(no subject)
This is a comment fic for dollydolittle that was too long for the comment box, so I figured I'd just post it. Anyway, she prompted me with an idea from one of my all time favorite series, Hanazakari no Kimitachi E, sort of. ANYWAY Jared is super into manga, Jensen is his new roommate, and Jared makes some very incorrect assumptions. 1300 words, G. Total lack of gay freakout.
Jared had to beg his parents for weeks before they let him take the scholarship he got offered for Maple Academy.
"But it's so far away," his mother said. "We'll never see you, sweetie."
"Summer! And Christmas. And it's a great opportunity, mama, and I'll get a lot more attention for a good college."
"I don't like the idea of you being all alone up north," she hedged. "We haven't even got any family around there."
"It's the age of technology," said Jared. "I'll always be just a phone call or an e-mail away. Please, mama. I really want this."
Of course, she'd caved in the end, as Jared knew she would, and Jared got to go off to private school, where he assumed there would be a rose-themed dueling society, or a cat for a ballet teacher, or maybe everyone would just secretly be a blackbelt and involved in a complicated fight club.
Maybe, if he was lucky, all of the above.
*
Jared's first semester at Maple Academy is actually fairly dull. Sure, he likes his classes, and the other guys are cool and he makes friends, but there's nothing like what he assumed there would be based on years of anime and manga.
"Dude, you gotta live in the real world," says Chad, when Jared laments that there is not enough Fucked Up Shit going down at Maple. "There's tons of weirdness here. Like that janitor, Kripke? I think he's a robot."
"He is not."
"Can you prove it?"
"How do you prove someone's not a robot?"
"Exactly," says Chad, like there is a universe in which this is a coherent argument.
"How is me thinking there should be a dueling society here less weird than you thinking Kripke is a robot?"
"Cuz mine is true," says Chad.
Jared's about to respond, but their RA Misha interrupts, sticking his head into Jared's room. "Padalecki," he says. "Got a sec?"
"Sure, what's up?" asks Jared, standing up.
"You're getting a roommate for second semester. I know you liked your single, but we got nowhere else to put him."
"No, I get it," says Jared, trying to keep his voice calm, "that's fine."
Inside, Jared is pretty much cheering. A roommate? That's guaranteed to be awesome. He's probably a magician or a celestial warrior or something like that.
Jared can't wait.
*
Jared's dozing, listening to his iPod and thinking about getting a snack, when his new roommate comes in for the first time.
The guy is--pretty. He's slim and smooth-faced, spiky hair and long eyelashes, and his smile makes Jared's stomach swoop.
"Hey," says the guy softly. "You're Jared Padalecki." He seems to realize what he's said a second later, and he flushes. "I mean, uh. I'm kind of a fan."
"I have fans?" asks Jared.
"You're a pretty good runner."
"You've seen me run?"
"Yeah. You're--good," the guy says, looking down.
"Oh my god," says Jared. Because--he has totally read this manga.
*
In just two days, Jared is absolutely 100% sure that his new roommate Jensen is a girl. She's gorgeous, full lips, green eyes, lashes so long it's unreal, she doesn't change in front of him if she can avoid it. Plus, she came to the school partly because she thought he was such an amazing runner, which is exactly what Mizuki did for Sano. Jensen cut her hair a lot shorter than Mizuki did, but other than that, it's exactly the same.
"Hey, Chad," says Jared.
"Huh?"
"Do you think Jensen's hot?"
"Your roommate?"
"Yeah."
"Your roommate's a dude."
"And you don't think he's hot anyway? Like, against your better judgment, you find him really appealing and you want to date him?"
Chad stares at him. "Dude, are you high?"
"No," says Jared. "You're supposed to like him."
Chad shrugs. "Seems okay, I dunno. What do you want me to say, gaywad? I don't have a huge honking crush on him like you do."
"I do not," mutters Jared. And, okay, he does, but they need, like, twenty more volumes of UST and comical situations where Jensen nearly reveals her true gender before they finally find love and Jensen has to worry that Jared is gay.
They've got a lot to do before happily ever after.
*
"Jensen's kind of a unique name," says Jared carefully.
"Huh?" asks Jensen, glancing up. She's got her pen in her mouth and it's frankly unfair. Jared has never jerked off as much in his life. It's not just that Jensen is pretty, it's that she's funny and awesome, and they get along like Jared has never gotten along with anyone else in his life. She's perfect.
"I mean, I've never heard it before."
"It's usually a last name," says Jensen. "My parents thought it was more interesting than Jason. That's what they were gonna call me."
