Vacanze Romane - NC-17 - Jensen/Jared - part 1
Vacanze Romane - NC-17 - Jensen/Jared - part 1
Jensen presses his thin pillow to his head, trying real hard to blank out the constant knocking on the door and his mother asking whether he's awake. He groans and chooses to ignore her for as long as he can. He's not trying to be mean and he really loves his Momma but whatever she has to say will have to wait a bit longer.
Jensen doesn't care that the bright Texas sun is already shining through the rattly blinds of his old Richardson bedroom and that it's probably past midday. This is his goddamn summer break and he's been working like a dog for the last few months and now he well deserves to sleep until noon. That's what hiatus is for - other than finally catching up with old friends again and letting his Momma spoil and pamper him until he's sick of it.
Much to Jensen's disappointment, his pretending-to-be-out-still tactic isn't working as the bedroom door opens quietly and his mother tiptoes into the room.
"Jensen? Baby?" she asks tentatively and before Jensen even can re-focus on pretending to be asleep (apparently he needs to try harder), she waves his cell in front of his face. And no, before you ask, Jensen was totally not secretly peaking at her from underneath his lashes.
"It's one of your friends, honey," she explains as if that justified everything. "Your phone has been ringing all morning; always the same number and I figured it might be important."
Jensen sighs loud enough for the neighbors to hear and when he finally turns around to look at his Momma and to reach for the phone, she smiles at him with that goddamn smile she always uses on him and it makes him forget he's supposed to be mad at her. Isn't it supposed to be the other way around? Isn't he supposed to have her wrapped around his little finger?
As he slowly wakes up, he's tempted to scratch at a place not appropriate to be scratched when your mother is only a few inches away from you and instead Jensen closes his eyes again. What does Jared want anyway? They've been pretty much out of touch during hiatus so far. But that's something Jensen doesn't put too much thought into. The summer break tends to be a bit quiet between the two because they're always so busy with their families and friends back home.
When it first started, Jared called a few times and they chatted for a bit on the phone, keeping each other up-to-date on the latest family happenings. Then Jared talked about vacation plans and Sandy. Ever since, Jensen hasn't heard from him. But each time Jared called in the past, he knew about Jensen's revised schedule and about the fact that Jensen gets up as late as he possibly can during hiatus.
So now, there's a moment of concern during which Jensen wonders what the fuck has happened to Jared that makes him call at this - under the given circumstances - untypical hour of the day. As Jensen ponders about what could possibly be wrong with Jared, and about how his mother is clearly the stronger one, Jensen's Momma leans in and kisses his temple. She waves the phone again in front of his eyes and after Jensen takes it, she gets up with a wink and leaves the room.
Jensen lets his head thud back onto the pillow, before he finally holds the cell to his ear. Taking one last breath, he says quickly into the phone, "Jared, you fucktwit. I'm warning you! You better have a good reason to call or else I'm gonna cut off your balls and fry them in a pan!"
For a moment, Jensen only can hear someone breathing on the other end of the line and then suddenly, the caller bursts out laughing loudly right into the receiver. It takes a split second until Jensen realizes that, oh fuck, this is not Jared. This is what you get for not bothering check the number on the display before you answer. Fuck. Jensen's cheeks burn and he's glad that whoever's on the other end of the line, can't see his face right now.
"What a way to greet your friends," Tom laughs into the phone.
Upon hearing Tom's voice, Jensen releases a breath he wasn't even aware of holding. So right, Welling might give him crap for what he just said, but at least it wasn't Eric or Kim or… Jensen doesn't even want to finish the thought.
"Uh, hi," Jensen eventually says, still blushing furiously. This only draws another snicker from Tom.
Finally, they fall into a comfortable conversation that reminds Jensen again exactly why he's friends with Tom. The guy is just easy to talk to. They tell each other about how hiatus is going so far and just like Jensen, Tom hasn't really been up to anything all summer. There are a little more than two weeks left until both the Supernatural and Smallville crews are due back at set and Jensen can't help but wonder whether it's not a little early for Tom to call and arrange nights out.
Jensen wants to ask Tom about the real reason he's calling - because really, they're friends but not that close - but before Jensen even gets the chance, Tom drops the proverbial bomb.
"Hey, Jensen," he says, "I wonder how Jared's doing. Have you heard anything about how he's holding up?"
Jensen frowns at Tom's words. Last time Jensen spoke to Jared, he was perfectly fine and didn't need to do any hard holding up. A flash of worry hits Jensen and he's immediately concerned about Jared.
When Jensen only huffs a confused, "Huh?" Tom continues and says, "You know, Sandy. He was pretty devastated when she broke up with him. Just wondered whether he was any better now."
There's a sharp pain in Jensen's chest that does not come from sitting up abruptly in his bed. Jared and Sandy broke up? And Jared didn't even tell him? Jensen can't put a name to the feeling in his guts; it's a mixture of hurt and guilt. Apparently, he's not a trustworthy enough friend that Jared would turn to him in such a moment of pain. And apparently, Jensen fucked up because he didn't even bother check up on Jared after his nearly daily calls suddenly stopped.
And then, there's this other feeling. There's this lightness because Jared is no longer Sandy's boyfriend, because Jared's single now. Jensen chases the thought away immediately, because it's totally inappropriate, especially right now. It was hard enough for him to admit that he's got a crush on his best friend, his totally straight best friend if he may add, and the fact that said best friend broke up with his long-term partner, shouldn't make Jensen - yeah, he's got to admit - it shouldn't make him goddamn happy. Jensen would bet his soul that Jared's devastated right now. After all, Jared loves Sandy and that's why it's not the right moment for Jensen to get his hopes up.
He feels like an asshole.
Jensen's lost in his thoughts, wondering about Jared and why Jared didn't tell him, wondering about how he's going to control his own emotions and how he'll keep his hopes low, when Tom reminds him that he's still on the other end of the line.
"Jensen!" he says and judging from the slightly annoyed tone, it's not the first time he's calling out Jensen's name again.
"Uh, sorry, yeah," Jensen stammers.
He's got to be quick to decide what to tell Tom. Is he going to admit that he didn't even know or is he simply going to pretend Jared is not feeling well (which is probably the case) and lie to Tom because he doesn't want to admit he didn't know? Within seconds Jensen makes up his mind and in the end, he goes for the truth. "I didn't even know they broke up."
There's silence and even though Tom doesn't say anything, Jensen senses his surprise.
"The last time I spoke to Jared, he was talking about taking her on a vacation, so I assumed they'd still be there and that's why he hadn't called me," Jensen admits. He pauses before he goes on, "That was about three weeks ago."
"And that's about the time they broke up. I didn't want to upset him any further by reminding him of her or something like that, so I figured I'd call you," Tom says.
Suddenly, Jensen has an idea. He's known Jared long enough to know that the guy is fucking miserable and that a simple call won't be enough; Jared deserves more. So much more.
