(J2 Fic) A Boy's Best Friend: 1/2
Title: A Boy's Best Friend
Genre/Pairing: J2
Rating: PG-13 (for mild language and minute boykissing- it's practically PG)
Word Count: 4,360
Warnings: None really; first-time writing J2, legal inconsistencies, major time jumps/skips. Also unbeta'd.
Summary: Jared really doubted moving was going to magically make their lives better, but some new friends and a runaway mutt just might prove him wrong.
A/n: Written for j2_everafter. Longer author's note at the end of the fic.
“I think this is gonna be great, don’t you? A fresh start.”
Jared stared at his mom, who gave him tentative smile. Was she serious? Without bothering to answer, he walked upstairs to his new room and shut the door. Maybe Jared was being a little rude, but he felt that he was entitled. What was his mom thinking? Who moved their kids halfway across the state almost two months into the school year?
Jared flopped down onto his “bed” -currently a bare mattress on dark blue carpet- and glared at the wall. Really? What exactly did she expect this to fix? This doesn’t change anything! A new place doesn’t mean Mom will smile more and cry less, or that he will suddenly be outgoing and cheerful again, like before. A new place, a “fresh start”… it won’t bring his dad back. Jared swallowed roughly, feeling the familiar burn of tears start up.
It was closing in on eight months since his dad had died, but Jared still felt a pang in his chest every time he thought about it. He knew his mom was hoping the move would make things easier for all of them, would help them heal a little better. The pay raise that was included in the transfer/promotion his mom’s company had offered her was definitely an additional incentive, but Jared knew that his mom honestly thought the move would benefit their family. She wouldn’t have done it otherwise. Jared hoped she was right.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Jared shuffled into his new school, ducking his head down and trying not to attract any attention. Which was not anywhere near as easy as it sounded, because this was a fairly small town and people noticed when there were strangers in their midst. Although Jared tried his best to be virtually invisible, he saw quite of few curious looks from his new schoolmates.
He decided the best way to deal with it was to ignore it, and tried to avoid eye contact by glancing around the hallway to get a good feel of his school. He instantly figured out that in addition to being a small town school where everyone knows everyone, it was also chock full of school spirit. Banners and flyers covered the walls of the hallway, encouraging support for their sports teams and advertising various clubs and activities.
Jared winced slightly; the “old” Jared probably would have been fairly excited to be at this school. Jared used to love being involved in everything he could. He loved people and had no problem putting himself out there, meeting new people, and being a part of something. While he dabbled in various clubs and hobbies -including a memorable venture into the arts where he discovered music and painting were definitely not for him- his true passion was basketball.
His dad had played a little basketball in college and had passed on his love for the game to his son. Ever since Jared was little, basketball had been for him and his dad. They would stay up and watch the games together on weekends and were often found playing a quick game whenever they had some free time.
Jared honestly loved to play, but it was something that would forever be tied with his dad in his mind. He couldn’t pick up a ball without being hit with memories and visions of games with his dad he will never be able to play. Jared had quit the team shortly after his dad died. It was just too much for him. Everything reminded him of his dad, but especially basketball.
Just his luck, his gaze lands on a flyer that enthusiastically proclaimed Junior Varsity basketball tryouts were next Friday after school in the gym and encouraged him try out for the Timberwolves. Jared paused in front of it and bit his lip, considering. Although he still fiercely missed his father, it was getting better. He had discovered that he could read an old book that his dad used to read to him or listen to his dad’s favorite songs and he could make it through without crying. He could think of some things and smile a little, even if he still felt a little pang when he did. But could he play basketball again?
“Um… hi? I’m Jensen?”
A hesitant voice startled him out of his thoughts. Jared was a little ashamed to admit that he had barely suppressed a squeak, managing to gasp instead and he spun around to face the voice. He turned to see a guy around his age standing a bit behind him, looking uncertain and a little amused. He was about the same height as Jared, maybe a few inches shorter, with spiky light brown hair and green eyes. Jared noticed absently that the guy appeared to have freckles and was about to step closer to get a better look when he realized the guy’s -Jensen?- friendly smile was slowly starting to fade.
