The Only Twenty-Four-Hour Bookstore in New York 6/6
J2 RPS AU
NC-17
Part 6 of 6
Master post
Art
He can't stop thinking about the store the entire trip to Jensen's apartment. The Moose and Mayhem is his whole life. He tries to concentrate on the few other people on the subway and what they're reading instead.
Jensen opens the door to him and says he looks like he needs a vacation. In response, Jared just shrugs out of his coat and Jensen drapes it over a chair.
"What do you need?" he asks. "In the hour we've got."
"I don't know," Jared admits, and now that he's here, he really doesn't know. "I can't be in the store any more. I can't stand the plywood. Kim keeps buying kid-safe markers and people keep decorating it and painting it, but it's plywood. It's not a window. It's not the front of my store. I hate waiting for it to be fixed. I can't do anything about the Kickstarter. I don't know what I want to do. I don't know how I feel. I'm not used to - is that me?" He interrupts himself to point at the photos displayed on Jensen's computer monitor. "Why is that me?"
"Because I took some pictures of you? Remember the first time we met for brunch and you had too many Bloody Marys and I had to bring you back here to sober up?"
Jared tries to think. "That was a long time ago. We went to Two Brothers. Alona mixed the drinks really strong. I only had two."
"Three. You drank them pretty fast, as I recall. And we had to come back here because you weren't quite fit to man the bookstore. We sat on the couch."
"You sat on me on the couch." Jared thinks he might have an idea what he wants now, and why he really came here rather than, say, putting on his running shoes and going for a run in Central Park. "I had to take a nap afterwards."
"And I had to take some pictures of you while you were asleep. I thought I told you when you woke up."
"You might have. I don't remember." Jared leans over Jensen's shoulder to get a better look at them. They're black and white photos, taken from different angles, but all showing him asleep on Jensen's bed, his hair in his face, his feet bare, and the sheets wrinkled underneath him. "That was so long ago. Was it before Memorial Day? Why are you just getting around to them now?"
Jensen shrugs. "I've been really busy. Watching me process photos is going to be really boring for you." He takes Jared's hand and leads him over to the couch. "Sit. I'm sorry I don't have a lot of time, but we can talk."
"Just talk?"
Before Jensen can answer, Jared cups the back of his head, pulls his face close, and kisses him. It's intended to be a simple "I'm glad you're my boyfriend and I'm glad I'm here" kiss, but as soon as Jensen's lips open to Jared's tongue, Jared plunges right into it, claiming Jensen's mouth as definitively as he can.
They finally pull apart, breathless, and Jensen smiles. "I guess that answers that question," he says, brushing his thumb across Jared's lower lip. Jared's lips part expectantly.
It only takes a few minutes of locking lips before Jared is running his hand up Jensen's thigh to reach for his cock. He doesn't want to wait. He wants to kiss Jensen's mouth and stroke his cock and fondle his balls and tongue his nipples and hear him groan as his thighs part and Jared pushes inside him.
Jared really, really wants that.
"We should go in the bedroom," Jensen suggests, his voice sounding a little strained. Jared has managed to wedge a hand between Jensen's thighs and squeeze his cock through his jeans.
Jared doesn't want to let go, but he does, and they hustle into Jensen's room and out of their clothes.
"I didn't know what I wanted when I left the store," Jared admits, reaching down to pull Jensen's thigh up and over his hip. "I just wanted to be out. But I think I did know, I just didn't know I knew." Jensen chuckles. "Are you laughing at me?"
"Maybe." A quick kiss, then another. He grins against Jared's mouth. "Do you want to be on top? On the bottom? On the side? Should I go down on you? Do you want to go down on me?"
"I want you to shut up so I can fuck you."
But Jensen seems to have his own ideas. He rolls them over so he's sprawled on top of Jared, and he holds Jared's head and kisses him firmly as he rubs against him. Jared grabs his ass. Jensen shifts just enough to get a hand between them, and Jared bites at his lips as Jensen closes his fingers around Jared's cock.
By now Jared is good and hard and he doesn't care what Jensen does, as long as he does it soon. Jensen obliges him by leaning over to get a condom and the lube from his nightstand drawer. He sits up, rolls the condom down Jared's stiff cock, and slick himself up.
Watching Jensen finger himself is one of the hottest things Jared has ever seen. He makes an involuntary needy little noise in the back of his throat.
"Shh," Jensen murmurs. He reaches down to touch Jared’s face, then kneels astride him, reaches behind himself, and guides Jared inside his ass as he sinks down.
Jared breathes out. He was wrong - Jensen straddling him, riding him, is the hottest thing he’s ever seen.
"I should've gotten my camera," Jensen says. "Photographed you like this. You have no idea how hot you are with your dick inside me."
It’s such an unconscious echo of his own thoughts that Jared has to smile. Jensen leans down to brush his lips across Jared's, and then he sits back up and starts to move.
Jared rests his hands on Jensen's hips, watching Jensen's cock bounce as he rises and falls and watches Jared's face. Jensen rolls his hips and leans down to tweak Jared's nipples. He smiles almost distractedly, apparently concentrating solely on Jared and Jared's pleasure.
Jared's hands move to Jensen's ass, squeezing, encouraging, trying to push himself deeper and deeper into Jensen's body. He bites back a groan. Jensen moves faster, pushing himself off the bed and dropping back down. Jared reaches for his cock but Jensen slaps his hand away.
"You first," he pants.
"Kiss me," Jared says, breathless and hungry. Jensen leans down far enough for Jared to grab the back of his head and pull him the rest of the way. Their mouths meet in a messy clash of tongues and teeth, and now that he's sure the neighbors won't hear him, Jared lets himself moan into Jensen's mouth. Jensen wraps his arms around Jared's head, riding his cock with ever-faster motions, and Jared grabs his shoulders, his arms, his ass.
"Ahh, fuck," he pants against Jensen's lips. "Uhn... God, Jensen, I'm... I'm...."
"Come on," Jensen murmurs. "Come for me."
Jared bucks up, trying to bury himself ever deeper inside Jensen, and comes with a stifled groan. Jensen lifts his head just enough for Jared to see his face, and he watches Jared orgasm with an extremely satisfied expression.
He rides Jared through it, moving until Jared catches his breath and reaches between them for Jensen's cock. Jensen is hard and hot and it takes very little time before he's coming as well and collapsing on Jared's chest.
"Thank you," Jared says softly in his ear. "I really, really needed that."
"It was my pleasure," Jensen says into Jared's neck. He rubs his cheek against Jared's jaw.
Jared strokes Jensen's back. His skin starts to prickle with goosebumps, now that they're finished and have managed to kick all the blankets off the bed. Jensen lifts his head, brushes his lips over Jared's mouth, and climbs off him. Jared just lies there, knowing he should take the condom off, knowing he should get dressed, and not really caring. He feels better. Calmer.
