Broken Pieces, Break Into Me (3/?)
Title: Broken Pieces, Break Into Me
Pairing: Jensen/Jared
Rating: pg-13
Word Count: 2665
Warnings: Language, violence, and homophobia. High School AU. Jared and Jensen are both seniors.
Disclaimer: I own nothing. Jared and Jensen belong to themselves. The fic's title belongs to Adam Lambert.
Summary: High School senior Jared Padalecki is public enemy number one in his school for one reason: he's gay. The only person he can trust is his little sister. But when the new kid, Jensen Ackles, wants to be his friend, Jared may finally find what he's been missing in his life.
Chapter 2
Jared had spent the entire weekend mulling everything over in his mind...in other words, he spent the weekend thinking about Jensen.
It just didn’t make sense to him; how the hell could someone like Jensen Ackles possibly want anything to do with him? He didn’t get it. He knew he was just going to have to wait for the other shoe to drop...nothing in his life was that good.
He hated that he was so pessimistic and untrusting, hated that he had walls made of steel surrounding his heart. But he had to. He just couldn’t trust anyone...trust gave someone the power to be close enough to hurt you. And even though he desperately wanted to be friends with Jensen, he couldn’t risk it.
He couldn’t risk being hurt by Jensen.
He didn’t know if he could survive that.
**
He trudged silently through the hallway towards his locker, hoping that no one would be around to see him since he was almost an hour early. He’d just grab his stuff and hide out in the library until the bell rang.
Or at least that was the plan until someone called out his name.
it’s 7:30 in the fucking morning, are you serious?! his brain screamed as he hurried to grab the rest of his things to make a run for it. His blood was pounding in his ears, blocking out the sound around him as he kicked his locker closed and was ready to get the hell out of dodge. But obviously, the world just had too much fun fucking with him because whoever it was that called his name was now behind him and grabbing his arm to make him turn around.
He squeezed his eyes shut and hated that he hadn’t taken the aspirin Meg had offered him on the way out.
“Please just...,”
“Jare?”
He froze, mind finally catching up with him and putting a name to the voice. He opened his eyes slowly and visibly sagged with relief that it wasn’t a jock just waiting to make their move.
“J-Jensen...”
“Hey... I, uh, saw you walking into the building when I was pulling up...sorry for scaring you.”
Jared rearranged the books he was holding so he could slip them into his backpack and shook his head slightly, “No, s’ok...I just didn’t realize it was you. Um...what’re you doing here so early? No one’s usually here till quarter of.”
“It’s ah, officially my first day, so I decided to come early so I could be sure of my classes. Last thing I want is to be late to class on my very first day.” He said smirking as he held up a piece of paper with his schedule on it.
“I can help you find your classes...if you want?”
Jared tried not to notice the way Jensen’s eyes lit up minutely at his offer.
“Uh...yeah, sure, that’d be great.” He said as he handed Jared his schedule.
Jared read through it quickly and had to bite his lip to keep from grinning at the fact that they shared 5 out of 7 classes.
“What?” Jensen asked, making Jared realize he needed to learn to hide his grin better.
“Nothing, just...we have pretty much the same schedule.”
“Really?”
“Yep.”
“Awesome. So then you just totally became my official tour guide.” Jensen told him smiling as he took his schedule back.
This time Jared couldn’t hide his grin then even if he wanted to.
**
They had every class together except for 4th and 6th period, and Jared assured him that he would tell Jensen how to get to his classes when the time came.
As more people started entering the school, Jared willed the anxiety away. He could already hear the whisperings about them, Jared and the new kid. Jensen must’ve noticed his mini freak out because he bumped his shoulder into Jared’s.
“Hey...how about we head to class now, that way we can get good seats, huh?” He offered, smiling slightly.
Jared tore his eyes away from the people around him and focused on Jensen. Looking into his eyes made everything else around them fade into the background, something Jared was immensely grateful for.
“Don’t worry about anyone else Jare, just focus on me.” He nodded and led the way to their first period class, Jensen close to his side.
**
The whispering and rumors only got worse as they day went on. Jensen stuck to Jared’s side the entire morning, and every time someone would say something to him, why are you hanging out with the freak? or is he paying you or something? Jensen just ignored them and turned to face Jared, silently communicating to him that it was okay, that he could relax.
But Jared could never relax, not at school, not with everyone around him judging him and hating him, planning out ways to make his life hell.
