I'll Shelter You - J2 - Stocking Fic
Title: I'll Shelter You
Author: wolfish_willow
Pairing: Jared/Jensen
Rating: PG/PG-13 for suggestions of ex-rentboy!Jensen maybe?
Disclaimer: I don't own these people, I'm just using names/likenesses for fun. Not profit. They belong to themselves. This is fiction.
Word Count: ~1,700
Summary: When Jared's sister walks into the shelter Jensen runs, he hopes she's there for what he thinks. To give Jared at least a piece of his family back and get him off the streets.
Notes: Written for salire's fandom_stocking, originally posted here.
Jensen would recognize her from the shape and shade of her slanted eyes alone, so like her brother's there can be no mistaking the resemblance. She strides into the shelter, shoulders back and spine straight but he can see how forced it is. Like she's trying to cover up how weary she really is and he can imagine why.
He straightens from where he's been sorting out some of their donations with a smile and he gives her credit for returning it, unmade lips stretching thinly across her face like it takes an effort to hold it.
"Is there something I can do for you?" he asks even though he's fairly certain he knows why she's here.
"I just… I've been looking for my brother," she says, dropping her smile and looking down to rifle through her designer purse that still looks new unlike her brother's designer jeans that were wrinkled and torn when Jensen saw him. "Our parents just… and he's been on his own for God knows how long and I just need to find him."
Jensen takes the picture she holds out. It looks like a school picture, his smile wide but fake the way they always are in pictures like this. But he looks the same as Jensen last saw him, hair a little cleaner and less limp, and less tension in his face maybe.
"Jared," he says finally. Her eyes - even in the dim light he can see how they're the same mix of blue and green and gold of Jared's - go wide and hopeful.
"Yes, Jared. You know where he is?"
Shaking his head, he presses on before her face can fall. "I don't know where he is right now, but he always comes by the shelter when it starts getting dark to grab something to eat before he heads out again for the night." He doesn't explain what her brother's been trying to do - would have been through had he not chased away all those potential 'clients' - when he leaves here again, but the worry for her brother is clear in the crease of her forehead, how her lips pinch together. "You can wait here if you want, but if you give me a card or something, I can make sure he gets to you."
She bites her lip and Jensen waits patiently, willing to do whatever she wants if it means Jared can be with someone who will help him. Especially the sister Jared had been so sure would hate him the way his parents told him she would when they kicked him out. "I have a shift today," she strains out like it hurts to say the words - Jensen understands, he wishes he could be available for Jared all day, too - but she's looking him in the eye and standing even taller now somehow. She holds out a card he hadn't even noticed her slide out of her purse. "But it's not long and if you could please have him call or, God, bring him to that address. I've got his room all set up and everything, it's been ready since I found out and I just. Please, I need to make sure he's alright."
The card is rough against his fingers, thick cardstock that he's determined to keep from losing. "Of course…"
"Megan," she sighs, like it's a relief. "Megan Padalecki."
"Megan," he repeats. "I'll make sure he at least calls you tonight if he comes by. I promise."
***
When Jared comes in that night he looks exhausted. His shoulders are hunched, making him look smaller than he is; it's the opposite of how Megan had looked when she walked into the shelter.
The building has a steady din of clinking dishes and murmured conversation, but he hears Jared's quiet "Hey," well enough, like his ears are fine tuned to pick up on Jared's voice.
"Hey, kid," he says, smirking at the way Jared wrinkles his nose.
"I told you not to call me that."
"What? I can't hear you over all of the noise."
It feels ridiculously like a victory when Jared rolls his eyes, lips twitching into a small, lopsided smile.
"You up to helping me out again tonight?"
Jared's eyes spark the way they always do when Jensen has work for him. His face smooths over with determination every time. Jensen still isn't sure if he was like that before he found himself kicked out and on his own, or if it's something he developed since. Like he needs to make himself useful again somehow. He'd seen the same look in Jared's eyes the first time he saw him, walking down the street, fresh meat for some of the 'clientele' around here. All of his potential 'clients' drove right on by when they saw Jensen walking from his car, just like they have since he pulled himself out of the same situation and started helping out - and eventually running - the shelter. They tend to stay away from picking up the kids - that's really what so many of them are - when Jensen is there. He's beyond grateful that he's managed to build up that much of a reputation, that he was able to save Jared from going that route the first time, and others before him.