Quickly, Jensen makes another decision: he needs to take Jared's mind off of the situation. Yeah, that's the plan. He ends the call and promises Tom that he'll call as soon as he knows more. Then, Jensen gets up, boots up his computer to arrange a few things, showers and goes downstairs to tell his family that Jared needs him and that he's leaving for San Antonio - the only place Jared would go to in his current state. Now.
Yeah, that's the plan.
***
The drive to San Antonio takes him a little more than five hours. By the time Jensen arrives at Jared's parents' home, he's annoyed by the traffic and the San Antonio people's apparent incapability to drive, or so Jensen thinks, but once he knocks on the door and Mrs. Padalecki opens it, it's so worth it. The way she beams at him leaves absolutely no doubt where Jared inherited that shit-eating grin of his from.
"Jensen! Darling!" Mrs. Padalecki exclaims, pulling him into a breathtaking, bone-crushing hug. She hugs Jensen for a good five minutes before she lets go of him. "What a nice surprise to see you. Please, come inside."
Jensen follows her into the house and quickly his presence is announced and Jared's dad, his brother and his sister all come to greet him. The only one missing is Jared.
Suddenly, Jensen is nervous. What if Jared isn't even here? What if he's moping in Vancouver or in L. A. instead and Jensen was totally wrong about assuming he'd come to his parents'? Jensen wants to hit himself because usually, he isn't the most spontaneous person in the world and when he is, things go wrong. Just like now. He should have called, despite the fact that this would have given away the surprise.
Jensen's lost in his thoughts when Jared's mother urges him to sit down and sends Megan into the kitchen to get him a drink.
"I'll see if I can force Jared to come down. You wait here, Jensen," Mrs. Padalecki says with a wink.
Jensen's immediately relieved because apparently he does know Jared well enough; in fact Jared does come back home when he's upset. As he waits, Jensen's palms begin to sweat and he wonders how he's going to convince Jared best of what he's planned and whether this has been a good idea in the first place.
From above, Jensen hears shouting and he assumes that it will take Mrs. Padalecki some serious convincing until Jared's leaving his room. From past visits, Jensen knows that this is not the Padaleckis' usual tone when speaking to each other. He's a little disappointed; apparently even the fact that he drove all the way down from Dallas to see Jared, is not enough to lighten up Jared's foul mood.
"I'm glad you're here," Megan tells Jensen as she hands him a glass of what looks like ice tea.
"Yeah?" Jensen asks tentatively.
"Yeah," she nods. "He's been miserable ever since Sandy broke up with him. He's barely eaten or left his room. Don't think I ever saw him like that before."
This only confirms what Jensen feared. Jared's a wreck. There's an honest look of concern on Megan's face.
The next few minutes are full of tension since no one in the room dares take a proper breath, let alone say anything. Everyone's quiet and listening to voices from upstairs. As soon as there are footsteps coming from the steps in the hallway, and most importantly, when it seems to be more than one person, all eyes are fixed on the door leading out to the hall.
Jared's shoulders are hunched down and his gaze is on the floor as he finally comes into the living room. He's making himself smaller than he is; Jared's usually so strong and upright posture slumped down, as if he wants to disappear. When Jared looks up, he meets Jensen's eyes only briefly, but it's long enough for Jensen to see the pain and defeat on Jared's face.
Quickly, Jensen gets up and walks over to Jared. They're standing face to face and there's an awkward moment of silence between them. Jared looks at his family and snarls at them, "Guys."
Jared's family seems to get the not at all subtle hint and one after the other excuses themselves because they still have stuff to do. In the end, it's only Jensen and Jared.
Jensen doesn't think twice before he pulls Jared close for a tight hug. Jared, Mr.-I-don't-get-the-concept-of-personal-space-what's-that?, is limp in Jensen's arms, not climbing all over Jensen like he normally would, like he should, and this only makes Jensen squeeze him a little tighter. Jensen's well aware that this isn't the right moment and the right occasion to be happy about it, and really, he's trying to feel guilty because rather than being happy, he should be upset with Jared, but still it feels better than anything to have Jared back and be this close to him again. The moment Jensen finishes the thought, he knows he's screwed and that thinking he had only a tiny, negligible crush on Jared was the biggest lie he made himself believe.
Eventually (and also a little reluctantly), Jensen lets go of Jared. He keeps a hand on his shoulder and when Jensen speaks, he moves it underneath Jared's jaw and forces him to look up. "Hey, man. I'm so sorry."
Jensen has to bite his tongue for the burning question not to slip out. Why didn't you call me? Jared only nods at him without saying a word and moves further into the living room. He lets himself fall onto one of the large sofas with a soft thud, his eyes still not fixed on Jensen.
There's no doubt. Jared is sad, he's just as devastated as Jensen imagined him to be. Jensen's pretty sure he never saw him that sad before, not even when there was something seriously wrong with one of Jared's dogs and the vet couldn't find a possible explanation for days. But then, Jensen concludes, a long-term relationship is probably different from having to take care of your sick pet, no matter how much you love it.
Jensen knows he's letting his mind drift, but it all explains from his dread of dealing with Jared. Jensen's never been good with comforting people who just ended a serious relationship. Ask Steve about it, he'll confirm it. Maybe Jared sensed that and this is the reason Jared hasn't called. However, this doesn't mean that Jensen can't try, won't try to make things better.
Slowly, he walks over to the sofa where Jared is laying down and crouches in front of him. He takes Jared's large hand into his and studies Jared for a moment. He squeezes Jared's quickly and then lets go again.
"D'you want to talk about it?" Jensen offers. He doesn't feel comfortable with the pansy, talking-about-feelings stuff, he's a guy after all, but if Jared needs to talk about this, Jensen will listen. He knows that Jared would do the same for him.
Jared turns his head for a split second, his eyes big and shining with unshed tears. A weak smile hushes over Jared's face. It's there only for a few seconds but it's long enough to tell Jensen that Jared's at least a bit happy, that he's grateful to see him, even if he can't force himself to speak it out. Jared then shakes his head and goes straight back to staring at the ceiling.
All right, so this is it. This is the moment Jensen forces his wicked (or not so wicked, he thinks) plan on Jared. Jensen clears his throat and when Jared doesn't even look at him, he pulls lightly at Jared's hand to get his attention.
"Okay, so I've been thinking," Jensen says. "I'm taking you on a trip. You and me. No chicks, just us dudes."
If this were a Mastercard advertisement, it'd go something like this: Two plane tickets - 4,500 USD, first breakfast at your dream location for two - 30 USD, his facial expression when you tell him - priceless. Except that Jensen is not taking Jared on a love holiday or something. Or at least he hopes it doesn't come across like this. The last thing he needs right now is Jared finding out about Jensen's crush and thinking Jensen just made a move on him.
But priceless, yeah, that's the best description for Jared's expression. He frowns at Jensen, apparently not really sure what he should say. "What?" Jared states ever so eloquently, yet also a little curiously. Jensen grins widely because he had hoped for reaction like that, maybe with just a tiny bit of enthusiasm on top.
