims of a very energetic, and very horny, 23 year old. Or maybe because Jared's ratty old couch, and even the lumpy pullout mattress, has felt like the most comfortable place in the world.
But that could really be because of the company, Jensen thinks as he shifts away from the bedspring digging into his backside.
"Okay, I need my pants," Jensen says.
"Mmmhmm," Jared mumbles, sliding his arms around Jensen's waist.
"C'mon," Jensen says, petting Jared's hair, "I gotta go back to the hospital. I'm still technically on call right now and I was only supposed to take an hour break when I told them I was running out," Jensen says, trying to remember whatever lame excuse he used to get away from the clinic and what he could possibly add to it in order to explain one hour turning into three.
"You're already late," Jared points out.
"The longer I stay-"
"Won't get you in any less trouble."
Jensen nods, he has a point, and then his shoulders drop as he slowly slides back towards the bed. "Okay, no," Jensen says, immediately pulling himself forward and out of the bed before he falls back again. Jared whimpers at his empty arms, but turns to fish around the other side of the bed. He pulls the giant stuffed purple seahorse Jensen bought him up off the floor, and hugs it like a body pillow.
"If I stay any longer, I'm just gonna plant myself on your couch until next week."
Jared shrugs easily. "Sounds like a pretty good plan to me," he pauses, lowering his eyes. "Looks like a pretty good plan from here too."
Jensen glances down and sharply picks his head back up, "Oh for the love of..." he mutters.
"See! He agrees with me too," Jared says with a wink.
"Okay, pants! Thinking unsexy thoughts and finding my pants-aha!" Jensen says as he moves through Jared's studio, and finds his discarded scrubs.
Jared sucks his teeth in. "Damn it, ruin all my wonderful plans."
"Plans?" Jensen asks as he hops into his boxer briefs and scrub bottoms.
"I was gonna hold you hostage until I could get it all in writing," Jared says as he rolls over onto his back, stretching.
Jensen pauses, unrolling his socks, "Get what in writing?"
"Y'know, what you said before about me and Eve moving in with you, and I figure the more time you're not here, the more time you'll be thinking about it; freaking out over the commitment and how much it'll screw up your life to suddenly have us around. And then you'll change your mind and I'll have to wait another six months to date you in-between all your work and clinic stuff and I'm just kind of impatient right now," Jared says, taking a deep breath.
"Jared, what makes you think I wasn't being serious when I said that?" Jensen asks as he pulls his shirt on.
Jared sits up carefully, "It's just a lot to ask, I know people get caught up in moments and say things that they haven't really thought a lot about, promises get made in the heat of the moment and-" Jared pulls his hand through his hair. "It's this being-a-parent-thing. I have to be an adult and think about decisions and consider options and have important discussions and I can't have the word 'impulsive' in my vocabulary any more."
Jensen sits down at his side, picking up his sneakers. "Man, your Dad sure did a number on you."
Jared doesn't meet Jensen's eyes, just pulls at a corner of the blanket. "Is it that obvious?"
"Little bit," Jensen says, holding his fingers about an inch apart.
"Well, then I think I should let you know I have commitment issues," Jared says with a sheepish grin. "Big ones. If I get too attached to you and-"
"I think we're both feeling pretty damn attached right now," Jensen interrupts, and then his voice going softer. "You know what I'm really worried about?"
Jared shakes his head.
"I'm worried about you having second thoughts about saying yes to me. I’m worried if you'll change your mind because you have to be a parent and finish school or whatever's next for you in your career; and that I'm the thing you can't make time for right now. And-" Jensen stops and bites the inside of his mouth.
"And?" Jared asks, nodding him on. "There's an 'and'?"
"And I'm worried that you'll start hating me because I keep weird hours and I forget to buy groceries all the time because I basically live off of the hospital cafeteria and even on my days off I'm completely unreliable because I'm either dead tired or got my nose in some new medical journal, or there'll be a conference. Soon you'll get sick of having to meet me at the hospital if you want to actually catch a glimpse of me," Jensen says.
Jared doesn't say anything, and Jensen finishes; "If anything, you should be running scared of me, because I'm rushing you into my life. Because I don't know when I'll have another chance to."
Jared swallows. "So, what you're saying is, you really like-like me?"
Jensen laughs, "Yep." He pulls on his sneakers and laces them up.
"And me and Eve can move in, right now? Like I could pack my things up and be at your apartment before the end of the week?"
"Well yeah, I was thinking it'd make more sense for you to take the guest room at first. So you could have your own personal space while we figure each other out and I'm not gonna make you cosign the lease or anything, don't worry. But we can just take it however you want-" Jensen is silenced by Jared's fingers on his lips.
"You really do want me to move in with you."
"Yes," Jensen answers as a huge smile breaks out across his face. "And maybe after that's all settled, we can try dating each other?"
Jared throws his arms around Jensen, kissing him and knocking him back down against the bed. Jensen's body is starting to respond to once again having a very, very affectionate, and very naked Jared on top of him.
Jensen sighs into it.
**
"So, um," Jared says, leaning against the door an hour later. "I know we'll talk tomorrow about this. But, when am I gonna see you again?"
Jensen finishes programming every contact number he has into Jared's cellphone and handing it back says, "Well, I mean we should talk. And like you said, you could be ready to move by end of the week so..." Jensen sees Jared's face fall.
"No, I meant like, can I see you again? Before then?" Jared says.
"Well," Jensen says, thinking it over in his head.
"Well?" Jared nods.
"It's crazy to ask you this, but," Jensen says, fishing in his pocket for his keys.
"I think we've both moved beyond apologizing for acting crazy," Jared says with a half-smile.
Jensen starts twisting one of his keys loose. "Well, I could give you this, and if you wanted to, you'd be the one letting me into my apartment when I get off work at maybe 5am, if I'm lucky... And then I could see you for however long I can stay awake?" Jensen says, holding up his house key.
Jared nods vigorously, snatching the key from Jensen. "I like this plan."
Jensen smiles back, leaning in to kiss him goodbye. Jared's hands cup his face, and Jensen leans in so he's pressed tight against Jared's chest. Jensen wraps his arms around him, feeling the muscles of Jared's back through the thin t-shirt he's wearing and Jensen breaks the kiss before he gives in again.
"See you later," Jensen says quietly, shaking out of the daze; it's back to the world that exists outside of Jared Padalecki, no matter how much he doesn't want to go just yet. Jensen starts walking down the hall towards the elevator.
"Hey, how'd you like your eggs?" Jared asks. Jensen looks back at him, confused. Jared clarifies, "I'm gonna make you breakfast so you'll get all energized! And then we can do some more, stuff."
"Coffee-flavored!" Jensen calls back to him.
**
Jensen actually doesn't get to his apartment until 6:30 in the morning. The door opens at the smell of coffee, and bacon and eggs gets him across the threshold and to the kitchen island, but he nods off just before Jared can pour him a cup and he's rudely jarred awake when he falls out of his chair and onto the floor.
He's much more comfortable now, with his head in Jared's lap as he lies across the couch in the living room.