Now he thinks he knows how his customer the ad guy feels, on the nights he's so anxious he can't sleep and has to come to the bookstore to calm down. How horrible to have to feel like that as part of the normal course of your life. Maybe the guy needs someone like Jensen, someone he can go see when he doesn't know what to do with himself, someone who will be able to ground him again.
"What are you thinking?" Jensen asks, dressed again.
"A guy I know," Jared says. "He comes to the store sometimes when it's really late out and he can't sleep. He says it's just too noisy in his head. I think I know what he means. I mean, it's quiet in my brain now, thanks to you, but before, it was so loud." Jensen just smiles at him.
God damn, Jared thinks in his direction, you are fucking stunning.
"I should get dressed, huh," is what he says.
"You should."
So Jared heaves himself off the bed, pitches the condom into the toilet, and puts his clothes back on.
"I really gotta go," Jensen says, heading out of the bedroom. Jared follows reluctantly.
"You can't hang out with me for half an hour?"
"No. I told you, I have to get back to the bar. Chris can handle it for a while, but we should really both be there. I'm lucky I had the afternoon off." He sounds reluctant, but also resolute.
"I took some time to come see you." Jared can feel himself starting to pout like a five-year-old denied a cookie, and stifles the urge. He's a grown-ass adult. He should act like it.
"And I was here." Jensen sighs. "What do you want from me?"
"I want to spend some time with you."
"I don’t - Look. Chris and I are still ironing out the kinks from serving dinner, never mind lunch. Shit I had to keep an eye on six months ago I still need to keep an eye on. I'm here for you as much as I can be, but I got my own business to run." He grabs Jared's coat and holds it out.
"You're a terrible boyfriend," Jared says.
"No, I'm not. I'm a busy boyfriend. I told you when you called that I didn't have a lot of time." He glances at his watch. "Come on. If you hustle I won't miss the bus. I don't want to walk and you don't want me to leave you here."
Jared drags his feet.
"Fine," Jensen huffs. He yanks his coat out of the closet by the front door and pulls it on. "I really need to go."
"Okay, okay." Jared takes his coat and follows Jensen into the hallway. All his sex-endorphin calm has dissipated, and now he's just annoyed.
"Are you pouting?"
"I wanted more than a quickie."
"I'm sorry. I don't want to fight." To his credit, he sounds sincere. "At least come back to the bar with me."
"Why? You'll just have your own shit to do. I'm gonna go back to the Village."
"I can call you later."
"Don't stress yourself out," Jared snaps, heading up the hill towards the Carroll Street station and the train back into the city.
Jensen calls at three-thirty that night to apologize. Jared has calmed down enough to realize he's partly at fault, but he lets Jensen do all the apologizing anyway. Maybe he could be a little less needy and a little more understanding, though.
Jensen is the first person to notice when the bookstore's Kickstarter campaign reaches its funding. He's at the bar one Sunday afternoon, in the office, nominally going through the receipts but really dicking around online, when he checks the campaign page and sees "100% funded" at the top.
"God damn," he says to the empty office. "They really did it." He does a little chair dance, already thinking ahead to the best way he and Jared might celebrate this little milestone. Then he calls The Moose and Mayhem to share the news, in case Jared hasn’t seen it yet. Jensen really wants to be the bearer of this particular glad tiding, and is actually disappointed when a woman answers the phone and says Jared’s out.
"He's making deliveries," she explains. "I can take a message, or you can call his cell."
"Is this Genevieve?"
"Kim. Gen's off today. Who're you?"
"Jensen."
"Oh, hi. What's up?"
"You made your Kickstarter funding."
"We did? No shit! AJ!" she yells. "We got the window campaign! Since when?" she asks Jensen.
"I just checked ten minutes ago. You're actually forty bucks over." Jensen glances at his laptop to make sure.
"We still have almost two weeks! Do you think people will keep contributing?"
"Probably. It says any extra money you make you'll put back into the store."
"What?" Kim says to someone else, probably AJ. "It's too bad we can't drink on the job."
"Come to Red Hook for bourbon after you get off work," Jensen suggests.
"I quit drinking. But I'll have a soda. AJ will drink your bourbon. Don't tell Jared. I'll leave it up on the computer here so he'll see it when he gets back."
Jensen can practically hear Kim grinning on the other end of the phone, and then he remembers that he and Chris offered to throw a party for the local contributors. They need to start planning. Traci has already started foisting her party appetizers on them, anyway.
He tells Chris about it later that day and adds "You owe me for not putting up a fight about lunch."
"You did fight me over lunch," Chris points out.
"You won."
"I wasn't gonna argue with you about throwing Jared a party. I talked to Steve and the guys, and they'll even play for free."
"We should get him involved," Jensen says. "And the girls and Tom. We should do something fun, not just open the doors and let people in."
"We got a band. Traci's making food. What else do you want?"
"A new cocktail. Did I tell you one of Jared's employees - Osric, the little one - came by to measure a bottle of scotch so he could make a kilt for it? He did the same for the Japanese whiskey and the Gangsters' Hill."
"Why?"
"He said we could give them away as door prizes." Jensen shrugs. "He was so excited I couldn't tell him no. Don't worry, we're not giving away the Suntory Hibiki." It's a $120 bottle of whiskey, and while Jensen might love Jared that much, Chris doesn't. "I told him he was welcome to make a little fake beard for the Widow Jane, though, for the full Brooklyn-hipster vibe."
Chris chuckles. "Cute, but we're not giving our liquor away. I'll work with Traci on the menu. You ask Alona to invent a bookstore cocktail. Just don't make it smell like paper."
Sundays are generally quiet nights at the bar, so Jensen isn't any more tired than usual when he and Chris close up and he goes across the river to see Jared. By then of course Jared has seen the news about the Kickstarter campaign and is too excited to stand still. Jensen sits behind the counter and watches him pace back and forth and around the store, chattering about the pledges that the store has to fulfill, and what he and Chad decided about the timeframe for those pledges, and when they can get someone to look at the window again, and how long it will take before the front of the store has been replaced.
All he says about the thank-god-we-made-our-funding party at the bar is "It should be before Christmas and I want everyone from the store to be able to go. It'll the first time we've ever closed when it wasn't a holiday."
After Jensen has finally had enough and gone upstairs to go to bed, Jared calls his phone to say "Can I put up a sign that says 'We're closed for a party, come to Two Brothers in Red Hook and celebrate with us'? So if customers do show up, they know why we're closed?"
"Sure," Jensen says, half-asleep and only half paying attention. "Whatever you want."
"You know you're the best boyfriend, right?"
"Yeah. I gotta sleep."
Jared wakes him up at five, even though Jensen is only awake for two minutes before falling asleep again. But that's enough time for him to congratulate Jared, and enough time for Jared to kiss him, and that's all that counts.
In the morning they kick Sadie out of the bedroom to celebrate properly. Afterwards, they take her for a walk, and then Jensen makes Jared pancakes, and then Jensen goes back home.
