“Are you kidding?” Jensen asks, shaking in hot anger.
“You’re kidding!” Jared nearly screeches from beside Jensen.
Jensen slowly turns to glare at his very tall, very agitated coworker while the woman behind the counter also stares at Jared. “I just said that.”
Jared gives him a confused, yet angry kind of glare and Jensen turns back to the poor woman with the terrible news.
Their flight was already delayed four hours thanks to torrential downpour moving down the coast. Given they were already flying clear across the country from L.A. and suffered an impromptu layover, they didn’t land in Boston until after midnight, made it to the hotel now at 1:30am all sopping wet thanks to the storms, and are expected in the office by 7 to set up for the first of three day-long meetings.
Jensen’s anxiety always ramps up with travel delays and the lack of control, not to mention that they got soaked in the scant moments between parking the rental car and running to the hotel lobby. Now add on being stuck on this horrendous trip with Jared Padalecki, Jensen’s office nemesis, and it’s been worse than he could ever expect.
“Well, I can say it, too,” Jared rattles on, starting a rant about how Jensen isn’t the only person who can speak for them and if Jared has an opinion, he’ll damn well share it, okay? You’re not the boss of me.
With a sigh, Jensen turns to the hotel employee with a tight smile, hiding the embarrassment of the six-and-a-half-feet of a wet mess next to him, who he actually kind of, sort of is the boss of.
And now apparently also his roommate, as the woman repeats her terrible, no-good news. “Unfortunately, there was an error in your reservation and now we’re fully booked for the night, being Valentine’s Day and all. We have just one room left.”
“What about nearby hotels?” Jensen asks, crossing his fingers atop the counter. Jared snorts at that and Jensen rolls his eyes with a muttered, “Shut up.”
“You’re gonna make this nice woman call other hotels for you?” Jared snorts again before turning to the employee to say, “I’m really very sorry for my very rude and impatient … co-worker.”
The way Jared stresses that word digs like a knife in Jensen’s side. He’s so tired of the derision they’ve tossed back and forth since the delays started and the mood around them slid into aggravation.
Jared’s bad mood actually grew to new heights when Jensen was just recently elevated to Team Lead - not a promotion their manager made sure to stress to the whole group, and Jensen took it to mean no raise either. But Morgan had in fact meant it to stress that team dynamics should not change. Apparently, Jared never got the message.
But a message Jared did get was that Jensen was gay, thanks to Danneel asking at a group lunch about a casual relationship he’d recently ended. Jensen won’t soon forget the way Jared’s eyes widened then wouldn’t meet his when they were in team meetings.
There had been some hope to reconcile whatever issues Jared had on this trip - a chance to show him that Jensen was a normal human being no matter who he slept with - but that chance melted away once the delays started and tempers flared.
“Do you want the remaining room?” the woman asks.
As Jensen sighs, Jared shakes his head, yet says, “If it’s all you’ve got.”
The woman taps away at her computer, makes a face, then heaves a deep breath like she’s about to deliver bad news.
Jensen braces himself by settling his palms on the cool marble countertop and finds out the bad news is awful news. Terrible. Horrific.
Slowly, she explains, “The room is a king suite.”
“What?!” Jared shrieks and Jensen closes his eyes, holding the impulse to also scream and run away at bay.
“It is a suite,” she reminds them. “There is a pull-out couch in the main living space.”
Jared is still huffing and complaining - just barely under his breath - and Jensen gets it. But he also gets the need to remain polite when this ghastly mistake was not the employee’s mistake.
FILL: Hate to See It | J2 | Part 2dugindeepFebruary 11 2020, 04:58:43 UTC
There will be some stern words to the hotel manager before they check out, for sure. But Jensen decides now is not the time to address it, so he offers her a quick smile. “We’ll take it.”
“You’re sleeping on the couch,” Jared insists.
Jensen slides his ID and corporate credit card across the counter as he grinds his teeth. After a quick breath, he attempts to smooth over Jared’s anger. “We will figure it out.”
“We,” Jared grumbles.
So much for teamwork Jensen thinks.
***
Luckily, they fall quiet for the walk to the elevator, the ride up to the sixth floor, and the long trail down the hallway to their room.
They remain quiet as Jared goes off to the bedroom and Jensen stops next to the couch in what is a pretty spacious main area of the suite. There’s a TV, desk, and kitchenette with a fridge and mini bar that seems rather tempting to soothe the nerves of a torturous day and coming night.
Jared is banging around in the bathroom, door clanking open before he nearly stumbles into the main area looking suddenly very exhausted.
Jensen feels the same and offers a brief smile when Jared looks at him. “At least it’s only for a few hours? We’ll get it sorted tomorrow.” Because they’re stuck together for another two nights and Jensen doesn’t need this tension to continue to fester.
Jared snorts on his way to the fridge. “There’s that we again.”
He watches as Jared opens a mini bottle of whiskey and downs it in one quick shot. “You know, we can’t expense alcohol.”
Without a word, Jared pulls a twenty out of his wallet and slaps it on the kitchen counter. After a moment of thought, he puts another one down and grabs two more bottles of various liquors.
Jensen tries to lighten the mood by saying, “Leave some for me.”
Jared tosses him a vodka that Jensen also finishes off immediately, trying to hide his wince against the burn in his throat. A second bottle comes at his head that he catches just before it hits his eye. But he doesn’t complain, instead taking it as a peace offering, even if only for the next ten minutes because Jared gives a little nod and heads back to the bedroom and there’s a thankful quiet that’s not brittle with tension.
