How Two Friends Say Goodbye
Title: How Two Friends Say Goodbye
Author: tcs1121
Characters: Jared and Jensen, non-AU
Word Count:~1900
Rating: PG-13
No Warnings
Disclaimer: Taking liberties with reality for the sake of fiction. Untrue story.
Special Thanks to: kkgee for beta and pom poms. All remaining mistakes are mine.
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If you like, it's here on AO3
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Summary: This is how two friends say goodbye.
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"When I was in the third grade, I played a snowflake in the Winter Around the World festival." Jared reached for his fourth or fifth beer.
"A snowflake?" Jensen snickered.
"A manly, awesome snowflake with bloody fangs and hair on its back," Jared asserted. "I really wanted the part of the Old North Wind, but Jack O'Malley got that part." Jared frowned, "His mother was on the Winter Around the World committee."
Jared put his bottle down and stretched out, arms above his head, full bodied on the couch in his trailer. There were boxes, sealed and ready for shipping, neatly piled in the kitchenette. The shades were drawn, the walls were bare, and the beer was warm.
"A hairy snowflake is kinda awesome, though." Jensen said kicking his stocking feet up on the ottoman and pulling a long swallow off of his bottle.
"And when I was in middle school," Jared continued, "I played the kindly security cop helping a scared little girl find her mom at the mall." Jared grabbed his beer and polished off the rest of the bottle. "It was Safety Week and we all wore costumes. Afterward I got to feel up Marilyn Miller who played the scared little girl." He licked the foam at his lips. "It was way cool."
"That's...disturbing." Jensen belched. "But also kind of hot."
"Damn right, it was kind of hot." Jared saluted with a new brown bottle. He twisted off the top and flung it in the general area of their makeshift wastebasket which was really an empty packing box lined with a plastic bag from the grocery store. "It was way hot for a fourteen year old."
"I got a better one." Jensen leaned forward teetering a little as he gestured with his beer. "When I was on "Days of Our Lives," there was this extra, or under five, or something, and whenever we needed someone sitting at the airport, or a dead body in a hospital bed, they'd call Janine DuPris to come in." Jensen's voice turned into a gravelly whisper. "Now, you may have felt up a scared little lost girl, but I banged a dead girl." He nodded. "More than once."
Jared lowered his bottle and said reverently, "Awesome."
"I know." Jensen held the bottle out, and they clinked and drank. "God bless Janine DuPris with her purple lips and gray skin."
"Awesome," Jared repeated. His eyes were bright and impressed. "You win."
"I know," Jensen agreed.
"So, here we are, at the end of the run. We both have gorgeous wives, great fans, and residuals." Jared took Jensen's empty and handed him another.
Jensen looked away. "I can't believe it's over. I know it's time, but still..." He sniffed, opened his beer and sighed. "We had quite a run, didn't we?"
"We sure did, man. It was a wild, kick ass ride. We were kick ass." Jared pointed his finger. "And the best part is-it's not really over."
"It's not?"
"Nope. There's still the internet." Jared tapped his pointing finger on the edge of the couch.
"Do you think the fans'll still be writing about us after the finale?" Jensen asked. "We live amazing lives on the internet."
"Kick ass lives," Jared nodded vigorously.
Jensen sat back and smiled softly. "I'll miss being a werewolf."
"I'll miss being a cowboy, and a sorcerer," Jared said. "I totally rocked that sorcerer gig."
"I was cop, a reclusive writer, and a boxer." Jensen made fists and flexed his biceps. "But not all at the same time."
"I was many awesome high school and college students, a couple of famous chefs and...a hooker." Jared whispered. "Come to think of it, I was a hooker a lot." He brightened. "But that's okay. So were you."
"So was I," Jensen agreed as his eyes glazed over. "I'll miss those hooker days." He shook his head, took a couple of long pulls on his beer, and then threw the empty bottle at the wastebasket, missing by a couple of feet.
"Don't forget the wings." Jared reached for the last bottle in the pack, screwed the top off and handed it to Jensen. "God, how I'll miss the wings."
Jensen scrunched his face and blinked. "You will?"
"Yeah," Jared said seriously. "And the tail."
Jensen blushed.
"Plus," Jared grinned and took a long sip. "I'll miss you being a fairy."
"And I'll miss you being pregnant."
"Me, too," Jared bobbed his head. "I positively glowed."
"You did. You really did."
They both sighed.
Jared took a deep swallow. "Hey, Jensen?"
"Yeah?"
"I don't think I ever properly thanked you for taking that bullet for me."
"No problem, man."
Jared looked at the floor morosely. "You know, Jen, someday you'll be telling your grand kids that you were up for the part of Sam Winchester on a television show, but some actor named Jared Padalecki got the part instead. "
Jensen stared over Jared's shoulder and said, "And you'll be telling your little ones, 'I know you know that Grandpa Jared's a big movie star now, but back in the day, when I was young I was also on TV. There was a little known show called "Supernatural" and I was the star.' "
Jared said, continuing from the previous comment, "You'll say, 'I got the part of the older brother, Dean, and it was a really kick ass part. My "brother" was this emo wimp crybaby and nowhere near as cool as me.'"
Jensen was in his own world. "Some other guy played your grandpa's brother for six years. I think I remember it being kind of fun."
"Wait..." Jared's head snapped up. "Calling me "some actor" like you didn't want to say we were friends?" Jared was getting agitated. "Are you, like, ashamed of me?"
