Riding In On A Mellow Wave 2/5
Title: Riding In On A Mellow Wave
Pairing: Jared/Jensen
Warnings: Language for now
Disclaimer: I don't own the boys, only but the naughty thoughts are all mine.
Summary: Jared knows stress. He's a full-time student, works, and has no love life to speak of. Jensen, a freelance writer, has spent the last few years roaming across the country just doing whatever felt right at the time. He finally moves home and then the fluffy, cuddly story begins....
I post fic. I do not cross post nor repost.
Part one here:
" A kitten?" Chris's voice was somehow even raspier than usual.
"Yep, isn't she adorable?" Jensen held the tiny kitten up for Christian to inspect.
"No, Jen, she's... ok, yes, she's fucking cuter than hell, but that's not the point! What the fuck are you going to do with a kitten?"
"Well, I was thinking that I'd take her home. Feed her. Water her. Direct sunlight. Maybe grow a cat."
"Har-de-har-har, smart ass," Chris grumbled, rolling his eyes while Jensen scratched the tiny cat under her chin. "Where's the giant you're so keen on, anyway?"
Jensen shrugged, "Don't know. Getting paperwork and all that fun stuff. They haven't been named yet, so Jared said I could name her. I'm thinking Cuddles, maybe?"
"Fuck me," Chris groaned. "Jensen, why don't you just name her Scooter and buy her a pretty, pretty pink collar?"
"Great! Scooter it is!"
"Are you naming that thing Scooter just to be an asshole?" Chris scowled.
"Damn skippy," Jensen snickered.
Jared ambled over, papers clutched in one giant hand. "Ok, so here's all the stuff you need to fill out. I'll take her while you do that." The two men exchanged cat for paper, and Jared took a moment to study Chris. He'd realized pretty quickly that Jensen was about as laid back as they come, and he idly wondered what made Chris tick. "Ya know, we do have a lot of big, burly, barrel chested dogs in need of a good home," he said.
Chris tried to hide his grin. "Yeah, there was one mutt that caught my eye, but I don't know if I have the time to take care of a dog."
"You can barely take care of yourself," Jensen offered, head bent over his clipboard.
"Fuck you, ya bow legged girl."
Jensen ignored him, carefully printing out his new address as he debated on where to take Jared. He'd realized pretty quickly that Jared was more than his pretty face and broad shoulders. Shivering slightly, Jensen thought of the broad shoulders and muscled chest that a baggy t-shirt couldn't hide. More importantly, though, Jared's eyes shone with intelligence.
The older Jensen got, the more he appreciated intelligence. He wasn't sure when he'd changed from being content with empty encounters and random hookups, but he wasn't afraid of change, and he was curious as to what the next chapter of his life held in store.
He'd learned a lot of things as he'd traveled. Writing articles for whatever magazine, newspaper, or website would pay him, Jensen had spent plenty of time alone with his own thoughts. He'd been a little surprised by his own desire to settle down, to have a mailbox and doormat, but he was pretty sure it would work out for the best.
Most things did, if he just let them.
****
Jared's chest was tight with nervousness and excitement. He'd held the squirming cat while Jensen filled out the adoption forms. Chris had lazily wandered the long aisles of cages, nodding occasionally or crooning in that whiskey tinged voice.
Jensen had left with Jared's phone number and a promise to pick him up after work for an afternoon adventure. Jared didn't really know what that meant, but Jensen had seemed quite confident. Sighing, Jared filed the necessary paperwork to put Scooter in line to be spayed and adopted.
What the fuck had just happened?
He'd spent a week torturing himself about the mysterious fruit stacker, and then the man had just waltzed in as casual as you please. He'd even had the audacity to be even more charming and snarky than Jared had imagined him. The sneaky bastard.
Dammit, he was already getting way too smitten. He barely knew the man! Groaning, Jared began the list of maintance chores that had been left for him. He just knew the day was going to crawl by while he waited for Jensen to come back.
****
Jared was standing in the parking lot when Jensen pulled up in his dad's old truck. His easy smile made Jared's chest tighten with want, and he smiled back as he settled into the passenger side of the truck. The seats were worn with age, squeaking as he twisted to put on his seatbelt.
"Hi," he said bashfully, dimples out full force as he turned to Jensen.
"Hi," Jensen replied, cheerily grinning back. "I just need to know where to go to pick up your dogs." He gestured to the back of the truck. "It's cool to have 'em ride in the back?"
Startled by the question, Jared blinked slowly as his mind went from Jensen's lips to Sadie and Harley. "Um, yeah. They love riding with the wind in their faces." He gave Jensen his address, and watched as Jensen merged into the right lane.
They rode in silence for a few moments, but Jared couldn't stand it. "So, Jensen," he wheedled, "What did you have in mind for the rest of the day?" He silently hoped that Jensen's plans would include his company for the rest of the evening.
"Well, we don't really know much about each other, but I do know that you have dogs, so I figured that a good way to get to know each other would be to go to the lake."
Jared almost clapped. Grady wasn't a huge town, but the lake was enormous. It was beautifully cared for by the state, had a dock where he could swing his legs over the water, and a sandy beach for the dogs to run up and down. It was framed by willow trees, cat tails, and had a healthy colony of frogs, turtles, and ducks to watch.
"Jensen, it sounds amazing," Jared said softly, "You made an amazing choice."
