The Play Nice Proviso: Twelve
Show me Heaven, Cover Me, Leave me Breathless
The next couple of days went by in a haze, the only moments that stood out in sharp focus was any time he spent with Jared. It was nice to be able to focus on him like that; nice that he was the focus of attention from Jared. It made him... happy.
Upon everyone figuring out that the Ackles’ impromptu Texas road trip had merely been Jensen’s ruse to get to Jared in San Antonio, they made a new plan to head out to The Hole, which was just outside of Richardson, for a weekend of camping and fishing, the Padaleckis tagging along for the ride.
They spent their entire first morning after breakfast lazing around the campsite, swimming in the lake, or relaxing on an inner tube and just floating by, beer in hand. The women had all left on a hike that morning, while the men had stayed behind, their fathers fishing while their brothers lazed about with them. It had been a gorgeous, relaxing day and they headed back around two, several fish dangling from their fathers’ hands, all the other stuff divvied up between the brothers. They found the grill fired up and ready to go once they got there, Mack and Meg manning it while their mothers sat on sleeping bags, chatting quietly in the sun.
“So, when are you boys going to make this official?” Gerry asked suddenly, smirking at Jared and Jensen. Jared nearly choked on his beer as he gaped at his father, who had already begun gutting the fish, in shock.
“Dad! Don’t - oh, man - it’s taken us forever to get this far. I couldn’t handle it if I lost him because of...”
“Wait, you think this is me running scared?” Jensen gestured vaguely to himself and the bucolic familial scene around them.
“No, but I know you, Jen. I know how much you hate the spotlight, and admit it, this is gonna bring the spotlight straight to us.”
“Then a week or two later, it’ll find some other schmuck to shine on. I don’t know if you’ve noticed this, Jay, but we’re practically married already.” It was said without thought and as soon as the words were out of his mouth, he felt his face heat up. Jared smirked at him and then laughed outright when Jeff and Josh groaned in unison.
Jensen looked at Jared and was struck again by how handsome he was, standing there in just jeans and a t-shirt, looking young and full of life and just so happy that his pulse leapt. That Jared was so goddamn oblivious to the effect he had on him, to his innate ability to render Jensen breathless with just the slightest suggestion of that dimpled smile, was unbelievable. He had the vague suspicion that Jared didn’t know how happy, how blessed, how loved, he made him feel. And that wasn’t right; he had to know. Jensen needed to let him know.
His gaze swept over their various family members, standing around the camp, every one of them cheerful and teasing and so supportive of him and Jared that his heart swelled. This was so fucking... right. This. Everything. And as they stood in the midst of their families, Jared and him, both of them still holding their inner-tubes in one hand and half-full beer bottles in the other, endless blue skies above and the forest so lush and green and alive around them, Jensen couldn’t help but think that this moment, right then? Was perfect.
The words spilled forth as naturally as breathing.
“I think your dad has a point,” he told Jared, as they stood facing each other on opposite sides of the doused campfire. “Whad’ya say, Jay? You, me, rings, cake, forever. Although, not necessarily in that order, ‘cause I know your passion for cake is epic.”
“You’re epic. Wait. What? What? Holy crap! Was that a proposal?”
“Yeah?” Shit, Jensen thought suddenly, maybe that could have been a tad more romantic.
“Of marriage?” Jared sought confirmation, after he stopped gaping like one of the fish Gerry had been cutting up. Past tense - because the whole family had comically frozen in place, staring intently at them, but also trying to be as unobtrusive as possible. Jensen would have laughed if he wasn’t so nervous. “Are you sure, Jensen?”
“Sure? About you? About us? I’ll always be sure. Whatever doubts I had are long gone. Do you have doubts?”
Jared grinned and Jensen swore it was like looking into the sun. Blinding. “Not anymore.”
“Then answer the damn question and put me outta my misery, Jay,” he growled. Jared walked over to stand in front of him, which was a good thing because Jensen seemed frozen to the spot.
“I love you, Jen.”
“I love you more.”
“Always so damn competitive.”
“I was just following the rules. Keep your friends close, but keep your enemies closer. It’s your own damn fault that you’re so irresistible; stupid floppy hair and those kaleidoscope eyes... I didn’t stand a goddamn chance. I had to fall in love with you or go crazy.”
