Something Borrowed, Something Blue (J2, NC-17) 5/5
The morning of the wedding dawns bright and clear. Jared knows, because he watched the sky lighten through his window, blue-black graying to a robin’s egg hue, before he gave up on sleeping and crawled out of bed. He has to be up early anyway, helping with a million little last details before the ceremony, so he drinks two cups of crappy instant coffee and puts on his tux. He looks like total shit, pale skin and dark circles under bloodshot eyes, but he can’t bring himself to care. No one’s marrying him, after all. He just has to escort a bridesmaid down the aisle, and then she’s free to find someone better.
Everyone’s already up and bustling around at his parents’ house, his father trying to stay out of the chaos and his mother supervising, shuttling back and forth between various bedrooms and bathrooms monitoring dressing and hair and makeup. Jared joins his dad in trying to be unnoticeable.
He tries to sink even further into the woodwork when Chad walks by, eye heavily covered in makeup for the pictures, and his father shoots him a knowing look over his coffee cup but doesn’t say anything. Jared gets a glare from Chad’s girlfriend later, but to his relief Jeff doesn’t say anything when he comes through the kitchen, just claps Jared on the shoulder and asks him to pull a car around.
The photographer is waiting at the church, calling directions to various groups and barking orders at her assistant before they even climb out of the cars, and Jared loses track of the times he’s placed in a row and shuffled one way or another for clicks of the camera, mindlessly obeying commands of “Move closer to the Best Man, Tall Groomsman, and turn your face a little - that’s it.” They move across the church grounds, posing on these steps and near that door, and while Jared has perfected his smile-like-you-mean-it face, he’s never felt less like smiling.
This is his brother’s big day, the happiest day of his life, and Jared watches it all happen without feeling a thing. He should be happy for Jeff, should be rolling his eyes with Megan at his mother’s overemotional gushing, should be enjoying the time spent with his family. Instead, it’s like he’s frozen, standing still while everything’s happening around him, separate and out of reach.
It’s not until he sees Chad blindfold Jeff with his hands, leading him over to Rachel, that Jared feels anything at all. Jeff’s tripping over rocks and grass, Chad sucking at any kind of verbal navigation, but when Jeff hears Rachel giggling, his face lights up. He stands in front of her, holding her hands, and leans in to give her an awkward, blind kiss.
It’s funny, because Rachel isn’t the kind of girl to be superstitious about her dress - it was Jeff who wanted to ride in separate cars and take separate pictures. Rachel teased him, but he said he wanted to have that moment, to have his first glimpse of her all dressed up be when she was walking down the aisle toward him.
Jared thought it was kind of overly sappy at the time, but now, as he watches them stand together, foreheads touching as they whisper, something inside of him aches, stretched too tight. They look so happy, so connected, and all Jared can think is that he’s never going to have that. He had his chance, and he missed it. He let Jensen go.
Jared doesn’t even realize he’s moving until he’s turned away, legs accelerating into a jog and then a run. Someone calls out his name, but he doesn’t stop. He’s not going to stop, because he has to find Jensen. He has to find a car and get to the airport, because if there’s even the slimmest chance that Jensen hasn’t boarded his flight yet, then Jared’s going to find him. Stop him, apologize, explain, say something, anything, that will keep him from leaving. He has no idea what Jensen might say in return, but Jared can’t let him leave without trying. He can’t let this chance go without knowing he did something.
But then he rounds a corner and comes to a dead stop, because right there, less than a yard away, is Jensen.
He looks even more gorgeous than usual, all sharp lines in his formal suit, and Jared actually goes a little weak in the knees at the sight. But it’s the look on Jensen’s face, nervous and hopeful, that steals his breath and speeds up his heart.
“Hey,” Jensen says, half-smiling.
Jared just stares. “You - you’re here,” he says.
“Uh, yeah,” Jensen says awkwardly. “I, um. Got halfway to the airport and just…” He clears his throat. “I thought you might still need a date for the wedding.”
Jared can’t stop the grin spreading across his face. “Yeah. That’s - that’d be good.”
“Okay,” Jensen says, the corners of his mouth turning up.
Then someone calls Jared’s name again, this time from the church door, and he realizes he has to get inside and help Jeff get ready before the guests are all seated. “Fuck. I have to go. But, uh.” Jared swallows. “Thanks. For coming. It really - I’m - “
“Jared,” Jensen says, cutting him off. He steps forward, hands light on Jared’s chest, and leans up to press a gentle kiss to his lips. Before Jared can do more than blink, Jensen pulls back and gives him a little push. “Okay. Go.”
Jared’s pretty sure he’s grinning like an idiot as he runs up the stairs to the church door, but when he turns at the top of the stairs for one last look, so’s Jensen, so it’s okay.
