Along Came Jared - Chapter 1
<< Masterpost
For Jensen, it's love at first sight.
As he's about to leave his hotel, he looks up into the gray, clouded sky that promises the typical drizzling rain, and clutches his folded umbrella a bit tighter in his hand. The marine breeze is that bit too cold when it wafts under his coat, so Jensen pulls it closer around himself.
That's the point where he kind of misses Texas. But only kind of, he thinks as he takes a deep breath to calm his nerves and starts to walk down the street. The weather here might depress him, but Jensen wouldn't feel any different if he sat in his apartment, alone, as he had during the past three weeks.
And he definitely needs a change.
Plus, the city itself makes up for the climate. The skyline frames the lakes throughout the city and the harbor divides the city from the Sound. Old warehouses and small office buildings built from red brick stand in the shadow of the taller, newer skyscrapers. The mix of old and new, the charm of a city that’s as much Gold Rush as new tech makes Jensen fall in love with it instantly. He can't wait to explore it in detail once he lives here.
That is, if he gets this job, which is more unlikely than he cares to think, considering the job market for lawyers is a nightmare at the moment. Despite his overall very good résumé, he spent the last five months looking for a job, first in and around Dallas, but later in other states as well. Companies today can afford to be choosy, as they select only one lawyer out of a hundred applicants. Jensen is a good contract and intellectual property lawyer, and he knows it, but if he doesn't fit the company's requirements to a T, they won't care about his experience. He's been kicked out of the race before.
It's been kind of devastating, seeing your efforts vanish into thin air like that.
This time, he wants it to be different. Needs it to be different.
This vacancy doesn't fit his bill either, not by a long shot, but that he even got invited for this interview is a chance that he can't let go to waste.
Jensen stops when he reaches the intersection, and squints down the street. His GPS says this is the one he's looking for. Historic buildings line the side street, together with small, three- and four-story office buildings with tiny shops at street level. The trees he admired yesterday when he went to the shopping district are nowhere to be seen here.
A trolley passes him as he walks down the length of the street, and Jensen follows its path to the next stop. Lost in thought, he sidesteps one of many guys who rushes down the sidewalk with a phone pressed to his ear, talking frantically into the speaker while balancing a cup of coffee in the other hand. The picture is familiar, and it makes him quirk a smile. Not too long ago, he was just like that.
Jensen quickly pulls himself out of that train of thought and takes out his phone to quickly check his location.
His phone, though, says that he's already exactly where he wants to be. Looking up, Jensen finds an old, five-story, red brick building to his left, and a sign beside a second floor window says Ferris & Gamble Publishing in green and orange letters. He's definitely in the right spot.
The sign, centered over the entrance, says Perkatory, with letters bent over a stylized coffee cup, and it makes Jensen raise an eyebrow. He pushes open the door and walks into the coffee shop. He has enough time left for a cup before the long hours of interviews start.
Inside, the walls are made of more exposed red brick, giving the place a warm, comfortable feeling. Jensen looks around, breathes in the delicious smell of freshly roasted and brewed coffee, of steaming milk and pastries cooling beside the oven. He wallows in the fragrance as he takes the last steps towards the end of the line in front of the counter.
He's still busy studying one of the paintings decorating the wall - displaying the devil with a tiny espresso mug in his hands, pinky outstretched as he takes a sip - when he notices from out of the corner of his eye the line he's approaching is moving forward a step. Jensen takes the last step towards the end of the row, without looking, and that turns out to be a rather bad idea.
Out of nowhere, there's a body right in front of him, and Jensen manages to smack squarely into some guy's broad, muscular back.
“Jesus!” the guy yells in surprise, and it's almost comical to see a tall guy like him flinch away in surprise.
“Whoa!” Jensen gasps at the same time, taking a step back and almost expecting the other guy to start shouting at him for not looking where he walks. It's the shock of surprise that leaves him speechless for a moment. They both straighten up to their full height, and Jensen hasn't felt so small in all his life. While he's not exactly short, Jensen still has to look up to the other man.
He wears sneakers, denim jeans, and a dark brown jacket over a blue plaid shirt, which seems like pretty light clothing to Jensen, considered that it's the middle of November. His hair is hidden under a black beanie, though, with only the tips of it sticking out at his neck. And, well, he's attractive, objectively speaking.
For a moment, they're just standing there, catching their breath, and looking at each other. Jensen steels himself for a snarky answer. He's so not in the mood for this. Not today. Not on a day like this, not when it's so important that this day turns out well. Please, Jensen begs silently to the higher powers that might be.
“I'm sorry,” he says quickly, hands held up in a defensive pose. He's also, may be a bit impressed by the guy. With his height, he looks instantly intimidating.
Well, until a wide grin spreads across his lips, his slanted eyes glittering friendly. “Don't worry, dude. Happens,” he chuckles, and it's like the sun just rose in front of Jensen or something like that.
The guy could probably melt a stone with that grin. And it definitely melts the last bit of worry lodged in Jensen's chest.
“Yeah, I just wasn't looking,” Jensen manages and smiles back, his usual self-confidence returning.
“Are you good?” the guy asks, and one hand outstretched towards Jensen.
“Yeah, I'm fine.”
Other guy's smile widens to a grin again. “So, um, I was just about to get some coffee,” he nods to their left, where the counter is. “Can I get you something? I have a few minutes to spare before work, and I'd definitely appreciate some company,” he adds with an open smile and his hands buried in his jeans pockets. For a guy his size, he manages the pleading puppy dog eyes really well.
Jensen also doesn't fail to notice how the guy's eyes travel up and down his body, checking him out subtly, and how one edge of his lips raises.
“Oh, um, no, thank you,” Jensen stutters, completely taken by surprise, “I kind of have someplace to be, actually.”
“Right,” tall, dark and handsome says, and the disappointment is obvious in his voice. “Then, just... have a nice day. And sorry.”
“You too. And, you know, sorry, again.” Jensen scratches the back of his neck nervously. This whole thing is weird in ways he never even imagined.
“Watch where you step,” the guy says as he awkwardly turns around again and shoots a teasing wink over his shoulder.
Jesus.
Did he just get hit on by a guy?
Well, there’s a first time for everything.
Shaking off the strange feeling, Jensen straightens out his clothes: a classic black suit and dark green tie that he wears under his knee-length double-breasted coat. The tie had been a gift from his ex-girlfriend for his last birthday. Jensen can still hear her saying it brings out his eyes. Whatever, he just likes it.
For a meeting like this, he definitely needs to wear something that makes him feel comfortable. That it reminds him of his ex is unfortunate, but it also reminds him of why he really needs that new start. If he sits on his ass any longer, he'll go crazy.
While the barista - a sturdily built man with dark, short hair and a beard covering his cheeks - is preparing what looks like a cappuccino with lots of milk and syrup for the guy in front of him, Jensen quickly checks out the menu on the slates up on the wall. Doodles of steaming coffee cups and cookies with smiling faces frame the extensive list of coffee roasts the shop offers, and the headline reads “Perkatory - the perk of sinfully good coffee”. It makes Jensen wonder if the guy is the one who doodles those little pictures up there himself.
Black coffee will do as long as it's strong, Jensen decides, and he pulls out his notes from his coat pocket, skimming over them once again while he waits, as if he didn't already know them by heart. Admittedly, his thoughts drift off somewhere in the middle of the second line, with the milk frother whirring in the background.
“Seattle?” he hears his mother ask in disbelief, and sees her face fall into a grimace. “What do you want in Seattle?”
“There's an interesting job opening, Mom,” he had explained.
“But it's so far away, what will you do up there alone? You don't know anybody there!” she objected.
“Well, I'll get to know people. I'm 34, mom, I'm able to live on my own.”
“But... Back me up here, Alan,” she threw a desperate glance over her shoulder, where his dad glared disapprovingly over the top of his newspaper.
“You know that Jackson & Partner law firm downtown, why don't you call there and ask if they're hiring?” Alan added to his wife's concerns.
“Dad,” Jensen sighed, and pinched the bridge of his nose. “It's not the 60s anymore, you know. Also, that's the same work I've done for Sandover for years now, and I wouldn't have quit my job there if that's what I still wanted to do.”
“Honey, are you sure this isn't just some... radical decision you're making because of Joanna?” his mom asked, a worried furrow between her brows.
That got Jensen angry quickly, but he held in his temper. “Maybe it is, but maybe it's the right thing to do. Anyway, the flight is already booked and the interview is scheduled, so... I'll ask Josh to take me to the airport.”
“Hey,” a deep voice with a friendly tone pulls him out of his thoughts. “What can I get you?”
Jensen jerks up from his notes to find the barista looking at him with an open smile. “Good morning,” he answers, collecting his thoughts. “I'll have a tall drip, please. For here.”
The barista nods, then lets his eyes trail down Jensen's suit and tie quickly, eventually focusing on his notes. “Which kind of roast?”
“As long as it's strong, I don't care,” Jensen smiles back.
Sizing him up for a short moment, the barista turns around and gets to work. “I have pretty good dark house roast here, if I may say so. Promise you'll like it. Do you want room?”
“No, thank you.”
Jensen listens to the light tune the barista whistles as he waits.
“Hey, mind if I ask you something?” the man asks as he puts down the cup at the end of the counter, where sugar and milk, among various other things, are available for self-service.
Jensen raises an eyebrow, but shakes his head no, confused.
“Could it be that you're on your way to the guys upstairs? Ferris & Gamble?”
“Yes, but how do you know?” Jensen raises an eyebrow suspiciously.
“Well, I know for a fact that they're looking for someone and-” he waves at Jensen's suit and his notes, “I kinda figured.”
Jensen manages a lopsided grin. “Figured right.”
He still smiles in a friendly way at Jensen as he leans against the counter. “That’ll be two-sixty, then.”