“You are crazy.”
“About you,” Jensen’s gaze softened as he looked up at Jared. He had to say it again. He would never tire of saying it, he realized. “I love you.”
“I love you more.”
“Then marry me, goddamn it.”
“All right, goddamn it.”
“Yeah?” Jensen pinned all his hopes for happily-ever-after on Jared’s response. It was pretty damn unbelievable. Before Jared, he hadn’t even thought that would be an option for him. Before Jared, he would have been all right with contentedly-ever-after.
“Yeah.”
“I’m pretty sure we seal the deal with a kiss, now.”
“I’m down with that.”
They dropped the inner tubes but not the beer bottles; arms encircling each other, mouths crashing together, hearts thumping in tandem.
“You know, in spite of the lovey-dovey declarations of lurrrvvve, that was a pretty cool proposal,” Jeff ventured after a minute when it didn’t look like his brother or Jensen were going to come up for air anytime soon.
Josh smirked at him. “I hear ya, man. You, me, rings, cake, forever. Goddamn. Can’t do that with girls. They want romance and hearts and flowers and shit.”
“I don’t know,” Alan said, as he put his arm around a happily sniffling Donna. “I thought that was pretty romantic.”
“It’s gonna take a while to get used to the kissing but there’s love there, so it’s all good,” Gerry smirked at his wife, blowing her a kiss as he took in the moisture in her eyes. “I’d hug ya, darlin’ but I got fish guts all over my hands.”
“It’s really, really good,” Sherri said, a huge smile on her face as Meg hugged her mother in her father’s stead. “Oh Lord Almighty, it’s perfect.”
“Hey, Jensen!” Mack suddenly yelled, grinning as he and Jared pulled apart, slowly, smiling stupidly at each other. They looked at her, happy and maybe a little bit exasperated at being interrupted.
“What?” Jensen asked her as he took a swig from his bottle.
“Nothing,” she smirked up at him before grabbing the front of Jared’s t-shirt and yanking him down to her level. “I just wanted to kiss the bride too!”
“How am I the bride?” Jared sputtered indignantly, and then ruined the effect by giggling as Mack launched herself at him and covered his face in playful smooches. She grinned over his shoulder at Meg.
“Now’s your chance, Meg. Grab Jensen before he’s off limits for good!”
“Way ahead of you, Mack,” Meg grinned, smacking her lips and tucking her Chapstick tube back into her jeans pocket, flashing a mischievous smirk in Jensen’s direction. “C’mere, cowboy!” Suddenly Jensen found himself with an armful of a whole other kind of Padalecki. He laughed as Meg squished his face between her palms and laid a big sloppy kiss on his lips.
“Hands off my man, little sister,” Jared groused.
“Is anyone else finding this a little weird?” Josh asked, sounding pained as he watched his sister and Jared and Jared’s sister and Jensen and all the smooching. Apparently, all this inter-familial bonding was getting out of hand. So of course that’s when their parents decided to join the fray, the Ackleses matching the Padaleckis hug for hug, kiss for kiss. Jeff slung an arm around Josh’s shoulders and pulled him into that trademark Padalecki hug before daintily pecking him on the cheek.
“Man, if ya can’t beat ‘em,” Jeff joked, and laughing, ducked to avoid Josh’s not-so- well-aimed jab.
“You make a good point.”
“Just go with the flow, dude. Go with the flow.”
Over the heads and shoulders of their family members, Jared watched Jensen with a soft smile, all his love anchoring Jensen to him in that gaze. Jensen knew that look was mirrored on his own face. So what if this had all started with them as foes rather than friends? So what if they had taken the scenic route to get here? When it’s right, it’s right. They had been forced into playing nice. They had been forced into playing house. But there was nothing forced about this easy perfection they had stumbled upon.
It was time to forge another contract, this time with both of them willing, equal partners. Marriage. Jesus. He was getting a husband. His face actually hurt from smiling so hard.
And as Jensen somehow wound up in Jared’s arms again, as he undoubtedly always would, he realized that this time, he was actually looking forward to contract negotiations.
Jared wanted Jensen.
