Just Like Sleeping chapter 3
Jensen knew he was dreaming, after all he was looking down at himself lying on his couch. He was naked and hands gently caressed and explored his chest, arms and shoulders. His heart raced in anticipation. His own eyes opened and grinned up at him. His lips moved but he couldn’t hear the words. Instead a flame of desire ignited deep within him. He wanted to kiss those lips smiling up at him. When hair fell in his eye and his hand came up to brush it back, Jensen’s world spun. Suddenly he was in his own body smiling up at Jared.
Jared turned his head and kissed the inside of Jensen’s wrist. Jensen sucked in a breath as he realized they were both naked. Jared was straddling Jensen’s thighs giving Jensen a perfect view. He drank in every inch of Jared from his broad shoulders to his well defined chest and his six pack abs to his beautiful hard cock. Though he ached to touch it, to stroke it, to taste it, Jensen gripped Jared’s hips instead, his thumbs caressing the hip bones. “So gorgeous.” He sat up, wrapping his arms around Jared and kissed and savored every inch of Jared he could reach.
Jared kept murmuring “Jensen” until their mouths met in a searing kiss. The warmth of Jensen’s body next to his was dizzying but he wanted more, needed more. Every part of Jared wanted to be touching every part of Jensen.
All at once they were laying next to each other, legs tangled, mouths only parting to gasp for air. Their hips rolled against each other, brushing their erections together to create just enough maddening friction. “Jared, fuck, Jared,” Jensen moaned as his thoughts became a tumbled mess of ‘more, yes, Jared’.
Jared’s hand moved over the curve of Jensen’s ass and squeezed, holding Jensen even closer. “Jensen,” he panted, “oh god, Jensen.” Nothing had ever felt this good, it was too much and not enough and Jared was instantly addicted. “Please.”
“Yeah, whatever you want. Just, oh god, Jared, so fucking good.” Jensen rutted against Jared, his breath shaky gasps.
Jared trembled and cried out as he came. The warm slick of Jared’s come between them sent Jensen over the edge and he came.
At the same moment, Jensen woke up. His breath was still coming in pants and he looked around for Jared, half expecting him to be with him on the couch. His heart pounded and he was achingly hard. Realizing that the sex was only a dream, Jensen groaned.
Jensen called in sick to work, too anxious to get to the hospital to wait until the end of the day. He removed his piercings, scrubbed away all traces of eyeliner and tamed his hair. His closet didn’t yield the most respectable clothes, but he had clean jeans and henley that wasn’t stained and the sleeves just covered his tattoo. His reflection made him nervous but he looked decent.
Walking out of the bath, Jensen felt the immediate cool of the hall and knew Jared was there. “Jensen? Why do you look like that?”
“Your mom might be there. Mom’s rarely approve of me.” He swallowed his nerves and asked, “Do I look stupid or something?”
“No, just different. You’re still hot.”
“Thanks, I guess.” Jensen tried to laugh off the compliment, but it made him unsure. Which look did Jared like more?
“And don’t worry, my mom is gonna love you.”
“I just need her to let me see you. I have to clip a bit of your hair for Traci’s magic tea.”
“And then tonight I’m back in my own body.”
“That’s the plan.”
Jensen tugged on the hem of his shirt, smoothed a hand over his hair and took a nervous breath. He checked Jared's room for visitors and found it empty. Blowing out a sigh of relief, he crept in silently, taking the plastic baggie and his Swiss army knife from his pocket. "This is so fuckin' creepy," he said under his breath. He brushed hair back from Jared’s face, his fingers gently combing through the rest of Jared’s hair. Would he get the chance to do this with the real Jared - the whole Jared? Using the tiny scissors on his knife, he cut a small lock of hair. "Sorry, dude, you know it'll grow back. Besides you have enough that no one will notice." Then, to be fully prepared, he snipped Jared’s pinky nail. He put it in the baggie, too, and put it along with the knife, in his pocket.
"Alright, Jared, next time I see you, you'll wake up," Jensen said smiling and rubbing Jared's arm. "Everything is going to be fine. You’ll see. We can do this."