When the bell rang for the end of 3rd period, Jared’s anxiety cranked up another notch and was bordering on straight up fear.
The whispers about them had been kept to just that: whispers. Jared guessed it was because word had gotten around about Jensen threatening to rat out the asshole jocks to the principal. But whatever the reason was, they mostly kept their distance.
But now, Jensen was leaving his side, and Jared was going to go back to being alone.
He didn’t know exactly why he was freaking out; up until a few hours ago, he had spent every day in the school alone; but now that he knew what it was like to have someone with him again, he didn’t want to give it up.
Jared kept fidgeting with the strap on his backpack as he told Jensen the way to get to his next period and Jensen obviously noticed it.
“You okay, Jare?”
“Yeah...yeah, m’fine; we better head to our classes so we won’t be late.” He told him, praying his voice came out even.
He still saw the evident fear in Jensen’s eyes, but was thankful that the other boy let it drop.
“Alright...see you in a bit then.”
Jared just nodded and turned, heading towards his next class and trying to ignore the churning in his stomach as he did so.
He realized a second too late just what class he had fourth period. As he walked into his English class, he looked around and saw them leering back at him, Mike and Tom and the rest of their group; the ringleaders of the entire school and the ones that saw to Jared’s misery personally.
He glanced to the other side of the room and saw Chad and his girlfriend Sophia, the people he called his friends up until all of this shit started and they ran for the metaphorical hills, never even looking back.
Jared trudged to his seat towards the back, cursing the teacher’s insistence that the class be sat in alphabetical order, meaning he sat in front of Mike and directly across from Tom. Again, Jared was sure that whatever higher being was out there was laughing their ass off at his expense.
“So Jay-Bear...you and the new kid looked cozy today in Physics; he your new boyfriend?” Tom asked almost kindly. Jared would’ve been surprised if it weren’t for the evil gleam in his eye and the way he spit out the word.
“Leave me alone, Tom.” Jared mumbled as he took out the assigned reading book, Metamorphosis and kept his eyes glued to his desk as Mike walked over.
Tom continued on as if Jared hadn’t spoken at all, “You see, if he’s just like you, then it’s only fair we dole out the same...treatments. Don’t you agree?”
At that, Jared’s head snapped over to face them, all the blood draining from his face.
“N-no, please...just, leave him alone. He’s not like me, alright, he...he just felt sorry for me. That’s all.” The words spewed out of him in a rush to get out.
He had to protect Jensen, couldn’t ever let this happen to him.
Mike was getting ready to add in his two cents when the bell rang and the teacher called the class to order and told everyone to get to their assigned seats, looking pointedly at Mike.
She began asking questions about the readings from Metamorphosis, but Jared couldn’t hear a word.
His mind was playing over Tom’s words, his overactive imagination adding video to the audio in his head. He was seeing everything they had done to him being done to Jensen and it made him sick.
“Jared, can you explain to us why Gregor decided to lock himself away in his room and from his family after his change?” The teacher asked him, pulling him out of his thoughts.
The answer was easy, because it was for the best, because he couldn’t have the people he cared about hating him, he thought to himself.
But he couldn’t form the words with his lips, knew he couldn’t force out any sounds beyond mumbling ’Jensen’, so he shook his head and the teacher sighed as she asked another student to answer the question.
He had to do whatever it took to protect Jensen.
it’s for the best.
**
When the bell rang, Jared all but ran out of the class, thankful that his next class was just down the hall.
The classroom was empty, so Jared took a seat in the very back corner and laid his forehead against the desk, closing his eyes and letting his hair create a curtain between him and the rest of the world.
He knew he told Jensen they’d meet up so he could show him how to get to class, but Jared couldn’t find the will to move. And maybe this way would be best. The sooner he broke off ties, the easier it would be.
The class continued to fill up, but no one paid him any mind aside from the few sporadic whispers.
The teacher walked in just as the bell rang and heard movement in the desk next to him. He was sure it was Jensen, but he just kept his head down.
“Head up, Mr. Padalecki, unless you’d like to be sent to the nurse’s office.” He seriously considered that option; just spending the rest of the day there, or maybe even being sent home, but instead he raised his head and kept his eyes straight forward for the rest of the class.
When the bell rang he gathered his stuff and barely looked over to Jensen as the other boy called his name.
“Your class is upstairs, 3rd door on the right,” Jared said as he went to the door.