"Yeah, I'm taking you to a trip outside the US. That's all I'm saying," Jensen says and just as he wants to go on, Jared shakes his head quickly. He immediately looks miserable again and Jensen doesn't have a good feeling when Jared opens his mouth to speak.
"Listen, Jensen. I appreciate you wanting to take my mind off of things but I'm really not up for it," Jared explains.
There's this flicker of pain in Jared's eyes that Jensen doesn't want to see ever again. "Tough luck, dude! What d'you wanna do instead for the remaining weeks of hiatus? Lie in bed all day, get on your family's nerves and feel sorry for yourself?"
It looks as if Jared wants to say something else, but Jensen doesn't even give him the chance. "No, Jared. I'm not letting you do this to yourself. I'm taking you away for a trip, just the two of us, and we're gonna have an awesome time. I booked something last minute, so you go upstairs and shower. You reek, dude. And I'll go and pack your stuff."
Jared's about to object again, Jensen can tell; that's why he simply grabs Jared's arm and pulls him up forcefully. Having been to the Padaleckis' home more than once, Jensen knows his way around the house. Jensen leads Jared to the bathroom and finally with a wink, he threatens Jared to wash him if Jared doesn't do it himself.
As soon as he hears the shower run, Jensen goes over to the next task: pack Jared's bag with clothes suitable for their destination. He's packing shorts and tees mainly, Jared's favorite flip-flops as he's joined by Mrs. Padalecki.
"So you're taking my son on a trip?" she says with warmth in her voice.
"Guess so," Jensen smiles as he sees how happy she seems about this. Quietly, he continues packing for a bit, asking Jared's mother where he can find certain things.
"Thank you so much for this, Jensen," she says eventually. "Are you going to tell me where you take him or do I have to wait for the postcard?"
This is when Jensen bursts out laughing. Jared told him once that his mother was very curious, but to experience it firsthand is certainly something different. She looks at him with a bemused expression at first, but then it softens and she joins his laughter.
"I'm afraid," Jensen huffs between two laughs, "You gotta wait for the postcard, Ma'am."
She laughs again and says that this is absolutely fine. Just as they finish packing, Jared comes back into his room, wearing nothing but a towel. Jensen has to swallow past the lump in his throat as Jared's strong chest glistens with drops of water. The sight does things to Jensen that it shouldn't do. Of course, he's always known that Jared is very attractive, that he works out a lot, but still, the image of Jared nearly naked, only a few feet away, does funny things to Jensen. If he could, he'd press the heel of his hand to his groin to will his half-erection away. There are only very few moments that are even more inappropriate to get hard than right now, Jensen thinks. Thank God, no one seems to notice Jensen's problem though.
Jared's family insists on driving them to the airport and during the whole journey, Jared doesn't say a word. Once they arrive, the goodbye is done quickly, since Jensen and Jared are already a little late for their flight.
They're currently walking toward the last minute trips counter, where Jensen was told to pick up the travel receipts; plane tickets, hotel confirmation and all. As soon as Jensen holds the documents in his hands, he smiles to himself. Even though Jared's trying to be all subtle and pretends to be mopey still, he's doing a more or less crap job at hiding his slowly but steadily increasing excitement about this all. He tries to look over Jensen's shoulder as Jensen opens the folder to check whether the little kit is complete. When he pokes Jared in the ribs and tells him to wait just another moment, he even manages to draw a laugh from Jared. It's the happiest Jared has been since Jensen found out about the break-up and it's definitely enough to get his hopes up that he'll manage to cheer Jared up for good.
Once Jensen shoos Jared to check in, there's no more hiding where the trip will lead them. Jared stares at Jensen with his mouth open and exclaims, "Rome? As in Rome in Italy?"
For a moment, Jensen fears that Jared is going to hate it or that he'll say he's been there with Sandy and it'll only make him sad. Or, he fears, that Jared will think it's a too girly, too romantic destination and that Jensen should have picked the adventure tour through the Australian bush instead.
But then, Jared smiles at him again, not that one thousand watt smile he usually does, but it's a big, grateful smile nonetheless, and probably the best Jared can manage at the moment. "Thanks, man," he says before he pulls Jensen in for a close hug.
They check in and by the time they make it through security, the plane's almost ready for boarding. Just like good tourists, they get the obligatory Lonely Planet travel guides, something to make the flight time pass faster. Since they can't decide on which one to buy, they get one of those City Guides, well, for the city and another one for the whole country. They don't talk much during the actual flight, in fact, Jared's mostly staring out of the window and a few times, Jensen hears him release a deep sigh. But right now Jensen's not too worried, he's got a bit more than two weeks to change that. Actually getting Jared on this plane is a first step and a first success. Jensen'll know how to handle the rest.
***
A little more than 19 hours later, they finally arrive at their destination. The sun is bright and the captain tells them it's early afternoon, local time, which means it's early morning back in Texas. All Jensen can think about is how he hates intercontinental flights and how he's dying for a shower and a soft bed. Unlike Jared, Jensen never manages to get a rest on planes. It's just impossible.
Turning to his side, Jensen finds Jared still dozing. He's amazed how Jared's able to sleep through a plane touching down without stirring even once. There's a fine line of drool from the corner of Jared's mouth down to his chin. When Jensen uses his thumb to wipe it away, Jared moves and finally wakes up. Tiredly, Jared rubs his eyes and then he smiles tentatively at Jensen.
"Hey," Jensen says. "Let's see if we can get out of here, okay? My back is killing me. Why's it that airplane seats are not made for men of our size, huh?"
Jensen does his best to keep the conversation light and carefree. Judging from Jared's on-going, slight smile, it seems to work.
"You're asking me," Jared yawns as he tries awkwardly to stretch in the refined space. After a moment, Jared goes on, laughing lightly, "Whoever designs airplanes must either be a midget, a moron or both."
They get out of the plane and through the airport as quickly as they can. Even though tired and ready to drop dead, Jensen's happy to be moving again, no longer smashed in a too small airplane seat with not enough space to the next row. He's not paying much attention to his surroundings, if he's honest, didn't even look out of the window while the plane touched down, like he normally would. Instead, he's been focusing solely on Jared and his sleeping form, a strange kind of longing growing steadily inside Jensen.
He's been single for a while. Sure thing, a random fling here and there, Jensen certainly knows how to have his fun. Still, even when he was in a relationship or had a one-night stand none of the people - be it guy or girl - seemed good enough for him. Deep down inside, Jensen knows why and where all this is coming from. He's giving his best to ignore the nagging thoughts.
Once they make it outside the airport, they're both so tired that they don't want to bother with any kind of shuttle bus, train or other weirdass public transport to the city center. That's why they both immediately agree on taking a taxi instead, ready for their first adventure: the Italian traffic.
