FIC | RPS < J2 < Dark Light < 03/??
Title: Dark Light [03/??]
Fandom: RPS - Actors
Pairing: Jensen Ackles / Jared Padalecki
Rating: NC17 (overall)
Warnings: AU, language, slash, sexual content, bottom!Jared, violence, character death, crack. (overall)
Summary: Ever since he can remember, Jared's had strange dreams, most of them involving a man he's never even met before. But then one day, he finds himself being followed, stalked by the very same mysterious stranger. Much to his disbelief, however, this isn't the worst of his problems -- it's probably the best thing to happen to him ever. Until the trouble starts.
Disclaimer: No harm, no foul.
Words: This Part: 3,849 ; Full Story: 14,910 (so far)
Note: I had to kind of stop and sort out all the details of this fic, so I do apologize for the brief hiatus. I feel much more confident about this story now, and where it will go, so I certainly hope you all can forgive me. :] I also hope you will continue to read and enjoy. I have to say that if it weren't for jessi_br00t4l's mega kind words, I might not have been posting this so soon.
Previous Chapters:
{ MASTERPOST}
DARK LIGHT
t h r e e
"What's this, Jared?"
He'd almost made it all morning without his mother noticing the scratches on his arms -- it wasn't like he could've worn long sleeves to cover them up or anything.
It was close to eleven thirty -- his History class started at 11:45, and he was on his way out the door when Sharon had caught his right hand in hers. The scratches he'd gotten from the bushes were thin and pink, not bad at all, but wasn't it a mother's job to make everything seem worse than what it truly was?
He decided to play dumb. "Huh?"
She held his arm up so he could see, and then raised her eyebrows, looking concerned.
"Oh," he said, "I must've scratched myself in my sleep."
She didn't buy it for one second -- who would've? She started to say something else, but he gestured to the open door.
"Mom," he said, "I gotta get to class."
She glanced at the clock that hung in the hallway, and he quickly started to edge towards the door.
"You didn't grab anything for lunch," she said.
"I'll get something at the cafeteria," Jared shrugged. "If I get there on time."
She looked as if she were going to say something else, but he leaned in quickly and gave her a peck on the cheek. Then he was out the door and down the drive, walking briskly. He sighed to himself -- that'd been a close one. He knew Sharon was probably worrying about him, coming up with a hundred different ways he could've been scratched, but there wasn't much he could do about it. There was no way he was going to tell her her that he snuck out to meet a random man.
As he walked to school, he kept his eyes peeled for any sight of just that certain man. They hadn't exactly been able to make plans to meet up again, and Jared still had questions for him -- not to mention, there was a small part of him that just liked being in Jensen's company. He didn't know if being his guardian or whatever meant that Jensen would follow him around, but Jared didn't see him at all that morning.
When he made it to school, he was kind of disappointed.
He was so lost in his own thoughts, Jared almost walked right by Chad, who was leaning against one of the outside walls of the library. Chad had to all but jump out in front of him.
"Oh hey," Jared said.
"Alright?" a greeting and a question.
Jared nodded, and Chad looked around shortly. He'd had to attend English class that morning, and usually he had the afternoon off.
"Wanna go grab something to eat?" he asked.
"I don't think I have time," Jared answered slowly.
A smirk came to Chad's face, and his eyebrows raised just slightly. After a second, Jared realized what the sly look was for, and he couldn't help but grin.
"No," he said, shaking his head. "I can't."
"Come on," Chad said with a little laugh. "You shouldn't, but you definitely can."
"Chad --"
"Just today," the blond said. "Please? I'm really hungry, you know?"
Laughing as well, Jared looked around. He hadn't skipped any of his classes in a good amount of time, and he supposed it wouldn't hurt too drastically if it was just one day. How much U.S. history could he miss in one day?
"Well," he sighed, and Chad's eyebrows raised again, this time hopefully. "Okay, okay."
Next he knew, they were in Chad's old Camaro, and Chad was pulling out of the school parking lot. Chad did most of the talking as he drove through town, though that's usually how it went with them. That was why Jared liked Chad so much -- he was a calm and tolerant kind of guy who didn't mind what others could consider uncomfortable silences. He never pressed Jared for words or tried to bring him out of his shell.
They went through the drive-thru at a local burger joint, and after getting them both something to eat, Chad pulled into a parking spot so they could eat. He left the car running so that the radio was on, and Jared recognized a Skid Row hit from the 80's.
"How was your appointment with the shrink yesterday?" Chad asked.
"Boring," Jared answered.
"See anymore of your stalker janitor?"
Jared smirked, side-glanced Chad, and after a short thoughtful pause, he figured he could tell him just a little bit.
"Yeah," he answered, then flushed slightly. "I mean, he's not a janitor."
"So he's just a stalker?" Chad asked playfully, not looking up from what he was doing -- pulling pickles off his burger.
"He's a friend of my mom's," Jared said. "My real one."