Jensen quickly thanks him while pulling out his wallet to count off the bills, and he throws some change into the tip jar. When he looks back up, he finds the barista with an additional plate in his hand, sliding it onto the counter in front of him.
“On the house,” he winks as he takes the money from Jensen's hands. “For good luck. And, you know, the guys upstairs are pretty cool, so no need to be nervous,” he continues, a bit quieter so the other patrons don't hear it, and chuckles.
Swallowing heavily around the sudden lump in his throat, Jensen forces out a breathy laugh and looks down at the muffin. Apple and cinnamon.
“Thanks,” he manages, and feels stupid for getting emotional over a damn muffin. But the truth is that a lot of crap happened during the past months, and this is pretty nice coming from a virtual stranger. “Aren't you... I mean, I don't want to get you in trouble.”
“Nah,” the barista says. “I'm the owner of this place, so I can hand out freebies as much as I like. The name's Ty, by the way.”
“Jensen.”
Ty nods, first in response to Jensen, and then at the muffin. “Enjoy,” he says with another warm smile, before he turns to his next customer.
Thoughtfully, Jensen steps aside and sits down at one of the tables near the counter. He breaks off a part of the muffin's crust and pops it into his mouth. It's just the right amount of sweet and buttery, and he's reminded of how little he actually had for breakfast this morning. He washes it down with a sip from the delicious, strong roast of coffee, and sighs contentedly. Somehow, all of this makes him hope things are looking up for once.
He almost manages to not think about the upcoming interview or his mom's nagging until he's done with both the muffin and the coffee. When he looks at his watch, ten minutes later, he knows it's time to get moving.
“Um, excuse me,” Jensen waves at Ty as he returns his empty cup and plate to the cart at the end of the counter.
The other man is busy wiping down the counter beside his coffee machines, but quickly comes over. “Can I help you?”
“I just wanted to ask where the stairs to the second floor are.”
“Ah,” Ty nods, smiling yet again. “It's time, huh? Follow me.”
Jensen rounds the counter to join Ty at the other side and follows him to an old freight elevator whose entrance has been closed off with a steel trellis. The elevator itself is nowhere to be seen, and Ty hits an old copper button on the side to call it.
The rattling sound of the wires announces the arrival of the elevator long before it actually comes into sight. Jensen's eyes widen in surprise when he notices it's not empty, but is carrying a woman with short, brown hair, who smiles widely as soon as she notices him, too.
Ty quickly pulls the gate aside as the elevator comes to a halt, and she thanks him before turning to Jensen.
“Good morning,” she greets him with a smile. “You must be Jensen?”
“Good morning, and yes,” Jensen answers, smiling back.
“I'm Kim Rhodes, HR manager of Ferris & Gamble publishing,” she introduces herself, and holds her hand out. Jensen shakes it with a firm grip. “Looks like you found your way to us just fine.”
“I did, yes. Beautiful building you got here, I have to say.” Jensen looks around to emphasize his words. “Loved it at first sight.”
She chuckles. “Just wait until we get upstairs,” and with that, she steps back into the elevator and waves goodbye to Ty.
Ty waves back and smiles brightly. “Good luck, Jensen,” he adds, then turns back to his counter.
Jensen returns the smile and nods gratefully.
He steps into the elevator and pulls the trellis closed as Kim presses the button for the second floor. The elevator comes to life with a creaking sound, which doesn't make Jensen trust it any better than he did previously.
“Relax, we have it checked on a regular basis,” Kim grins, obviously noticing his discomfort. “It might be from the early 20s, but it has a much newer engine.”
When they're up and entering a huge room with a high ceiling, Jensen needs a second to take it all in. The open space includes several desks in the center, and there are several single offices to the sides, but their doors are mostly opened wide. The floor-to-ceiling windows around the hall would let enough sunlight in, but since today is particularly cloudy, the long fluorescent tubes that hang low from the ceiling bathe the offices in artificial light.
“Wow,” is all Jensen is able to say.
“It's an old coffee warehouse,” Kim explains, leading the way to one of the single offices. “We restored and converted it to an office building a couple years ago.”
“It's a pretty cool idea,” Jensen nods, when his eyes land on an old machine to their right. “What's this?” he adds, pointing at the shiny metal, obviously kept neat and clean. It looks kind of like an oven, if not for the round barrel with the circular opening in the front and the open chute leading down to a tray.
“An old coffee roaster. It was still in here when we bought the building, so we decided to keep it,” Kim smiles, not faltering in her step.
Impressed at this point, Jensen can only nod.
Kim leads him into a small conference room with a meeting table and closes the door behind them. “Have a seat,” she says as she offers one of the chairs to Jensen, and sits down opposite him.
Jensen takes a deep breath. His last interview was more than ten years ago. The job they've posted is that of General Counsel. Since they are a small publisher, they didn't have a Chief Legal Officer or General Counsel before, and, from what Jensen gathered, their current Chief Financial Officer took care of contracts until now. It's a change from his last position, and he'd have to build up the position here from scratch. They have no reason whatsoever to hire him because it's not a field he's experienced in, but, if he's learned one thing in court, it's confidence. So he's going to rock this interview, and he's going to get this job. Period.
The day flies by way too quickly with the interview with Kim, lunch with Samantha Ferris (“Call me Sam”), the CEO, and the afternoon is spent in lengthier interviews with Sam and with Sera Gamble, the silent partner of the company. Not that Jensen minds, since they're both really nice, and they get along well from the start.
There's no awkwardness until the evening, where Jensen is invited to dinner at an Italian place downtown, together with the complete C-level staff of Ferris & Gamble.
When Kim says, “Let me introduce you to Jared,” and waves at someone behind Jensen's back, her next words, “our CFO,” almost don't register with Jensen. As soon as he turns and sees the man behind him, he's admittedly speechless.
Jensen heard an old German saying once that you always meet twice.
For a moment, they stare at each other, and Jensen notices that the guy -Jared's- eyes are an interesting mix of blue and gray.
“You- you're-” Jared gets out. Interesting enough, he seems pleasantly surprised.
“Yeah,” Jensen huffs out a laugh, glad for the cue.
“Wait, you two know each other?” Kim asks in disbelief, looking from Jensen to Jared and back.
“Kind of,” Jensen says, at the same time that Jared answers, “Sort of.” The sheer ridiculous awkwardness of the situation makes them both chuckle.
“I bumped into him this morning,” Jared explains to Kim as he gets up and steps around the table.
Jensen doesn't see her reaction, because Jared stands right in front of him, and for the second time that day, he has to look up at him.
“So, I'm Jared Padalecki, resident CFO,” he offers his hand and Jensen notices that the wide grin he recognizes from earlier is confidently in place.
“Jensen Ackles, hopefully soon-to-be General Counsel,” Jensen replies with an equally wide smile and grabs the huge palm, squeezing it firmly.
They are still busy sizing each other up when Kim clears her throat. “Glad we got that out of the way.” An amused tone accompanies her teasing words.
Jared grins.
“Right,” he says before meeting Jensen's eyes again, and, for the first time, Jensen sees something like uncertainty there. Jensen tries to dispel it with a reassuring smile and a slight curl to his lips, which Jared immediately returns.
Their first meeting might have been a bit unusual, but that doesn't mean Jensen can't appreciate some harmless flirting, even from someone of the same sex.
“Glad to meet you again,” Jared nods, sits back down, and pulls out the chair beside him. With an inviting smile, he waits for Jensen to take a seat.
“Thanks,” Jensen smiles right back as he accepts the offer.
Jesus, even sitting, Jared is taller than him.
The woman opposite of Jensen has long, auburn hair and a friendly smile. “Amanda Tapping,” she introduces herself, and as Jensen shakes her hand, he thinks that if she was a bit younger, she'd totally be his type. Kim adds, “Our head of management and production.”
“Let's just say that I'm the one who keeps everyone in check and makes sure nobody messes up the schedule.” Amanda laughs as she shakes Jensen's hand.
“Have you seen Misha, by the way?” Kim asks, after a short chuckle.
“He came here with me, so he's gotta be around somewhere.”
That's when a man with short, brown hair, a black shirt and bright red floral print wrap-around skirt comes to a halt in front of their table with a bright smile. “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.”
Jensen thanks God that the man wasn't speaking specifically to him, since he's too busy gaping at the skirt. It's just... an uncommon sight.
“Oh, you must be the new guy,” Misha eventually turns fully towards Jensen and sits down next to Amanda.
“Yes, not quite yet, but I'm trying. I'm Jensen. Ackles.”
For the millionth time that day, Jensen shakes hands, and the guy says, “I'm Misha Collins, Editor in Chief.”
Later, the group scatters, a few head home - including Kim - and Jensen finds himself at the table with only Jared beside him, feeling awkward.
Since Misha is deep in conversation with Amanda on the other side of the table, they are momentarily alone.
No matter their earlier exchange, Jensen knows that they need to talk about this morning in some way. Just to get it out of the way.
However, while he's still trying to find the right words, Jared beats him to it.
Jared leans forward, elbows resting on the table before him, and the smile on his lips dims a bit. “Hey, um... about this morning. I didn't- I mean...” he avoids Jensen's eyes.
Jensen waves him off. “Don't worry about it. You couldn't have known.”
“Still. I hope it's not a problem.”
“It isn't,” Jensen reassures him honestly.
“You wouldn't believe the horror scenarios I had running through my mind already,” Jared huffs, relieved, and leans back into his chair, seeming a lot more relaxed. “Kim mentioned that the applicant for General Counsel would be from Texas and... well, that only gave me more concerns about what you would think about it.”
Think about what, exactly? About the fact that Jared hit on him or that he was gay? Or bi? Or just somehow into men?
