Six Years After 1/4 - Jared/Jensen

Sep 26, 2012 17:05

Title: Six Years After 1/4
Author: anyothergirl415
Words: ~29,500
Pairing: Jared/Jensen, past Jensen/Riley
Rating/Warnings: NC-17 - angst, minor violence, minor character death
Summary: Jensen had a lot of things going for him - mostly, minus the recent loss of his mother and the boyfriend who wouldn’t come out of the closet. But a car accident one rainy night took it all away and gave him a power he never expected. Based loosely on the TV version of The Dead Zone.




Despite the rain pelting in sheets across the windshield, Jensen pressed his foot a little harder on the pedal. A grin split his face because this was one of those nights he just couldn't wait to get home. The day had been too long, his work too slow, and Jensen had a million and one other things he'd so much rather be doing.

And, well, tonight was kind of a big night.

When his phone rang, Jensen glanced down at the caller ID and sighed, shaking his head before lifting the device and pressing it up against his ear. "What? I haven't even been gone five minutes."

"You could have stopped by before leaving." His dad sighed into the line and Jensen tried hard not to roll his eyes. Leave it to his father to lay on the guilt trip on such an important night. "I want your opinion about your mother's last-"

"It can wait, Dad - Until tomorrow or whenever. I'll get to it." Jensen rubbed at his brow.

"I just think your mother would want this taken care of sooner-"

"She's dead, Dad. She's not coming back. And the paperwork can wait un-" The car hit a bump and Jensen trailed off, head glancing down as the papers on his passenger seat slid to the floor.

Whatever his father responded with was drowned out by the squeal of tires and Jensen's gaze snapped up, growing wide at the flash of bright lights.

-===-

Jensen blinked his eyes open, staring up at the dark spotted ceiling above him. His body felt... a little stiff though strangely loose, like he'd been lying in bed for a little too long. When he swallowed his throat felt dry and he slowly shifted to figure out what had happened and what he was doing here. Or where here was.

"Alright Mr. Ackles, time for your-- holy shit you're awake."

Jensen blinked up at the wide blue eyes fixed down on him belonging to the blonde haired hospital worker. Right. A hospital. Jensen must have been in some sort of accident, that explained the scenery. And yeah, come to think of it, Jensen was pretty sure he remembered the flash of lights.

"How long-" Jensen choked on the words, surprised by just how hard it felt to form them. Had something damaged his vocal cords during the crash or something? "What--"

"Shh, it's okay, don't try to speak." The hospital worker set his tray on the table and hurried forward, pressing a call button that beeped loudly and hurt Jensen's ears. "Mr. Ackles? Jensen? My name is Chad. Don't worry, you're okay, you've just... you've been in a coma for quite a while now."

Once more Jensen blinked, wondering if it would change the way things seemed so weirdly blurry, like the man's body was wavering at the edges. Something felt really... strange about this entire thing. If he'd been in a coma for whatever constituted as a while then his crash had to be pretty bad but he didn't have any casts and he didn't feel too physically damaged.

Chad was going on about something, getting the doctor or getting his meds, but Jensen was stuck on trying to sort everything out.

"How long?" Jensen asked, straining to lift his head from the pillow - but his neck felt so weirdly weak. Chad just stared at him and Jensen swallowed thickly and tried again. "How long... have I been in a coma?"

The look on Chad's face was clearly uncomfortable, his gaze shifting to the open front door and slowly back. "I'm not sure I should..."

"Please. Tell me." Jensen's heart quickened, his stomach twisting in anticipation of the fear of knowing. Something told Jensen whatever he was about to hear was going to throw his world into chaos.

"Well... six years."

Jensen was right. The very idea caused his brain to overload and once more the world faded into darkness.

-===-

When Jensen's eyes opened once again he was sure the conversation with the hospital worker named Chad must have been a dream; eespecially when his gaze settled on Riley. "Oh thank fuck," he nearly gasped and pressed his hands down into the mattress on either side of his body.

But his arms didn't appear to be strong enough, he only rose a couple of inches off the bed before falling back and Riley stepped forward, his eyes wide with shock. "I thought they had to be lying. That it was a joke or something. I didn't think..."

"Ri," Jensen reached out, swallowing thickly at the shaky tone in Riley's voice. Jensen had heard that before - only a few weeks ago for that matter, when they once again fought over whether Riley could risk coming out to his family. "It's alright, I'm- I'm okay. See? I'm just... a little weak. Okay? So it's all-"

"God Jen- Jensen. It's been... fuck I stopped even hoping." Riley dug his hands up into his hair, turning to pace away from Jensen and stare out the window. "They said it was a less than ten percent chance. They said you'd never..."

The more Riley spoke the worst Jensen felt, his heart picking up speed and his breath catching in his throat. "Stop. Come on. It's only been- I just saw you. Yesterday, right? We were supposed to have a nice dinner, I was going to... are you..."