* * *
The ceremony goes off without a hitch. It’s beautiful, or at least that’s the general impression Jared gets from the bits he actually hears. He tries to keep his focus on the bride and groom, but he can’t help the way his gaze keeps straying to where Jensen is seated. Jensen’s eyes are steady on him the whole time, and Jared has to consciously remind himself that he’s in front of an entire church and now would not be an appropriate time to lose himself in his fake-but-now-maybe-real-boyfriend’s eyes, or start smiling like a lovesick idiot. He’s not sure yet what exactly it means, Jensen coming back and kissing him, but Jensen’s here, and Jared can deal with everything else.
Because he’s going to do it. He’s going to go for it, lay it all out, and let Jensen decide what the next move is. He’s done with pretending and denial. Even if it means laying himself bare and giving Jensen a clear shot at breaking his heart, he’s going to do it. He knows what he wants, and he’s going after it.
He makes a beeline for Jensen as soon as the ceremony’s over, hoping they can talk before the reception, but just as he finds his way through the crowd to where Jensen’s waiting and opens his mouth, a bridesmaid appears out of nowhere and tries to drag him off for the post-wedding pictures. Spending another half hour posing for the extremely demanding photographer is pretty much the last thing Jared wants to do right now, but he promises he’ll be there in a minute.
“Fuck,” he says with a groan, turning back to Jensen. “I’ll be back as soon as I can, okay?”
Jensen looks amused. “No problem.”
Jared hesitates for a second. “You’re not going anywhere, right?”
Jensen’s steady gaze never wavers. “Nope. Waiting right here for you.”
“Okay,” Jared says. He turns to go, but he only takes a single step before he’s spinning around, grabbing Jensen’s shoulders to pull him into a kiss. Jensen makes a noise, half startled and half laughing, but it slips lower into a moan when Jared nips at his bottom lip, and he grabs the lapels of Jared’s tux to bring him closer.
When Jared finally pulls away, breathless and a little dizzy, Jensen looks equally dazed. He blinks and licks his lips, and okay. Jared has enough trouble resisting Jensen when he’s just standing or breathing, and when there’s tongue and wet, shiny lips like a fucking invitation involved, there’s no way he’s doing anything but hauling Jensen in for another taste.
When he pulls back this time, Jensen’s laughing. “Dude, go,” he says, pushing Jared away.
Jared groans again, but goes. He’s pretty sure he’s going to look like an idiot in all the pictures, because his mind is very much not on wedding-type things at the moment (well, unless they’re the sort of things that happen on a wedding night). It’s not fair that Jensen’s here and Jared’s allowed to kiss him now and he has to wait even more to get things figured out between them.
The pictures drag on interminably, countless combinations of friends and family, and Jared thinks his face might actually be stuck on mindless smile. He’s not sure, because he can’t feel his cheeks anymore. But then the photographer finally puts the camera down and doesn’t immediately bark out more orders, and Jared takes that as his cue to run off.
But then Jeff grabs his arm and says, “Hey, wait. I need to talk to you.”
“Now?” Jared asks, and it’s only barely more civil than a full-on whine.
Jeff blinks. “Well, sometime. I talked to Chad last night, and he said - “
And that’s exactly what Jared doesn’t want to be hearing or thinking about right now. “Jeff, please, can we do this later?” he pleads, just barely refraining from shifting impatiently on his feet.
Jeff looks confused, but then he follows Jared’s gaze to where Jensen’s leaning against the brick wall at the back of the church. He rolls his eyes. “Fine. Later. I’ll see you at the reception.”
“Thanks,” Jared says, clapping him on the shoulder. “Congratulations, by the way. See you later!”
He can hear Jeff laughing as he runs off, but his focus is completely and totally on the gorgeous man waiting for him. “Hey,” he says, a little breathless, when he’s finally in front of Jensen.
“Hey,” Jensen echoes.
“I, uh. Can we talk?” Jared asks. “Before the reception? There’s some stuff that I kind of need to say to you.”
“Yeah, sure,” Jensen says, straightening up and pushing away from the wall. “There’re some things I should tell you, too. Do you want to go somewhere?”
There’s still a lot of people outside the church, in knots of conversation or organizing transportation to the reception or just milling around, so Jared nods. “I’ve got the rental car. Is that okay?”
Jensen nods. He obviously took a cab to the church, and he stops in the church to pick up his suitcases.
The car ride is silent, except for the occasional question and monosyllabic answer. It’s not awkward, though, or tense. Jared spends the drive thinking about exactly what he wants to say, trying to fit feelings into words, and he assumes Jensen is doing something similar.
He doesn’t have a specific destination in mind. The reception’s at a restaurant across town, so Jared heads that way for a bit, but he pulls off when he spots an empty parking lot. It faces a group of athletic fields belonging to a nearby high school, all thankfully empty.
Jared’s hands are damp on the steering wheel when he puts the car into park and shuts off the engine, and he wipes them on his dress pants before climbing out. He makes his way through the grass, down a slight incline and around the fence until he’s on the baseball diamond, scuffing pristine black shoes through red-brown grit. He can hear Jensen following behind him, so he takes a seat on the old, scarred wooden bench to wait.
