New J2 snippet: a shelter from all storms (Jared/Jensen, PG)
It's Day 4 of 13 days of happy things...
a shelter from all storms
Jared/Jensen, 1,602 words, PG
Summary: Jared builds Jensen a castle. Written for a keyword prompt from feather_autant, which included J2, cardboard, and DVD.
Notes: Many thanks to dotfic for beta.
a shelter from all storms
by Destina
The Padalecki household during any celebration was always the best kind of chaos, kids shouting and laughing and boys pinning each other down in an effort to wrestle their way to the top of the miniature pecking order. Of course, eight-year-old Katy was the leader of the pack, unquestioned; she pointed, and the boys jumped to obey. Jensen loved it, loved being with Jared's family almost as much as he loved his own home and family. It was practically the same thing, anyway.
This particular birthday, the wild bunch was running amok, filled with sugary cake and gorging themselves on the fruits of the piñata, while Jared and Jensen looked on from lawn chairs at the side of the patio.
"God, where do they get the energy," muttered Jensen. They were weeks away from finishing the season, but it felt like a million miles to go. Uphill. In the snow. Barefoot and bleeding.
"Youth is wasted on the young," Jared said solemnly. He wrapped his hand around the nape of Jensen's neck and squeezed, giving attention to Jensen's tired muscles. Jensen snorted, but he could put up with Jared being a bumper sticker philosopher as long as he kept up the massage.
The kids gathered at the far side of the yard with a motley collection of boxes, cardboard and plastic in tow, and began arguing about the best way to build a fort. Jensen leaned into Jared's touch and watched in amusement as Katy took charge. "Remember when playing under a blanket draped over the kitchen table was the most fun you had ever had?" Jensen asked, nostalgic for when it was that easy, and 'let's pretend' didn't involve hours of makeup and fifteen takes for perfection's sake.
Jared nodded. "Those were the days, man. Pirate forts! Loved that."
Jensen gestured at the kids as Katy tossed her hair and banished one of her devoted crew to the cake table. "Somebody's getting voted off the island."
"Survivor only wishes it had this much drama." Jared's fingers slipped lower, beneath Jensen's collar, and Jensen shivered happily.
"Uncle Jared!" Katy shouted, pouncing on him like a feral cat. "Come help us build the fortress!"
"Okay, but I get to handle the duct tape," Jared said. He winked at Jensen as he was led away with his giant hand in Katy's tiny one.
Jensen slouched down as far in the fragile lawn chair as he could go without sliding out completely. "I'll just supervise," he called after them, grinning at Jared's exaggerated eye roll. He lifted his half-empty beer from the cup holder and took a few sips, then closed his eyes and basked in the warm Texas sun, hoarding it beneath his skin.
Some time later, he opened his eyes to a deserted yard, not even one kid within view. It was getting dark, and the yellow lanterns edging the patio had come on, swaying gently in the early evening breeze. Jensen groaned as he unfolded himself from the too-small chair, where his too-big body had been crumpled for who knows how long.
The patio door slid open and Jared stepped out, carrying two plates of chicken-and-pineapple skewers. "Oh, hey," he said. "I was just coming to wake you."
"Probably should have done it before I did permanent damage to my spine." Jensen stretched, wincing as his vertebrae popped all the way down in protest.
"Whatever, old timer." Jared set the plates down on the picnic table, where the remnants of tattered blue streamers fluttered weakly. "Come have a look."
"Can't we eat first?" Jensen's stomach approved loudly of that plan, but Jared already had him by the hand and was hustling him toward what looked like a massive pile of cardboard with a bright green tent at one end.
Jared patted the top and grinned. "It's awesome, right?"
"This is the fruit of your labor?" Jensen plucked at the furling duct tape holding the thing together. "Katy needs to hire someone with better credentials."
"So critical. Shut up and get in."
Jensen raised an eyebrow. "Uh, Jared? I'm not eight."
With one hand, Jared snagged Jensen's belt loop and pulled him close, and with his lips at the corner of Jensen's mouth, he whispered, "I've noticed." Jared's slow, deep kisses always had the effect of making Jensen forget every smart remark he'd been planning to make, and he put that skill to work for a while, until Jensen was nice and pliant in his arms. Then he broke off, grinning, and said, "You should really get in, 'cause it's not every day someone builds you a castle."