Jensen trailed off as Riley turned toward him, tears forming on the rims of his eyes. It felt like someone had shoved their fist into his stomach and twisted his guts and Jensen was scared to hear anything more. The look on his boyfriend's face said so much.

And then Riley stepped forward and something on his finger caught in the afternoon sunlight and Jensen felt suddenly light headed. There was a gold ring on Riley's left ring finger and Jensen had never noticed it before. As his heart began to twist and ache his gaze drifted up. Riley's hair was longer, lighter, and there were wrinkles along the edges of his eyes that had never been there before. His skin was tan like it always was in summer but... but.

It wasn't summer. It was the middle of October and Riley's tan had long since faded.

"Oh fuck," Jensen gasped in a breath, lurching up despite the way his muscles protested, he slid from the bed and tried to stand. "Has it really-"

Apparently Jensen had pushed his weak muscles too far. His legs gave out in the next moment and Riley hurried forward, reaching out for him. "Jensen? Just take it easy okay? Try not to push..."

Riley's voice faded off and for a moment Jensen thought he was going to black out again. His vision swam, the colors faded, and everything twisted out of focus.

"What do you mean he's awake?"

A heavy sigh fell from Riley's lips and he turned along the well-polished hardwood floor, dragging a hand up through his hair. "Just like I said, He's awake. They called me because I'm the only one listed for him now. I had to talk to him and he just…."

"You went and saw him? Seriously? What the fuck Riley? Does this mean you're just going to leave me now? Run back to him? He's the one who left you for six years."

"Left me? Fuck Tom, he was in a goddamn coma!" Riley spun to the tall dark haired man and paced forward, grabbing his left hand and thumbing over the ring on his finger. "You are my husband and I love you. More than anything. But I can't just write Jensen off. He has no one left."

"Jensen? Hey? Are you okay?"

"It's alright Riley, his muscles just aren't used to so much work." Chad the hospital worker with bright blue eyes was back and scooping Jensen up, lifting him easily up onto the bed once more.

Jensen was rapidly blinking the tears from his eyes, his heart racing and his stomach churning unpleasantly. "You're married," he gasped out, looking up at Riley through the tears. "Tom... who is he? How did you meet? How long after my accident did you wait to replace me?"

"I- how did you know about that? How do you know about Tom?" Riley looked from Jensen to Chad. "You said you didn't tell him anything."

"I didn't." Chad stepped back, frowning at them both.

"I saw it. I saw you and him, talking about me waking up." Jensen rubbed at his eyes, not sure how to explain the image that had passed before his eyes. It had clearly been Riley and this man Tom, in a nice kitchen with hardwood floors and shiny appliances, and Jensen knew that look in his boyfriend - once boyfriend's - eyes. Riley was in love with Tom and Jensen's entire world was suddenly completely upside down.

Chad and Riley stared down at him for a long moment, both clearly confused. After a moment, Chad turned away and spoke. "It's been a really stressful day; I think Jensen should probably get some more rest. Maybe you can come back at a later time."

"No I don-"

"That sounds like a good idea." Riley nodded and reached out, hesitating for a moment and patting Jensen's shoulder. "Take care Jensen. I um, I'm glad you're awake. Really. Try not to push yourself too much okay?"

With that Riley turned and left the room, leaving Jensen with a million and one questions and no answers. What the fuck was going on?

-===-

Over the next few days Jensen was poked a lot, prodded, treated somewhat like a walking miracle and Jensen supposed maybe that was true, but his life felt nothing like it. He sat in front of the TV in his wheelchair - as often as they would let him - and tried to absorb the changes that had happened in the world. Different President, different laws - the battle for gay marriage was one of the many things making his heart quicken - almost a whole damn different world.

But before he could watch more the attendants, most often Chad, would come and wheel him away and no one would tell him anything about the more personal details. Like Riley. Or his father, who had yet to come in to visit Jensen since he woke. Chad was friendly enough - though he got a bit pissy when Jensen called him a nurse, which was how Jensen learned he wasn't in fact in a hospital and was in a long term care facility instead.

And apparently nurse was a sensitive title for Chad, who was just a CNA. Whatever. The guy was weird, that much was clearly obvious.

On the third day in this new world, things got fuzzy in a strange way all over again. Since that first day Jensen had written the mini-movie in his mind when he touched Riley off to something else. Like being in a coma for six years and waking up to a shocking new reality. But this time, as Chad helped him from the chair and into the bed, he slipped and almost fell and his hand fell hard on Chad's forearm.

The world around him faded and spun and suddenly Jensen found himself staring out a street that looked only vaguely familiar.

And then he was in a car, in the passenger seat, and Chad was sitting there beside him. Chad was singing along to the radio loud enough that he couldn't possibly know Jensen was there. For a moment Jensen wondered if maybe he'd blacked out and for some reason Chad had kidnapped him, maybe he thought Jensen was asleep there beside him.