It creaks under Jensen’s weight a moment later, and Jared closes his eyes, gathering his thoughts, before turning to look. Jensen’s straddling the bench, hands in his lap, eyes clear and assessing.
“So,” Jared says, taking a deep breath. “Um. The thing is, I’m not sure exactly why you left. I don’t know if it was something I did, or if it was the the drunken sex I didn’t pay for, or if you just decided I wasn’t worth your time.”
He scuffs a toe through the dust, watching fine powder cling to the leather in a fine sheen. “What I do know, though, is that you leaving sucked. A lot. Because, as stupid as it sounds, this weeklong fake relationship was better than all of the real ones I’ve had, and somewhere along the line, I stopped pretending and fell in love.”
He closes his eyes. “And what I want, more than anything, is for this to be real.”
A long silence follows. Jared concentrates on his breathing, steady in and out as he stares out at the field in front of him, memories of countless childhood games overlaying the empty landscape, before he starts to worry that Jensen’s scrambling for a way to let him down easy.
But then Jensen shifts slightly, knee pressing up against Jared’s thigh, and says, “Jared, I didn’t leave because of you. I left because of me.” He sighs. “Remember everything I told you about playing a character with my clients? I told you I didn’t know what character I was playing with you, but the truth is, I wasn’t. There was never any character with you. It was just me.”
He laughs a little. “And that? That’s a pretty fucking scary thing to realize when it’s your job to stay unattached. I mean, every character is a variation of myself, but with everyone else, I’m still putting on a face. With you, it was just me. No filters, no fronts, no fake adoration.” He traces a finger over a knot in the wood between his knees. “And that’s probably the most honest I’ve been with anyone since…a really long time.”
Jared can’t pretend he’s not relieved (and a little proud) to hear that, but he waits for more.
“That’s why I left,” Jensen says.
“But you came back.”
“Yeah. Because I told myself that everything would be fine if I just got away and cleared my head, but halfway to the airport, I realized that was bullshit. I couldn’t just get on a plane and make it all go away, and I sure as hell couldn’t go back to L.A. and take a new job.”
He reaches out and takes Jared’s hand, holding it between both of his, and Jared finally meets his eyes. “Because this,” Jensen goes on, eyes steady on Jared’s, “us - it’s already real.”
“So,” Jared says, barely daring to hope, “So you want to - ?”
“Yeah,” Jensen says. And then Jensen’s tugging at his hand, and Jared’s leaning over, hands on Jensen’s thighs to steady himself, and they’re kissing, Jensen holding on to Jared’s biceps like he’s never going to let go, and it’s perfect.
Well, for a little while at least. But then, just when it’s getting interesting, Jared’s thumbs rubbing the inseam of Jensen’s pants and sliding up his thighs toward his zipper, his stomach suddenly weighs in with an audible grumble. The rest of his body is firmly onboard with semi-makeup sex, so he has no intention let it stop him, but Jensen laughs and leans back. “Hungry, huh?”
“For you,” Jared says with a grin, leaning in again.
Jensen groans and pushes him away. “Corniest line ever. And public sex probably isn’t a good idea.” He drags his thumb along his bottom lip, and while Jared’s never found mouth-wiping particularly attractive before, that one little gesture is so sexy that he barely refrains from jumping Jensen right there.
“Car?” he suggests hopefully.
“Reception,” Jensen replies, standing up.
“We’re going to have sex at the reception?” Jared tilts his head. “Because I know I said my grandma would probably want to watch, but that might be kind of weird.”
“No, we’re going to go celebrate your brother getting married at the reception,” Jensen says, rolling his eyes. “And eat and drink and possibly dance. Then, we’re going to go back to the hotel and have sex.” He gives Jared a wicked smile. “Lots of it.”
Jared’s stomach does a hot little swoop this time. “That a promise?”
Jensen grins. “More like a guarantee.”
* * *
The reception passes in a blur. Jared’s so busy smiling stupidly at Jensen that he barely notices the meal (although he does eat it all, because he has a full day of angst to make up for), and Jensen slips off his shoe and slides his foot up Jared’s leg during the toasts, which makes it nearly impossible to concentrate.
Then the dancing starts, and Jensen drags Jared out onto the floor when some sappy ballad comes on, but things get a little confusing when they try to arrange their arms and realize they’re both used to leading.
“I’m taller,” Jared points out. “I can see where we’re going.”
“Yeah, but I can dance,” Jensen says.
“I can totally dance,” Jared says, but it’s not a very effective argument when he steps on Jensen’s foot as he says it. “Okay, fine,” he concedes. “You lead.”
But there’s not a lot of actual dancing going on, since Jeff and Rachel are sticking to the type of traditional country ballads that only require a bit of swaying and shuffling, so Jensen just links his hands behind Jared’s neck and sways them gently to the beat. Jared lets his own hands settle low on Jensen’s back, pulling Jensen in close, and tries to tear his eyes away from Jensen’s every so often to make sure they don’t run into anyone.