Unpacking his bag, Jensen gets things in order for the morning, like hanging his suit, shirt, and tie in the closet, then putting his toiletries in the bathroom, and finally changing out of his clothes. The Morgan Enterprises polo probably reeks of stale air and angry sweat, and his khakis have a ketchup stain on one leg when Jared made a mess of an airport cheeseburger when cramped next to Jensen in the gate area as they waited far too many hours to finally board their layover in Cleveland.
At this point, he doesn’t care about either piece of clothing, balling them up in the corner of his suit case in exchange for sleep pants and a t-shirt that he is relieved to finally be wearing. What he does care about is the fact that after neatly stacking the couch cushions against the wall, the pull-out bed frame is a rickety thing that won’t budge, no matter how many times he yanks and grunts.
“What’re you doing?” Jared asks in the oddest voice.
When Jensen turns around, Jared is standing in the doorway to the bedroom in just boxers and a tank top with horrified confusion on his face. Jensen motions at the couch and sighs. “What do you think I’m doing?”
“Well actually, it sounded like you were beating off.”
“Right, Jared,” he sighs again. “I’m stuck in a hotel room with the guy that hates me just because I’m gay and would probably suffocate me in my sleep with his pillow if I snored for even one second, and I’m going to make things even more uncomfortable by …” Jensen jerks his fist a few times and rolls his eyes. “Grow the fuck up, man. You don’t always have to assume the worst of me.”
Jared steps back like he’s been hit and the way his face changes into pained frustration throws Jensen completely. He rubs a hand over his mouth and back through his hair, giving off a sudden air of vulnerability that Jensen is so shocked by that he also takes a step back.
“I don’t hate you because you’re gay,” Jared says carefully.
FILL: Hate to See It | J2 | Part 3dugindeepFebruary 11 2020, 04:59:08 UTC
Sighing, Jensen drops to sit at the edge of the pull-out. Jared joined the firm a little over half a year ago and Morgan was obviously keeping close tabs on the new employee, but Jensen hadn’t imagined he was grooming Jared for management. But then he remembers when he first started at the firm and how Morgan would dangle responsibilities over him to create some friendly competition among the staff.
“So yeah, when you became team lead,” Jared goes on. “I was pretty pissed. Especially when Chad told me how you got it. I know Morgan likes his employees to be dedicated, but come on, dude. There’s being loyal and there’s being loyal.”
Jensen shoots to his feet and takes a few steps toward Jared. “Chad said I got it how?”
“He said, you know.” Jared makes a pained face, as if he doesn’t want to say it. Jensen continues to glare at him to force it out of him. “That Morgan likes you because you take care of business with a little pleasure.”
Another few steps and Jensen is vibrating in anger. “He said what?!”
Jared briefly laughs with embarrassment, then awkwardly shrugs. “He actually said you ate the salami, because, you know, it’s Chad.”
“I did nothing,” Jensen grits out slowly before fiercely defending himself. “And definitely nothing with Morgan, but I did work my ass off and spent the last three years proving myself for that promotion. I did it on my own merit. And I have a shit-ton of seniority over the rest of the group, by the way. So yeah, I become the team lead.”
Jared goes quiet for a few seconds as he searches Jensen’s face. His eyes finally drop to the ground as he seems to be recalling whatever it was that he’d heard about Jensen. “Yeah, but he said …”
“It’s Chad,” he parrots. “That’s more than enough reason to not believe any of those stories.”
Deflating even more, Jared shifts back and slowly turns into the bedroom, finally plopping down at the edge of the bed. He runs his palms over his face, pressing the heels of his hands at his eyes, and when he drops his arms at his sides and looks up at Jensen, he looks drained with blood-shot eyes.
Or maybe suddenly drunk after downing three mini bottles.
“I am such an asshole,” Jared admits like he’s suddenly realizing that so much of the strain between them is entirely on him. Or Chad.
At least some of it is on Chad.
“Kind of.” Jensen laughs a little, grateful to finally have some relief here. “Who else thinks I earned the position by … assuming the position?”
“Knowing Chad?”
Jensen sighs. “Probably everyone.”
“I am so sorry. I promise to do all I can to kill the rumors,” Jared implores, bringing out some seriously large puppy dog eyes that may also be seriously cute.
It’s as if because they’re attempting to clear the air, now Jensen notices that Jared is kind of ridiculously good looking with unfairly good hair that gets tucked behind his ears.
To be fair, Jensen had noticed Jared when he first came on board, but the mounting bitterness from Jared had dampened any thoughts Jensen had about the guy.
It’s clear on Jared’s face that he’s mortified for assuming the worst of Jensen, which makes Jensen mentally back-pedal and think through how things got so harsh between them.
Jensen drops his head and stares at his toes flexing into the rug. “But I guess I didn’t help it either.”
“Not really,” Jared agrees.
“We were both pretty rude to each other.”
“Yeah, we were.” Jared lifts an eyebrow and shrugs a little. “I’m sorry for my part. But maybe this will make things a little easier?”
Jensen can read between the lines and gives a short nod as he accepts the cease fire. “Yeah, I think it could.”
“I mean, I’m still pissed off about not getting the promotion,” Jared adds with a quick chuckle. “But I guess you’re not so bad at being lead.”
Jensen leans against the door frame, feeling the tension dissipate from his joints as well as the full effects of this dreadful travel day. He smiles tiredly and offers, “Well, Morgan says it’s not really a promotion and it didn’t come with a raise, if that helps?”