Then the radio DJ's voice came on. That was the ridiculously popular 'Moves like Jagger' by Maroon 5. It's twenty past five and you're listening to the top forty with-

The DJ cut off abruptly and Chad swore loudly, slamming the heel of his palm on the radio. Jensen lifted his gaze as Chad's stayed focused on the radio and his heart skipped a beat. There was a truck coming right at them, crossing the lane, running the light on Windsong Avenue.

Chad looked up just in time to watch the large truck smash into them and just as suddenly as Jensen had appeared in the car he was gone again.

"Hey? Jensen? You okay?" Chad was hovering over him and Jensen had a sickening moment of fear, like he knew this would be the last time he saw the blond haired man that had become one of his only friends in this new world.

Jensen's eyes snapped over to the clock on the wall. It was almost five now and he sucked in a sharp breath before trying to push up to sit. "Don't take your normal route home."

"Take it easy, come on, don't overdo it and pass out again." Chad laughed softly and shook his head, pressing the button to raise the bed up so Jensen was sitting more. "That better?"

"Listen to me Chad," Jensen snapped and blew out a shaky breath when Chad arched his brows curiously. "There's- you're going to get hit, head on by a truck when you cross Windsong Avenue. You can't take that route home."

"Dude. Stalker much? How the hell do you know what route I take home?" Chad stepped back, deep frown on his face.

Jensen stared down at his hands, unsure how to answer Chad's supposedly simple question. How did he know? How could he see something like that? It had felt so real, just like it had when he touched Riley. So apparently not only had Jensen lost six years of his life and his boyfriend - the supposed love of his life - but he was insane now too. Awesome.

"I don't know," he finally whispered when Chad simply continued to stare. "I just... saw it. You have to trust me Chad. The crash will kill you, I know it. At- at the very least, when your radio stops working after Moves like Jagger by Maroon 5, don't look at it. Keep your eyes on the road. Please? For me?"

"Man, you are some new breed of freaky." Chad laughed but it didn't sound near as friendly as normal and Jensen swallowed a sigh.

But he would take losing Chad's friendship as long as it meant the man was still alive.

"Will you just promise me?" Jensen forced his gaze up and pursed his lips. "You're one of the only people who will talk to me like I'm a normal person, not some god damn second coming."

The smile on Chad's lips twitched then warmed and he nodded slowly. "Yeah alright man, I'll be careful. Now, I'm out of here and I will see you in the morning. Take it easy okay?"

Jensen watched as Chad left, trying to shake the feeling that he'd never see the man again.

-===-

"Holy fucking shit dude!" Chad burst into Jensen's room two hours later, causing Jensen to jump from the place he was dozing in his bed.

Jensen's heart was instantly slamming into double time and he ignored the ache and protest of his muscles as he forced himself upright. "What? What happened? Are you okay?"

Chad let the door fall shut with a heavy thunk and paced forward, digging fingers up into his hair. "I can't believe- I can't- I almost fucking died. How did you know? How the hell did you do that? What is- what."

The panic in Chad's words, painted across his face, was kind of amusing but Jensen swallowed down the laugh and tried not to freak out himself. After all, Chad's words meant Jensen's little vision thing had been real. Which meant Jensen really could apparently see the future. And good god.

"I have no idea how I did it. I just- we touched and I saw... that. The whole moment, with the song and you singing badly and loudly…"

"Hey!"

"And then your radio went out and the truck was just there. It came at you and- so it really happened? How did you survive?" Jensen huffed out an almost excited breath, his emotions torn. He'd never really been a unique person before, never had something special about him, and now... this.

"The song was on and then, the radio went out and I just... I remembered what you said. I forced my gaze to stay on the road, I swerved in time to miss the truck. It crashed into a pole and I pulled over so I could help." Chad had rambled his answer and now he stood staring wide eyed at Jensen like somehow this would all line itself up and become something sane. "What the fuck man?"

"Apparently if you manage to wake after a six year coma you get a super power," Jensen offered, hoping that he'd break the tension by causing Chad to laugh.

The man didn't exactly laugh but some of the shock seemed to drain from his features and he slowly sat on the bed beside Jensen, scrubbing hard along the back of his neck. "Well. Alright then. I uh, okay, right so. What the hell do we do now?"

"We?" Jensen frowned for a moment then looked back up. "You mean, you're not going to commit me to a psych hospital or at least laugh in my face?"

"What? After you saved my life? I'm not an ungrateful douche, asshole, god." Chad huffed out an annoyed breath and smacked Jensen's arm just a little too hard.

Jensen flinched and arched his brows at Chad, wondering if the blond realized just how much he was contradicting himself. When Chad only stared back in response Jensen rolled his eyes and looked away. "Alright, well then I guess we... keep an eye on things? I can let you know if I have any further visions and we can try to... fix things? Should the vision be fixable?"

