DE: Severance (1/1)
Title: Deviled Eggs: Severance
Author: Surevesta
Fandom: CW RPS J2
Characters: Jensen, Jared, Danneel, Jensen's parents and sister mentions: Chris, Steve, Jason
Words: 2,834
Rating: PG13 (on the safe side)
Beta: Anyothergirl415
Disclaimer: The plot and storyline/verse are mine... I just am borrowing the looks and names of some awesome actors and actresses. They belong to themselves and are thusly not mine.
Summary: Jensen's sister is graduating from High School, she invited him and Jared went with him. Written for peppervl
Warning: Homophobic attitudes
Note: I hate the title, but couldn't think of anything else... not it does not refer to a J2 break up.
!Verse Master Post
Jensen hadn’t been sure what to do when the letter came. The envelope was crisp white, the only markings on it the return address label, the stamp and the ink from when it was metered, and the curvy ink writing dictating his name and address. It took barely a second for Jensen to realize what it was-his sister’s graduation announcement.
He hadn’t talked to his family since the summer before he left for college. Being on a full ride scholarship had allowed him to be relatively financially able on his own. In addition to that he had saved some money from his part time job, and summer employment for the last two years of his high school career where he’d worked at the public library and as a tutor. Neither had paid a whole lot, but he didn’t really spend much of it so it hadn’t mattered.
It had taken a week of debating with himself on what to do with the invitation and Jared finding it for him to come to a decision. While he knew his parents wouldn’t be happy, he also knew his sister wanted him there. She was the only one who kept in contact with him, at least once a week he received an email to his university email address from her. They ranged in length from a sentence or two to several pages in length (if he were to transfer them to word). Most of the time they were comprised of complaints regarding high school, their parents, and even their older brother Josh.
Jared had found the letter on one of their date nights, only a week before finals-the last one they’d probably have that didn’t involve 99% of their time devoted to quizzing each other, going over their notes, and writing papers. It wasn’t like he had really tried to hide it or anything. Jensen really didn’t have anywhere he could hide it; his room was generally clean and he didn’t have much stuff.
Their date night, which was supposed to be a trip to Denny’s and the movie theater to catch the latest super hero movie that Jared was obsessing over, ended up with a long discussion about family, pizza from Papa Johns, and slow comfort sex-the latter of which had been Jensen’s favorite part. Sharing all the troubles he’d had with his family, especially since he’d been practically thrown out after coming out to his family, had been difficult. While there hadn’t been literal tossing out, but the cold shoulder he’d gotten from his entire family, excepting his sister, made it clear he was no longer welcome. It hadn’t been till the day he finally left, catching a ride to college with best friend Chris, that his father had finally exploded, wrongly assuming that Chris was his boyfriend. It had been worth it in the end though; he’d felt like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
The sun was high overhead as Jensen climbed out of Jared’s Bronco. Shutting the door he glanced around the parking lot, taking in the crowds of people making their way towards the field where rows of seats and bleachers were set up for families and friends to watch the seniors accept their diplomas. Shutting the door, he made his way to the front of the vehicle, meeting up with Jared.
“So this is where you went to High School,” Jared mused, playing with his keys for a few seconds before stuffing them into his pocket. “Where are the bleachers?” He waggled his eyebrows a bit, trying to lighten the mood.
Jensen rolled his eyes, pushing at Jared’s arm, causing his boyfriend to step back a bit. “Not funny.”
“Where are we heading?” Jared asked, turning a bit to face Jensen head on.
“The back area where the bleachers are or along the side, I think,” Jensen pointed in the general direction, chewing on his bottom lip before continuing. “Pretty sure the seats behind the seniors are ticket based.”
“Okay, well it looks like there’s a set of bleachers along the side we might get a good view from,” Reaching out, Jared settled his hand against Jensen’s shoulder for a moment. The weight was comforting and Jensen managed a smile.
“Sounds good,” He nodded.
They made their way over and it was odd. For all that Jensen was the one that went to the high school; Jared led them, half a step ahead of Jensen, glancing back at the other man every so often. Jensen was silent, keeping an eye out for anyone he might know or his parents and trying to figure out how he might avoid running into familiar faces.