He turned to leave but at that moment Megan and Mrs. Padalecki entered the room. "Oh, hi again Jensen!" Megan turned to her mother. "Mom, this is Jensen, Jared's boyfriend."
Jensen grew hot with embarrassment. "I -- I'm not..."
“I mean his friend that's a boy,” Megan clarified with an exaggerated roll of her eyes.
Mrs. Padalecki smiled warmly and stretched out a hand to him. “Hello, Jensen, it's wonderful to meet you. I'm so glad you made time to visit Jared.”
“It's no problem, Mrs. Padalecki.” He stumbled around the chair next to Jared’s bed. “I’ll get going and let the three of you, uh, you know, chat, I guess.”
“Don’t let us chase you out of here,” Mrs. Padalecki began. “Megan and I can come back later. You can have more time with Jared.”
“Actually I have to get to work.” Jensen glanced at his wrist where a watch would be so he didn’t lie to her face. “I’ll stop by later tonight if that‘s okay with you.”
“Of course. You’re welcome to visit anytime.”
The moment he entered his house Jensen was surrounded by a chill and he smiled at the welcome.
“You saw my mom again. How is she?” Jared’s voice asked from the speakers.
“She looked good, she misses you. And, I got your hair and a fingernail so I’m all ready for Traci’s magical tea.” He placed the baggie on the box coffee table. “Tonight you’ll be back in your body and this weekend you’ll be having dinner with your family.”
“I thought our date was this weekend,” Jared teased trying once again to blend with Jensen.
Jensen closed his eyes and relaxed to allow Jared in. “Whatever you want, Jared.”
Jared groaned at the suggestion in Jensen’s voice. “This better work.”
“It will Jared.”
Right on cue, Traci rang the bell. “Hold on, Traci,” Jensen yelled. “Let me turn down the power.”
Once he opened the door, she entered carrying an overstuffed tote bag and a tea pot. “Please tell me your hospital visit was successful.”
Jensen grabbed the baggie from the table. “It was.”
Traci grinned. “Excellent. I’ll go the the kitchen. It takes about an hour to brew to full potency. By then, Chad should be here and we’ll get the two of you to St. Mike’s.”
“Thanks Traci!” Jared’s grateful voice traveled from the speakers a minute later.
"Concentrate on a memory or something that will hold you together. When this is ready, I’ll bring it to you.”
In the living room Jared and Jensen sat on the couch. “I know what I’m going to think about,” Jared said.
“Oh yeah? What?”
“The date we’re going to have.”
Jensen chuckled. “Maybe we should concentrate on the same thing. Your idea of a date and mine could be totally different.”
Jared remembered the dream from the night before. Though he couldn’t remember any others from his time in Jensen’s home, this was a dream he wouldn’t forget. “Well, my dream date ends with us naked on this couch.”
Stunned speechless, images of his own dream flashed through Jensen’s mind.
“Jensen?”
“Yeah, Jared. That would be...awesome.” He blushed and ran a nervous hand down his thigh. “That’s my dream date, too. In fact, I’ve had that dream.”
The few second delay before Jared spoke seemed like an eternity. “I did, too. Last night. I, uh, don’t remember dreaming while I was here, but last night I dreamt about you. About us. We were, um, you know. It was really fucking hot.”
The twinge of lust in Jared’s voice sent tendrils of desire through Jensen. He wanted to press a hand to himself. “Okay I think we found the memory we can hold onto.” He took a few deep breaths to calm down.
“I can’t wait to do that with you,” Jared said over the speakers in a voice that made Jensen’s efforts to compose himself futile.
Jensen was saved from getting too excited by Chad knocking on his door. Once inside, Chad set down a back-pack and clapped his hands. “Alright gentlemen, you ready to do this?”
Jensen nodded. “Just waiting on Traci’s magic tea. She’s in the kitchen brewing up the magic as we speak.”
“Sweet. Alright.” He crouched down in front of Jensen’s equipment. “Can I take a look at this stuff? You’ve got an awesome set up and I’d love to have you configure something for my team.”