Now Chad looked sideways at him, his expression one of question. "Yeah?"
Jared nodded. "Apparently he knew both of my parents before I was born," he answered. "Told me stories about them and stuff."
"He seems...genuine?" Chad asked.
Jared nodded, then reached down to pull his new necklace out from under his tee shirt. He held it up so Chad could see the ring. "Gave this to me," he said. "It was my mom's."
Chad leaned in slightly, studying the ring. "Awesome," he said, nodding slightly, though there was still something of uncertainty in his eyes.
"Showed me a picture of her too," Jared said, tucking the ring back under his collar.
"Look anything like you'd thought?"
Jared paused, then shook his head. "No," he answered. "She was really pretty."
Chad smiled slightly, then asked, "Did he tell you how they died?"
"My dad died before I was born," Jared answered, then thought quickly. "He was sick. My mom died when I was five -- it was an accident."
"Five," Chad repeated, as though it was hard to believe.
Jared nodded. "Just wish I could remember her."
There was a short silence, and Chad shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah, but Sharon's real cool," he said. "And she's real pretty too."
Jared nodded again, this time a bit more quickly. "Yeah, yeah," he said. "And I love her and all, you know that. ...Sometimes I just wonder what it would've been like."
And that was putting it lightly.
When they finished eating, Chad just drove around for a bit. They stopped at the mall to take a trip to the only arcade in town, but they didn't stay too long. As three o'clock rolled around, and it was time for Jared to be getting home, Chad offered to drive him.
"Maybe you could just drop me off at the end of my street?" Jared asked.
"Sure," Chad answered. "Why? Think your mom would know something was up if she saw me?"
This was the first time Jared could remember thinking of his birth mother over Sharon. He wasn't sure how he felt about that. After a small hesitation, he shook his head. Then he shrugged.
"I don't know," he said honestly. "I don't remember if I ever told her you don't have an afternoon class. She'd probably put two and two together eventually."
Chad nodded in agreement. As Jared had asked, he dropped him off at the corner. Then, he hung out the window slightly, squinting through the sunlight at him.
"Call me tomorrow or something," he said. "We'll hang out."
Jared nodded, then gave a little wave. "Thanks for lunch."
He could admit to having an ulterior motive to walking home from the corner -- he might've been hoping just slightly, only a little bit, that he'd get to see Jensen.
He didn't.
Megan was watching TV when he entered the house, and she glanced briefly at him. "Mom's at the store," she said.
Jared nodded, dropping his almost empty backpack on the floor by the stairs -- he hadn't even noticed that Sharon's car hadn't been outside. He walked into the living room, and dropped onto the couch beside his sister.
"What's wrong?" she asked after a moment or two.
"Nothing."
"You're pouting," she said skeptically.
Jared sighed, realizing he'd probably been thinking about Jensen still. He shook his head. "Dumb stuff," he said.
"With you?" she asked. "Always."
He had to grin, and he reached over to give her a little shove. "You better watch it," he said.
"Or what? You'll pout some more?" she laughed at her own joke.
"Oh ha ha," he replied, though he was still smiling.
She was watching some cartoon or another, and Jared sat with her for a little while, not really paying attention, but not knowing what else to do with himself. When he stood up to leave, she barely paid him any mind.
Scooping up his backpack on the way, he climbed the stairs two at a time, thinking he'd just like to lay down and take a quick nap or something. He reached his room, and as he was moving towards his computer desk, he caught movement out of the corner of his eye.
He turned and had to stop himself from crying out, as his bag fell to the floor. Jensen himself was standing in the room, just hanging out by the closed window. He wasn't wearing his jacket again, though it was another long-sleeved tee today. Not as tight-fitting as the night before, but who was Jared to complain? He was still busy trying to keep his heart in his chest.
"Jensen!" he exclaimed quietly, doubling back to shut his door quickly. "What are you doing?"
"You wanted to see me," Jensen gave a shrug. "I wanted to see you."
Jared hoped he wasn't blushing at the tingly feeling Jensen's words gave him. Instead, he pretended like he hadn't spent his whole day thinking about the older man.
"Even if I had wanted to see you -- which I didn't --" he'd never had such trouble lying before, "-- do you really think this was the way to go about it?"
Jensen didn't answer, his expression clearly saying he saw nothing wrong with randomly appearing in Jared's bedroom. Jared raised his eyebrows, his arms going out at his sides just slightly.
"What if my little sister had been walking by and seen you?" he asked.
"I would've known it was her," Jensen answered calmly, the hints of a smile playing at his lips. "Honestly, Jared, do you think I'm that dumb?"
"Well no." Jared was flushing now. "Of course not."
The smile grew slightly, but Jensen looked away, sweeping his gaze around the bedroom. He neared Jared's desk, and Jared could only watch in silence as Jensen grabbed his chair. He pulled it out slightly, turning it around, and he sat down in it, facing Jared. He gave a little sigh, then looked up, his gaze meeting Jared's once more -- it took Jared everything in him not to get lost in those eyes.