Jared waves to Jeff and Rachel across the floor, where Jeff’s trying out his newly-learned dancing skills, but all of Jeff’s concentration is on his feet, and he barely looks up to nod in return. Rachel shakes her head in exasperation when Jeff manages to step on her feet again, but when he looks up to apologize, she just smiles and pulls him down for a kiss. He bends down and lifts her to his height, her heels dangling off the floor, and they laugh and kiss again.
Everyone around them coos at how cute they are, and Jared thinks about how much things have changed since this morning. Watching his brother and Rachel together before the wedding was almost impossibly painful, but now that hurt’s gone, leaving only happiness in its place. He looks down at Jensen, and he can’t suppress a stupidly happy grin.
“Don’t get any ideas,” Jensen says. “There’s no way I’m letting you pick me up, height difference or not.” But he’s grinning back, and he rubs a thumb against the back of Jared’s neck before leaning up for a kiss.
They last through three more cheesy love songs before Jensen gets bored and starts whispering dirty things in Jared’s ear, suggestions on later activities, and Jared’s trying not to grab Jensen’s ass and get things started right here, no matter what he said earlier, when Jeff somehow separates from Rachel and comes by to ask Jared if they can talk now.
Jensen smirks as he backs off, and Jared sticks his tongue out at him and tries to will his arousal away as he follows his brother off the dance floor.
Jeff leads him to a quiet area of the bar, near the back of the restaurant, and sighs, running a hand through his already-mussed hair. “So,” he starts, crossing his arms. “I talked to Chad.”
Jared leans against the bar. “I figured. And?”
“And…I’m sorry,” Jeff says simply.
“Sorry?” Jared repeats. “You’re not mad that I gave him a black eye?”
Jeff shakes his head. “Are you kidding me? When he told me everything about what happened, back when you were in high school, I was ready to give him one myself.”
“Oh,” Jared says. “So you know about…all that.”
“Yeah,” Jeff says. “And look, I get why you didn’t tell me. I just want you to know that I’m sorry that I never realized. I never would have made you hang out with Chad if I knew.”
“It’s not your fault,” Jared says. “It wasn’t all Chad’s fault, either, if we’re being honest. But I appreciate it.”
Jeff nods.
“And seriously,” Jared says, “I’m over it. I’m with Jensen now, and I just want to be done with the whole stupid mess.”
Jeff slants him a look. “So you’re settled on men, then?”
“Yeah, pretty much.”
Jeff nods again. “Okay. It’s going to take a little getting used to, but I’m - you guys look really happy together.”
Both the observation and the sincerity in Jeff’s tone put a smile on Jared’s face. “Thanks. Jensen’s great. He’s just - he’s really…great.”
Jeff snorts. “Wow. You’ve got it bad, man.”
“Oh, pot, kettle, dude,” Jared shoots back, but he’s blushing.
“Yeah, all right,” Jeff concedes. “I guess we’re both lucky.” He throws an arm around Jared’s shoulders. “Come on, man. We’d better be getting back to our other halves.”
* * *
Jensen’s waiting at a table with two plates of cake and two glasses of wine. “Hey,” he says when Jared sits down. “Everything okay?”
Jared makes a show of looking at the cake, wine, and Jensen before letting loose with a grin. “More than.”
The cake’s some kind of chocolate, with a berry layer in the middle and chocolate frosting. Each plate comes with a chocolate-covered strawberry, and that’s what Jared goes for first, holding the stem as he crunches on the chocolate.
It’s wonderful, sweet dark chocolate over tart berry, and Jared can’t help a little moan of delight.
Jensen looks up from his own plate. “Good?”
“Sinful,” Jared says, licking his lips for traces of chocolate.
Jensen’s eyes go dark. “Share with me?”
Jared’s breath catches, but his hand’s steady as he holds out the strawberry. Jensen leans carefully over the table and takes it in his teeth, eyes on Jared as he bites carefully and sucks up the juice. Jensen licks his lips, making a low noise of approval, then darts in for another bite. Jared’s busy watching Jensen’s mouth work (and trying to keep his heart rate from spiking into an unhealthy range, because Jesus), and it’s only a second later that he realizes Jensen finished his strawberry and only a bit of pale fruit and the stem are dangling from his fingers. “Hey!”
He reaches over and snags Jensen’s strawberry from his plate, swallowing it in one big bite, smirking at Jensen’s glare.
Jensen narrows his eyes. “Fine.” He swipes a finger through the frosting on the top of Jared’s cake, scooping up a generous fingerful. “I’ll just be taking this, then.”
But Jared has way too many food fights under his belt to let an easy move that like that get by him, so he grabs Jensen’s wrist and yanks his hand back. He doesn’t even think about it what he’s doing, intent on winning their little fight, until Jensen makes a strangled noise and Jared realizes that he’s sucking the frosting off Jensen’s finger.
