The Smile You Can't Forget (10/?)
ten
"My parents' house or a motel?" Jensen offered quietly. Next to him, Jared shifted slightly in his seat, long legs curled into his chest and arms wrapped around his stomach as if he was worried he might fall apart. He hadn't spoken since the two of them had climbed into the Impala and made their way back down the long, winding driveway that had led them away from the Padalecki estate.
"Could we... maybe go to a motel?" The young man asked hesitantly after a few moments. His hazel eyes were trained on Jensen as if he expected him to say no, perhaps be offended that the younger man didn't want to spend the evening with his family, and he rushed to validate his answer. "I just don't think I can come with any more parents tonight."
Jensen smiled softly, reaching out and wrapping an arm around the younger man's shoulders, tugging him lightly across the bench seat until the kid was a long line of warmth against his side. He smiled softly, dropping a kiss on the younger man's head before he spoke, "Motel's fine by me, Jay. Hell, if you want me to ring my momma and postpone dinner tomorrow until next weekend or something, that's fine, too. Like I said, we're not doing anything that you're not comfortable with, and that was some pretty heavy shit back there."
"I do want to do dinner with your parents tomorrow," Jared denied, looking up at his alpha earnestly. "I mean, you said that they'll be happy, right? Excited? I want to see that. I just don't think that I could cope with that tonight. Not after how my parents reacted."
Jensen nodded understandingly. "That's okay, too. Listen, I know of a motel not far from here. What's say we stop off at a diner and grab ourselves some food - because I know for a fact that you've barely eaten - and then we'll book ourselves a room? Maybe grab some junk food and watch a crappy movie or something. Just relax."
For a second, he thought that Jared might say that he wasn't hungry, and then the kid's hand slipped down to his stomach and he nodded firmly, as if trying to convince himself.
"Yeah," He agreed. "Dinner and a movie. Sounds nice."
The older man grinned, gently squeezing the omega's shoulder as he turned off the road and into the familiar lot of Marie's Diner. He couldn't help the sense of nostalgia that swept over him at the sight of the building; he'd been fourteen when they'd first build it, and he and his friends had spent many an evening wasting away the hours in the red vinyl booths. Since he'd left home for university, it had been a rare treat to make his way back to the diner and visit a now white-haired Marie and her husband. He knew Jared would love it.
"I used to come here all the time as a kid," He confessed, steering the younger man towards the door with a gentle hand in the middle of his back. "Me and my friends probably made poor Marie's life hell back then, now that I think about it, but she always gave us free pie anyways."
Jared grinned softly. "Sounds nice. Knowing your love of pie, I'd wager it must have to be delicious to keep you coming back."
"The best." Jensen nodded, holding the door for the young man as the two of them stepped inside. A small bell above the door jingled to announce their arrival, and Jensen knew the exact moment that Marie saw him. Her face brightened into a wide grin and she tossed aside the cloth that she'd been using to clean the front counter, throwing her arms open wide in invitation of a hug.
"Jensen Ackles!" She crowed, reminding the alpha of a kid at Christmas. "Why, it's been far too long, young man! I knew that the lure of my Cinnamon Apple Pie would draw you back in sooner or later. Steven! Get out here, you big lug!"
The alpha laughed, letting the woman tug him in for a hug and squeezing her back gently, uncaring of the way that the rounded edge of the counter was digging into his hipbone. It was only when she pulled away that the omega seemed to register Jared's presence, and her eyes went wide, smile growing even wider as she smacked a hand against Jensen's chest with an audible noise.
"And who might this be?" She grinned, eyes twinkling as they took in the alpha's proprietary hand on the small of the younger man's back.
Jared ducked his head at the attention, cheeks already beginning to turn the beautiful crimson that Jensen loved as Marie's husband appeared from the door to the kitchen, grumbling irritably as he did so. His words trailed off as he took in the sight of Jensen, face breaking into a smile, and the young alpha found himself dragged into another back-breaking hug a split-second later.