"I'm so sorry about that," Jensen says as Jared rubs the side of his head. "I know you must have worked on this and gotten up super-early too and-"
"Hey, it's okay." Jared reassures him. "You're sure it doesn't hurt too bad?"
"Nah, I'll be fine, I've got a hard head," Jensen says, as he leans up close, to just barely touch his nose to Jared's. "Hey."
"Hey," Jared answers. "You're wearing your glasses," he says.
"Had to take my contacts out in case I fell asleep with them in."
"I'm not complaining," Jared says leaning in for a kiss, and Jensen fists his hands in Jared's shirt while Jared wraps his arms around him. He's running one hand up the back of Jensen's neck to cup his head gently and-
"Ow!" Jensen snaps back.
"Sorry!" Jared says, pulling away. "It's not a concussion, is it?"
Jensen shakes his head as he lowers himself back down, "No, I don't think so, maybe I'm little contused. Not concussed."
"Do you need me to get you something? Aspirin? Do you want to lie down in bed?" Jared asks.
"No, I'm comfy," Jensen says as he settles nicely into Jared's lap to prove his point. "Just keep me talking for a bit, if I start acting weird, call the hospital."
"Is 'acting weird' an actual medical diagnosis?"
Jensen closes his eyes. "Well if you want to pull it off my bookshelf, the Journal of the American Medical Association, volume 17, goes into more detail about symptoms and causes of concussive head injuries-"
"Okay, okay, I'll take your word for it."
"I'd be throwing up and blacking out if it was really bad."
"Ew," Jared says, scrunching up his nose. "So, new topic?"
"Sure," Jensen says and looks up at Jared. "What'd you do today? Or yesterday... whatever."
"Um, well I cleaned up the studio a bit, got Chad to promise to babysit, I haven't talked to him about the move yet. I came over here, um, I might have snooped around out of curiosity-"
"Did you find where I stash the bodies?"
"Not yet, but-and I'll admit this might be really bad-I kind of slept in your bed? I was just kind of resting at first and then I was, yeah I slept in your bed. And I set an alarm and everything like I was making myself at home. Is that as creepy as I think it sounds?"
"If it is, I'm too tired to care," Jensen says, almost laughing at him. "Maybe I like you making yourself at home. Makes me think I made the right decision. Either that or I should start counting the silverware."
"You don't actually have silverware, Jensen. You have plasticware and wooden chopsticks from all the take-out you get."
"I'll have you know that I'm skilled enough to pick up Cheerios with those chopsticks. Individually."
"And I thought I was the one that needed to grow up," Jared laughs. "Actually Jensen, there's something nagging at me that I wanted to talk about you with." Jared drums his fingers nervously on the arm of the couch. "I think we need to have that talk."
"The moving-in talk? Or the 'let's-define-the-relationship' talk?" Jensen asks as he sits up so Jared can put a pillow behind his head to rest on.
Jared bites his bottom lip. "Remember how you had to get a full sexual history from me when I was your patient?"
"Oh," Jensen says, his eyes widening. "Okay, yeah. Do you want my number to start with?"
"Number?"
"Of people."
Jared's brow creases. "So I can... call them?"
Jensen tries to hold in a laugh. "No, Jared your number (if memory serves) would be 3. Myself included."
"Ohh," Jared says. "That number."
"My number would be," Jensen pauses, his eyes darting back and forth as he goes through the mental checklist. "17."
Jared purses his mouth. "Are we counting messing around with, or just penetrating... things?"
"I was counting fooling around, or if you want to be technical skin-to-genital contact. Why?"
"Well then my number is 5," Jared huffs. "Maybe 6 or 7 if I'm remembering right."
"I'm not counting kissing with tongue while playing spin the bottle in your friend's basement when you were in middle school."
Jared breathes. "I hate that I told you that. 4. I'm a 4." He narrows his eyes down at Jensen. "So what would your number be if we were only counting, you know?" Jared makes a lewd gesture.
"Penetration?"
"Yeah. I officially hate this conversation, by the way."
"You started it," Jensen says. "There's nothing to be embarrassed by. I'm older than you, I've been doing this longer, my number's going to be bigger."
"I'm not embarrassed. I'm just picky, or something," Jared says, ducking his head.
"And if we only count penetrative sex, it drops me down to a 7," Jensen adds.
Jared pauses. "You did that math a little quickly there."
"Well because 10 of those were because of... summer camp," Jensen trails off.
Jared blinks. "Is 'summer camp' supposed to mean something else?"
"Well, you know how it goes in summer camp," Jensen says, gesturing with his hands, but Jared still looks puzzled at him. "You know, summer camp?"
"I feel like this is all supposed to be very obvious to me Jensen, but it's really not." Jared rests his head in his hand. "However, I'm thinking it's going to be hilarious when you finally spit it out."
"Well, what did you do at summer camp?"
"Arts and crafts," Jared says.
Jensen rolls his eyes. "Yeah, but what else?"
"Woodshop..." Jared says hesitantly.
"I meant at night."
"I would sleep."
"Jared, you know everybody messes around with each other at summer camp!" Jensen almost shouts, and then gets quiet. "Don't they?"
Jared shakes his head, still trying not to laugh. "Apparently not!"
"Oh come on, you must know someone who did, though. Every gay man I have ever met that was in boy scouts 'figured it out' when they fooled around during summer camp!"
Jared can't help it anymore, and he doubles over with laughter. "Boy scouts?!"
"Oh god, I really hate this conversation now," Jensen says, covering his face with his hands.
**
"Well, that was only mildly humiliating," Jensen says as he sips the juice Jared brought him.
Jared joins him on the other side of the bed. "Circle jerks in the Bluejay cabin, it's still cracking me up," he says and started snickering again.
Jensen smacks him on the shoulder. "Fine, your turn."
"What? You already know all my sex stories," Jared says.
Jensen nods, "Yes, I know them in the clinical sense. I want the boyfriend-version."
Jared seems to balk a little bit at the word "boyfriend", but he shrugs and clears his throat. "Ah well, there was Kevin Harper when I was sixteen. We fooled around during gym class in the locker room. I guess I failed dodgeball because of him, and I had to do sports over the summer at my Dad's country club to make up the credit. That's actually how I met Sandy, I hit her during skeet shooting."
"Ouch, you shot her?"
"No, I tripped and hit her in the face with a clay pigeon while we were setting up. It shattered and she had to go to the hospital to make sure there weren't any pieces of it in her eyes. I went with her, and we bonded."
"Nice," Jensen smirked. "What happened to Kevin?"
"He actually passed gym because one of his friends always signed in for him on the attendance sheet. Sneaky bastard."
"No, I meant what happened between you and Kevin?" Jensen presses.
Jared looks up at the ceiling. "Oh, I dunno. I got distracted with college essays and stuff like that. I guess he thinks I blew him off, huh? He wasn't that interesting, I only hung out with him because Chad got mono and I wasn't allowed to see him for like two months."
Jensen quirks his mouth. "So you and Chad had always been-?"
"Friends?"
"No, I mean you're telling me you were with this Kevin guy because you couldn't be with Chad."