The driver doesn't speak as much English as Jensen is used to the people around him speaking, but in the end they manage all right and the destination seems clear. The drive from the airport is adventurous - the book wasn't lying about this. At first, they take the highway but after a while, they find their way into the city.
Jensen's not worried about the taxi driver, who, while driving, is talking into his cell with such enthusiasm that without a doubt, his whole attention is focused on the call, rather than the road; no, Jensen's more worried about the speed with which he hightails over the highway in combination with his attention not being on the road. As they enter the city, the streets become more and more narrow, slowly turning from highways to double-track roads in each direction.
The driver's still going way too fast for Jensen's liking as he worms his way through streets that are constricted by buildings that are something between dirty brown, gray, black and faded red, through roads that are barely broad enough for one car, let alone one car and way too many pedestrians everywhere. Jensen might be tightening his hold on the door a little as the car bumps against something and the driver curses fiercely in Italian.
Eventually, after a nearly 45 minutes drive, the nightmare is over as they come to a stop, in a fairly small square with more tourists than Jensen has ever seen in his life. The driver's English is not really understandable but Jensen thinks he's trying to tell them that they'll have to walk rest of the way (and in which direction) because the street's going to be too slender for taxis. Jensen releases a breath that he wasn't even aware he was holding.
"Dude," Jared tells him, "I think you can stop crushing my hand now."
Quickly, Jensen lets go of Jared's hand while he mumbles something about being sorry. He didn't even realize he was squishing it. As Jensen's cheeks burn, he wishes that the earth would open up and swallow him.
Jared shakes his hand a few times and assesses it as if he were checking for real damage. He does it with a wink and Jensen concludes that if this is what it takes to make Jared cheer up, he's going to make a fool of himself a lot more often in the next few weeks.
They pay the driver and drag their suitcases over the heavy cobblestone streets. That's fun, by the way, Jensen can tell you. Fortunately, the hotel is just around the corner as they quickly leave the huge touristy monument behind them without wasting a second glance. There's enough time for sightseeing in the coming days, now's time for a shower.
"Wow," Jared says as they enter the hotel, passing the iron sign attached to the - well, gray-ish - building that reads "Hotel Pantheon" and indicates four stars.
"Wow," Jared repeats, "You booked us into a four star hotel?"
The way he says it, makes it sound as if he didn't trust his eyes, even though the whole reception area already screams of luxury with its dark mahogany wood. The walls are wooden-clad and the ceilings are supported by strong, wooden beams. There are terracotta tiles on the floor and the windows are lovingly decorated with colorful glass.
The furniture in the reception area looks as if they were quite old with its velvet, mint-colored covering. There are bouquets on the wooden tables and several classical, romantic-looking pictures on the walls. The whole establishment radiates an atmosphere of preciousness, but on the other hand it also feels very homelike and family-run. There's something friendly and intimate about this place despite the large number of tourists rushing by outside.
The entrance hall is very small and it only takes them a few steps to arrive at the front desk. Jensen places a hand on Jared's arm, grinning broadly. "Dude, we're here to relax and have a good time, remember? That's why this place is appropriate, okay?"
Jared nods and smiles a little. They check into the hotel without any problems. Jensen booked two single rooms and the receptionist - a petite and skinny Italian woman with long black hair and dark eyes - leads them up the stairs to their rooms. The stairs are quite a sight; an iron spiral staircase, decorated with what Jensen believes to be Tiffany glass, a staircase that looks fragile enough for Jensen to wonder whether it'll break as soon as both Jared and he step onto it.
It doesn't however as the hotel employee brings them to the last floor and points them to rooms 12 and 13. She told them earlier that the hotel has no more than 13 rooms and that she can ensure a quiet and relaxing vacation.
She enters the rooms with Jensen and Jared to show them how to open the windows. The clue about the windows is that they're not built into the walls like you'd expect, but into the ceiling. With her cute accent she explains that it'll feel like waking up directly underneath the sun.
Jensen's barely listening to what she says anymore. His eyelids become heavier with each minute and all he wants, is for her to be gone and to finally get some shuteye. Jared looks just as tired and Jensen has to suppress a snicker at the thought of how he's not going to have to argue with Jared at all about what they're doing first: sleep.
The hotel lady is gone eventually, leaving Jensen and Jared to one of the rooms. Jared throws himself down on the large bed and groans loudly. His shirt rides up a little, revealing a small stripe of tanned skin. Jensen has to swallow hard as he wants to walk over to the bed, lie down next to Jared and lick that sinful piece of flesh.
"Man, this is sweet!" Jared exclaims, excitement in his voice.
Jensen's torn out of his current thought immediately. Quickly, he focuses back on Jared, glad that apparently Jared's lightening up even more and that he's just as excited as Jensen is. Maybe, Jensen did the right thing after all.
"Yeah, it is," Jensen then agrees, yawning loudly. He huffs a laugh as he covers his mouth with his hand. "Jay, what d'you say? Let's go take a little nap and go find a place to eat later."
"Eating sounds good," Jared says.
Jensen can't help but laugh at that little bit of the old Jared coming back. He says goodbye to Jared and a quick shower later, Jensen crawls underneath the thin blankets and is asleep within seconds.
***
Later that evening, they don't do much more than go out to eat. Or at least they try. They ask the hotel lady for a map and a recommendation for a good restaurant, but in the end, all they do is get lost and end up in probably the touristiest place in town.
This isn't exactly New York, where it's blocks and "Walk five blocks and then turn left". No, here it's streets that take weird, sharp turns, that suddenly stop or that part into two. On their quest for a good place to eat at, they pass the fast food chain with the yellow and red M. However, they go straight past it on their mission to find an Italian place to eat at.
The food is good and once they manage to make it back to the hotel, they probably already saw a fair deal of the surroundings, or so they think. During the dinner, Jared even lightens up yet a little more. He's not back to his bubbly, nonstop-talking self, Jensen thinks, but it's yet another step into the right direction.
They talk about everything but Sandy, carefully avoiding the subject. Instead it is mostly Jensen updating Jared on what he's done during hiatus so far, what Chris and Steve have done, how Jensen's family has been, and so on and so on. Jared listens with a smile and every now and then he inquires more information on certain things, interested in what Jensen has to say.
They call it an early night early so they can rest up for their city tour tomorrow. The hotel lady told them that the best way to enjoy Rome is to do so by foot. Just as Jensen's about to enter his room and Jared is already halfway inside his own, Jared calls out for him.
"Yeah?" Jensen asks.
Jared turns around and Jensen sees a faint, rosy blush on Jared's face that clearly doesn't come from the wine they didn't have. He's quiet for a moment, as if he's nervous. But then he says, "Thanks, man. For- for everything."
Jensen decides not to make more out of it than it's worth. That's why he says with a smile on his face, "Don't mention it. See ya tomorrow, Jay. Goodnight."
As he closes the door, he hears Jared say "Goodnight, Jen." Through the closed door, it sounds like nothing more than a muffled whisper.