He’s certainly not going to ask Jared. It's not a problem in any case, so Jensen quickly shakes his head, dismissing Jared's thoughts with a bright smile. “Just because I'm from Texas... we're not all backwards rednecks, you know.”
“Don't get me wrong, I'm from Texas myself, so...” Jared lets the sentence remain unfinished, the meaning of it hanging between them.
Surprise makes Jensen's eyebrows shoot up toward his hairline. Pleasant surprise, that is. “Really? Where from?”
“Born 'n' raised in San Antonio,” Jared answers, a lopsided grin on his lips and a slight twang in his words. That hint of home in his voice doesn't go unnoticed by Jensen, who feels warmth spread in his chest. That he finds a fellow Texan here, of all places. How surprising.
“Funny coincidence that we meet up here. What brought you to Seattle, then?” Jensen grins right back.
Jared scrunches up his nose. “That's a long story for another day. Let's just say, me and my folks had a little disagreement. I'm sure you can imagine why.”
“Oh,” Jensen nods in understanding, his smile falling. So that's... oh.
“And wow, now we're knee-deep in depressing stuff. Sorry,” Jared huffs, scratching the back of his neck, and his shaggy brown hair falls into his face.
Jensen waves it off. “Don't worry about it.”
That, at least, gets Jared laughing. The crystal clear, amused laughter make Jensen smile again, too, and it breaks the spell between them.
“Wow, I throw one thing after the other at you today and you just... wow,” Jared grins. “Nothing shakes a good ol' Texas boy, I guess.”
“Not even getting invited to coffee by a man,” Jensen adds on a whim, and quickly tries to back it up with, “Gotta say, that never happened to me back home, but I'll take it as a compliment,” he winks at Jared, only to have him dissolve into laughter again.
“You're something else, you know that?”
“Yeah, I know,” Jensen smirks, and then remembers he should clear that crucial thing between them up once and for all and states, “I'm straight, though.”
A second's hesitation later, Jared clicks his tongue and shakes his head. “Damn, just my luck,” he mutters under his breath, but he's still smiling.
For a moment, they sit in silence, only watching each other. The air between them is definitely cleared, and a huge load is lifted from Jensen's mind.
“So,” Jared eventually begins. “You feel ready to take on the stuff I did on the side? Don't think I'd mind.”
When Jensen gets to the airport by lunchtime on Wednesday, he has a good feeling about the interview. He got along with pretty much everyone immediately, and he's sure that he left a lasting, positive impression.
Jared also gave him his e-mail and phone number and promised to keep in touch when Jensen went back to the office building for a short breakfast meeting.
“When did they say they'll let you know?” Jared asked when he accompanied Jensen downstairs to the coffee shop to say goodbye.
“In about a week. They need to check references and confer about salary and benefits, the usual.”
“I don't think you need to be worried,” Jared grinned, and that huge smile had almost taken all of Jensen's remaining doubts away. “They like you. And believe me, because I've seen the way they are when they don’t like someone.”
“Thanks,” Jensen nodded gratefully. “I'm actually glad to hear that.”
“And if they say yes and you need some help hunting for apartments, I'd be glad to help out,” was Jared's last offer.
“I think I'm gonna take you up on that,” Jensen replied, and then they parted.
So Jensen still has a big smile on his face when he boards his flight. He sleeps through most of the four hours as best as he can, and when he finally arrives back home in Dallas, the good feeling is only slightly dimmed when he reaches his empty apartment in downtown Dallas.
Admittedly, Jensen hadn't been home a lot in the last few months, as 14-hour days at the office were standard in his position. But when he got home, Joanna had always been waiting for him with dinner and a smile.
Now, her drawers in the dresser they shared are empty. He never realized how little space his clothes took up in their closet until the hangers full of Joanna's jeans and blouses and dresses were gone.
He needs to get out of here, and soon.
He gets the call on Wednesday of the following week.
The salary and benefits are not what he had at Sandover, but that was always going to be part of the deal and not a reason for Jensen to go back to being the unhappy person he was. After some negotiating, they're quickly on the same page, and it's done and signed.
Starting in January, Jensen will have a new job as the General Counsel of Ferris & Gamble publishing. After some persuasion from Sam, he also signed a confidentiality agreement and a contract for a small consulting fee so he can get started and up to speed while he deals with his move.
So Jensen picks up the phone to make all the calls he needs - to his bank, his cable and internet company, to the utilities. It's all answering machines and automated calls, which is not only a chore, but also kind of depressing.
The last number he calls is his parents', and, as he calls, he realizes there's really not much holding him back here in Dallas. His career and extensive work hours have cost him a lot over the last few years, including his friends. It's kind of pathetic that his family members are the only real people he needs to tell about his move to Seattle.
It takes him some time to reassure his mother that he won't drop off the face of the earth, that she'll still see him, and that he’ll be able to survive on his own.
Afterwards, Jensen flops down on the couch with an exhausted sigh; he boots up his laptop to look for apartments in Seattle and to send an e-mail to Jared - only to see that Jared had beat him to it.
From: jared.padalecki@ferrisgamblepublishing.com
To: j.ackles@gmail.com
Hey Jensen,
just heard the great news! I'm really glad they said 'yes'. You're gonna fit in here perfectly.
So, without further ado, I thought it'd be handy for you to have an overview of our regular writers and the kinds of books they're submitting. So I made a chart that you'll get with this email. A copy of our standard contract is also attached. I'll make sure to keep you up on speed what's happening over here so you don't have to work it out all on your own once you start in January.
As always, I'm here to answer any questions you might have.
It was great to meet you and I'm looking forward to working with you.
And check out this site for apartments in Seattle.
- Jared
Jensen smiles to himself as he starts typing up an answer.
From: j.ackles@gmail.com
To: jared.padalecki@ferrisgamblepublishing.com
Hey Jared,
I'm really glad, too! Thanks for the spreadsheet, it looks very useful. I'll take a closer look tomorrow.
As for the apartment hunt - I'll call you tomorrow to talk details, alright?
Jensen
“I like it,” Jensen says, two weeks later, looking around the small, but partially furnished apartment in Fremont.
“Me too,” Jared nods. “Plus, you'll have the bus stop right around the corner and only have a short commute to work. And you can take the same bus line as me, so we can go to work together, if you want.”
“That's perfect,” Jensen smiles, then turns to Jared. “Where do you live, by the way?”
“A few miles north, in Green Lake,” Jared points vaguely in the mentioned direction. “I have a house up there, not far from the lake itself. Gotta show you sometime, the park has a great walkway around the lake where I run my dogs. But living near downtown sure has its advantages. I'd take this place if I were you.”
“Yeah, I think I will.”
At the end of December, after Jensen clears out and sells his apartment - either storing things or shipping his stuff to Seattle - and spends a rather melancholic Christmas with his parents, he flies up to Seattle for the third time in two months. This time, for good.
When he arrives in Seattle, it's Jared who picks him up from the airport. The other man grins brightly when he sees Jensen walk towards him, and greets him with a handshake and one arm wrapped quickly around his shoulders.
“So, I gotta keep you this time around?” Jared asks mirthfully.
“Yep,” Jensen confirms as he pulls back, but he leaves Jared's arm still in place. For a moment, they just smile at each other, and Jensen notices that Jared has dimples. And a mole beside his nose. Plus, he smells like aftershave, some scent Jensen had always liked. He wonders why he notices that now, but has no idea.
They had quickly gotten comfortable with each other, during Jensen's apartment hunt and all the phone calls concerning his move.
And it's almost too easy with Jared. He’s a middle child from Texas, like himself, a genuinely nice and friendly guy with a contagious laughter, and someone Jensen would like to be friends with. And that's the other point, he hasn't had time for friends in a long while now, so he enjoys spending time with Jared, and the other man certainly doesn't seem to mind.
Jensen turns around to grab the handle of his huge suitcase, which holds the last of his clothes and personal stuff that hadn't been shipped to his new address already.
“Let's get you home, then,” Jared says, and takes the suitcase from Jensen's hands.
“Hey!” Jensen protests.
“You go and carry your duffel bag,” Jared nods at the heavy bag hanging from Jensen's shoulder. “I'm just being the gentleman who helps the lady with her suitcase,” he teases.
Jensen punches Jared's shoulder lightly and grins.
Of course Jensen doesn't have any plans for New Year's, so when Jared says he's going to spend it at Misha's place and he might as well join them, Jensen accepts.
Misha is a weird sort of guy. Nice, but weird. Jensen has no idea what to think of him at first. From their discussions at Jensen's interview dinner, he knows that Misha is married to his high school sweetheart and they have a son.
Jensen kind of envies Misha for that. While he's just a few years older than Jensen, Misha has already achieved everything that Jensen wants - a house, a wife, a kid.
The hardest part is that Jensen thought he'd already had it all: a well-paying job, his student loans paid back, a girlfriend he had been going steady with for four years. A girlfriend he could imagine marrying and having kids with. But after he had decided his job should be more to him than well-paying and quit it, it had all gone downhill. Joanna couldn't accept his decision, and Jensen now suspects his job was most of the reason she stayed with him in the first place.
Jensen is pulled out of his thoughts by Misha opening the door for him and Jared. He greets them with a wide grin, as his son is perched on his hip. Misha is yet again in a wrap-around skirt, a blue one this time.
“Westy, say hello,” Misha says to the little boy, who waves dutifully at them and mumbles a small, “Hello,” towards Jensen. Then he recognizes Jared and lets out a joyful laugh, stretching his arms out towards the tall man. “Uncle Jared!”
And then something magical happens. Jared, who Jensen has only seen as the very capable, professional CFO, goes into full-on cooing mode, and picks the boy up from Misha's hands. “Hey, little man, how you doing? How is my favorite godson?”
