If you lead, I might follow, J2, AU, 19/19 -final chapter!
Gorgeous header by the lovely smiledrawinglie
Title: If you lead, I might follow
Written by: ellydee27
Fandom/Pairing: CW RPS/J2. AU. Jared/Jensen, Mike/Jeffrey. Other characters: Tom, Chris and more
Rating: NC17
Word count: ~5300/54,850
Disclaimer: I don’t own anything and I don’t mean any harm. Just having fun.
Beta: The oh,so hard-working jolinarmalkshur -you’re a hero for taking this on! Any remaining errors are mine.
Warnings: Homophobic parents, mentions of past abusive relationship (briefly).
Summary: Jared Padalecki, 19, dance student, recently moved from Texas to New York with his upperclass family. Struggling with the expectations from his family as well as with certain dance moves, he takes a Hip Hop class where he meets Jensen, 23, a stripper with all the confidence in the world. A not-so-classic tale of two worlds colliding, where Jared’s the shy one, Jensen has the coolest friends in the world and neither of them know what they’re doing.
A/N: So here it is - last chapter! *sniffles* A huge thank you to the people who've commented along the way, I appreciate it more than I can say! Hope y'all enjoy the ending :)
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Previous chapters:
"Chapter one""Chapter two""Chapter three""Chapter four""Chapter five""Chapter six" "Chapter seven""Chapter eight" "Chapter nine" “Chapter ten" "Chapter eleven" "Chapter twelve" "Chapter thirteen"> "Chapter fourteen""Chapter fifteen""Chapter sixteen">"Chapter seventeen" "Chapter eighteen"
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Five months later
Jared
The concert hall is filled with people, all of them applauding enthusiastically as Jared and his classmates head to the front of the stage to take their bows. Everything has gone off without a hitch, and the final ballet number, with Jared as the lead dancer, had received the loudest applause of them all.
Jared smiles as he looks out into the audience, locking his gaze on Jensen, standing in the second row, clapping and whistling with a huge smile on his face. Chris is standing next to him, making rooting gestures that make Jared giggle, as relief washes through him.
He did it.
He’d graduated, passed all his exams and now their final performance was completed, too. High school was officially over. With one last bow, he walked off stage, rushing to the wardrobe to get showered and changed for the night they’d planned.
Jensen had insisted they should celebrate in style, and had booked a table for them at a fancy restaurant, for just the two of them. Afterwards, they were going to have a party at the apartment, with Chris, Mike and Jeff, Tom and Kristen, Jason and his girlfriend Josie, and a few other guys from Jared’s class and Jensen’s bar.
Jared felt exhausted from the performance, but as he put on the suit Jensen insisted he’d need, he feels his fatigue being replaced by excitement for the night ahead. He checks himself in the mirror to make sure he’s gotten the stage make-up off, and tosses his bag over his shoulder, exiting the wardrobe after exchanging congratulatory hugs with his classmates.
Jensen waits for him in the hallway, and Jared drops his bag to the floor to embrace him properly, placing a relatively discreet kiss on his neck as he lifts him off the ground, Jensen punching his arm to make him put him down.
”Alright, calm down,” Jensen laughs, ”you were great, Jared, it was awesome.”
”Really?” Jared asks, smiling, before he notices Chris standing there, and accepts a short hug from him too.
”Oh yeah, I’m no expert, but I’m pretty sure you’re the hottest ballet dancer out there.” Jensen grins, his eyes glinting with mischief. Jared returns it full force, before taking a small step back to appreciate the sight of Jensen all dressed up. He’s bought a whole new outfit for the occasion: a charcoal suit, a shirt in a lighter shade and black shiny shoes.
”You look pretty good yourself, boss.” He compliments him, and laughs some more when Jensen holds his arms out and spins around to allow him a better look.
”Well, you know, jeans and t-shirts may be good enough for a high-school kid, but now that you’re going to Julliard, I’m thinking I need to step it up.”