"Are you supposed to be fixing things like that? I mean, isn't it messing with fate or something? Or some type of spatial paradox Star Trek shit?" Chad scrunched his face up as he obviously struggled to put the pieces together in his mind.

The laugh Jensen released had to be a little crazy sounding and he tilted his head back, collapsing back onto his pillow. It had been a long time since he laughed - six years and a couple of weeks at least - and by the time he calmed down Chad was smiling softly like he understood just how Jensen felt. It reminded Jensen how fucked up everything was right now and how alone he really was, which had the smile sliding off his face in pretty quick fashion.

"I saved your life, which has to suggest I've got good karma on my side now and fate won't fuck with me. As for the paradox, I'm pretty sure that only happens when you travel to the future, or the past, or something like that. And I'm pretty sure Star Trek has nothing to do with it. So saving other people when I see something bad happening to them? Well, it has to be a good thing, right?" Maybe it would even give Jensen some type of purpose, something he was pretty sure he was going to need and soon.

Chad hummed thoughtfully for a few long moments then pushed up to stand, nodding. "Yeah okay, that sounds legit. So I'll help you as much as I can. For now, I'm out of here."

"Where are you going?" Jensen tried not to sound too upset but after getting a very clear confirmation that his visions were real, he could use some company.

Apparently the unease must have been clear in his voice because Chad stopped before he reached the door, frowning slightly. "Relax dude, I'm just... I really shouldn't be here after my shift ends and after everything that's just happened? I'm feeling the major need to get extremely wasted. When you get out of here we'll have plenty of buddy buddy times I promise."

A smile played across Jensen's lips and he nodded. "Okay. I'll um, I'll hold you to that. Have a good night Chad."

"Yeah Miss Cleo, you too." Chad shot him a smirk over his shoulder before heading out of the room and leaving Jensen to his thoughts.

Which were really too much at the moment.

-===-

It took a solid three weeks post the wake up before Jensen saw Riley again. Honestly, Jensen had given up on ever seeing his former lover again but then there he was, walking across the courtyard to the place Jensen sat in his wheelchair under the giant oak tree. Jensen's mouth instantly dried up and his heart ached. A good part of him was still trying to get over the man because up until a couple of weeks ago, he had sworn they were in love.

"Hey... Jen-sen. Jensen. How are you doing?" Riley shifted awkwardly in place, his hands sliding in and out of his pockets like they always did when he didn't know what to do with himself.

Jensen arched his brows and tried not to answer like Chad would. Which would be something like, I just woke after six years to find the person who supposedly loved me has moved on, I can see the future when I touch someone, and my muscles are fucking useless, how the hell do you think I'm doing? Yeah, that probably wouldn't go over so well.

"Fine," he answered instead and looked down, forcing his hands together on his lap and stretching out his legs as much as he could. "Um... how are you?"

"Oh I'm alright. I- yeah I'm... okay. So... well, look, they've called me - a couple of times actually - because there's apparently a few questions about your personal life you keep asking and they think it'd be better coming from someone you know. The answers you know? So, here I am. To answer your questions."

"How thoughtful of you," Jensen muttered dryly, unable to hold back the annoyance that flashed through him. Riley made it sound like some terrible inconvenience, being here with Jensen, and that hurt more than it should given the circumstances.

"Hey! You can give me a break you know." Riley dropped heavily onto the bench beside Jensen and scoffed. "You have no idea how hard this has been on me."

Jensen's gaze snapped up toward Riley and he scowled. "How hard it's been on you? Excuse me, were you the one in a coma for six years? Only to wake up and find your entire world upside down? To find your lover gave up on you and your father doesn't even give a damn enough to come and visit? How dare you act like this-"

"He's dead Jensen! Fuck. Do you really think he wouldn't come to see you? Not everyone is a self-righteous asshole like you are." Riley was practically spitting the words by the time he finished but Jensen didn't notice.

Instead his mind was caught up and stuck on Riley's words. Jensen's stomach rolled and he could feel his lunch rising up his throat. Dead. His Dad was dead. Jesus Christ. It wasn't even that long ago Jensen was still reeling with the loss of his mother - though realistically, he supposed it was actually over six years ago - and now this.

"Shit. God, I'm sorry Jen I- I shouldn't have said it like that. I... are you okay?" Riley reached out, rubbing his shoulder reassuringly. "Just take a few deep breaths okay."

Jensen needed more than a few deep breaths. He tilted away from the touch - because it was just too much - and closed his eyes against the dizzying rush. Things had been more than a little rough with his father before the accident. Jensen was always closer to his mother and he'd never appreciated the way his father had acted when Jensen's mother was sick and on her deathbed - that and his reaction to having a gay son, it had almost torn them apart.