Index page| Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Picspam | Fan mix
Jensen presses his thin pillow to his head, trying real hard to blank out the constant knocking on the door and his mother asking whether he's awake. He groans and chooses to ignore her for as long as he can. He's not trying to be mean and he really loves his Momma but whatever she has to say will have to wait a bit longer.
Jensen doesn't care that the bright Texas sun is already shining through the rattly blinds of his old Richardson bedroom and that it's probably past midday. This is his goddamn summer break and he's been working like a dog for the last few months and now he well deserves to sleep until noon. That's what hiatus is for - other than finally catching up with old friends again and letting his Momma spoil and pamper him until he's sick of it.
Much to Jensen's disappointment, his pretending-to-be-out-still tactic isn't working as the bedroom door opens quietly and his mother tiptoes into the room.
"Jensen? Baby?" she asks tentatively and before Jensen even can re-focus on pretending to be asleep (apparently he needs to try harder), she waves his cell in front of his face. And no, before you ask, Jensen was totally not secretly peaking at her from underneath his lashes.
"It's one of your friends, honey," she explains as if that justified everything. "Your phone has been ringing all morning; always the same number and I figured it might be important."
Jensen sighs loud enough for the neighbors to hear and when he finally turns around to look at his Momma and to reach for the phone, she smiles at him with that goddamn smile she always uses on him and it makes him forget he's supposed to be mad at her. Isn't it supposed to be the other way around? Isn't he supposed to have her wrapped around his little finger?
As he slowly wakes up, he's tempted to scratch at a place not appropriate to be scratched when your mother is only a few inches away from you and instead Jensen closes his eyes again. What does Jared want anyway? They've been pretty much out of touch during hiatus so far. But that's something Jensen doesn't put too much thought into. The summer break tends to be a bit quiet between the two because they're always so busy with their families and friends back home.
When it first started, Jared called a few times and they chatted for a bit on the phone, keeping each other up-to-date on the latest family happenings. Then Jared talked about vacation plans and Sandy. Ever since, Jensen hasn't heard from him. But each time Jared called in the past, he knew about Jensen's revised schedule and about the fact that Jensen gets up as late as he possibly can during hiatus.
So now, there's a moment of concern during which Jensen wonders what the fuck has happened to Jared that makes him call at this - under the given circumstances - untypical hour of the day. As Jensen ponders about what could possibly be wrong with Jared, and about how his mother is clearly the stronger one, Jensen's Momma leans in and kisses his temple. She waves the phone again in front of his eyes and after Jensen takes it, she gets up with a wink and leaves the room.
Jensen lets his head thud back onto the pillow, before he finally holds the cell to his ear. Taking one last breath, he says quickly into the phone, "Jared, you fucktwit. I'm warning you! You better have a good reason to call or else I'm gonna cut off your balls and fry them in a pan!"
For a moment, Jensen only can hear someone breathing on the other end of the line and then suddenly, the caller bursts out laughing loudly right into the receiver. It takes a split second until Jensen realizes that, oh fuck, this is not Jared. This is what you get for not bothering check the number on the display before you answer. Fuck. Jensen's cheeks burn and he's glad that whoever's on the other end of the line, can't see his face right now.
"What a way to greet your friends," Tom laughs into the phone.
Upon hearing Tom's voice, Jensen releases a breath he wasn't even aware of holding. So right, Welling might give him crap for what he just said, but at least it wasn't Eric or Kim or… Jensen doesn't even want to finish the thought.
"Uh, hi," Jensen eventually says, still blushing furiously. This only draws another snicker from Tom.
Finally, they fall into a comfortable conversation that reminds Jensen again exactly why he's friends with Tom. The guy is just easy to talk to. They tell each other about how hiatus is going so far and just like Jensen, Tom hasn't really been up to anything all summer. There are a little more than two weeks left until both the Supernatural and Smallville crews are due back at set and Jensen can't help but wonder whether it's not a little early for Tom to call and arrange nights out.
Jensen wants to ask Tom about the real reason he's calling - because really, they're friends but not that close - but before Jensen even gets the chance, Tom drops the proverbial bomb.
"Hey, Jensen," he says, "I wonder how Jared's doing. Have you heard anything about how he's holding up?"
Jensen frowns at Tom's words. Last time Jensen spoke to Jared, he was perfectly fine and didn't need to do any hard holding up. A flash of worry hits Jensen and he's immediately concerned about Jared.
When Jensen only huffs a confused, "Huh?" Tom continues and says, "You know, Sandy. He was pretty devastated when she broke up with him. Just wondered whether he was any better now."
There's a sharp pain in Jensen's chest that does not come from sitting up abruptly in his bed. Jared and Sandy broke up? And Jared didn't even tell him? Jensen can't put a name to the feeling in his guts; it's a mixture of hurt and guilt. Apparently, he's not a trustworthy enough friend that Jared would turn to him in such a moment of pain. And apparently, Jensen fucked up because he didn't even bother check up on Jared after his nearly daily calls suddenly stopped.
And then, there's this other feeling. There's this lightness because Jared is no longer Sandy's boyfriend, because Jared's single now. Jensen chases the thought away immediately, because it's totally inappropriate, especially right now. It was hard enough for him to admit that he's got a crush on his best friend, his totally straight best friend if he may add, and the fact that said best friend broke up with his long-term partner, shouldn't make Jensen - yeah, he's got to admit - it shouldn't make him goddamn happy. Jensen would bet his soul that Jared's devastated right now. After all, Jared loves Sandy and that's why it's not the right moment for Jensen to get his hopes up.
He feels like an asshole.
Jensen's lost in his thoughts, wondering about Jared and why Jared didn't tell him, wondering about how he's going to control his own emotions and how he'll keep his hopes low, when Tom reminds him that he's still on the other end of the line.
"Jensen!" he says and judging from the slightly annoyed tone, it's not the first time he's calling out Jensen's name again.
"Uh, sorry, yeah," Jensen stammers.
He's got to be quick to decide what to tell Tom. Is he going to admit that he didn't even know or is he simply going to pretend Jared is not feeling well (which is probably the case) and lie to Tom because he doesn't want to admit he didn't know? Within seconds Jensen makes up his mind and in the end, he goes for the truth. "I didn't even know they broke up."
There's silence and even though Tom doesn't say anything, Jensen senses his surprise.
"The last time I spoke to Jared, he was talking about taking her on a vacation, so I assumed they'd still be there and that's why he hadn't called me," Jensen admits. He pauses before he goes on, "That was about three weeks ago."
"And that's about the time they broke up. I didn't want to upset him any further by reminding him of her or something like that, so I figured I'd call you," Tom says.
Suddenly, Jensen has an idea. He's known Jared long enough to know that the guy is fucking miserable and that a simple call won't be enough; Jared deserves more. So much more.