Misha watches with a grin as his son starts babbling to Jared excitedly, Westy's little arms wrapping around Jared's neck. Then Misha invites them in with a wave, not interrupting Jared as he heads straight for the living room, talking to the kid.
“How old is he?” Jensen asks as he toes off his shoes.
“West's almost two and a half,” Misha answers with a smile. “And you can tell that Jared helped babysit him when he was younger. They're sweet, aren't they?”
“Yeah,” Jensen agrees, and follows Misha into the living room, where Jared is already sitting on the sofa with West on his lap.
A dark-haired woman joins them, and is introduced to Jensen as Vicky, Misha's wife. And Jensen immediately gets why those two fit together so well - while Misha is snarky and full of energy, Vicky has the wit to counter his ideas and to ground him. And when it comes to West, they're the perfect team, letting him get away with the things kids do, but being absolutely united when it comes to any behavior that is not okay.
Jensen tries to not compare them to Joanna and himself, but fails. He and Joanna were a team alright, but they were always... more serious. Misha and Vicky just have a lot of fun with each other, playing on each other's jokes and throwing quick-witted sentences back and forth so fast even Jared admits to not being able to follow them.
And as small as their group is, as soon as Jensen finds his place within it, they get along great. During dinner and playing simple family games on the Wii, West gets used to Jensen quickly, ends up sitting beside him on the couch and leans into him. Jensen has always been good with kids, and West is easy to play and have fun with, and he's sweet when he wants to be. Right now, he's just tired after getting tickled by Jared, and Jensen finds himself watching the boy with a smile as West's eyes fall closed again and again.
“Alright, little man, I think it's time for bed for you,” Misha laughs and gets up.
Without a second thought, Jensen picks West up and watches in awe as the boy with the blond locks rests his head against his shoulder and snuggles into Jensen's neck, eyes firmly closed now. He doesn't even protest when Jensen transfers him to Misha's arms.
He finds both Jared and Vicky watching them with a wide smile. “What?” he asks amused as soon as Misha is out of earshot.
“Looks like he already likes you,” Vicky smiles.
“It was kind of adorable,” Jared adds, which makes Jensen grab his beer quickly to avoid his eyes. He doesn't know why that makes him uneasy, but it does. He's never been good at taking compliments.
Misha returns just in time for the countdown to start on TV, and kisses Vicky when the ball drops on Times Square.
Jensen busies himself with the bottle of champagne, filling the four glasses Jared hands to him, and they clink glasses.
“I think it's time for us to head for the balcony,” Vicky grins after they drank and gets up.
“The balcony?” Jensen asks.
“Yeah, you have a perfect view of the Space Needle from their balcony,” Jared explains. “And the fireworks they do there are always amazing. Also, remind me to take you sightseeing.”
“I will,” Jensen says, with a smile to Jared, and follows Vicky.
When the fireworks start, Misha slings an arm around her.
It's the first New Years in five years that Jensen doesn't spend with Joanna, so he feels a bit melancholy seeing that.
“What's going on in that head of yours?” Jared asks when he notices, nudging Jensen with his elbow.
Jensen sighs. “It's just that I... well, to be honest, it's been two months since my ex broke up with me and I kind of miss her.”
“If she broke up with you, she doesn't know what she's missing,” Jared says, and then wordlessly wraps an arm around Jensen's shoulders and pulls him close.
“I'd say so, too,” Misha adds from the side, smiling gently.
Later they end up on the couch, all four sprawling out lazily watching TV. It's kind of amazing that he had so little time for friends back home in Dallas, but since arriving in a new place, new city, and a new state, he immediately finds people to connect with.
He tells them as much, and after a moment of smiling at each other quietly, Vicky says, “Well, Jared is already kind of part of the family. And you're more than welcome to join us again, Jensen.”
“In our community, you find your own family,” Jared says thoughtfully. “And I'm glad I found you guys.”
“Oh, are we already in the sentimental stage of the evening?” Misha throws in.
“I guess,” Jared shrugs.
“What did you mean with 'our community'?” Jensen follows it up.
“Well, the gay community.”
“Or, for the record, the LGBTQ community,” Misha adds, “since I'm not gay, but queer.”
“Oh,” Jensen manages, but does a double take. “But you're... married?”
“Yes, I am,” Misha smiles and pulls Vicky closer, who adds, “And we are polyamorous and living in an open marriage.”
“Wait-What?”
“We are polyamorous and living in an open marriage,” Misha repeats to Jensen's stunned face.
“Yeah, I got that part. And that means what exactly?” It's not like Jensen ever thought about these things; hell, he never had to.
Misha smiles easily. “It means my wife and I are committed to each other, and living with each other, but we don't limit our relationship to ourselves.”
It takes Jensen a moment to process that. He hasn't had that much to drink, but it's a bit late-or early-for things like this. “So you have threesomes,” he blurts out, immediately realizing how inappropriate it is. “Sorry, I didn't mean to-”
“No, no, it's okay. Common misconception, actually. Polyamorous means more than threesomes. It means you can fall in love with more than one person. This plus the fact that I identify as queer means that I don't limit that to female or male either,” Misha explains like it wasn’t the first time. “That is, if you want to think that gender is binary, which it isn't.”
“Is that the reason for the skirts?” Jensen tries to ease the seriousness of the situation, smiling openly so that Misha won't take it as an insult, which it definitely isn't meant to be.
“Nah, I just like the freedom for my junk,” Misha grins, then adds, “Honestly, it's great that I can fuck with people and their expectations of what kind of clothing defines gender, when it's exactly the other way around. Gender is non-binary and as fluid as sexuality; it's not limited to male and female, and it's certainly not defined by the clothes you're wearing. So if I want to wear skirts, I do it.”
“Wow,” Jensen says. “Honestly, I never thought about these things.”
“Of course not, you're a cisgendered, heterosexual male,” Jared says from the side.
Jensen just looks at him speechless, having no idea what Jared had just said.
“It means you've been born in the body of a male and identify as male, and you're straight, which is probably the lowest difficulty setting for sexuality.”
“Probably, yeah,” Jensen agrees. And yes, he's had it easy, not only in that. “I gotta say, I admire how easily you all deal with this stuff.”
“It's a completely normal thing to talk about,” Vicky adds. “I'm bisexual, for that matter. I just had the luck and the privilege to find my perfect match in high school. Which doesn't mean everything from there on was easy, but we built on everything that was thrown at us.”
Misha grins at her and quickly places a peck on her lips.
“And now you've got a house and a kid,” Jensen mumbles absentmindedly.
“Yeah,” Misha answers, and they quietly sit around the table, sipping their drinks.
“What about you, if I may ask?” Vicky breaks the silence after a short while. “Do you want a family and kids?”
“I do,” Jensen sighs. “But after my ex broke up with me, I guess that's gotta wait for a while.”
When he looks to his side and finds Jared watching him with a sad frown on his face. “It's pretty much the same with me, although my last break-up was over a year ago.”
“You want kids, too?” Jensen asks, curious.
“Actually, yes. Adoptive or surrogate, I don't know. But I want a family.”
They share a heartfelt smile that's only broken by Misha clapping. “Alright, you two, enough with the pity party. I've got us some good bourbon that I waited to break out all evening.”
After crashing on Misha's couch, Jensen is woken the next morning by a familiar voice.
“Jensen?”
Jensen grumbles out a nonverbal reply to tell Jared he's awake, and he slowly opens his eyes. His sight is still blurry, and his eyeballs are scratchy from his contacts.
Jared’s standing beside the couch, naked except for a pair of blue plaid boxers. With a grunt, Jensen sits up to face him. His head is aching, but it could be a lot worse.
“Huh?” he asks eloquently.
Jared chuckles. “No offense, but you look like hell.”
After a quick glance at Jared's rumpled, slightly askew boxers and the sleep creases on his chest and cheeks, plus the epic mess that is his hair, Jensen chuckles, too. No matter how much it worsens his headache. “You're one to talk.”
Smirking, Jared shifts on his feet and crosses his arms over his chest. “Be nice, or I won't make you coffee.”
The thought of coffee-of a cup of the hot, strong beverage in his hands, and the smell of it when it's freshly brewed-makes Jensen's mouth water. “Ugh, God, coffee,” is what he gets out, with a touch of desperation. “Yes, please.”
“Help me make breakfast for our hosts?”
“That'd involve getting up,” Jensen protests and falls back with a groan.
The floorboards creak, and then there's Jared with a wide grin leaning over him and extending a hand to help him up. Jensen has an unobstructed view of strong, muscular arms with thick veins running along them, trained abs on Jared's stomach, and of his defined chest muscles. A five o'clock shadow darkens Jared’s cheeks while his bangs fall into his eyes.
There are women who would pass out at this view, Jensen knows. But that's not his problem. It's not like he hasn't seen a guy naked before.
His problem-and the reason why he's postponing getting up- is not only his headache, but the fact that morning wood doesn't care about hangovers and whether or not it will make things awkward when you spend the night at your co-worker's place.
And he can't just say, 'Sorry, boner alert,' to make Jared back off.
However, he'll have to make due somehow. If the long years of puberty taught him anything, it's how to hide inappropriate boners.
So Jensen accepts Jared's hand and lets himself get pulled to his feet. With a quick turn away and a sneaky shove of his palm, he manages to adjust himself in his boxer briefs, and he heads for the kitchen.
If Jared notices anything, he doesn't let it show. But he keeps a bit of distance from Jensen as he follows him.
It's not like Jensen isn't fully aware that he's A) good looking, B) has a great ass, bowlegs notwithstanding, and C) Jared is gay and is probably enjoying the view. But if Jared wants to go window-shopping, Jensen is not about to stop him.
If he has to deal with inappropriate boners, Jared can do that, too.