But he'd always thought there was time; that he would somehow repair his relationship with his father, and maybe the man had even started to reach out to him but Jensen hadn't been ready. Now it was too late and Jensen would never have that opportunity again. His heart slammed painfully hard against his chest and he swallowed down the rolling threat of bile.

"How?" He finally managed to gasp out, turning to look at Riley who was watching him with sympathetic eyes. "How did it happen? When?"

"About a year after you... after the accident. He just... didn't wake up one morning. People said it was too much, losing Donna and then you." Riley's gaze flickered from Jensen then away, lips tugging down in a heavy frown. "He just didn't see a reason to hold on anymore I guess."

Jensen - who had never seen Riley even interact with his father - stared for another long moment before sucking in a shuddering breath. "You and him... actually met?"

Riley huffed an unbelieving laugh and shook his head. "Yes. Jensen, Jesus, do you really think I wasn't with you every step of the way when your accident happened? I- I hardly left your room for weeks. And then you just kept sleeping and people had to pull me back into the real world. I had to keep living my life but I was still here, I came almost every day for over two years. After your father passed it was just... there was only so long before they wanted to move you to this place. I tried to fight it but eventually I had to just let them. I had to let you go."

The sadness in Riley's words was clear and Jensen could feel it heavily pressing down on him but he couldn't escape the idea that it had only taken two years for Riley to let go. He tried to imagine what he would have done if the tables were turned, if Riley had been the one in a coma, but he couldn't say. He liked to imagine he would have stayed by his former lover's side always but that was likely only because he now knew how it felt to be left.

Jensen battled with the tangle of feelings rising in him and bit his lip to hold back the rise of tears. Riley gave all he could and Jensen had to accept that and let the man off the hook, no matter how much it terrified him to know how genuinely alone that left him.

"Are you happy?" Jensen whispered, tilting his head up enough to glance at Riley from under his lashes. He watched his former lover's mouth open and close slowly then forced himself to continue. "With Tom. Does Tom make you happy?"

Riley hesitated a moment longer before exhaling audibly and nodding. "Yeah. He... he's been a really big help for me, we were just friends initially but he was so sweet and-"

"I don't need details," Jensen snapped, a little too harshly, then looked back up with a weak smile. "Sorry, I didn't mean to sound harsh. I just... I don't think I'm quite ready to hear the details. I'm... I understand. I get why you had to move on and let me go. I promise I won't- I won't come between you two and I won't hold it against you. I just want you to be happy. Okay?"

There was a long moment of pause then Riley threw his arms around Jensen, hugging him tight. Jensen closed his eyes and tried not to lean into the touch too much. He could feel tears forming at his eyes and he squeezed them shut hard, tugging out of Riley's touch as much as he could.

"Jen..." Riley whispered, pressing a soft kiss to his temple. "I'm so sorry."

"It's fine," Jensen managed to gasp out, turning away from Riley. "I just, need some time. I'm sure you do too. We should just, take some time, apart, and I'll get over you."

"Are you-"

"Please." Jensen dug his nails into his palms, more overwhelmed than he anticipated feeling. "Please, Riley, just go."

The tears that had been threatening finally burned over, streaking hot lines down his cheeks and Jensen tried not to listen to the heavy fall of Riley's feet as he walked away. Riley had been there to provide answers and, naturally, he'd left Jensen reeling with heartache and the deepest sense of loss.

"Hey, you okay?" Chad's voice was soft and gentle, fingers stroking reassuringly over Jensen's shoulder.

There were still tears falling down Jensen's cheeks and he shook his head, unable to get his voice to work just then. Thankfully Chad understood and grabbed the handles of Jensen's wheelchair, pushing him inside.

-===-

"Okay Jensen, just a few more steps and you can do it."

For the most part Jensen was fairly fond of all the people who worked at his temporary place of residency. But after a near two hour workout, all of his muscles were protesting and his body was close to collapsing, so there was no liking anyone at this point. Especially not Sandy, with her perky bright smile and her big brown eyes; Jensen would never hit a woman but boy was he tempted.

"Come on now, I know you're tired but we just have to make it down one more walk way and then I promise you can rest."

Jensen sucked in a deep breath and forced himself forward, his fingers straining to clutch around the bars on either side of him. There was sweat beading across his flushed face and the next breath was labored and painful. Before this - before the accident and the damn coma - Jensen could bench press near two twenty, no problem.

And now this.

"Okay just a few more steps. You can do it Jensen, I know you can. Just a few more."

Seriously, if this kept up, Jensen was going to end up passing out on Sandy. That would teach her. Just a few more his ass.

Finally, what felt like a lifetime later, Jensen reached the end of the walkway and he nearly fainted in relief. The wheelchair was right in front of him and Jensen thought maybe he could just make it a couple more steps, then he could sit, and relax and not have to repeat this horrible torture until... that afternoon. Damnit.