"Well, when you put it like that..."
Jared patted him on the ass and lifted the limp cardboard flap. Jensen stooped down and looked inside, and a slow grin spread across his face.
Whatever purpose the fort had served while Katy and her minions had been storming it earlier, it had been taken over by a new occupant since. Sleeping bags lined the tunnel leading up to the tent, and where it opened into the larger space, there were piles of pillows and blankets, including the orange and yellow throw Jared's mother had knitted, and Jensen thought of as his whenever he visited.
Jensen looked back over his shoulder at Jared, and whatever showed on his face caused Jared to break into a huge grin. "See? Awesome. Even if we did have to build an addition for your big ass." Jared pointed toward the tent.
"Oh, my big ass, really? You should talk, you gigantic--" Jensen started to twist around to take that on, but Jared was already shoving him inside, so Jensen gave up and crawled into the space. It took a while, but eventually, he was in the tent, which wasn't as horrifyingly tiny as it had appeared from the outside.
"Wait right there," Jared shouted, and his moon face disappeared from the other end of the tunnel. Jensen chuckled. A minute later, Jared unzipped the tent flap and handed him the plates.
"Hey, why'd I have to crawl in?" Jensen asked, as Jared stepped over him and dropped a gym bag on the ground.
"Because technically, this is the escape hatch. You can't go in the out door." Jared zipped it up, though he had to bend nearly in half to do it.
"You just did."
"Yes, but I'm the architect. Also, I brought the food."
"Point." Jensen handed Jared his plate and took a bite of chicken. "I can't believe I slept through the whole barbecue."
"Mama wouldn't let me wake you up. Said if a passel of kids running circles around you didn't rouse you, then you needed the sleep."
"Your mama is a wise woman."
"So she tells me."
From the depths of the gym bag, Jared produced a plastic container of barbecue sauce -- his daddy's special -- and then there was no more talking while they chowed their way through skewers and corn. Jared wiped his hands on Jensen's jeans; Jensen returned the favor by wiping his buttery-corn face on Jared's shoulder.
When they were done, Jared unzipped the escape hatch, tossed the plates out onto the grass -- which promptly attracted the family's canine garbage disposal squad -- and zipped up again. Jensen laughed, and a second later Jared was kissing him right though the laugh, his mouth warm and spicy on Jensen's. "You taste like butter," Jared said, the words shaped like a smile.
"You taste like dessert." Jensen nuzzled under Jared's ear, where he smelled of sunshine, and maybe some residual barbecue sauce.
Jared groaned and wriggled away. "Not yet." He went back to pawing through the gym bag.
Thus temporarily rejected, Jensen settled back on the pillows and took a second to look around. Nothing in there was an accident; Jared had clearly been working the whole ambiance thing. Flameless candles gave off a soft glow at the edges of the tent, more so now that it was truly dark outside. Crickets chirped steadily in the gloom beyond, and the buzz of insects was soothing. The night chill was starting to creep in, making things feel less civilized, more like being outdoors.
"This is a million times better than a blanket over the table," Jensen said softly. "Thank you."
Jared gave him a dazzling smile, the kind that often made Jensen wish Jared's entire extended family weren't a scant fifty feet away. He was convinced Jared's mother had x-ray vision, anyway, and could see through walls. And tents. Then Jared flopped down beside Jensen and propped a DVD player up on his stomach. "We have this on loan," he said. "Have to return it to Katy in mint condition in the morning."
"Seriously?" Jensen said, laughing.
"Hell yeah!" Jared fussed with the pillows, causing the tiny player to tumble off his belly onto the blankets. He popped it back into its place, and the credits for Citizen Kane began rolling, though Jared was moving around so much, Jensen was getting seasick trying to read. Only one way to fix that. One minute later, Jared had an armful of Jensen, which apparently weighed enough to hold him in place, and the DVD player stayed level.
"No way I'm having you go back to set looking like you haven't slept in days," Jared said quietly.
Jensen didn't think that would be a problem. Even now, Joseph Cotten's face was getting kind of fuzzy, and Jared's chest was warm and comfortable. Jensen drifted off to sleep, cicadas and dramatic music in the background, Jared's soft snores just above his ear.