Quickly, Jensen makes another decision: he needs to take Jared's mind off of the situation. Yeah, that's the plan. He ends the call and promises Tom that he'll call as soon as he knows more. Then, Jensen gets up, boots up his computer to arrange a few things, showers and goes downstairs to tell his family that Jared needs him and that he's leaving for San Antonio - the only place Jared would go to in his current state. Now.
Yeah, that's the plan.
***
The drive to San Antonio takes him a little more than five hours. By the time Jensen arrives at Jared's parents' home, he's annoyed by the traffic and the San Antonio people's apparent incapability to drive, or so Jensen thinks, but once he knocks on the door and Mrs. Padalecki opens it, it's so worth it. The way she beams at him leaves absolutely no doubt where Jared inherited that shit-eating grin of his from.
"Jensen! Darling!" Mrs. Padalecki exclaims, pulling him into a breathtaking, bone-crushing hug. She hugs Jensen for a good five minutes before she lets go of him. "What a nice surprise to see you. Please, come inside."
Jensen follows her into the house and quickly his presence is announced and Jared's dad, his brother and his sister all come to greet him. The only one missing is Jared.
Suddenly, Jensen is nervous. What if Jared isn't even here? What if he's moping in Vancouver or in L. A. instead and Jensen was totally wrong about assuming he'd come to his parents'? Jensen wants to hit himself because usually, he isn't the most spontaneous person in the world and when he is, things go wrong. Just like now. He should have called, despite the fact that this would have given away the surprise.
Jensen's lost in his thoughts when Jared's mother urges him to sit down and sends Megan into the kitchen to get him a drink.
"I'll see if I can force Jared to come down. You wait here, Jensen," Mrs. Padalecki says with a wink.
Jensen's immediately relieved because apparently he does know Jared well enough; in fact Jared does come back home when he's upset. As he waits, Jensen's palms begin to sweat and he wonders how he's going to convince Jared best of what he's planned and whether this has been a good idea in the first place.
From above, Jensen hears shouting and he assumes that it will take Mrs. Padalecki some serious convincing until Jared's leaving his room. From past visits, Jensen knows that this is not the Padaleckis' usual tone when speaking to each other. He's a little disappointed; apparently even the fact that he drove all the way down from Dallas to see Jared, is not enough to lighten up Jared's foul mood.
"I'm glad you're here," Megan tells Jensen as she hands him a glass of what looks like ice tea.
"Yeah?" Jensen asks tentatively.
"Yeah," she nods. "He's been miserable ever since Sandy broke up with him. He's barely eaten or left his room. Don't think I ever saw him like that before."
This only confirms what Jensen feared. Jared's a wreck. There's an honest look of concern on Megan's face.
The next few minutes are full of tension since no one in the room dares take a proper breath, let alone say anything. Everyone's quiet and listening to voices from upstairs. As soon as there are footsteps coming from the steps in the hallway, and most importantly, when it seems to be more than one person, all eyes are fixed on the door leading out to the hall.
Jared's shoulders are hunched down and his gaze is on the floor as he finally comes into the living room. He's making himself smaller than he is; Jared's usually so strong and upright posture slumped down, as if he wants to disappear. When Jared looks up, he meets Jensen's eyes only briefly, but it's long enough for Jensen to see the pain and defeat on Jared's face.
Quickly, Jensen gets up and walks over to Jared. They're standing face to face and there's an awkward moment of silence between them. Jared looks at his family and snarls at them, "Guys."
Jared's family seems to get the not at all subtle hint and one after the other excuses themselves because they still have stuff to do. In the end, it's only Jensen and Jared.
Jensen doesn't think twice before he pulls Jared close for a tight hug. Jared, Mr.-I-don't-get-the-concept-of-personal-space-what's-that?, is limp in Jensen's arms, not climbing all over Jensen like he normally would, like he should, and this only makes Jensen squeeze him a little tighter. Jensen's well aware that this isn't the right moment and the right occasion to be happy about it, and really, he's trying to feel guilty because rather than being happy, he should be upset with Jared, but still it feels better than anything to have Jared back and be this close to him again. The moment Jensen finishes the thought, he knows he's screwed and that thinking he had only a tiny, negligible crush on Jared was the biggest lie he made himself believe.
Eventually (and also a little reluctantly), Jensen lets go of Jared. He keeps a hand on his shoulder and when Jensen speaks, he moves it underneath Jared's jaw and forces him to look up. "Hey, man. I'm so sorry."
Jensen has to bite his tongue for the burning question not to slip out. Why didn't you call me? Jared only nods at him without saying a word and moves further into the living room. He lets himself fall onto one of the large sofas with a soft thud, his eyes still not fixed on Jensen.
There's no doubt. Jared is sad, he's just as devastated as Jensen imagined him to be. Jensen's pretty sure he never saw him that sad before, not even when there was something seriously wrong with one of Jared's dogs and the vet couldn't find a possible explanation for days. But then, Jensen concludes, a long-term relationship is probably different from having to take care of your sick pet, no matter how much you love it.
Jensen knows he's letting his mind drift, but it all explains from his dread of dealing with Jared. Jensen's never been good with comforting people who just ended a serious relationship. Ask Steve about it, he'll confirm it. Maybe Jared sensed that and this is the reason Jared hasn't called. However, this doesn't mean that Jensen can't try, won't try to make things better.
Slowly, he walks over to the sofa where Jared is laying down and crouches in front of him. He takes Jared's large hand into his and studies Jared for a moment. He squeezes Jared's quickly and then lets go again.
"D'you want to talk about it?" Jensen offers. He doesn't feel comfortable with the pansy, talking-about-feelings stuff, he's a guy after all, but if Jared needs to talk about this, Jensen will listen. He knows that Jared would do the same for him.
Jared turns his head for a split second, his eyes big and shining with unshed tears. A weak smile hushes over Jared's face. It's there only for a few seconds but it's long enough to tell Jensen that Jared's at least a bit happy, that he's grateful to see him, even if he can't force himself to speak it out. Jared then shakes his head and goes straight back to staring at the ceiling.
All right, so this is it. This is the moment Jensen forces his wicked (or not so wicked, he thinks) plan on Jared. Jensen clears his throat and when Jared doesn't even look at him, he pulls lightly at Jared's hand to get his attention.
"Okay, so I've been thinking," Jensen says. "I'm taking you on a trip. You and me. No chicks, just us dudes."
If this were a Mastercard advertisement, it'd go something like this: Two plane tickets - 4,500 USD, first breakfast at your dream location for two - 30 USD, his facial expression when you tell him - priceless. Except that Jensen is not taking Jared on a love holiday or something. Or at least he hopes it doesn't come across like this. The last thing he needs right now is Jared finding out about Jensen's crush and thinking Jensen just made a move on him.
But priceless, yeah, that's the best description for Jared's expression. He frowns at Jensen, apparently not really sure what he should say. "What?" Jared states ever so eloquently, yet also a little curiously. Jensen grins widely because he had hoped for reaction like that, maybe with just a tiny bit of enthusiasm on top.