The thank-you celebration three weeks later is more crowded than Jensen or Chris expected. Alona has created two new drinks for the occasion - a slightly sweet, slightly fizzy bourbon-based cocktail called the Moose, and a bright red spicy cocktail called the Mayhem. Jared's friend and business partner Chad gives the Mayhem his stamp of approval after Alona confides in him that if he clears it with Chris and Jensen first, she'll even set his on fire.
Osric has, as promised, made a kimono for the Suntory, a kilt for the pillow talk scotch, and a Kentucky Derby hat with tiny fake flowers and a tiny ribbon around its wide brim for the Gangsters' Hill bourbon. He even made a tiny plaid shirt for the Widow Jane 8 year whiskey. Jensen lines up the decorated bottles at the end of the bar with a little sign giving Osric credit for the dressing-up.
He's surprised to see half the Ginger Girls' Club until Felicia explains that one of the members lives not far from The Moose and Mayhem and organized a tiny funding drive among the girls as her contribution to the campaign.
He meets some of Jared's regulars, including Charles the jazz musician, Chris the ad man, Jeff the cop, and the Sams, Jared's late-night nurse friends. Blonde Sam has brought him a hat she knitted for him, a dark green one with "Two Brothers Bar" embroidered on it.
"So your head doesn't get cold in the winter," Jared says, grinning, as Jensen pulls it on. It's very cozy on his head. He has a winter hat already, but it's always nice to get one that someone made special just for you.
"Thank you," he tells Blonde Sam, who beams and tells him it was nothing, she knits during slow hours at the hospital.
"You didn't say the Q word," Brunette Sam says. "I'm proud of you."
"'Quiet'," Jared explains to Jensen. "It's a thing."
Jensen keeps the hat on, at Jared's request, and he feels a little silly until Jared's friend Misha the interpreter shows up wearing a knitted hat that makes it look as if a hedgehog is sitting on his head. It has brown-and-cream spikes and beady black eyes and a pointy nose. Misha's wife confides in Jensen that Misha wanted to wear the sock monkey hat but she talked him out of it because everyone has seen the sock monkey hat. But no one has seen the hedgehog hat.
There are apparently a few people who still don't know that Danneel and Genevieve are engaged, judging by the shrieks of delight that Jensen hears as he walks by a knot of people gathered around the girls. It's been months. How can people not know?
People buy drinks and scarf down Traci's bar snacks. The band gets some people to dance. Jensen and Chris are busy making sure everyone is happy and gets what they came for, but Jensen still makes time to stand next to Jared and let himself be introduced as the best boyfriend ever. Tahmoh, one of Jensen's Queens studio mates, evidently donated some money to the Kickstarter and showed up at the bar, which gives Jensen the chance to introduce Jared as the best boyfriend ever.
"You gotta bring him by and photograph him in good light," Tahmoh says to Jensen, grinning.
"You say that like I haven't done it already," Jensen answers, returning the grin. Jared just looks innocent. Jensen is pretty sure he's thinking about the during- and post-sex pictures. Jensen knows that's what he himself is thinking about, anyway. "You keep monopolizing the studio."
"Eh, I can share."
Two hours in, Jensen waves the band to a halt, gets up on stage, and takes the microphone to try and get everyone's attention.
"Thank you all for coming," he says, before realizing that this isn't his speech to make. It's Jared's. "Wait. Jared, get up here."
"He's in the bathroom," someone calls.
"So, uh, thanks for coming," Jensen repeats, feeling self-conscious. "Do you like the music? Guys, take a bow." The band does. "They'll be back for line-dancing night on Thursday."
"You should all come," Steve adds.
"If you enjoyed the Moose and the Mayhem, Alona created them especially for today. Alona, say hi." He waves in the direction of the bar, and Alona climbs up on the counter to blow everyone a kiss.
By this time Jared has reappeared, and people push him towards the stage until Jensen can hold the microphone out to him and tell him he has the floor.
"Wow, shit," Jared says, looking out at the bar full of people who wanted his bookstore to stay open. "Thanks so much. Seriously, guys, I get to keep my store because of you."
"And me!" Chad yells.
"And Chad. It was his idea to crowd-fund a new window. I can't even tell you how much this means to me. You're the best. Really, I mean it. Thank you so, so much." He just stands there, smiling to split his face, just beaming over the whole bar. Jensen takes the microphone, but before he can say anything, Jared grabs it back. "And thank Jensen and Chris for throwing this party! If you didn't know already, Jensen's the best boyfriend a guy could ask for. Not everyone would do this for me."
Jensen can feel an embarrassed blush creeping up his neck to cover his face, and ducks his head before anyone can see.
He remembers what Jared told him months and months ago, that he made it easy for Jared to want him.
You make it easy, he thinks now. It's easy to be good to you.
Jared kisses him on the cheek, much to his growing embarrassment, and people cheer. Jensen can even hear scattered applause, and he doesn't have to look at the crowd to know that Danneel and Genevieve are grinning all over themselves as if they set Jared and Jensen up, as if they sent Jensen across the river to the bookstore almost a year ago to see if the tall, friendly Texan bookseller he met at the girls' party was as cute as he remembered.
Steve takes the microphone from Jared and says "Enough with the speeches. Who wants to dance?"
The band kicks into gear and Jensen pulls Jared off the stage and away from the crowd.
"You really are the best," Jared says. "I can't tell you how much you helped me when this whole thing was going on. I really needed someone and you were always there."
"What else was I going to do?" Jensen asked. "I mean it. I love you. Of course I was going to help. You listen to me every time I have to bitch about the bar."
"I know, but - "
"No but. I'm always going to be here for you. You should know that."
"Just wait until the contractors actually start putting the window back in." He brushes his lips across Jensen's, quick enough that anyone who might have been looking in their direction wouldn't have caught it. "I don't want to talk about it right now. I just want to celebrate. I'll show you later tonight how grateful I am."
Jensen chuckles. "Tomorrow morning. Show me in the morning."
"Jensen!" Tom yells. "One of the taps is busted! We're getting foam!"
"Shit," Jensen mutters, and Jared laughs. "Shut up. Go be with your friends and supporters. They love you too."
"Not as much as you," Jared says.
"No one loves you as much as me. Now go." He gives Jared a tiny shove and Jared kisses him again and goes off to mingle. Jensen heads over to the bar to check out the tap.
The band calls it quits about an hour later, and Jared and the rest of The Moose and Mayhem's employees go back to the Village to reopen the store. Most of the Kickstarter crowd wanders off. Chris and Jensen congratulate themselves on a party well-thrown. Traci congratulates herself on the fact that there's no party food left. Danneel stays for her shift. Regular drinkers filter in. A couple shows up for a late dinner. Business continues as usual.
After they close up, Chris gives Jensen a ride to the subway station, and Jensen sits on the train and thinks about absolutely nothing until he gets to the bookstore, where he notes someone has painted a giant red heart and "We're getting a new window! Thank you for your support!" in red letters across the plywood.