Masterpost | Chapter 2 >>
For Jensen, it's love at first sight.
As he's about to leave his hotel, he looks up into the gray, clouded sky that promises the typical drizzling rain, and clutches his folded umbrella a bit tighter in his hand. The marine breeze is that bit too cold when it wafts under his coat, so Jensen pulls it closer around himself.
That's the point where he kind of misses Texas. But only kind of, he thinks as he takes a deep breath to calm his nerves and starts to walk down the street. The weather here might depress him, but Jensen wouldn't feel any different if he sat in his apartment, alone, as he had during the past three weeks.
And he definitely needs a change.
Plus, the city itself makes up for the climate. The skyline frames the lakes throughout the city and the harbor divides the city from the Sound. Old warehouses and small office buildings built from red brick stand in the shadow of the taller, newer skyscrapers. The mix of old and new, the charm of a city that’s as much Gold Rush as new tech makes Jensen fall in love with it instantly. He can't wait to explore it in detail once he lives here.
That is, if he gets this job, which is more unlikely than he cares to think, considering the job market for lawyers is a nightmare at the moment. Despite his overall very good résumé, he spent the last five months looking for a job, first in and around Dallas, but later in other states as well. Companies today can afford to be choosy, as they select only one lawyer out of a hundred applicants. Jensen is a good contract and intellectual property lawyer, and he knows it, but if he doesn't fit the company's requirements to a T, they won't care about his experience. He's been kicked out of the race before.
It's been kind of devastating, seeing your efforts vanish into thin air like that.
This time, he wants it to be different. Needs it to be different.
This vacancy doesn't fit his bill either, not by a long shot, but that he even got invited for this interview is a chance that he can't let go to waste.
Jensen stops when he reaches the intersection, and squints down the street. His GPS says this is the one he's looking for. Historic buildings line the side street, together with small, three- and four-story office buildings with tiny shops at street level. The trees he admired yesterday when he went to the shopping district are nowhere to be seen here.
A trolley passes him as he walks down the length of the street, and Jensen follows its path to the next stop. Lost in thought, he sidesteps one of many guys who rushes down the sidewalk with a phone pressed to his ear, talking frantically into the speaker while balancing a cup of coffee in the other hand. The picture is familiar, and it makes him quirk a smile. Not too long ago, he was just like that.
Jensen quickly pulls himself out of that train of thought and takes out his phone to quickly check his location.
His phone, though, says that he's already exactly where he wants to be. Looking up, Jensen finds an old, five-story, red brick building to his left, and a sign beside a second floor window says Ferris & Gamble Publishing in green and orange letters. He's definitely in the right spot.
The sign, centered over the entrance, says Perkatory, with letters bent over a stylized coffee cup, and it makes Jensen raise an eyebrow. He pushes open the door and walks into the coffee shop. He has enough time left for a cup before the long hours of interviews start.
Inside, the walls are made of more exposed red brick, giving the place a warm, comfortable feeling. Jensen looks around, breathes in the delicious smell of freshly roasted and brewed coffee, of steaming milk and pastries cooling beside the oven. He wallows in the fragrance as he takes the last steps towards the end of the line in front of the counter.
He's still busy studying one of the paintings decorating the wall - displaying the devil with a tiny espresso mug in his hands, pinky outstretched as he takes a sip - when he notices from out of the corner of his eye the line he's approaching is moving forward a step. Jensen takes the last step towards the end of the row, without looking, and that turns out to be a rather bad idea.
Out of nowhere, there's a body right in front of him, and Jensen manages to smack squarely into some guy's broad, muscular back.
“Jesus!” the guy yells in surprise, and it's almost comical to see a tall guy like him flinch away in surprise.
“Whoa!” Jensen gasps at the same time, taking a step back and almost expecting the other guy to start shouting at him for not looking where he walks. It's the shock of surprise that leaves him speechless for a moment. They both straighten up to their full height, and Jensen hasn't felt so small in all his life. While he's not exactly short, Jensen still has to look up to the other man.
He wears sneakers, denim jeans, and a dark brown jacket over a blue plaid shirt, which seems like pretty light clothing to Jensen, considered that it's the middle of November. His hair is hidden under a black beanie, though, with only the tips of it sticking out at his neck. And, well, he's attractive, objectively speaking.
For a moment, they're just standing there, catching their breath, and looking at each other. Jensen steels himself for a snarky answer. He's so not in the mood for this. Not today. Not on a day like this, not when it's so important that this day turns out well. Please, Jensen begs silently to the higher powers that might be.
“I'm sorry,” he says quickly, hands held up in a defensive pose. He's also, may be a bit impressed by the guy. With his height, he looks instantly intimidating.
Well, until a wide grin spreads across his lips, his slanted eyes glittering friendly. “Don't worry, dude. Happens,” he chuckles, and it's like the sun just rose in front of Jensen or something like that.
The guy could probably melt a stone with that grin. And it definitely melts the last bit of worry lodged in Jensen's chest.
“Yeah, I just wasn't looking,” Jensen manages and smiles back, his usual self-confidence returning.
“Are you good?” the guy asks, and one hand outstretched towards Jensen.
“Yeah, I'm fine.”
Other guy's smile widens to a grin again. “So, um, I was just about to get some coffee,” he nods to their left, where the counter is. “Can I get you something? I have a few minutes to spare before work, and I'd definitely appreciate some company,” he adds with an open smile and his hands buried in his jeans pockets. For a guy his size, he manages the pleading puppy dog eyes really well.
Jensen also doesn't fail to notice how the guy's eyes travel up and down his body, checking him out subtly, and how one edge of his lips raises.
“Oh, um, no, thank you,” Jensen stutters, completely taken by surprise, “I kind of have someplace to be, actually.”
“Right,” tall, dark and handsome says, and the disappointment is obvious in his voice. “Then, just... have a nice day. And sorry.”
“You too. And, you know, sorry, again.” Jensen scratches the back of his neck nervously. This whole thing is weird in ways he never even imagined.
“Watch where you step,” the guy says as he awkwardly turns around again and shoots a teasing wink over his shoulder.
Jesus.
Did he just get hit on by a guy?
Well, there’s a first time for everything.
Shaking off the strange feeling, Jensen straightens out his clothes: a classic black suit and dark green tie that he wears under his knee-length double-breasted coat. The tie had been a gift from his ex-girlfriend for his last birthday. Jensen can still hear her saying it brings out his eyes. Whatever, he just likes it.
For a meeting like this, he definitely needs to wear something that makes him feel comfortable. That it reminds him of his ex is unfortunate, but it also reminds him of why he really needs that new start. If he sits on his ass any longer, he'll go crazy.
While the barista - a sturdily built man with dark, short hair and a beard covering his cheeks - is preparing what looks like a cappuccino with lots of milk and syrup for the guy in front of him, Jensen quickly checks out the menu on the slates up on the wall. Doodles of steaming coffee cups and cookies with smiling faces frame the extensive list of coffee roasts the shop offers, and the headline reads “Perkatory - the perk of sinfully good coffee”. It makes Jensen wonder if the guy is the one who doodles those little pictures up there himself.
Black coffee will do as long as it's strong, Jensen decides, and he pulls out his notes from his coat pocket, skimming over them once again while he waits, as if he didn't already know them by heart. Admittedly, his thoughts drift off somewhere in the middle of the second line, with the milk frother whirring in the background.
“Seattle?” he hears his mother ask in disbelief, and sees her face fall into a grimace. “What do you want in Seattle?”
“There's an interesting job opening, Mom,” he had explained.
“But it's so far away, what will you do up there alone? You don't know anybody there!” she objected.
“Well, I'll get to know people. I'm 34, mom, I'm able to live on my own.”
“But... Back me up here, Alan,” she threw a desperate glance over her shoulder, where his dad glared disapprovingly over the top of his newspaper.
“You know that Jackson & Partner law firm downtown, why don't you call there and ask if they're hiring?” Alan added to his wife's concerns.
“Dad,” Jensen sighed, and pinched the bridge of his nose. “It's not the 60s anymore, you know. Also, that's the same work I've done for Sandover for years now, and I wouldn't have quit my job there if that's what I still wanted to do.”
“Honey, are you sure this isn't just some... radical decision you're making because of Joanna?” his mom asked, a worried furrow between her brows.
That got Jensen angry quickly, but he held in his temper. “Maybe it is, but maybe it's the right thing to do. Anyway, the flight is already booked and the interview is scheduled, so... I'll ask Josh to take me to the airport.”
“Hey,” a deep voice with a friendly tone pulls him out of his thoughts. “What can I get you?”
Jensen jerks up from his notes to find the barista looking at him with an open smile. “Good morning,” he answers, collecting his thoughts. “I'll have a tall drip, please. For here.”
The barista nods, then lets his eyes trail down Jensen's suit and tie quickly, eventually focusing on his notes. “Which kind of roast?”
“As long as it's strong, I don't care,” Jensen smiles back.
Sizing him up for a short moment, the barista turns around and gets to work. “I have pretty good dark house roast here, if I may say so. Promise you'll like it. Do you want room?”
“No, thank you.”
Jensen listens to the light tune the barista whistles as he waits.
“Hey, mind if I ask you something?” the man asks as he puts down the cup at the end of the counter, where sugar and milk, among various other things, are available for self-service.
Jensen raises an eyebrow, but shakes his head no, confused.
“Could it be that you're on your way to the guys upstairs? Ferris & Gamble?”
“Yes, but how do you know?” Jensen raises an eyebrow suspiciously.
“Well, I know for a fact that they're looking for someone and-” he waves at Jensen's suit and his notes, “I kinda figured.”
Jensen manages a lopsided grin. “Figured right.”
He still smiles in a friendly way at Jensen as he leans against the counter. “That’ll be two-sixty, then.”