It only took them a couple of minutes to make it to the small, five step bleacher that had been set up. Snagging Jared’s arm, just above the wrist, he pulled him up to the top. While it wasn’t the best place if they wanted to make a quick getaway, it would give them a good vantage point of the graduation podium.
Settling in, they sat far enough apart that they could have been just friends, but close enough that their knees brushed and, if they leaned forward just a smidge, so did their shoulders. They were early by about an hour, according to Jensen’s watch. Arriving early had been a part of the plan-Jensen knew that if they didn’t they’d be forced to stand or sit on the grass. People were milling about, mostly family and friends of graduates, some younger students, and teachers.
“Jensen?” A surprised voice called out from the ground nearby. Jensen was on the edge of the bleachers, right at the top corner.
Freezing, he glanced down, taken off guard by the sudden appearance of a former classmate. He recognized her, but for the life of him he couldn’t remember her name. They’d had English together all four years, math and Spanish too… which was why the fact that he couldn’t remember her name was more than slightly embarrassing.
A blush spread across his cheeks and he offered her a small smile as she hurried around to climb up the bleachers and settle down in front of them, dropping her purse almost on top of Jensen’s foot. Her hair was bright red, obviously dyed but it wasn’t a bad dye job. She was smiling at him, bright and wide.
“Wow, you really changed in just a year,” She glanced to the side, eyes taking in Jared. Raising an eyebrow she directed her next question at him, “Is he still as shy as a clam?”
“If clams are shy,” Jared shrugged, bumping his shoulder against Jensen’s. “I’m Jared.”
“Danneel Harris,” She shot her hand out, “You the boyfriend?”
Jensen blinked as she spoke, he could feel the heat crawl over his skin. That’s right, she dated Chris their Senior year until she broke up with him just before graduation when they realized they would be going to colleges on opposite ends of the country-Chris went to California and Danneel to New Orleans. She hung out with Chris and Steve, and by proxy Jason and himself, every so often.
“Hey Danneel,” Jensen finally spoke. “Yeah, but-“
“My lips are sealed,” She drew her fingers across her lips before leaning forward and up, stage whispering. “God, he is so hot! Lucky!”
“Thanks,” Jared was trying not to laugh, but was failing horribly at it.
Shooting a nervous look at his boyfriend, Jensen bit his lip before turning back to Danneel, “What are you doing here?”
“My little brother is ‘gradumatating’,” She did air quotes, rolling her eyes as she spoke, purposefully mangling the word. “Barely. But he did somehow get a football scholarship to some state school back east. Your little sister, Mackenzie right, is graduating?”
“Yeah,” Jensen nodded, managing a more honest smile as Jared shifted to rest his weight against his side.
“Cool,” Danneel paused, turning slightly to glance across the way at all the chairs. “Well, I better get going. My parental units are saving me a seat. Friend me on Facebook, okay?” She patted his knee, grin splitting her lips.
“Okay.”
“He will,” Jared answered for him, bumping his shoulder. “I’ll even make sure he sets up an account.”
“I have one,” Jensen protested, turning to face his boyfriend.
“All it says is your age and where you go to school,” Jared laughed. “It doesn’t even have a picture!”
“You friend me too,” Danneel grinned, standing. “I can send you some adorable pictures of Jensen from High School. He made a really cute punk rocker for Halloween.”
“Really,” Jared raised a skeptical eyebrow, leaning back a bit.
“It was Chris’s fault,” Jensen mumbled as he desperately tried not to cover his face with his hands.
*****
The ceremony lasted a couple hours and, unluckily for them, Mackenzie was sitting in the back row with several of her friends--right in front of the teachers. It was as boring as any graduation Jensen had ever been to. Of course it was rather amusing, as usual, when the beach balls started appearing only to be stolen by the teachers and popped with various sharp utensils. If Jensen remembered right, Mr. Donnelson preferred to use his letter opener while Mrs. Johnson favored a box cutter.
When it finally ended with all the students tossing their hats into the air, Jensen relaxed a bit. He was happy his sister was finished with school and headed to college. It meant that their parents wouldn't be able to prevent Mack from contacting him. He wasn't sure where she was planning to go to school, but if it was in state there was the possibility that he, or Mack, could visit over spring break or even weekends.