"Something you need to tell us, young man?"
Jensen nudged Jared forwards softly, rubbing his back reassuringly and unable to keep the pride from his voice when he replied. "Sure do, ma'am. This is Jared. He's my mate."
The alpha wasn't sure that the noise the woman made could even be classified as human, and he couldn't help but laugh as she dragged the tall youngster across and into a hug that he knew from years of experience was more than likely bone-crushing in its intensity. Behind her, Steven leant over to clap a hand on the alpha's shoulders.
"Well, then. Congratulations, son - it's a pleasure to meet you, Jared."
Jared ducked his head demurely, but Jensen was pleased to note that he seemed content with the attention as opposed to embarrassed or flustered. Whilst his cheeks were still cherry-red, his smile was bright and happy for the first time since they'd left his parents’ house, beautiful hazel eyes twinkling.
“Now,” Marie grinned slyly. “Seems to me that something as important as a mating deserves some free food. Lucky for you, I know a couple that would be more than happy to oblige.”
Jensen grinned, gratefully reeling off his usual order - if there was one main thing he loved about the diner, it was that their menu never changed. Jared to a few moments to decide on his own, but Jensen was relieved that he settled on a chicken burger and a salad rather than just the salad by itself, which until then had seemed to be the kid’s go-to meal for when they ate out.
“Why don’t you grab yourselves a table and I’ll bring it out to you,” Steven offered, inclining his head towards the back of the diner with a sly wink. “Pretty sure your booth’s free, kid.”
Jared frowned a little in obvious bewilderment, but when Jensen entwined their fingers and started to lead him towards the far end of the room he went willingly. “You have a booth?”
“Sure do,” Jensen teased, finally reaching the far corner and nodding to the small stretch of wall between the table top and the window. Jared raised an eyebrow, sliding across the vinyl booth to get a better look. “See?”
Carved into the wooden panelling was a list of eleven names, Jensen’s tucked neatly in the middle.
The omega’s fingers reached out to trail along the carvings, smile widening a little as he took them in. He traced the familiar lines and curves of Jensen’s name, and then his hand skipped over to the next, and he turned his eyes on his mate.
“Are these your friends? From high school?”
Jensen slid into the booth across from him, sprawling out in a manner that had become customary since he’d hit six foot and realised that there wasn’t many places built with people of his stature in mind. His feet instinctively tangled around his mate’s, electing and yet another grin from the young man, and Jensen felt his shoulders relax. Already the diner was accomplishing its intended purpose: getting Jared to relax a little bit, perhaps even forgot about the disastrous dinner at his parents’ house for a little while. And, of course, to make sure that kid had a decent meal in his stomach.
“Most of them,” The alpha nodded, eyes skipping over the familiar list. “My brother and sister, too. One of my cousins, Eric - see there? We felt like such rebels doing it, thought for sure Steven would blow a gasket. He just laughed and said that we’d finally given the place the ‘personal touch’ that it had been lacking.”
Jared snorted. “You think he meant it?”
“Either that or he’s a lot smarter than I ever gave him credit for. We never touched the damn thing again.”
“So that was your rebellious faze, then? Carving your name into diner walls?”
“Yeah,” Jensen admitted, rubbing the back of his neck as if embarrassed. “That was about as rebellious as I ever got. Apart from the one time when I was sixteen and got so drunk at a friend’s party that I passed out face-first on the bathroom floor as soon as I got home. My parent’s loved that.”
Jared rolled his eyes, but he seemed delighted by the bit of information. “Come on, dude! Even I got in more trouble than that! Jeff and I once let all of the horses out of the stables, and waited until everyone was running around and chasing them to sneak out to go to a house party. Our parents were moments away from filing two missing persons reports when we stumbled back in.”
“Seriously?” Jensen crowed. “And here was me thinking you’d have been a good kid.”
Their conversation was interrupted briefly as Steven arrived, dishing out their food with a grin; as well as the food that they’d ordered, he’d also added a large basket of curly fries for the two of them to share.