Jared shakes his head. "No, it's just that Chad takes up a lot of your free time if you let him."
"I see," Jensen says, then yawning. He's starting to nod off, and so he props his head up in his hands. "So I know about guy #2 pretty extensively. Let's talk about your guy #1."
Jared smiles. "Right, I met him when this guy Chad knew was throwing a party in the city on Halloween, two years ago. So it was a costume party, right? And I went as a magician, I put this stuffed rabbit in a top hat and wore a really nice suit and a mask and a cape... Anyway I think I got really drunk because I somehow got the courage to go up to this older guy who was dressed as like, I guess it would be a Playgirl bunny? He had rabbit ears and fluffy tail and black bow-tie and really, really tight pants. So I go up to him and-Jensen? Jensen are you asleep?"
Jensen answers with a snorfling sound.
**
Halloween, two years ago. So it was a costume party.
"Well I feel incredibly old. Thanks," Jensen says pulling down the borrowed surgeon's mask to take a drink of the rum punch. "Everyone here was born in the 1980s, weren't they Mike?"
Mike balks, "I'm here!" he says.
Jensen rolls his eyes as another fratboy in a Borat mask bumps into him. "You know what I meant. Can we just say hello, and then go hit the bars where the drinks aren't equal parts water, Gatorade and," Jensen sips the punch, "ugh, is that Zima?"
"Good point," Mike says as he scans the crowd. "Now you'd think a six-foot-nine-hundred guy would be easy to spot in a crowd like this."
"That him?" Jensen asks, pointing to someone in the distance. "The top hat and cape, over there." He's kinda cute. Damn, I might have to approve of Mike's taste in guys, Jensen thinks to himself.
Mike looks in the direction Jensen's pointing. "Nah, Tommy wouldn't wear that much clothing on Halloween. Also, there would be animal ears."
"I see," Jensen says slowly.
Mike sighs. "Oh come on, he's really nice once you get to know him. Don't judge."
"No, I mean I see him. In rabbit ears. Right in front of me," Jensen says as Mike turns around and Tom hugs him enthusiastically.
"I'm so glad you came!" Tom says, beaming like a lighthouse in leather pants. Or something, maybe there's a kickback to the college party punch, Jensen wonders as he smells it carefully.
"Hey Tommy," Mike says, carefully separating himself from the embrace. "Uh, happy Halloween?"
Tom's bouncing on his heels. "Thanks! So you're a..." Tom looks at their costumes.
"I'm Carl Jung," Mike says, holding up a copy of Psychology of the Unconscious.
"I'm a surgeon," Jensen says, pointing to the scrubs he's wearing.
Tom narrows his eyes. "I thought you were an Opie?"
"No I'm," Jensen pauses. "I'm an OB-GYN by trade, but I borrowed a set of surgical scrubs, you can tell the difference because I have a mask and a-"
"Okay, yeah, so guess what I am?" Tom interrupts.
Jensen rolls his head to look at Mike who gives him a reassuring smile. "I don't know. A Chippendales' dancer?" Jensen says.
"No, I'm a bunny. Duh?" Tom says as he points to his ears.
"Of course, he's a bunny, Mike can we please?! Nnngh!" Jensen says impatiently, jerking his head to the exit.
Mike tries to calm him down. "Okay, okay, Tommy I think Jensen and I want to go hit up a bar. You want to come?"
"Nah, I met this cute guy, you wanna say hi-oh my God!" Tom smiles. "I totally just rhymed."
Jensen blinks. "Is there something in the punch or is he just like this?" he mutters to Mike.
"Little bit of both," Mike says back. "No, Tommy I think we're gonna just head out. You have fun."
"That's cool," Tom says with a shrug and flips them a wave before he's lost in the crowd again.
**
Jared's cleaning up the breakfast dishes when Jensen comes into the kitchen, downing what he can of the coffee. "Oh hey, did you just wake up?"
"Wasn't asleep," Jensen says, taking another long sip.
"Could've fooled me," Jared says. "Just napping?"
"Remembering something," Jensen says under his breath.
"What was that?" Jared asks. Jensen shakes his head, rubbing his face.
"I said I remembered something, I gotta go take care of it," Jensen says grabbing his car keys.
"Oh," Jared says. "I guess I can go, I'll give you this back," Jared digs in his pocket for Jensen's house key.
Jensen pauses at the door, and then turns, steps forward to take Jared's face in his hands and kiss him quickly. "Keep it. I'll be back in an hour, can you be here when I'm back?"
"S-sure," Jared says, face lighting up. "Is this anything I can help with? I can come with you?"
Jensen shakes his head. "No, it's just something I'd better take care of right away. I'll be back. Promise."
**
Jensen goes through many emotions as he climbs the stairs to Mike's office. Anger. Confusion. Worry. But anger comes back the second he walks into the waiting room and he sees Tom on the phone at his desk.
"Is there anyone in the entire fucking city of San Francisco, or maybe the state of California, that you haven't slept with?!" Jensen shouts, planting both hands on his desk.
"Well, there's you for one." Tom blinks as he puts the phone back to his ear. "No, this isn't a bad time to call, Sister Mary Clarence."
Jensen reels for a minute, but then he remembers who's behind the door on the right. "Sister Act, really Mike?" Jensen says loud enough so that whoever is on the other end of the phone line can hear him.
Mike opens the door to his office, closing his cell phone. "Can we help you? In about fifteen minutes I'm going to start expecting patients, you know."
"Nineteen minutes," Tom corrects.
"We're rounding down, Tommy," Mike says.
"You, you knew about it too, didn't you! Why the hell wouldn't you tell me that-that fucking story about him being your patient! He was just another of Tommy's random sex partners!"
"Tricks, Jensen. I prefer the term 'tricks'," Tom says. "Also I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Neither do I," Mike says narrowing his eyes. "From the bags under his eyes I'd say it was some kind of delusional episode brought about by sleep deprivation. You want to step into my office and talk in private? And perhaps this whole situation can be elucidated by you explaining to me what you believe I already know."
Jensen rubs his temples. "Okay, okay," he says, following Mike into his office. "You're coming too," Jensen says, yanking Tom along by his shirt collar.
"Start at the beginning, please," Mike says as he sits in his armchair, taking out a notepad and pen. Jensen sighs.
"I am not having a mental breakdown. I have just discovered that Jared Padalecki-your former patient and my former patient and current-well we're working towards boyfriend and live-in lover right now and-"
"You are Jared got together? Well, finally!" Mike says. "Why didn't Katie call to gloat at me though?"
"Hey! I'm not finished!" Jensen snaps. "What I'm getting to is long story short, I know about him and Tommy. What I don't know, is why you wouldn't bother to tell me."
Mike blinks a few times. "Well the explanation for this is quite simple, TOMMY!" Mike shouts, and Tom takes his hand off the doorknob.
"I think my phone's ringing you guys," Tom says.
"Wait, Mike you didn't know?" Jensen says as Mike stands up with his hands on his hips.
"Is it true?" Mike asks, and Tom nods. Mike's jaw drops and he says, "Are you telling me you referred another one of your damn tricks to me as a patient!"