He desired him.
He needed him.
He craved him.
All the fucking time.
And yet, ironically, that was the one thing they had yet to do. Fuck. Screw. Make long, sweet, slow love until they both couldn’t think or see straight, let alone walk straight.
It was burning a hole through his heart and his gut and probably doing a number of all his other vital organs too, he was sure, having Jensen so close; close enough to touch but, their families - Jesus, their baby sisters - were right there in the room next door in the Ackles family homestead.
And Jared wasn't that far gone.
Well, maybe he was a little but Jensen seemed so much more in control of his hormones, and he was exercising admirable restraint.
But then he kept shooting Jared these smoldering looks that so did not help matters, instead sending Jared's libido into overdrive. There was only so much satisfaction a guy could get from the occasional hand job, even if that hand belonged to one of the most gorgeous men on the planet. Or a blowjob from the most sinfully sexy mouth on the planet. Goddamn, Jared was a lucky, lucky man. And he needed Jensen in him (or he needed to be in Jensen - hey, he wasn’t picky) something fierce.
They had to get out of Texas, out of the vicinity of their families, so he could fucking fuck Jensen already. Or the other way around. Or sideways. Or upside down. He didn’t really give a damn how they did it, just so long as they did it soon. And they were getting married, for Chrissake! He did not want to go to his wedding night a gay virgin. That was so not happening. They needed to make plans. They needed to get back to Vancouver.
They need to fuck, right the fuck now, or Jared was going to lose his fucking mind.
He cornered Jensen in the back yard later that afternoon. Or rather he sicced Harley on him while he and Sadie dawdled behind. Jen’s laughter as Harley slobbered all over him was as captivating as always, and Jared took a few minutes to let the carefree, happy sound resonate within him. It took Jensen relaxing back on his elbows in the grass and smiling up at him for Jared to fall at his feet. Jen had kept Harley from slavering over his face, so Jared licked a stripe across his cheek instead. Jensen chuckled.
“As if I needed further proof that you are really part puppy.”
“Jen?” Jared smothered him down into the cool grass with his body over Jensen’s, the dogs settling down at their sides.
“Hmm?”
“You think we can do that Googling thing we discussed that first night we spent together?”
“Googling thing? Oh. Ohhh.” Jensen grinned up at him knowingly. “Sure, Jay. Just so long as our sisters are nowhere in the vicinity. Or our brothers, for that matter. Or any of our parents; Jesus, can you even imagine the freak out?”
“We would freak out. They would buy us an instruction manual. A Beginner’s Guide to Gay Loving.”
Jared snorted as Jensen’s chest shook with laughter. “Nah. Gay Loving for Dummies.” Jared bit his lip, muffling his laughter against Jensen’s shoulder. “Hey, you think instruction manuals exist?” Jensen sounded intrigued. Jared ignored him as a horrifyingly hysterical thought occurred to him.
“I can just see Mack putting together a PowerPoint presentation. Gay Loving 101. I wouldn’t put it past that sister of yours. She’s a menace.”
“Yours would probably buy us flavored lube.”
“Or porn. Or toys.”
“Huh. Maybe we should tell ‘em.”
“Shut up.” Jared pouted. “Are we ever gonna fuck?”
“Jesus, Jared, the kids are right here!” And yeah, Jared had to make him pay for that comment, and payback ended with Jensen breathless with laughter.
“Jensen...” Jared whined and whimpered, causing the dogs to join in to commiserate with their daddy. Jensen laughed again, his chest shaking as he wound his arms around Jared’s neck, tugging his head lower so he could kiss his pout away.
“Jay, just hang tight for a week,” he murmured across Jared’s lips. “Then we’ll go home and make love in our own bed - or your bed - all day long, with no one to bother us.”
“You had it right the first time. Our bed. And why so long... wait, a week?. We’re going back to Vancouver in a week? Since when?”
“Since I booked our tickets last night.”
“You’re a conniving, sneaky bastard!” Jared exclaimed happily. “I love that about you!”
“I thought you might,” Jensen smiled smugly as Jared nibbled on his plump lower lip. “Hey,” he mumbled. “So I made some plans.”