“Jare, wait, what’s going-”
“Bye, Jensen.”
it’s for the best his mind looped over again as he walked away.
**
Jared ate his lunch in the library like usual, glad that he didn’t mention it to Jensen, but feeling guilty as hell for abandoning him.
He knew why he was doing it, but that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt.
His sixth period teacher called in absent, so the substitute’s only rule was to keep the volume in the room to a reasonable level.
10 minutes into class, Jared asked to go to the bathroom and decided to just stay there for the rest of the period.
He decided to stay there when 7th period rolled around as well.
With only a half hour left until the final bell rang for the day, he picked up his stuff and made his way to his locker, figuring he might as well get ready to leave now since he definitely wasn’t going to be in class for last period.
He turned the corner and slammed right into someone, making his books fall out of his hands.
“I’m so sorry...are you-” He looked up to see who he bumped into and cemented his theory on higher beings reveling in his misery.
“Shouldn’t you be in class, Jay-Bear?” Tom asked, smirking as nudged Jared’s book away from him with his foot as Jared reached for it.
“I-I was just going back...” He replied, stumbling over his words as he grabbed his books and papers and piled them, standing back up.
“Really? Well...it’s last period, I doubt the teachers will care if you’re gone just a little longer.”
Jared didn’t answer him, just kept staring as he took a step back.
Tom obviously didn’t like that because he smacked the tops of his books, making them fall out of his hands again and onto the ground.
“Didn’t we talk about being polite the other day Jared? Well, it’s not nice to ignore me and try to run away.” Tom told him, kicking one of his textbooks across the hall.
“Tom, please, I-”
“Hey, Jared!”
Jared looks down the hall to see Jensen jogging over to them just as Tom takes a minute step back.
wait...what the hell?
He stands next to them and Jared realizes that Jensen’s put himself in between him and Tom, and Jared’s torn between relief and the need to get Jensen the hell away from Tom.
“Mr. Andrews sent me to make sure you were alright, you’ve been out of class for a while and he was worried.” Jensen told him, eyes scanning over Jared’s body quickly, no doubt mentally cataloging him for any new marks.
Jared looks over at Tom to see him glaring at Jensen before turning around and heading into a classroom at the end of the hallway.
Jared looks away and then steps back, going over to where one of his books landed.
“What’re you doing, Jensen?”
“Obviously helping you.” He replied as he picked up the rest of the books and stacked them up before facing Jared.
“Yeah well...you have a saving people thing.”
“And you have a getting in trouble thing.”
Jared added the book in his hand to the pile and straightened to face him.
“What the hell’s going, Jare?”
“Nothing.”
“Then why have you suddenly been ignoring me since fourth period? Hell, you skipped an entire class just to avoid me.”
“I wasn’t-”
“Yes. You were. Just talk to me, Jared...please?”
“There’s nothing to talk about, Jensen.” He mumbled, crossing his arms over his chest and looking away from him.
“Bull shit.” Jensen said as he closed the distance between them and grabbed Jared’s jaw, turning his face gently.
“It’s not a good idea to be skipping class on your first day...you should go-”
“Jared.”
Jared looked into Jensen’s eyes, seeing the confusion and worry swirling around there, and his defenses collapsed.
“I’m protecting you.” He whispered, clenching his jaw, trying to keep his emotions in order.
“Wha-protecting me? From What, Jare?”
“From them! Tom and the rest of the jocks. They...they said that since you’re like me, they should treat you the same. They’ll hurt you, Jensen, and I can’t let that happen.”
Jensen let go of Jared’s face but kept eye contact with him.
“Jared...they won’t hurt me, they’re not stupid enough to.”
“You don’t know that Jen...I can’t risk you getting hurt because of me.”
Jensen laid both of his hands against Jared’s face, palms resting on his cheeks lightly but reassuringly, “Jared, nothing is going to happen to me, okay? Stop being so pessimistic about everything.”
Jared gave him a small smile, “Easier said than done...”
“Well, I’ll be right here to help you out with that, alright? Just...don’t push me away. I kinda made a promise that I’d take care of you.”
“Meg?”
“Yep. She loves you, Jare, she wants to make sure you’re okay...and are you?”
Jared stared into Jensen’s eyes, mesmerized by the vibrant green and barely there flecks of gold that stared back at him in reassurance.
“I ...I will be.”
For the first time in what felt like forever, he was finally telling the truth. As long as he had Jensen, someone that actually cared about him, he’d hopefully be okay.