Jared snorts, but this time it doesn’t sound so insulting. More like he’s amused. “Maybe a little.”
FILL: Hate to See It | J2 | Part 4dugindeepFebruary 11 2020, 04:59:39 UTC
He takes a glance around the room in this new form of awkward silence, sees the clock on the nightstand, and groans. It’s already 2:30 and Jensen planned to set his alarm for 6:00. He backs out of the bedroom as he says, “I’m glad we cleared that bit up, but I’m ready to crash. I’m just gonna -”
“You need help with the pull-out?” Jared asks, now following him into the living room.
“I think it’s fully busted, so I’m just gonna sleep on the couch.” As Jensen grabs a few cushions to put back into place, Jared begins pulling on the handle of the pull-out’s frame. There’s a series of frustrated grunts as Jared fights with the thing and when it never budges, Jensen leans in to stare right at Jared. “Believe me now?”
Jared looks at Jensen and freezes.
Jensen does, too, because he realizes their faces are rather close and Jared’s eyes slowly track over Jensen’s face. He shifts back to give Jared space, running a hand over his head. “So yeah, I’ll just use the couch.”
It takes a few more moments until Jared speaks again, clearing his throat loudly. “This couch isn’t that big.”
Jensen waves him off. “It’ll be fine for a few hours.”
“It’s a few hours,” Jared says slowly, like he’s trying to convince himself of that fact.
“Yeah, I’ll be up by 6.” Jensen sighs when he thinks about how soon that is. “Maybe 6:30. I can shower quick and - ”
“The bed is huge. We can share it.” A beat later, Jared adds an awkward, “Right?”
It’s a far better idea than folding himself into the couch, so Jensen nods in relief. Though he does temper it with a cautious smile. “It’s only a few hours.”
Suddenly, Jared’s finger is in Jensen’s face as he warns, “We may be kind of okay now, but don’t you dare cuddle me.”
“I won’t, I wouldn’t, okay,” Jensen stutters out with his hands up.
“You’re totally a big spooner, I can tell,” Jared complains on his way to the bedroom without sparing Jensen another glance. “And we may have some kind of understanding about you being team lead, but we’re here for work and that’s it.”
Jensen rolls his eyes and strolls into the bedroom. The lights go out without another word and he decides it’s enough that Jared is gracious enough to share the bed. There’s no reason for them to be any more cordial than where they are now; it’s far better than earlier in the day.
He offers a quiet goodnight once he’s curled up at the edge of his side of the bed and is out so quick, he never hears Jared’s response.
***
Are you kidding me? Jensen thinks when he wakes up at 4:45am to the all-encompassing heat of Jared wrapped around him.
The room is mostly dark and when Jensen’s eyes adjust, he realizes they’re in the middle of the bed and Jared is most definitely the big spoon. He’s also big elsewhere, as Jensen recognizes a hard press snugged up against his ass.
Jensen breathes slowly as his mind races, worrying over the best course of action here without waking Jared up and making this whole mess even worse. They’d managed to have some kind of reconciliation just hours ago that Jensen can’t bear to ruin. But he also can feel how strong Jared’s hold is around him, how firm Jared’s chest is against his back, and how surprisingly gentle Jared’s hand feels against his stomach.
Now Jensen’s heart beats double time and he breaks out in a nervous sweat for an entirely different reason.
His dick also takes notice of the situation and goes semi-hard.
He has to get out of this hold now, yet there’s no graceful way to do it than shuffle a few inches forward on the mattress. Except, Jared just pulls him in closer with a sleepy mumble and Jensen holds his breath and goes stiff.
Stiff the other side of his brain says with a sly smile and Jensen curses at himself. It takes a few moments to finally get the nerve to move and he turns over to his other side so at least they’re not curled up with Jared’s dick pressing against his ass.
It’s another moment until Jensen realizes now they’re dicks are pressed together, Jensen’s hands end up on Jared’s very firm chest, and Jared is still mostly asleep when he leans in close so their noses rub together in a rather intimate gesture.
FILL: Hate to See It | J2 | Part 5dugindeepFebruary 11 2020, 04:59:59 UTC
Jensen holds his breath once again. Then one of Jared’s hands slink up the back of Jensen’s shirt to settle warmly on his skin and Jensen lets out a rather embarrassing squeak.
That wakes Jared, albeit slowly. So slowly that Jared’s eyes take forever to open and fully take in their current position. “Oh,” he says.
“Yeah,” Jensen replies, at a loss of how else to deal with this precarious situation.
“I, uh, I …” Jared drifts off, yet neither of them moves.
“You’re a big spoon,” Jensen says without thought. Then he rattles on to explain, “I woke up with you big spooning me and I was trying to get out of it without waking you.”
“I … I, um …”
Jensen realizes he’s the one that needs to walk them out of this, so he quickly chuckles and tries to brush it all off, though it sounds rather strained. “You’re sorry, I know. It’s okay. I swear I won’t put this in your performance review.”
“No, that’s not …” Jared breathes quickly, shallowly, and finally finishes what he’d been trying to say all along. “I’m gay, too.”
“Oh,” Jensen says, quite a lot like the startled shame that Jared had when he first woke up.
“But you’re my boss.”
He thinks about closing the tiny gap between them until he imagines how inappropriate it would be to take that step with a subordinate. And especially on a work trip … how cliche.
“Or just a team lead,” Jared mumbles.