Jared is glad to see him, but Jared is always glad to see him. Jared is even pleased that Jensen is still wearing the hat that Blonde Sam made him.
And Jensen, for his part, is just glad that eleven months ago, he decided he was ready to start maybe considering looking for a boyfriend, and he was going to begin by checking out the cute guy he'd met at Danneel and Genevieve's party at his bar.
It was probably one of the smartest decisions he's ever made.
Sunday afternoon and Jared is abroad in New York, delivering book orders. Jensen doesn't have to be at the bar for brunch, so he offered to keep Jared company. So far this means that Jensen has to carry the books. He doesn't seem to mind. Jared suspects that Jensen doesn't mind being the pack mule because for once, Jared brought him breakfast in bed.
"Maybe we should move in together," Jared suggests now, as they sit on the C train heading uptown. The next delivery is a large and heavy coffee table book on Art Nouveau design, which is going to a woman on West 87th Street.
"What?" Jensen asks, distracted by something on his phone.
"Nothing." Jared doesn't really mean it. Where would they live? He needs to be close to the store and Jensen needs to be close to the bar. He asked mostly to see Jensen's reaction, and Jensen isn't even paying enough attention to give him one.
"Sorry," Jensen says. "Chris wants to change the brunch menu again and Traci is giving him a hard time."
From what Jared has managed to pick up from Jensen in the several months since the bar started offering real food, this kind of thing happens every time the seasons change. Chris is just a couple of months early, or a couple of months late.
Two girls and a guy get on the train. They're dressed for winter, except none of them is wearing pants.
"You know it was a year ago that you came to the store to say hi?" Jared asks.
"It was?"
"Yeah. It was No-Pants Day." He gestures to the three people braving the January cold in their underwear. Jensen raises an eyebrow at them. "Chad did it one year in college. I went with him to make sure he didn't get into trouble."
"You didn't go pantsless?"
"No."
"Why not?"
Jared shrugs. "I was self-conscious about my legs."
"So we've known each other a year."
"Almost exactly. Yep."
From the outside, his life looks the same. The Moose and Mayhem is still doing fine, his employees are still fun, friendly, hard-working, occasionally weird people, Chad is still Chad, Sadie still wants to make nice with every stranger who walks into the store.
But now his store has plywood over half the front, although soon that plywood will be replaced with new window glass. And more importantly, he has Jensen.
Jared wouldn't trade the last year for anything, even with the damage that happened to his store and the panic that temporarily scrambled his brain.
He surreptitiously takes Jensen's hand.
"What?" Jensen asks.
"I was just thinking."
"I thought I smelled smoke." Jared elbows him.
"Shut up. Last year was a weird year. I don't ever want to wake up and see a car sticking out of the front of my store ever again." He nudges Jensen's leg with one knee. "But I met you. And that made it okay."
"That was nice, wasn't it. Sometimes I think the smartest thing I ever did was come out here instead of going home. Hey, our stop's next."
Jared kisses him on the cheek, knowing Jensen is twitchy about that kind of PDA but unable to stop himself. No one's watching them, anyway.
They get off at 86th Street and walk three blocks to deliver the Art Nouveau book, and then they get on the 1 heading to Columbia University to drop off a short-story collection and a book on the linguistics of swearing.
"I should go back when we're done," Jensen says, after they've caught a subway going downtown. "I need to deal with Chris and his menu."
"I should probably walk my dog," Jared admits. "Do you want to sleep in your own bed tonight?"
"Yeah, I do. Is that okay?"
"Sure. What are you doing tomorrow?"
"I've got lunch duty at the bar, but the studio miraculously opened up so I can play around in the darkroom afterwards. Should be fun. I can bring you dinner."
"That'd be great." Jared pats Jensen's thigh. "If you time it right, someone else will be in the store to watch it and we can go upstairs and fool around."
"That might be nice." Jensen isn't looking at Jared, but Jared can see his pleased grin.
What a difference a year makes. This time last year, Jared wasn't even thinking about dating again, and now he has a boyfriend who will not only follow him around on delivery Sunday, but will carry the books, bring him dinner, and let himself be kissed in public.
"I love you so fucking much," Jared whispers in Jensen's ear. "You really are the best boyfriend." To his great surprise, Jensen turns and kisses him on the mouth. It's very quick, but it's enough to leave a lingering pressure on Jared's lips.
"I know," Jensen says airily, as if nothing just happened. "You are too."
"Next year we should mark our anniversary by going pantsless." Jensen rolls his eyes.
"I think we should mark it by trying something out of Jerry Thomas' Bartenders Guide."
The book that Jensen bought a year ago, because Jared takes his job as bookseller seriously.
By the time they're done with their deliveries, Jared is hungry and Jensen has received three annoyed texts from Traci and four from Chris.
"I need to get back to the bar to play mediator," he tells Jared in front of the bookstore. "I'll see you tomorrow." He points to a brand-new graffiti on the plywood: J+J inside a red heart. "Did you do that?"
"Maybe." Jared grins.
"I'm surprised it took you this long."
He points to G+D in a pink heart. "I did this one too. And then Osric had to add his." The O+S is bright blue. "Soon everyone will have a heart."
"And then you'll have to take the plywood out and replace it with a real window."
"I know! I can't wait. I'm gonna miss all the graffiti, though. I was thinking we could get window paint and decorate for Valentine's Day. Kim's looking into it."
"Sounds like a plan. I really have to go. You want anything in particular tomorrow?"
"Besides you?" Jared says it just to make Jensen blush. He really is cute when he blushes.
"Shut up," Jensen says, but he's smiling. The corners of his eyes crinkle. Jared pulls him close and kisses him, despite the few pedestrians on the sidewalk and the couple of customers who pick that moment to walk out of the bookstore. He hears a dog barking and realizes that Genevieve and Sadie are standing just inside the door, waiting for him.
"Okay," Jared says, surreptitiously squeezing Jensen's ass under his coat. Jensen swats him on the arm. "Tomorrow. Good luck with Chris."
"I'll need it. Hi Genevieve!" Jensen waves at her, rubs behind Sadie's ears, and heads down the street to the subway stop and Brooklyn.
"He's a keeper," Genevieve says, after Jensen is out of earshot.
"I know," Jared tells her. "I'm really lucky."
"He is too." She grins. Jared takes Sadie's leash and they all walk back into the store. "A woman with the fuzziest dog imaginable came in while you were gone. There were already a couple of little kids in the store and they were beside themselves with excitement. Fuzzy and Sadie sniffed each other and everyone was very well-behaved."
"Good girl," Jared says to Sadie, bending down so she can lick his face. She obliges. "I should've brought you a treat." Chris baked her a dozen dog biscuits for Christmas and promised to make more if she liked them, but so far he hasn't followed up. Jared is pretty sure the bar is keeping him too busy.
How lucky Jared is that Jensen isn't too busy to make time for him, and how lucky he is that Jensen wants to make time for him. Jensen is without a doubt the best thing that happened to him last year, and he can only hope that whatever happens this year, it's at least as good.
