muffins 'verse | #03; BitterSweet
Title: BitterSweet
Author: cocoplumb
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Jensen/Jared. sick!Jensen. schmoop.
Warnings: cancer. mentions of chemo. seafood sickness.
Word Count: 2500+
Summary: Jensen is feeling much better and invites Jared on a date to his favourite restaurant.
Notes: Completely un-beta'd because it's 1:30am and I'm lonely for lovely comments.
Previous Parts: #01 | #02
“Hey, Jared, it’s Jensen.”
Jared just about leaped out of his spinning chair but remained as composed as possible, reminding himself he was in public and didn’t want to get fired for breaking the cubical walls -and probably more- between himself and his work neighbour. Also, cell phones weren’t permitted in the work area. Wups. “Hey, hi, how are you?” Jared grinned and spoke low, crouching until he was almost folded under his desk.
“I’m good, much better, thanks.”
Jared let out a sigh of relief he’d been holding for a week since he left Jensen after a day of chemo and a night of puking. Jensen had seemed much better by the time Jared tucked him into bed that night, but he still felt awful for leaving him with nothing but a note that said,
FEEL BETTER, CALL ME,
J.
It had been the fourth -or maybe the fifth- draft of the note Jared planned to leave on Jensen's nightstand. All of them were sort of pathetic and long and needy. When he texted his roommate frantically at six in the morning after a night on Jensen's couch, she suggested short and sweet.
“I’m sorry it took me so long to call, I was taking it easy for a couple of days and then I had to sort out some work stuff.”
“Oh, no, don’t apologize, it wasn’t like I was sitting by the phone everyday.” Jared paused for a moment and glared at Jake in the cubical across from him, smirking with his smug ass face.
“Are you sure about that?” Jensen chuckled a little and Jared’s cheeks flushed. He could listen to that laugh all day.
“Okay, I’ve been hugging my phone for the last seven days, but you’re really cute and I thought I almost blew you off with that lame ass note. I swear it was Genevieve’s idea. She’s my roommate, and now I owe her a pizza because we had this bet-” Jared stopped short when he spotted three of his other fellow workers were now staring at him as well as Jake, eavesdropping on the conversation. He had become the floors resident focus of gossip since they found out he was gay at the Christmas party after he make out with Santa whilst shitfaced.
“Jared, are you still there?” Jensen prompted, Jared had been quiet longer than he thought.
“Yeah, yeah, can you wait a second until I go outside?” Jared was already standing with his cheap suit jacket in hand. He was due his coffee break but had decidedly quit coffee, Genevieve said it made him even more wired and he really didn’t need any help there. What better way to ease the caffeine withdrawal than talking to Jensen?
Jared took the stairs instead of the lift down to the ground floor, by the time a free one opened up for him, Jared’s ten minute allotted break would be over.
“Hey, I’m here again, I’m outside,” he told Jensen, awkwardly putting on his jacket to protect himself from the bitter chill in the morning air. For mid March, the weather was unseasonably cold. Jared wondered if it affected Jensen much, his head must get cold. Maybe there was more to his beanie than simply covering up the bald. Maybe Jared should knit Jensen some hats so he could start a collection. His grandmother would be proud that he still remembered how to knit. Jared wondered if she taught him all those years ago because she knew he was destined to turn out gay and love the needle art more than any self respecting man ever should.
“You knit?”
Jared flushed once again. “How much of that did I say out loud?”
“Uh…I tuned in when you said your grandmother knew you were gay so she taught you how to knit,” Jensen tutted. “You really think knitting makes you gay?”
“No, no I just… whatever, pity me, I’m flustered.” Jared was just relieved the surprise of his coming gift hadn’t been ruined by his inner monologue making an outer appearance.
“I make you flustered?”
Jared grinned and leaned against the sidewall of his office building. “Yep, that a problem?”
“No problem at all. It actually bodes well for my next question.” Jared imagined the smile on Jensen's face; he could hear it in his voice.
“Which is?”
“I wanted to ask you if you wanted to go out, on a real date this time?” Jensen was so smooth, Jared somewhat envied that.
“I would love to, what did you have in mind? I mean, like a movie or dinner or I can cook? I make a mean scrambled egg on toast.”
Jensen laughed. “I was thinking I could take you out, there’s a great seafood restaurant near my place.”
