(no subject)
TEN
“I couldn't have made it through the trip without you, you know,” Jensen stated plainly a few days later, as Jared came out of their bathroom with a towel slung low on his hips.
“Huh?”
“You heard me. I wouldn't have made it through Dallas had you not been there.” Gazing up at his boyfriend with nothing but admiration, respect, and affection, Jensen was unaware that his glasses were nearly falling off the tip of his nose. The lounge pants, Longhorns T-shirt, and still-wet hair all served to make him look more like a professor than a mechanic, and Jensen couldn't help but grin at the naughty smile the simple ensemble put on Jared's face.
“What kind of boyfriend would I be if I wasn't there to help you through it all?” Jared smirked, his towel forgotten on the floor as he crawled up the bed. Reaching Jensen, Jared carefully took the stylish black frames off his face and placed them on the nightstand; Jensen's book following suit, the page dog-eared before being set down.
“A normal one,” Jensen joked, blinking a few times to adjust his sight before wrapping his arms around Jared, pulling him in for a tender kiss.
“You calling me a freak, Ackles?” he laughed quietly, Jared's own arms coming down around Jensen's neck as he settled himself between his legs.
“No, I'm calling you the best boyfriend ever. Officially. I can get a plaque made and everything.” Jensen smiled back, his head tilting to give Jared's lips more room to explore.
“Is there any sort of incentive program? Seeing as how this is clearly a job title.”
Jensen swatted playfully at Jared's ass, shaking his head in amusement.
“Mmm, you get to sleep with the boss.”
"Works for me." Jared grinned, a few more kisses placed over Jensen's collarbone before he rested his head on his boyfriend's shoulder, knowing that Jensen was being serious despite their banter.
"I mean it, thank you. You could've come up with a million excuses to avoid two very sad situations and you didn't so much as hesitate to say, 'no, I'm coming with you'. It means a lot to me."
Gazing down at Jared, Jensen let one hand come up to smooth the long hair back from his face; his touch tender despite years of using his hands for force and violence. Jared's eyes fell close at the touch; that big, city-lighting smile crossing his face, making him look every inch the pleased puppy. It warmed something inside Jensen; the feeling this time was different. Instead of all-consuming heat which led to deep, bruising kisses and cries to the heavens, this heat was a slow-simmer, spreading through each vein until it reached his fingertips and toes. With Jared lying there, curled up like Jensen's lap was the most comfortable place on earth, Jensen finally knew that this was it. This was home. This was family. This was love.
"I love you, Jared," he spoke clearly; eyes open to catch every little twitch of muscle and pull of skin as Jared opened his eyes and looked up at him. One of his boyfriend's big hands came up, mirroring the way he was holding Jared's own face, and their eyes locked for several seconds before Jared spoke.
"I love you, too."
“I swear to god, if you knock me into a wall, short ass, I will put you up on one of the lifts and not let you down for a week,” Jared muttered ,much to Cam's amusement, as he let his friend lead him out of the customer lounge.
They'd ambushed him right after their last customer, Cam jumping on his back to tie the blindfold on while Chris held his arms steady so that Jared wouldn't lash out at his would-be attackers. In a cacophony of laughter, he'd realized it was only his buddies and had merely bucked to try and get Cam off. The blindfold was already on, however, so reluctantly he'd let each of them take an elbow, only to be spun around and purposely disoriented.
He could feel gravel under his feet, the pebbles crunching in the all-too-familiar way that meant he was walking on the main drive of the shop. Wherever they were taking him, they'd chosen the scenic route. Chris' hand on his left bicep gave a gentle squeeze, excitement easily readable in the touch and it only served to make Jared more curious. Wracking through his mind's calendar, Jared tried to remember if it was some sort of special occasion he'd forgotten about. It wasn't his birthday, wasn't Jensen's, it wasn't Christmas, Easter, or Halloween.
“Seriously guys, where are you taking me?” he asked, feeling the gravel turn to dirt, meaning the road was their new path.
“You'll see-we're almost there,” Cam promised, his free hand patting Jared's back as he was led through a doorway.
As quickly as it had been put on, the blindfold was taken off, leaving Jared to squint against the late afternoon sun. When his sight finally adjusted, he couldn't help but look curiously at Jensen.