Author's Note | Extras
NC-17
Part 6 of 6
Master post
Art
He can't stop thinking about the store the entire trip to Jensen's apartment. The Moose and Mayhem is his whole life. He tries to concentrate on the few other people on the subway and what they're reading instead.
Jensen opens the door to him and says he looks like he needs a vacation. In response, Jared just shrugs out of his coat and Jensen drapes it over a chair.
"What do you need?" he asks. "In the hour we've got."
"I don't know," Jared admits, and now that he's here, he really doesn't know. "I can't be in the store any more. I can't stand the plywood. Kim keeps buying kid-safe markers and people keep decorating it and painting it, but it's plywood. It's not a window. It's not the front of my store. I hate waiting for it to be fixed. I can't do anything about the Kickstarter. I don't know what I want to do. I don't know how I feel. I'm not used to - is that me?" He interrupts himself to point at the photos displayed on Jensen's computer monitor. "Why is that me?"
"Because I took some pictures of you? Remember the first time we met for brunch and you had too many Bloody Marys and I had to bring you back here to sober up?"
Jared tries to think. "That was a long time ago. We went to Two Brothers. Alona mixed the drinks really strong. I only had two."
"Three. You drank them pretty fast, as I recall. And we had to come back here because you weren't quite fit to man the bookstore. We sat on the couch."
"You sat on me on the couch." Jared thinks he might have an idea what he wants now, and why he really came here rather than, say, putting on his running shoes and going for a run in Central Park. "I had to take a nap afterwards."
"And I had to take some pictures of you while you were asleep. I thought I told you when you woke up."
"You might have. I don't remember." Jared leans over Jensen's shoulder to get a better look at them. They're black and white photos, taken from different angles, but all showing him asleep on Jensen's bed, his hair in his face, his feet bare, and the sheets wrinkled underneath him. "That was so long ago. Was it before Memorial Day? Why are you just getting around to them now?"
Jensen shrugs. "I've been really busy. Watching me process photos is going to be really boring for you." He takes Jared's hand and leads him over to the couch. "Sit. I'm sorry I don't have a lot of time, but we can talk."
"Just talk?"
Before Jensen can answer, Jared cups the back of his head, pulls his face close, and kisses him. It's intended to be a simple "I'm glad you're my boyfriend and I'm glad I'm here" kiss, but as soon as Jensen's lips open to Jared's tongue, Jared plunges right into it, claiming Jensen's mouth as definitively as he can.
They finally pull apart, breathless, and Jensen smiles. "I guess that answers that question," he says, brushing his thumb across Jared's lower lip. Jared's lips part expectantly.
It only takes a few minutes of locking lips before Jared is running his hand up Jensen's thigh to reach for his cock. He doesn't want to wait. He wants to kiss Jensen's mouth and stroke his cock and fondle his balls and tongue his nipples and hear him groan as his thighs part and Jared pushes inside him.
Jared really, really wants that.
"We should go in the bedroom," Jensen suggests, his voice sounding a little strained. Jared has managed to wedge a hand between Jensen's thighs and squeeze his cock through his jeans.
Jared doesn't want to let go, but he does, and they hustle into Jensen's room and out of their clothes.
"I didn't know what I wanted when I left the store," Jared admits, reaching down to pull Jensen's thigh up and over his hip. "I just wanted to be out. But I think I did know, I just didn't know I knew." Jensen chuckles. "Are you laughing at me?"
"Maybe." A quick kiss, then another. He grins against Jared's mouth. "Do you want to be on top? On the bottom? On the side? Should I go down on you? Do you want to go down on me?"
"I want you to shut up so I can fuck you."
But Jensen seems to have his own ideas. He rolls them over so he's sprawled on top of Jared, and he holds Jared's head and kisses him firmly as he rubs against him. Jared grabs his ass. Jensen shifts just enough to get a hand between them, and Jared bites at his lips as Jensen closes his fingers around Jared's cock.
By now Jared is good and hard and he doesn't care what Jensen does, as long as he does it soon. Jensen obliges him by leaning over to get a condom and the lube from his nightstand drawer. He sits up, rolls the condom down Jared's stiff cock, and slick himself up.
Watching Jensen finger himself is one of the hottest things Jared has ever seen. He makes an involuntary needy little noise in the back of his throat.
"Shh," Jensen murmurs. He reaches down to touch Jared’s face, then kneels astride him, reaches behind himself, and guides Jared inside his ass as he sinks down.
Jared breathes out. He was wrong - Jensen straddling him, riding him, is the hottest thing he’s ever seen.
"I should've gotten my camera," Jensen says. "Photographed you like this. You have no idea how hot you are with your dick inside me."
It’s such an unconscious echo of his own thoughts that Jared has to smile. Jensen leans down to brush his lips across Jared's, and then he sits back up and starts to move.
Jared rests his hands on Jensen's hips, watching Jensen's cock bounce as he rises and falls and watches Jared's face. Jensen rolls his hips and leans down to tweak Jared's nipples. He smiles almost distractedly, apparently concentrating solely on Jared and Jared's pleasure.
Jared's hands move to Jensen's ass, squeezing, encouraging, trying to push himself deeper and deeper into Jensen's body. He bites back a groan. Jensen moves faster, pushing himself off the bed and dropping back down. Jared reaches for his cock but Jensen slaps his hand away.
"You first," he pants.
"Kiss me," Jared says, breathless and hungry. Jensen leans down far enough for Jared to grab the back of his head and pull him the rest of the way. Their mouths meet in a messy clash of tongues and teeth, and now that he's sure the neighbors won't hear him, Jared lets himself moan into Jensen's mouth. Jensen wraps his arms around Jared's head, riding his cock with ever-faster motions, and Jared grabs his shoulders, his arms, his ass.
"Ahh, fuck," he pants against Jensen's lips. "Uhn... God, Jensen, I'm... I'm...."
"Come on," Jensen murmurs. "Come for me."
Jared bucks up, trying to bury himself ever deeper inside Jensen, and comes with a stifled groan. Jensen lifts his head just enough for Jared to see his face, and he watches Jared orgasm with an extremely satisfied expression.
He rides Jared through it, moving until Jared catches his breath and reaches between them for Jensen's cock. Jensen is hard and hot and it takes very little time before he's coming as well and collapsing on Jared's chest.
"Thank you," Jared says softly in his ear. "I really, really needed that."
"It was my pleasure," Jensen says into Jared's neck. He rubs his cheek against Jared's jaw.
Jared strokes Jensen's back. His skin starts to prickle with goosebumps, now that they're finished and have managed to kick all the blankets off the bed. Jensen lifts his head, brushes his lips over Jared's mouth, and climbs off him. Jared just lies there, knowing he should take the condom off, knowing he should get dressed, and not really caring. He feels better. Calmer.