Jensen quickly thanks him while pulling out his wallet to count off the bills, and he throws some change into the tip jar. When he looks back up, he finds the barista with an additional plate in his hand, sliding it onto the counter in front of him.
“On the house,” he winks as he takes the money from Jensen's hands. “For good luck. And, you know, the guys upstairs are pretty cool, so no need to be nervous,” he continues, a bit quieter so the other patrons don't hear it, and chuckles.
Swallowing heavily around the sudden lump in his throat, Jensen forces out a breathy laugh and looks down at the muffin. Apple and cinnamon.
“Thanks,” he manages, and feels stupid for getting emotional over a damn muffin. But the truth is that a lot of crap happened during the past months, and this is pretty nice coming from a virtual stranger. “Aren't you... I mean, I don't want to get you in trouble.”
“Nah,” the barista says. “I'm the owner of this place, so I can hand out freebies as much as I like. The name's Ty, by the way.”
“Jensen.”
Ty nods, first in response to Jensen, and then at the muffin. “Enjoy,” he says with another warm smile, before he turns to his next customer.
Thoughtfully, Jensen steps aside and sits down at one of the tables near the counter. He breaks off a part of the muffin's crust and pops it into his mouth. It's just the right amount of sweet and buttery, and he's reminded of how little he actually had for breakfast this morning. He washes it down with a sip from the delicious, strong roast of coffee, and sighs contentedly. Somehow, all of this makes him hope things are looking up for once.
He almost manages to not think about the upcoming interview or his mom's nagging until he's done with both the muffin and the coffee. When he looks at his watch, ten minutes later, he knows it's time to get moving.
“Um, excuse me,” Jensen waves at Ty as he returns his empty cup and plate to the cart at the end of the counter.
The other man is busy wiping down the counter beside his coffee machines, but quickly comes over. “Can I help you?”
“I just wanted to ask where the stairs to the second floor are.”
“Ah,” Ty nods, smiling yet again. “It's time, huh? Follow me.”
Jensen rounds the counter to join Ty at the other side and follows him to an old freight elevator whose entrance has been closed off with a steel trellis. The elevator itself is nowhere to be seen, and Ty hits an old copper button on the side to call it.
The rattling sound of the wires announces the arrival of the elevator long before it actually comes into sight. Jensen's eyes widen in surprise when he notices it's not empty, but is carrying a woman with short, brown hair, who smiles widely as soon as she notices him, too.
Ty quickly pulls the gate aside as the elevator comes to a halt, and she thanks him before turning to Jensen.
“Good morning,” she greets him with a smile. “You must be Jensen?”
“Good morning, and yes,” Jensen answers, smiling back.
“I'm Kim Rhodes, HR manager of Ferris & Gamble publishing,” she introduces herself, and holds her hand out. Jensen shakes it with a firm grip. “Looks like you found your way to us just fine.”
“I did, yes. Beautiful building you got here, I have to say.” Jensen looks around to emphasize his words. “Loved it at first sight.”
She chuckles. “Just wait until we get upstairs,” and with that, she steps back into the elevator and waves goodbye to Ty.
Ty waves back and smiles brightly. “Good luck, Jensen,” he adds, then turns back to his counter.
Jensen returns the smile and nods gratefully.
He steps into the elevator and pulls the trellis closed as Kim presses the button for the second floor. The elevator comes to life with a creaking sound, which doesn't make Jensen trust it any better than he did previously.
“Relax, we have it checked on a regular basis,” Kim grins, obviously noticing his discomfort. “It might be from the early 20s, but it has a much newer engine.”
When they're up and entering a huge room with a high ceiling, Jensen needs a second to take it all in. The open space includes several desks in the center, and there are several single offices to the sides, but their doors are mostly opened wide. The floor-to-ceiling windows around the hall would let enough sunlight in, but since today is particularly cloudy, the long fluorescent tubes that hang low from the ceiling bathe the offices in artificial light.
“Wow,” is all Jensen is able to say.
“It's an old coffee warehouse,” Kim explains, leading the way to one of the single offices. “We restored and converted it to an office building a couple years ago.”
“It's a pretty cool idea,” Jensen nods, when his eyes land on an old machine to their right. “What's this?” he adds, pointing at the shiny metal, obviously kept neat and clean. It looks kind of like an oven, if not for the round barrel with the circular opening in the front and the open chute leading down to a tray.
“An old coffee roaster. It was still in here when we bought the building, so we decided to keep it,” Kim smiles, not faltering in her step.
Impressed at this point, Jensen can only nod.
Kim leads him into a small conference room with a meeting table and closes the door behind them. “Have a seat,” she says as she offers one of the chairs to Jensen, and sits down opposite him.
Jensen takes a deep breath. His last interview was more than ten years ago. The job they've posted is that of General Counsel. Since they are a small publisher, they didn't have a Chief Legal Officer or General Counsel before, and, from what Jensen gathered, their current Chief Financial Officer took care of contracts until now. It's a change from his last position, and he'd have to build up the position here from scratch. They have no reason whatsoever to hire him because it's not a field he's experienced in, but, if he's learned one thing in court, it's confidence. So he's going to rock this interview, and he's going to get this job. Period.
The day flies by way too quickly with the interview with Kim, lunch with Samantha Ferris (“Call me Sam”), the CEO, and the afternoon is spent in lengthier interviews with Sam and with Sera Gamble, the silent partner of the company. Not that Jensen minds, since they're both really nice, and they get along well from the start.
There's no awkwardness until the evening, where Jensen is invited to dinner at an Italian place downtown, together with the complete C-level staff of Ferris & Gamble.
When Kim says, “Let me introduce you to Jared,” and waves at someone behind Jensen's back, her next words, “our CFO,” almost don't register with Jensen. As soon as he turns and sees the man behind him, he's admittedly speechless.
Jensen heard an old German saying once that you always meet twice.
For a moment, they stare at each other, and Jensen notices that the guy -Jared's- eyes are an interesting mix of blue and gray.
“You- you're-” Jared gets out. Interesting enough, he seems pleasantly surprised.
“Yeah,” Jensen huffs out a laugh, glad for the cue.
“Wait, you two know each other?” Kim asks in disbelief, looking from Jensen to Jared and back.
“Kind of,” Jensen says, at the same time that Jared answers, “Sort of.” The sheer ridiculous awkwardness of the situation makes them both chuckle.
“I bumped into him this morning,” Jared explains to Kim as he gets up and steps around the table.
Jensen doesn't see her reaction, because Jared stands right in front of him, and for the second time that day, he has to look up at him.
“So, I'm Jared Padalecki, resident CFO,” he offers his hand and Jensen notices that the wide grin he recognizes from earlier is confidently in place.
“Jensen Ackles, hopefully soon-to-be General Counsel,” Jensen replies with an equally wide smile and grabs the huge palm, squeezing it firmly.
They are still busy sizing each other up when Kim clears her throat. “Glad we got that out of the way.” An amused tone accompanies her teasing words.
Jared grins.
“Right,” he says before meeting Jensen's eyes again, and, for the first time, Jensen sees something like uncertainty there. Jensen tries to dispel it with a reassuring smile and a slight curl to his lips, which Jared immediately returns.
Their first meeting might have been a bit unusual, but that doesn't mean Jensen can't appreciate some harmless flirting, even from someone of the same sex.
“Glad to meet you again,” Jared nods, sits back down, and pulls out the chair beside him. With an inviting smile, he waits for Jensen to take a seat.
“Thanks,” Jensen smiles right back as he accepts the offer.
Jesus, even sitting, Jared is taller than him.
The woman opposite of Jensen has long, auburn hair and a friendly smile. “Amanda Tapping,” she introduces herself, and as Jensen shakes her hand, he thinks that if she was a bit younger, she'd totally be his type. Kim adds, “Our head of management and production.”
“Let's just say that I'm the one who keeps everyone in check and makes sure nobody messes up the schedule.” Amanda laughs as she shakes Jensen's hand.
“Have you seen Misha, by the way?” Kim asks, after a short chuckle.
“He came here with me, so he's gotta be around somewhere.”
That's when a man with short, brown hair, a black shirt and bright red floral print wrap-around skirt comes to a halt in front of their table with a bright smile. “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.”
Jensen thanks God that the man wasn't speaking specifically to him, since he's too busy gaping at the skirt. It's just... an uncommon sight.
“Oh, you must be the new guy,” Misha eventually turns fully towards Jensen and sits down next to Amanda.
“Yes, not quite yet, but I'm trying. I'm Jensen. Ackles.”
For the millionth time that day, Jensen shakes hands, and the guy says, “I'm Misha Collins, Editor in Chief.”
Later, the group scatters, a few head home - including Kim - and Jensen finds himself at the table with only Jared beside him, feeling awkward.
Since Misha is deep in conversation with Amanda on the other side of the table, they are momentarily alone.
No matter their earlier exchange, Jensen knows that they need to talk about this morning in some way. Just to get it out of the way.
However, while he's still trying to find the right words, Jared beats him to it.
Jared leans forward, elbows resting on the table before him, and the smile on his lips dims a bit. “Hey, um... about this morning. I didn't- I mean...” he avoids Jensen's eyes.
Jensen waves him off. “Don't worry about it. You couldn't have known.”
“Still. I hope it's not a problem.”
“It isn't,” Jensen reassures him honestly.
“You wouldn't believe the horror scenarios I had running through my mind already,” Jared huffs, relieved, and leans back into his chair, seeming a lot more relaxed. “Kim mentioned that the applicant for General Counsel would be from Texas and... well, that only gave me more concerns about what you would think about it.”
Think about what, exactly? About the fact that Jared hit on him or that he was gay? Or bi? Or just somehow into men?