Now Jensen can’t ignore how their noses are still tucked up against each other and their lips are less than an inch away. But hell, Jared’s the one who started all this with all his cuddling and hard body and handsome face being right here in Jensen’s face.
Jared sucks in a deep breath that forces their chests together and Jensen has to hold his breath, too, so he doesn’t make another embarrassing sound. “Am I misreading this?”
“Not really,” Jensen admits. “But after what you said Chad told you …” And that’s really it. There are rumors out there that Jensen messed around with Morgan to get where he is, and now he’s in this precarious position with someone who reports to him.
“What happens on a business trip stays on a business trip?”
Jensen laughs at the absurdity of it all and a second later, Jared’s mouth is on his and Jared’s tongue is pushing inside. Every other thought fades away as Jared presses in, simultaneously closing his arms around Jensen even tighter to keep them impossibly close. Jensen falls right into the kiss, feeling his stomach spin and heart race, and nothing else matters but the feel of Jared’s hands on his body, the warmth of Jared’s mouth, and the vibration of Jared’s moans as Jensen runs his hands all over Jared’s back.
They get caught up quickly and start pulling at Jared’s shorts and Jensen’s sleep pants and underwear to get a hand on one another’s dick. Their arms keep bumping in the close space, but they keep kissing through every stroke until Jensen breaks away to look down at Jared’s long and thick dick in his fist. Even better is the image of Jared’s thick-knuckled fingers wrapped around Jensen’s own dick and the wide pad of Jared’s thumb rubbing over the head of Jensen’s dick.
Jared’s harsh breaths are hot against Jensen’s temple and then he drops kisses every few seconds, until he groans and loses pace of his hand. Jensen looks at him to be sure everything’s okay and discovers it’s more than, because Jared kicks his head back, opens his mouth wide, and releases a dark groan from deep in his chest as he comes.
Jensen smiles at the beautiful sight and slowly fists Jared through it, stopping only when Jared whines and drops his head down to press his forehead to Jensen’s.
“I hope you don’t put that in my review,” Jared mumbles. “That I couldn’t last any longer.”
Nudging their foreheads together, Jensen offers him a soft smile. “I’ll consider it a compliment for being a good leader.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re pretty good.” Jared kisses him, soft and easy at first. When he starts stroking Jensen again, the kiss deepens and Jensen finds himself quickly racing towards his own orgasm.
FILL: Hate to See It | J2 | Part 6dugindeepFebruary 11 2020, 05:00:22 UTC
Jensen grunts through it and bites Jared’s lip when he wants to shout his name instead. This is all brand new - hell, just polite to Jared is a recent development - so he’s cautious to make this anything more than just blowing off some steam after how terrible yesterday had been for the both of them.
Nothing more is said between them except Jensen’s polite thanks when Jared comes back from the bathroom with a damp hand towel for them both to clean up.
When they fall asleep again, Jensen’s a hell of a lot more relaxed and there’s not much space between them. He thinks he even spies a smile on Jared’s lips as he drifts off.
***
After Jensen gets out of the shower, Jared hands over a cup of Starbucks from the shop in the lobby. There’s another polite thanks and they just briefly share eye contact as Jensen finishes getting ready.
If he’s honest with himself, Jensen hates this kind of tension more than the bitterness that laced every word they’ve said before this. It’s an odd mix of ignoring one another while also plainly reading it all on their faces when they do manage to look at one another.
Just before leaving the suite, Jared stalls at the door and Jensen wants to complain because he’s got his laptop bag strap digging into his shoulder and his arms full of files, his peacoat, and his Starbucks cup with a little coffee left. Jared’s hand stays wrapped tight around the knob and the sight of it throws Jensen back just a few hours when those fingers were on his dick. He sucks in a quick breath, preparing for whatever bad news Jared’s about to drop about what happened.
Maybe he’s in a relationship. Maybe he regrets it. Maybe he fears some kind of retribution at work, Jensen being his boss and all. Heck, maybe he’s not even really gay and just trapped Jensen in an awful position.
“You know,” Jared starts, unable to look Jensen in the eye. “It wasn’t so bad sharing a room with you.”
Jensen puckers his lips to avoid smiling, or even to stop frown that had been there. “Yeah, it was pretty okay.”
“Hopefully better than pretty okay.” Jared shrugs and finally glances at Jensen. “Maybe even pretty good.”
“Yeah, it was,” he admits quietly.
“When I went for coffee, I checked on rooms for the rest of the week.”
“Oh?” Jensen can hear how it sounds a lot like the confused way they’d both said it when finding themselves wrapped up together in the middle of the night. He clears his throat and lifts his head to reinstate a bit of professionalism as he prepares for even more awkwardness for the next few days. “And?”
“It’s the damnedest thing … they’re still all booked up.” Jared very slowly smiles and gives an exaggerated shrug. “So I guess you’re stuck with me.”
“Boy, that’s a real shame,” Jensen replies with his own smile breaking out. It’ll be nice to get to know this version of Jared, and to show Jared more of who Jensen really is.
Jared opens the door and motions Jensen out ahead of him with his dimples showing with a wide grin.
Jensen tips his coffee at Jared. “Hate to see it.”
“You really do.”
And now Jensen can’t wait to see what’ll happen when they return to the suite tonight.