"Yeah, I'm taking you to a trip outside the US. That's all I'm saying," Jensen says and just as he wants to go on, Jared shakes his head quickly. He immediately looks miserable again and Jensen doesn't have a good feeling when Jared opens his mouth to speak.
"Listen, Jensen. I appreciate you wanting to take my mind off of things but I'm really not up for it," Jared explains.
There's this flicker of pain in Jared's eyes that Jensen doesn't want to see ever again. "Tough luck, dude! What d'you wanna do instead for the remaining weeks of hiatus? Lie in bed all day, get on your family's nerves and feel sorry for yourself?"
It looks as if Jared wants to say something else, but Jensen doesn't even give him the chance. "No, Jared. I'm not letting you do this to yourself. I'm taking you away for a trip, just the two of us, and we're gonna have an awesome time. I booked something last minute, so you go upstairs and shower. You reek, dude. And I'll go and pack your stuff."
Jared's about to object again, Jensen can tell; that's why he simply grabs Jared's arm and pulls him up forcefully. Having been to the Padaleckis' home more than once, Jensen knows his way around the house. Jensen leads Jared to the bathroom and finally with a wink, he threatens Jared to wash him if Jared doesn't do it himself.
As soon as he hears the shower run, Jensen goes over to the next task: pack Jared's bag with clothes suitable for their destination. He's packing shorts and tees mainly, Jared's favorite flip-flops as he's joined by Mrs. Padalecki.
"So you're taking my son on a trip?" she says with warmth in her voice.
"Guess so," Jensen smiles as he sees how happy she seems about this. Quietly, he continues packing for a bit, asking Jared's mother where he can find certain things.
"Thank you so much for this, Jensen," she says eventually. "Are you going to tell me where you take him or do I have to wait for the postcard?"
This is when Jensen bursts out laughing. Jared told him once that his mother was very curious, but to experience it firsthand is certainly something different. She looks at him with a bemused expression at first, but then it softens and she joins his laughter.
"I'm afraid," Jensen huffs between two laughs, "You gotta wait for the postcard, Ma'am."
She laughs again and says that this is absolutely fine. Just as they finish packing, Jared comes back into his room, wearing nothing but a towel. Jensen has to swallow past the lump in his throat as Jared's strong chest glistens with drops of water. The sight does things to Jensen that it shouldn't do. Of course, he's always known that Jared is very attractive, that he works out a lot, but still, the image of Jared nearly naked, only a few feet away, does funny things to Jensen. If he could, he'd press the heel of his hand to his groin to will his half-erection away. There are only very few moments that are even more inappropriate to get hard than right now, Jensen thinks. Thank God, no one seems to notice Jensen's problem though.
Jared's family insists on driving them to the airport and during the whole journey, Jared doesn't say a word. Once they arrive, the goodbye is done quickly, since Jensen and Jared are already a little late for their flight.
They're currently walking toward the last minute trips counter, where Jensen was told to pick up the travel receipts; plane tickets, hotel confirmation and all. As soon as Jensen holds the documents in his hands, he smiles to himself. Even though Jared's trying to be all subtle and pretends to be mopey still, he's doing a more or less crap job at hiding his slowly but steadily increasing excitement about this all. He tries to look over Jensen's shoulder as Jensen opens the folder to check whether the little kit is complete. When he pokes Jared in the ribs and tells him to wait just another moment, he even manages to draw a laugh from Jared. It's the happiest Jared has been since Jensen found out about the break-up and it's definitely enough to get his hopes up that he'll manage to cheer Jared up for good.
Once Jensen shoos Jared to check in, there's no more hiding where the trip will lead them. Jared stares at Jensen with his mouth open and exclaims, "Rome? As in Rome in Italy?"
For a moment, Jensen fears that Jared is going to hate it or that he'll say he's been there with Sandy and it'll only make him sad. Or, he fears, that Jared will think it's a too girly, too romantic destination and that Jensen should have picked the adventure tour through the Australian bush instead.
But then, Jared smiles at him again, not that one thousand watt smile he usually does, but it's a big, grateful smile nonetheless, and probably the best Jared can manage at the moment. "Thanks, man," he says before he pulls Jensen in for a close hug.
They check in and by the time they make it through security, the plane's almost ready for boarding. Just like good tourists, they get the obligatory Lonely Planet travel guides, something to make the flight time pass faster. Since they can't decide on which one to buy, they get one of those City Guides, well, for the city and another one for the whole country. They don't talk much during the actual flight, in fact, Jared's mostly staring out of the window and a few times, Jensen hears him release a deep sigh. But right now Jensen's not too worried, he's got a bit more than two weeks to change that. Actually getting Jared on this plane is a first step and a first success. Jensen'll know how to handle the rest.
***
A little more than 19 hours later, they finally arrive at their destination. The sun is bright and the captain tells them it's early afternoon, local time, which means it's early morning back in Texas. All Jensen can think about is how he hates intercontinental flights and how he's dying for a shower and a soft bed. Unlike Jared, Jensen never manages to get a rest on planes. It's just impossible.
Turning to his side, Jensen finds Jared still dozing. He's amazed how Jared's able to sleep through a plane touching down without stirring even once. There's a fine line of drool from the corner of Jared's mouth down to his chin. When Jensen uses his thumb to wipe it away, Jared moves and finally wakes up. Tiredly, Jared rubs his eyes and then he smiles tentatively at Jensen.
"Hey," Jensen says. "Let's see if we can get out of here, okay? My back is killing me. Why's it that airplane seats are not made for men of our size, huh?"
Jensen does his best to keep the conversation light and carefree. Judging from Jared's on-going, slight smile, it seems to work.
"You're asking me," Jared yawns as he tries awkwardly to stretch in the refined space. After a moment, Jared goes on, laughing lightly, "Whoever designs airplanes must either be a midget, a moron or both."
They get out of the plane and through the airport as quickly as they can. Even though tired and ready to drop dead, Jensen's happy to be moving again, no longer smashed in a too small airplane seat with not enough space to the next row. He's not paying much attention to his surroundings, if he's honest, didn't even look out of the window while the plane touched down, like he normally would. Instead, he's been focusing solely on Jared and his sleeping form, a strange kind of longing growing steadily inside Jensen.
He's been single for a while. Sure thing, a random fling here and there, Jensen certainly knows how to have his fun. Still, even when he was in a relationship or had a one-night stand none of the people - be it guy or girl - seemed good enough for him. Deep down inside, Jensen knows why and where all this is coming from. He's giving his best to ignore the nagging thoughts.
Once they make it outside the airport, they're both so tired that they don't want to bother with any kind of shuttle bus, train or other weirdass public transport to the city center. That's why they both immediately agree on taking a taxi instead, ready for their first adventure: the Italian traffic.