Now he thinks he knows how his customer the ad guy feels, on the nights he's so anxious he can't sleep and has to come to the bookstore to calm down. How horrible to have to feel like that as part of the normal course of your life. Maybe the guy needs someone like Jensen, someone he can go see when he doesn't know what to do with himself, someone who will be able to ground him again.
"What are you thinking?" Jensen asks, dressed again.
"A guy I know," Jared says. "He comes to the store sometimes when it's really late out and he can't sleep. He says it's just too noisy in his head. I think I know what he means. I mean, it's quiet in my brain now, thanks to you, but before, it was so loud." Jensen just smiles at him.
God damn, Jared thinks in his direction, you are fucking stunning.
"I should get dressed, huh," is what he says.
"You should."
So Jared heaves himself off the bed, pitches the condom into the toilet, and puts his clothes back on.
"I really gotta go," Jensen says, heading out of the bedroom. Jared follows reluctantly.
"You can't hang out with me for half an hour?"
"No. I told you, I have to get back to the bar. Chris can handle it for a while, but we should really both be there. I'm lucky I had the afternoon off." He sounds reluctant, but also resolute.
"I took some time to come see you." Jared can feel himself starting to pout like a five-year-old denied a cookie, and stifles the urge. He's a grown-ass adult. He should act like it.
"And I was here." Jensen sighs. "What do you want from me?"
"I want to spend some time with you."
"I don’t - Look. Chris and I are still ironing out the kinks from serving dinner, never mind lunch. Shit I had to keep an eye on six months ago I still need to keep an eye on. I'm here for you as much as I can be, but I got my own business to run." He grabs Jared's coat and holds it out.
"You're a terrible boyfriend," Jared says.
"No, I'm not. I'm a busy boyfriend. I told you when you called that I didn't have a lot of time." He glances at his watch. "Come on. If you hustle I won't miss the bus. I don't want to walk and you don't want me to leave you here."
Jared drags his feet.
"Fine," Jensen huffs. He yanks his coat out of the closet by the front door and pulls it on. "I really need to go."
"Okay, okay." Jared takes his coat and follows Jensen into the hallway. All his sex-endorphin calm has dissipated, and now he's just annoyed.
"Are you pouting?"
"I wanted more than a quickie."
"I'm sorry. I don't want to fight." To his credit, he sounds sincere. "At least come back to the bar with me."
"Why? You'll just have your own shit to do. I'm gonna go back to the Village."
"I can call you later."
"Don't stress yourself out," Jared snaps, heading up the hill towards the Carroll Street station and the train back into the city.
Jensen calls at three-thirty that night to apologize. Jared has calmed down enough to realize he's partly at fault, but he lets Jensen do all the apologizing anyway. Maybe he could be a little less needy and a little more understanding, though.
Jensen is the first person to notice when the bookstore's Kickstarter campaign reaches its funding. He's at the bar one Sunday afternoon, in the office, nominally going through the receipts but really dicking around online, when he checks the campaign page and sees "100% funded" at the top.
"God damn," he says to the empty office. "They really did it." He does a little chair dance, already thinking ahead to the best way he and Jared might celebrate this little milestone. Then he calls The Moose and Mayhem to share the news, in case Jared hasn’t seen it yet. Jensen really wants to be the bearer of this particular glad tiding, and is actually disappointed when a woman answers the phone and says Jared’s out.
"He's making deliveries," she explains. "I can take a message, or you can call his cell."
"Is this Genevieve?"
"Kim. Gen's off today. Who're you?"
"Jensen."
"Oh, hi. What's up?"
"You made your Kickstarter funding."
"We did? No shit! AJ!" she yells. "We got the window campaign! Since when?" she asks Jensen.
"I just checked ten minutes ago. You're actually forty bucks over." Jensen glances at his laptop to make sure.
"We still have almost two weeks! Do you think people will keep contributing?"
"Probably. It says any extra money you make you'll put back into the store."
"What?" Kim says to someone else, probably AJ. "It's too bad we can't drink on the job."
"Come to Red Hook for bourbon after you get off work," Jensen suggests.
"I quit drinking. But I'll have a soda. AJ will drink your bourbon. Don't tell Jared. I'll leave it up on the computer here so he'll see it when he gets back."
Jensen can practically hear Kim grinning on the other end of the phone, and then he remembers that he and Chris offered to throw a party for the local contributors. They need to start planning. Traci has already started foisting her party appetizers on them, anyway.
He tells Chris about it later that day and adds "You owe me for not putting up a fight about lunch."
"You did fight me over lunch," Chris points out.
"You won."
"I wasn't gonna argue with you about throwing Jared a party. I talked to Steve and the guys, and they'll even play for free."
"We should get him involved," Jensen says. "And the girls and Tom. We should do something fun, not just open the doors and let people in."
"We got a band. Traci's making food. What else do you want?"
"A new cocktail. Did I tell you one of Jared's employees - Osric, the little one - came by to measure a bottle of scotch so he could make a kilt for it? He did the same for the Japanese whiskey and the Gangsters' Hill."
"Why?"
"He said we could give them away as door prizes." Jensen shrugs. "He was so excited I couldn't tell him no. Don't worry, we're not giving away the Suntory Hibiki." It's a $120 bottle of whiskey, and while Jensen might love Jared that much, Chris doesn't. "I told him he was welcome to make a little fake beard for the Widow Jane, though, for the full Brooklyn-hipster vibe."
Chris chuckles. "Cute, but we're not giving our liquor away. I'll work with Traci on the menu. You ask Alona to invent a bookstore cocktail. Just don't make it smell like paper."
Sundays are generally quiet nights at the bar, so Jensen isn't any more tired than usual when he and Chris close up and he goes across the river to see Jared. By then of course Jared has seen the news about the Kickstarter campaign and is too excited to stand still. Jensen sits behind the counter and watches him pace back and forth and around the store, chattering about the pledges that the store has to fulfill, and what he and Chad decided about the timeframe for those pledges, and when they can get someone to look at the window again, and how long it will take before the front of the store has been replaced.
All he says about the thank-god-we-made-our-funding party at the bar is "It should be before Christmas and I want everyone from the store to be able to go. It'll the first time we've ever closed when it wasn't a holiday."
After Jensen has finally had enough and gone upstairs to go to bed, Jared calls his phone to say "Can I put up a sign that says 'We're closed for a party, come to Two Brothers in Red Hook and celebrate with us'? So if customers do show up, they know why we're closed?"
"Sure," Jensen says, half-asleep and only half paying attention. "Whatever you want."
"You know you're the best boyfriend, right?"
"Yeah. I gotta sleep."
Jared wakes him up at five, even though Jensen is only awake for two minutes before falling asleep again. But that's enough time for him to congratulate Jared, and enough time for Jared to kiss him, and that's all that counts.
In the morning they kick Sadie out of the bedroom to celebrate properly. Afterwards, they take her for a walk, and then Jensen makes Jared pancakes, and then Jensen goes back home.
