Fic: Jared Padalecki’s Journal, Part 25 [J2]
For all parts, click on the 'fic:jpj' tag. For rating, pairings and notes, see part 1. (A few supplementary images to assist your visualization efforts: Jared barefoot and Jared shirtless and/or wet. And Jensen wet. (Don’t just stare at the pics all day; remember to come back and read the fic, ha.))
Was that the door closing? “Jensen?”, Jared called cautiously. There was no answer, and he ventured out of the bedroom, still shirtless and barefoot. There was no one in the living room, and he ran over to the sliding glass door behind the kitchen. He saw someone who looked like Jensen walking away down the street, but through the rain it was hard to be sure. He pulled open the door and called out, but the man didn’t slow his pace. He shut the door and slumped against it. What had happened?
He scanned his apartment, looking for any clue, and saw his phone sitting on the coffee table, its screen still lit up. He picked it up. “Oh, shit.” It was running his journaling app, with an entry from the spring showing. Fuck, Jensen thinks I still hate him like I thought I did back then. I gotta find him and explain.
Jared rocketed out of his apartment, grabbing his keys from the hook by the door as he sped by. When he got downstairs and out the main door, he realized he didn’t have any shoes on. Fuck. He ran back upstairs, grabbing his old running shoes from the depths of the tiny front closet, and pulling them on without socks. He ran back downstairs and headed in the direction Jensen had been walking. He tried several side streets, with no luck on any of them.
Jared slowed to a walk, crossing his arms over his bare chest, only now registering the cold of the rain falling down. He was about to give up and head back home when he saw a familiar silhouette step out of a store door across the street. Jensen looked up, as if sensing his gaze, and looked intently at him. They met at the pedestrian island in the middle of the intersection, the two of them crowded into the small space. “I thought you’d gone,” Jared said breathlessly.
“I shouldn’t have looked,” Jensen said. “I’m sorry. I saw what you said about me, Jared.”
“I was wrong,” Jared interrupted. “I don’t feel that way any…”
Jensen hushed him with one finger on Jared’s lips. “You weren’t wrong. I did act like a pretentious, humorless bastard. I was just so worried about what everyone might be saying about me that I forgot about the more important stuff.”
The lights changed and a group of pedestrians walked by, staring at the odd picture the two of them made, both wet and Jared bare to the waist. Jensen frowned at Jared’s shivering, and stripped off his jacket, pulling it around Jared’s shoulders.
“So why did you leave?”, Jared asked.
“I wanted to get you something, show you I wasn’t afraid of showing my feelings anymore,” Jensen replied. He reached toward Jared’s hip and he startled, then realized that Jensen was reaching into his jacket pocket. He pulled out a plastic container. “These were the only flowers they had. I wanted roses or something, but…”
Jared realized that the container held a corsage of mums, like the kind you bought a girl for high school prom. He smiled. “Thanks.”
Jensen started to say something else, when a car rocketed by, hitting a puddle and spraying them with cold muddy water. Jensen winced and Jared let out a squeak that was more high-pitched than he’d prefer to admit.
“Back to your place, out of the rain?,” Jensen proposed, blinking away raindrops.
Jared stared as one rolled down Jensen’s cheek toward his mouth. “Right, good plan.”
They made it back to Jared’s building and squeaked up the stairs. “D’ya want a shower?,” Jared asked, after unlocking the door, and Jensen looked at him. “Just a shower, I mean, by yourself, you’re all wet and cold. Not that I would object to taking a shower with you, but I think it would require repealing some of the laws of physics to fit two people in my shower. I don’t really fit it in myself…” He broke off as his teeth started to chatter.
“Yeah, OK,” Jensen said, “but you shower first,” urging Jared toward the bedroom with a hand on his shoulder.
After quick hot showers, Jensen putting on an extra pair of Jared’s sweats, they ended up in Jared’s bed underneath his mamaw’s quilt, because it was the warmest place in the apartment.
“I don’t need big romantic gestures. I mean, I like them, but I just wanted to go out with you,” Jared said, his thoughts muddled, but hoping Jensen would understand what he meant.
“We can do that,” Jensen said.
“What about New York?,” Jared asked.
“I’m not staying. I’m coming back here,” Jensen said.
“But I thought you got this awesome job there,” Jared replied.
“It was the wrong decision,” Jensen said. “I was trying to run away, get away from people’s reactions to my coming out, get away from my feelings about you. I told myself it was for a fresh start, but really I was just avoiding everything. Just like I always do, stick my head in work and forget about anything else.”
“Not any more,” Jared said, more confidently than he actually felt.
“Probably not,” Jensen said. “I have the feeling you’re impossible to ignore.”
Jared grinned. That was true enough.
“Besides, I seem to have gotten used to being a little embarrassed. Maybe it’s good for the soul,” Jensen said.
Jared threw his head back and laughed (or he would have if he hadn’t been lying in bed. Mostly he just almost smothered himself with the pillow, but then, that pillow had always had it in for him). Jensen leaned over and kissed him, and Jared didn’t mind it so much anymore.