”Yeah, that reminds me…I’ve told you I want an open relationship then, right?” Jared teases, and shares a look with Chris, who rolls his eyes at the mockery.
”Fuck you.” Jensen mumbles, his jealousy just under the surface, denying him the chance to find a funny response.
”Yeah, maybe later.” Jared retorts quickly, sniggering at Jensen’s efforts to keep his laughter away.
”And there’s my cue to leave!” Chris proclaims loudly, making the couple turn to look at him. They part with plans of meeting up a couple of hours later, Chris promising to have everything ready by then. He picks up Jared’s bag too, so that they don’t have to bring it to the restaurant.
Jensen and Jared both turn to watch the man disappear through the doors at the end of the hall, and then Jared pales as he sees the couple that come walking in through the same entrance. It’s Sharon and Gerry, his parents, with Megan following straight behind.
”Hey Jared.” His mom says as they’re approaching the couple, her voice careful and her eyes teary.
Jared blinks repeatedly, in shock from his family suddenly being right there, after so long. Megan reaches him first, and she jumps up, tossing her arms around his neck in a tight hug. Jared returns the embrace, relishing in the familiar closeness even as his head is spinning with confusion.
”Um…what are you doing here?” Jared asks as he lets go of Megan, his parents stopping few feet in front of him.
”We wanted to see you graduate honey…we’re proud of you.” Sharon states, her voice cracking with emotion.
”Um…thanks. It’s all because of Jensen, really.” Jared’s stubbornly sticking his chin out, not wanting to break in front of his parents. Out of the corner of his eyes, he can see Jensen turning to look at him, quickly, like the words surprise him.
”Well, that’s, um,” Sharon starts, blinking rapidly, ”thank you, Jensen.”
Jensen blinks, too, when Jared looks over at him, gauzing for his reaction.
”Um…no problem, Ma’am.” Jensen replies stiffly, and Jared senses his discomfort, the encounter unsettling him, too. He reaches out, capturing Jensen’s sweaty hand in his own, and squeezes tight, both providing and receiving comfort.
”So…why are you here?” Jared asks next, trying to keep his voice neutral, feeling thankful for Jensen’s grounding touch.
”We wanted to see you,” Megan states, her voice filled with emotion, ”you know, graduate. Are you…mad we came?”
”No, of course not,” Jared soothes, placing his free hand on his little sister’s shoulder. ”It’s good to see you.”
”It’s good to see you too, Jared, you looked wonderful up there.” Sharon continues, her voice soft, the caring tone that Jared used to know.
Jared swallows hard, trying to keep his emotions in check, petrified of reading to much meaning into their presence.
”Thanks. Um…we have dinner reservations, so if that’s all…?” Jared asks, voice uncertain and a frown marring his features. He can feel Jensen shifting next to him, the warmth from his body as he moves closer, until they’re shoulder to shoulder, leaning against each other.
”We won’t keep you,” Sharon smiles, gently, ”but…we also wanted to invite you for dinner sometime.”
Jared’s eyes widen in surprise, and he turns his head to look at Jensen’s reaction. His green eyes show surprise and then a look of support that tells Jared it’s up to him to make a decision.
”Really? Dad?” Jared asks then, meeting his father’s stare for the first time. His Dad looks uncomfortable, but he nods once, determinedly.
”Uh…I don’t know what to say.”
”That’s okay, hon, just promise you’ll think about it? Give us a call?” Sharon asks gently, before taking an unsure step forward, entering Jared’s personal space. She reaches out her arms, and Jared lets go of Jensen, accepting the hug his mother’s offering.
It’s slightly awkward, and Jared can’t make himself relax completely into it, but it still feels so good; incredibly familiar and yet so strange after months of absence.
When she releases him a short minute later, silent tears are falling down her cheeks, and Jared finds himself reaching out to dry them for her without second thought. She smiles then, gratitude obvious.
