Fanfiction: J2 - So Much More (Or How Jensen Learned not to be Such a Judgmental Prick) 3/?
Title: So Much More (Or How Jensen Learned Not to be Such a Judgmental Prick)
Author: conclusivelead.
Fandom: J2 RPS (AU).
Rating: Right now, PG-13.
Genre: Romance/Humor/Drama.
Warnings: Just Ridiculousness, Incorrect Geography, & Blatant Misuse of a Celebrity. So far, anyway.
Word Count: ~1600.
Challenge/Inspiration: The idea was taken from a prompt issued by willow_fae_20. The original prompt can be found right hurr.
Beta: burningwhisper
Notes: So the last chapter only got one comment, but whatcha gonna do. To see if I can keep people reading, I will be trying to update faster from now on. In that spirit of optimism, here is Ch.2! :D This is th shortest chapter of the entire story so far, for forgive its length. The next chapter is much, much longer.
Summary So Far: After a few rather memorably interesting run-ins, Jensen Ackles (the school nerd) and Jared Padalecki (the school bigshot) finally get a chance to talk to each other when they meet each other at the dog park after Jensen's dog Harley and Jared's dog Sadie both get free of their leashes. Jared decides that he should try and get to know Jensen better, and asks if he'd like to look for the dogs together. Jensen agrees.
III. In Which Harley and Sadie Sulk, Jared is Really Confused Actually, and Jensen Reforms His Opinion but Refuses to Let Warm and Fuzzy Feelings Take Over
JENSEN
Sunday, April 25th, 2009
7:25 AM
Bob E. Crowley Memorial Dog Park - Richardson, Texas
In any other situation, there wouldn’t have been a problem, but the presence of Jared Padalecki (funny how I can remember his last name now, once I’m face-to-face with Mr. Dilemma himself) makes it a problem - a big, fucking problem.
He’s obnoxious, I tell myself. He’s an obnoxious jerk who flirts with everyone, dates no one, and… and….
It’s out before I can really second-guess myself. “Okay.”
My mom always told me my worst trait is my inability to think anything through.
Despite vehemently denying it for eighteen years… I’m beginning to think that maybe she’s right.
I’m an idiot. Seriously, I’m a complete and utter moron.
What sane human being says to yes to an adventurous outing with the one person who could fuck up the relative normality of his existence?
Seriously.
I’m not sure what’s running through Jared’s mind. After a brief discussion of where we’ve both already looked, we decide to take off in the direction opposite the one I was going (except this time I very intelligently suggest we take the path instead of walking straight across the field of deadly grass.)
I know, sometimes I have my moments.
Thankfully, Jared doesn’t try to talk much, really, except for the occasional casual “So…nice weather lately, huh?” which I answer with silence and a slightly arched eyebrow, because the last time I checked it’s been raining pretty much every day for the past week.
Whatever, I give the guy credit for giving it a stab - I’m not exactly an easy person to talk to, so ten big points to Jared for effort.
The score now stands Jared 10 > Jensen 0.
Which is, actually, pretty much how the score stands between me and every other person in this town though with varying point compilations depending on the person.
I’m positive that by this point, my mom’s got about a zillion on me.
As I mentally peruse my rather dismal existence, Jared eyes me thoughtfully, as though he’s trying to decide just what makes me tick. I wish him all the luck in the world in figuring that out. To this day, I’m not sure myself just what makes me think the things I think or makes me do the things I do.
I’m convinced that it’s got something to do with having an elevated maturity level stimulated by low levels of socialization…or something.
We follow the curve of the path through a strange line of trees and emerge into a sunny glade. I have to walk a bit faster in order to keep up with Jared’s long legs, but it’s not too difficult to do. I suspect he’s walking a bit slower than he normally would in order to give me time to catch up.
Which, I think involuntarily, is thoughtful.
Before I can start thinking mushy-gushy thoughts about Jared and thoughtfulness and ponies and rainbows and the like, Jared says, “Aha!”
For a minute I stare blankly at his grinning face, wondering just what warranted such an enthusiastic response, but then he points, extending one long finger in the direction of a wrought-iron bench nestled in the shade beneath two beech trees.
Harley looks about as happy as could be, snuggled up as he is against the other dog, who must be Jared’s own pet Sadie. The two dogs have somehow squeezed themselves beneath the metal seat of the bench and they look blissfully unaware that Jared and I are standing not ten feet away.
“Harley!” I call in relief, starting forward to make my way across the short distance to him, but Jared grabs my arm and pulls me back.
“Wait, look,” he says, pointing again.
I follow the line of his arm obediently and see nothing for a moment, but then I realize that the animals aren’t, as I’d previously assumed, taking an ironically-named catnap in the shade. They are, in fact, lying with their bodies pressed close together and (I kid you not) gazing deeply into each others’ eyes.