“What's going on, babe?” he asked, stepping closer and noticing the bright smile on his boyfriend's face.
Taking Jared's hand, he led him over to where a car sat; black material covering and obscuring it to the point where Jared couldn't tell what make or model it was. Jensen smoothed his hand over the hood, pulling Jared closer, his smile only growing as he turned to face his boyfriend.
"So it's been six months since you've been here. Six months that you've been walking everywhere or driving that truck back and forth to Vegas, looking just a bit like a park ranger." Cam and Chris laughed, since the truck-with its dark green paint and gun rack on the back window-did look like something out of the national park service than Goodsprings Motors. Jensen shared in their humor, his smile growing a little mischievous as he took a step away from Jared and pinched a corner of the fabric between his fingers.
"After a lot of thought, a lot of work, and a lot of arguments over fuzzy dice, we all came to the agreement that you needed something you could call yours." With a snap, the material was pulled off, revealing a fully restored 1967 Chevy Camaro.
Jared nearly choked on his own spit, eyes wide as he took in the car. He'd seen it before and as he took a quick glance around the garage, he realized the old clunker that had been sitting on the last lift was no longer there. Putting the pieces together, he realized the car was the one that had been up there, and that it was the same car Jensen had talked about during his eulogy to Steve.
"Jensen this is--" He took in the expanse of onyx and chrome, everything stock right down to the tires, eyes only moving back up to his friends and co-workers when he'd reached the tail lights.
"This is Steve's car," Jared managed to stutter out, nearly afraid to touch it lest he wreck it in some way.
"It is," Jensen asserted, Cam and Chris nodding behind him. "He told me that if I couldn't keep it, I should give it to someone I love more than anything. You're who I love more than anything." Jensen spoke with confidence, his face at ease as he moved back over to Jared, wrapping his arms around his boyfriend.
"Plus, it's our anniversary, and I couldn't think of anything cooler than a car," he whispered, grinning as he leaned up for a kiss, one which Jared happily returned.
Arms tight around Jensen, Jared hoped to imbue the hug and the kiss with all the love, gratitude, and hope he felt for everything that had happened to him not six months ago. The job was more than he could have hoped for, the town had finally taken him in, he had friends who led a good life free of crime, and his boyfriend had seamlessly made himself Jared's other half. He truly couldn't have asked for anything more, yet here it was, in the form of one of the most beautiful cars he'd ever laid eyes on; a car that had been passed down through generations and which now was coming into his possession.
"I don't deserve this, Jen," he whispered against Jensen's lips, fingers still rubbing his boyfriend's back as he gazed down into the green eyes he adored.
"You deserve it more than anyone I know," Jensen returned with fierce conviction and another searing kiss that left no doubt of Jared's merit in his own mind.
"All right you two, enough with the love fest. I wanna hear this girl purr!" Cam called out, the keys dangling from his index finger, an expectant look on his face.
Excitement filled Jared as he looked from Jensen to Cam and then back, both men urging him to take the key and get in. Licking his lips he opened the door, folded his frame in, and slipped the key into the ignition. The Camaro growled low, idling as though waiting to take off on a hunt, and Jared couldn't stop the laugh of pure joy he let out along with the others.
"This is amazing! Thank you!" he cried out over the engine, Jensen's smile all the acknowledgment he needed to know that the car truly was his.
"What're you waiting for, boss? Get in the damn car and go for a ride with your boy!" Chris chirped up, practically pushing his friend towards the passenger seat; Jensen laughing softly as he went willingly.
"You two have fun. Don't do anything I wouldn't do," Cam added as Jared carefully backed out of the garage.
Once they were out on the road, Jensen turned towards the back seat, grabbing two items Jared had failed to see stashed there. Putting one on his head and the second on Jared's, Jensen couldn't have looked more like a trouble-making kid if he'd tried. When Jared realized what he was wearing, he let out a bark of a laugh, adjusting the Stetson so it was firmly in place.
"Happy anniversary, Jared," Jensen spoke as he leaned in close.
"Happy anniversary, Jensen," Jared replied, closing the space between them with a deep kiss.
THE END.