~~*~~
a shelter from all storms
Jared/Jensen, 1,602 words, PG
Summary: Jared builds Jensen a castle. Written for a keyword prompt from feather_autant, which included J2, cardboard, and DVD.
Notes: Many thanks to dotfic for beta.
a shelter from all storms
by Destina
The Padalecki household during any celebration was always the best kind of chaos, kids shouting and laughing and boys pinning each other down in an effort to wrestle their way to the top of the miniature pecking order. Of course, eight-year-old Katy was the leader of the pack, unquestioned; she pointed, and the boys jumped to obey. Jensen loved it, loved being with Jared's family almost as much as he loved his own home and family. It was practically the same thing, anyway.
This particular birthday, the wild bunch was running amok, filled with sugary cake and gorging themselves on the fruits of the piñata, while Jared and Jensen looked on from lawn chairs at the side of the patio.
"God, where do they get the energy," muttered Jensen. They were weeks away from finishing the season, but it felt like a million miles to go. Uphill. In the snow. Barefoot and bleeding.
"Youth is wasted on the young," Jared said solemnly. He wrapped his hand around the nape of Jensen's neck and squeezed, giving attention to Jensen's tired muscles. Jensen snorted, but he could put up with Jared being a bumper sticker philosopher as long as he kept up the massage.
The kids gathered at the far side of the yard with a motley collection of boxes, cardboard and plastic in tow, and began arguing about the best way to build a fort. Jensen leaned into Jared's touch and watched in amusement as Katy took charge. "Remember when playing under a blanket draped over the kitchen table was the most fun you had ever had?" Jensen asked, nostalgic for when it was that easy, and 'let's pretend' didn't involve hours of makeup and fifteen takes for perfection's sake.
Jared nodded. "Those were the days, man. Pirate forts! Loved that."
Jensen gestured at the kids as Katy tossed her hair and banished one of her devoted crew to the cake table. "Somebody's getting voted off the island."
"Survivor only wishes it had this much drama." Jared's fingers slipped lower, beneath Jensen's collar, and Jensen shivered happily.
"Uncle Jared!" Katy shouted, pouncing on him like a feral cat. "Come help us build the fortress!"
"Okay, but I get to handle the duct tape," Jared said. He winked at Jensen as he was led away with his giant hand in Katy's tiny one.
Jensen slouched down as far in the fragile lawn chair as he could go without sliding out completely. "I'll just supervise," he called after them, grinning at Jared's exaggerated eye roll. He lifted his half-empty beer from the cup holder and took a few sips, then closed his eyes and basked in the warm Texas sun, hoarding it beneath his skin.
Some time later, he opened his eyes to a deserted yard, not even one kid within view. It was getting dark, and the yellow lanterns edging the patio had come on, swaying gently in the early evening breeze. Jensen groaned as he unfolded himself from the too-small chair, where his too-big body had been crumpled for who knows how long.
The patio door slid open and Jared stepped out, carrying two plates of chicken-and-pineapple skewers. "Oh, hey," he said. "I was just coming to wake you."
"Probably should have done it before I did permanent damage to my spine." Jensen stretched, wincing as his vertebrae popped all the way down in protest.
"Whatever, old timer." Jared set the plates down on the picnic table, where the remnants of tattered blue streamers fluttered weakly. "Come have a look."
"Can't we eat first?" Jensen's stomach approved loudly of that plan, but Jared already had him by the hand and was hustling him toward what looked like a massive pile of cardboard with a bright green tent at one end.
Jared patted the top and grinned. "It's awesome, right?"
"This is the fruit of your labor?" Jensen plucked at the furling duct tape holding the thing together. "Katy needs to hire someone with better credentials."
"So critical. Shut up and get in."
Jensen raised an eyebrow. "Uh, Jared? I'm not eight."
With one hand, Jared snagged Jensen's belt loop and pulled him close, and with his lips at the corner of Jensen's mouth, he whispered, "I've noticed." Jared's slow, deep kisses always had the effect of making Jensen forget every smart remark he'd been planning to make, and he put that skill to work for a while, until Jensen was nice and pliant in his arms. Then he broke off, grinning, and said, "You should really get in, 'cause it's not every day someone builds you a castle."