"Kind of?" Tom shrugs. "And he wasn't another damn trick, okay? We were seeing each other for maybe a month, and then he broke it off. But not when I referred him, it was a few weeks after, he knew I worked in a psychiatrist's office and he said his family was threatening to cut him off financially if he didn't get a psychiatric evaluation. So I referred him to you, Mike."
"Okay," Mike says slowly.
"Now I still don't get what this has to do with him being one of Jensen's patients, because Jensen is an OB-GYN. And also because he didn't have a vagina the last time I checked. Or he was really good at hiding it."
"My head really hurts," Jensen says, sitting down on the couch. "Can you just please tell him the story, Mike?"
**
"Ew," Tom says, scrunching up his nose.
"I know," Mike says, putting down the diagram he drew for Tom on his notepad. "And then he actually had the kid."
"Ew!" Tom says, shuddering. "And you're sure it's not contagious?"
"We'll know for sure if Jensen ever comes down with morning sickness," Mike says, looking at him on the couch.
Jensen ignores them both, rolling onto his back. "Thing is, I still I can't believe he was at that fucking Halloween party. What if I had just gone and met him there? Maybe we could have avoided all of the drama."
"Jensen, there's no point in dwelling on the past. Who knows what would have happened?" Mike says, folding his hands together.
"I am just kicking myself so hard right now. You don't know, I liked him the first time I saw him. Well, I mean I noticed him when I saw him. I was interested at the very least, maybe I would have-something!" Jensen says, gesturing wildly.
Tom sighs. "Or you would have ignored him, still stomped out with Mike and thought nothing of it until he showed up in your office, and then you'd have recognized him as the guy I slept with at the party you hated. And then you'd-"
Mike interrupts. "No, you'd never have met him, Jensen, because I wouldn't take on a patient I knew had a personal relationship with someone who works in this office. Nor would I have referred him to you because again, there was pre-existing relationship between him and someone you know. Thank you, Thomas."
"See?" Tom says.
"Or, I could have met him, fell in love with him and stolen him away from you that night and we'd have been celebrating our one-year anniversary last October. That's paper, right?" Jensen asks.
Mike sighs. "I'm never accepting another referral from you again, Tommy, without a sworn notarized statement that says you haven't slept with them." He stands up, opening the door. "Jensen, can you two leave and finish this up? I'm already starting late."
Jensen and Tom leave the office as Mike's first patient goes in. Jensen leans against the wall and sighs, crossing his arms. Tom sits down and gives him a funny look.
"What?"
"I'm just thinking of how everything could have gone differently for us," Jensen says.
"Yeah, you'd just have the guy without the kid," Tom says. "And you'd be boring as anybody else."
Jensen cocks his head. "Um?"
"When the kid's all grown up you get to tell them that story when she asks how her Daddy met her not-Daddy. And it's like, got all these twists and turns and what-ifs and if anything hadn't gone just the way it did, she wouldn't be here, and you two wouldn't be together."
"Well, I guess," Jensen says.
"It's gonna be great because she got to be born and everything. And you got to finally meet someone because you never do anything but work these days. It's like how puzzles have these pieces that fit together one way if you smash them with a hammer, but the other way you don't have to!" Tom says, eyes bright.
"Yeah, I think I know what you're saying," Jensen says, nodding his head. And maybe I am concussed, he thinks.
Tom nods as well. "It's like, a metaphor."
"I'm gonna go, Tommy. Thanks for that," Jensen says, as Tom waves him goodbye and he walks out the door.
Jensen pokes his head back in the waiting room quickly. "You're really this sure we're going to be together that long?"
Tom cracks his knuckles. "In the brief amount of time I spent around Jared, I learned two things about him. One, he doesn't like his father very much. Two, he's afraid of commitment. Three, because of things one and two, he doesn't really want to date. Either he absolutely loves you, or he thinks you're secretly in love with your boss and he doesn't just want to be friends with benefits any more because you're emotionally distant. Or something."
"That's three things. And now I don't understand what you're talking about."
"Okay, go home now. I'm just gonna confuse you more," Tom says, shooing him.
And when Jensen gets home, Jared's still there. And he's not alone.
**
Eve squeezes Jensen's finger, looking at him and pushing her mouth in and out, like she almost wants to make a sound, but doesn't.
"She's got a little iron grip on her," Jared says softly.
"She's incredible," Jensen says, looking at all her little fingers and toes as she kicks a chubby little baby foot at him.
"Oops! Careful now." Jared laughs.
"I love her little fingers and toes and fingernails," Jensen coos and Jared would laugh at him if it wasn't so earnest. "She's beautiful."
"You wanna hold her?" Jared asks, "I mean, weren't you the first one that did?"
"Yeah," Jensen says, remembering that day. "Technically, I was her second, since Dr. Ferris was the one who handed her off to me."
"Still, it's been far too long," Jared says as he hands Eve off to Jensen and he cradles her gently.
"So, did you take care of everything you needed to?" Jared asks, his hands in his pockets.
Jensen smiles. "Yeah, it's a really funny story actually. I'll tell you and Eve about it, sit down."
"A story?" Jared asks as he slides down the couch and Jensen joins him.
"You know how we met, right?"
"I seem to vaguely recall that day, yeah?" Jared laughs. "Thanks again for avoiding the stirrups."
"No, I mean, do you want to know how we actually ended up meeting?"
Jared quirks his head to one side. "Okay, you've got my attention. How exactly did I end up meeting you?" And for a moment Jensen breathes it all in, looks at Eve and looks back at Jared. Maybe it's all too much for now, but soon. He'll tell him soon.
Jensen kisses him, gently. "It was fate. Like in those old movies where everyone plays a part, and it's because of them that I get the guy in the end."
fin.
Pairing/Characters: Jensen/Jared
Rating: R
Word Count: 5,693
Warnings: Oblique mentions of MPREG. Tom Welling.
Thanks: loony_moony for the looking over/input & dark_reaction for her always amazing beta magic. ♥♥
Notes: This is set right after the last chapter in The Seahorse, before the epilogue. Written for wendy for her donation to help_haiti, I really hope you like it!! ♥♥
Summary: Wherein Jared nests himself into Jensen's life. And Jensen learns about the other side of the story.
Estuary
The blanket is this paisley-pink print, the cotton soft and warm against his skin, but that's not what catches his eye, it's the lump that shifts across from his side to settle on top of him, and Jensen smiles because it's like watching a bed-shark swim across the mattress.
"We have to-ummm." Which is all Jensen manages to say before his eyes roll back into his head as Jared curls his tongue the right spot against his bare chest; kissing wet and sweet, moving down lower and lower. It leaves Jensen thinking in that flowery dialogue he thought was only reserved for Renaissance fairs and greeting cards.
"Ummm?" Jared asks, lifting his head up so that the blanket falls back and Jensen can see the playful look Jared's giving him, just edging Jensen on more. For a moment, he forgets about what he wanted to say, and quirks his mouth, looking at Jared with mussed hair and wet, red lips parted. It's as if his hand has a mind of his own as Jensen can't really help but ruffle Jared's hair. But as he does, Jensen catches sight of his wristwatch.