The crowd thinned almost immediately, trickling down as the students met up with their parents or left in groups. They waited a few minutes, standing up on the bleachers, and stretching, watching as people left.
Jensen's cell beeped in his pocket, he fumbled as he got it out, "It's Mackenzie." He bit his lip, glancing up at Jared. His boyfriend reached over and slipped the phone from his grasp in order to read the text.
Hey Bro! Wait two minutes for me. Saw you and your boy! Looks hot from afar! ;)
Jared grinned, handing Jensen back his phone. "Well, guess we gotta wait."
It didn't take long for Mackenzie to show up, in fact not a minute and a half later she appeared at the bottom of the bleachers, still wearing her bright red graduation gown, purse and cap in hand.
"Oh my god, Jensen!" She squealed, hopping up the first steps as he stepped down to meet her. Throwing herself into his arms, she was all smiles. "God! It's been so long, loser!"
"Sorry," Jensen mumbled hugging her back. Her arms were tight around his middle, grasping in the back of his shirt. "I missed you."
"Missed you too," She mumbled, sniffing a little. It was a moment before she glanced up at him, tears in her eyes. "Mom and Dad are stupid. They miss you and are sorry, but won't admit it."
Jensen shrugged, one hand moving up to ruffle her hair. "How've you been?"
"Fine," She shrugged, pulling back and wiping her face on her sleeve. "I just wish they'd stop being so stubborn."
Unsure how to respond, Jensen glanced back at Jared before clearing his throat, "So, uh, this is Jared. My boyfriend Jared, and this is Mackenzie."
"Hey," Jared spoke, a smile pulling the side of his mouth up enough that his dimples started to appear, but only barely.
"Nice to meet you," Mackenzie smiled, sniffing a little. Running a hand through her hair, she chewed on her lip a bit, "So, uh, I'd invite you to my graduation party but I don't think-"
"Mackenzie!"
The sharp voice that interrupted her caused Jensen's blood to run cold, a shiver crawling beneath his skin. He'd recognize that voice anywhere. Likewise, his sister had frozen, eyes widening a bit. Jared was the only one that moved at all, head turning to take in the couple standing at the other end of the bleachers in the grass.
It took a moment, but Jensen finally lifted his gaze from his sister and sought out the speaker. His parents were standing there, faces schooled blank and avoiding his gaze. A lump formed in his throat, preventing any noise from escaping--not that he'd planned to say anything anyway.
"Mom, Dad," When Mackenzie finally spoke, her voice was wavering and it broke a bit.
"Mackenzie what is going on here?" His mother's voice was questioning, but firm. It shocked him to see her this way, so unnerving and completely closed off.
The last time he had seen her though had been much the same. As soon as his parents found out his inclinations, as they called it, they'd ignored him, turning a cold shoulder to him and practically throwing him out of the family, disowning him, even if they didn't physically toss him out of the house. He nearly couldn't remember the last time they'd been a real family. Actually, that had probably been his own graduation day, when his family had thrown him a huge party complete with a half sheet of his favorite ice cream cake and brownies. That had been the last time he'd seen more than just his immediate family as well. It hadn't been that long after his graduation that he'd come out to his parents.
"I'm thanking my brother for coming to my graduation," Mackenzie's voice, which had been unsure and nervous before, was strong and determined. Turning back she purposefully reached up and hugged him again, leaning up to kiss his cheek before smiling at both of them. "Thank you for coming big bro, you too Jared. It was nice to meet you. Take care of Jensen for me?"
"'Course," Jared's reply was quiet in comparison to Mackenzie's overly loud voice. "Always."
Jensen was still frozen and he started a bit at the feel of Jared's fingers curling over his shoulder, palm resting against his back. He barely managed to mumble a congrats, ducking his head a bit and meeting Mackenzie's green eyes with his own, trying to ignore his parent's presence.
An indignant noise caused him to glance at his mother who was looking away now, lips pursed inward and eyes watering a bit. His father was moving towards them, still standing on the grass.
"Time to go Mackenzie, now," His father's voice brokered no argument.