Oh! Jared should have responded by now, probably. Yes, that’s a good idea.
“H-Hi,” Jared said quickly. Jensen’s smile came back, encouraging Jared to keep going. “I’m Jared.”
“Hey,” Jensen smiled again. “You’re the new guy, right?”
Jared couldn’t hold back a small wince at that. “Yup, that’s me.”
“Oh, hey, sorry man. That was kinda rude of me.” Jensen had noticed the wince and looked embarrassed . “You probably don’t want to be known as “the new guy”, right?”
Jensen seemed genuinely sorry and worried about upsetting Jared. Truthfully, he wasn’t even all that offended. After all, it was true. Jared knew that was what he was going to be known as for awhile unless he tried to get to know more people and he accepted that. Still, a part of him was glad Jensen took that extra step to try to get to know Jared.
“It’s okay,” Jared answered, giving Jensen a small smile.
“You looked a little preoccupied, so I hope I’m not bothering you. It’s just…” Jensen blushed a bit. “You’re kind of, um, in front of my locker? And I need to grab a book really fast…”
“Oh!” For the first time, Jared fully took in his surroundings and was surprised to see that the flyer he was looking at was next to a wall of lockers and he had planted himself right in front of the end locker while lost in thought. ‘Great job Jared’, He thought sarcastically, ‘Way to make an impression’.
Jensen stood there a little awkwardly, and Jared realized belatedly that “Oh!” didn’t really count as an answer.
“Sorry! I’m sorry, I was just distracted, um, looking at the flyers and, you know, stuff.” Jared gestured lamely at the basketball tryouts sheet as he quickly moved out of the way.
Jensen paused in the middle of pulling open his locker and glanced at the sheet. “Oh, cool! Were you thinking of trying out?”
Jared stammered a bit, “Oh, well, I’m not sure. Maybe, I’m not really sure.”
Jensen grinned at him, his whole face lightening up. “Well, I think you definitely should. You seem like you’d be really good at it. And I’m not just saying that because you’re a Sasquatch in the making,” Jensen joked with a wink.
Jared felt his face het up and he let out a soft sigh of relief when the warning bell rang for homeroom.
“Crap,” Jensen muttered, “I’ve gotta run. Nice to meet you Jared! See you around.” He gave Jared a quick smile and a wave before disappearing down the hall into a mass of students rushing to class.
Jared stood there for a second, cheeks still a little red and an odd fluttering feeling in his stomach. He gave himself a mental shake, then turned down the hall to get his schedule from the office.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Jared’s first day of school was pretty uneventful all things considered. The teachers were okay, the students were curious, and the class work was average. The most unexpected event of the day had been meeting Jensen. Even though the rest of his classmates were nice, Jensen had been... different.
He didn’t have any classes with Jensen, so he didn’t see him again that except in the halls between classes and during lunch. Every time he did see him though, Jensen had smiled and waved. He looked like he was even going to ask Jared to sit with him during lunch, but Chad, one of the guys from his English class, called him over before Jared could be sure.
Jared frowned a bit as he headed home, wondering why he was so curious about Jensen. Abruptly, he realized that he wasn’t exactly sure where he was. He was pretty sure his house was this way…
He heard a rustling noise from somewhere behind him and he froze. He slowly turned around, bracing himself for anything from a serial killer to a rabid mutant animal (yes, maybe he's watched a few too many scary movies. This is Washington, who knows what could happen).
When he didn't see anything behind him, he was honestly a little disappointed. He heard some more rustling a little to his left and, totally ignoring anything resembling sense, decided to go investigate. Through the bushes he found an old wire fence that was rusty and full of rips. He quickly found the biggest one and managed to make it large enough to go through.
When he got through to the other side, he was surprised to find himself on a basketball court. It was old and faded, overgrown weeds and grass edging in on concrete, but it looked like it could be a decent to play on once it was fixed up a bit.