RE: FILL: Hate to See It | J2 | Part 6cherie_morteFebruary 11 2020, 17:05:12 UTC
Cuuuuch! This was a delight. BEYOND A DELIGHT. They were such grumpy wumpykins. :33333 Good thing there's nothing a little spooning can't fix. I loved that you had them work out their issues with each other before the bedsharing but that they still weren't at 100%. Like, that moment when they're leaving the room and Jared pauses in the doorway and Jensen realizes he may have just trapped him to completely fuck him over and it's a real worry because Jensen doesn't know Jared at all except the worst version of him really--that was such a beautifully tense and real moment you created and it felt like such a wonderful exhale when Jared proved to be a good smitten boi instead.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR TAKING MY BAIT AND FILLING MY PROMPT.
RE: FILL: Hate to See It | J2 | Part 6quickreaverFebruary 12 2020, 03:19:14 UTC
AHHHHHHH, this was adorable and goddammit, you have such a way with (hot)el rooms! And dialogue and, yanno, sexyfuntimes...
I adore the curmudgeonly conflict to consternation TO OMG THE CUTE! This just made me grin big, and I'm not even a romantic. (I swear, I'm not. And I'm also lying...)
RE: FILL: Hate to See It | J2 | Part 6kelleighFebruary 14 2020, 15:22:41 UTC
Ya know, I love grumpy!Jensen, but now I LOVE snarky!grumpy!Jared, too! He wasn't so much of a big puppy in this until they came to their understanding and Jensen realizes he LIKES big puppy Jared :) I guess I'll have to imagine what they get up to in that room (ONLY OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONE BEEEEEEEEEED!) for the rest of the week.
“Are you kidding?” Jensen asks, shaking in hot anger.
“You’re kidding!” Jared nearly screeches from beside Jensen.
Jensen slowly turns to glare at his very tall, very agitated coworker while the woman behind the counter also stares at Jared. “I just said that.”
Jared gives him a confused, yet angry kind of glare and Jensen turns back to the poor woman with the terrible news.
Their flight was already delayed four hours thanks to torrential downpour moving down the coast. Given they were already flying clear across the country from L.A. and suffered an impromptu layover, they didn’t land in Boston until after midnight, made it to the hotel now at 1:30am all sopping wet thanks to the storms, and are expected in the office by 7 to set up for the first of three day-long meetings.
Jensen’s anxiety always ramps up with travel delays and the lack of control, not to mention that they got soaked in the scant moments between parking the rental car and running to the hotel lobby. Now add on being stuck on this horrendous trip with Jared Padalecki, Jensen’s office nemesis, and it’s been worse than he could ever expect.
“Well, I can say it, too,” Jared rattles on, starting a rant about how Jensen isn’t the only person who can speak for them and if Jared has an opinion, he’ll damn well share it, okay? You’re not the boss of me.
With a sigh, Jensen turns to the hotel employee with a tight smile, hiding the embarrassment of the six-and-a-half-feet of a wet mess next to him, who he actually kind of, sort of is the boss of.
And now apparently also his roommate, as the woman repeats her terrible, no-good news. “Unfortunately, there was an error in your reservation and now we’re fully booked for the night, being Valentine’s Day and all. We have just one room left.”
“What about nearby hotels?” Jensen asks, crossing his fingers atop the counter. Jared snorts at that and Jensen rolls his eyes with a muttered, “Shut up.”
“You’re gonna make this nice woman call other hotels for you?” Jared snorts again before turning to the employee to say, “I’m really very sorry for my very rude and impatient … co-worker.”
The way Jared stresses that word digs like a knife in Jensen’s side. He’s so tired of the derision they’ve tossed back and forth since the delays started and the mood around them slid into aggravation.
Jared’s bad mood actually grew to new heights when Jensen was just recently elevated to Team Lead - not a promotion their manager made sure to stress to the whole group, and Jensen took it to mean no raise either. But Morgan had in fact meant it to stress that team dynamics should not change. Apparently, Jared never got the message.
But a message Jared did get was that Jensen was gay, thanks to Danneel asking at a group lunch about a casual relationship he’d recently ended. Jensen won’t soon forget the way Jared’s eyes widened then wouldn’t meet his when they were in team meetings.
There had been some hope to reconcile whatever issues Jared had on this trip - a chance to show him that Jensen was a normal human being no matter who he slept with - but that chance melted away once the delays started and tempers flared.
“Do you want the remaining room?” the woman asks.
As Jensen sighs, Jared shakes his head, yet says, “If it’s all you’ve got.”
The woman taps away at her computer, makes a face, then heaves a deep breath like she’s about to deliver bad news.
Jensen braces himself by settling his palms on the cool marble countertop and finds out the bad news is awful news. Terrible. Horrific.
Slowly, she explains, “The room is a king suite.”
“What?!” Jared shrieks and Jensen closes his eyes, holding the impulse to also scream and run away at bay.
“It is a suite,” she reminds them. “There is a pull-out couch in the main living space.”
Jared is still huffing and complaining - just barely under his breath - and Jensen gets it. But he also gets the need to remain polite when this ghastly mistake was not the employee’s mistake.
Reply
“You’re sleeping on the couch,” Jared insists.
Jensen slides his ID and corporate credit card across the counter as he grinds his teeth. After a quick breath, he attempts to smooth over Jared’s anger. “We will figure it out.”
“We,” Jared grumbles.
So much for teamwork Jensen thinks.
***
Luckily, they fall quiet for the walk to the elevator, the ride up to the sixth floor, and the long trail down the hallway to their room.
They remain quiet as Jared goes off to the bedroom and Jensen stops next to the couch in what is a pretty spacious main area of the suite. There’s a TV, desk, and kitchenette with a fridge and mini bar that seems rather tempting to soothe the nerves of a torturous day and coming night.