”Yeah, I’ll call…um. Thank you for coming.” Jared nods, before grabbing Jensen’s hand again, pulling at him to follow before he rushes to the exit, suddenly desperate for fresh air.
Once they’re outside, in the street, he turns around and pulls Jensen close, surrendering to his emotions. He lets his tears fall freely as he cries into the crook of Jensen’s neck, leaning on him in a literal way. Jensen hands rub circles on his back and he mumbles soothing words into Jared’s ears until he relaxes, takes a few deep breaths and pulls back slightly.
”You okay, babe?” He asks, all softness and empathy as he dries Jared’s tears with his thumb.
Jared nods, even as he sniffles and exhales shakily from the crying. ”I just wasn’t expecting them…at all. You know?”
Jensen nods, serious expression on his features as he lifts his hand again, to wipe away the last of Jared’s tears. ”Do you wanna cancel our plans tonight?”
”No,” Jared states, determinedly, shaking his head, ”I want us to go and have our dinner, and I wanna celebrate with our friends. We’ve been looking forward to it, we deserve it, and they’re not ruining it.”
”Okay then, but let me know if you change your mind. I don’t want my underage boyfriend to drink himself into a stupor because he’s upset.” Jensen smiles even as he tries to look stern, his smile growing wider when Jared returns it.
”You should have thought about that before you introduced your innocent, underage boyfriend to alcohol in the first place.” Jared smirks as Jensen tosses his head back and laughs at his comment.
”True, true.” Jensen still has a smile in his voice as he grabs Jared hand and heads for the curb, waving for a cab to take them to the restaurant. ”Although, you are a lot of fun when you’re drunk.”
”Yeah?”
”Uhuh. You get really easy, for one thing.” Jensen winks as a cab pulls up, and he reaches for the door, holding it open for Jared.
It’s Jared’s turn to laugh as he crouches down to enter the cab. The ride to the restaurant is spent talking about the recital and the subject of Jared’s family is momentarily put to rest.
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Jared feels weird entering the upscale restaurant with Jensen. It’s not one he’s ever been to before, but the style and the atmosphere is similar to the restaurants he used to frequent with his family, and being in that environment with Jensen makes him slightly uncomfortable.
Once they’re seated at their table, though, the tension in him quickly dissipates. Jensen seems to sense his discomfort and makes a big number out of trying to read the French in the menu. Jared sheds his final discomfort with a shrug and delves in to the conversation, trying to teach Jensen the proper pronunciation of the words.
They enjoy their food and spend the first part of the meal in light conversation, Jensen taking the lead and complimenting him on his performance, and then turning the subject over to Julliard. Jared’s been reluctant to talk about it, trying to restrain his excitement to be able to focus on finishing the school year. Now, he gestures enthusiastically as he talks about the classes, the teachers, the shows and performances, as well as the famous dancers that have graduated from the school.
When dessert comes around, Jared’s more relaxed than he has been in months, enjoying the feeling that everything’s right in his world, that everything has turned out like it was supposed to. He’s smiling to himself even as Jensen eats his chocolate cake in silence.
”What?” Jared asks, still smiling, when Jensen raises his eyebrows in an amused, questioning manner.
”Nothing, you just look relaxed…and happy.”
Jared’s smile widens at Jensen’s statement, and he nods in agreement.
“I am happy. It just sorta feels…like everything’s gonna be alright, you know? I mean, seeing my family again, I’ve wanted them to reach out for so long, and now that they did? It’s just…it was great and everything, but I guess I realize that I don’t need them like I thought I did.”
”No?” Jensen asks, a slight frown on his face.
”Nah…I guess I’ve gotten used to the idea of being without them, so now, whatever they want or don’t want, I’m cool with it.” Jared shrugs as he stops talking, taking a sip of his water as Jensen considers his reply.
”So…do you wanna give them a call and go see them?”
”Um…” Jared ponders for a moment. ”I guess, but only if you’ll go with me.”
”Really?” Jensen has a look of skepticism on his features. ”I don’t really think they want me to be there, Jay.”