“Seafood, cool.” Jared tried not to gag. The last time he ate something from the sea, he was eleven years old and had food poisoning for a week.
“Tonight good, around seven?”
“I’ll be there. Wait, do you want me to pick you up at seven or the reservations at seven?”
“Pick me up at seven. I’ll see you Jared. Don’t get yourself into trouble at work.”
“I won’t, cya, bye. I can’t wait.” He’d suffer for a lifetime of food poisoning for a date with Jensen.
-
“You look nice,” Jared told Jensen, getting a good look at his outfit for the first time as they entered the restaurant. Jensen wore a black pair of jeans and a burgundy shirt with the sleeves rolled up. His beanie hadn’t changed but the pallor of his skin had. It wasn’t anything near the olive tan Jared usually sported all year round, but Jensen looked considerably healthier under the warm candle glow of the restaurant.
“Thanks,” Jensen smiled at him. “You look nice too.” Jared had on the jeans Genevieve picked out for him just hours ago when she dragged him to the mall after he realised he had nothing date worthy to wear. He also had on a new woollen sweater that was a little itchy and far too warm.
“Reservation for Ackles,” Jensen told the front hostess. She picked up two menus and told them to follow her.
“Is this okay for you?” she asked, eying Jensen's beanie for a long moment before looking back at his face. It made Jared want to shake her.
“Great, thanks,” Jensen told her without faltering.
Jared watched Jensen let her unsubtly slide and decided he’d try the same course of action. He pulled out Jensen's chair for him as any gentleman would, and received a smile in return as he took his own seat.
“Would you like any drinks while you order?” The hostess handed them a menu each and twiddled her fingers together.
“I’ll have a Coke, thank you.”
Jared thought for a moment. He didn’t want to embarrass himself with alcohol if Jensen wasn’t drinking, couldn’t drink. “Orange juice for me, thanks.” He avoided eye contact with her, he wasn’t quite as polite as Jensen when it came to rising above.
“You don’t have to do that,” Jensen told him and Jared simply shook his head.
“I’m a serious lightweight.”
The hostess left with the drinks’ order and Jared opened up his menu. Everything was in some weird language that was probably Italian, and Jared sucked at Italian. Where was Gen when he needed her? Seafood was a really bad idea. He could feel his stomach doing back flips already. He covered his mouth to disguise the look on his face when he found something he did understand- prawns. Blugh…
“So, what’s good here?” he asked Jensen, trying to be nonchalant.
“The lobster is pretty amazing, unless you’re allergic, you’re not allergic are you?” Jensen asked in all seriousness.
“No,” but I wish I was right about now. “I mean I’m pretty sure I’m not. My throat would have closed up the second we walked in here if I was right? Because that guy over there has this huge red thing on his plate I assume is a lobster but I don’t actually know because we never had it when I was a kid. I like steak, do they do steak here? I’m a total stereotypical Texan I know but you can’t beat steak.”
“Jared?” Jensen placed his hand over Jared’s. He was a little chilly.
“U-huh?”
“Do you not like seafood?” he asked softly.
“Yes, yes! Of course I do, love it, can’t get enough of-…okay no, I hate seafood, the last time I had it my uncle practically forced me to eat it and I puked for a week and it was my birthday and it sucked.” He sighed. “I’m sorry, I’m ruining our date.”
“Okay, tell you what, I’ll pick out a few things for you to try, and if you still hate it, then I’ll take you across the street to the Pizza Hut and we can get order takeout and go back to your place and share with your roommate you still owe. Deal?”
Jared didn’t even need a moment to consider. “Okay, deal.” Both of those sounded pretty good. He’d have to text Genevieve to get her ass out of the apartment though on the way home. He wasn’t sharing pizza with Jen and Gen.
-
As it turned out, seafood was pretty awesome. Lobster especially.
“Still want that pizza?” Jensen smirked at him as lobster juice dribbled down Jared’s chin.
“God, no,” Jared’s mouth was full and he was completely undignified as he tore apart the shell.
“So, where do you work? I didn’t get you into trouble this morning did I?”
“No, they didn’t even notice I was gone.” In truth, a couple of his co-workers had tried to snitch on him for leaving the building to take a personal call. Their complaints had gone unheard if the stone cold looks he received for the rest of the day were anything to go by. “I told you I'm a supposed to be working as a temp, right? But I’ve been there for seven months now,” Jared shrugged. “I’m not exactly sure what my current job title actually is but I know I work for some sort of advertising company.”