Jared is banging around in the bathroom, door clanking open before he nearly stumbles into the main area looking suddenly very exhausted.
Jensen feels the same and offers a brief smile when Jared looks at him. “At least it’s only for a few hours? We’ll get it sorted tomorrow.” Because they’re stuck together for another two nights and Jensen doesn’t need this tension to continue to fester.
Jared snorts on his way to the fridge. “There’s that we again.”
He watches as Jared opens a mini bottle of whiskey and downs it in one quick shot. “You know, we can’t expense alcohol.”
Without a word, Jared pulls a twenty out of his wallet and slaps it on the kitchen counter. After a moment of thought, he puts another one down and grabs two more bottles of various liquors.
Jensen tries to lighten the mood by saying, “Leave some for me.”
Jared tosses him a vodka that Jensen also finishes off immediately, trying to hide his wince against the burn in his throat. A second bottle comes at his head that he catches just before it hits his eye. But he doesn’t complain, instead taking it as a peace offering, even if only for the next ten minutes because Jared gives a little nod and heads back to the bedroom and there’s a thankful quiet that’s not brittle with tension.
Unpacking his bag, Jensen gets things in order for the morning, like hanging his suit, shirt, and tie in the closet, then putting his toiletries in the bathroom, and finally changing out of his clothes. The Morgan Enterprises polo probably reeks of stale air and angry sweat, and his khakis have a ketchup stain on one leg when Jared made a mess of an airport cheeseburger when cramped next to Jensen in the gate area as they waited far too many hours to finally board their layover in Cleveland.
At this point, he doesn’t care about either piece of clothing, balling them up in the corner of his suit case in exchange for sleep pants and a t-shirt that he is relieved to finally be wearing. What he does care about is the fact that after neatly stacking the couch cushions against the wall, the pull-out bed frame is a rickety thing that won’t budge, no matter how many times he yanks and grunts.
“What’re you doing?” Jared asks in the oddest voice.
When Jensen turns around, Jared is standing in the doorway to the bedroom in just boxers and a tank top with horrified confusion on his face. Jensen motions at the couch and sighs. “What do you think I’m doing?”
“Well actually, it sounded like you were beating off.”
“Right, Jared,” he sighs again. “I’m stuck in a hotel room with the guy that hates me just because I’m gay and would probably suffocate me in my sleep with his pillow if I snored for even one second, and I’m going to make things even more uncomfortable by …” Jensen jerks his fist a few times and rolls his eyes. “Grow the fuck up, man. You don’t always have to assume the worst of me.”
Jared steps back like he’s been hit and the way his face changes into pained frustration throws Jensen completely. He rubs a hand over his mouth and back through his hair, giving off a sudden air of vulnerability that Jensen is so shocked by that he also takes a step back.
“I don’t hate you because you’re gay,” Jared says carefully.
“But you still hate me,” Jensen points out.
“Hate is … a strong word.”
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“So yeah, when you became team lead,” Jared goes on. “I was pretty pissed. Especially when Chad told me how you got it. I know Morgan likes his employees to be dedicated, but come on, dude. There’s being loyal and there’s being loyal.”
Jensen shoots to his feet and takes a few steps toward Jared. “Chad said I got it how?”
“He said, you know.” Jared makes a pained face, as if he doesn’t want to say it. Jensen continues to glare at him to force it out of him. “That Morgan likes you because you take care of business with a little pleasure.”
Another few steps and Jensen is vibrating in anger. “He said what?!”
Jared briefly laughs with embarrassment, then awkwardly shrugs. “He actually said you ate the salami, because, you know, it’s Chad.”
“I did nothing,” Jensen grits out slowly before fiercely defending himself. “And definitely nothing with Morgan, but I did work my ass off and spent the last three years proving myself for that promotion. I did it on my own merit. And I have a shit-ton of seniority over the rest of the group, by the way. So yeah, I become the team lead.”
Jared goes quiet for a few seconds as he searches Jensen’s face. His eyes finally drop to the ground as he seems to be recalling whatever it was that he’d heard about Jensen. “Yeah, but he said …”
“It’s Chad,” he parrots. “That’s more than enough reason to not believe any of those stories.”
Deflating even more, Jared shifts back and slowly turns into the bedroom, finally plopping down at the edge of the bed. He runs his palms over his face, pressing the heels of his hands at his eyes, and when he drops his arms at his sides and looks up at Jensen, he looks drained with blood-shot eyes.
Or maybe suddenly drunk after downing three mini bottles.
“I am such an asshole,” Jared admits like he’s suddenly realizing that so much of the strain between them is entirely on him. Or Chad.
At least some of it is on Chad.
“Kind of.” Jensen laughs a little, grateful to finally have some relief here. “Who else thinks I earned the position by … assuming the position?”
“Knowing Chad?”
Jensen sighs. “Probably everyone.”
“I am so sorry. I promise to do all I can to kill the rumors,” Jared implores, bringing out some seriously large puppy dog eyes that may also be seriously cute.
It’s as if because they’re attempting to clear the air, now Jensen notices that Jared is kind of ridiculously good looking with unfairly good hair that gets tucked behind his ears.
To be fair, Jensen had noticed Jared when he first came on board, but the mounting bitterness from Jared had dampened any thoughts Jensen had about the guy.
It’s clear on Jared’s face that he’s mortified for assuming the worst of Jensen, which makes Jensen mentally back-pedal and think through how things got so harsh between them.