Jensen lowered his voice angrily, "Look who's talking. You remember Jack O'Malley as being the Old North Wind, in elementary school, but I'm just 'some other guy' playing your brother? Harsh, man, that's harsh." Jensen sounded hurt.
"You're making it out like I really thought I was the star and that we didn't share the stage the whole time."
"You say that now," Jensen said petulantly. "But later on you won't even remember my name."
"That won't happen, you big baby," Jared said.
"You say that now, but now is, like, you know, now." Jensen angrily sucked on his beer bottle. "Everybody remembers now."
"Look, Jensen," Jared took in a breath and paused. He tilted his head, looked up and noticed that his trailer's ceiling had water spots. One large one over the kitchen area and some smaller ones above the bathroom door in the small hallway. Jared remembered that they were there but didn't recall that rain water actually soaked through to wet the floor below.
"What?"
"What, what?"
"You said, 'Look, Jensen.' So, I'm looking." Jensen stared up at the watermarks.
"No, I, mean, no. I mean..." Jared fought through the alcohol fuzz to regain his train of thought. "Oh, yeah, so, look, Jensen."
"What?"
"I remember now, and not just because it's now." Jared raised his bottle and pointed it at the water spot. "I will always remember now."
"How do you know that?"
"Like you said, I remember the one-shot no nothing "productions" I was in when I was a kid, and even remember the names of the people I was with. But you and me, man, we spent six years...seven years...or whatever, together. Dude, you are forever part of my personal history. I will never, never, ever, forget you."
Jensen looked skeptical. "Really? You'll always remember me?"
"Till my dying day."
Jensen blinked and stared at the water spots again. "Okay. Then I will too."
Jared welled up. "That is maybe the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me, man."
"You say that now..."
Jared cut him off. "Of course, I'll never forget Chad Michael Murray either, but don't let that get in the way of the sentiment here."
Jensen scowled, "Oh, swell. Now I won't forget Chad either. Shit." He took a swallow and settled deep into the chair, splaying his legs out and licking some stray beer drops from the mouth of the bottle. "Where are you going after this?"
"Back to LA." Jared said. "I'd like to talk Gen into producing an heir or two or three to the Padalecki dynasty." He blushed and took another swallow. "I think she'll say 'yes.' I mean to at least one."
"Congrats, man." Jensen's eyes were suddenly wet.
"What about you and Danneel?"
"New York City. There are a couple of projects we're looking into. Then maybe off to London." Jensen smiled. "It's all good."
They sat there drinking as the sun passed the horizon and the trailer got dark. Someone was either going to have to turn on a light, get up to leave, or pass out. Jared whispered, "It's getting late, Jense."
"I know. I just need a plan."
"A plan?"
"Listen, this is how we'll do it," Jensen slurred softly. "This is the plan. You get up to take a piss, and when you're in the bathroom, I'll sneak out. That way, we won't have to say..." His breath hitched. "...whatever."
"Okay, that's good." Jared nodded, then held up his hand. "Wait, wait."
"What?"
"I wanna hug you first." Jared lumbered to his feet. "We can pretend that it's a "pretend" hug, and not a "good-bye" hug." Jared's voice caught on the 'good-bye.'
"Okay," Jensen stood. "Wait!"
"What, wait?"
"I really gotta pee."
"Okay, so go pee."
"I don't want to." Jensen's eyes went wide.
"Why?"
"Because...because when I come back, you'll be gone." Jensen crossed his legs, cupped his crotch and gently bounced up and down. "You'll change the plan."
"No, I won't."
"Yes, you will. Yes, you will." A lone tear threatened to fall from Jensen's right eye. "You'll be gone when I come out. You'll sneak out."
"No, I promise, I'll stay right here."
"How will I know you'll be out here?"
"I just said I would. I'm no liar."
"Sing."
"What?"
"Sing something so I can hear you."
Jared approached with outstretched arms. "Jensen."
"No! Don't fucking hug me!" Jensen threw open the bathroom door. "Sing, goddamn it. Sing!"
"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine…"
"Something else!"
"Okay, uh," Jared cleared his throat. "Lord, I was born a ramblin' man. Tryin'a make a livin' an' doin' the best I can. And when it's time for leavin' I hope you'll understand. That I was born a ramblin' man."
"The Allman Brothers? That the best you got?" Jensen said above the sound of a long, strong stream of water hitting water.
"No, I'm not gonna let 'em catch me, no, not gonna let 'em catch the Midnight Rider," Jared sang.
"That's still the Allman Brothers," Jensen said, waving his freshly washed hands in the air to dry them.
"So, what now?" Jared asked.
Jensen kept waving his wet hands nervously.
Jared paused looking at Jensen's flushed face and red-rimmed eyes. He shrugged, clicked on a small table lamp and sat.
Jensen plopped down and looked at him. "Hey," he lifted two bottles out of the brand new room temperature twelve pack and handed one to Jared. "Did I ever tell you about the indie film I made when I was thirteen?"
"Thirteen, and already producing films?" Jared sat back twisting the top open.
"Yeah, me and Willy Rickman were so sure we were going to take Sundance by storm that year..."
~~*~~*~~fin~~*~~*~~
A/N: I work with Senior citizens, and I asked about twenty men and women aged 70 to 99 to name someone from their youth/past. They all gave me a name. The Js probably always will remember one other.
Ramblin' Man
Midnight Rider
This is where I found the Image of Beer Bottles