“It sounds fulfilling,” Jensen chuckled.
“I guess I’m just not one of those people who knows what they want to do or what they’re even good at.”
“You could always start a knitting business.”
Jared threw one of his fries at him and pulled a face. “So, what do you do, you never actually told me.”
Jensen paused for a moment, eating the fry Jared had tossed. “Promise not to freak out?”
“Why would I freak out? Unless you’re a serial killer or professional assassin or something.” Both of those would probably be challenging careers based on Jensen's current health issues.
“Promise?” Jensen pressed until Jared swore with a greasy hook of their pinky fingers. “I used to sort of be in a band,” Jensen admitted bashfully.
Jared mouth flew open. He flapped his arms and said, “Oh…my…God,” putting Janice from Friends to shame. “I’m dating a rockstar?”
“I’m not a rockstar, I used to play guitar in some tiny band no ones ever heard of.”
“I don’t believe you, you’re a total rockstar. Dude, I knew you’d have a really cool job.” Jared grinned and wiped his messy chin. “You said you were doing some work stuff the last few days after taking it easy, what do you do now then if you’re not in the band anymore? Do you think you’ll ever go back, when you’re better?” The thought of Jensen leaving the travel the country with his musical friends made Jared’s chest ache just a touch. But the vision of Jensen in his element, with a guitar, the spotlight shining down on him and glistens of sweat in his grown out hair from the heat of the crowed, Jared beamed with pride.
“I’d like to, Chris, my best friend, said they’ll always be a place for me. He’s actually in town for a couple of weeks, I was booking some more tour dates for the band last week. I guess I’m kind of their personal slave now, I’m good at negotiating and organising via email, and it means I don’t have to leave the bathroom if I have work to do but I’m having a shitty day,” Jensen chuckled.
Jared watched Jensen open up as the evening went along. They talked about anything they wanted to, from other food groups that didn’t come from the sea, to what terrors they were as kids before moving onto which sports teams they supported. Jared was careful to avoid talking about his parents or his family in general, knowing Jensen's relationship with his own. They ordered desert and coffees to spin the night on longer, Jensen at some point mentioned it was getting chilly, so Jared wrapped him in the sweater he’d taken off hours ago and told him how good he looked in something other than a hoodie.
“What?” Jensen asked, midway into a sentence when he noticed Jared staring at him with a stupid look he knew he got when he starting falling for a guy.
“You’re smiling a lot tonight, I like your smile,” Jared told him before shovelling a mouthful of chocolate Sunday into his mouth.
“Yeah, um…if Chris knows I told you before I told him, he’ll kill me, and I know this is terrible date talk, but I wanted you to know…I got a call from my doctor today.”
Jared dropped his spoon abruptly. Jensen was smiling, but Jared felt his heart stop.
“My blood numbers have improved, like way improved. The chemo is working better than he thought it would and I might be having surgery much sooner than planned.”
Jared’s chair clattered to the floor and he pulled Jensen into a solid tight hug. “I’m so happy for you,” he whispered in the man’s ear. He wasn’t sure how long he forced Jensen to stay wrapped in his hold, probably too long for a guy he’d met a week and half ago. He didn’t care. Jensen was beating cancer, kicking it in the front teeth and the family jewels for good measure. He couldn’t remember a time when he was this happy for someone.
“Okay, tiger, I need to breathe and you need to finish your desert.” Jensen patted him on the back and reluctantly, Jared let go. He finished his desert and Jensen drank his coffee. They picked up a Pepperoni deep pan special at Jensen's insistence for Genevieve on the way home, Jared dropped Jensen off, thanking him for an amazing night before he turned in the road and headed to his own apartment.
He ate half of Gen’s pizza and caught the end of a late night Family Guy marathon. When the last episode was over, he put the rest of the pizza the fridge for Genevieve to eat in the morning for breakfast before shutting off the TV and heading to bed. He received a goodnight text from Jensen when his head hit the pillow; he fell asleep smiling so hard it hurt.
The End
PS. I completely forgot I already gave Jensen and Jared jobs. So I've altered a few lines in part 1 because it was just easier than changing this part. Hope that's okay. Sorry for any confusion.
> 04#: The Worst Day Since Yesterday