Jensen drops his head and stares at his toes flexing into the rug. “But I guess I didn’t help it either.”
“Not really,” Jared agrees.
“We were both pretty rude to each other.”
“Yeah, we were.” Jared lifts an eyebrow and shrugs a little. “I’m sorry for my part. But maybe this will make things a little easier?”
Jensen can read between the lines and gives a short nod as he accepts the cease fire. “Yeah, I think it could.”
“I mean, I’m still pissed off about not getting the promotion,” Jared adds with a quick chuckle. “But I guess you’re not so bad at being lead.”
Jensen leans against the door frame, feeling the tension dissipate from his joints as well as the full effects of this dreadful travel day. He smiles tiredly and offers, “Well, Morgan says it’s not really a promotion and it didn’t come with a raise, if that helps?”
Jared snorts, but this time it doesn’t sound so insulting. More like he’s amused. “Maybe a little.”
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“You need help with the pull-out?” Jared asks, now following him into the living room.
“I think it’s fully busted, so I’m just gonna sleep on the couch.” As Jensen grabs a few cushions to put back into place, Jared begins pulling on the handle of the pull-out’s frame. There’s a series of frustrated grunts as Jared fights with the thing and when it never budges, Jensen leans in to stare right at Jared. “Believe me now?”
Jared looks at Jensen and freezes.
Jensen does, too, because he realizes their faces are rather close and Jared’s eyes slowly track over Jensen’s face. He shifts back to give Jared space, running a hand over his head. “So yeah, I’ll just use the couch.”
It takes a few more moments until Jared speaks again, clearing his throat loudly. “This couch isn’t that big.”
Jensen waves him off. “It’ll be fine for a few hours.”
“It’s a few hours,” Jared says slowly, like he’s trying to convince himself of that fact.
“Yeah, I’ll be up by 6.” Jensen sighs when he thinks about how soon that is. “Maybe 6:30. I can shower quick and - ”
“The bed is huge. We can share it.” A beat later, Jared adds an awkward, “Right?”
It’s a far better idea than folding himself into the couch, so Jensen nods in relief. Though he does temper it with a cautious smile. “It’s only a few hours.”
Suddenly, Jared’s finger is in Jensen’s face as he warns, “We may be kind of okay now, but don’t you dare cuddle me.”
“I won’t, I wouldn’t, okay,” Jensen stutters out with his hands up.
“You’re totally a big spooner, I can tell,” Jared complains on his way to the bedroom without sparing Jensen another glance. “And we may have some kind of understanding about you being team lead, but we’re here for work and that’s it.”
Jensen rolls his eyes and strolls into the bedroom. The lights go out without another word and he decides it’s enough that Jared is gracious enough to share the bed. There’s no reason for them to be any more cordial than where they are now; it’s far better than earlier in the day.
He offers a quiet goodnight once he’s curled up at the edge of his side of the bed and is out so quick, he never hears Jared’s response.
***
Are you kidding me? Jensen thinks when he wakes up at 4:45am to the all-encompassing heat of Jared wrapped around him.
The room is mostly dark and when Jensen’s eyes adjust, he realizes they’re in the middle of the bed and Jared is most definitely the big spoon. He’s also big elsewhere, as Jensen recognizes a hard press snugged up against his ass.
Jensen breathes slowly as his mind races, worrying over the best course of action here without waking Jared up and making this whole mess even worse. They’d managed to have some kind of reconciliation just hours ago that Jensen can’t bear to ruin. But he also can feel how strong Jared’s hold is around him, how firm Jared’s chest is against his back, and how surprisingly gentle Jared’s hand feels against his stomach.
Now Jensen’s heart beats double time and he breaks out in a nervous sweat for an entirely different reason.
His dick also takes notice of the situation and goes semi-hard.
He has to get out of this hold now, yet there’s no graceful way to do it than shuffle a few inches forward on the mattress. Except, Jared just pulls him in closer with a sleepy mumble and Jensen holds his breath and goes stiff.
Stiff the other side of his brain says with a sly smile and Jensen curses at himself. It takes a few moments to finally get the nerve to move and he turns over to his other side so at least they’re not curled up with Jared’s dick pressing against his ass.
It’s another moment until Jensen realizes now they’re dicks are pressed together, Jensen’s hands end up on Jared’s very firm chest, and Jared is still mostly asleep when he leans in close so their noses rub together in a rather intimate gesture.
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That wakes Jared, albeit slowly. So slowly that Jared’s eyes take forever to open and fully take in their current position. “Oh,” he says.
“Yeah,” Jensen replies, at a loss of how else to deal with this precarious situation.
“I, uh, I …” Jared drifts off, yet neither of them moves.
“You’re a big spoon,” Jensen says without thought. Then he rattles on to explain, “I woke up with you big spooning me and I was trying to get out of it without waking you.”
“I … I, um …”
Jensen realizes he’s the one that needs to walk them out of this, so he quickly chuckles and tries to brush it all off, though it sounds rather strained. “You’re sorry, I know. It’s okay. I swear I won’t put this in your performance review.”
“No, that’s not …” Jared breathes quickly, shallowly, and finally finishes what he’d been trying to say all along. “I’m gay, too.”
“Oh,” Jensen says, quite a lot like the startled shame that Jared had when he first woke up.
“But you’re my boss.”
He thinks about closing the tiny gap between them until he imagines how inappropriate it would be to take that step with a subordinate. And especially on a work trip … how cliche.
“Or just a team lead,” Jared mumbles.