Jensen shrugged. “Sure man. Knock yourself out. Anything you want, I’ll be happy to make it for you.”
Chad grinned. “Awesome, man, thank you.”
A few minutes later, Traci came out of the kitchen with a bag and a small steaming kettle. “Jensen, Jared, you look bonded, your auras are blended. Now I need you to stand right over here while I prepare the rest of the ritual.”
She took Jensen’s hand and slowly led him to a spot on the bare wood floor. Then she began to draw symbols in a circle around him. When she finished, she placed crystals between her drawings. Then she poured the contents of the kettle into a mug and handed it to Jensen. “When I give you the signal, you drink, okay hun?”
Jensen grimaced at the foul smelling brew. “Do I have to drink all of it?”
“Yes, we have to be sure you are carrying Jared’s spirit,” Traci explained.
Chad swept up the salt and packed Jensen’s coat pockets with power cells.
“Do I need those if I’m drinking this?” Jensen asked.
Chad nodded. “Better safe than sorry.”
“How will we know it worked?” Jared asked.
Jensen rolled his eyes. “If we make it out the door it worked.”
“I meant, how will my spirit leave Jensen and return to me?”
“Once we’re at the hospital, I’ll do another little ritual that will set your spirit free. Since your body is its natural vessel, your spirit will seek it out,” Traci explained.
“Will I wake up right away?” Jared asked not masking his nervous excitement.
Traci shrugged. “That depends on the state of your physical body. What I can tell you is this: your body won’t wake up without your soul. So, this is your best chance to get back to your family.” She met Jensen’s eye. “You ready?”
He looked at the cup and nodded. “Let’s do this.”
Traci lit some sage and walked around the circle chanting in a language Jensen didn’t recognize. After the first lap she pointed to Jensen and he drank the potion. Traci was nearly around the circle a second time when he finished. HIs vision momentarily blurred and his stomach churned in protest, but he kept the concoction down and Traci made the third and final turn around the circle.
“Jensen? How do you feel?” Traci held his hand and guided him out of the circle.
“Cold. I’m fucking freezing.” He reached for his jacket and Chad quickly handed it to him. “My heart is racing. Is it supposed to do that?”
“Sure. You’re both excited, your heart’s going to race a bit,” Traci assured him. “Chad, you ready? Let’s get them to the hospital.”
Jensen was worried about separating from Jared, but Chad had rigged a wheelchair with a battery pack. It provided just enough power that along with the pack in his coat and Traci’s magic tea, Jensen could feel the cold tingle of Jared’s spirit.
The next hurdle would be Jared’s family. If they were with Jared, Jensen had no idea how Traci would complete the ritual.
No one stopped them as they made their way to Jared’s room. Chad peeked in the door and motioned to them that the room was clear. Once in the room, Traci took charge. She placed her crystals on Jared’s chest and had Jensen hold his hand. Jensen didn’t understand the words she chanted, but he felt as if he was being tugged toward Jared’s body. He relaxed and thought, “Go on, Jared, this is it.” Then, sooner than he was ready, he felt warm and knew Jared was gone
Meanwhile, Chad stood watch in the hall with the wheelchair. When a woman approached Jared’s door, Chad stopped her to loudly ask if she knew the time. Inside Jared’s room, Traci tried her best to hurry but she had to knew she had to say the entire incantation. “He’s not with me anymore,” Jensen said, but Traci kept chanting quietly.
The door swung open and Mrs. Padalecki entered with Chad right on her heels. “Jensen?” She looked from him to Traci to Chad and back. “What’s going on? Who are these people?”
“Uh,” his mind was a complete blank. They had a plan, but he couldn’t remember what he was supposed to say.
“I’m his girlfriend,” Traci said at the same time that Chad said, “This is my cousin.”
Mrs. Padalecki looked even more confused. “What? Who are you?”
“He’s my cousin and Traci’s his girlfriend,” Jensen explained. “I asked them to come with me because Traci’s a --”
“Spiritualist,” Traci added. “Jensen asked me to pray for your son.” She turned and smiled at Jared, subtly picking up her crystals.