Clearing his throat, and shifting awkwardly, Jared bent and grabbed his backpack once more, before tossing it into the corner of his room. Then he walked quickly to his window, peering out and trying to see if Sharon's car had returned yet -- nope.
"Something's wrong."
Jared turned back to Jensen who was watching him carefully, and Jared swallowed. He shook his head, crossing his arms over his chest.
"What?" he asked, then faked a laugh. "No." He was still reeling from the sudden appearance of the man he'd been thinking about all day. Not to mention, he was just starting to realize just how good-looking Jensen was. It was silly of him, but he was excited that his protector (if he had to have one) was easy on the eyes.
"You can tell me," Jensen said slowly, his gaze sweeping over Jared once more.
Despite what Jensen had said the night before, Jared was suddenly nervous -- Jensen had said he could read Jared's mind if he wanted to. Did he want to now? If he thought Jared was hiding something from him, would he want to then?
"I'm fine," he said, his tone more convincing than he'd thought it would be. "You just scared me is all. Not used to guys just randomly appearing, you know?"
"Sorry," Jensen said with a little smile, and it sounded like he meant it. He blinked, then seemed to ask his next question carefully, "Are you wearing the ring?"
Relieved to get a new topic, Jared reached under the collar of his tee to pull the necklace out. The ring swung back and forth slightly, and he could've sworn he saw the black stone glitter slightly. Jensen smiled again, seeming proud, and Jared felt just a bit of smugness at that.
"You skipped class today," Jensen suddenly stated, and Jared's smirk faded quickly, despite the fact that Jensen now seemed amused.
Feigning innocence, Jared crossed his arms over his chest again and shrugged his shoulders. He neared his bed slowly, licking his lips. "Well," he started, "I might have. For a good reason... I already know all there is to know about U.S. history, and I was hungry."
Jensen raised his eyebrows, and Jared rolled his eyes as he sat down on the edge of his bed.
"Okay, so sue me," Jared said. "I thought you were just my guardian of life or whatever, didn't know you were trying to be the protector of my schoolwork."
Still smiling, Jensen looked away, but he didn't say anything for a short while. Jared's arms unfolded, and he relaxed a little, watching the older man's profile -- he didn't look as worn as he had the night before, the bags under his eyes were smaller. That was good.
"You have questions for me." Jensen looked back up, the intensity of his eyes making Jared's stomach erupt into butterflies.
"When are we gonna wake up the power in me?" Jared asked, keeping his tone quiet, even though they were alone.
"Soon," Jensen answered. "I promise."
"Why not now?" Jared asked.
"I have my reasons, Jared," was the answer.
Jared pushed his lips out with a little sigh, and he scratched at the back of his head. "How old are you?" he asked after a long moment of silence.
This seemed to make Jensen uncomfortable, and he folded his arms over his chest in almost a self-conscious way. He lowered his gaze, but didn't ignore the question.
"Old enough," he answered shortly.
"Older than fifty?" Jared asked. Jensen nodded, the smile returning to his face. "Seventy?" Another nod. "Okay, you can't be older than ninety...?" Jensen raised his eyebrows, saying nothing, and Jared felt his eyes widen. "You're older than that?" he asked.
"Somewhere in my hundreds," Jensen answered with a casual shrug, as if it were nothing. "Up in the fifties."
"One hundred and fifty?!" Jared exclaimed.
"I've lost count." Jensen's hands went back to his knees, as if he'd realized he'd been holding himself.
Jared looked down at his own hands in his lap, eyes still wide. He was amazed, for lack of a better word. He almost made a dorky comment about how Jensen looked good for his age, but he knew that he'd only embarrass himself. So instead, he decided to keep going with his questions.
"How did you become ageless?" he asked, "Like, how does it happen? Is it another enchantment?"
Jensen opened his mouth, closed it, then paused thoughtfully. "It's a long story, Jared," he said. "I'll tell you some other time."
"Promise?"
"Of course."
Jared tapped his fingers on his thighs, trying to think up a question that Jensen might actually answer without beating around the bush.
"How did you meet my mom?" he came up with. "My real one, of course."
"Before I met her, I was kind of a wanderer," Jensen answered. "I never stayed in one place for too long. But then I ran into her accidentally, it was completely random. This was before she'd even started dating your father, she'd just joined a small coven. I was in a rough place, and she helped me out of it. Introduced me to her coven, and I decided to stay."
Jared studied Jensen for a moment before lowering his gaze. Jensen glanced at him, then smirked, obviously sensing that Jared had a burning question that he was too nervous to ask.
"You can ask me whatever you want," Jensen said, "I'll answer what I can."
"Uh...well," Jared tried to think of the best way to word this, "I just -- this is weird, and probably dumb of me -- but the way you talk about her...were you in love with my mom?"
There was silence. Feeling like he'd crossed the line, Jared started to raise his gaze, ready to apologize. Jensen wasn't looking at him, but he didn't seem the least bit offended by the question -- just contemplative.