He blushes and backs off, but then Jensen’s finger slips out of his mouth with a slick little noise, and oh, God. Jared’s not sure he’s ever been this turned on in his life before, and he knows he’s never gotten this hot at a fucking wedding reception with his extended family literally feet away.
And that reminds him that anyone could have seen that little display, and he looks around guiltily. No one seems to be looking directly at them, thank goodness, but then Jared’s grandma, the crazy one who grabbed Jensen’s ass, drops him a wink, and okay, that’s it. Jared can’t decide if he’s going to die of lust or mortification. Maybe both.
Jensen clears his throat awkwardly. “Uh. Wow.”
“When can we get out of here?” Jared asks, and he’s sort of proud of the fact that his voice is mostly steady, if a bit strained.
Jensen looks around at the restaurant, where the crowd has definitely thinned. Everyone with kids has left, and no one’s dancing anymore, most people relaxing at tables. Even Jeff and Rachel look a little worn out, Rachel’s head resting on Jeff’s shoulder. When Jensen says, “Now sounds good,” there’s no way Jared’s going to disagree.
They say a hasty goodbye to Jared’s parents and the remaining relatives, then a slightly lengthier farewell to the happy couple. Jeff and Rachel are heading to a hotel after this for the weekend and then off on their honeymoon, so no matter how badly Jared wants to get Jensen back to their own hotel room, he spends a few minutes wishing them a good trip. He’ll see his parents and sister before he leaves for L.A., so it’s not such a big deal, but he’d be a bad brother if he didn’t at least harass Jeff a little about being an old married man before they go.
Jensen drives on the way back to the hotel, and Jared plays with the radio to keep his hands busy. He’d love to be distracting Jensen, but a car accident doesn’t sound like a good way to end the night, and Jared’s pretty sure they don’t let you have sex in the hospital, no matter what TV would have you believe.
But since they have a little extra time and no possibility of groping each other, Jared takes the opportunity to bring up one last little thing he’d like to get resolved. “Um, Jensen?”
“Yeah?”
“That night that we - you know, at Jeff’s bachelor party - you didn’t just do that because you thought I wanted to, right? I mean, you actually wanted to, too?”
Jensen brakes for a red light before turning to look at Jared. “Uh, I don’t know what you’re talking about, but I know I’ve never wanted a tutu.”
Jared rolls his eyes. “You know what I mean.”
“I really don’t,” Jensen says. “Try again, without dance apparel.”
“Fine,” Jared says with a glare. “I’m talking about the night when we had sex in this car. Ringing any bells?”
Jensen smirks. “A couple.”
“You didn’t do that just for the money, right? Or because you thought you had to?”
Jensen frowns. “Okay, you seem to have missed the part where I was licking your ear and barely refraining from humping your leg in public. I don’t generally do that to people I don’t want to sleep with.”
“And I’m very glad to hear that,” Jared says. “But your job is to act like you want me, so - “
“Jared, I’m not that good of an actor,” Jensen cuts him off. “Seriously. I put a lot more effort into acting like I didn’t want to jump you every other time I was near you.”
“Oh,” is all Jared can think to say. “Really?”
“Really,” Jensen says firmly, checking over his shoulder before changing lanes. “I even knocked $500 off my usual rate for sex because I really wanted you to take me up on it.”
Jared gapes. “It’s normally two thousand dollars for sex?”
Jensen flicks him a glance. “What, you don’t think I’m worth that?”
“I don’t know if the best sex in the world is worth that! I could buy a giant plasma TV for two grand!”
“Sex is better than a TV!”
“But the TV would last a lot longer!”
“Cheap bastard,” Jensen mutters, flipping on his turn signal for the turn into the hotel’s parking lot. “It’s a good thing you’re getting it for free. Otherwise you’d probably over-evaluate everything.”
He shakes his head. “You’d probably be in the middle of it going, “Hmm. This is pretty good, but I could have gotten the premium movie channels package watched all my favorite Molly Ringwald movies in freaking huge HD.””
Jared laughs. “Aren’t you glad I waited, then? Now I’ll be able to fully enjoy the experience.”
“Whatever,” Jensen says, pulling into a parking space. “Now I don’t have to put as much effort into it.”
“See? Perfect,” Jared says, climbing out of the car. “We’ll both be nice and relaxed and no one will be worrying about TV. No pressure.”
Jensen snorts. “Right.
* * *
And the sex-without-worrying part is really the part Jared wants to get to, but he refrains from dragging Jensen through the lobby at top speed or making out while they wait for the elevators. He rarely ever gets recognized around here, but he’s still something of a familiar face, so it’s probably better to keep things behind closed doors. His family’s not going to say anything, but he’s not sure what would happen to his career if pictures of him making out with Jensen suddenly appeared.
It turns out to be a good thing, because the man working the desk comes running over while they’re waiting very platonically for the elevator, waving something. “Mr. Padalecki!” he says breathlessly, “Someone left this for you at the desk.”
Jared knows what it is before he even takes the envelope, but he waits until the desk clerk is gone before turning to Jensen. “You left the money?”