"Dad-"
"Now," He glared at her, gaze shifting only momentarily to Jensen. "Or you can forget-"
"Go Mack," Jensen reached out to rest a hand on her shoulder. "It was good to see you. Congrats again." Slipping a hand into his pocket, he pulled out a gift card he'd gotten for Amazon from a local grocery store. "Use this for school books?"
He tapped her nose with it as she reached up to take it from him, lips pursing and a distinctly annoyed look growing in her eyes. Obviously she wanted to do a little more arguing with their father, but he didn't want to make a big scene. All that would end up doing was causing the rift between them to grow.
“But-“
Jensen shrugged, trying to convey his reasons with a look. He chanced a look up at his dad, but the man was just standing there, watching his sister with his hands curled into white knuckled fists. Tilting his head towards his boyfriend, he murmured, “We should go.”
Mackenzie moved before them, reaching out to snag his hand and squeeze momentarily before stomping down their bleachers, eyes glaring at their father the entire way. His mother glanced at him for a second as her husband and daughter made their way back to where she stood, but the emotions in her eyes were unreadable.
Jared’s hand tightened on his shoulder, a solid presence of support at his back. He didn’t realize he was crying till the hand slipped around his shoulders to pull him into his boyfriend’s chest. For once it didn’t matter who saw him-he wasn’t even thinking about that-all the at mattered was his parents didn’t even want to look at him.
They stood there for minutes or hours, Jensen wasn’t exactly sure how long, before Jared’s voice broke the silence. “Hey, Jensen, we should go. Looks like they’re cleaning up.”
Nodding into Jared’s chest, he finally pulled away, eyes wet and glasses smudged from being pressed against Jared’s shirt. “The hotel room?”
“Yep,” Jared nodded, squeezing his shoulders before leading him down the few remaining steps and towards the car. “I’m thinking a pay-per-view movie and room service. Cuddles on the side.”
“Not a girl,” Jensen mumbled, glaring halfheartedly.
Jared smiled, pulling him close, slotting his arm over his shoulder. Leaning in he pressed his lips against Jensen’s temple. “I know.”
Author: Surevesta
Fandom: CW RPS J2
Characters: Jensen, Jared, Danneel, Jensen's parents and sister mentions: Chris, Steve, Jason
Words: 2,834
Rating: PG13 (on the safe side)
Beta: Anyothergirl415
Disclaimer: The plot and storyline/verse are mine... I just am borrowing the looks and names of some awesome actors and actresses. They belong to themselves and are thusly not mine.
Summary: Jensen's sister is graduating from High School, she invited him and Jared went with him. Written for peppervl
Warning: Homophobic attitudes
Note: I hate the title, but couldn't think of anything else... not it does not refer to a J2 break up.
!Verse Master Post
Jensen hadn’t been sure what to do when the letter came. The envelope was crisp white, the only markings on it the return address label, the stamp and the ink from when it was metered, and the curvy ink writing dictating his name and address. It took barely a second for Jensen to realize what it was-his sister’s graduation announcement.
He hadn’t talked to his family since the summer before he left for college. Being on a full ride scholarship had allowed him to be relatively financially able on his own. In addition to that he had saved some money from his part time job, and summer employment for the last two years of his high school career where he’d worked at the public library and as a tutor. Neither had paid a whole lot, but he didn’t really spend much of it so it hadn’t mattered.
It had taken a week of debating with himself on what to do with the invitation and Jared finding it for him to come to a decision. While he knew his parents wouldn’t be happy, he also knew his sister wanted him there. She was the only one who kept in contact with him, at least once a week he received an email to his university email address from her. They ranged in length from a sentence or two to several pages in length (if he were to transfer them to word). Most of the time they were comprised of complaints regarding high school, their parents, and even their older brother Josh.
Jared had found the letter on one of their date nights, only a week before finals-the last one they’d probably have that didn’t involve 99% of their time devoted to quizzing each other, going over their notes, and writing papers. It wasn’t like he had really tried to hide it or anything. Jensen really didn’t have anywhere he could hide it; his room was generally clean and he didn’t have much stuff.