"I think it was impossible for anyone who knew her not to be in love with her," he answered slowly. "Most of it comes from the fact that she was an amazing leader, it's mostly respect, I guess."
"I'm sorry." Jared still felt like he had to apologize. He shrugged his shoulders, than added, "That was a personal question."
"I don't mind."
"Okay, less personal," Jared said, straightening, determined to change the subject. He didn't like the tortured expression Jensen got whenever he spoke of Jared's real mother. "How the heck do you wear long sleeves like this, or more a jacket? It's the middle of summer, dude."
Jensen's lips flickered, as if he'd been about to grin at Jared's tone, but then the small smirk returned. "I just feel more comfortable that way," he answered.
"I already sweat like a beast," Jared said before he could stop himself. He flushed deeply, looking away, "I mean...I just wouldn't be able to handle it."
Again, Jensen didn't say anything. He just looked at Jared with that smirk, as if he were trying to read him or something. It made Jared feel weird, and he shifted awkwardly, swallowing and drumming his fingers on his knees.
"Why do I make you so nervous?" Jensen asked suddenly, curiosity in his voice.
Jared couldn't answer that truthfully, he couldn't admit it was because he thought Jensen was hot (and an ageless guardian? how hot was that?), but he was still scared that Jensen would read his mind and learn that on his own. What if it drove him away? They had a bond sure, but sometimes bonds could be broken by things like that.
"You don't," Jared tried to reassure him.
"And you fib," Jensen said, quirking one of his eyebrows. "I know you don't remember much of me, and it must feel like we just met, but I want you to trust me, Jared."
"It doesn't feel like that," Jared said mindlessly. At Jensen's questioning look, he quickly clarified, "It feels like I've known you forever...even if I can't remember, like you said." He paused. "Do you think I'll ever remember?"
"I don't know."
There was the sound of honking outside suddenly, and Jared quickly jumped to his feet, used to this. He moved to the window, glancing out to see Sharon's car in the driveway -- she always honked when she needed help with groceries.
"It's my mo -- my other mom," he said. "I'll have to help her."
"You're free Friday," a statement. Jensen was implying that Friday would be when they'd meet up again.
"Will I see you before then?" Jared asked.
No answer. He turned back around, but his room was now empty. He froze for a moment, kind of disappointed, and he might've thought he'd been alone the whole time, if his chair wasn't still out in the middle of the room.
He moved it quickly back to his desk before making his way downstairs. As he stepped outside, he moved out of the way as Megan returned to the house, looking put-out that she had to miss her shows for groceries. Sharon was at the trunk of her car, gathering bags, and Jared loped towards her. Only when she looked up did he remember what they'd been talking about before he left for school.
"Jared," she said, "I've been doing some thinking about the --"
"Scratches?" Jared asked. "I didn't do it in my sleep."
Her eyebrows raised, but she seemed too surprised to say anything.
"I fell in the bush on the side of the house," Jared admitted, then decided that it would just be better if he told the truth. "I climbed out my window last night. To meet up with Chad." Okay, so not the whole truth.
"What?" Sharon asked. "You snuck out?"
"It was only for a few minutes," Jared insisted. "Chad just wanted to give me some stuff, and then I came right back home."
"Why didn't he come to the front door?" Sharon asked.
Jared thought quickly. "He's grounded," he blurted out. "He thought you'd tell his mother or something, I don't know, you know how weird Chad is."
"Well why didn't you use the front door?" she asked next.
"It was kind of late," Jared answered, trying to play innocent again. "I thought you wouldn't let me."
She made a face, but clearly didn't know what to say at his honesty. "Well," she said. "You were in bed by midnight, and you didn't give me any trouble when I woke you up for school this morning..."
"I'm sorry, Mom," Jared said. "Next time I'll ask first."
She nodded, and he could see the relief in her expression -- he wondered if she'd thought he'd given himself the scratches. She sighed.
"You're off the hook this time," she said.
Flashing her a bright grin, Jared wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her into a little hug. She laughed, telling him to let go or she'd drop the groceries, and she started towards the house. With a little sigh, Jared bent to grab a few bags -- more than he should've been trying to carry -- and as he was turning to set a few down so that he could shut the trunk, he glanced up towards his window.
Jensen was in his room again! Just gazing down at him.
Surprise made Jared start to choke on his own tongue, and he dropped a few bags on accident. Megan, who'd been returning for more bags, furrowed her brow at him as he struggled to grab what he'd let go.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
Jared looked back towards his window, but it was empty, and he cursed the older man in his head. "I'm fine," he said. "Choked on my own spit -- get the trunk for me."
She rolled her eyes but obliged, and then she stole a couple of bags out of Jared's arms, making it easier for him. As the two of them started towards the house, Jared was a little embarrassed at his reaction.
Whether it was because of the bond or not, he swore he could feel that Jensen was laughing at him, wherever he was.