Jensen shrugs. “Couldn’t exactly charge you when I wasn’t going to finish the job.”
“Yeah, you could’ve,” Jared says. “A lot of people would have.”
Jensen scuffs a toe along the tasseled carpet. “Yeah, well. Turns out I have a soft spot for tall, dark, down-on-their luck and gorgeous.”
The grin that spreads across Jared’s face could probably power Texas. “Yeah? You know a lot of guys like that?”
“Just one,” Jensen says, an adorable shy little smile on his face, and okay. Fuck it. If Tom Cruise can jump couches and insult pregnant women and use his publicity tour to try to convert the masses and still have a career, then Jared can kiss his boyfriend in a hotel lobby.
The elevator finally arrives with a ding, and Jensen walks him backwards without letting go, pulling away only long enough to jam the button for their floor. It’s a good thing they don’t pick up any other passengers on the way, because Jensen’s got Jared’s tux half-dismantled by the time the elevator slows, and Jared has his hand down the back of Jensen’s suit pants, and traumatizing innocent guests isn’t on their to-do list for the night. Maybe tomorrow.
The first thing Jared does, once he gets the hotel room door unlocked and then closed behind them, is push Jensen down on the bed and climb on top of him. Jensen looks a little surprised at being so abruptly laid out under Jared, but he responds eagerly when Jared kisses him, sliding an arm around his waist to pull him closer, and when Jared pulls back to say, “Been wanting to do that since we got here,” he laughs and says, “Same here,” before he drags Jared back down.
Jared’s tux turns out to be a bitch to get off (which, really, makes zero sense. Everyone gets laid after a wedding, especially the groom, so why design formalwear that’s nearly impossible to get out of? It’s just bad planning) but amid messy, heated kisses, Jensen manages to get him down to just his pants before rolling them both over and stripping out of his own suit. Jared goes to unzip his fly, but Jensen bats his hands away before he settles across Jared’s thighs. He’s down to just his underwear (white boxer-briefs this time), and all Jared can think about his how much he wants to get Jensen out of them.
But Jensen’s got plans of his own, and he gets Jared’s pants open and works a hand inside, freeing his cock. He wraps a hand around it, stroking lazily, and when Jared groans and tips his head back, Jensen says, “You really weren’t kidding, huh.”
It takes Jared a minute to figure out what he’s talking about, and when he remembers the conversation with Megan, he can feel his cheeks heat. But he just shrugs a little. “I don’t lie about things that important.”
Jensen snorts. “Right.”
“I don’t,” Jared insists, catching Jensen’s eyes. “Not anymore.”
“Good,” Jensen says, after a pause. “But getting laid tonight is also pretty important to me, so can we get back to that now?”
Jared wasn’t the one who wanted to talk in the first place, but whatever. He shoves Jensen off, sitting up to shuck his pants and boxers, and gets Jensen’s stupidly hot underwear off as well. Then he pushes Jensen down flat on his back, because there’s no way he’s getting Jensen naked and not taking a good, long look at what he’s been lusting after for weeks.
Jensen allows it for a minute, but then he starts getting fidgety, reaching for Jared and shifting on the bed, and Jared has to pin his wrists down to keep him in place. Jensen’s breath catches a little when he does that, and Jared feels an answering spark of heat in his belly. But as much as he’d love to explore that, that’s something for another time, another day when they’ve got hours and something to tie Jensen down with, so Jared can discover exactly what’ll get Jensen begging. And God, does he ever love the thought that he’s going to get to do that, that there’s going to be another time and more after that, but right now he doesn’t have the patience for something like that.
Jensen seems to agree, judging by the hard length leaving a slick trail against Jared’s hip and the way he says, “God, Jared, do something.”
“Like what?” Jared asks, leaning down to press random kisses along Jensen’s shoulder and collarbone, sucking at various spots of skin.
“Anything,” Jensen moans.
Jared knows what he wants to do, has known since practically the first minute he saw Jensen, so he lets go of Jensen’s wrists and moves his mouth lower, nipping across Jensen’s ribs and stomach until he can push Jensen’s legs apart and settle between them.
He switches to licks now, tonguing across Jensen’s balls and along his hip and, once, up his cock. But even as Jensen’s hips lift to push himself toward Jared’s mouth, he backs off and goes back to nipping kisses along Jensen’s inner thighs.
“Jared, I swear to God,” Jensen says roughly, “If you don’t - “
“Don’t what?” Jared asks innocently, but before Jensen can answer he slides his mouth over the head and sucks hard.
Jensen’s only reply is a moan like a drawn-out sigh, and Jared takes that as encouragement and goes back to work, pulling back to tongue around the head before sliding his mouth down as far as it’ll go.