”But that’s the point. I’ll call them, and if they want both of us to come, that’s cool…and if they don’t, I really don’t want anything to do with them.”
”You sure about that?” Jensen asks softly after a moment of silence.
”Yeah,” Jared nods, voice strong and confident, ”they’re the ones who made the first move, so if they want to be in my life, they can’t make me change my life for them, right?”
”Huh. Where did this confident young man come from?” Jensen teases, reaching across the table to squeeze Jared’s hand, pride obvious in his bright eyes.
”Well, you know, I got this really hot boyfriend, see, that sorta gave my confidence a boost…” Jared leans forward as he lowers his voice and looks around, checking that no one’s close to their table as he adds: ”And I’m telling you, he gives the best blowjobs ever.”
Jensen sputters at his comment, quickly drying beer of his chin with the back of his hand.
”Really, is that so?” He retorts when he’s done coughing. ”And how would you know, exactly?”
Jared shrugs at his snarky comment, leans back in his chair and puts on his best casual expression.
”Well, you know, I get around.” Jared states, still in casual mode, and then finishes off his performance with a stretch of his hands in front of him, cracking his knuckles.
”Hell you do.” Jensen growls, voice low as he leans forward, copying Jared’s movement just before. He grabs Jared’s linked hands in his and holds them still. ”Your dick is mine, you little punk, don’t you forget it.”
”Little?” Jared smirks, licking his lips suggestively, earning another groan from his boyfriend.
”You’re such a teasing bastard.” Jensen looks around quickly, making eye contact with the waiter and silently asking for their check. ”This isn’t the sort of place that would take kindly on us going to the bathroom together for ten minutes, you know?”
”I know.” Jared sighs, shaking his head as the waiter brings them their check. ”And the apartment will be filled with people when we get back, right?”
”Uhuh.” Jensen gets out his wallet and pays, giving Jared a stern look when he tries to reach for his own to split the bill.
”Okay then, guess we’ll just have to go home and drown our sorrows in beer.” Jared shrugs again before getting up from his chair and putting on his suit jacket, waiting for Jensen to do the same.
They leave hand in hand, Jensen putting on his cockiest smile when some of the other diners react with raised eyebrows and hushed whispers. Jared shakes his head at his boyfriend, and reserves his smile for the young girl who gives them two thumbs up when they pass by her table.
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The party is in full swing when they arrive at the apartment, the music loud enough to drown out the sound of them entering. Chris initiates a loud applause when Jared enters the living room, and he raises his hands in thanks to the sound of his friends cheering. Someone turns down the music to a soft background noise, and Jensen starts clapping his hands in a steadfast rhythm, chanting ”speech, speech”, a chant that dissolves into applause after about ten seconds.
Jared blushes at the attention, even being surrounded by his friends, he’s still not entirely comfortable being the center of attention. Chris produces a bottle of beer and places it in his hand, allowing Jared to take a long swig before talking.
”Um…seriously? You guys want a speech?” He looks around the room, finding nothing but smiling, expectant faces. He runs a hand through his locks, and sighs deeply before giving up further protesting.
”Alright then. I guess what I want to say is thanks. To Christian for letting me live here, for Tom for being a good friend, and the rest of you too, and last but not least, to Jensen for…well, everything. I seriously wouldn’t have made it through these months without all of you.”
The guests go ’awwww’ at Jared’s words, and he ducks his head, his old shyness coming out with all the attention directed at him.
”Yeah, I know, but you guys asked for it. But I’m done, so…let’s get drunk ?” He finishes, smiling when everyone breaks out into more applause.
Jared receives congratulatory hugs from everyone afterwards, and he downs his beer while talking before excusing himself, heading to the bedroom to get changed out of his suit.
Jensen had disappeared downstairs for a cigarette with Mike, but as Jared sheds his shirt he hears the door of the bedroom opening behind him, and seconds later, cold hands circle around his waist, Jensen’s whole body pushes up against him.