Jared was walking around, head filling with tentative plans for fixing the court up, when he heard more rustling and a soft whine. He then remembered why he was there in the first place. Again, he rotated slowly to face the sound, looking toward the tall plants and bushes that grew wild behind the basket, leading into the woods that seemed pretty common around here. Crazy scenarios ran through his mind, old horror movies and every far-fetched story he’d ever heard seeming very possible as he considered what might be hiding in the bushes.
He inched forward, leaning to peer through the branches and grass as much as possible. The rustling started up again but instead of moving back, Jared’s curiosity got the best of him and he got even closer, holding his breath. When a large, dirty figured bounced forward, he yelped and feel back, landing on his butt on the concrete.
He stared up at his attacker and was surprised to see it was a large, dirty Golden Retriever. He was filthy, his “golden” fur a caked with leaves, dirt, and mud. He had the tattered remains of what looked like a costume hanging off of him, and he smelled unbelievably bad. Despite all that, he seemed to be a harmless, happy dog. He barked cheerfully at Jared, who sat on the ground, stunned.
“Uh… hi there buddy.” Jared didn’t quite know what to do, but at the next happy bark from the dog, he couldn’t hold back a smile.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Jared had always wanted a dog, but his parents had told him time and time again to wait until he was older and responsible enough to take care of a dog. Jared knew that Buddy (not terribly original, he knows, but he thought it fit) would make a fantastic pet. He was dirty and looked wild, but Jared suspected that he was a runaway. He didn’t act like a rabid dog, and he even knew a few tricks. Jared had gone back to the court one day with a basketball, playing around with Buddy and trying to decide if he should even bother trying out for the team when Buddy had begun to play with him.
Jared had been surprised to realize that Buddy had some pretty cool skills. He was able to hit the ball when Jared threw it at him and could even aim it back fairly well. Jared had laughed and now it was part of their daily routine to play some ball for a bit as Jared slowly began to fix up the old court.
Jared knew that Buddy was great, and he was determined to make Buddy his. He had his work cut out for him, but it would definitely be worth it.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Jared bit his lip a little nervously, watching Jensen as he glanced around the court. He was slowly but surely fixing it up, trying to restore it back to its glory days. Most of the weeds had been cleared away, and Jared had even managed to straighten out and tighten the slightly tilted hoop. He was pretty proud of it, but was unbelievably nervous about letting Jensen see it.
Jared couldn’t keep quite any longer. “…Well?”
Jensen turned and gave him the broad grin that lights up his face and makes Jared’s heart flutter. “This looks pretty awesome Jay! You fixing it up all on your own?”
Jared relaxed, Jensen’s approval finally soothing his nerves. “Yeah, you’re the only person who’s been here besides me as far as I know. Well, and Buddy”.
They both turn to grin at the dog, who panted and barked playfully at them. Buddy had taken an instant liking to Jensen and the feeling was mutual. Jared figured Buddy obviously had an awesome judge of character.
“Maybe I could come and help you out a bit… you know, if you want. Might go faster that way,” Jensen offered, looking a little shy.
It was Jared’s turn to grin. “That would be awesome! You don’t mind?”
“Nah, I think it’ll be fun. Besides, I want to hang out with Buddy. Wouldn’t want him to be stuck with just you for company, right boy?”
Buddy barked in agreement and Jared and Jensen both burst into laughter.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Friday found Jared staring at the gym doors anxiously, and with no small amount of fear. ‘I cannot even believe I am doing this… WHY am I doing this?’ For reasons Jared chose not to dwell on, his mind jumped to Jensen. Even though Jared had made a few more friends that he hung out with more in school than he hung out with Jensen, he found himself drawn to Jensen. Something about Jensen was just special, and Jared wanted to know everything about Jensen, and then tell Jensen everything about himself.
Jared had told Jensen a little bit about why he wasn’t sure he wanted to try out for the team, and Jensen had been sympathetic, but encouraging. He thought that it would be good for Jared, and had been steadily convincing Jared that it was a good idea for the past week. A few of his other friends had encouraged him to try out as well, including Chad, who had been on the freshman team the previous year and was going to try out for JV as well. Still, it was because of Jensen more than anyone else that he was here; Jared wasn’t going to fool himself into thinking otherwise.