"Sure."
***
They drive mostly in silence, like always, the radio playing softly in the background. But Jensen can tell the exact moment when Jared recognizes the street they're on by the way he straightens in the seat. The kid doesn't say anything, wouldn't have any reason to believe they're headed to his sister's house when he obviously believes she wants about as much to do with him as their parents.
He goes still, though, when Jensen pulls up to one of them; a two-story white house with blue trim and a tree taller than the house in front. It's big and still manages to look welcoming amid all the other houses that seem too rich and cold.
"What are we doing here?" Jared asks, probably trying to sound hard, something he hasn't quite managed yet in his time alone. It comes out scared, though and Jensen reaches his hand to rest gradually on the kid's shoulder, squeezing it in reassurance.
"Trust me, okay?"
Jared turns wide eyes on him, shimmery and wet but his lips thin into a steady line. He looks almost like he did earlier, determined and ready to face whatever's coming, even if the outcome might not be favorable for him. But his shoulder relaxes minutely under Jensen's hand and he calls it a win.
They barely make it to the door before it swings open and Jensen spreads his fingers wide on Jared's back when the kid jolts in surprise.
"Jaybird!"
Megan's excited squeal is the only warning they get before she rushes forward and wraps her arms around Jared's shoulders, standing on her toes to reach as high as she can. Jensen hadn't realized how tall she actually is when she was at the shelter earlier, but she's only just shorter than his own height. It seems they got the tall genes in their family.
"Meggie?"
Jared's voice cracks, sounds more fragile than he had the first night they met, but his arms wrap even tighter around Meg's slender form.
Jensen steps back when he hears her first murmured, wet "Sorry," to give them some privacy, but he doesn't get far before they call him back over. He finds himself suddenly wrapped up in what he can only call a group hug, Jared and Megan's arms pulling him in until he has no choice but to do the same.
"Thank you so much for taking care of my baby brother," Megan sniffs when they let him go. Jensen has a feeling Jared usually likes being called that about as much as he likes being called 'kid', but he doesn't seem to care right now, too busy clinging onto her sleeve with one hand and Jensen's with the other.
Jensen shrugs, rubs the back of his neck. "I do what I can. I remember what it's like when you're on your own."
Megan nods, standing somehow even taller than when she'd walked into the shelter. It's not forced this time, he realizes. "Jensen, was it?" He nods and she smiles at him, bright and wide and dimpled just like her brother's. "I might have gone a little overboard with food tonight. We'd love if you could join us for dinner. To say thank you."
He doesn't bother trying to tell her there's nothing to thank him for. It may not have been all his doing, but she has her brother back and he can tell she doesn't plan on letting him go again any time soon, and he knows he'd say the same thing if someone had helped bring the kid back into his life.
"The shelter…" he starts but surprisingly it's Jared who cuts him off.
"Sophia's there to pick up the slack," Jared says with a small smirk that looks at home on his face. Jensen wouldn't be surprised if he'd been a bit of a prankster before being kicked out.
"Still," Jensen tries, but Megan and Jared just share a look, speaking words with their eyes that Jensen has no hope of deciphering. Megan shoots him a quick, knowing glance before tugging on the hem of Jared's threadbare shirt. She goes back up the porch steps and walks into the house when her brother lets go of her sleeve.
"I saw Danni at the shelter, too, before we left," Jared breaks the silence and Jensen forces himself not to jump. He looks up at Jared, sees how relaxed he is now compared to how he's been every single time Jensen has seen him and it makes him smile.
"Jared…"
"Come in and have dinner with us," Jared cuts him off again, letting go of Jensen's sleeve to wrap long fingers around Jensen's wrist.
He doesn't resist when Jared drags him closer, close enough that he can feel the heat coming off of him. "I am pretty hungry," Jensen finally says.
The smile Jared flashes him is nothing compared to the one on Jensen's face after Jared kisses him for the first time.