But even with his best intentions in mind - like showing Sandy that he was fully capable of getting himself into the chair despite the way she hovered like a worried mother hen - it wasn't all that easy. Jensen swayed then stumbled and before he could think better of it, his hand snapped out to grab the first thing he could.

Which, in this case, happened to be Sandy's hand. And Jensen didn't even have a moment to brace himself before the world around him faded.

Fear was covering Sandy's usually bright features, fear and pain and something like resignation. Her hand hovered just above the doorknob of a hotel room, its numbers on the wood rusted and tarnished.

All the air rushed from Sandy as a moan sounded from inside the room and the girl finally closed her hand around the knob and twisted. It took only a moment for the door to swing open and Sandy sucked in the breath she'd just released. There was none of the fear on her face now, just betrayal and pain and the deepest type of heartache.

"How could you?"

The couple on the bed - that were in the middle of a rather rough looking round of fucking - froze and the man's eyes widened. "Shit. Sandy. Shit shit shit. I- Jesus San- what are you doing here? How did yo-"

"How the fucking hell could you?" Sandy snapped, stalking across the room and shoving hard at the man. "I trusted you Jonathan! I loved you! How could you do this to me? We're supposed to get married! You're supposed to love me forever!"

"Hey? Jensen? Can you hear me?"

It was such a shock to be pulled from the vision, to hear Sandy's voice so soothing and calm, that Jensen could only stare. His gaze flickered down to the shiny diamond on Sandy's ring finger and his heart ached for the girl. So much of him wanted to say something, to warn the girl not to go to the hotel, but this was one future event he couldn't stop.

Sandy didn't deserve to be broken in such a way but she had to know the truth. It was better than learning some time later, like after they'd married. Not telling the girl though, that was a tough one.

"You okay Jen?" Sandy sounded even more worried now and she knelt down, reaching out for his hand.

Jensen jerked back before she touched him again - just in case the vision repeated itself, he couldn't handle that. "I- I'm fine. I'm okay. Can you just... can you get Chad?"

Hurt flickered across Sandy's delicate features before she nodded and stood. "Yeah okay, I'll go get him. You just sit tight."

Like he was going anywhere. Jensen couldn't escape the betrayal on Sandy's face from his vision, the way tears had streamed down her cheeks as she yelled at Jonathan, it almost brought tears to his own eyes.

When Chad showed up a few minutes later he took one look at Jensen's face then squeezed his shoulder and silently wheeled him from the workout room. He didn't pressure Jensen to tell what he'd seen and he simply sat and listened when Jensen explained it on his own a few minutes later in the confines of his own room.

"Holy shit..." Chad whispered when Jensen had finished, rubbing at the faux-goatee he was trying out. "Poor girl. I remember when they got engaged. She was so excited."

"Well, at least she knows now," Jensen sighed and shifted on his bed, wishing he could wipe the vision from his mirror. "Or... she will know. Tonight, tomorrow. Sometime soon."

Chad groaned and stood, shaking his head roughly. "We have to tell her. No one should have to find out that way. She deserves better, she's such a sweet girl."

Before Chad could leave the room Jensen reached out and snagged his arm, tugging him back. "You can't. One, you'll sound absolutely bat shit insane and two, she needs to know. It will hurt but it could hurt more in the long run. All we can do is comfort her when... after she finds out."

It didn't seem like Chad was going to agree, the argument was clear on his face, but a moment later he sighed and nodded, sitting hard down on his chair. This vision thing was suddenly a lot more complicated.

-===-

Jensen had never realized just how extensive the healing process post coma could really be. But, three months later when he was getting an okay to finally head home, he had a whole new respect for the medical practice. When Jensen had first woken his muscles were weak if not useless and he felt exhausted just from moving from the bed to the wheelchair. After countless hours of rehab though - not to mention more than a dozen annoyingly cheerleader like conversations with Chad - Jensen was ready to face the real world.

With the help of the constant cane at his side of course and a live in medical aid/physical therapist; the aid thing was something Jensen was still a little hesitant about. It already felt strange knowing he was heading home to his parent's manor, a place he hadn't lived since he'd graduated high school and promptly moved out. But now he was going to be living with a stranger who was going to be in charge of his well-being, it was more than a little overwhelming.

Throw the visions on top of that and Jensen was almost tempted to stay behind the safe walls of the rehab center. Besides, of course, the visions that Jensen couldn't escape. But he was trying not to think about those.

"You ready?" Chad clapped Jensen hard on the shoulder, causing him to sway forward before regaining his balance.

Jensen scowled as he looked up and found Chad smirking at him. "Are you planning on killing me first?"

"Oh boo hoo you big baby," Chad huffed, rolling his eyes and tugging the back door of his car open, tossing Jensen's bag in. "You just be thankful that I'm even giving you a ride. If you'd had to wait for Jared you might be here all afternoon."