“What sort of plans?” Jared asked, rolling off Jensen. He was probably getting too heavy for him at this point. Instead, he smirked and yanked Jensen on top of him, his hands lazily stroking Jensen’s back. He could never get too close; he could never get enough. And that Jensen felt the same way about him was beyond awesome.
“Well, I was thinking we need to apply for the marriage license and find a minister. I was kinda hoping that maybe you’d like to get married in our back yard. It’s pretty with that fountain and all, you know? With just our families and maybe invite the guys up from LA?”
Jared’s chest tightened at the perfect picture of their wedding day forming in his mind’s eye. “I love that idea,” he whispered, reverently kissing Jensen’s cheek.
“Then maybe I can put you in charge of arranging our honeymoon, so I don’t have to.”
“Consider it done,” Jared grinned goofily. “How about your summer house in Mexico?”
“Well, isn’t that convenient?” Jensen smiled knowingly, tongue firmly in cheek.
“Not to mention cheap.”
“Miser.”
“More pesos for beer and tacos, baby.”
“You make a valid argument, Padalecki. I concede your point.”
“Remind me to add it to the contract, Ackles.”
“We can get Dad, Momma and Josh to take care of the cake and food. Meg and Jeff could handle the video and photography. Your momma and Mack can handle the clothes and flowers and other wedding stuff and your daddy...”
“...can be Momma’s errand boy.”
“I think he can handle that.”
“You’re taking care of the license?”
“Already in the works.”
“I’ll find us a minister.”
“All right, and then we’ll invite the guys up and break the news to them once they get there.”
“How do you think they’ll take it, Jen?”
“I dunno. We’ll find out, I guess, but they love us. They’ll be good.”
“So all we have left to do is pick a date?”
“Yup.”
“Any ideas?”
“Yup.”
“You gonna share them with me, Jensen?”
“I was thinking July 1st.”
“Hmm. Canada Day. That’s in two weeks time.”
“Mmm-hmm. Is it too close?”
“Nope. I’d do it tomorrow if we could.”
“Me too. I can’t wait to be married to you, Jay.”
“Me neither, Jen.” Jared said sincerely as he kissed him. “Plus, it’s a nice tip of the hat to the country that’s letting us get married and start our happily-ever-after.”
“That’s what I was thinking too,” Jensen leaned down and nuzzled his face into Jared’s neck, looking for all intents and purposes like he was settling in for a nap. “Then we can have a big ol’ barbeque with everyone for July 4th, then fly down to Cozumel for the honeymoon and come back after we’ve celebrated your birthday on some beautiful beach there. I’ll do something suitably romantic and sweep you off your feet.”
“That sounds amazing, Jen,” Jared’s voice came out hushed in wonderment.
“Mmm. We’re good at this marriage business. I think it bodes well for the future.”
“It’s easy.”
“Easy like Sunday morning,” Jensen sang softly, his voice smoky and sexy. Jared jerked suddenly, almost toppling Jensen off his body in the process. “What?”
“You forgot something.”
“No, I think I got all our bases covered. I excel at organization, dude.”
“What about our song? We need to have a song. For our first dance as a married couple.”
“Whoa. Er... that would be a hell no.”
“Aww, come on, Jen!”
“No, Jared. I’m shorter, which means you would lead, which would totally make me the girl, and that just ain’t happenin’. My brother will be there. Your brother will be there. Jesus, Chris and Mike and Mayhem will be there. I will never hear the end of it. No, Jay.”
“What if I made you a deal?”
“No deal.”
“You haven’t even heard my terms yet! What if I made you an offer you couldn’t refuse?”
“No deal, Jared.”
“Well, at least help me pick a song,” Jared wasn’t above wheedling. And he was getting Jensen to dance with him come hell or high water. Jensen just didn’t need to know that know that yet. The object of his affection sighed.
“How about you leave the song choice to me? I promise you’ll love it.”
“You’ve already picked a song, haven’t you?” Jared asked, barely able to contain his excitement. “Is it sappy and romantic, Jensen? Huh? Is it?”
“Maybe,” Jensen raised his head to smirk at him. Jared grinned. There was no maybe about it. The song choice was made. Awesome. His husband-to-be was Grade-A Texas Awesome.