He winked as he placed their drinks on the table, grinning teasingly as he swept back towards the kitchen, strict orders to enjoy the food offered over his shoulder as he went.
Jensen didn’t waste any time. Whilst he’d managed to eat a little of the food that Jared’s mother had provided before things had gone downhill, his stomach had quickly come alive at the sight of a juicy burger right in front of him, reminding him that a few forkfuls was not enough to satisfy his hunger.
Surprisingly, he wasn’t the only one digging in with gusto. Jared took one bite out of his burger and groaned slightly, not even noticing the way that Jensen had to rearrange himself at the noise.
“This is delicious,” He practically salivated. “Best burger I’ve ever had.”
Jensen was enjoying his own food so much that he couldn’t even find the time between bites to throw in a smarmy told you so. It probably wasn’t a bad thing. The two of them settled into an easy silence, steadily working their way through the meal. Quite honestly, it was the first time Jensen had seen his young mate in any way enthusiastic about food, and it was a relief to watch as he put away most of the burger, half of the salad and a fair share of the curly fries.
Finally, the omega conceded defeat, slumping back against the booth and rubbing a hand over his stomach.
“God,” He groaned, grinning slightly. “I think I’m going to pop.”
Jensen offered him a cheeky wink, munching through the last few fries in the basket. “Still got a few months before that happens, kid.”
Jared let out a somewhat startled laugh, hand rubbing his stomach once more without thought, and Jensen felt something in the pit of his stomach warm at the sight. He might not have known the kid for very long, considering that they were now bonded for life and had a kid on the way, but he knew already that there was nobody else that he’d rather have a child with. Jared was going to be a fantastic parent, and Jensen was more than a little proud that the universe had chosen him to stand at the young omega’s side.
“Cheeky bastard.” Jared accused with a small grin, biting back a yawn that seemed to take him by surprise. “Man, I’m wiped.”
Instantly, Jensen’s mood shifted slightly towards concern. He knew, logically, that it had been a long day for everyone involved and that Jared was well within his rights to be tired, but he also couldn’t help but remember how pale and small the kid had looked, curled up in a hospital bed.
He reached out to squeeze the younger man’s hand. “Think it’s time to jet. You wanna wait in the car while I go and pay?”
Jared hesitated for a long moment, and then slowly nodded. Jensen figured that the younger man would probably be well on his way to snoozeville by the time he’d climbed into his own seat, and grinned a little bit to himself as he shepherded the younger man through the diner. It was getting busier now, customers filtering in for their evening meals, and twice Jensen had to hold out an arm to stop people bouncing off his mate in the hurry to find a table.
He watched diligently as the younger man made his way out of the door and across the lot, opening the passenger door, and it wasn’t until Jared was securely tucked away in the passenger seat that he finally returned to the front counter.
Marie grinned at him knowingly, waving her hand dismissively when he tried to pass over the money for the food.
“Your money’s no good here, boy,” She laughed. “Not today, at least. Consider it a congratulations… for finally finding a mate for yourself. And for the baby, of course.”
For a second, Jensen thought he must have misheard her. He felt his own eyes widen in his face, and his reaction must have only further convinced Marie that she was right, because her grin took on an all knew gleam of happiness.
“How did-“
“Boy, I’m a mother. We know these things. Besides which, you think I didn’t notice the way your hand went straight for his stomach when Jonas bumped into you? Of course I did. Which just makes me wonder why you never said anything in the first place.”
Jensen shifted uncomfortably, and it was a few moments before Marie seemed to understand.
“Oh,” She said breathily, and he hated himself for feeling almost angry when he saw the pity in her eyes. “Things aren’t going so smooth, huh? Well, for what it’s worth, I’ll keep you boys in my prayers, okay? I’m sure you won’t need it, but I will.”
Jensen smiled softly, leaning over the counter to offer the older woman one last hug.
“Thanks, Marie. I appreciate that.”