”Hey, boss.” Jared whispers, inhaling sharply at the sensation of strong hands running up and down the naked skin of his abdomen.
”Hey, college boy.” Jensen replies softly, placing soft kisses on Jared’s shoulder and neck, eliciting a happy sigh from his boyfriend.
”Heh, not yet, boss. You’re sure you really want me to go?” Jared asks softly, turning around in Jensen’s arms.
”God yes, can you stop asking me that? You need to dance man, you’re great at it and it makes you happy.”
”Yeah, but I could start working instead, you know, it’s not like dancing is a safe career choice or anything…”
Jensen shuts Jared up with a firm kiss, ending it after just a second.
”Look, you got in, which means you’re great, it means you have what it takes to become a dancer. Sure, you could get injured or something like that, but so what? At least you will have done what you wanted to for as long as you could. And you really don’t have to work yet, I make money for rent, and you have your scholarship and your money for tuition, right?”
”Yeah, okay. Just wanted to make sure. ” Jared mutters. ”At least I’m still working through the summer.”
”Heh, yeah you are. Can’t believe you’re gonna work at Starbucks, dude.”
”Well, someone didn’t think it was a great idea that I worked for my boyfriend, so I had to find something on my own, didn’t I? And I like coffee.”
”Aww…poor baby, this someone sounds mean.” Jensen teases, angling upwards to place a kiss on Jared’s pouting lips.
The kiss heats up rapidly, Jensen’s hands grabbing for purchase on Jared’s muscular back, pushing his nails into the warm flesh, making Jared groan.
Jensen pushes Jared back on the bed with one firm movement, catching him by surprise. He quickly sheds his own shirt before crawling on top of him, placing one knee in between his long legs. The passionate kissing continues, and they’re panting heavily within minutes, their built-up desire bringing both of them close to the edge in record time.
”Jensen, oh, fuck….want you so bad, ” Jared moans into Jensen’s mouth, bucking up against suit-clad hips, both of them groaning as their erections rub together. ”Please…just…”
”Yeah, I gotcha, hold on.” Jensen moves down to the end of the bed, using his left hand to open Jared’s belt, tugging his trousers off quickly when Jared lifts his hips to help.
There’s no time for finesse or teasing, and Jared bites his fist to keep from screaming when Jensen wraps his lips around his hard cock, swallowing down as much as he can in one go. Jared tries not to thrust up into the soft heat, and Jensen places a hand on his stomach, holding him down as he brings him closer to his orgasm, providing just the right amount of suction and moving his tongue across the slit in rhythmic movement.
”Jensen, come here, wanna taste you too…” Jared lets out, his arms reaching out to grab hold of Jensen’s shoulder, trying to pull him up, to bring him closer.
”Fuck, yeah, okay…” Jensen responds, his own need to be touched becoming more urgent with Jared’s suggestion. He gets up from the bed, rises to his feet and fumbles with his belt, pushing his pants and boxers down when he finally gets it open.
His impatience is obvious as he crawls back onto the bed, his mouth steering straight for Jared’s erection, a sound of pure pleasure leaving his lips when he finally gets to swallow it down again. Jared ends up being the one to maneuver him around, so that they’re in a sideways sixty-nine, Jared with his head on the pillow. Jensen shudders and groans around his mouthful of cock when Jared leans forward and lets his tongue drag across his dickhead, before swallowing down on the shaft, relaxing his throat to fit it in to the hilt.
The double sensation of both tasting his boyfriend and having his skillful tongue around his shaft pulls Jared over the edge quickly, and he rolls over on his back as he comes, trying to stifle his scream as his release fills Jensen’s waiting mouth.
Jared fazes out briefly, physical and emotional exhaustion from his day catching up with him, making his body feel heavy and spent as he tries to recover from his powerful orgasm.
Jensen attempts to move away, but he feels strong hands on his ass then, keeping him in place, and seconds after, Jared’s mouth is once again wrapped around him, making Jensen let go completely, and he thrusts a few times and comes with Jared’s name crossing his lips.