Jensen laughed. "I'm glad. I brought a cooler full of beer, too. Thought we could grab some fried chicken on the way out of town. Make an evening of it, if you want."
Jared nodded, his face aching slightly from smiling so hard. He idly hoped Jensen didn't notice as he pinched himself.
Nope. Not a dream.
****
Jensen strolled around Jared's house. It was small, but had a nice backyard, lots of comfy furniture, and was really quite tidy. He studied the rows of worn paperbacks, cds, and dvds that were stacked beside the old tv set. He smiled. He didn't know that people still owned tv's with backs anymore.
"Yeah, it's ancient, but it still works so I can't really justify getting a new one," Jared said, startling Jensen out of his reverie.
"As long as it works," Jensen said, smiling at Jared's baggy cargo shorts and t-shirt. "You changed?"
Jared's cheeks flushed as he glanced down. "Well, the dogs like to splash around...and it's possible I do to."
Laughing, Jensen helped him herd the hyper animals into the back of the truck. The lake was a good thirty minute drive, and they spent the time talking about Jared's classes, how he'd chosen English as his major, and the members of his family.
Jensen was mulling over Jared's minibiography, when Jared suddenly scowled.
"Why are we just talking about me, anyway? I barely know anything about you."
Jensen shrugged. "Not much to tell. I graduated from college about three ago, and I have been traveling ever since. I write freelance for anyone that'll publish me, and I just moved back here about a month or so ago. Simple."
Jared's eyebrows drew together. "Sounds like you have an awesome life. Why come back?"
Jensen bit his lip. "Um, felt like it? I don't know, Jared, I guess I got tired of campgrounds and motel rooms. I'm ready to settle down. Well, a loose interpretation of settling down, anyway."
"So you get a place, adopt a cat, and shop at the local market."
Jensen huffed. "My folks have a stand there. They're out of town, so I promised to man their booth. This is my dad's truck."
"Those were your oranges that I knocked over?" Jared winced slightly.
"Yup, but it's no big, dude. They pretty much all sold anyway. I gave the rest to a local soup kitchen. They don't give a fuck about a few bruised peels."
Jared's eyes went soft as he contemplated Jensen.
"Dude, don't give me an humanitarian award just yet. My friend, Misha, he runs the joint, and my parents have been giving him their wares for a long time. I'm just standing in."
"Ok," Jared said quietly, his heart slamming in his chest. He felt a little worried. No one was this perfect. Were they?
****
They lugged the cooler to a small section of shoreline that was screened by weeping willows. The dogs paddled around in the lake while Jensen laid down a scruffy looking blanket and Jared carefully set down containers of potato salad, biscuits, and greasy chicken.
Stepping back to admire their picnic, Jensen glanced over at Jared. His brows were drawn together as he eyed the food placement, and he didn't notice Jensen moving toward him until the other man was pressed into his side. Jensen arched up slightly to place a soft, dry kiss on Jared's lips before moving to sit down.
Jared shivered slightly, his tongue moving to try to taste Jensen on his lips, before joining him on the blanket. They ate silently, watching the dogs joyously play in the shallow water. Frogs jumped frantically out of their path, sometimes leaping across the blanket in their haste to escape.
Jensen finished first, snorting in amusement at the amount of food Jared managed to inhale. "Dude, I know you're a giant and all, but damn."
Jared grinned. "I'm a growing boy. I need to keep up my strength."
Jensen's face became thoughtful as he eyed the other man. "Yeah, about that. I"m four years older than you. Does that matter?"
"No," Jared said, confused. "Should it?"
"i just remember being twenty three and not being nearly as together as you. I'm surprised, I guess."
Jared weighed his words carefully. He didn't want to scare Jensen off by putting too much pressure on him. Jared just knew that he didn't want a fling or something equally as casual. Jared wanted something real. Telling someone that on the first date was never a good idea.
"I just want to be happy, I guess. "
Jensen smiled, his eyelashes and freckles highlighted by the waning sun.
"Ok, Jared. So what makes you happy?"
"If I say you, is it too soon?"
Jensen laughed, his delight obvious. "No, not too soon. I know how you feel."
They gathered up their containers, grabbed fresh bottles of beer, and waded into the cooling water. Harley and Sadie pranced around them as they watched a fisherman drifting past in a small boat.
Jensen's hand sliding into his made Jared bite his lip in glee, and he squeezed the warm fingers. Taking a risk, Jared bent his head and pressed his mouth to Jensen's. The older man smiled into the kiss before runnning his free hand up into Jared hair, pulling him closer.
They stood pressed together, water swirling around their calves, as the sun began setting. The kiss finally ended when Sadie began barking, and they pulled apart reluctantly.
"So, Jensen?"
Jensen glanced at him as they slowly picked their way back to the shore and their abandoned shoes. "Yeah?"
"What makes you happy?"
Jensen paused for a moment. "I used to think it was movement, ya know. Traveling and new experiences. Now, well, I'm beginning to realize that was good for awhile, but now I need substance. I suppose I want something with more depth."
"Depth how?"
"Shit, Jared. I don't really know, but I can tell you that I'm not afraid to leap into the far end of the pool."
"Good." Jared smiled as he helped fold up the blanket. "I've been looking for a diving partner."
part three:
Comments are like GIF's of Jared Padalecki doing chin ups....