Chapter 4
Pairing: Jensen/Jared
Rating: pg-13
Word Count: 2665
Warnings: Language, violence, and homophobia. High School AU. Jared and Jensen are both seniors.
Disclaimer: I own nothing. Jared and Jensen belong to themselves. The fic's title belongs to Adam Lambert.
Summary: High School senior Jared Padalecki is public enemy number one in his school for one reason: he's gay. The only person he can trust is his little sister. But when the new kid, Jensen Ackles, wants to be his friend, Jared may finally find what he's been missing in his life.
Chapter 2
Jared had spent the entire weekend mulling everything over in his mind...in other words, he spent the weekend thinking about Jensen.
It just didn’t make sense to him; how the hell could someone like Jensen Ackles possibly want anything to do with him? He didn’t get it. He knew he was just going to have to wait for the other shoe to drop...nothing in his life was that good.
He hated that he was so pessimistic and untrusting, hated that he had walls made of steel surrounding his heart. But he had to. He just couldn’t trust anyone...trust gave someone the power to be close enough to hurt you. And even though he desperately wanted to be friends with Jensen, he couldn’t risk it.
He couldn’t risk being hurt by Jensen.
He didn’t know if he could survive that.
**
He trudged silently through the hallway towards his locker, hoping that no one would be around to see him since he was almost an hour early. He’d just grab his stuff and hide out in the library until the bell rang.
Or at least that was the plan until someone called out his name.
it’s 7:30 in the fucking morning, are you serious?! his brain screamed as he hurried to grab the rest of his things to make a run for it. His blood was pounding in his ears, blocking out the sound around him as he kicked his locker closed and was ready to get the hell out of dodge. But obviously, the world just had too much fun fucking with him because whoever it was that called his name was now behind him and grabbing his arm to make him turn around.
He squeezed his eyes shut and hated that he hadn’t taken the aspirin Meg had offered him on the way out.
“Please just...,”
“Jare?”
He froze, mind finally catching up with him and putting a name to the voice. He opened his eyes slowly and visibly sagged with relief that it wasn’t a jock just waiting to make their move.
“J-Jensen...”
“Hey... I, uh, saw you walking into the building when I was pulling up...sorry for scaring you.”
Jared rearranged the books he was holding so he could slip them into his backpack and shook his head slightly, “No, s’ok...I just didn’t realize it was you. Um...what’re you doing here so early? No one’s usually here till quarter of.”
“It’s ah, officially my first day, so I decided to come early so I could be sure of my classes. Last thing I want is to be late to class on my very first day.” He said smirking as he held up a piece of paper with his schedule on it.
“I can help you find your classes...if you want?”
Jared tried not to notice the way Jensen’s eyes lit up minutely at his offer.
“Uh...yeah, sure, that’d be great.” He said as he handed Jared his schedule.
Jared read through it quickly and had to bite his lip to keep from grinning at the fact that they shared 5 out of 7 classes.
“What?” Jensen asked, making Jared realize he needed to learn to hide his grin better.
“Nothing, just...we have pretty much the same schedule.”
“Really?”
“Yep.”
“Awesome. So then you just totally became my official tour guide.” Jensen told him smiling as he took his schedule back.
This time Jared couldn’t hide his grin then even if he wanted to.
**
They had every class together except for 4th and 6th period, and Jared assured him that he would tell Jensen how to get to his classes when the time came.
As more people started entering the school, Jared willed the anxiety away. He could already hear the whisperings about them, Jared and the new kid. Jensen must’ve noticed his mini freak out because he bumped his shoulder into Jared’s.
“Hey...how about we head to class now, that way we can get good seats, huh?” He offered, smiling slightly.
Jared tore his eyes away from the people around him and focused on Jensen. Looking into his eyes made everything else around them fade into the background, something Jared was immensely grateful for.
“Don’t worry about anyone else Jare, just focus on me.” He nodded and led the way to their first period class, Jensen close to his side.
**
The whispering and rumors only got worse as they day went on. Jensen stuck to Jared’s side the entire morning, and every time someone would say something to him, why are you hanging out with the freak? or is he paying you or something? Jensen just ignored them and turned to face Jared, silently communicating to him that it was okay, that he could relax.
But Jared could never relax, not at school, not with everyone around him judging him and hating him, planning out ways to make his life hell.
When the bell rang for the end of 3rd period, Jared’s anxiety cranked up another notch and was bordering on straight up fear.