END
Author: wolfish_willow
Pairing: Jared/Jensen
Rating: PG/PG-13 for suggestions of ex-rentboy!Jensen maybe?
Disclaimer: I don't own these people, I'm just using names/likenesses for fun. Not profit. They belong to themselves. This is fiction.
Word Count: ~1,700
Summary: When Jared's sister walks into the shelter Jensen runs, he hopes she's there for what he thinks. To give Jared at least a piece of his family back and get him off the streets.
Notes: Written for salire's fandom_stocking, originally posted here.
Jensen would recognize her from the shape and shade of her slanted eyes alone, so like her brother's there can be no mistaking the resemblance. She strides into the shelter, shoulders back and spine straight but he can see how forced it is. Like she's trying to cover up how weary she really is and he can imagine why.
He straightens from where he's been sorting out some of their donations with a smile and he gives her credit for returning it, unmade lips stretching thinly across her face like it takes an effort to hold it.
"Is there something I can do for you?" he asks even though he's fairly certain he knows why she's here.
"I just… I've been looking for my brother," she says, dropping her smile and looking down to rifle through her designer purse that still looks new unlike her brother's designer jeans that were wrinkled and torn when Jensen saw him. "Our parents just… and he's been on his own for God knows how long and I just need to find him."
Jensen takes the picture she holds out. It looks like a school picture, his smile wide but fake the way they always are in pictures like this. But he looks the same as Jensen last saw him, hair a little cleaner and less limp, and less tension in his face maybe.
"Jared," he says finally. Her eyes - even in the dim light he can see how they're the same mix of blue and green and gold of Jared's - go wide and hopeful.
"Yes, Jared. You know where he is?"
Shaking his head, he presses on before her face can fall. "I don't know where he is right now, but he always comes by the shelter when it starts getting dark to grab something to eat before he heads out again for the night." He doesn't explain what her brother's been trying to do - would have been through had he not chased away all those potential 'clients' - when he leaves here again, but the worry for her brother is clear in the crease of her forehead, how her lips pinch together. "You can wait here if you want, but if you give me a card or something, I can make sure he gets to you."
She bites her lip and Jensen waits patiently, willing to do whatever she wants if it means Jared can be with someone who will help him. Especially the sister Jared had been so sure would hate him the way his parents told him she would when they kicked him out. "I have a shift today," she strains out like it hurts to say the words - Jensen understands, he wishes he could be available for Jared all day, too - but she's looking him in the eye and standing even taller now somehow. She holds out a card he hadn't even noticed her slide out of her purse. "But it's not long and if you could please have him call or, God, bring him to that address. I've got his room all set up and everything, it's been ready since I found out and I just. Please, I need to make sure he's alright."
The card is rough against his fingers, thick cardstock that he's determined to keep from losing. "Of course…"
"Megan," she sighs, like it's a relief. "Megan Padalecki."
"Megan," he repeats. "I'll make sure he at least calls you tonight if he comes by. I promise."
***
When Jared comes in that night he looks exhausted. His shoulders are hunched, making him look smaller than he is; it's the opposite of how Megan had looked when she walked into the shelter.
The building has a steady din of clinking dishes and murmured conversation, but he hears Jared's quiet "Hey," well enough, like his ears are fine tuned to pick up on Jared's voice.
"Hey, kid," he says, smirking at the way Jared wrinkles his nose.
"I told you not to call me that."
"What? I can't hear you over all of the noise."
It feels ridiculously like a victory when Jared rolls his eyes, lips twitching into a small, lopsided smile.
"You up to helping me out again tonight?"
Jared's eyes spark the way they always do when Jensen has work for him. His face smooths over with determination every time. Jensen still isn't sure if he was like that before he found himself kicked out and on his own, or if it's something he developed since. Like he needs to make himself useful again somehow. He'd seen the same look in Jared's eyes the first time he saw him, walking down the street, fresh meat for some of the 'clientele' around here. All of his potential 'clients' drove right on by when they saw Jensen walking from his car, just like they have since he pulled himself out of the same situation and started helping out - and eventually running - the shelter. They tend to stay away from picking up the kids - that's really what so many of them are - when Jensen is there. He's beyond grateful that he's managed to build up that much of a reputation, that he was able to save Jared from going that route the first time, and others before him.