NEXT.
Fandom: RPS - Actors
Pairing: Jensen Ackles / Jared Padalecki
Rating: NC17 (overall)
Warnings: AU, language, slash, sexual content, bottom!Jared, violence, character death, crack. (overall)
Summary: Ever since he can remember, Jared's had strange dreams, most of them involving a man he's never even met before. But then one day, he finds himself being followed, stalked by the very same mysterious stranger. Much to his disbelief, however, this isn't the worst of his problems -- it's probably the best thing to happen to him ever. Until the trouble starts.
Disclaimer: No harm, no foul.
Words: This Part: 3,849 ; Full Story: 14,910 (so far)
Note: I had to kind of stop and sort out all the details of this fic, so I do apologize for the brief hiatus. I feel much more confident about this story now, and where it will go, so I certainly hope you all can forgive me. :] I also hope you will continue to read and enjoy. I have to say that if it weren't for jessi_br00t4l's mega kind words, I might not have been posting this so soon.
Previous Chapters:
{ MASTERPOST}
DARK LIGHT
t h r e e
"What's this, Jared?"
He'd almost made it all morning without his mother noticing the scratches on his arms -- it wasn't like he could've worn long sleeves to cover them up or anything.
It was close to eleven thirty -- his History class started at 11:45, and he was on his way out the door when Sharon had caught his right hand in hers. The scratches he'd gotten from the bushes were thin and pink, not bad at all, but wasn't it a mother's job to make everything seem worse than what it truly was?
He decided to play dumb. "Huh?"
She held his arm up so he could see, and then raised her eyebrows, looking concerned.
"Oh," he said, "I must've scratched myself in my sleep."
She didn't buy it for one second -- who would've? She started to say something else, but he gestured to the open door.
"Mom," he said, "I gotta get to class."
She glanced at the clock that hung in the hallway, and he quickly started to edge towards the door.
"You didn't grab anything for lunch," she said.
"I'll get something at the cafeteria," Jared shrugged. "If I get there on time."
She looked as if she were going to say something else, but he leaned in quickly and gave her a peck on the cheek. Then he was out the door and down the drive, walking briskly. He sighed to himself -- that'd been a close one. He knew Sharon was probably worrying about him, coming up with a hundred different ways he could've been scratched, but there wasn't much he could do about it. There was no way he was going to tell her her that he snuck out to meet a random man.
As he walked to school, he kept his eyes peeled for any sight of just that certain man. They hadn't exactly been able to make plans to meet up again, and Jared still had questions for him -- not to mention, there was a small part of him that just liked being in Jensen's company. He didn't know if being his guardian or whatever meant that Jensen would follow him around, but Jared didn't see him at all that morning.
When he made it to school, he was kind of disappointed.
He was so lost in his own thoughts, Jared almost walked right by Chad, who was leaning against one of the outside walls of the library. Chad had to all but jump out in front of him.
"Oh hey," Jared said.
"Alright?" a greeting and a question.
Jared nodded, and Chad looked around shortly. He'd had to attend English class that morning, and usually he had the afternoon off.
"Wanna go grab something to eat?" he asked.
"I don't think I have time," Jared answered slowly.
A smirk came to Chad's face, and his eyebrows raised just slightly. After a second, Jared realized what the sly look was for, and he couldn't help but grin.
"No," he said, shaking his head. "I can't."
"Come on," Chad said with a little laugh. "You shouldn't, but you definitely can."
"Chad --"
"Just today," the blond said. "Please? I'm really hungry, you know?"
Laughing as well, Jared looked around. He hadn't skipped any of his classes in a good amount of time, and he supposed it wouldn't hurt too drastically if it was just one day. How much U.S. history could he miss in one day?
"Well," he sighed, and Chad's eyebrows raised again, this time hopefully. "Okay, okay."
Next he knew, they were in Chad's old Camaro, and Chad was pulling out of the school parking lot. Chad did most of the talking as he drove through town, though that's usually how it went with them. That was why Jared liked Chad so much -- he was a calm and tolerant kind of guy who didn't mind what others could consider uncomfortable silences. He never pressed Jared for words or tried to bring him out of his shell.
They went through the drive-thru at a local burger joint, and after getting them both something to eat, Chad pulled into a parking spot so they could eat. He left the car running so that the radio was on, and Jared recognized a Skid Row hit from the 80's.
"How was your appointment with the shrink yesterday?" Chad asked.
"Boring," Jared answered.
"See anymore of your stalker janitor?"
Jared smirked, side-glanced Chad, and after a short thoughtful pause, he figured he could tell him just a little bit.
"Yeah," he answered, then flushed slightly. "I mean, he's not a janitor."
"So he's just a stalker?" Chad asked playfully, not looking up from what he was doing -- pulling pickles off his burger.
"He's a friend of my mom's," Jared said. "My real one."
Now Chad looked sideways at him, his expression one of question. "Yeah?"