The thank-you celebration three weeks later is more crowded than Jensen or Chris expected. Alona has created two new drinks for the occasion - a slightly sweet, slightly fizzy bourbon-based cocktail called the Moose, and a bright red spicy cocktail called the Mayhem. Jared's friend and business partner Chad gives the Mayhem his stamp of approval after Alona confides in him that if he clears it with Chris and Jensen first, she'll even set his on fire.
Osric has, as promised, made a kimono for the Suntory, a kilt for the pillow talk scotch, and a Kentucky Derby hat with tiny fake flowers and a tiny ribbon around its wide brim for the Gangsters' Hill bourbon. He even made a tiny plaid shirt for the Widow Jane 8 year whiskey. Jensen lines up the decorated bottles at the end of the bar with a little sign giving Osric credit for the dressing-up.
He's surprised to see half the Ginger Girls' Club until Felicia explains that one of the members lives not far from The Moose and Mayhem and organized a tiny funding drive among the girls as her contribution to the campaign.
He meets some of Jared's regulars, including Charles the jazz musician, Chris the ad man, Jeff the cop, and the Sams, Jared's late-night nurse friends. Blonde Sam has brought him a hat she knitted for him, a dark green one with "Two Brothers Bar" embroidered on it.
"So your head doesn't get cold in the winter," Jared says, grinning, as Jensen pulls it on. It's very cozy on his head. He has a winter hat already, but it's always nice to get one that someone made special just for you.
"Thank you," he tells Blonde Sam, who beams and tells him it was nothing, she knits during slow hours at the hospital.
"You didn't say the Q word," Brunette Sam says. "I'm proud of you."
"'Quiet'," Jared explains to Jensen. "It's a thing."
Jensen keeps the hat on, at Jared's request, and he feels a little silly until Jared's friend Misha the interpreter shows up wearing a knitted hat that makes it look as if a hedgehog is sitting on his head. It has brown-and-cream spikes and beady black eyes and a pointy nose. Misha's wife confides in Jensen that Misha wanted to wear the sock monkey hat but she talked him out of it because everyone has seen the sock monkey hat. But no one has seen the hedgehog hat.
There are apparently a few people who still don't know that Danneel and Genevieve are engaged, judging by the shrieks of delight that Jensen hears as he walks by a knot of people gathered around the girls. It's been months. How can people not know?
People buy drinks and scarf down Traci's bar snacks. The band gets some people to dance. Jensen and Chris are busy making sure everyone is happy and gets what they came for, but Jensen still makes time to stand next to Jared and let himself be introduced as the best boyfriend ever. Tahmoh, one of Jensen's Queens studio mates, evidently donated some money to the Kickstarter and showed up at the bar, which gives Jensen the chance to introduce Jared as the best boyfriend ever.
"You gotta bring him by and photograph him in good light," Tahmoh says to Jensen, grinning.
"You say that like I haven't done it already," Jensen answers, returning the grin. Jared just looks innocent. Jensen is pretty sure he's thinking about the during- and post-sex pictures. Jensen knows that's what he himself is thinking about, anyway. "You keep monopolizing the studio."
"Eh, I can share."
Two hours in, Jensen waves the band to a halt, gets up on stage, and takes the microphone to try and get everyone's attention.
"Thank you all for coming," he says, before realizing that this isn't his speech to make. It's Jared's. "Wait. Jared, get up here."
"He's in the bathroom," someone calls.
"So, uh, thanks for coming," Jensen repeats, feeling self-conscious. "Do you like the music? Guys, take a bow." The band does. "They'll be back for line-dancing night on Thursday."
"You should all come," Steve adds.
"If you enjoyed the Moose and the Mayhem, Alona created them especially for today. Alona, say hi." He waves in the direction of the bar, and Alona climbs up on the counter to blow everyone a kiss.
By this time Jared has reappeared, and people push him towards the stage until Jensen can hold the microphone out to him and tell him he has the floor.
"Wow, shit," Jared says, looking out at the bar full of people who wanted his bookstore to stay open. "Thanks so much. Seriously, guys, I get to keep my store because of you."
"And me!" Chad yells.
"And Chad. It was his idea to crowd-fund a new window. I can't even tell you how much this means to me. You're the best. Really, I mean it. Thank you so, so much." He just stands there, smiling to split his face, just beaming over the whole bar. Jensen takes the microphone, but before he can say anything, Jared grabs it back. "And thank Jensen and Chris for throwing this party! If you didn't know already, Jensen's the best boyfriend a guy could ask for. Not everyone would do this for me."
Jensen can feel an embarrassed blush creeping up his neck to cover his face, and ducks his head before anyone can see.
He remembers what Jared told him months and months ago, that he made it easy for Jared to want him.
You make it easy, he thinks now. It's easy to be good to you.
Jared kisses him on the cheek, much to his growing embarrassment, and people cheer. Jensen can even hear scattered applause, and he doesn't have to look at the crowd to know that Danneel and Genevieve are grinning all over themselves as if they set Jared and Jensen up, as if they sent Jensen across the river to the bookstore almost a year ago to see if the tall, friendly Texan bookseller he met at the girls' party was as cute as he remembered.
Steve takes the microphone from Jared and says "Enough with the speeches. Who wants to dance?"
The band kicks into gear and Jensen pulls Jared off the stage and away from the crowd.
"You really are the best," Jared says. "I can't tell you how much you helped me when this whole thing was going on. I really needed someone and you were always there."
"What else was I going to do?" Jensen asked. "I mean it. I love you. Of course I was going to help. You listen to me every time I have to bitch about the bar."
"I know, but - "
"No but. I'm always going to be here for you. You should know that."
"Just wait until the contractors actually start putting the window back in." He brushes his lips across Jensen's, quick enough that anyone who might have been looking in their direction wouldn't have caught it. "I don't want to talk about it right now. I just want to celebrate. I'll show you later tonight how grateful I am."
Jensen chuckles. "Tomorrow morning. Show me in the morning."
"Jensen!" Tom yells. "One of the taps is busted! We're getting foam!"
"Shit," Jensen mutters, and Jared laughs. "Shut up. Go be with your friends and supporters. They love you too."
"Not as much as you," Jared says.
"No one loves you as much as me. Now go." He gives Jared a tiny shove and Jared kisses him again and goes off to mingle. Jensen heads over to the bar to check out the tap.
The band calls it quits about an hour later, and Jared and the rest of The Moose and Mayhem's employees go back to the Village to reopen the store. Most of the Kickstarter crowd wanders off. Chris and Jensen congratulate themselves on a party well-thrown. Traci congratulates herself on the fact that there's no party food left. Danneel stays for her shift. Regular drinkers filter in. A couple shows up for a late dinner. Business continues as usual.
After they close up, Chris gives Jensen a ride to the subway station, and Jensen sits on the train and thinks about absolutely nothing until he gets to the bookstore, where he notes someone has painted a giant red heart and "We're getting a new window! Thank you for your support!" in red letters across the plywood.
Jared is glad to see him, but Jared is always glad to see him. Jared is even pleased that Jensen is still wearing the hat that Blonde Sam made him.