"Sure."
***
They drive mostly in silence, like always, the radio playing softly in the background. But Jensen can tell the exact moment when Jared recognizes the street they're on by the way he straightens in the seat. The kid doesn't say anything, wouldn't have any reason to believe they're headed to his sister's house when he obviously believes she wants about as much to do with him as their parents.
He goes still, though, when Jensen pulls up to one of them; a two-story white house with blue trim and a tree taller than the house in front. It's big and still manages to look welcoming amid all the other houses that seem too rich and cold.
"What are we doing here?" Jared asks, probably trying to sound hard, something he hasn't quite managed yet in his time alone. It comes out scared, though and Jensen reaches his hand to rest gradually on the kid's shoulder, squeezing it in reassurance.
"Trust me, okay?"
Jared turns wide eyes on him, shimmery and wet but his lips thin into a steady line. He looks almost like he did earlier, determined and ready to face whatever's coming, even if the outcome might not be favorable for him. But his shoulder relaxes minutely under Jensen's hand and he calls it a win.
They barely make it to the door before it swings open and Jensen spreads his fingers wide on Jared's back when the kid jolts in surprise.
"Jaybird!"
Megan's excited squeal is the only warning they get before she rushes forward and wraps her arms around Jared's shoulders, standing on her toes to reach as high as she can. Jensen hadn't realized how tall she actually is when she was at the shelter earlier, but she's only just shorter than his own height. It seems they got the tall genes in their family.
"Meggie?"
Jared's voice cracks, sounds more fragile than he had the first night they met, but his arms wrap even tighter around Meg's slender form.
Jensen steps back when he hears her first murmured, wet "Sorry," to give them some privacy, but he doesn't get far before they call him back over. He finds himself suddenly wrapped up in what he can only call a group hug, Jared and Megan's arms pulling him in until he has no choice but to do the same.
"Thank you so much for taking care of my baby brother," Megan sniffs when they let him go. Jensen has a feeling Jared usually likes being called that about as much as he likes being called 'kid', but he doesn't seem to care right now, too busy clinging onto her sleeve with one hand and Jensen's with the other.
Jensen shrugs, rubs the back of his neck. "I do what I can. I remember what it's like when you're on your own."
Megan nods, standing somehow even taller than when she'd walked into the shelter. It's not forced this time, he realizes. "Jensen, was it?" He nods and she smiles at him, bright and wide and dimpled just like her brother's. "I might have gone a little overboard with food tonight. We'd love if you could join us for dinner. To say thank you."
He doesn't bother trying to tell her there's nothing to thank him for. It may not have been all his doing, but she has her brother back and he can tell she doesn't plan on letting him go again any time soon, and he knows he'd say the same thing if someone had helped bring the kid back into his life.
"The shelter…" he starts but surprisingly it's Jared who cuts him off.
"Sophia's there to pick up the slack," Jared says with a small smirk that looks at home on his face. Jensen wouldn't be surprised if he'd been a bit of a prankster before being kicked out.
"Still," Jensen tries, but Megan and Jared just share a look, speaking words with their eyes that Jensen has no hope of deciphering. Megan shoots him a quick, knowing glance before tugging on the hem of Jared's threadbare shirt. She goes back up the porch steps and walks into the house when her brother lets go of her sleeve.
"I saw Danni at the shelter, too, before we left," Jared breaks the silence and Jensen forces himself not to jump. He looks up at Jared, sees how relaxed he is now compared to how he's been every single time Jensen has seen him and it makes him smile.
"Jared…"
"Come in and have dinner with us," Jared cuts him off again, letting go of Jensen's sleeve to wrap long fingers around Jensen's wrist.
He doesn't resist when Jared drags him closer, close enough that he can feel the heat coming off of him. "I am pretty hungry," Jensen finally says.
The smile Jared flashes him is nothing compared to the one on Jensen's face after Jared kisses him for the first time.
END