Mrs. Padalecki was looking at Jensen like he was the most precious child she had ever seen. “Oh Jensen, that is so kind of you.” Tears swelled in her eyes and she pulled him into hug.
Jensen froze. He couldn’t remember the last time someone hugged him. Maybe his own mother had before she left, but he couldn’t remember it.
Mrs. Padalecki moved back giving Jensen an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry, Jensen.” She dabbed her eyes. “You don’t need some strange old lady crying all over you.”
Blushing scarlet, Jensen stammered, “It’s okay. I don’t mind. You’re not old.”
“Chad and I should get going. I’m sure Jared will get better soon,” Traci said edging closer to Chad and the door.
“I hope so. The doctors are considering moving him to a long term facility,” Mrs. Padalecki told them.
“What? What does that mean?” Jensen’s eyes widened in near panic.
“He can’t stay here forever. He’s going to need round the clock attention but this hospital isn’t set up for long term care,” she explained.
Jensen turned to the bed. “Come on, Jared, now would be a really good time for you to wake up.” He shook Jared’s arm like one would do to wake someone but nothing happened.
“Jensen, I know you’re concerned, we all are. All we can do is pray and hope.” Traci’s voice was calm and soothing.
“I don’t want to get anyone too excited,” Chad began squinting at the monitor. “But I think his temperature has gone down a bit. That’s good, right?”
Jensen and Mrs. Padalecki looked at the numbers on the board in Jared’s room to his monitors then to each other. Jared’s temperature had been 101 but was back to a normal 98.6. “That’s got to mean something, right?” Jensen asked.
Mrs. Padalecki nodded. “I’m going to get a nurse. I’ll be right back.”
The moment she left Chad said, “Hey man, we’ve got to get this wheelchair out of here before the hospital staff finds it.”
Jensen nodded but he wasn’t ready to leave Jared.
Recognizing his dilemma Traci put a hand on his shoulder. “Stay with Jared. Chad and I can take care of the chair.”
Once alone, Jensen shook Jared’s arm again. “Come on, man. Wake up. We’ve got our date this weekend.” Jared didn’t react. “It’s going to be so much better if I’m not on the date alone,” Jensen teased but he was too worried to smile.
Mrs. Padalecki returned with a nurse who went straight to the monitor. “You’re right, Mrs. Padalecki, Jared’s temperature is back to normal. His heart rate is better, too.” She looked at Jared’s mom with real hope in her eyes. “These are good signs, Mrs. Padalecki. We’ll see what Doctor Carver thinks when he makes his rounds in the morning.”
“The morning? Shouldn’t you do something now?” Jensen demanded getting the nurse’s attention for the first time.
“We will keep monitoring his condition but Jared has been fighting off an infection and recovering from some severe injuries. What he needs is rest.”
“Rest? He’s been resting for weeks!” Jensen’s voice was filled with indignation.
The nurse gasped, angry and resentful.
Mrs. Padalecki put her hands on Jensen’s arms. “Calm down, hon. They know what they’re doing.”
Resigned, Jensen nodded and let Jared’s mom direct him to the chair.
“What time will Dr. Carver be by in the morning?” she asked the nurse.
“He usually sees Jared around 8:30,” the nurse replied.
“Very well, I’ll be here waiting for him,” Mrs. Padalecki said polite smile gracing her features.
Jensen apologized the moment the nurse left, but Jared’s mom waved it off and took his hand. “Don’t you dare apologize. I’m glad you care so much.” Her eyes went to the cards taped to Jared’s wall. “His teammates haven’t stopped by, not once.” She turned to Jensen. “Do you think that’s odd?”
Jensen shrugged hoping he hid his feelings about those teammates. “School’s keeping them busy. I’m sure they’re thinking about him.”
She squeezed his hand appreciating his effort to appease her. “You’re a good boy, Jensen. I can see why Jared likes you.”
Jensen blushed again making Mrs. Padalecki smile. “Tell me about yourself. Do you go to school with Jared?”
Lying to Jared’s mother was a crime Jensen wasn’t ready to commit. “I don’t know what Megan told you, but Jared and I are just friends.” Her smile faded a bit and Jensen felt it like a weight on his soul. “I really like your son and I think he likes me, but right now, we’re just friends.”