"Anyone ever call you Jen?" asks Jared. He's decided that must be her real name. Probably.
"It's kind of girly, isn't it?" asks Jensen, not looking at Jared.
"Can I call you that?"
"No, Jared," says Jensen with a sigh.
"Why not?"
"Because I'm not a girl, dickbag."
She's good at this game, Jared has to admit. But he's going to be better.
*
And then, something totally unexpected happens. Jared walks in on Jensen changing, and Jensen is a guy.
"Holy crap," says Jared.
"What?" asks Jensen. Sh--he flushes all the way down to his boxers.
"You're a guy," says Jared.
Jensen stares at him. "Of course I'm a guy."
"But you--you're so pretty! And you like me!"
Jensen stares at him for a minute, and then he pulls on his shirt, grabs a pair of pants, and storms out.
Jared just stares at the slammed door. Jensen is a guy. Jensen has not been carefully hiding his true gender; Jensen's true gender has been out there the whole time.
Jared sucks.
He goes after Jensen.
*
Jensen's outside, sitting on the bench, with Sadie's head between his knees. Sadie doesn't only like girls or anything, so Jared shouldn't have taken her liking Jensen as evidence that Jensen was a girl.
Jared shouldn't have actually used manga as a guide to life.
"I asked Misha if I could switch roommates," says Jensen. "I thought you were okay with me being gay."
"I am. I mean--I'm an idiot," says Jared. "Like, epic levels of stupid, right here."
Jensen looks over and raises his eyebrows. He's ridiculously good looking, but he doesn't exactly look like a girl. He's just really attractive, and before Jared can think about it, he leans in and kisses Jensen.
Jensen doesn't kiss back, and Jared pulls back. "I really like this manga," says Jared in a rush.
"What?" says Jensen.
"Manga. Japanese comics. Anyway, there's this one I like, about this girl, who really likes this highjumper, and she crossdresses so she can be with him at school, and he finds out she's a girl but doesn't tell her and they have all this confusion and then they find love and--I thought you were like that."
"You thought I was like a Japanese comic book?"
"It's a private school! Something fucked up has to be happening!"
Jensen stares. "Jesus."
"So, I'm not homophobic, and I don't think, like, being gay means you're a girl, or anything, and you really don't even look like a girl, but I've never really liked a guy before and that just made so much sense, so--"
This time Jensen kisses him, and Jared does kiss back.
"You're really stupid," says Jensen.
"I know," says Jared. "Gonna forgive me?"
"Yeah," says Jensen. "Think I will."
Jared had to beg his parents for weeks before they let him take the scholarship he got offered for Maple Academy.
"But it's so far away," his mother said. "We'll never see you, sweetie."
"Summer! And Christmas. And it's a great opportunity, mama, and I'll get a lot more attention for a good college."
"I don't like the idea of you being all alone up north," she hedged. "We haven't even got any family around there."
"It's the age of technology," said Jared. "I'll always be just a phone call or an e-mail away. Please, mama. I really want this."
Of course, she'd caved in the end, as Jared knew she would, and Jared got to go off to private school, where he assumed there would be a rose-themed dueling society, or a cat for a ballet teacher, or maybe everyone would just secretly be a blackbelt and involved in a complicated fight club.
Maybe, if he was lucky, all of the above.
*
Jared's first semester at Maple Academy is actually fairly dull. Sure, he likes his classes, and the other guys are cool and he makes friends, but there's nothing like what he assumed there would be based on years of anime and manga.
"Dude, you gotta live in the real world," says Chad, when Jared laments that there is not enough Fucked Up Shit going down at Maple. "There's tons of weirdness here. Like that janitor, Kripke? I think he's a robot."
"He is not."
"Can you prove it?"
"How do you prove someone's not a robot?"
"Exactly," says Chad, like there is a universe in which this is a coherent argument.
"How is me thinking there should be a dueling society here less weird than you thinking Kripke is a robot?"
"Cuz mine is true," says Chad.
Jared's about to respond, but their RA Misha interrupts, sticking his head into Jared's room. "Padalecki," he says. "Got a sec?"
"Sure, what's up?" asks Jared, standing up.
"You're getting a roommate for second semester. I know you liked your single, but we got nowhere else to put him."
"No, I get it," says Jared, trying to keep his voice calm, "that's fine."
Inside, Jared is pretty much cheering. A roommate? That's guaranteed to be awesome. He's probably a magician or a celestial warrior or something like that.
Jared can't wait.
*
Jared's dozing, listening to his iPod and thinking about getting a snack, when his new roommate comes in for the first time.