The driver doesn't speak as much English as Jensen is used to the people around him speaking, but in the end they manage all right and the destination seems clear. The drive from the airport is adventurous - the book wasn't lying about this. At first, they take the highway but after a while, they find their way into the city.
Jensen's not worried about the taxi driver, who, while driving, is talking into his cell with such enthusiasm that without a doubt, his whole attention is focused on the call, rather than the road; no, Jensen's more worried about the speed with which he hightails over the highway in combination with his attention not being on the road. As they enter the city, the streets become more and more narrow, slowly turning from highways to double-track roads in each direction.
The driver's still going way too fast for Jensen's liking as he worms his way through streets that are constricted by buildings that are something between dirty brown, gray, black and faded red, through roads that are barely broad enough for one car, let alone one car and way too many pedestrians everywhere. Jensen might be tightening his hold on the door a little as the car bumps against something and the driver curses fiercely in Italian.
Eventually, after a nearly 45 minutes drive, the nightmare is over as they come to a stop, in a fairly small square with more tourists than Jensen has ever seen in his life. The driver's English is not really understandable but Jensen thinks he's trying to tell them that they'll have to walk rest of the way (and in which direction) because the street's going to be too slender for taxis. Jensen releases a breath that he wasn't even aware he was holding.
"Dude," Jared tells him, "I think you can stop crushing my hand now."
Quickly, Jensen lets go of Jared's hand while he mumbles something about being sorry. He didn't even realize he was squishing it. As Jensen's cheeks burn, he wishes that the earth would open up and swallow him.
Jared shakes his hand a few times and assesses it as if he were checking for real damage. He does it with a wink and Jensen concludes that if this is what it takes to make Jared cheer up, he's going to make a fool of himself a lot more often in the next few weeks.
They pay the driver and drag their suitcases over the heavy cobblestone streets. That's fun, by the way, Jensen can tell you. Fortunately, the hotel is just around the corner as they quickly leave the huge touristy monument behind them without wasting a second glance. There's enough time for sightseeing in the coming days, now's time for a shower.
"Wow," Jared says as they enter the hotel, passing the iron sign attached to the - well, gray-ish - building that reads "Hotel Pantheon" and indicates four stars.
"Wow," Jared repeats, "You booked us into a four star hotel?"
The way he says it, makes it sound as if he didn't trust his eyes, even though the whole reception area already screams of luxury with its dark mahogany wood. The walls are wooden-clad and the ceilings are supported by strong, wooden beams. There are terracotta tiles on the floor and the windows are lovingly decorated with colorful glass.
The furniture in the reception area looks as if they were quite old with its velvet, mint-colored covering. There are bouquets on the wooden tables and several classical, romantic-looking pictures on the walls. The whole establishment radiates an atmosphere of preciousness, but on the other hand it also feels very homelike and family-run. There's something friendly and intimate about this place despite the large number of tourists rushing by outside.
The entrance hall is very small and it only takes them a few steps to arrive at the front desk. Jensen places a hand on Jared's arm, grinning broadly. "Dude, we're here to relax and have a good time, remember? That's why this place is appropriate, okay?"
Jared nods and smiles a little. They check into the hotel without any problems. Jensen booked two single rooms and the receptionist - a petite and skinny Italian woman with long black hair and dark eyes - leads them up the stairs to their rooms. The stairs are quite a sight; an iron spiral staircase, decorated with what Jensen believes to be Tiffany glass, a staircase that looks fragile enough for Jensen to wonder whether it'll break as soon as both Jared and he step onto it.
It doesn't however as the hotel employee brings them to the last floor and points them to rooms 12 and 13. She told them earlier that the hotel has no more than 13 rooms and that she can ensure a quiet and relaxing vacation.
She enters the rooms with Jensen and Jared to show them how to open the windows. The clue about the windows is that they're not built into the walls like you'd expect, but into the ceiling. With her cute accent she explains that it'll feel like waking up directly underneath the sun.
Jensen's barely listening to what she says anymore. His eyelids become heavier with each minute and all he wants, is for her to be gone and to finally get some shuteye. Jared looks just as tired and Jensen has to suppress a snicker at the thought of how he's not going to have to argue with Jared at all about what they're doing first: sleep.
The hotel lady is gone eventually, leaving Jensen and Jared to one of the rooms. Jared throws himself down on the large bed and groans loudly. His shirt rides up a little, revealing a small stripe of tanned skin. Jensen has to swallow hard as he wants to walk over to the bed, lie down next to Jared and lick that sinful piece of flesh.
"Man, this is sweet!" Jared exclaims, excitement in his voice.
Jensen's torn out of his current thought immediately. Quickly, he focuses back on Jared, glad that apparently Jared's lightening up even more and that he's just as excited as Jensen is. Maybe, Jensen did the right thing after all.
"Yeah, it is," Jensen then agrees, yawning loudly. He huffs a laugh as he covers his mouth with his hand. "Jay, what d'you say? Let's go take a little nap and go find a place to eat later."
"Eating sounds good," Jared says.
Jensen can't help but laugh at that little bit of the old Jared coming back. He says goodbye to Jared and a quick shower later, Jensen crawls underneath the thin blankets and is asleep within seconds.
***
Later that evening, they don't do much more than go out to eat. Or at least they try. They ask the hotel lady for a map and a recommendation for a good restaurant, but in the end, all they do is get lost and end up in probably the touristiest place in town.
This isn't exactly New York, where it's blocks and "Walk five blocks and then turn left". No, here it's streets that take weird, sharp turns, that suddenly stop or that part into two. On their quest for a good place to eat at, they pass the fast food chain with the yellow and red M. However, they go straight past it on their mission to find an Italian place to eat at.
The food is good and once they manage to make it back to the hotel, they probably already saw a fair deal of the surroundings, or so they think. During the dinner, Jared even lightens up yet a little more. He's not back to his bubbly, nonstop-talking self, Jensen thinks, but it's yet another step into the right direction.
They talk about everything but Sandy, carefully avoiding the subject. Instead it is mostly Jensen updating Jared on what he's done during hiatus so far, what Chris and Steve have done, how Jensen's family has been, and so on and so on. Jared listens with a smile and every now and then he inquires more information on certain things, interested in what Jensen has to say.
They call it an early night early so they can rest up for their city tour tomorrow. The hotel lady told them that the best way to enjoy Rome is to do so by foot. Just as Jensen's about to enter his room and Jared is already halfway inside his own, Jared calls out for him.
"Yeah?" Jensen asks.
Jared turns around and Jensen sees a faint, rosy blush on Jared's face that clearly doesn't come from the wine they didn't have. He's quiet for a moment, as if he's nervous. But then he says, "Thanks, man. For- for everything."
Jensen decides not to make more out of it than it's worth. That's why he says with a smile on his face, "Don't mention it. See ya tomorrow, Jay. Goodnight."
As he closes the door, he hears Jared say "Goodnight, Jen." Through the closed door, it sounds like nothing more than a muffled whisper.
Index page| Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Picspam | Fan mix