Jared nodded. "Apparently he knew both of my parents before I was born," he answered. "Told me stories about them and stuff."
"He seems...genuine?" Chad asked.
Jared nodded, then reached down to pull his new necklace out from under his tee shirt. He held it up so Chad could see the ring. "Gave this to me," he said. "It was my mom's."
Chad leaned in slightly, studying the ring. "Awesome," he said, nodding slightly, though there was still something of uncertainty in his eyes.
"Showed me a picture of her too," Jared said, tucking the ring back under his collar.
"Look anything like you'd thought?"
Jared paused, then shook his head. "No," he answered. "She was really pretty."
Chad smiled slightly, then asked, "Did he tell you how they died?"
"My dad died before I was born," Jared answered, then thought quickly. "He was sick. My mom died when I was five -- it was an accident."
"Five," Chad repeated, as though it was hard to believe.
Jared nodded. "Just wish I could remember her."
There was a short silence, and Chad shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah, but Sharon's real cool," he said. "And she's real pretty too."
Jared nodded again, this time a bit more quickly. "Yeah, yeah," he said. "And I love her and all, you know that. ...Sometimes I just wonder what it would've been like."
And that was putting it lightly.
When they finished eating, Chad just drove around for a bit. They stopped at the mall to take a trip to the only arcade in town, but they didn't stay too long. As three o'clock rolled around, and it was time for Jared to be getting home, Chad offered to drive him.
"Maybe you could just drop me off at the end of my street?" Jared asked.
"Sure," Chad answered. "Why? Think your mom would know something was up if she saw me?"
This was the first time Jared could remember thinking of his birth mother over Sharon. He wasn't sure how he felt about that. After a small hesitation, he shook his head. Then he shrugged.
"I don't know," he said honestly. "I don't remember if I ever told her you don't have an afternoon class. She'd probably put two and two together eventually."
Chad nodded in agreement. As Jared had asked, he dropped him off at the corner. Then, he hung out the window slightly, squinting through the sunlight at him.
"Call me tomorrow or something," he said. "We'll hang out."
Jared nodded, then gave a little wave. "Thanks for lunch."
He could admit to having an ulterior motive to walking home from the corner -- he might've been hoping just slightly, only a little bit, that he'd get to see Jensen.
He didn't.
Megan was watching TV when he entered the house, and she glanced briefly at him. "Mom's at the store," she said.
Jared nodded, dropping his almost empty backpack on the floor by the stairs -- he hadn't even noticed that Sharon's car hadn't been outside. He walked into the living room, and dropped onto the couch beside his sister.
"What's wrong?" she asked after a moment or two.
"Nothing."
"You're pouting," she said skeptically.
Jared sighed, realizing he'd probably been thinking about Jensen still. He shook his head. "Dumb stuff," he said.
"With you?" she asked. "Always."
He had to grin, and he reached over to give her a little shove. "You better watch it," he said.
"Or what? You'll pout some more?" she laughed at her own joke.
"Oh ha ha," he replied, though he was still smiling.
She was watching some cartoon or another, and Jared sat with her for a little while, not really paying attention, but not knowing what else to do with himself. When he stood up to leave, she barely paid him any mind.
Scooping up his backpack on the way, he climbed the stairs two at a time, thinking he'd just like to lay down and take a quick nap or something. He reached his room, and as he was moving towards his computer desk, he caught movement out of the corner of his eye.
He turned and had to stop himself from crying out, as his bag fell to the floor. Jensen himself was standing in the room, just hanging out by the closed window. He wasn't wearing his jacket again, though it was another long-sleeved tee today. Not as tight-fitting as the night before, but who was Jared to complain? He was still busy trying to keep his heart in his chest.
"Jensen!" he exclaimed quietly, doubling back to shut his door quickly. "What are you doing?"
"You wanted to see me," Jensen gave a shrug. "I wanted to see you."
Jared hoped he wasn't blushing at the tingly feeling Jensen's words gave him. Instead, he pretended like he hadn't spent his whole day thinking about the older man.
"Even if I had wanted to see you -- which I didn't --" he'd never had such trouble lying before, "-- do you really think this was the way to go about it?"
Jensen didn't answer, his expression clearly saying he saw nothing wrong with randomly appearing in Jared's bedroom. Jared raised his eyebrows, his arms going out at his sides just slightly.
"What if my little sister had been walking by and seen you?" he asked.
"I would've known it was her," Jensen answered calmly, the hints of a smile playing at his lips. "Honestly, Jared, do you think I'm that dumb?"
"Well no." Jared was flushing now. "Of course not."
The smile grew slightly, but Jensen looked away, sweeping his gaze around the bedroom. He neared Jared's desk, and Jared could only watch in silence as Jensen grabbed his chair. He pulled it out slightly, turning it around, and he sat down in it, facing Jared. He gave a little sigh, then looked up, his gaze meeting Jared's once more -- it took Jared everything in him not to get lost in those eyes.