The guy is--pretty. He's slim and smooth-faced, spiky hair and long eyelashes, and his smile makes Jared's stomach swoop.
"Hey," says the guy softly. "You're Jared Padalecki." He seems to realize what he's said a second later, and he flushes. "I mean, uh. I'm kind of a fan."
"I have fans?" asks Jared.
"You're a pretty good runner."
"You've seen me run?"
"Yeah. You're--good," the guy says, looking down.
"Oh my god," says Jared. Because--he has totally read this manga.
*
In just two days, Jared is absolutely 100% sure that his new roommate Jensen is a girl. She's gorgeous, full lips, green eyes, lashes so long it's unreal, she doesn't change in front of him if she can avoid it. Plus, she came to the school partly because she thought he was such an amazing runner, which is exactly what Mizuki did for Sano. Jensen cut her hair a lot shorter than Mizuki did, but other than that, it's exactly the same.
"Hey, Chad," says Jared.
"Huh?"
"Do you think Jensen's hot?"
"Your roommate?"
"Yeah."
"Your roommate's a dude."
"And you don't think he's hot anyway? Like, against your better judgment, you find him really appealing and you want to date him?"
Chad stares at him. "Dude, are you high?"
"No," says Jared. "You're supposed to like him."
Chad shrugs. "Seems okay, I dunno. What do you want me to say, gaywad? I don't have a huge honking crush on him like you do."
"I do not," mutters Jared. And, okay, he does, but they need, like, twenty more volumes of UST and comical situations where Jensen nearly reveals her true gender before they finally find love and Jensen has to worry that Jared is gay.
They've got a lot to do before happily ever after.
*
"Jensen's kind of a unique name," says Jared carefully.
"Huh?" asks Jensen, glancing up. She's got her pen in her mouth and it's frankly unfair. Jared has never jerked off as much in his life. It's not just that Jensen is pretty, it's that she's funny and awesome, and they get along like Jared has never gotten along with anyone else in his life. She's perfect.
"I mean, I've never heard it before."
"It's usually a last name," says Jensen. "My parents thought it was more interesting than Jason. That's what they were gonna call me."
"Anyone ever call you Jen?" asks Jared. He's decided that must be her real name. Probably.
"It's kind of girly, isn't it?" asks Jensen, not looking at Jared.
"Can I call you that?"
"No, Jared," says Jensen with a sigh.
"Why not?"
"Because I'm not a girl, dickbag."
She's good at this game, Jared has to admit. But he's going to be better.
*
And then, something totally unexpected happens. Jared walks in on Jensen changing, and Jensen is a guy.
"Holy crap," says Jared.
"What?" asks Jensen. Sh--he flushes all the way down to his boxers.
"You're a guy," says Jared.
Jensen stares at him. "Of course I'm a guy."
"But you--you're so pretty! And you like me!"
Jensen stares at him for a minute, and then he pulls on his shirt, grabs a pair of pants, and storms out.
Jared just stares at the slammed door. Jensen is a guy. Jensen has not been carefully hiding his true gender; Jensen's true gender has been out there the whole time.
Jared sucks.
He goes after Jensen.
*
Jensen's outside, sitting on the bench, with Sadie's head between his knees. Sadie doesn't only like girls or anything, so Jared shouldn't have taken her liking Jensen as evidence that Jensen was a girl.
Jared shouldn't have actually used manga as a guide to life.
"I asked Misha if I could switch roommates," says Jensen. "I thought you were okay with me being gay."
"I am. I mean--I'm an idiot," says Jared. "Like, epic levels of stupid, right here."
Jensen looks over and raises his eyebrows. He's ridiculously good looking, but he doesn't exactly look like a girl. He's just really attractive, and before Jared can think about it, he leans in and kisses Jensen.
Jensen doesn't kiss back, and Jared pulls back. "I really like this manga," says Jared in a rush.
"What?" says Jensen.
"Manga. Japanese comics. Anyway, there's this one I like, about this girl, who really likes this highjumper, and she crossdresses so she can be with him at school, and he finds out she's a girl but doesn't tell her and they have all this confusion and then they find love and--I thought you were like that."
"You thought I was like a Japanese comic book?"
"It's a private school! Something fucked up has to be happening!"
Jensen stares. "Jesus."
"So, I'm not homophobic, and I don't think, like, being gay means you're a girl, or anything, and you really don't even look like a girl, but I've never really liked a guy before and that just made so much sense, so--"
This time Jensen kisses him, and Jared does kiss back.
"You're really stupid," says Jensen.
"I know," says Jared. "Gonna forgive me?"
"Yeah," says Jensen. "Think I will."