The whispers about them had been kept to just that: whispers. Jared guessed it was because word had gotten around about Jensen threatening to rat out the asshole jocks to the principal. But whatever the reason was, they mostly kept their distance.
But now, Jensen was leaving his side, and Jared was going to go back to being alone.
He didn’t know exactly why he was freaking out; up until a few hours ago, he had spent every day in the school alone; but now that he knew what it was like to have someone with him again, he didn’t want to give it up.
Jared kept fidgeting with the strap on his backpack as he told Jensen the way to get to his next period and Jensen obviously noticed it.
“You okay, Jare?”
“Yeah...yeah, m’fine; we better head to our classes so we won’t be late.” He told him, praying his voice came out even.
He still saw the evident fear in Jensen’s eyes, but was thankful that the other boy let it drop.
“Alright...see you in a bit then.”
Jared just nodded and turned, heading towards his next class and trying to ignore the churning in his stomach as he did so.
He realized a second too late just what class he had fourth period. As he walked into his English class, he looked around and saw them leering back at him, Mike and Tom and the rest of their group; the ringleaders of the entire school and the ones that saw to Jared’s misery personally.
He glanced to the other side of the room and saw Chad and his girlfriend Sophia, the people he called his friends up until all of this shit started and they ran for the metaphorical hills, never even looking back.
Jared trudged to his seat towards the back, cursing the teacher’s insistence that the class be sat in alphabetical order, meaning he sat in front of Mike and directly across from Tom. Again, Jared was sure that whatever higher being was out there was laughing their ass off at his expense.
“So Jay-Bear...you and the new kid looked cozy today in Physics; he your new boyfriend?” Tom asked almost kindly. Jared would’ve been surprised if it weren’t for the evil gleam in his eye and the way he spit out the word.
“Leave me alone, Tom.” Jared mumbled as he took out the assigned reading book, Metamorphosis and kept his eyes glued to his desk as Mike walked over.
Tom continued on as if Jared hadn’t spoken at all, “You see, if he’s just like you, then it’s only fair we dole out the same...treatments. Don’t you agree?”
At that, Jared’s head snapped over to face them, all the blood draining from his face.
“N-no, please...just, leave him alone. He’s not like me, alright, he...he just felt sorry for me. That’s all.” The words spewed out of him in a rush to get out.
He had to protect Jensen, couldn’t ever let this happen to him.
Mike was getting ready to add in his two cents when the bell rang and the teacher called the class to order and told everyone to get to their assigned seats, looking pointedly at Mike.
She began asking questions about the readings from Metamorphosis, but Jared couldn’t hear a word.
His mind was playing over Tom’s words, his overactive imagination adding video to the audio in his head. He was seeing everything they had done to him being done to Jensen and it made him sick.
“Jared, can you explain to us why Gregor decided to lock himself away in his room and from his family after his change?” The teacher asked him, pulling him out of his thoughts.
The answer was easy, because it was for the best, because he couldn’t have the people he cared about hating him, he thought to himself.
But he couldn’t form the words with his lips, knew he couldn’t force out any sounds beyond mumbling ’Jensen’, so he shook his head and the teacher sighed as she asked another student to answer the question.
He had to do whatever it took to protect Jensen.
it’s for the best.
**
When the bell rang, Jared all but ran out of the class, thankful that his next class was just down the hall.
The classroom was empty, so Jared took a seat in the very back corner and laid his forehead against the desk, closing his eyes and letting his hair create a curtain between him and the rest of the world.
He knew he told Jensen they’d meet up so he could show him how to get to class, but Jared couldn’t find the will to move. And maybe this way would be best. The sooner he broke off ties, the easier it would be.
The class continued to fill up, but no one paid him any mind aside from the few sporadic whispers.
The teacher walked in just as the bell rang and heard movement in the desk next to him. He was sure it was Jensen, but he just kept his head down.
“Head up, Mr. Padalecki, unless you’d like to be sent to the nurse’s office.” He seriously considered that option; just spending the rest of the day there, or maybe even being sent home, but instead he raised his head and kept his eyes straight forward for the rest of the class.
When the bell rang he gathered his stuff and barely looked over to Jensen as the other boy called his name.
“Your class is upstairs, 3rd door on the right,” Jared said as he went to the door.
“Jare, wait, what’s going-”
“Bye, Jensen.”
it’s for the best his mind looped over again as he walked away.