"Shit! Jared, I have to get back to the hospital," Jensen says and sighs. Jared sucks his teeth in, disappointed.
"I know," Jared says as he rolls off of Jensen, settling at his side. "Huh, when did I think to pull the couch-bed out?" Jared wonders, realizing they're no longer squished together.
"You didn't, I did while you were on the phone with the super about all the uh-" Jensen ducks his head and mutters, "screaming and stuff."
Jared smiles. "Aw, c'mon, it was nice of him to be worried like that."
"Yeah," Jensen trails off, his hand cupping the side of Jared's face, thumb brushing over his cheekbone. He sighs, heavier now, "I really do have to go."
"I missed you so much," Jared says at the same time and they laugh, softly.
Jensen pulls himself up, his body fighting against him, wanting to rest. Maybe from the strain of recently catering to the whims of a very energetic, and very horny, 23 year old. Or maybe because Jared's ratty old couch, and even the lumpy pullout mattress, has felt like the most comfortable place in the world.
But that could really be because of the company, Jensen thinks as he shifts away from the bedspring digging into his backside.
"Okay, I need my pants," Jensen says.
"Mmmhmm," Jared mumbles, sliding his arms around Jensen's waist.
"C'mon," Jensen says, petting Jared's hair, "I gotta go back to the hospital. I'm still technically on call right now and I was only supposed to take an hour break when I told them I was running out," Jensen says, trying to remember whatever lame excuse he used to get away from the clinic and what he could possibly add to it in order to explain one hour turning into three.
"You're already late," Jared points out.
"The longer I stay-"
"Won't get you in any less trouble."
Jensen nods, he has a point, and then his shoulders drop as he slowly slides back towards the bed. "Okay, no," Jensen says, immediately pulling himself forward and out of the bed before he falls back again. Jared whimpers at his empty arms, but turns to fish around the other side of the bed. He pulls the giant stuffed purple seahorse Jensen bought him up off the floor, and hugs it like a body pillow.
"If I stay any longer, I'm just gonna plant myself on your couch until next week."
Jared shrugs easily. "Sounds like a pretty good plan to me," he pauses, lowering his eyes. "Looks like a pretty good plan from here too."
Jensen glances down and sharply picks his head back up, "Oh for the love of..." he mutters.
"See! He agrees with me too," Jared says with a wink.
"Okay, pants! Thinking unsexy thoughts and finding my pants-aha!" Jensen says as he moves through Jared's studio, and finds his discarded scrubs.
Jared sucks his teeth in. "Damn it, ruin all my wonderful plans."
"Plans?" Jensen asks as he hops into his boxer briefs and scrub bottoms.
"I was gonna hold you hostage until I could get it all in writing," Jared says as he rolls over onto his back, stretching.
Jensen pauses, unrolling his socks, "Get what in writing?"
"Y'know, what you said before about me and Eve moving in with you, and I figure the more time you're not here, the more time you'll be thinking about it; freaking out over the commitment and how much it'll screw up your life to suddenly have us around. And then you'll change your mind and I'll have to wait another six months to date you in-between all your work and clinic stuff and I'm just kind of impatient right now," Jared says, taking a deep breath.
"Jared, what makes you think I wasn't being serious when I said that?" Jensen asks as he pulls his shirt on.
Jared sits up carefully, "It's just a lot to ask, I know people get caught up in moments and say things that they haven't really thought a lot about, promises get made in the heat of the moment and-" Jared pulls his hand through his hair. "It's this being-a-parent-thing. I have to be an adult and think about decisions and consider options and have important discussions and I can't have the word 'impulsive' in my vocabulary any more."
Jensen sits down at his side, picking up his sneakers. "Man, your Dad sure did a number on you."
Jared doesn't meet Jensen's eyes, just pulls at a corner of the blanket. "Is it that obvious?"
"Little bit," Jensen says, holding his fingers about an inch apart.
"Well, then I think I should let you know I have commitment issues," Jared says with a sheepish grin. "Big ones. If I get too attached to you and-"
"I think we're both feeling pretty damn attached right now," Jensen interrupts, and then his voice going softer. "You know what I'm really worried about?"
Jared shakes his head.
"I'm worried about you having second thoughts about saying yes to me. I’m worried if you'll change your mind because you have to be a parent and finish school or whatever's next for you in your career; and that I'm the thing you can't make time for right now. And-" Jensen stops and bites the inside of his mouth.
"And?" Jared asks, nodding him on. "There's an 'and'?"
"And I'm worried that you'll start hating me because I keep weird hours and I forget to buy groceries all the time because I basically live off of the hospital cafeteria and even on my days off I'm completely unreliable because I'm either dead tired or got my nose in some new medical journal, or there'll be a conference. Soon you'll get sick of having to meet me at the hospital if you want to actually catch a glimpse of me," Jensen says.
Jared doesn't say anything, and Jensen finishes; "If anything, you should be running scared of me, because I'm rushing you into my life. Because I don't know when I'll have another chance to."
Jared swallows. "So, what you're saying is, you really like-like me?"
Jensen laughs, "Yep." He pulls on his sneakers and laces them up.
"And me and Eve can move in, right now? Like I could pack my things up and be at your apartment before the end of the week?"
"Well yeah, I was thinking it'd make more sense for you to take the guest room at first. So you could have your own personal space while we figure each other out and I'm not gonna make you cosign the lease or anything, don't worry. But we can just take it however you want-" Jensen is silenced by Jared's fingers on his lips.
"You really do want me to move in with you."
"Yes," Jensen answers as a huge smile breaks out across his face. "And maybe after that's all settled, we can try dating each other?"
Jared throws his arms around Jensen, kissing him and knocking him back down against the bed. Jensen's body is starting to respond to once again having a very, very affectionate, and very naked Jared on top of him.
Jensen sighs into it.
**
"So, um," Jared says, leaning against the door an hour later. "I know we'll talk tomorrow about this. But, when am I gonna see you again?"
Jensen finishes programming every contact number he has into Jared's cellphone and handing it back says, "Well, I mean we should talk. And like you said, you could be ready to move by end of the week so..." Jensen sees Jared's face fall.
"No, I meant like, can I see you again? Before then?" Jared says.
"Well," Jensen says, thinking it over in his head.
"Well?" Jared nods.
"It's crazy to ask you this, but," Jensen says, fishing in his pocket for his keys.
"I think we've both moved beyond apologizing for acting crazy," Jared says with a half-smile.
Jensen starts twisting one of his keys loose. "Well, I could give you this, and if you wanted to, you'd be the one letting me into my apartment when I get off work at maybe 5am, if I'm lucky... And then I could see you for however long I can stay awake?" Jensen says, holding up his house key.
Jared nods vigorously, snatching the key from Jensen. "I like this plan."
Jensen smiles back, leaning in to kiss him goodbye. Jared's hands cup his face, and Jensen leans in so he's pressed tight against Jared's chest. Jensen wraps his arms around him, feeling the muscles of Jared's back through the thin t-shirt he's wearing and Jensen breaks the kiss before he gives in again.