Their date night, which was supposed to be a trip to Denny’s and the movie theater to catch the latest super hero movie that Jared was obsessing over, ended up with a long discussion about family, pizza from Papa Johns, and slow comfort sex-the latter of which had been Jensen’s favorite part. Sharing all the troubles he’d had with his family, especially since he’d been practically thrown out after coming out to his family, had been difficult. While there hadn’t been literal tossing out, but the cold shoulder he’d gotten from his entire family, excepting his sister, made it clear he was no longer welcome. It hadn’t been till the day he finally left, catching a ride to college with best friend Chris, that his father had finally exploded, wrongly assuming that Chris was his boyfriend. It had been worth it in the end though; he’d felt like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
The sun was high overhead as Jensen climbed out of Jared’s Bronco. Shutting the door he glanced around the parking lot, taking in the crowds of people making their way towards the field where rows of seats and bleachers were set up for families and friends to watch the seniors accept their diplomas. Shutting the door, he made his way to the front of the vehicle, meeting up with Jared.
“So this is where you went to High School,” Jared mused, playing with his keys for a few seconds before stuffing them into his pocket. “Where are the bleachers?” He waggled his eyebrows a bit, trying to lighten the mood.
Jensen rolled his eyes, pushing at Jared’s arm, causing his boyfriend to step back a bit. “Not funny.”
“Where are we heading?” Jared asked, turning a bit to face Jensen head on.
“The back area where the bleachers are or along the side, I think,” Jensen pointed in the general direction, chewing on his bottom lip before continuing. “Pretty sure the seats behind the seniors are ticket based.”
“Okay, well it looks like there’s a set of bleachers along the side we might get a good view from,” Reaching out, Jared settled his hand against Jensen’s shoulder for a moment. The weight was comforting and Jensen managed a smile.
“Sounds good,” He nodded.
They made their way over and it was odd. For all that Jensen was the one that went to the high school; Jared led them, half a step ahead of Jensen, glancing back at the other man every so often. Jensen was silent, keeping an eye out for anyone he might know or his parents and trying to figure out how he might avoid running into familiar faces.
It only took them a couple of minutes to make it to the small, five step bleacher that had been set up. Snagging Jared’s arm, just above the wrist, he pulled him up to the top. While it wasn’t the best place if they wanted to make a quick getaway, it would give them a good vantage point of the graduation podium.
Settling in, they sat far enough apart that they could have been just friends, but close enough that their knees brushed and, if they leaned forward just a smidge, so did their shoulders. They were early by about an hour, according to Jensen’s watch. Arriving early had been a part of the plan-Jensen knew that if they didn’t they’d be forced to stand or sit on the grass. People were milling about, mostly family and friends of graduates, some younger students, and teachers.
“Jensen?” A surprised voice called out from the ground nearby. Jensen was on the edge of the bleachers, right at the top corner.
Freezing, he glanced down, taken off guard by the sudden appearance of a former classmate. He recognized her, but for the life of him he couldn’t remember her name. They’d had English together all four years, math and Spanish too… which was why the fact that he couldn’t remember her name was more than slightly embarrassing.
A blush spread across his cheeks and he offered her a small smile as she hurried around to climb up the bleachers and settle down in front of them, dropping her purse almost on top of Jensen’s foot. Her hair was bright red, obviously dyed but it wasn’t a bad dye job. She was smiling at him, bright and wide.
“Wow, you really changed in just a year,” She glanced to the side, eyes taking in Jared. Raising an eyebrow she directed her next question at him, “Is he still as shy as a clam?”
“If clams are shy,” Jared shrugged, bumping his shoulder against Jensen’s. “I’m Jared.”
“Danneel Harris,” She shot her hand out, “You the boyfriend?”
Jensen blinked as she spoke, he could feel the heat crawl over his skin. That’s right, she dated Chris their Senior year until she broke up with him just before graduation when they realized they would be going to colleges on opposite ends of the country-Chris went to California and Danneel to New Orleans. She hung out with Chris and Steve, and by proxy Jason and himself, every so often.
“Hey Danneel,” Jensen finally spoke. “Yeah, but-“
“My lips are sealed,” She drew her fingers across her lips before leaning forward and up, stage whispering. “God, he is so hot! Lucky!”