She nodded, she didn’t want to push this boy into a relationship with her comatose son. “How did you meet?”
“He stole my hat. Not to be mean,” he explained when Mrs. Padalecki’s eyes widened. “He just--”
“He was just flirting with you, that’s what he was doing.” She shook her head bemused. “His father was the same way. Always pulling pranks on me to get me to notice him. Goodness sakes the man’s six four. It’s mighty hard not to notice him.”
It was eerily quiet in Jensen’s house that night. The wood didn’t creak, the shutters didn’t rattle, the lights didn’t flicker. For the first time since moving in, Jensen felt truly alone. He swept up the rest of the salt from his room. Unplugged his generator, transmitter and amplifier. He gathered the books and dvds Chad had loaned him and packed them in a box with his digital recorder. He’d take all of it to Chad someday after work.
He flipped on his television and tried to relax on his couch but memories of Jared and last night’s dream blindsided him. Jared just had to wake up.
He couldn’t afford to miss work again, but Jensen told his manager he would need an extended lunch hour to check on a friend in the hospital.
Surprised to find himself alone with Jared, Jensen collapsed into the chair next to the bed. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I miss you haunting my house. It’s just not the same without you. I’m actually bored without your stupid pranks.” He gently poked Jared’s arm. “Wake up. Please. You've got a lot of people that want to see you.”
He had expected Jared to be awake, alert, and talking to anyone who would listen. Instead, the guy still seemed to be in a coma. "Come on man, wake up," he whispered. "I miss you.”
Nothing from the man in the bed.
Jared's mother let herself into the room. "Oh, hello again, Jensen. It's so nice to see you again."
"You too, Mrs. Padalecki." Jensen was thankful he skipped his eyeliner and lip ring that morning.
"You can call me Sherry, dear," she reminded him as she bent over her son to kiss his cheek. "I thought he'd wake up today. He seemed restless last night after you left."
“Really? Like how? Did he move? What did the doctor say?” Jensen slid to the edge of his seat as he waited for her answers.
“Well, his heart rate went up and yes, he did move,” she paused, “he’s done that before though and it didn’t mean anything.”
She looked hopeless and Jensen was afraid to ask but he needed to know. “What did the doctor say this morning?”
She blinked a few times but tears formed anyway. “That there was no significant change and that we should look for a long term facility.”
Jensen didn’t have words to ease the despair he saw in Jared’s mom or for the ache he felt.
After work the next day Jensen some co-workers invited Jensen to join them for drinks. He knew this would be a chance to get to know them, but he hadn’t given up on Jared. He went to the hospital instead.
When he turned the corner Megan came flying out of Jared’s room. “Nurse!” She ran to the station at the middle of the floor. “Nurse call Doctor Carver! My brother’s awake!” As one nurse joined her the other picked up the phone. Megan turned and saw Jensen. “Jensen! Come on, Jared’s awake, he’s finally awake.”
Jensen joined the enthusiastic rush to Jared’s room, but stopped at the door. Should he go in? He wasn’t family and Jared should see his family first. He would be in the way of the medical staff. He would wait; give them a few minutes to look Jared over and for Jared to see his family.
When the doctor arrived, Megan left the room. She found Jensen sitting on a hard plastic chair down the hall. He was nervously picking at his black nail polish. “The doctor is examining him now,” she explained as she joined him. “We can see him in a few minutes. Donna, the nurse, said she’d tell me when.”
“How is he? Is he okay?”
“He’s Jared.” Megan couldn’t understand Jensen’s nerves. “You know how when you fall asleep in a strange place and you wake up all disoriented? He’s like that. He doesn’t know why he’s in the hospital.”
Worried he’d confuse Jared even more Jensen said, “Maybe I should go, come back another time.”
“Don’t you want to see him?”
“Yeah, of course I do, but I don’t want to confuse him. He hardly knows me.”
“Which Jensen does he know? This one?” she asked as she looked him over. “Or the one that is less, um, decorated?”