"See you later," Jensen says quietly, shaking out of the daze; it's back to the world that exists outside of Jared Padalecki, no matter how much he doesn't want to go just yet. Jensen starts walking down the hall towards the elevator.
"Hey, how'd you like your eggs?" Jared asks. Jensen looks back at him, confused. Jared clarifies, "I'm gonna make you breakfast so you'll get all energized! And then we can do some more, stuff."
"Coffee-flavored!" Jensen calls back to him.
**
Jensen actually doesn't get to his apartment until 6:30 in the morning. The door opens at the smell of coffee, and bacon and eggs gets him across the threshold and to the kitchen island, but he nods off just before Jared can pour him a cup and he's rudely jarred awake when he falls out of his chair and onto the floor.
He's much more comfortable now, with his head in Jared's lap as he lies across the couch in the living room.
"I'm so sorry about that," Jensen says as Jared rubs the side of his head. "I know you must have worked on this and gotten up super-early too and-"
"Hey, it's okay." Jared reassures him. "You're sure it doesn't hurt too bad?"
"Nah, I'll be fine, I've got a hard head," Jensen says, as he leans up close, to just barely touch his nose to Jared's. "Hey."
"Hey," Jared answers. "You're wearing your glasses," he says.
"Had to take my contacts out in case I fell asleep with them in."
"I'm not complaining," Jared says leaning in for a kiss, and Jensen fists his hands in Jared's shirt while Jared wraps his arms around him. He's running one hand up the back of Jensen's neck to cup his head gently and-
"Ow!" Jensen snaps back.
"Sorry!" Jared says, pulling away. "It's not a concussion, is it?"
Jensen shakes his head as he lowers himself back down, "No, I don't think so, maybe I'm little contused. Not concussed."
"Do you need me to get you something? Aspirin? Do you want to lie down in bed?" Jared asks.
"No, I'm comfy," Jensen says as he settles nicely into Jared's lap to prove his point. "Just keep me talking for a bit, if I start acting weird, call the hospital."
"Is 'acting weird' an actual medical diagnosis?"
Jensen closes his eyes. "Well if you want to pull it off my bookshelf, the Journal of the American Medical Association, volume 17, goes into more detail about symptoms and causes of concussive head injuries-"
"Okay, okay, I'll take your word for it."
"I'd be throwing up and blacking out if it was really bad."
"Ew," Jared says, scrunching up his nose. "So, new topic?"
"Sure," Jensen says and looks up at Jared. "What'd you do today? Or yesterday... whatever."
"Um, well I cleaned up the studio a bit, got Chad to promise to babysit, I haven't talked to him about the move yet. I came over here, um, I might have snooped around out of curiosity-"
"Did you find where I stash the bodies?"
"Not yet, but-and I'll admit this might be really bad-I kind of slept in your bed? I was just kind of resting at first and then I was, yeah I slept in your bed. And I set an alarm and everything like I was making myself at home. Is that as creepy as I think it sounds?"
"If it is, I'm too tired to care," Jensen says, almost laughing at him. "Maybe I like you making yourself at home. Makes me think I made the right decision. Either that or I should start counting the silverware."
"You don't actually have silverware, Jensen. You have plasticware and wooden chopsticks from all the take-out you get."
"I'll have you know that I'm skilled enough to pick up Cheerios with those chopsticks. Individually."
"And I thought I was the one that needed to grow up," Jared laughs. "Actually Jensen, there's something nagging at me that I wanted to talk about you with." Jared drums his fingers nervously on the arm of the couch. "I think we need to have that talk."
"The moving-in talk? Or the 'let's-define-the-relationship' talk?" Jensen asks as he sits up so Jared can put a pillow behind his head to rest on.
Jared bites his bottom lip. "Remember how you had to get a full sexual history from me when I was your patient?"
"Oh," Jensen says, his eyes widening. "Okay, yeah. Do you want my number to start with?"
"Number?"
"Of people."
Jared's brow creases. "So I can... call them?"
Jensen tries to hold in a laugh. "No, Jared your number (if memory serves) would be 3. Myself included."
"Ohh," Jared says. "That number."
"My number would be," Jensen pauses, his eyes darting back and forth as he goes through the mental checklist. "17."
Jared purses his mouth. "Are we counting messing around with, or just penetrating... things?"
"I was counting fooling around, or if you want to be technical skin-to-genital contact. Why?"
"Well then my number is 5," Jared huffs. "Maybe 6 or 7 if I'm remembering right."
"I'm not counting kissing with tongue while playing spin the bottle in your friend's basement when you were in middle school."
Jared breathes. "I hate that I told you that. 4. I'm a 4." He narrows his eyes down at Jensen. "So what would your number be if we were only counting, you know?" Jared makes a lewd gesture.
"Penetration?"
"Yeah. I officially hate this conversation, by the way."
"You started it," Jensen says. "There's nothing to be embarrassed by. I'm older than you, I've been doing this longer, my number's going to be bigger."
"I'm not embarrassed. I'm just picky, or something," Jared says, ducking his head.
"And if we only count penetrative sex, it drops me down to a 7," Jensen adds.
Jared pauses. "You did that math a little quickly there."
"Well because 10 of those were because of... summer camp," Jensen trails off.
Jared blinks. "Is 'summer camp' supposed to mean something else?"
"Well, you know how it goes in summer camp," Jensen says, gesturing with his hands, but Jared still looks puzzled at him. "You know, summer camp?"
"I feel like this is all supposed to be very obvious to me Jensen, but it's really not." Jared rests his head in his hand. "However, I'm thinking it's going to be hilarious when you finally spit it out."
"Well, what did you do at summer camp?"
"Arts and crafts," Jared says.
Jensen rolls his eyes. "Yeah, but what else?"
"Woodshop..." Jared says hesitantly.
"I meant at night."
"I would sleep."
"Jared, you know everybody messes around with each other at summer camp!" Jensen almost shouts, and then gets quiet. "Don't they?"
Jared shakes his head, still trying not to laugh. "Apparently not!"
"Oh come on, you must know someone who did, though. Every gay man I have ever met that was in boy scouts 'figured it out' when they fooled around during summer camp!"
Jared can't help it anymore, and he doubles over with laughter. "Boy scouts?!"
"Oh god, I really hate this conversation now," Jensen says, covering his face with his hands.
**
"Well, that was only mildly humiliating," Jensen says as he sips the juice Jared brought him.
Jared joins him on the other side of the bed. "Circle jerks in the Bluejay cabin, it's still cracking me up," he says and started snickering again.
Jensen smacks him on the shoulder. "Fine, your turn."
"What? You already know all my sex stories," Jared says.
Jensen nods, "Yes, I know them in the clinical sense. I want the boyfriend-version."
Jared seems to balk a little bit at the word "boyfriend", but he shrugs and clears his throat. "Ah well, there was Kevin Harper when I was sixteen. We fooled around during gym class in the locker room. I guess I failed dodgeball because of him, and I had to do sports over the summer at my Dad's country club to make up the credit. That's actually how I met Sandy, I hit her during skeet shooting."