“Love you.”
“Love you more.”
Jared had had a couple of quick errands to run, so it was Jensen who drove the big rented SUV to the airport to pick the guys up that Friday morning. They were getting married on Sunday in the early afternoon and Jensen figured the guys would need the Saturday in between to come to terms with the fact that he and Jared were a couple now.
Oh, and gay. Lest he forget, he thought with a wry chuckle.
He made a circuit of Vancouver Airport’s Arrivals terminal as he waited for the guys to come out and meet him, quite unable to keep a goofy grin off his face. He laughed out loud at the idea of how he himself would have reacted if he found a way to travel back in time to when they had filmed the pilot to tell his then-self that he would be marrying his male co-star before the start of Supernatural’s fifth season.
He’d have probably have punched himself in the face and then run screaming for the Himalayas.
He was getting married. To Jared Padalecki. On Sunday. On Monday, or rather on Sunday night, Jared would be his husband. Sunday night. His wedding night. And damn if his dick had given an interested twitch at the thought of burying itself in Jared. Finally. For upon arriving in Vancouver last week, they had decided to wait until their wedding night. Their Google search had been both mind-boggling and nerve-wrecking and they had both been strangely happy to postpone the big act until their big night. He felt ready, but he feared Jared was understandably anxious. It didn’t help that coordinating their family member’s individual roles in the planning and execution of the ceremony had become a full-time job. It was not too stressful though; more of a happy kind of stress, and Jensen felt calm and collected. Jared, on the other hand, was distracted. He seemed edgy and worried a lot lately and unfortunately nothing Jensen had said to him so far had assuaged his anxiety.
Jensen pre-Padalecki would have been afraid that his future husband was getting cold feet. Jensen post-Padalecki had no such worries. He was secure in his love for Jared and completely trusted that it was returned, with interest, as Jared would have undoubtedly argued. No, whatever was worrying Jared had nothing to do with him wanting to find a way out of their wedding. Jensen just wished he would tell him what it was already. He was patient though. Jared would confide in him in time and Jensen would wait however long it took.
It was heady, this true love thing. He could get used to it for the rest of his life, forever and ever, amen.
When the guys stumbled out into the bright Vancouver sunshine, there were hugs all around as they loaded their duffels and carry-ons into the SUV before clambering inside for the short ride back, Tom riding shotgun since he needed the most legroom. Traffic was light and soon they were pulling up into the driveway, the guys tumbling out and grabbing their stuff in their usual loud and boisterous manner.
“Wow, this place is pretty fucking awesome, Jensen,” Chris said with a low whistle as he took in the landscaped gardens. “I kinda forgot.” Before Jensen could respond, Chad stepped in front of him.
“Jared is mine this weekend, got it?” He said, poking his finger at Jensen’s chest in a mildly threatening manner. Jensen shrugged it off with a snort. It was Murray, after all.
“Yeah? Good luck with that.”
“Look, dude. You get him 24/7. I don’t think it’s too much to ask that I get him all to myself this weekend,” Chad whined. This time Jensen laughed and the rest of the guys joined in.
“Needy much, Murray?” Mike asked him with the trademark smirk that still had fans panting after Lex Luthor.
“How about we let Jared decide that?” Jensen smiled at Chad as he patted him on the shoulder.
“Dude, you’re just jealous ‘cause you don’t have what Jared and I have, and you never will,” Chad sneered at him. “History.”
“That’s okay, man,” Jensen grinned at him as they walked to the front door. “No really,” he said as Chad scoffed, laying on the cheese an inch thick. “You can have Jared’s yesterdays. I have his todays. And his tomorrows.”
“For the record; that was really gay.”
“Really, really gay,” Steve added his two cents with a quirked eyebrow at Jensen.
“Okay, I don’t see why y’all are actin’ so surprised. Have you seen them together?” Chris reminded them. “Crack surgical teams couldn’t separate them. Fuckin’ conjoined twins.”
Jensen laughed with genuine amusement, but said nothing. Their friends didn’t know the half of it, but they would soon find out the real reason behind this impromptu weekend trip. He pushed open the door and led the way inside, coming to a sudden standstill at the unmistakable sound of a wretched sob. His steps quickened until he reached the living room and his heart almost stopped in fear at the sight of Jared, sitting on the floor, back against the couch, arms around raised knees, crying.