“Thanks,” Jared was trying not to laugh, but was failing horribly at it.
Shooting a nervous look at his boyfriend, Jensen bit his lip before turning back to Danneel, “What are you doing here?”
“My little brother is ‘gradumatating’,” She did air quotes, rolling her eyes as she spoke, purposefully mangling the word. “Barely. But he did somehow get a football scholarship to some state school back east. Your little sister, Mackenzie right, is graduating?”
“Yeah,” Jensen nodded, managing a more honest smile as Jared shifted to rest his weight against his side.
“Cool,” Danneel paused, turning slightly to glance across the way at all the chairs. “Well, I better get going. My parental units are saving me a seat. Friend me on Facebook, okay?” She patted his knee, grin splitting her lips.
“Okay.”
“He will,” Jared answered for him, bumping his shoulder. “I’ll even make sure he sets up an account.”
“I have one,” Jensen protested, turning to face his boyfriend.
“All it says is your age and where you go to school,” Jared laughed. “It doesn’t even have a picture!”
“You friend me too,” Danneel grinned, standing. “I can send you some adorable pictures of Jensen from High School. He made a really cute punk rocker for Halloween.”
“Really,” Jared raised a skeptical eyebrow, leaning back a bit.
“It was Chris’s fault,” Jensen mumbled as he desperately tried not to cover his face with his hands.
*****
The ceremony lasted a couple hours and, unluckily for them, Mackenzie was sitting in the back row with several of her friends--right in front of the teachers. It was as boring as any graduation Jensen had ever been to. Of course it was rather amusing, as usual, when the beach balls started appearing only to be stolen by the teachers and popped with various sharp utensils. If Jensen remembered right, Mr. Donnelson preferred to use his letter opener while Mrs. Johnson favored a box cutter.
When it finally ended with all the students tossing their hats into the air, Jensen relaxed a bit. He was happy his sister was finished with school and headed to college. It meant that their parents wouldn't be able to prevent Mack from contacting him. He wasn't sure where she was planning to go to school, but if it was in state there was the possibility that he, or Mack, could visit over spring break or even weekends.
The crowd thinned almost immediately, trickling down as the students met up with their parents or left in groups. They waited a few minutes, standing up on the bleachers, and stretching, watching as people left.
Jensen's cell beeped in his pocket, he fumbled as he got it out, "It's Mackenzie." He bit his lip, glancing up at Jared. His boyfriend reached over and slipped the phone from his grasp in order to read the text.
Hey Bro! Wait two minutes for me. Saw you and your boy! Looks hot from afar! ;)
Jared grinned, handing Jensen back his phone. "Well, guess we gotta wait."
It didn't take long for Mackenzie to show up, in fact not a minute and a half later she appeared at the bottom of the bleachers, still wearing her bright red graduation gown, purse and cap in hand.
"Oh my god, Jensen!" She squealed, hopping up the first steps as he stepped down to meet her. Throwing herself into his arms, she was all smiles. "God! It's been so long, loser!"
"Sorry," Jensen mumbled hugging her back. Her arms were tight around his middle, grasping in the back of his shirt. "I missed you."
"Missed you too," She mumbled, sniffing a little. It was a moment before she glanced up at him, tears in her eyes. "Mom and Dad are stupid. They miss you and are sorry, but won't admit it."
Jensen shrugged, one hand moving up to ruffle her hair. "How've you been?"
"Fine," She shrugged, pulling back and wiping her face on her sleeve. "I just wish they'd stop being so stubborn."
Unsure how to respond, Jensen glanced back at Jared before clearing his throat, "So, uh, this is Jared. My boyfriend Jared, and this is Mackenzie."
"Hey," Jared spoke, a smile pulling the side of his mouth up enough that his dimples started to appear, but only barely.
"Nice to meet you," Mackenzie smiled, sniffing a little. Running a hand through her hair, she chewed on her lip a bit, "So, uh, I'd invite you to my graduation party but I don't think-"
"Mackenzie!"