He’s certainly not going to ask Jared. It's not a problem in any case, so Jensen quickly shakes his head, dismissing Jared's thoughts with a bright smile. “Just because I'm from Texas... we're not all backwards rednecks, you know.”
“Don't get me wrong, I'm from Texas myself, so...” Jared lets the sentence remain unfinished, the meaning of it hanging between them.
Surprise makes Jensen's eyebrows shoot up toward his hairline. Pleasant surprise, that is. “Really? Where from?”
“Born 'n' raised in San Antonio,” Jared answers, a lopsided grin on his lips and a slight twang in his words. That hint of home in his voice doesn't go unnoticed by Jensen, who feels warmth spread in his chest. That he finds a fellow Texan here, of all places. How surprising.
“Funny coincidence that we meet up here. What brought you to Seattle, then?” Jensen grins right back.
Jared scrunches up his nose. “That's a long story for another day. Let's just say, me and my folks had a little disagreement. I'm sure you can imagine why.”
“Oh,” Jensen nods in understanding, his smile falling. So that's... oh.
“And wow, now we're knee-deep in depressing stuff. Sorry,” Jared huffs, scratching the back of his neck, and his shaggy brown hair falls into his face.
Jensen waves it off. “Don't worry about it.”
That, at least, gets Jared laughing. The crystal clear, amused laughter make Jensen smile again, too, and it breaks the spell between them.
“Wow, I throw one thing after the other at you today and you just... wow,” Jared grins. “Nothing shakes a good ol' Texas boy, I guess.”
“Not even getting invited to coffee by a man,” Jensen adds on a whim, and quickly tries to back it up with, “Gotta say, that never happened to me back home, but I'll take it as a compliment,” he winks at Jared, only to have him dissolve into laughter again.
“You're something else, you know that?”
“Yeah, I know,” Jensen smirks, and then remembers he should clear that crucial thing between them up once and for all and states, “I'm straight, though.”
A second's hesitation later, Jared clicks his tongue and shakes his head. “Damn, just my luck,” he mutters under his breath, but he's still smiling.
For a moment, they sit in silence, only watching each other. The air between them is definitely cleared, and a huge load is lifted from Jensen's mind.
“So,” Jared eventually begins. “You feel ready to take on the stuff I did on the side? Don't think I'd mind.”
When Jensen gets to the airport by lunchtime on Wednesday, he has a good feeling about the interview. He got along with pretty much everyone immediately, and he's sure that he left a lasting, positive impression.
Jared also gave him his e-mail and phone number and promised to keep in touch when Jensen went back to the office building for a short breakfast meeting.
“When did they say they'll let you know?” Jared asked when he accompanied Jensen downstairs to the coffee shop to say goodbye.
“In about a week. They need to check references and confer about salary and benefits, the usual.”
“I don't think you need to be worried,” Jared grinned, and that huge smile had almost taken all of Jensen's remaining doubts away. “They like you. And believe me, because I've seen the way they are when they don’t like someone.”
“Thanks,” Jensen nodded gratefully. “I'm actually glad to hear that.”
“And if they say yes and you need some help hunting for apartments, I'd be glad to help out,” was Jared's last offer.
“I think I'm gonna take you up on that,” Jensen replied, and then they parted.
So Jensen still has a big smile on his face when he boards his flight. He sleeps through most of the four hours as best as he can, and when he finally arrives back home in Dallas, the good feeling is only slightly dimmed when he reaches his empty apartment in downtown Dallas.
Admittedly, Jensen hadn't been home a lot in the last few months, as 14-hour days at the office were standard in his position. But when he got home, Joanna had always been waiting for him with dinner and a smile.
Now, her drawers in the dresser they shared are empty. He never realized how little space his clothes took up in their closet until the hangers full of Joanna's jeans and blouses and dresses were gone.
He needs to get out of here, and soon.
He gets the call on Wednesday of the following week.
The salary and benefits are not what he had at Sandover, but that was always going to be part of the deal and not a reason for Jensen to go back to being the unhappy person he was. After some negotiating, they're quickly on the same page, and it's done and signed.
Starting in January, Jensen will have a new job as the General Counsel of Ferris & Gamble publishing. After some persuasion from Sam, he also signed a confidentiality agreement and a contract for a small consulting fee so he can get started and up to speed while he deals with his move.
So Jensen picks up the phone to make all the calls he needs - to his bank, his cable and internet company, to the utilities. It's all answering machines and automated calls, which is not only a chore, but also kind of depressing.
The last number he calls is his parents', and, as he calls, he realizes there's really not much holding him back here in Dallas. His career and extensive work hours have cost him a lot over the last few years, including his friends. It's kind of pathetic that his family members are the only real people he needs to tell about his move to Seattle.
It takes him some time to reassure his mother that he won't drop off the face of the earth, that she'll still see him, and that he’ll be able to survive on his own.
Afterwards, Jensen flops down on the couch with an exhausted sigh; he boots up his laptop to look for apartments in Seattle and to send an e-mail to Jared - only to see that Jared had beat him to it.
From: jared.padalecki@ferrisgamblepublishing.com
To: j.ackles@gmail.com
Hey Jensen,
just heard the great news! I'm really glad they said 'yes'. You're gonna fit in here perfectly.
So, without further ado, I thought it'd be handy for you to have an overview of our regular writers and the kinds of books they're submitting. So I made a chart that you'll get with this email. A copy of our standard contract is also attached. I'll make sure to keep you up on speed what's happening over here so you don't have to work it out all on your own once you start in January.
As always, I'm here to answer any questions you might have.
It was great to meet you and I'm looking forward to working with you.
And check out this site for apartments in Seattle.
- Jared
Jensen smiles to himself as he starts typing up an answer.
From: j.ackles@gmail.com
To: jared.padalecki@ferrisgamblepublishing.com
Hey Jared,
I'm really glad, too! Thanks for the spreadsheet, it looks very useful. I'll take a closer look tomorrow.
As for the apartment hunt - I'll call you tomorrow to talk details, alright?
Jensen
“I like it,” Jensen says, two weeks later, looking around the small, but partially furnished apartment in Fremont.
“Me too,” Jared nods. “Plus, you'll have the bus stop right around the corner and only have a short commute to work. And you can take the same bus line as me, so we can go to work together, if you want.”
“That's perfect,” Jensen smiles, then turns to Jared. “Where do you live, by the way?”
“A few miles north, in Green Lake,” Jared points vaguely in the mentioned direction. “I have a house up there, not far from the lake itself. Gotta show you sometime, the park has a great walkway around the lake where I run my dogs. But living near downtown sure has its advantages. I'd take this place if I were you.”
“Yeah, I think I will.”
At the end of December, after Jensen clears out and sells his apartment - either storing things or shipping his stuff to Seattle - and spends a rather melancholic Christmas with his parents, he flies up to Seattle for the third time in two months. This time, for good.
When he arrives in Seattle, it's Jared who picks him up from the airport. The other man grins brightly when he sees Jensen walk towards him, and greets him with a handshake and one arm wrapped quickly around his shoulders.
“So, I gotta keep you this time around?” Jared asks mirthfully.
“Yep,” Jensen confirms as he pulls back, but he leaves Jared's arm still in place. For a moment, they just smile at each other, and Jensen notices that Jared has dimples. And a mole beside his nose. Plus, he smells like aftershave, some scent Jensen had always liked. He wonders why he notices that now, but has no idea.
They had quickly gotten comfortable with each other, during Jensen's apartment hunt and all the phone calls concerning his move.
And it's almost too easy with Jared. He’s a middle child from Texas, like himself, a genuinely nice and friendly guy with a contagious laughter, and someone Jensen would like to be friends with. And that's the other point, he hasn't had time for friends in a long while now, so he enjoys spending time with Jared, and the other man certainly doesn't seem to mind.
Jensen turns around to grab the handle of his huge suitcase, which holds the last of his clothes and personal stuff that hadn't been shipped to his new address already.
“Let's get you home, then,” Jared says, and takes the suitcase from Jensen's hands.
“Hey!” Jensen protests.
“You go and carry your duffel bag,” Jared nods at the heavy bag hanging from Jensen's shoulder. “I'm just being the gentleman who helps the lady with her suitcase,” he teases.
Jensen punches Jared's shoulder lightly and grins.
Of course Jensen doesn't have any plans for New Year's, so when Jared says he's going to spend it at Misha's place and he might as well join them, Jensen accepts.
Misha is a weird sort of guy. Nice, but weird. Jensen has no idea what to think of him at first. From their discussions at Jensen's interview dinner, he knows that Misha is married to his high school sweetheart and they have a son.
Jensen kind of envies Misha for that. While he's just a few years older than Jensen, Misha has already achieved everything that Jensen wants - a house, a wife, a kid.
The hardest part is that Jensen thought he'd already had it all: a well-paying job, his student loans paid back, a girlfriend he had been going steady with for four years. A girlfriend he could imagine marrying and having kids with. But after he had decided his job should be more to him than well-paying and quit it, it had all gone downhill. Joanna couldn't accept his decision, and Jensen now suspects his job was most of the reason she stayed with him in the first place.
Jensen is pulled out of his thoughts by Misha opening the door for him and Jared. He greets them with a wide grin, as his son is perched on his hip. Misha is yet again in a wrap-around skirt, a blue one this time.
“Westy, say hello,” Misha says to the little boy, who waves dutifully at them and mumbles a small, “Hello,” towards Jensen. Then he recognizes Jared and lets out a joyful laugh, stretching his arms out towards the tall man. “Uncle Jared!”
And then something magical happens. Jared, who Jensen has only seen as the very capable, professional CFO, goes into full-on cooing mode, and picks the boy up from Misha's hands. “Hey, little man, how you doing? How is my favorite godson?”