He was also NOT going to think too hard on it either though. Taking a deep breath, he squared his shoulders and pushed the doors open.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
A few days later, Jensen found Jared standing in front of the gym doors, staring at the sheet of paper tacked onto it.
“Jared?” Jensen seemed a little nervous and uncertain. “What’s going on?”
Jared tore his eyes away from the paper to stare at Jensen, eyes wide and cheeks flushed.
“I… I did it,” Jared whispered, sounding astonished.
“What?”
“I did…” Jared’s voice began to rise with excitement. “Oh my god, Jensen, I did it! I made the team!” Then he threw his arms around Jensen, hugging him tight.
Jensen took a second to process what Jared was saying, arms going around him instinctively as he hugged him back. Then it sunk in.
“Oh my god, that’s fantastic Jared!” Jensen shouted, squeezing Jared tighter. “I knew you’d be great, there was probably no competition!”
Jared beamed at him, blushing happily. “Thanks for, you know. Helping me out and stuff,” Jared mumbled, looking shy. Jensen felt a little twinge in his stomach, not all that unusual around Jared.
“Hey, I just told you what you already knew. This was all you Jared, you deserve it!” Jensen meant it. Jared was an incredible guy; Jensen had known so the minute he meet the tall, shy sophomore. It had only been a few weeks, but Jensen had never felt so close to someone so quickly. Most everyone at school knew he was bi and surprisingly, no one really had a problem with it. When he had mentioned it to Jared as casually as he could, heart pounding like crazy, Jared had just blushed and stuttered out that he might be too. Apparently, he had no real relationship experience (which surprised Jensen a bit-who wouldn’t want Jared?) but was fairly sure he liked guys just as much as girls.
Jensen had been thrilled; even the slightest chance that his growing crush might be reciprocated was good enough for him. As Jared pulled out of his arms, giving him a bright smile, Jensen got a giddy feeling in his chest. Yeah, he could work with a slight chance. He was willing to wait.
Part Two
Genre/Pairing: J2
Rating: PG-13 (for mild language and minute boykissing- it's practically PG)
Word Count: 4,360
Warnings: None really; first-time writing J2, legal inconsistencies, major time jumps/skips. Also unbeta'd.
Summary: Jared really doubted moving was going to magically make their lives better, but some new friends and a runaway mutt just might prove him wrong.
A/n: Written for j2_everafter. Longer author's note at the end of the fic.
“I think this is gonna be great, don’t you? A fresh start.”
Jared stared at his mom, who gave him tentative smile. Was she serious? Without bothering to answer, he walked upstairs to his new room and shut the door. Maybe Jared was being a little rude, but he felt that he was entitled. What was his mom thinking? Who moved their kids halfway across the state almost two months into the school year?
Jared flopped down onto his “bed” -currently a bare mattress on dark blue carpet- and glared at the wall. Really? What exactly did she expect this to fix? This doesn’t change anything! A new place doesn’t mean Mom will smile more and cry less, or that he will suddenly be outgoing and cheerful again, like before. A new place, a “fresh start”… it won’t bring his dad back. Jared swallowed roughly, feeling the familiar burn of tears start up.
It was closing in on eight months since his dad had died, but Jared still felt a pang in his chest every time he thought about it. He knew his mom was hoping the move would make things easier for all of them, would help them heal a little better. The pay raise that was included in the transfer/promotion his mom’s company had offered her was definitely an additional incentive, but Jared knew that his mom honestly thought the move would benefit their family. She wouldn’t have done it otherwise. Jared hoped she was right.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Jared shuffled into his new school, ducking his head down and trying not to attract any attention. Which was not anywhere near as easy as it sounded, because this was a fairly small town and people noticed when there were strangers in their midst. Although Jared tried his best to be virtually invisible, he saw quite of few curious looks from his new schoolmates.