**
As predicted, Jared had been dozing against the window by the time that Jensen had climbed into his own seat. The alpha had pulled off the road briefly to pick up a couple of cheap movies and some junk food at the local supermarket, before heading for the motel that sat just on the edges of town. He knew from experience that it was a well-kept place, and that the prices weren’t too extortionate.
He wasn’t ashamed to admit that he dawdled for a few moments before waking Jared up, giving the omega just a few more moments of rest before he woke him up. Despite what the young man might like him to think, Jensen hadn’t been fooled for a second that he was feeling fighting fit after his hospital trip. Whilst the doctor’s recommendations had, indeed, been helping to some degree, he’d still thrown up a few times that morning and Jensen had felt the kid tossing and turning at night. The rest would do him good.
Unfortunately, his cramped position curled up against the passenger window would not, and it was that knowledge that finally had Jensen easing the passenger door open, bracing the younger man in place with a hand on his shoulder as he roused drowsily.
“Hey, there, sleepyhead.” The alpha smiled, crouching down and cupping the omega’s face as he blinked the world back into focus. “Have a nice nap? I got us a motel room.”
Jared smiled softly, stretching for a long moment before climbing free of the confines of the car.
“Are we still going to get a movie or something?” He asked, following the alpha back towards their motel room for the evening. “I actually quite fancy one right about now.”
“Way ahead of you. I stopped off at the supermarket on the way here and picked up a few.”
The young omega grinned warmly, and Jensen did his best to deny the unmistakable sensation of butterflies in his stomach when the younger man reached out and tangled their fingers together.
**
Morning found Jensen warm and comfortable, save for something cold and prickly digging into his stomach. It took him a few seconds to register that he was sprawled out on his front on the motel bed, and even longer than that to register the warm weight resting against his back. A quick glance over his shoulder revealed Jared cuddled up to him, curled into a loose ball on his side with his head and one hand lying lightly on the back of Jensen’s shoulder.
Despite craning his neck to its full extent, all he could really see of the kid was a mop of soft, chestnut hair, but that in itself was enough to have him smiling. It seemed that, despite his vehement protests on the subject, Jared definitely was a closet snuggler - and this position was the proof that Jensen finally needed to prove that it wasn’t him. Not that he was complaining.
The shift in weight had the prickling from the object underneath him reaching all new levels of uncomfortable, and Jensen reluctantly shifted, pushing up a little bit with one arm and reaching underneath him with the other. He couldn’t help but frown when he pulled out a very flat, but still half full, Cheetos packet. Apparently he’d managed to roll on it sometime in the night, though he couldn’t quite work out how the sensation hadn’t woken him. It certainly wasn’t comfortable.
On his shoulder, Jared mumbled something that was entirely coherent but vaguely resembled a protest at being moved, and flopped back onto the bed with a sigh. It was a few more seconds before he blinked his eyes open, and his face broke into a wide grin at the sight of his mate clutching the flattened Cheetos packet.
“Sleep snacking now?” He asked innocently, apparently picking up on Jensen’s general air of confusion. The alpha scowled, tossing the crumpled wrapper into the motel trashcan with perhaps a little more effort than was required.
“Must’ve still been on the bed when we fell asleep.” He shrugged, flipping onto his back and pausing there to stretch. A quick glance at the clock revealed that it was gone ten in the morning, and he couldn’t help the small surge of disappointment at the realisation that they should really get up and moving at some point soon. “Clearly Ginger Snaps wasn’t quite enough excitement to keep us awake.”
Jared snorted. “Speak for yourself, old man. Some of us have enough stamina to make it to the end of a movie. And to have a shower afterwards.”
“Dude! Totally doesn’t count - for a start, it was the third movie in a row. And then there’s also the little factor of your nap in the car. That’s cheating!”
“That’s called being pregnant.” Jared teased, shoving lightly at the older man’s shoulders. “Now why don’t you go shower? I thought you wanted to be at your parents’ house before midday?”