“Jared!” Jensen, heart in his throat, was on his knees at Jared’s side in a second flat, his arms winding protectively tight around the man he loved. “What is it? Are you okay? What happened?”
“He just died, Jen. From mold in their house. His wife - his widow - and their kids... they lost him because of mold in their house.”
“What are you talking about, Jay? Who died?” Jensen asked in alarm. Jared sniffed and pointed at the TV, and Jensen looked over his shoulder, sighing in resignation, relief washing over him.
“Jesus, Jared. You scared the shit outta me. What have I told you about watching Extreme Home Makeover?”
“Don’t?”
“Yeah. And this would be the reason why.”
“Jensen. He was killed by mold in their house. We are so getting our home checked out,” Jared looked so earnestly concerned that Jensen’s heart constricted.
“This is a new house, babe, that shouldn’t be a problem.”
“They... his wife, his kids, they lost...” he voice caught on a sob, the sound of it wrenching at Jensen’s insides. He wasn’t quite sure why Jared was so upset about this. “I don’t know how they moved on... If it was you - Oh God - I couldn’t... I can’t lose you. I would never be able to survive that, Jen...”
Ah. Understanding suddenly dawned crystal clear; this was the reason for Jared’s anxiety, he was certain. Jensen relaxed his stance a little so he could pull Jared closer, one hand gently massaging the back of his neck while the other soothingly rubbed up and down his back. “Hey. Hey... I know. I know.”
“You do?” Jared asked blearily looking up at him.
“Yeah, Jay. I understand. This is a big step. Huge. And I get it. I’ve never felt like this before either. This much, this soon; like one person could be your whole world just like that. Never thought it would be that way for me ‘cause I detach myself from stuff, you know? From people, well, people outside of my family. I never planned on giving anyone in my life all of me,” Jensen sighed as he wiped the tears from Jared’s cheeks. “But you... you broke down my walls from Day One. I can’t see a future without you in it. Don’t even want to imagine my life if something were to happen to you...”
“Exactly! That’s exactly it,” Jared whispered fiercely, his hands fisting in Jensen’s shirt. He cupped Jared’s face, forcing him to look him in the eye.
“But we can’t dwell on that, babe, we can’t. I don’t know how long or short our lives are going to be but I know I’m going to make the most of every moment. ‘Cause it’s you. Love, hate, laugh, cry, work, play - I don’t care as long as you’re right here by my side for all of it. I know it’s scary, but we are going to make this work, because it’s us, Jared, and we will find a way. Hell, we’re already halfway there!” Jared looked at him in something akin to wonder, like that was exactly what he needed to hear. Jensen smiled down at him. “And we will have the house checked for mold.” Jared’s smile was stunning.
“I love you, Jensen. So goddamn much,” he grasped Jensen’s face with those big hands. “I will never stop loving you.”
“It’s a good thing you’re marrying me then,” Jensen chuckled, trying not to drown in the glistening hazel-green eyes that looked back at him. “I understand, Jared.”
“I think you’re the only person who does.”
“It’s ‘cause you know I love you in exactly the same way.”
“Yeah.”
“Yeah.” And then, because he couldn’t not, Jensen leaned down to kiss him, long and languid, a gentle sweep of tongues and soft exchanges of breath. Breaking away was as reluctant as it always tended to be. Jensen smirked down at him. “And let’s just stick to the Discovery Channel and sports from now on, okay?”
“Okay,” Jared muttered, looking slightly embarrassed. He buried his face in Jensen’s chest and let him brush his hair back and hug him close. “You’re never gonna let me live this down are you?”
“Never.”
“Jerk.”
“Bitch.” Jensen sighed. “All right. No more crying. Like ever. This face is meant to laugh, not cry. I mean it, Padalecki, I don’t think my heart can take it.”
“I’m sorry.”
“S’okay,” Jensen murmured and then yelped as Jared straightened out his long legs and yanked him across his lap, smothering Jensen’s mouth with his in a deep, wet kiss, hands sliding up underneath his shirt to the roam over the skin beneath. Jensen was so wrapped up in the kiss that the sound of a throat clearing, and then a few pointed coughs, took a while to penetrate his consciousness.