He decided the best way to deal with it was to ignore it, and tried to avoid eye contact by glancing around the hallway to get a good feel of his school. He instantly figured out that in addition to being a small town school where everyone knows everyone, it was also chock full of school spirit. Banners and flyers covered the walls of the hallway, encouraging support for their sports teams and advertising various clubs and activities.
Jared winced slightly; the “old” Jared probably would have been fairly excited to be at this school. Jared used to love being involved in everything he could. He loved people and had no problem putting himself out there, meeting new people, and being a part of something. While he dabbled in various clubs and hobbies -including a memorable venture into the arts where he discovered music and painting were definitely not for him- his true passion was basketball.
His dad had played a little basketball in college and had passed on his love for the game to his son. Ever since Jared was little, basketball had been for him and his dad. They would stay up and watch the games together on weekends and were often found playing a quick game whenever they had some free time.
Jared honestly loved to play, but it was something that would forever be tied with his dad in his mind. He couldn’t pick up a ball without being hit with memories and visions of games with his dad he will never be able to play. Jared had quit the team shortly after his dad died. It was just too much for him. Everything reminded him of his dad, but especially basketball.
Just his luck, his gaze lands on a flyer that enthusiastically proclaimed Junior Varsity basketball tryouts were next Friday after school in the gym and encouraged him try out for the Timberwolves. Jared paused in front of it and bit his lip, considering. Although he still fiercely missed his father, it was getting better. He had discovered that he could read an old book that his dad used to read to him or listen to his dad’s favorite songs and he could make it through without crying. He could think of some things and smile a little, even if he still felt a little pang when he did. But could he play basketball again?
“Um… hi? I’m Jensen?”
A hesitant voice startled him out of his thoughts. Jared was a little ashamed to admit that he had barely suppressed a squeak, managing to gasp instead and he spun around to face the voice. He turned to see a guy around his age standing a bit behind him, looking uncertain and a little amused. He was about the same height as Jared, maybe a few inches shorter, with spiky light brown hair and green eyes. Jared noticed absently that the guy appeared to have freckles and was about to step closer to get a better look when he realized the guy’s -Jensen?- friendly smile was slowly starting to fade.
Oh! Jared should have responded by now, probably. Yes, that’s a good idea.
“H-Hi,” Jared said quickly. Jensen’s smile came back, encouraging Jared to keep going. “I’m Jared.”
“Hey,” Jensen smiled again. “You’re the new guy, right?”
Jared couldn’t hold back a small wince at that. “Yup, that’s me.”
“Oh, hey, sorry man. That was kinda rude of me.” Jensen had noticed the wince and looked embarrassed . “You probably don’t want to be known as “the new guy”, right?”
Jensen seemed genuinely sorry and worried about upsetting Jared. Truthfully, he wasn’t even all that offended. After all, it was true. Jared knew that was what he was going to be known as for awhile unless he tried to get to know more people and he accepted that. Still, a part of him was glad Jensen took that extra step to try to get to know Jared.
“It’s okay,” Jared answered, giving Jensen a small smile.
“You looked a little preoccupied, so I hope I’m not bothering you. It’s just…” Jensen blushed a bit. “You’re kind of, um, in front of my locker? And I need to grab a book really fast…”
“Oh!” For the first time, Jared fully took in his surroundings and was surprised to see that the flyer he was looking at was next to a wall of lockers and he had planted himself right in front of the end locker while lost in thought. ‘Great job Jared’, He thought sarcastically, ‘Way to make an impression’.
Jensen stood there a little awkwardly, and Jared realized belatedly that “Oh!” didn’t really count as an answer.
“Sorry! I’m sorry, I was just distracted, um, looking at the flyers and, you know, stuff.” Jared gestured lamely at the basketball tryouts sheet as he quickly moved out of the way.
Jensen paused in the middle of pulling open his locker and glanced at the sheet. “Oh, cool! Were you thinking of trying out?”
Jared stammered a bit, “Oh, well, I’m not sure. Maybe, I’m not really sure.”
Jensen grinned at him, his whole face lightening up. “Well, I think you definitely should. You seem like you’d be really good at it. And I’m not just saying that because you’re a Sasquatch in the making,” Jensen joked with a wink.