When he lifts off for a second to ask, “That good?” and gets what sounds a lot like “Nnngh” in response, he grins and makes his next move, slicking a finger with spit and trailing it down behind Jensen’s balls to rub against his hole. “How about this? Can I - “
But before he can even finish the question, Jensen’s nodding and gasping, “Back pocket,” waving a hand at the pants he dropped over the side of the bed. When Jared reaches down and hauls them over, he finds lube and a condom, and for some reason, the discovery is insanely hot. Not just that Jensen thought they were going to do this, but the fact that he kept the stuff in his pocket, like he thought they might be so desperate they’d need it for a fuck in the bathroom or the car, like he didn’t want to have to wait.
Jared slicks his fingers quickly, moving back into place, and starts with two. Jensen gasps, stomach tensing, but Jared slips his mouth over his cock again, and he keeps sucking as he works, scissoring his fingers carefully, and it’s not long before he’s sliding in a third and Jensen’s panting and moaning above him.
He makes a disappointed noise when Jared pulls back, but after a second he sits up, too, taking the condom out of Jared’s slippery hand and sliding it on. He squeezes a little at the base, teasing, before finding the lube and squeezing out the last little bit, stroking it up and down.
When Jared starts to move away, a hand on Jensen’s shoulder to guide him down onto the bed, Jensen resists. At Jared’s questioning look, he smirks. “On your back.”
And then he’s pushing Jared down against the pillows and swinging a leg over him, and Jared says, “Thought you weren’t going to put any effort into it.”
“Changed my mind,” Jensen says with a grin. Then he’s got Jared in his hand and he’s lowering himself slowly down, and Jared reaches up to steady him at the hips. Jensen’s eyes slide shut as he settles, and Jared watches him, trying to breathe through the sensation of slick heat surrounding his cock and keep from rushing Jensen.
But it doesn’t take long for the tenseness to melt from Jensen’s muscles, and then he’s moving a little, rocking his hips, letting Jared slip that little bit deeper, and that’s it. He can’t help an answering thrust, sparking a moan from Jensen, and then they’re off, moving together.
And Jensen is definitely a genius for picking this position, because while he feels amazing, it’s the way he looks that’s pushing Jared toward the edge so fast. He’s been lusting over Jensen ever since they met, and to have him above him, naked and gorgeous and flushed, hair dark with sweat and chest going rapidly up and down, is a million times better than any fantasy.
Jared pushes up on an elbow, hooking a hand around Jensen’s neck to pull him down for a sloppy kiss. Jensen groans and sucks hard at his lower lip, a hint of teeth before pulling away, and Jared gasps and shudders.
Before he can even think about it, he’s saying, “Touch yourself. Want to see - “ and Jensen’s sliding a hand around his own cock, jerking roughly.
It’s hands-down the hottest thing Jared’s ever seen, and it’s apparently pretty good from Jensen’s end, too, because it’s not long before he’s coming, mouth open and head back as he arches up, and the sight has Jared digging his fingers into Jensen’s hips, slamming up into him with short, hard thrusts, and coming himself.
Jensen slumps forward, panting hard against Jared, and it’s a while before either of them can move any further. Jared’s head is spinning, and it’s still hard to believe that this actually happened - that Jensen came back, that he’s here now, that they had sex, and that he’s staying. He feels almost stupidly happy, like there’s something huge and bright in his chest, and he has the sudden urge to tell everyone. To hire a skywriter or call the newspaper or throw a fucking parade complete with marching band, just so everyone knows that Jensen’s his.
Everyone already knows, though, which deflates Jared’s enthusiasm a little, but that’s okay. He and Jensen know, and that’s enough.
Jensen stirs then, pulling away and sitting up gingerly, and Jared helps him up and off. Jensen’s legs are a little unsteady when he tries to get up, so Jared pushes him down gently and goes to the bathroom himself for cleanup.
When he climbs back into bed with a warm washcloth, Jensen opens his eyes and says, “So. Was that better than a huge plasma TV?”
Jared pretends to think about it as he wipes Jensen off. “Well, I don’t know. Molly Ringwald in HD would have been pretty awesome. It’d be hard to top that.”
Jensen smacks him weakly, and Jared laughs. “I’m kidding, man. That was worth a hundred plasma TVs.”
He tosses the washcloth toward the bathroom and settles back down next to Jensen, pulling the covers up and sliding in close, arm across Jensen’s waist.
“Well, you know what they say,” Jensen says, yawning and stretching.
“What’s that?”
“The best things in life are free.”
And Jared can’t help but think, boneless and sated with Jensen curled warm and content at his side, that yeah, they really are.
* * *
Jensen wakes him up the next morning with another amazing blowjob, and Jared decides plasma TVs are seriously overrated anyway. He can’t wipe the stupid grin off his face all through breakfast or packing their suitcases. He finally shakes off the post-sex haze when they’re waiting for the elevator again, and he nudges Jensen with an elbow.
Jensen looks up.
“Um,” Jared says awkwardly. “So - we’re really doing this, huh?”
“You mean having an actual relationship where no money is exchanged and we have a lot of awesome sex?” Jensen asks, smirking. “Yeah, we are.”