They lay in silence for a minute, Jared with his head on the pillow, Jensen resting his forehead on Jared’s thigh, placing a few lazy kisses on heated skin before moving upwards, finding his place next to Jared, his hand on a heaving chest.
”Oh, man, that was good. Can I just say how relieved I am that you turned out to really like sex?” Jensen sighs, voice revealing his sated state.
”Oh, I don’t like it, I love it. Just feels so good to be that close to you, it’s…yeah. I still don’t get why people wanna do it with strangers though.”
Jensen snorts at the jab directed at him. ”You calling me promiscuous or something, boyfriend?”
”Actually, I was going for ‘slut’, but you know, whatever.” Jared’s smug look turns into giggles as Jensen starts tickling him.
”Alright, I give.” Jared relents, swatting Jensen’s hands away. Jensen promptly takes advantage of his reduced state, and pins him down with his hands above his head.
”Yeah, you know, I’m a one-man-guy now, so you better come up with a better insult.”
”I’m sure I can come up with something. Or…maybe you’ll have to punish me again, you know, for calling you the s-word.” Jared licks his lips, looking up into Jensen’s darkening eyes.
”Hell yeah, I will. Just you wait until your guests leave.” Jensen promises, leaning down to bite sharply at Jared’s nipple, making him jerk upwards in surprise. He then lets go of Jared’s hands before getting up off the bed. ”Now, come on, there’s a party waiting for you.”
Jared groans softly before pulling himself together, tossing his legs over the edge and looking around the room for something to wear. Jensen brings him a wet cloth to clean himself up, and Jared accepts it gratefully. They both get dressed quickly, their backs turned against each other, and they both laugh when they end up wearing identical jeans and dark green t-shirts, although with different patterns.
”Man, that’s so not okay. I’m changing.” Jensen announces, ripping off his t-shirt and choosing a simple grey one instead. When he’s done, Jared’s still smirking at him, for some reason, he always finds Jensen putting clothes on every bit as sexy as him taking it off.
”You look so hot, boss,” Jared sighs. “Hey, if I get really drunk and propose tonight, will you say yes?” Jared surprises them both with his question, his plan to simply compliment Jensen boycotted by his overemotional mind.
”What?” Jensen freezes, as does Jared, when he realizes what he just said.
”Um…I said you look hot and then I shut up?” Jared starts fiddling with the hem of his shirt, nerves filling his gut in a way it hasn’t since the early days of their relationship.
”That how you wanna play it?” Jensen asks, still keeping a few feet of distance between them, his voice not revealing any emotion.
”Fuck, Jensen, I’m sorry, man, I didn’t mean to scare you…”Jared starts lifting his hands in front of him, but loses his courage and lets them fall down at his sides again. ”Please, forget I said anything, just chalk it down to me being hopeless and get out there, alright?”
Jensen pulls a hand through his hair, letting it rub against the short strands in his neck as he sighs and sits down on the bed. Jared shuffles his feet, tears stinging behind his shut eyelids as he nervously waits for Jensen’s response.
”Don’t worry so much, Jay.” Jensen finally speaks, and Jared lets out a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding. ”It’s just, guess there’s just a whole future to think of that I haven’t ever needed to consider, you know?”
”Yeah, I know, but I really don’t want it to be a burden, Jense, you know I don’t expect anything…” Jared feels desperate to soothe him, but has no idea how to do it as he’s seemingly engrossed in his thoughts.
”No, I know. It’s not that I don’t necessarily want that, either, even if it had been possible…it’s just, yeah. A lot to think about, you know?”
”I know.” Jared takes a seat next to his boyfriend, throwing an arm over his shoulder, leaning in to place a comforting kiss on his temple. “But look. Remember our talk at Sin City that first time?”
Jensen just nods, watching him with curious expectance in his eyes.
”Remember agreeing to be honest with each other? I think that was a pretty good idea.”