It wasn't the first time Chad had made some offhand comment about Jensen's new aid - whose name was Jared and apparently had attended school with Chad which wasn't very reassuring - and this one was no less comforting. "If I call you in the middle of the night because my aid has set my house on fire by cooking popcorn or something, will you come to my rescue?"

"Only if you can produce those winning lotto numbers." Chad shot him a smirk as he drove out of the parking lot, taking Jensen toward a freedom he hadn't ever expected to regain again.

A potentially insane - and Chad-like - aid and fear of the real world aside, Jensen was mostly relieved to be breathing completely fresh air again. Or well, as fresh as the air in Chad's car was. Which was questionable. "I told you, I don't control how the visions come. You think I want to watch people learning some horrible news? Or walking in on their lovers cheating on them? It sucks."

"You're telling me. I become a super hero's sidekick and he doesn't even have awesome powers." The longing sigh that fell from Chad had Jensen glancing over with an arched brow, not surprised the smirk was still there on the blonde’s lips.

"You would make a horrible side kick." Jensen slowly grinned at his friend and - not for the first time - he was relieved to have Chad there at his side. They'd grown impossibly close over the last few months and Jensen was pretty sure he'd never have made it through the emotional turmoil without him.

"Shut your pretty ass face, I would be the best side kick there ever was." Chad smacked Jensen's arm a little too hard, laughing when Jensen winced.

There was some sort of retort on the tip of Jensen's tongue but the words cut off as they turned up the drive of his home and his eyes landed on the man waiting outside his truck. He was tall with golden hair, built like a god had shaped and molded each perfect muscle in a tender caress while up in the heavens, and maybe Jensen had spent a little too long confined in one place. Whatever. This man was absolutely gorgeous and Jensen had a sinking feeling in his gut as to who he was exactly.

"Oh good, Jared's already here which means I don't have to spend even more time with your lame ass. And, you're drooling."

Jensen snapped his jaw shut quickly, nearly biting his tongue and turning his gaze away. "You didn't tell me he was so, so... god damn," Jensen muttered, trying to fight off the way his cheeks were burning. This was just unfair, Jensen had spent the last three months getting over Riley, moving on mentally, and now he finally felt ready to start just thinking about his future dating life. That did not make him ready to be living with some guy who'd be better suited as the star of some porn movie.

"There is no god damn when it comes to Jared. Or dicks in general." The sheer ew level that Chad was stressing was thick in his voice and Jensen groaned and rubbed along the back of his neck.

There was just no way Chad could understand. "While I'm relieved to learn you won't be competition, there's no way I can handle this."

Chad turned the key in the ignition and pulled it free, looking over at Jensen with a look that made it clear just how stupid he thought Jensen sounded. "How about you just focus on the fact that this man is supposed to be helping you live and stop imagining him jumping your bones, yeah?"

"I hate you," Jensen breathed moments before the passenger door was opened and Jared was there, squatting down to meet Jensen's eyes and lay the full force of his dimple laced grin on him.

"Hey there! You must me Jensen. I'm Jared Padalecki, and it's so great to meet you."

It would just figure Mr. Tall, Bronze, Super Porn God was nice to boot. Jensen smiled weakly and stared at the offered hand, weighing the pros and cons of potentially seeing whatever future would be as a result of Jared's touch. He decided he'd rather not learn his new aid's dirty details right off the bat and gave his hand a weak, quick slap of fingers that was over before any vision blurring could begin. "Uh yes, that's me. Nice to meet you Jared."

"Fantastic. Come on, I'll help you up." Jared didn't hesitate - or lose his smile, despite Jensen's rather awkward attempt at a high five - reaching in to easily pull Jensen's legs out from under the dash and turn him as if Jensen weighed nothing.

Jensen was still trying to process that when the man scooped in, looped an arm around his middle and dragged him up to his feet. If Jensen swayed any more than usual it was only because Jared smelled so good. "I uh- I can do it. I can get up myself, I mean. I'm fine."

"Oh, right, sorry. Was just..." Jared's smile dimmed slightly as he stepped away from Jensen, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Anyway, um, do you have any items I can take inside for you?"

"Here you go Pada-dick." Chad shoved Jensen's bag hard against Jared's chest.

Jensen gripped his cane tightly, blinking wide eyed from Jared to Chad. He wasn't entirely sure he wanted to know the reason behind that nickname, or the reason it brought a blush bright to Jared's cheeks, no matter how curious he was. "Right. Well. I'm not touching that. Chad, are you sticking around?"

"Nah, gonna give you two a chance to bond." Chad smirked and clapped Jensen hard on the shoulder, snorting a laugh when Jensen stumbled a couple steps forward and Jared hurriedly tried not to drop the bag in his arms and keep Jensen from falling. "See you douches later, try not to bump dicks too much!"