"Ouch, you shot her?"
"No, I tripped and hit her in the face with a clay pigeon while we were setting up. It shattered and she had to go to the hospital to make sure there weren't any pieces of it in her eyes. I went with her, and we bonded."
"Nice," Jensen smirked. "What happened to Kevin?"
"He actually passed gym because one of his friends always signed in for him on the attendance sheet. Sneaky bastard."
"No, I meant what happened between you and Kevin?" Jensen presses.
Jared looks up at the ceiling. "Oh, I dunno. I got distracted with college essays and stuff like that. I guess he thinks I blew him off, huh? He wasn't that interesting, I only hung out with him because Chad got mono and I wasn't allowed to see him for like two months."
Jensen quirks his mouth. "So you and Chad had always been-?"
"Friends?"
"No, I mean you're telling me you were with this Kevin guy because you couldn't be with Chad."
Jared shakes his head. "No, it's just that Chad takes up a lot of your free time if you let him."
"I see," Jensen says, then yawning. He's starting to nod off, and so he props his head up in his hands. "So I know about guy #2 pretty extensively. Let's talk about your guy #1."
Jared smiles. "Right, I met him when this guy Chad knew was throwing a party in the city on Halloween, two years ago. So it was a costume party, right? And I went as a magician, I put this stuffed rabbit in a top hat and wore a really nice suit and a mask and a cape... Anyway I think I got really drunk because I somehow got the courage to go up to this older guy who was dressed as like, I guess it would be a Playgirl bunny? He had rabbit ears and fluffy tail and black bow-tie and really, really tight pants. So I go up to him and-Jensen? Jensen are you asleep?"
Jensen answers with a snorfling sound.
**
Halloween, two years ago. So it was a costume party.
"Well I feel incredibly old. Thanks," Jensen says pulling down the borrowed surgeon's mask to take a drink of the rum punch. "Everyone here was born in the 1980s, weren't they Mike?"
Mike balks, "I'm here!" he says.
Jensen rolls his eyes as another fratboy in a Borat mask bumps into him. "You know what I meant. Can we just say hello, and then go hit the bars where the drinks aren't equal parts water, Gatorade and," Jensen sips the punch, "ugh, is that Zima?"
"Good point," Mike says as he scans the crowd. "Now you'd think a six-foot-nine-hundred guy would be easy to spot in a crowd like this."
"That him?" Jensen asks, pointing to someone in the distance. "The top hat and cape, over there." He's kinda cute. Damn, I might have to approve of Mike's taste in guys, Jensen thinks to himself.
Mike looks in the direction Jensen's pointing. "Nah, Tommy wouldn't wear that much clothing on Halloween. Also, there would be animal ears."
"I see," Jensen says slowly.
Mike sighs. "Oh come on, he's really nice once you get to know him. Don't judge."
"No, I mean I see him. In rabbit ears. Right in front of me," Jensen says as Mike turns around and Tom hugs him enthusiastically.
"I'm so glad you came!" Tom says, beaming like a lighthouse in leather pants. Or something, maybe there's a kickback to the college party punch, Jensen wonders as he smells it carefully.
"Hey Tommy," Mike says, carefully separating himself from the embrace. "Uh, happy Halloween?"
Tom's bouncing on his heels. "Thanks! So you're a..." Tom looks at their costumes.
"I'm Carl Jung," Mike says, holding up a copy of Psychology of the Unconscious.
"I'm a surgeon," Jensen says, pointing to the scrubs he's wearing.
Tom narrows his eyes. "I thought you were an Opie?"
"No I'm," Jensen pauses. "I'm an OB-GYN by trade, but I borrowed a set of surgical scrubs, you can tell the difference because I have a mask and a-"
"Okay, yeah, so guess what I am?" Tom interrupts.
Jensen rolls his head to look at Mike who gives him a reassuring smile. "I don't know. A Chippendales' dancer?" Jensen says.
"No, I'm a bunny. Duh?" Tom says as he points to his ears.
"Of course, he's a bunny, Mike can we please?! Nnngh!" Jensen says impatiently, jerking his head to the exit.
Mike tries to calm him down. "Okay, okay, Tommy I think Jensen and I want to go hit up a bar. You want to come?"
"Nah, I met this cute guy, you wanna say hi-oh my God!" Tom smiles. "I totally just rhymed."
Jensen blinks. "Is there something in the punch or is he just like this?" he mutters to Mike.
"Little bit of both," Mike says back. "No, Tommy I think we're gonna just head out. You have fun."
"That's cool," Tom says with a shrug and flips them a wave before he's lost in the crowd again.
**
Jared's cleaning up the breakfast dishes when Jensen comes into the kitchen, downing what he can of the coffee. "Oh hey, did you just wake up?"
"Wasn't asleep," Jensen says, taking another long sip.
"Could've fooled me," Jared says. "Just napping?"
"Remembering something," Jensen says under his breath.
"What was that?" Jared asks. Jensen shakes his head, rubbing his face.
"I said I remembered something, I gotta go take care of it," Jensen says grabbing his car keys.
"Oh," Jared says. "I guess I can go, I'll give you this back," Jared digs in his pocket for Jensen's house key.
Jensen pauses at the door, and then turns, steps forward to take Jared's face in his hands and kiss him quickly. "Keep it. I'll be back in an hour, can you be here when I'm back?"
"S-sure," Jared says, face lighting up. "Is this anything I can help with? I can come with you?"
Jensen shakes his head. "No, it's just something I'd better take care of right away. I'll be back. Promise."
**
Jensen goes through many emotions as he climbs the stairs to Mike's office. Anger. Confusion. Worry. But anger comes back the second he walks into the waiting room and he sees Tom on the phone at his desk.
"Is there anyone in the entire fucking city of San Francisco, or maybe the state of California, that you haven't slept with?!" Jensen shouts, planting both hands on his desk.
"Well, there's you for one." Tom blinks as he puts the phone back to his ear. "No, this isn't a bad time to call, Sister Mary Clarence."
Jensen reels for a minute, but then he remembers who's behind the door on the right. "Sister Act, really Mike?" Jensen says loud enough so that whoever is on the other end of the phone line can hear him.
Mike opens the door to his office, closing his cell phone. "Can we help you? In about fifteen minutes I'm going to start expecting patients, you know."
"Nineteen minutes," Tom corrects.
"We're rounding down, Tommy," Mike says.
"You, you knew about it too, didn't you! Why the hell wouldn't you tell me that-that fucking story about him being your patient! He was just another of Tommy's random sex partners!"
"Tricks, Jensen. I prefer the term 'tricks'," Tom says. "Also I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Neither do I," Mike says narrowing his eyes. "From the bags under his eyes I'd say it was some kind of delusional episode brought about by sleep deprivation. You want to step into my office and talk in private? And perhaps this whole situation can be elucidated by you explaining to me what you believe I already know."
Jensen rubs his temples. "Okay, okay," he says, following Mike into his office. "You're coming too," Jensen says, yanking Tom along by his shirt collar.