Jared nods. “And when we get back to L.A.? I mean, it’s going to be different there. We’ll both be working, and your job is kind of - “
“Yeah, I’ve been thinking about that,” Jensen says, leaning against the wall next to the elevator. “The thing is, I’ve been wanting to try the acting thing again. And now sounds like a good time, because I don’t think I’d really be good at the escort thing anymore.”
“No?” Jared asks, just as the elevator doors ding and slide open.
“It wouldn’t be the same,” Jensen says, gathering up his bags. “I think all my characters would just come out as Sad Bastard Hopelessly In Love With Jared Padalecki, anyway.”
And there’s really no way Jared can let Jensen say things like that without kissing him, even if there happens to be an older couple waiting patiently in the elevator. Traumatizing guests was on the schedule for today, after all, and when Jensen grins against his mouth, and Jared figures they can catch another elevator anyway.
When they finally make it to the lobby and settle the bill at the desk, Jensen says, “I can’t promise it’s going to be perfect.”
Jared looks up from the paper copy he’s signing. “What do you mean?”
Jensen shrugs awkwardly. “Even if I quit my job the second we get back, there’s always a chance we’ll run into one of my clients. Or that someone will recognize me as an old client’s boyfriend.”
“Oh,” Jared says. He hadn’t really thought about that. But then again, who really cares? “It’s a big city,” he says, shrugging. “And so what? We could always run into an ex of mine, too, and it would be just as awkward.”
“It’s not quite the same,” Jensen says.
“Jensen, you met Chad,” Jared points out. “Who insulted both of us, denied his relationship with me, then made a pass at me right before his best friend’s wedding. That’s, like, above and beyond the definition of an ex from hell. I’m really not seeing how your former clients could be any worse.”
Jensen looks like he might say something else, but just shrugs and smiles a little. “True.”
They stop by Jared’s house on the way to the airport, just to say a final goodbye to his parents and Megan, and Jared’s pretty sure it’s all three of them know exactly what happened last night, because Jared can’t keep his hands off Jensen. It’s not even intentional - somehow his hand just ends up against the small of Jensen’s back or resting at the back of his neck, and Jensen doesn’t help matters, sticking so close to Jared’s side that he’s practically leaning into him. When they sit down on the couch their legs end up pressed tightly together, and when Jensen asks Jared something, a hand resting on his thigh, he never remembers to move it away. Jared catches his mom smiling at them more than once, and Megan rolls her eyes when Jared misses a question because he’s sneaking a glance at Jensen.
When they go to leave, Jared’s mom pulls him into a hug and says, “I hope we’ll see you at Thanksgiving, honey. And if not, then Christmas.”
She turns to Jensen, giving him a hug as well. “You too, of course, Jensen. The house won’t be as crazy as it was this week, and you and Jared are welcome to stay as long as you like.”
It’d be a weird thing to ask, if his parents actually knew that he and Jensen are just barely a couple, so Jared doesn’t answer, not wanting to presume anything.
Jensen, though, just smiles and says, “I’d love to. Thanks, Mrs. Padalecki,” grinning at Jared.
After Jared’s dad shakes both their hands and tells Jensen it was good to meet him, Megan says she’ll walk them out to the car.
Jared gives her the usual brotherly instructions on the walk to the car - be good at school, don’t get caught, don’t do anything I wouldn’t do. Megan snorts. “Is there even such a thing?”
Jared looks to Jensen for support. “Uh,” Jensen says. “Well, Jared would never rob a bank. Or run off and join the circus.”
Megan laughs. “Well, I hope not.”
“And he’d never give up on something just because it got hard,” Jensen says.
Jared blinks. “I wouldn’t?”
“No,” Jensen says, slipping his hand into Jared’s. “If you think something’s worth it, you go after it. No matter what gets in the way.” He winks. “It’s all that confidence.”
“Yeah,” Jared says, smiling sappily. “It helps when you know just how lucky you are.”
“Okay, I don’t care who caught the bouquet,” Megan says, rolling her eyes. “You two are totally next.”
Jensen chokes on a laugh, and Jared pretends he’s not blushing. “Does that mean you give up?” he asks. “You’re not going to try to lure him away to a desert island with cooking and massages anymore?”
“Nah,” Megan says, waving a hand. “You two are way too cute together. As long as you invite me to your Canadian wedding, I can live with it.”
“Uh,” is all Jared can think to say, blushing bright red, but Jensen grins and says, “Deal, sweetheart. We’ll need someone in the wedding party to wear a dress.”
Megan laughs and hugs Jensen. “Are you sure you don’t have any hot younger brothers or cousins you could hook me up with? I’d settle for a clone. Or a cardboard cut-out.”
“Sorry,” Jared interrupts, pulling Megan away from Jensen and into his own hug. “He’s one-of-a-kind.”
“And all yours, I know,” Megan grumbles, wrapping her arms around Jared.
“Yeah,” Jensen says, grinning at Jared. “Yeah, I am.”