”Yeah, well, of course, the guy that said that is like really smart.” The cocky, teasing smile is playing on Jensen’s lips, and Jared leans in to kiss them, still tasting a hint of his own climax as it deepens briefly.
”I know, he totally is. I really think that’s the key though. So, in that spirit, I’m gonna say that I don’t need a ring or anything, but I’m staying with you for as long as you want me.” Jared tries to keep his voice light and steady, even as he’s basically declaring his ever-lasting love and devotion to his boyfriend.
”Oh. Wow.” Jensen nods once, determinedly, gets up from the bed and heads over to his nightstand, searching for something in the drawer. ”I guess I can give you this then.”
When he turns around, he’s holding something between his thumb and his index finger, and Jared swallows hard when he realizes that it is, in fact, a ring. A plain, thick, gold band.
”It’s not…I mean, you can decide what you want it to mean. It was my granddad’s, he gave it to me before he died. He didn’t know about me being gay, but I like to think he’d have accepted it, he was a good guy. I want you to wear it, if you want to.”
”Really?” Jared’s mouth feels dry, and the word comes out a whisper. He holds his left hand up, battling tears when Jensen slips it onto his ring finger.
”It looks good on you.” Jensen states, emotions visible in the way his hands shake.
”Wow. I..I love it. Can I…can I get one for you too?” Jared asks carefully, eyes glued to the ring, staring at the way it changes his whole hand with it’s simple presence.
”Yeah, I’d like that.” Jared finally looks up to face sparkling green eyes, shining with emotion.
”Great. Maybe guys will stop hitting on you all the time then.” Jared teases, feeling the need to lighten the mood a little.
”Well, that is why I want you to wear yours, so yeah, probably.” Jensen retorts, and Jared graps the belt loops of his jeans and pulls him down on his lap, initiating a passionate kiss. A knock on their door makes them tear apart, Chris’s voice asking them to ’Put some clothes on and join their own party.’
”Okay, guess we’re officially missed.” Jensen places a short kiss on the tip of Jared’s nose before getting off his lap, offering a hand to help him up.
”Yeah, let’s party!” Jared puts his hands above his head, doing a few dance moves that makes Jensen laugh. Just before opening the door and joining the party he turns around, adding: ”And hey, thanks again. I love the ring.”
”And I love you. Now move your pretty ass.” Jensen teases, giving the body part a firm squeeze that causes Jared to yelp in surprise.
Hands around each other’s waists, they walk out to enjoy the party with their friends. Jared’s congratulated some more for his achievement, his proud expression mirrored by Jensen’s. The ring causes a few raised eyebrows and some heavy-duty teasing, but even Mike and Chris are genuinely happy for them more than anything, even as they’re making Jared pose with his hand stretched out like it was a flashy engagement-ring.
Jared had pictured his graduation-night and his graduation-party for years, and it turned out so wildly different to anything he could imagine. Instead of being with his family, living up to their expectations, he’s found a new family, new dreams, and a new direction.
It’s been a scary few months, and at the same time, it’s been the most exhilarating time of his life; he’s felt like himself in a way he’s never done before. The confidence that always attracted him to Jensen has definitely rubbed off on him, and the choices he’s made have strengthened his belief in himself in a way that following the set path laid out by his parents never could.
Looking around the room, Jared has a rush of happiness running through him at the sight and realization that he has everything and everyone he needs. Suddenly he feels like there’s nothing in the world he can’t do, nothing he can’t achieve when he’s surrounded by so much love and support.
He catches Jensen’s glance from across the room, an amused smile and a slight frown battling for dominance on his perfect face as he walks towards him.
”You alright there, boyfriend?” He asks, reaching out a hand to squeeze Jared’s.
”Yeah,” Jared nods, enthusiastically, holding on to the offered hand, leaning in to place a kiss on the tip of Jensen’s nose. ”Couldn’t be better.”
The end.
Thank you so much for reading, people! I’d love to hear what you thought of it...