Jared felt his face het up and he let out a soft sigh of relief when the warning bell rang for homeroom.
“Crap,” Jensen muttered, “I’ve gotta run. Nice to meet you Jared! See you around.” He gave Jared a quick smile and a wave before disappearing down the hall into a mass of students rushing to class.
Jared stood there for a second, cheeks still a little red and an odd fluttering feeling in his stomach. He gave himself a mental shake, then turned down the hall to get his schedule from the office.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Jared’s first day of school was pretty uneventful all things considered. The teachers were okay, the students were curious, and the class work was average. The most unexpected event of the day had been meeting Jensen. Even though the rest of his classmates were nice, Jensen had been... different.
He didn’t have any classes with Jensen, so he didn’t see him again that except in the halls between classes and during lunch. Every time he did see him though, Jensen had smiled and waved. He looked like he was even going to ask Jared to sit with him during lunch, but Chad, one of the guys from his English class, called him over before Jared could be sure.
Jared frowned a bit as he headed home, wondering why he was so curious about Jensen. Abruptly, he realized that he wasn’t exactly sure where he was. He was pretty sure his house was this way…
He heard a rustling noise from somewhere behind him and he froze. He slowly turned around, bracing himself for anything from a serial killer to a rabid mutant animal (yes, maybe he's watched a few too many scary movies. This is Washington, who knows what could happen).
When he didn't see anything behind him, he was honestly a little disappointed. He heard some more rustling a little to his left and, totally ignoring anything resembling sense, decided to go investigate. Through the bushes he found an old wire fence that was rusty and full of rips. He quickly found the biggest one and managed to make it large enough to go through.
When he got through to the other side, he was surprised to find himself on a basketball court. It was old and faded, overgrown weeds and grass edging in on concrete, but it looked like it could be a decent to play on once it was fixed up a bit.
Jared was walking around, head filling with tentative plans for fixing the court up, when he heard more rustling and a soft whine. He then remembered why he was there in the first place. Again, he rotated slowly to face the sound, looking toward the tall plants and bushes that grew wild behind the basket, leading into the woods that seemed pretty common around here. Crazy scenarios ran through his mind, old horror movies and every far-fetched story he’d ever heard seeming very possible as he considered what might be hiding in the bushes.
He inched forward, leaning to peer through the branches and grass as much as possible. The rustling started up again but instead of moving back, Jared’s curiosity got the best of him and he got even closer, holding his breath. When a large, dirty figured bounced forward, he yelped and feel back, landing on his butt on the concrete.
He stared up at his attacker and was surprised to see it was a large, dirty Golden Retriever. He was filthy, his “golden” fur a caked with leaves, dirt, and mud. He had the tattered remains of what looked like a costume hanging off of him, and he smelled unbelievably bad. Despite all that, he seemed to be a harmless, happy dog. He barked cheerfully at Jared, who sat on the ground, stunned.
“Uh… hi there buddy.” Jared didn’t quite know what to do, but at the next happy bark from the dog, he couldn’t hold back a smile.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Jared had always wanted a dog, but his parents had told him time and time again to wait until he was older and responsible enough to take care of a dog. Jared knew that Buddy (not terribly original, he knows, but he thought it fit) would make a fantastic pet. He was dirty and looked wild, but Jared suspected that he was a runaway. He didn’t act like a rabid dog, and he even knew a few tricks. Jared had gone back to the court one day with a basketball, playing around with Buddy and trying to decide if he should even bother trying out for the team when Buddy had begun to play with him.
Jared had been surprised to realize that Buddy had some pretty cool skills. He was able to hit the ball when Jared threw it at him and could even aim it back fairly well. Jared had laughed and now it was part of their daily routine to play some ball for a bit as Jared slowly began to fix up the old court.
Jared knew that Buddy was great, and he was determined to make Buddy his. He had his work cut out for him, but it would definitely be worth it.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Jared bit his lip a little nervously, watching Jensen as he glanced around the court. He was slowly but surely fixing it up, trying to restore it back to its glory days. Most of the weeds had been cleared away, and Jared had even managed to straighten out and tighten the slightly tilted hoop. He was pretty proud of it, but was unbelievably nervous about letting Jensen see it.