I stare for a sec, not really sure I believe what I’m seeing but then Jared chuckles from somewhere above my right shoulder. I glance up at him and arch an eyebrow.
“Is this for real?” I ask, torn between gazing at the lovesick dogs or Jared. I finally settle on Jared, probably for obvious reasons.
“I guess so,” Jared laughs, stuffing his hands in his pockets and bunching his shoulders up around his ears briefly. As his laughter softens, his shoulders fall and he jerks his head toward Harley and Sadie. “Come on, might as well have a seat while they’re, uh…bonding, so to speak.”
We do, even though it’s a little weird to sit on what feels strangely like Harley’s head. I do appreciate, however, getting to rest my feet, seeing as I’ve been walking barefoot over hard concrete for some time.
I sigh blissfully as my body weight is lifted off my legs and plopped oh-so-ungracefully onto the park bench. Of course Jared makes me look back when he gracefully (which seems a little surprising for someone so big) unfolds beside me. Hmph.
Just to be safe, I reach down between my legs, pulling out the leash, and hook it around the loop of Harl’s collar. I wasn’t going to let him pull another fast one on me. I’d learned my lesson.
We sit in relative silence, saying nothing. For a while we just keep looking over at each other, waiting for someone to initiate conversation. After about five minutes of this, I begin to think that I can’t take any more of this uncomfortable quiet. I clear my throat and push against my knees with palms, standing up slowly.
My feet curse me.
“Well, I, uh, I’m gonna go.”
Jared stares at me with wide eyes, as though I’d surprised him out of a daze. “Sorry, what?”
“I said I’m gonna go home now. I’m, uh, glad you found Sadie. Bye.” I wrap the loop of Harley’s collar around my hand and pull, trying to pry Harley away from the other dog.
He just makes a contented snuffling sound and snuggles in closer to his new girlfriend.
I keep my head down, avoiding Jared’s gaze, even as I attempt to send telepathic, Dog Whisperer-esque warnings of no treats and sleeping outside in the rain to my traitor mutt.
“Harley, come,” I hiss under my breath, still working at those telepathic messages.
“Wait a sec,” Jared haltingly speaks up, leaning forward and trying to catch my eye.
Considering we haven’t known each other long, he’s already become devastatingly good at getting me to obey. I stop tugging and do this weird side-step thing around the length of the collar, which had been stretched out taut between my legs.
“What?” I ask, probably a little more bluntly than intended.
The left corner of his mouth twitches down some, as though he feels it was a little too blunt, too. “Why don’t we let them sit together a while longer? They’re obviously…” He searches for the correct word for a moment, eyes briefly scanning the leaves hanging above our heads. “…attached.”
I snort, looping the leash around my hand once more to ensure Harley wouldn’t get away again. “To say the least,” I agree, but I don’t move to sit again.
I want to get away from here as quickly as possible, but I’m not really sure why. I think I’d currently rather eat my own eyeballs than continue to try and make small talk with this absolutely confusing guy, but it’s not for the reasons that one might think. Jared is…well, cooler than I thought he’d be, for sure, but I don’t appreciate the puzzling feelings beginning to make themselves known somewhere inside my ribcage. It bothers me. I’m determined to make the time until college go by as quickly and easily as possible (not to mention I’d rather keep my inexplicably flaming homosexuality under wraps for the unforeseeable [read as: next five months or so] future.)
And so - no matter the puppy dog looks I am getting from Harley, Sadie, AND Jared, I shake my head, preparing to depart by yanking at the leash and forcing Harls out from under the bench.
He growls a little at being separated from his new girlfriend, but I ignore it and give Jared a tight smile that probably doesn’t quite reach my eyes.
He looks disappointed, but grins back nonetheless, brown curls falling into hazel eyes in a way that causes my throat to constrict and effectively freezes my farewell somewhere in the general area of my vocal cords.
“Alright, that’s cool,” he says, leaning back and letting Sadie’s leash hang loosely across the arm of the bench while throwing his other arm across its back. “See you at school, Jen.”
And despite that I’ve never liked any nickname anyone has ever come up with for me (kind of like how Tom was back when we were kids and he refused to let anyone who called him Tommy leave his sight without an ass-whooping), for some reason when “Jen” leaves Jared’s lips, I’m left with a warm, fuzzy feeling and I blush hotly.
I nod curtly, trying to hide the redness of my cheeks even though it’s pretty obvious that Jared sees it since he starts laughing, and I practically drag a howling, depressed Harley away.
Great, now I ‘m gonna have to be forced to deal with doggy pining all the way home AND incurably red cheeks.
TO BE CONTINUED.