The amount of heat that crawled up Jensen's cheeks was rather remarkable and he wanted to hiss out Chad's name but his supposed friend was just laughing in that evil, maniacal way of his and Jensen would rather not draw any more attention to his embarrassment. Chad roared his engine a little too loudly before squealing out of the driveway and speeding off down the road.

Jensen was left standing beside Jared outside a house he hadn't been inside in years and riding out a painful wave of heat.

"Typical Chad," Jared muttered then laughed, offering his free hand out to Jensen. "Shall we head inside."

Once again faced with the idea of grasping Jared's hand - and fuck couldn't the guy take a hint - feeling that smooth warmth along his skin, was tempting but Jensen wasn't sure he could risk it. Last time their touch had been so fleeting and Jensen had been lucky not to see anything, but he couldn't risk threading their fingers together. Who held hands with completely strangers anyway? So instead he squeezed his cane harder and pressed forward, ducking his head to keep from seeing any look that might be on Jared's face at the brush off.

"So... this is a pretty big place," Jared continued casually so Jensen figured he wasn't hurt or anything because he didn't want to hold hands. "It belonged to your family I'm assuming?"

It just figured that Chad had been riling him up for nothing. Jared was probably as straight as they came - and even if he wasn't, he sure wouldn't be interested in a freak like Jensen who'd spent the last six years in a coma and got weird freaky visions when he touched people. So really it was better to stop thinking about it now and start adjusting to this gorgeous man being his new roommate and constant companion.

"Uh yeah. Has been in my family for almost a century." Jensen finally answered after too long of a pause, tugging his keys from his pocket and staring up at the surprisingly daunting front door. He suddenly wasn't sure he was ready for this new life, for moving on and picking up the pieces of his past that didn't really exist any longer.

It still felt like only months ago - and in his mind it was - when he had a good blooming career - even if it was with his dad who he didn't have the best relationship with - and a boyfriend he was in love with - who wasn't ready to come out for him but, still. Okay. So. Shit.

"Who's winning?" Jared asked quietly and Jensen looked up, not sure how long he'd been standing there and simply staring. The man smiled softly and leaned against the door frame to watch Jensen. "You or the door? Looks like some type of epic stare down."

A faint smile twitched across Jensen's lips and he sighed and looked down at the smooth cane grasped beneath his fingers. "I just realized that I'm terrified about trying to start my life over. Which subsequently caused me to realize that my life before the coma really wasn't that great; I had good moments, sure, but mostly I don't really think I was very happy."

Silence lingered between them for a few minutes and Jensen risked a glance up when it stretched out for too long. Jared was smiling sadly at him, understanding in a way Jensen didn't expect, and everything got all warm again. Oh god, this was already turning into too much.

"I'm sorry, does this amuse you?" Jensen snapped, pretending for whatever the reason that he didn't read all the emotions beneath Jared's smile. It was easier than admitting Jared already somehow got him on a deeper level.

The smile on Jared's lips faded almost completely and he pushed away from the door frame. "No. Sorry. I just... I understand. Or well, I sort of understand, as much as I can. Not that I've ever been in a six year coma."

"No. You haven't." Jensen stared at Jared a moment later before stepping toward the door and slipping his key into the lock. No point in delaying the inevitable, they had to go inside eventually, and the longer he stood out here on the front step with Jared the more likely he was to burst into tears or something else ridiculous.

All the lights were off but enough sunlight was beaming through the windows that Jensen could see the rise and swirl of dust. The air smelled old, stale, and Jensen wasn't sure he could actually get himself to cross the threshold. His hand lifted to rest on the solid wood of the door frame and for a moment Jensen swore he saw his mother laughing as she bent over and chased him as a playful three year old through the foyer.

"Wow, this place is gorgeous," Jared breathed and slipped past Jensen, heading into the spacious front room, the slap of his shoes sounding incredibly loud on the nicely polished hard wood floor. "Needs a couple of old shirts and a bottle Pledge, possibly a shop vac, but that's what I'm here for."

"I didn't realize you're a maid as well," Jensen muttered then bit his tongue, instantly wishing he could take the words back. Why did he have to sound like such an asshole all the time? Maybe he'd just been spending too much time with Chad.

Thankfully Jared seemed capable of handling the blows. He gave Jensen a grin and set the bag down at the foot of the stairs, clasping his hands together and rubbing them like he couldn't wait to clean absolutely everything. "Well, Jensen, it happens to be your lucky day. I'm your maid, cook, psychical therapist, and general eye candy for all your staring needs. Now, do you have a room here on the ground floor you can use? Or would you like to use the stairs for part of your exercise routine?"

Jensen was fairly certain he wasn't ready for someone like Jared Padalecki in his life. But there were probably a thousand and one things he wasn't ready for. "My room is upstairs, so, exercise routine it is."

When Jared grinned so bright it formed dimples in his cheeks, Jensen just barely swallowed a breathy god damn.

Part Two

Masterpost

jared/jensen

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