Clearing his throat, and shifting awkwardly, Jared bent and grabbed his backpack once more, before tossing it into the corner of his room. Then he walked quickly to his window, peering out and trying to see if Sharon's car had returned yet -- nope.
"Something's wrong."
Jared turned back to Jensen who was watching him carefully, and Jared swallowed. He shook his head, crossing his arms over his chest.
"What?" he asked, then faked a laugh. "No." He was still reeling from the sudden appearance of the man he'd been thinking about all day. Not to mention, he was just starting to realize just how good-looking Jensen was. It was silly of him, but he was excited that his protector (if he had to have one) was easy on the eyes.
"You can tell me," Jensen said slowly, his gaze sweeping over Jared once more.
Despite what Jensen had said the night before, Jared was suddenly nervous -- Jensen had said he could read Jared's mind if he wanted to. Did he want to now? If he thought Jared was hiding something from him, would he want to then?
"I'm fine," he said, his tone more convincing than he'd thought it would be. "You just scared me is all. Not used to guys just randomly appearing, you know?"
"Sorry," Jensen said with a little smile, and it sounded like he meant it. He blinked, then seemed to ask his next question carefully, "Are you wearing the ring?"
Relieved to get a new topic, Jared reached under the collar of his tee to pull the necklace out. The ring swung back and forth slightly, and he could've sworn he saw the black stone glitter slightly. Jensen smiled again, seeming proud, and Jared felt just a bit of smugness at that.
"You skipped class today," Jensen suddenly stated, and Jared's smirk faded quickly, despite the fact that Jensen now seemed amused.
Feigning innocence, Jared crossed his arms over his chest again and shrugged his shoulders. He neared his bed slowly, licking his lips. "Well," he started, "I might have. For a good reason... I already know all there is to know about U.S. history, and I was hungry."
Jensen raised his eyebrows, and Jared rolled his eyes as he sat down on the edge of his bed.
"Okay, so sue me," Jared said. "I thought you were just my guardian of life or whatever, didn't know you were trying to be the protector of my schoolwork."
Still smiling, Jensen looked away, but he didn't say anything for a short while. Jared's arms unfolded, and he relaxed a little, watching the older man's profile -- he didn't look as worn as he had the night before, the bags under his eyes were smaller. That was good.
"You have questions for me." Jensen looked back up, the intensity of his eyes making Jared's stomach erupt into butterflies.
"When are we gonna wake up the power in me?" Jared asked, keeping his tone quiet, even though they were alone.
"Soon," Jensen answered. "I promise."
"Why not now?" Jared asked.
"I have my reasons, Jared," was the answer.
Jared pushed his lips out with a little sigh, and he scratched at the back of his head. "How old are you?" he asked after a long moment of silence.
This seemed to make Jensen uncomfortable, and he folded his arms over his chest in almost a self-conscious way. He lowered his gaze, but didn't ignore the question.
"Old enough," he answered shortly.
"Older than fifty?" Jared asked. Jensen nodded, the smile returning to his face. "Seventy?" Another nod. "Okay, you can't be older than ninety...?" Jensen raised his eyebrows, saying nothing, and Jared felt his eyes widen. "You're older than that?" he asked.
"Somewhere in my hundreds," Jensen answered with a casual shrug, as if it were nothing. "Up in the fifties."
"One hundred and fifty?!" Jared exclaimed.
"I've lost count." Jensen's hands went back to his knees, as if he'd realized he'd been holding himself.
Jared looked down at his own hands in his lap, eyes still wide. He was amazed, for lack of a better word. He almost made a dorky comment about how Jensen looked good for his age, but he knew that he'd only embarrass himself. So instead, he decided to keep going with his questions.
"How did you become ageless?" he asked, "Like, how does it happen? Is it another enchantment?"
Jensen opened his mouth, closed it, then paused thoughtfully. "It's a long story, Jared," he said. "I'll tell you some other time."
"Promise?"
"Of course."
Jared tapped his fingers on his thighs, trying to think up a question that Jensen might actually answer without beating around the bush.
"How did you meet my mom?" he came up with. "My real one, of course."
"Before I met her, I was kind of a wanderer," Jensen answered. "I never stayed in one place for too long. But then I ran into her accidentally, it was completely random. This was before she'd even started dating your father, she'd just joined a small coven. I was in a rough place, and she helped me out of it. Introduced me to her coven, and I decided to stay."
Jared studied Jensen for a moment before lowering his gaze. Jensen glanced at him, then smirked, obviously sensing that Jared had a burning question that he was too nervous to ask.
"You can ask me whatever you want," Jensen said, "I'll answer what I can."
"Uh...well," Jared tried to think of the best way to word this, "I just -- this is weird, and probably dumb of me -- but the way you talk about her...were you in love with my mom?"
There was silence. Feeling like he'd crossed the line, Jared started to raise his gaze, ready to apologize. Jensen wasn't looking at him, but he didn't seem the least bit offended by the question -- just contemplative.