"Start at the beginning, please," Mike says as he sits in his armchair, taking out a notepad and pen. Jensen sighs.
"I am not having a mental breakdown. I have just discovered that Jared Padalecki-your former patient and my former patient and current-well we're working towards boyfriend and live-in lover right now and-"
"You are Jared got together? Well, finally!" Mike says. "Why didn't Katie call to gloat at me though?"
"Hey! I'm not finished!" Jensen snaps. "What I'm getting to is long story short, I know about him and Tommy. What I don't know, is why you wouldn't bother to tell me."
Mike blinks a few times. "Well the explanation for this is quite simple, TOMMY!" Mike shouts, and Tom takes his hand off the doorknob.
"I think my phone's ringing you guys," Tom says.
"Wait, Mike you didn't know?" Jensen says as Mike stands up with his hands on his hips.
"Is it true?" Mike asks, and Tom nods. Mike's jaw drops and he says, "Are you telling me you referred another one of your damn tricks to me as a patient!"
"Kind of?" Tom shrugs. "And he wasn't another damn trick, okay? We were seeing each other for maybe a month, and then he broke it off. But not when I referred him, it was a few weeks after, he knew I worked in a psychiatrist's office and he said his family was threatening to cut him off financially if he didn't get a psychiatric evaluation. So I referred him to you, Mike."
"Okay," Mike says slowly.
"Now I still don't get what this has to do with him being one of Jensen's patients, because Jensen is an OB-GYN. And also because he didn't have a vagina the last time I checked. Or he was really good at hiding it."
"My head really hurts," Jensen says, sitting down on the couch. "Can you just please tell him the story, Mike?"
**
"Ew," Tom says, scrunching up his nose.
"I know," Mike says, putting down the diagram he drew for Tom on his notepad. "And then he actually had the kid."
"Ew!" Tom says, shuddering. "And you're sure it's not contagious?"
"We'll know for sure if Jensen ever comes down with morning sickness," Mike says, looking at him on the couch.
Jensen ignores them both, rolling onto his back. "Thing is, I still I can't believe he was at that fucking Halloween party. What if I had just gone and met him there? Maybe we could have avoided all of the drama."
"Jensen, there's no point in dwelling on the past. Who knows what would have happened?" Mike says, folding his hands together.
"I am just kicking myself so hard right now. You don't know, I liked him the first time I saw him. Well, I mean I noticed him when I saw him. I was interested at the very least, maybe I would have-something!" Jensen says, gesturing wildly.
Tom sighs. "Or you would have ignored him, still stomped out with Mike and thought nothing of it until he showed up in your office, and then you'd have recognized him as the guy I slept with at the party you hated. And then you'd-"
Mike interrupts. "No, you'd never have met him, Jensen, because I wouldn't take on a patient I knew had a personal relationship with someone who works in this office. Nor would I have referred him to you because again, there was pre-existing relationship between him and someone you know. Thank you, Thomas."
"See?" Tom says.
"Or, I could have met him, fell in love with him and stolen him away from you that night and we'd have been celebrating our one-year anniversary last October. That's paper, right?" Jensen asks.
Mike sighs. "I'm never accepting another referral from you again, Tommy, without a sworn notarized statement that says you haven't slept with them." He stands up, opening the door. "Jensen, can you two leave and finish this up? I'm already starting late."
Jensen and Tom leave the office as Mike's first patient goes in. Jensen leans against the wall and sighs, crossing his arms. Tom sits down and gives him a funny look.
"What?"
"I'm just thinking of how everything could have gone differently for us," Jensen says.
"Yeah, you'd just have the guy without the kid," Tom says. "And you'd be boring as anybody else."
Jensen cocks his head. "Um?"
"When the kid's all grown up you get to tell them that story when she asks how her Daddy met her not-Daddy. And it's like, got all these twists and turns and what-ifs and if anything hadn't gone just the way it did, she wouldn't be here, and you two wouldn't be together."
"Well, I guess," Jensen says.
"It's gonna be great because she got to be born and everything. And you got to finally meet someone because you never do anything but work these days. It's like how puzzles have these pieces that fit together one way if you smash them with a hammer, but the other way you don't have to!" Tom says, eyes bright.
"Yeah, I think I know what you're saying," Jensen says, nodding his head. And maybe I am concussed, he thinks.
Tom nods as well. "It's like, a metaphor."
"I'm gonna go, Tommy. Thanks for that," Jensen says, as Tom waves him goodbye and he walks out the door.
Jensen pokes his head back in the waiting room quickly. "You're really this sure we're going to be together that long?"
Tom cracks his knuckles. "In the brief amount of time I spent around Jared, I learned two things about him. One, he doesn't like his father very much. Two, he's afraid of commitment. Three, because of things one and two, he doesn't really want to date. Either he absolutely loves you, or he thinks you're secretly in love with your boss and he doesn't just want to be friends with benefits any more because you're emotionally distant. Or something."
"That's three things. And now I don't understand what you're talking about."
"Okay, go home now. I'm just gonna confuse you more," Tom says, shooing him.
And when Jensen gets home, Jared's still there. And he's not alone.
**
Eve squeezes Jensen's finger, looking at him and pushing her mouth in and out, like she almost wants to make a sound, but doesn't.
"She's got a little iron grip on her," Jared says softly.
"She's incredible," Jensen says, looking at all her little fingers and toes as she kicks a chubby little baby foot at him.
"Oops! Careful now." Jared laughs.
"I love her little fingers and toes and fingernails," Jensen coos and Jared would laugh at him if it wasn't so earnest. "She's beautiful."
"You wanna hold her?" Jared asks, "I mean, weren't you the first one that did?"
"Yeah," Jensen says, remembering that day. "Technically, I was her second, since Dr. Ferris was the one who handed her off to me."
"Still, it's been far too long," Jared says as he hands Eve off to Jensen and he cradles her gently.
"So, did you take care of everything you needed to?" Jared asks, his hands in his pockets.
Jensen smiles. "Yeah, it's a really funny story actually. I'll tell you and Eve about it, sit down."
"A story?" Jared asks as he slides down the couch and Jensen joins him.
"You know how we met, right?"
"I seem to vaguely recall that day, yeah?" Jared laughs. "Thanks again for avoiding the stirrups."
"No, I mean, do you want to know how we actually ended up meeting?"
Jared quirks his head to one side. "Okay, you've got my attention. How exactly did I end up meeting you?" And for a moment Jensen breathes it all in, looks at Eve and looks back at Jared. Maybe it's all too much for now, but soon. He'll tell him soon.
Jensen kisses him, gently. "It was fate. Like in those old movies where everyone plays a part, and it's because of them that I get the guy in the end."
fin.
- Estuary [EP]
- Fireflies - Walk on the Moon (Asobi Seksu cover)
- Feist - Lovertits (Peaches cover)
- Nouvelle Vague - Just Can't Get Enough (Depeche Mode cover)
- Radiohead - Idioteque
- Modest Mouse - Missed the Boat
- Solange - Stillness is the Move (Dirty Projectors cover)
35mb zip