A/N: Sincere thanks to everyone who’s been reading along and/or commenting. I hope you enjoy the completed product. Happy holidays and best wishes for a fabulous new year (even if a wet Jensen Ackles doesn’t show up at my your door).
Was that the door closing? “Jensen?”, Jared called cautiously. There was no answer, and he ventured out of the bedroom, still shirtless and barefoot. There was no one in the living room, and he ran over to the sliding glass door behind the kitchen. He saw someone who looked like Jensen walking away down the street, but through the rain it was hard to be sure. He pulled open the door and called out, but the man didn’t slow his pace. He shut the door and slumped against it. What had happened?
He scanned his apartment, looking for any clue, and saw his phone sitting on the coffee table, its screen still lit up. He picked it up. “Oh, shit.” It was running his journaling app, with an entry from the spring showing. Fuck, Jensen thinks I still hate him like I thought I did back then. I gotta find him and explain.
Jared rocketed out of his apartment, grabbing his keys from the hook by the door as he sped by. When he got downstairs and out the main door, he realized he didn’t have any shoes on. Fuck. He ran back upstairs, grabbing his old running shoes from the depths of the tiny front closet, and pulling them on without socks. He ran back downstairs and headed in the direction Jensen had been walking. He tried several side streets, with no luck on any of them.
Jared slowed to a walk, crossing his arms over his bare chest, only now registering the cold of the rain falling down. He was about to give up and head back home when he saw a familiar silhouette step out of a store door across the street. Jensen looked up, as if sensing his gaze, and looked intently at him. They met at the pedestrian island in the middle of the intersection, the two of them crowded into the small space. “I thought you’d gone,” Jared said breathlessly.
“I shouldn’t have looked,” Jensen said. “I’m sorry. I saw what you said about me, Jared.”
“I was wrong,” Jared interrupted. “I don’t feel that way any…”
Jensen hushed him with one finger on Jared’s lips. “You weren’t wrong. I did act like a pretentious, humorless bastard. I was just so worried about what everyone might be saying about me that I forgot about the more important stuff.”
The lights changed and a group of pedestrians walked by, staring at the odd picture the two of them made, both wet and Jared bare to the waist. Jensen frowned at Jared’s shivering, and stripped off his jacket, pulling it around Jared’s shoulders.
“So why did you leave?”, Jared asked.
“I wanted to get you something, show you I wasn’t afraid of showing my feelings anymore,” Jensen replied. He reached toward Jared’s hip and he startled, then realized that Jensen was reaching into his jacket pocket. He pulled out a plastic container. “These were the only flowers they had. I wanted roses or something, but…”
Jared realized that the container held a corsage of mums, like the kind you bought a girl for high school prom. He smiled. “Thanks.”
Jensen started to say something else, when a car rocketed by, hitting a puddle and spraying them with cold muddy water. Jensen winced and Jared let out a squeak that was more high-pitched than he’d prefer to admit.
“Back to your place, out of the rain?,” Jensen proposed, blinking away raindrops.
Jared stared as one rolled down Jensen’s cheek toward his mouth. “Right, good plan.”
They made it back to Jared’s building and squeaked up the stairs. “D’ya want a shower?,” Jared asked, after unlocking the door, and Jensen looked at him. “Just a shower, I mean, by yourself, you’re all wet and cold. Not that I would object to taking a shower with you, but I think it would require repealing some of the laws of physics to fit two people in my shower. I don’t really fit it in myself…” He broke off as his teeth started to chatter.
“Yeah, OK,” Jensen said, “but you shower first,” urging Jared toward the bedroom with a hand on his shoulder.
After quick hot showers, Jensen putting on an extra pair of Jared’s sweats, they ended up in Jared’s bed underneath his mamaw’s quilt, because it was the warmest place in the apartment.
“I don’t need big romantic gestures. I mean, I like them, but I just wanted to go out with you,” Jared said, his thoughts muddled, but hoping Jensen would understand what he meant.
“We can do that,” Jensen said.
“What about New York?,” Jared asked.
“I’m not staying. I’m coming back here,” Jensen said.
“But I thought you got this awesome job there,” Jared replied.
“It was the wrong decision,” Jensen said. “I was trying to run away, get away from people’s reactions to my coming out, get away from my feelings about you. I told myself it was for a fresh start, but really I was just avoiding everything. Just like I always do, stick my head in work and forget about anything else.”
“Not any more,” Jared said, more confidently than he actually felt.
“Probably not,” Jensen said. “I have the feeling you’re impossible to ignore.”
Jared grinned. That was true enough.
“Besides, I seem to have gotten used to being a little embarrassed. Maybe it’s good for the soul,” Jensen said.
Jared threw his head back and laughed (or he would have if he hadn’t been lying in bed. Mostly he just almost smothered himself with the pillow, but then, that pillow had always had it in for him). Jensen leaned over and kissed him, and Jared didn’t mind it so much anymore.
A/N: Sincere thanks to everyone who’s been reading along and/or commenting. I hope you enjoy the completed product. Happy holidays and best wishes for a fabulous new year (even if a wet Jensen Ackles doesn’t show up at my your door).