Jensen sobered slightly at the thought. “It’s not too late to cancel, you know. They’d understand if you didn’t want to go.”
“Sounds you me like you’re the one that’s nervous,” Jared grinned, shoving him again. “We’re going, now go and have a shower. You’re started to smell.”
Jensen pouted, rolling obediently out of the bed and pausing to stretch when his feet hit the floor. He expected Jared to do the same, but instead the young omega sprawled out a little further on the bed with a sly grin, and shut his eyes again.
“Hey!” Jensen defended, lightly smacking the younger man’s feet. “No snoozing! You’d best be awake when I get out of the shower!”
Jared just grinned innocently, shrugging one slender shoulder. “I can’t make any promises.”
**
Despite Jared’s teasing that morning, he was not only awake when Jensen emerged from the shower, but also fully dressed, packed and ready to go. If it wasn’t for the way he kept twining his fingers together, Jensen almost would have believed that it was eagerness rather than nerves that had him prepared so quickly.
As it was, he studiously refrained himself from mentioning it, stuffing his clothes he’d slept in the night before into the duffel a lot less neatly than the ones that Jared had diligently folded. The younger man wrinkled his nose, and the way that his nose twitched had Jensen wondering whether he was having to bite back the urge to pull them out and refold them. He reached for his jacket instead.
The drive to Jensen’s childhood home was silent save for the Zeppelin pouring through the Impala’s speakers. The alpha knew that his nerves were irrational - if there was one thing that his parents had unfailingly been since the day he was born, it was supportive. More than that, his mother had seemed genuinely thrilled at the idea of Jensen being mated. Why would she feel any different about the prospect of a new grandbaby to spoil?
Perhaps, he reasoned, the part that was making him nervous was knowing what he’d have to explain to her. That, though his and Jared’s baby seemed fit and healthy for the moment, there was a high chance that it wouldn’t stay that way. He couldn’t bear the thought of having to see his mother’s face when she found that little titbit out.
Next to him, Jared was shifting uncomfortably. It took the alpha a while to realise that whatever he was anticipating his mother’s reaction to be, Jared was expecting much worse - especially after the reaction he’d gotten from his own parents.
“Deep breath,” He announced out loud, trying to sound cheery as he pulled the Impala to a stop outside of his parents’ front door. He didn’t think he was too successful. “It’s going to be fine.”
Jared looked like he was going to respond, but apparently thought better of it and settled for nodding his head instead. It was a long moment before either of them made a move to get out of the door, and Jensen was more than a little surprised that the omega was the one to make it.
Jensen almost had to jog to catch up with the young man at the door, and he reached out with one hand to tangle their fingers together even as his other reached for the doorbell. He could hear the echo of it through the wooden door, alongside the closely-following squeals, and he and Jared alike were being tugged into a tight embrace before he even had a chance to register the door opening.
Donna Ackles was a fairly tall woman, but nevertheless her head barely came up to Jensen’s chin. That didn’t stop her from squeezing him tight and somehow managing to press a kiss to his forehead - from the small, surprised noise next to him, he figured she’d given the same welcome to Jared.
“It's been too long, boys!” She gushed, words tumbling out of her mouth before she’d even pulled back, and Jensen grinned at the familiarity of it. There was a dishcloth tossed over her shoulder and a smudge of flour on her cheekbone; the delicious smell wafting from the kitchen told Jensen that it was probably cookies that she’d stuffed in the oven in anticipation of their arrival, and his mouth watered at the thought. “Feels like forever since you were last here! Please, come in - oh, don’t worry about your shoes! We don’t stand on ceremony here!”
Jared, for his part, was dazedly allowing himself to be manoeuvred through the front door and along the hallway, shooting a slightly panicked look over his shoulder that had Jensen’s grin growing. He wondered how he’d ever thought that this could be a bad idea.
The familiar figure of his father appeared in the living room doorway, kind brown eyes and a grin as wide as his shoulders, and he felt his own slump in the welcome relief of being surrounded by people who would take care of him when he needed it most.