**
Jared ate his lunch in the library like usual, glad that he didn’t mention it to Jensen, but feeling guilty as hell for abandoning him.
He knew why he was doing it, but that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt.
His sixth period teacher called in absent, so the substitute’s only rule was to keep the volume in the room to a reasonable level.
10 minutes into class, Jared asked to go to the bathroom and decided to just stay there for the rest of the period.
He decided to stay there when 7th period rolled around as well.
With only a half hour left until the final bell rang for the day, he picked up his stuff and made his way to his locker, figuring he might as well get ready to leave now since he definitely wasn’t going to be in class for last period.
He turned the corner and slammed right into someone, making his books fall out of his hands.
“I’m so sorry...are you-” He looked up to see who he bumped into and cemented his theory on higher beings reveling in his misery.
“Shouldn’t you be in class, Jay-Bear?” Tom asked, smirking as nudged Jared’s book away from him with his foot as Jared reached for it.
“I-I was just going back...” He replied, stumbling over his words as he grabbed his books and papers and piled them, standing back up.
“Really? Well...it’s last period, I doubt the teachers will care if you’re gone just a little longer.”
Jared didn’t answer him, just kept staring as he took a step back.
Tom obviously didn’t like that because he smacked the tops of his books, making them fall out of his hands again and onto the ground.
“Didn’t we talk about being polite the other day Jared? Well, it’s not nice to ignore me and try to run away.” Tom told him, kicking one of his textbooks across the hall.
“Tom, please, I-”
“Hey, Jared!”
Jared looks down the hall to see Jensen jogging over to them just as Tom takes a minute step back.
wait...what the hell?
He stands next to them and Jared realizes that Jensen’s put himself in between him and Tom, and Jared’s torn between relief and the need to get Jensen the hell away from Tom.
“Mr. Andrews sent me to make sure you were alright, you’ve been out of class for a while and he was worried.” Jensen told him, eyes scanning over Jared’s body quickly, no doubt mentally cataloging him for any new marks.
Jared looks over at Tom to see him glaring at Jensen before turning around and heading into a classroom at the end of the hallway.
Jared looks away and then steps back, going over to where one of his books landed.
“What’re you doing, Jensen?”
“Obviously helping you.” He replied as he picked up the rest of the books and stacked them up before facing Jared.
“Yeah well...you have a saving people thing.”
“And you have a getting in trouble thing.”
Jared added the book in his hand to the pile and straightened to face him.
“What the hell’s going, Jare?”
“Nothing.”
“Then why have you suddenly been ignoring me since fourth period? Hell, you skipped an entire class just to avoid me.”
“I wasn’t-”
“Yes. You were. Just talk to me, Jared...please?”
“There’s nothing to talk about, Jensen.” He mumbled, crossing his arms over his chest and looking away from him.
“Bull shit.” Jensen said as he closed the distance between them and grabbed Jared’s jaw, turning his face gently.
“It’s not a good idea to be skipping class on your first day...you should go-”
“Jared.”
Jared looked into Jensen’s eyes, seeing the confusion and worry swirling around there, and his defenses collapsed.
“I’m protecting you.” He whispered, clenching his jaw, trying to keep his emotions in order.
“Wha-protecting me? From What, Jare?”
“From them! Tom and the rest of the jocks. They...they said that since you’re like me, they should treat you the same. They’ll hurt you, Jensen, and I can’t let that happen.”
Jensen let go of Jared’s face but kept eye contact with him.
“Jared...they won’t hurt me, they’re not stupid enough to.”
“You don’t know that Jen...I can’t risk you getting hurt because of me.”
Jensen laid both of his hands against Jared’s face, palms resting on his cheeks lightly but reassuringly, “Jared, nothing is going to happen to me, okay? Stop being so pessimistic about everything.”
Jared gave him a small smile, “Easier said than done...”
“Well, I’ll be right here to help you out with that, alright? Just...don’t push me away. I kinda made a promise that I’d take care of you.”
“Meg?”
“Yep. She loves you, Jare, she wants to make sure you’re okay...and are you?”
Jared stared into Jensen’s eyes, mesmerized by the vibrant green and barely there flecks of gold that stared back at him in reassurance.
“I ...I will be.”
For the first time in what felt like forever, he was finally telling the truth. As long as he had Jensen, someone that actually cared about him, he’d hopefully be okay.
Chapter 4