Now Jensen can’t ignore how their noses are still tucked up against each other and their lips are less than an inch away. But hell, Jared’s the one who started all this with all his cuddling and hard body and handsome face being right here in Jensen’s face.
Jared sucks in a deep breath that forces their chests together and Jensen has to hold his breath, too, so he doesn’t make another embarrassing sound. “Am I misreading this?”
“Not really,” Jensen admits. “But after what you said Chad told you …” And that’s really it. There are rumors out there that Jensen messed around with Morgan to get where he is, and now he’s in this precarious position with someone who reports to him.
“What happens on a business trip stays on a business trip?”
Jensen laughs at the absurdity of it all and a second later, Jared’s mouth is on his and Jared’s tongue is pushing inside. Every other thought fades away as Jared presses in, simultaneously closing his arms around Jensen even tighter to keep them impossibly close. Jensen falls right into the kiss, feeling his stomach spin and heart race, and nothing else matters but the feel of Jared’s hands on his body, the warmth of Jared’s mouth, and the vibration of Jared’s moans as Jensen runs his hands all over Jared’s back.
They get caught up quickly and start pulling at Jared’s shorts and Jensen’s sleep pants and underwear to get a hand on one another’s dick. Their arms keep bumping in the close space, but they keep kissing through every stroke until Jensen breaks away to look down at Jared’s long and thick dick in his fist. Even better is the image of Jared’s thick-knuckled fingers wrapped around Jensen’s own dick and the wide pad of Jared’s thumb rubbing over the head of Jensen’s dick.
Jared’s harsh breaths are hot against Jensen’s temple and then he drops kisses every few seconds, until he groans and loses pace of his hand. Jensen looks at him to be sure everything’s okay and discovers it’s more than, because Jared kicks his head back, opens his mouth wide, and releases a dark groan from deep in his chest as he comes.
Jensen smiles at the beautiful sight and slowly fists Jared through it, stopping only when Jared whines and drops his head down to press his forehead to Jensen’s.
“I hope you don’t put that in my review,” Jared mumbles. “That I couldn’t last any longer.”
Nudging their foreheads together, Jensen offers him a soft smile. “I’ll consider it a compliment for being a good leader.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re pretty good.” Jared kisses him, soft and easy at first. When he starts stroking Jensen again, the kiss deepens and Jensen finds himself quickly racing towards his own orgasm.
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Jensen grunts through it and bites Jared’s lip when he wants to shout his name instead. This is all brand new - hell, just polite to Jared is a recent development - so he’s cautious to make this anything more than just blowing off some steam after how terrible yesterday had been for the both of them.
Nothing more is said between them except Jensen’s polite thanks when Jared comes back from the bathroom with a damp hand towel for them both to clean up.
When they fall asleep again, Jensen’s a hell of a lot more relaxed and there’s not much space between them. He thinks he even spies a smile on Jared’s lips as he drifts off.
***
After Jensen gets out of the shower, Jared hands over a cup of Starbucks from the shop in the lobby. There’s another polite thanks and they just briefly share eye contact as Jensen finishes getting ready.
If he’s honest with himself, Jensen hates this kind of tension more than the bitterness that laced every word they’ve said before this. It’s an odd mix of ignoring one another while also plainly reading it all on their faces when they do manage to look at one another.
Just before leaving the suite, Jared stalls at the door and Jensen wants to complain because he’s got his laptop bag strap digging into his shoulder and his arms full of files, his peacoat, and his Starbucks cup with a little coffee left. Jared’s hand stays wrapped tight around the knob and the sight of it throws Jensen back just a few hours when those fingers were on his dick. He sucks in a quick breath, preparing for whatever bad news Jared’s about to drop about what happened.
Maybe he’s in a relationship. Maybe he regrets it. Maybe he fears some kind of retribution at work, Jensen being his boss and all. Heck, maybe he’s not even really gay and just trapped Jensen in an awful position.
“You know,” Jared starts, unable to look Jensen in the eye. “It wasn’t so bad sharing a room with you.”
Jensen puckers his lips to avoid smiling, or even to stop frown that had been there. “Yeah, it was pretty okay.”
“Hopefully better than pretty okay.” Jared shrugs and finally glances at Jensen. “Maybe even pretty good.”
“Yeah, it was,” he admits quietly.
“When I went for coffee, I checked on rooms for the rest of the week.”
“Oh?” Jensen can hear how it sounds a lot like the confused way they’d both said it when finding themselves wrapped up together in the middle of the night. He clears his throat and lifts his head to reinstate a bit of professionalism as he prepares for even more awkwardness for the next few days. “And?”
“It’s the damnedest thing … they’re still all booked up.” Jared very slowly smiles and gives an exaggerated shrug. “So I guess you’re stuck with me.”
“Boy, that’s a real shame,” Jensen replies with his own smile breaking out. It’ll be nice to get to know this version of Jared, and to show Jared more of who Jensen really is.
Jared opens the door and motions Jensen out ahead of him with his dimples showing with a wide grin.
Jensen tips his coffee at Jared. “Hate to see it.”
“You really do.”
And now Jensen can’t wait to see what’ll happen when they return to the suite tonight.
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THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR TAKING MY BAIT AND FILLING MY PROMPT.
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I adore the curmudgeonly conflict to consternation TO OMG THE CUTE! This just made me grin big, and I'm not even a romantic. (I swear, I'm not. And I'm also lying...)
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Unless you write it for us.
Yeah you should totally do that.
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