It felt good to be home.
“Why don’t you let the poor boy sit down, Donna?” Alan interrupted softly, inclining his head towards the room he’d just vacated. “I’m sure he’d appreciate a second to breathe.”
Jensen grinned, taking that as his cue to gently untangle his mother and mate and steer them towards the front room. Donna was beaming ear from ear, cheeks tinged red with the embarrassment of being called out, and Alan was smiling fondly at her.
“I'd almost forgotten how handsome you are, Jared!” His mother tittered as soon as they’d sat down, Jensen and Jared taking the sofa whilst Donna and Alan settled themselves onto the loveseat. “I mean look at those eyes! And - oh! Dimples! I have such a weakness for dimples.”
Jensen couldn’t help but surrender to the laughter that had been threatening to break free; Jared had slouched a little, cheeks painted a darker red than Jensen had ever seen them, and despite everything the kid was still smiling. It was going a hell of a lot better than he’d anticipated.
“Jared,” He interrupted. “You remember my parents. Mom, why don't you give him a break for a while?”
His mother sucked in a deep breath as if forcing herself to calm down. “Sorry about that, dear. I get a little carried away sometimes - it’s just that we're all so pleased that Jensen's finally settled down... we were beginning to think that it might never happen. Did you have a nice trip?”
“Yes, ma’am.” Jared offered.
Donna waved a hand dismissively. “No ma’am’s here. That’s Donna or momma to you, choice is yours.”
Jared smiled again.
“So,” Alan offered after a few seconds. “Megan’s at a ballet meeting until three, and Josh and Maggie can’t make it until four, so you’ve got a couple of hours to waste - why don't you go out in the yard and enjoy the sunshine? It’s not much, but its home.”
Had it not been for the way that Jared reached out and tangled their fingers together, Jensen probably would have taken them up on that offer. Might have wandered off into the depths of the house and not looked back, reasoned that they could always just tell them the next time that they came for dinner. He wasn’t too ashamed to admit that he was being a coward.
But Jared’s beautiful hazel eyes were looking at him with so much trust, and Jensen wouldn’t want him to think that he was ashamed of them or their child, so he took a deep breath instead.
“Actually,” He said, unable to keep the nerves from his voice. “The two of us have something that we need to talk to you about.”
Donna blinked, smile fading. Neither her nor Alan looked angry, but somehow the worry was worse, and Jensen floundered for a long moment - mouth opening and closing.
Not for the first time today, Jared was the one who stepped in to save him.
“I’m pregnant.” He said quietly.
Jensen saw the grin threaten to break out across his mother’s face and stepped in again before it could. The last thing he needed was for his parents to get excited before they could tell them the full story.
“The doctors are worried,” He told them quietly. “With male pregnancies being so rare to start with, they have all of these desired factors and, well… Jared’s only nineteen, so he’s younger than they’d like, and he’s underweight. They’re worried about him and the baby.”
There was a horrified pause, and then Jensen found himself and his mate enclosed in a tight hug, the smell of his mother’s perfume washing over them.
“I’m so sorry,” She breathed into his hair. “Oh god, you poor kids. It’ll be okay, you hear me? We’ll help however we can - find a specialist or something. We’ll figure it out. You’re not losing this baby, okay? And you sure as hell not going to lose each other.”
Next to him, Jared’s shoulders hitched in a silent sob, and for the first time in what felt like forever, Jensen let his own tears fall.
His mother held them through it, his father’s hand on his shoulder warm and reassuring, and Jensen thought that maybe - just maybe - they might make it out of this alright after all.
A/N: I honestly cannot apologise a lot for the wait, guys. We've had some serious problems in RL - I landed myself in the hospital for a little over a week, and then my mom had a riding accident when she was out with one of our new horses and broke her foot in two places, so it's been all hands on deck around the farm. It's been pretty chaotic around here. I'm so sorry for ditching you guys in the meantime, but I had to make the farm my priority, and keep up with my school work. Hope you can all forgive me!