Jensen’s hand flew to his mouth. “Shit. I forgot.” He looked around for a bathroom where he could clean up. “Your mom --”
“My mom thinks you’re the best thing since sliced bread, Jensen. She doesn’t care about piercings and eyeliner.”
Jensen wasn’t going to argue. He took out his lip ring and rolled down his sleeves, embarrassed to still be in his work uniform.
Since Jensen looked like a rabbit about to run, Megan grabbed his hand and stood. “Come on. They’ve got to be almost done.”
He allowed himself to be dragged to the door of Jared’s room. They overheard the doctor say he would be back tomorrow with test results
Megan went in as the doctor left, but Jensen hung by the door.
“Oh man I must have been really bad if Megan’s here,” Jared joked from his bed, voice still rough from lack of use.
“Yes, dear, we were all very worried. Even your friend Jensen was here quite a bit,” Jared’s mom told him as she fussed with his blanket and handed him a glass of water
“Jensen? I don’t know any Jensen.”
“It’s okay, Jared. We know, remember? You came out right before this happened.” Megan kept her voice quiet
“Yeah, I remember, but I don’t know anyone named Jensen.
Figuring that if her brother saw him he’d remember him Megan went to the door, but Jensen was gone
Jensen had always kept to himself, learning young that people often disappointed each other. Being introverted didn’t mean he was lonely. He chose to leave home and his abusive family behind. He liked living alone after growing up in a crowded small apartment in the city and sharing a room with an overbearing older brother.
That was what inspired Jensen to rent the rambling old farmhouse. He liked the fact that the farmer was a stubborn holdout who didn’t sell his house even though his fields had turned into subdivisions.
Growing up, Jensen’s brother never let him listen to music. His father never let him have a pet. His sister, being the baby, got to choose what television shows they watched. When Jensen had saved enough money, he found a place where he made the rules.
After a lifetime of looking forward to being alone, Jensen found himself missing the chaos of Jared. He couldn’t force Jared to remember him. How could he explain to Jared who he was?
One night a local headline on Jensen’s homepage caught his eye. The university lacrosse team was embroiled in a hate crime scandal. As Jensen read on, he smiled. Jared did it. He brought the team to justice for what they had done. Jensen couldn’t help feeling proud of him.
He read the story twice, but there was no mention of Jared by name. Jensen wondered if Jared was home with his family. Was he back at school? He thought about checking Megan’s facebook page but it made him feel like a stalker.
So -- he was a stalker.
After working up the nerve to check out Megan’s facebook, all Jensen learned was that Jared was out of the hospital. There was nothing posted about her brother after that. Megan was back to being a typical highschool girl who posted about crushes on boys and television stars.
One post did intrigue him. A local animal shelter was having an “adopt-a-thon” that weekend. Jensen clicked the link. Maybe he'd finally get a pet.
Early Saturday morning Jensen was at the shelter, pre-approved adoption paperwork in hand. He watched the kittens play, stopped by the pen of bunnies which were too cute to pass by, and finally found the play area full of puppies. He laughed quietly as they tumbled over each other.
“I see you have your paperwork ready, do you have any questions? Do you have a type of pet in mind?” Next to him a petite woman with a friendly smile waited for his reply.
“Uh, yeah. What’s the deal with that one?” Jensen pointed to a ball of black fluff shivering in the corner by itself.
The smile turned into a sad pout. “That’s Cinco. A family brought him in after his mother abandoned him. He was the runt of the litter and the family didn’t know how to care for him. He’s a bit nervous around other dogs so if you already have a pet, Cinco isn’t the best choice.”
Jensen smirked. Abandoned and nervous around others, he could relate. “Can I hold him?”
Her smile returned. “Absolutely.” She stepped over the short wall and gently scooped the pup into her arms. He wriggled in her hold until she placed him in Jensen’s waiting arms.
Jensen held the pup close to his chest and talked softly to him. “Hey, buddy, it’s okay. I’m not going to hurt you.” He stroked the soft fur and fell in love. The puppy licked Jensen’s fingers and Jensen smiled at the woman. “I’ll take him.”