Misha watches with a grin as his son starts babbling to Jared excitedly, Westy's little arms wrapping around Jared's neck. Then Misha invites them in with a wave, not interrupting Jared as he heads straight for the living room, talking to the kid.
“How old is he?” Jensen asks as he toes off his shoes.
“West's almost two and a half,” Misha answers with a smile. “And you can tell that Jared helped babysit him when he was younger. They're sweet, aren't they?”
“Yeah,” Jensen agrees, and follows Misha into the living room, where Jared is already sitting on the sofa with West on his lap.
A dark-haired woman joins them, and is introduced to Jensen as Vicky, Misha's wife. And Jensen immediately gets why those two fit together so well - while Misha is snarky and full of energy, Vicky has the wit to counter his ideas and to ground him. And when it comes to West, they're the perfect team, letting him get away with the things kids do, but being absolutely united when it comes to any behavior that is not okay.
Jensen tries to not compare them to Joanna and himself, but fails. He and Joanna were a team alright, but they were always... more serious. Misha and Vicky just have a lot of fun with each other, playing on each other's jokes and throwing quick-witted sentences back and forth so fast even Jared admits to not being able to follow them.
And as small as their group is, as soon as Jensen finds his place within it, they get along great. During dinner and playing simple family games on the Wii, West gets used to Jensen quickly, ends up sitting beside him on the couch and leans into him. Jensen has always been good with kids, and West is easy to play and have fun with, and he's sweet when he wants to be. Right now, he's just tired after getting tickled by Jared, and Jensen finds himself watching the boy with a smile as West's eyes fall closed again and again.
“Alright, little man, I think it's time for bed for you,” Misha laughs and gets up.
Without a second thought, Jensen picks West up and watches in awe as the boy with the blond locks rests his head against his shoulder and snuggles into Jensen's neck, eyes firmly closed now. He doesn't even protest when Jensen transfers him to Misha's arms.
He finds both Jared and Vicky watching them with a wide smile. “What?” he asks amused as soon as Misha is out of earshot.
“Looks like he already likes you,” Vicky smiles.
“It was kind of adorable,” Jared adds, which makes Jensen grab his beer quickly to avoid his eyes. He doesn't know why that makes him uneasy, but it does. He's never been good at taking compliments.
Misha returns just in time for the countdown to start on TV, and kisses Vicky when the ball drops on Times Square.
Jensen busies himself with the bottle of champagne, filling the four glasses Jared hands to him, and they clink glasses.
“I think it's time for us to head for the balcony,” Vicky grins after they drank and gets up.
“The balcony?” Jensen asks.
“Yeah, you have a perfect view of the Space Needle from their balcony,” Jared explains. “And the fireworks they do there are always amazing. Also, remind me to take you sightseeing.”
“I will,” Jensen says, with a smile to Jared, and follows Vicky.
When the fireworks start, Misha slings an arm around her.
It's the first New Years in five years that Jensen doesn't spend with Joanna, so he feels a bit melancholy seeing that.
“What's going on in that head of yours?” Jared asks when he notices, nudging Jensen with his elbow.
Jensen sighs. “It's just that I... well, to be honest, it's been two months since my ex broke up with me and I kind of miss her.”
“If she broke up with you, she doesn't know what she's missing,” Jared says, and then wordlessly wraps an arm around Jensen's shoulders and pulls him close.
“I'd say so, too,” Misha adds from the side, smiling gently.
Later they end up on the couch, all four sprawling out lazily watching TV. It's kind of amazing that he had so little time for friends back home in Dallas, but since arriving in a new place, new city, and a new state, he immediately finds people to connect with.
He tells them as much, and after a moment of smiling at each other quietly, Vicky says, “Well, Jared is already kind of part of the family. And you're more than welcome to join us again, Jensen.”
“In our community, you find your own family,” Jared says thoughtfully. “And I'm glad I found you guys.”
“Oh, are we already in the sentimental stage of the evening?” Misha throws in.
“I guess,” Jared shrugs.
“What did you mean with 'our community'?” Jensen follows it up.
“Well, the gay community.”
“Or, for the record, the LGBTQ community,” Misha adds, “since I'm not gay, but queer.”
“Oh,” Jensen manages, but does a double take. “But you're... married?”
“Yes, I am,” Misha smiles and pulls Vicky closer, who adds, “And we are polyamorous and living in an open marriage.”
“Wait-What?”
“We are polyamorous and living in an open marriage,” Misha repeats to Jensen's stunned face.
“Yeah, I got that part. And that means what exactly?” It's not like Jensen ever thought about these things; hell, he never had to.
Misha smiles easily. “It means my wife and I are committed to each other, and living with each other, but we don't limit our relationship to ourselves.”
It takes Jensen a moment to process that. He hasn't had that much to drink, but it's a bit late-or early-for things like this. “So you have threesomes,” he blurts out, immediately realizing how inappropriate it is. “Sorry, I didn't mean to-”
“No, no, it's okay. Common misconception, actually. Polyamorous means more than threesomes. It means you can fall in love with more than one person. This plus the fact that I identify as queer means that I don't limit that to female or male either,” Misha explains like it wasn’t the first time. “That is, if you want to think that gender is binary, which it isn't.”
“Is that the reason for the skirts?” Jensen tries to ease the seriousness of the situation, smiling openly so that Misha won't take it as an insult, which it definitely isn't meant to be.
“Nah, I just like the freedom for my junk,” Misha grins, then adds, “Honestly, it's great that I can fuck with people and their expectations of what kind of clothing defines gender, when it's exactly the other way around. Gender is non-binary and as fluid as sexuality; it's not limited to male and female, and it's certainly not defined by the clothes you're wearing. So if I want to wear skirts, I do it.”
“Wow,” Jensen says. “Honestly, I never thought about these things.”
“Of course not, you're a cisgendered, heterosexual male,” Jared says from the side.
Jensen just looks at him speechless, having no idea what Jared had just said.
“It means you've been born in the body of a male and identify as male, and you're straight, which is probably the lowest difficulty setting for sexuality.”
“Probably, yeah,” Jensen agrees. And yes, he's had it easy, not only in that. “I gotta say, I admire how easily you all deal with this stuff.”
“It's a completely normal thing to talk about,” Vicky adds. “I'm bisexual, for that matter. I just had the luck and the privilege to find my perfect match in high school. Which doesn't mean everything from there on was easy, but we built on everything that was thrown at us.”
Misha grins at her and quickly places a peck on her lips.
“And now you've got a house and a kid,” Jensen mumbles absentmindedly.
“Yeah,” Misha answers, and they quietly sit around the table, sipping their drinks.
“What about you, if I may ask?” Vicky breaks the silence after a short while. “Do you want a family and kids?”
“I do,” Jensen sighs. “But after my ex broke up with me, I guess that's gotta wait for a while.”
When he looks to his side and finds Jared watching him with a sad frown on his face. “It's pretty much the same with me, although my last break-up was over a year ago.”
“You want kids, too?” Jensen asks, curious.
“Actually, yes. Adoptive or surrogate, I don't know. But I want a family.”
They share a heartfelt smile that's only broken by Misha clapping. “Alright, you two, enough with the pity party. I've got us some good bourbon that I waited to break out all evening.”
After crashing on Misha's couch, Jensen is woken the next morning by a familiar voice.
“Jensen?”
Jensen grumbles out a nonverbal reply to tell Jared he's awake, and he slowly opens his eyes. His sight is still blurry, and his eyeballs are scratchy from his contacts.
Jared’s standing beside the couch, naked except for a pair of blue plaid boxers. With a grunt, Jensen sits up to face him. His head is aching, but it could be a lot worse.
“Huh?” he asks eloquently.
Jared chuckles. “No offense, but you look like hell.”
After a quick glance at Jared's rumpled, slightly askew boxers and the sleep creases on his chest and cheeks, plus the epic mess that is his hair, Jensen chuckles, too. No matter how much it worsens his headache. “You're one to talk.”
Smirking, Jared shifts on his feet and crosses his arms over his chest. “Be nice, or I won't make you coffee.”
The thought of coffee-of a cup of the hot, strong beverage in his hands, and the smell of it when it's freshly brewed-makes Jensen's mouth water. “Ugh, God, coffee,” is what he gets out, with a touch of desperation. “Yes, please.”
“Help me make breakfast for our hosts?”
“That'd involve getting up,” Jensen protests and falls back with a groan.
The floorboards creak, and then there's Jared with a wide grin leaning over him and extending a hand to help him up. Jensen has an unobstructed view of strong, muscular arms with thick veins running along them, trained abs on Jared's stomach, and of his defined chest muscles. A five o'clock shadow darkens Jared’s cheeks while his bangs fall into his eyes.
There are women who would pass out at this view, Jensen knows. But that's not his problem. It's not like he hasn't seen a guy naked before.
His problem-and the reason why he's postponing getting up- is not only his headache, but the fact that morning wood doesn't care about hangovers and whether or not it will make things awkward when you spend the night at your co-worker's place.
And he can't just say, 'Sorry, boner alert,' to make Jared back off.
However, he'll have to make due somehow. If the long years of puberty taught him anything, it's how to hide inappropriate boners.
So Jensen accepts Jared's hand and lets himself get pulled to his feet. With a quick turn away and a sneaky shove of his palm, he manages to adjust himself in his boxer briefs, and he heads for the kitchen.
If Jared notices anything, he doesn't let it show. But he keeps a bit of distance from Jensen as he follows him.
It's not like Jensen isn't fully aware that he's A) good looking, B) has a great ass, bowlegs notwithstanding, and C) Jared is gay and is probably enjoying the view. But if Jared wants to go window-shopping, Jensen is not about to stop him.
If he has to deal with inappropriate boners, Jared can do that, too.
Masterpost | Chapter 2 >>