"Well, when you put it like that..."
Jared patted him on the ass and lifted the limp cardboard flap. Jensen stooped down and looked inside, and a slow grin spread across his face.
Whatever purpose the fort had served while Katy and her minions had been storming it earlier, it had been taken over by a new occupant since. Sleeping bags lined the tunnel leading up to the tent, and where it opened into the larger space, there were piles of pillows and blankets, including the orange and yellow throw Jared's mother had knitted, and Jensen thought of as his whenever he visited.
Jensen looked back over his shoulder at Jared, and whatever showed on his face caused Jared to break into a huge grin. "See? Awesome. Even if we did have to build an addition for your big ass." Jared pointed toward the tent.
"Oh, my big ass, really? You should talk, you gigantic--" Jensen started to twist around to take that on, but Jared was already shoving him inside, so Jensen gave up and crawled into the space. It took a while, but eventually, he was in the tent, which wasn't as horrifyingly tiny as it had appeared from the outside.
"Wait right there," Jared shouted, and his moon face disappeared from the other end of the tunnel. Jensen chuckled. A minute later, Jared unzipped the tent flap and handed him the plates.
"Hey, why'd I have to crawl in?" Jensen asked, as Jared stepped over him and dropped a gym bag on the ground.
"Because technically, this is the escape hatch. You can't go in the out door." Jared zipped it up, though he had to bend nearly in half to do it.
"You just did."
"Yes, but I'm the architect. Also, I brought the food."
"Point." Jensen handed Jared his plate and took a bite of chicken. "I can't believe I slept through the whole barbecue."
"Mama wouldn't let me wake you up. Said if a passel of kids running circles around you didn't rouse you, then you needed the sleep."
"Your mama is a wise woman."
"So she tells me."
From the depths of the gym bag, Jared produced a plastic container of barbecue sauce -- his daddy's special -- and then there was no more talking while they chowed their way through skewers and corn. Jared wiped his hands on Jensen's jeans; Jensen returned the favor by wiping his buttery-corn face on Jared's shoulder.
When they were done, Jared unzipped the escape hatch, tossed the plates out onto the grass -- which promptly attracted the family's canine garbage disposal squad -- and zipped up again. Jensen laughed, and a second later Jared was kissing him right though the laugh, his mouth warm and spicy on Jensen's. "You taste like butter," Jared said, the words shaped like a smile.
"You taste like dessert." Jensen nuzzled under Jared's ear, where he smelled of sunshine, and maybe some residual barbecue sauce.
Jared groaned and wriggled away. "Not yet." He went back to pawing through the gym bag.
Thus temporarily rejected, Jensen settled back on the pillows and took a second to look around. Nothing in there was an accident; Jared had clearly been working the whole ambiance thing. Flameless candles gave off a soft glow at the edges of the tent, more so now that it was truly dark outside. Crickets chirped steadily in the gloom beyond, and the buzz of insects was soothing. The night chill was starting to creep in, making things feel less civilized, more like being outdoors.
"This is a million times better than a blanket over the table," Jensen said softly. "Thank you."
Jared gave him a dazzling smile, the kind that often made Jensen wish Jared's entire extended family weren't a scant fifty feet away. He was convinced Jared's mother had x-ray vision, anyway, and could see through walls. And tents. Then Jared flopped down beside Jensen and propped a DVD player up on his stomach. "We have this on loan," he said. "Have to return it to Katy in mint condition in the morning."
"Seriously?" Jensen said, laughing.
"Hell yeah!" Jared fussed with the pillows, causing the tiny player to tumble off his belly onto the blankets. He popped it back into its place, and the credits for Citizen Kane began rolling, though Jared was moving around so much, Jensen was getting seasick trying to read. Only one way to fix that. One minute later, Jared had an armful of Jensen, which apparently weighed enough to hold him in place, and the DVD player stayed level.
"No way I'm having you go back to set looking like you haven't slept in days," Jared said quietly.
Jensen didn't think that would be a problem. Even now, Joseph Cotten's face was getting kind of fuzzy, and Jared's chest was warm and comfortable. Jensen drifted off to sleep, cicadas and dramatic music in the background, Jared's soft snores just above his ear.
~~*~~