And Jensen, for his part, is just glad that eleven months ago, he decided he was ready to start maybe considering looking for a boyfriend, and he was going to begin by checking out the cute guy he'd met at Danneel and Genevieve's party at his bar.
It was probably one of the smartest decisions he's ever made.
Sunday afternoon and Jared is abroad in New York, delivering book orders. Jensen doesn't have to be at the bar for brunch, so he offered to keep Jared company. So far this means that Jensen has to carry the books. He doesn't seem to mind. Jared suspects that Jensen doesn't mind being the pack mule because for once, Jared brought him breakfast in bed.
"Maybe we should move in together," Jared suggests now, as they sit on the C train heading uptown. The next delivery is a large and heavy coffee table book on Art Nouveau design, which is going to a woman on West 87th Street.
"What?" Jensen asks, distracted by something on his phone.
"Nothing." Jared doesn't really mean it. Where would they live? He needs to be close to the store and Jensen needs to be close to the bar. He asked mostly to see Jensen's reaction, and Jensen isn't even paying enough attention to give him one.
"Sorry," Jensen says. "Chris wants to change the brunch menu again and Traci is giving him a hard time."
From what Jared has managed to pick up from Jensen in the several months since the bar started offering real food, this kind of thing happens every time the seasons change. Chris is just a couple of months early, or a couple of months late.
Two girls and a guy get on the train. They're dressed for winter, except none of them is wearing pants.
"You know it was a year ago that you came to the store to say hi?" Jared asks.
"It was?"
"Yeah. It was No-Pants Day." He gestures to the three people braving the January cold in their underwear. Jensen raises an eyebrow at them. "Chad did it one year in college. I went with him to make sure he didn't get into trouble."
"You didn't go pantsless?"
"No."
"Why not?"
Jared shrugs. "I was self-conscious about my legs."
"So we've known each other a year."
"Almost exactly. Yep."
From the outside, his life looks the same. The Moose and Mayhem is still doing fine, his employees are still fun, friendly, hard-working, occasionally weird people, Chad is still Chad, Sadie still wants to make nice with every stranger who walks into the store.
But now his store has plywood over half the front, although soon that plywood will be replaced with new window glass. And more importantly, he has Jensen.
Jared wouldn't trade the last year for anything, even with the damage that happened to his store and the panic that temporarily scrambled his brain.
He surreptitiously takes Jensen's hand.
"What?" Jensen asks.
"I was just thinking."
"I thought I smelled smoke." Jared elbows him.
"Shut up. Last year was a weird year. I don't ever want to wake up and see a car sticking out of the front of my store ever again." He nudges Jensen's leg with one knee. "But I met you. And that made it okay."
"That was nice, wasn't it. Sometimes I think the smartest thing I ever did was come out here instead of going home. Hey, our stop's next."
Jared kisses him on the cheek, knowing Jensen is twitchy about that kind of PDA but unable to stop himself. No one's watching them, anyway.
They get off at 86th Street and walk three blocks to deliver the Art Nouveau book, and then they get on the 1 heading to Columbia University to drop off a short-story collection and a book on the linguistics of swearing.
"I should go back when we're done," Jensen says, after they've caught a subway going downtown. "I need to deal with Chris and his menu."
"I should probably walk my dog," Jared admits. "Do you want to sleep in your own bed tonight?"
"Yeah, I do. Is that okay?"
"Sure. What are you doing tomorrow?"
"I've got lunch duty at the bar, but the studio miraculously opened up so I can play around in the darkroom afterwards. Should be fun. I can bring you dinner."
"That'd be great." Jared pats Jensen's thigh. "If you time it right, someone else will be in the store to watch it and we can go upstairs and fool around."
"That might be nice." Jensen isn't looking at Jared, but Jared can see his pleased grin.
What a difference a year makes. This time last year, Jared wasn't even thinking about dating again, and now he has a boyfriend who will not only follow him around on delivery Sunday, but will carry the books, bring him dinner, and let himself be kissed in public.
"I love you so fucking much," Jared whispers in Jensen's ear. "You really are the best boyfriend." To his great surprise, Jensen turns and kisses him on the mouth. It's very quick, but it's enough to leave a lingering pressure on Jared's lips.
"I know," Jensen says airily, as if nothing just happened. "You are too."
"Next year we should mark our anniversary by going pantsless." Jensen rolls his eyes.
"I think we should mark it by trying something out of Jerry Thomas' Bartenders Guide."
The book that Jensen bought a year ago, because Jared takes his job as bookseller seriously.
By the time they're done with their deliveries, Jared is hungry and Jensen has received three annoyed texts from Traci and four from Chris.
"I need to get back to the bar to play mediator," he tells Jared in front of the bookstore. "I'll see you tomorrow." He points to a brand-new graffiti on the plywood: J+J inside a red heart. "Did you do that?"
"Maybe." Jared grins.
"I'm surprised it took you this long."
He points to G+D in a pink heart. "I did this one too. And then Osric had to add his." The O+S is bright blue. "Soon everyone will have a heart."
"And then you'll have to take the plywood out and replace it with a real window."
"I know! I can't wait. I'm gonna miss all the graffiti, though. I was thinking we could get window paint and decorate for Valentine's Day. Kim's looking into it."
"Sounds like a plan. I really have to go. You want anything in particular tomorrow?"
"Besides you?" Jared says it just to make Jensen blush. He really is cute when he blushes.
"Shut up," Jensen says, but he's smiling. The corners of his eyes crinkle. Jared pulls him close and kisses him, despite the few pedestrians on the sidewalk and the couple of customers who pick that moment to walk out of the bookstore. He hears a dog barking and realizes that Genevieve and Sadie are standing just inside the door, waiting for him.
"Okay," Jared says, surreptitiously squeezing Jensen's ass under his coat. Jensen swats him on the arm. "Tomorrow. Good luck with Chris."
"I'll need it. Hi Genevieve!" Jensen waves at her, rubs behind Sadie's ears, and heads down the street to the subway stop and Brooklyn.
"He's a keeper," Genevieve says, after Jensen is out of earshot.
"I know," Jared tells her. "I'm really lucky."
"He is too." She grins. Jared takes Sadie's leash and they all walk back into the store. "A woman with the fuzziest dog imaginable came in while you were gone. There were already a couple of little kids in the store and they were beside themselves with excitement. Fuzzy and Sadie sniffed each other and everyone was very well-behaved."
"Good girl," Jared says to Sadie, bending down so she can lick his face. She obliges. "I should've brought you a treat." Chris baked her a dozen dog biscuits for Christmas and promised to make more if she liked them, but so far he hasn't followed up. Jared is pretty sure the bar is keeping him too busy.
How lucky Jared is that Jensen isn't too busy to make time for him, and how lucky he is that Jensen wants to make time for him. Jensen is without a doubt the best thing that happened to him last year, and he can only hope that whatever happens this year, it's at least as good.
Author's Note | Extras