An hour later the shelter worker was helping Jensen load up his car with supplies for his new pet. “He has to ride in the carrier,” she reminded him. “It’s safer.”
Jensen hadn’t let go of the puppy since she placed him in his arms. He didn’t think the little dog would like the strange cage. Carefully he took off his jacket, transferring his pet from one arm to the other before laying the jacket in the carrier. Then he placed the puppy on top of his jacket. The woman smiled at him. “That was really smart. You certainly have a way with animals. If you’re ever looking to volunteer, we could always use the help.”
“Thanks, I’ll think about it.”
As Jensen drove home he talked to his little dog. “Hey, Cinco, I don’t know if I like you being named after a number. I think I’ll call you Buddy until I come up with something better.” The puppy yipped. “Glad you agree.” Jensen chuckled, wiggled his fingers through the carrier’s grate and was rewarded with nips and gentle gnawing.
Back at his house Jensen followed his curious puppy as it explored its new home. By late afternoon, Buddy had tired himself out and Jensen let him fall asleep in his lap while he watched TV. Jensen was dozing off, too, when the ringing doorbell startled them.
Buddy leapt from his lap and barked ferociously at the door. Jensen laughed at his pint sized protector. “Good boy, Buddy! Such a good watchdog.” He scooped Buddy into his arms and opened the door. “Yeah?”
“Whoa, you’re real,” Jared breathed from the other side of the screen door. Jensen froze, too stunned by Jared’s appearance on his doorstep to do or say anything.
Jared stared at Jensen with wide and uncertain eyes. His friendly smile faltered, showing his nervousness. “Uh, I mean..”
Buddy barked, snapping them out of their stupor.
“You have a dog,” Jared said with a nod to the black puff of fur in Jensen’s arms before glancing over his shoulder. “I don’t.. uh, did you…”
While Jared stammered through his muddled thoughts, Jensen’s heart and mind raced. How had Jared found him? After breaking his heart at the hospital, did Jared now know him? “Can I help you? Do you want something?”
“You’re Jensen, right? You saved my life.”
Jensen blew out a breath. Jared was there to say thanks, nothing more than that. “It's not a big deal, anyone would have done the same.”
“My life is a big deal to me, Jensen,” Jared argued back. “Besides, not everyone would visit me in the hospital.”
Embarrassed at being found out, Jensen bowed his head and ran a hand over Buddy. “I'm glad to see you're better, Jared. You're welcome for any help you think I gave you. Like I said, anyone would have done the same.”
“No they wouldn’t. Some people would rather use my head for batting practice,” Jared replied bitterly then shook it off. “Look, you don’t get it. For what felt like months, I was walking around in a black and white world and you were the only thing in color. When I woke up, I didn’t know if you were real or the product of a brain injury. But you’re real, you’re here in this house, and you remember me.”
They stared at each other for a minute then Jensen said, “You remember being here?”
“Yes,” Jared said relieved that Jensen finally understood. “I don’t remember a dog, though, so I’m a little confused.”
Jensen beamed at the dog in his arms. “This is Buddy. I just got him today.” He looked up at Jared. “Hold on. Let me get his leash and we’ll be right out.”
When Buddy and Jensen joined Jared on the porch, Jensen noticed the boot on Jared’s leg. “Oh. Can you walk with that? We can’t go far. Buddy’s only got an eight inch leg span.”
When Jensen set Buddy on the ground, Jared crouched down to meet him. “Hey Buddy,” He let the pup sniff his hand and looked up at Jensen. “I can walk as far as we need to.” He rubbed his hand over Buddy’s head then stood. “On one condition.”
Jensen raised an eyebrow in expectation and waited for Jared to continue.
“Can this be the start of our first date?” Jared held out his hand for Jensen to hold.
Jensen entwined their fingers, pulling Jared closer and smiled. “Well if anyone can make picking up puppy poop romantic I’m sure it’s you.” He took a plastic bag from his pocket. “If you pick up after Buddy, I’ll let you get to second base.”
Jared was grinning as he met Jensen’s lips in a kiss. “Totally worth it.”