The sharp voice that interrupted her caused Jensen's blood to run cold, a shiver crawling beneath his skin. He'd recognize that voice anywhere. Likewise, his sister had frozen, eyes widening a bit. Jared was the only one that moved at all, head turning to take in the couple standing at the other end of the bleachers in the grass.
It took a moment, but Jensen finally lifted his gaze from his sister and sought out the speaker. His parents were standing there, faces schooled blank and avoiding his gaze. A lump formed in his throat, preventing any noise from escaping--not that he'd planned to say anything anyway.
"Mom, Dad," When Mackenzie finally spoke, her voice was wavering and it broke a bit.
"Mackenzie what is going on here?" His mother's voice was questioning, but firm. It shocked him to see her this way, so unnerving and completely closed off.
The last time he had seen her though had been much the same. As soon as his parents found out his inclinations, as they called it, they'd ignored him, turning a cold shoulder to him and practically throwing him out of the family, disowning him, even if they didn't physically toss him out of the house. He nearly couldn't remember the last time they'd been a real family. Actually, that had probably been his own graduation day, when his family had thrown him a huge party complete with a half sheet of his favorite ice cream cake and brownies. That had been the last time he'd seen more than just his immediate family as well. It hadn't been that long after his graduation that he'd come out to his parents.
"I'm thanking my brother for coming to my graduation," Mackenzie's voice, which had been unsure and nervous before, was strong and determined. Turning back she purposefully reached up and hugged him again, leaning up to kiss his cheek before smiling at both of them. "Thank you for coming big bro, you too Jared. It was nice to meet you. Take care of Jensen for me?"
"'Course," Jared's reply was quiet in comparison to Mackenzie's overly loud voice. "Always."
Jensen was still frozen and he started a bit at the feel of Jared's fingers curling over his shoulder, palm resting against his back. He barely managed to mumble a congrats, ducking his head a bit and meeting Mackenzie's green eyes with his own, trying to ignore his parent's presence.
An indignant noise caused him to glance at his mother who was looking away now, lips pursed inward and eyes watering a bit. His father was moving towards them, still standing on the grass.
"Time to go Mackenzie, now," His father's voice brokered no argument.
"Dad-"
"Now," He glared at her, gaze shifting only momentarily to Jensen. "Or you can forget-"
"Go Mack," Jensen reached out to rest a hand on her shoulder. "It was good to see you. Congrats again." Slipping a hand into his pocket, he pulled out a gift card he'd gotten for Amazon from a local grocery store. "Use this for school books?"
He tapped her nose with it as she reached up to take it from him, lips pursing and a distinctly annoyed look growing in her eyes. Obviously she wanted to do a little more arguing with their father, but he didn't want to make a big scene. All that would end up doing was causing the rift between them to grow.
“But-“
Jensen shrugged, trying to convey his reasons with a look. He chanced a look up at his dad, but the man was just standing there, watching his sister with his hands curled into white knuckled fists. Tilting his head towards his boyfriend, he murmured, “We should go.”
Mackenzie moved before them, reaching out to snag his hand and squeeze momentarily before stomping down their bleachers, eyes glaring at their father the entire way. His mother glanced at him for a second as her husband and daughter made their way back to where she stood, but the emotions in her eyes were unreadable.
Jared’s hand tightened on his shoulder, a solid presence of support at his back. He didn’t realize he was crying till the hand slipped around his shoulders to pull him into his boyfriend’s chest. For once it didn’t matter who saw him-he wasn’t even thinking about that-all the at mattered was his parents didn’t even want to look at him.
They stood there for minutes or hours, Jensen wasn’t exactly sure how long, before Jared’s voice broke the silence. “Hey, Jensen, we should go. Looks like they’re cleaning up.”
Nodding into Jared’s chest, he finally pulled away, eyes wet and glasses smudged from being pressed against Jared’s shirt. “The hotel room?”
“Yep,” Jared nodded, squeezing his shoulders before leading him down the few remaining steps and towards the car. “I’m thinking a pay-per-view movie and room service. Cuddles on the side.”
“Not a girl,” Jensen mumbled, glaring halfheartedly.
Jared smiled, pulling him close, slotting his arm over his shoulder. Leaning in he pressed his lips against Jensen’s temple. “I know.”