“What the fuck, dude? You turned my boy gay for you?” Chad’s horrified squawk caused them to spring apart.
“Fuck, I forgot they were here,” Jensen moaned.
“Shit, and they saw me cry? Jesus, I am never living this down,” Jared buried his reddening face in the crook of Jensen’s neck. “Goddamn it, Jen, now you hafta dance with me.”
“You turned my boy gay!” Chad accused none too quietly. All the other guys had yet to recover their voices, but judging from their stunned expressions, Jensen guessed they were ready to let Chad be the spokesperson for the moment.
“Shut up, Chad,” Jared muttered.
“So, yeah,” Jensen hedged, blushing, of fucking course, as he rubbed a hand at the back of his neck, “this isn’t exactly how we wanted to tell you guys about us.”
“Wait... there’s an ‘us’?” Tom asked in shock. “So I didn’t just fall into the Twilight Zone?”
“There is most definitely an ‘us’.”
“You. Turned. My. Boy. Gay.”
“Shut up, Chad!” At least four people shouted.
“Let me get this straight...” Steve started.
“Dude, Jensen’s sitting in Jared’s lap. And I’m pretty sure they were just playing tonsil hockey at, like, the NHL level. I don’t think you’re gonna get any straight up in here,” Chris quipped, although his expression was pinched in a way Jensen had never seen before, like he was really reeling from the news. Which reminded Jensen, he was still sitting in Jared’s lap. He struggled to stand and hauled Jared up too.
“Everyone shut up a second,” Mike warned, his voice soft and his face strained and serious as he stared at Jensen and Jared. “Did I hear wrong? Did you say something about getting... married?” The other guys gasped in shock, as they obviously recalled that part of the conversation.
Jensen nodded at Jared, encouraging him to speak. “Jen and I are in love,” he said simply, his arm finding its familiar place across Jensen’s shoulders and Jensen had to wrap his arm around Jared’s waist, leaning into him, the two of them supporting each other.
“In love?” Tom whispered, blinking rapidly as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
“I knew it! Too damn pretty to be straight and you turned my boy gay,” Chad said again, sounding defeated and eying Jared as if he felt that if he just looked hard enough, he would find the straight.
“Seriously, why are you friends with him again?” Jensen asked at the exasperated look on Jared’s face. Jared shrugged and grinned down at him.
“He’s all right, man. You get to know him better, he grows on you.”
“Like fungus?”
“Hey!” Jared admonished and Jensen smirked at him before peeking at Chad, who looked a little pissed off.
“If you two are getting married, I’m your friend by proxy, dude,” he told Jensen smugly.
Jensen stared at him for a second before looking at Jared. “I’m torn between being repulsed by the idea that I now have to be friends with him or being impressed by the fact that he knows what proxy means.” Jared laughed.
“So... er, when are you... er... when... I mean...,” Tom had apparently been rendered incoherent, and looked about ready to start hyperventilating. Odd. He was usually the most verbose and collected of them all. Steve and Chris looked at him in pity but they apparently couldn’t find the words to form their questions any better. Jared was about to help them out when a commotion at the front door distracted them all.
“Jensen! Jared!” A cacophony of voices sounded from the hallway. A second later, their sisters rushed into the room, followed closely by their mothers, Jeff’s fiancée Kaliegh, and Josh’s girlfriend, Katharine. They chattered excitedly, greeting and introducing themselves to the guys and generally overwhelming and dissipating the shocked atmosphere in the room with their exuberance.
Donna walked right up to Jared. “Baby, we drove by the church and confirmed everything with the Pastor,” she gushed. Jared beamed and darted a glance to his mother, whose eyes looked suspiciously moist. “He’s a lovely man, I’m sure he’ll make the ceremony memorable! You chose well, honey.” She pulled them both into a hug, and Jensen smiled into her hair.
“Pastor? Church?” Chad exclaimed, looking horrified. “Why are you going to a church? You...”
“Why do you think we’re going to a church?” Jensen huffed impatiently. “And dude, if you say I turned him gay again...”