"I think it was impossible for anyone who knew her not to be in love with her," he answered slowly. "Most of it comes from the fact that she was an amazing leader, it's mostly respect, I guess."
"I'm sorry." Jared still felt like he had to apologize. He shrugged his shoulders, than added, "That was a personal question."
"I don't mind."
"Okay, less personal," Jared said, straightening, determined to change the subject. He didn't like the tortured expression Jensen got whenever he spoke of Jared's real mother. "How the heck do you wear long sleeves like this, or more a jacket? It's the middle of summer, dude."
Jensen's lips flickered, as if he'd been about to grin at Jared's tone, but then the small smirk returned. "I just feel more comfortable that way," he answered.
"I already sweat like a beast," Jared said before he could stop himself. He flushed deeply, looking away, "I mean...I just wouldn't be able to handle it."
Again, Jensen didn't say anything. He just looked at Jared with that smirk, as if he were trying to read him or something. It made Jared feel weird, and he shifted awkwardly, swallowing and drumming his fingers on his knees.
"Why do I make you so nervous?" Jensen asked suddenly, curiosity in his voice.
Jared couldn't answer that truthfully, he couldn't admit it was because he thought Jensen was hot (and an ageless guardian? how hot was that?), but he was still scared that Jensen would read his mind and learn that on his own. What if it drove him away? They had a bond sure, but sometimes bonds could be broken by things like that.
"You don't," Jared tried to reassure him.
"And you fib," Jensen said, quirking one of his eyebrows. "I know you don't remember much of me, and it must feel like we just met, but I want you to trust me, Jared."
"It doesn't feel like that," Jared said mindlessly. At Jensen's questioning look, he quickly clarified, "It feels like I've known you forever...even if I can't remember, like you said." He paused. "Do you think I'll ever remember?"
"I don't know."
There was the sound of honking outside suddenly, and Jared quickly jumped to his feet, used to this. He moved to the window, glancing out to see Sharon's car in the driveway -- she always honked when she needed help with groceries.
"It's my mo -- my other mom," he said. "I'll have to help her."
"You're free Friday," a statement. Jensen was implying that Friday would be when they'd meet up again.
"Will I see you before then?" Jared asked.
No answer. He turned back around, but his room was now empty. He froze for a moment, kind of disappointed, and he might've thought he'd been alone the whole time, if his chair wasn't still out in the middle of the room.
He moved it quickly back to his desk before making his way downstairs. As he stepped outside, he moved out of the way as Megan returned to the house, looking put-out that she had to miss her shows for groceries. Sharon was at the trunk of her car, gathering bags, and Jared loped towards her. Only when she looked up did he remember what they'd been talking about before he left for school.
"Jared," she said, "I've been doing some thinking about the --"
"Scratches?" Jared asked. "I didn't do it in my sleep."
Her eyebrows raised, but she seemed too surprised to say anything.
"I fell in the bush on the side of the house," Jared admitted, then decided that it would just be better if he told the truth. "I climbed out my window last night. To meet up with Chad." Okay, so not the whole truth.
"What?" Sharon asked. "You snuck out?"
"It was only for a few minutes," Jared insisted. "Chad just wanted to give me some stuff, and then I came right back home."
"Why didn't he come to the front door?" Sharon asked.
Jared thought quickly. "He's grounded," he blurted out. "He thought you'd tell his mother or something, I don't know, you know how weird Chad is."
"Well why didn't you use the front door?" she asked next.
"It was kind of late," Jared answered, trying to play innocent again. "I thought you wouldn't let me."
She made a face, but clearly didn't know what to say at his honesty. "Well," she said. "You were in bed by midnight, and you didn't give me any trouble when I woke you up for school this morning..."
"I'm sorry, Mom," Jared said. "Next time I'll ask first."
She nodded, and he could see the relief in her expression -- he wondered if she'd thought he'd given himself the scratches. She sighed.
"You're off the hook this time," she said.
Flashing her a bright grin, Jared wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her into a little hug. She laughed, telling him to let go or she'd drop the groceries, and she started towards the house. With a little sigh, Jared bent to grab a few bags -- more than he should've been trying to carry -- and as he was turning to set a few down so that he could shut the trunk, he glanced up towards his window.
Jensen was in his room again! Just gazing down at him.
Surprise made Jared start to choke on his own tongue, and he dropped a few bags on accident. Megan, who'd been returning for more bags, furrowed her brow at him as he struggled to grab what he'd let go.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
Jared looked back towards his window, but it was empty, and he cursed the older man in his head. "I'm fine," he said. "Choked on my own spit -- get the trunk for me."
She rolled her eyes but obliged, and then she stole a couple of bags out of Jared's arms, making it easier for him. As the two of them started towards the house, Jared was a little embarrassed at his reaction.
Whether it was because of the bond or not, he swore he could feel that Jensen was laughing at him, wherever he was.
NEXT.