Jared couldn’t keep quite any longer. “…Well?”
Jensen turned and gave him the broad grin that lights up his face and makes Jared’s heart flutter. “This looks pretty awesome Jay! You fixing it up all on your own?”
Jared relaxed, Jensen’s approval finally soothing his nerves. “Yeah, you’re the only person who’s been here besides me as far as I know. Well, and Buddy”.
They both turn to grin at the dog, who panted and barked playfully at them. Buddy had taken an instant liking to Jensen and the feeling was mutual. Jared figured Buddy obviously had an awesome judge of character.
“Maybe I could come and help you out a bit… you know, if you want. Might go faster that way,” Jensen offered, looking a little shy.
It was Jared’s turn to grin. “That would be awesome! You don’t mind?”
“Nah, I think it’ll be fun. Besides, I want to hang out with Buddy. Wouldn’t want him to be stuck with just you for company, right boy?”
Buddy barked in agreement and Jared and Jensen both burst into laughter.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Friday found Jared staring at the gym doors anxiously, and with no small amount of fear. ‘I cannot even believe I am doing this… WHY am I doing this?’ For reasons Jared chose not to dwell on, his mind jumped to Jensen. Even though Jared had made a few more friends that he hung out with more in school than he hung out with Jensen, he found himself drawn to Jensen. Something about Jensen was just special, and Jared wanted to know everything about Jensen, and then tell Jensen everything about himself.
Jared had told Jensen a little bit about why he wasn’t sure he wanted to try out for the team, and Jensen had been sympathetic, but encouraging. He thought that it would be good for Jared, and had been steadily convincing Jared that it was a good idea for the past week. A few of his other friends had encouraged him to try out as well, including Chad, who had been on the freshman team the previous year and was going to try out for JV as well. Still, it was because of Jensen more than anyone else that he was here; Jared wasn’t going to fool himself into thinking otherwise.
He was also NOT going to think too hard on it either though. Taking a deep breath, he squared his shoulders and pushed the doors open.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
A few days later, Jensen found Jared standing in front of the gym doors, staring at the sheet of paper tacked onto it.
“Jared?” Jensen seemed a little nervous and uncertain. “What’s going on?”
Jared tore his eyes away from the paper to stare at Jensen, eyes wide and cheeks flushed.
“I… I did it,” Jared whispered, sounding astonished.
“What?”
“I did…” Jared’s voice began to rise with excitement. “Oh my god, Jensen, I did it! I made the team!” Then he threw his arms around Jensen, hugging him tight.
Jensen took a second to process what Jared was saying, arms going around him instinctively as he hugged him back. Then it sunk in.
“Oh my god, that’s fantastic Jared!” Jensen shouted, squeezing Jared tighter. “I knew you’d be great, there was probably no competition!”
Jared beamed at him, blushing happily. “Thanks for, you know. Helping me out and stuff,” Jared mumbled, looking shy. Jensen felt a little twinge in his stomach, not all that unusual around Jared.
“Hey, I just told you what you already knew. This was all you Jared, you deserve it!” Jensen meant it. Jared was an incredible guy; Jensen had known so the minute he meet the tall, shy sophomore. It had only been a few weeks, but Jensen had never felt so close to someone so quickly. Most everyone at school knew he was bi and surprisingly, no one really had a problem with it. When he had mentioned it to Jared as casually as he could, heart pounding like crazy, Jared had just blushed and stuttered out that he might be too. Apparently, he had no real relationship experience (which surprised Jensen a bit-who wouldn’t want Jared?) but was fairly sure he liked guys just as much as girls.
Jensen had been thrilled; even the slightest chance that his growing crush might be reciprocated was good enough for him. As Jared pulled out of his arms, giving him a bright smile, Jensen got a giddy feeling in his chest. Yeah, he could work with a slight chance. He was willing to wait.
Part Two