“You did!”
“Shut up, Chad! How do you know I didn’t turn Jensen gay?”
“Because you’re straight, JT. Because, Christ, look at him! Men are not supposed to be that pretty!” Chad looked panicked. “Let’s go to a strip club, man. You just have to remember which team you’re batting for!” Then he yelled when Jared whacked him upside the head.
“There are ladies present, you moron,” Jared muttered and Chad had the grace to look a little sheepish.
“Wait just a goddamn second,” Chris said suddenly, and then flushed as he looked at Donna and Sherri. “Er... pardon my French. When are you getting... When are you... When are you?”
“Sunday,” Jensen told him quietly. “We’re getting married Sunday afternoon and we wanted to share the day with you guys, so we invited y’all up here.”
“And you didn’t think to maybe tell us why?” Mike asked him, that strange wounded look still on his face. Mike’s reaction to this puzzled him; he felt sure, that of all his friends, Mike would have been the most accepting, the most supportive.
“How do you say something like this on the phone, man?”
“Good point,” Mike conceded, falling onto the couch as if he couldn’t remain standing another second.
“Did we miss something?” Sherri tentatively asked. Jared shrugged at her, and she furtively began fielding the women out of the room to give them a little privacy.
“You’re in love,” Steve said it like he was having an epiphany. “Oh my God, you’ve been in love for a while now. That weekend we spent together? You guys were such a couple. I thought it was funny...”
“They completed each other’s sentences,” Tom interrupted, awe in his voice. “I thought it was a Sam/Dean thing, because Mike and I used to be the same way.” Mike’s head jerked up to look at Tom as he said that, and he suddenly looked even more stricken.
“It was even before that! When Jensen came to LA for his birthday, remember?” Chris asked Steve. “He was always on the fucking phone with Jared.” He directed a cocky smirk at Jensen. “You are so whipped, dude.”
Jared laughed delightedly, and making a ridiculous whip sound effect, he smacked Jensen’s ass. “Whipped.” Jensen jumped.
“Whatever. You called me just as much that weekend, don’t even try to pretend otherwise,” Jensen grumbled. Jared tucked him closer into his body, one big hand palming his jaw as he leaned down to kiss him, soft and sweet.
“They’re kissing. Oh God, make it stop,” Chad moaned. He was roundly ignored.
“I can’t help myself with you, Jen,” Jared whispered softly when he came up for air, smiling against Jensen’s mouth. “Besides, you sang me a love song. Whipped.”
“What do you mean, he sang you a love song? You weren’t there, dude,” Steve looked to Chris for confirmation. “How drunk was I to have missed this Yeti in your living room?”
“Pretty drunk, but still, Jared was not in LA that weekend,” Chris eyed Jensen, squinting in suspicion for a few seconds before his eyes widened comically. “That goddamned Bluetooth. I made so much fun of you for wearing it and... Jesus, Jensen. You sang him a fuckin’ love song. That’s ballsy, man. I’m kind of impressed.” He smirked at Steve, nodding towards Jensen and Jared. “Gay and Gayer, heh!”
“I think I need to sit down,” Tom blew out a breath and fell into the space next to Mike, who shot off the couch like it had suddenly burst into flame.
O-kay, their news aside, now Jensen was really concerned about Mike’s odd behavior. But then that shell-shocked look on his friend’s face had softened into another expression altogether as he looked at Jensen and Jared standing together. He walked right up to them and enveloped both of them in a hug, his face between both of theirs.
“Congratulations,” he said quietly, not letting go for another few moments. Jared’s hand cupped the back of Mike’s head as he looked at them, the genuinely happy smile on his face doing nothing to hide the inexplicable sadness in his eyes. “I’m so happy for you guys. I really am. This took a lot of courage. And any idiot can see how much you love each other, and how right this is,” he swallowed. “Go forth and conquer, dudes.” Then he placed smacking kisses on both their mouths. It was a little gross, a lot funny, and very sweet and when he hugged them again, they knew they had Mike’s support for life.
And as one by one, their friends stepped up to congratulate them, Jensen breathed a sigh of relief.
Family. Check.
Friends. Check.
Now all they had to do was get married and tell Eric Kripke.
