Blended and blessed - NC-17 - Jensen/Jared - part 1
Title: Blended and blessed
Author: benitle
Pairing: Jensen/Jared
Rating: NC-17
Fandom: Supernatural RPS
Summary: Jensen and Jared are single fathers. They met because their children keep on punching each other every day at school.
Word count: ca. 23,000
Warnings: AU
Notes: Written for fluffandfold. Many thanks to _doodle for letting me bounce off ideas. Also many thanks to mittelfeld and lissa_ann for betaing. ♥
This is a piece of fiction and I'm not associated with any of the people mentioned in this fic. Feedback is appreciated greatly. Please enjoy!
He's pretty sure that when he drove her to school this morning, she had two pigtails instead of one with the other half of her hair loose. Her clothes are dirty and Jensen's not even sure he wants to hear what his kid has done this time in all its gory detail.'>The long corridor feels way too familiar for Jensen's liking as he rushes along it, past the science classroom and past the lockers. He passes the boys' and girls' restrooms before he makes his way toward his final destination. By the time he reaches the door, he's a bit out of breath from practically running through Wilton Place Elementary School in L. A.
Only two days ago, Jensen knocked lightly against the very same frosted glass, right where black stickers say Principal's Office, waiting for a woman's voice to call "Come in!"
It's no different today. He's called inside to pick up his daughter after she got into yet another fight, her third one. Quickly, Jensen turns the handle, opens the door and enters the room. He feels incredibly stupid because this is the second time in three days alone that he stands in the outer office with the secretary, Ms. Ferris, suspiciously eying him up and down.
Ms. Ferris acknowledges him with a nod then silently directs his attention to the reason he's here. Out of the corner of his eyes, he sees her sitting in one of the chairs by the wall of the office. Audrey's knees are scraped and angry red.
He's pretty sure that when he drove her to school this morning, she had two pigtails instead of one with the other half of her hair loose. Her clothes are dirty and Jensen's not even sure he wants to hear what his kid has done this time in all its gory detail.
Faster than Audrey can get up and run over to him (or probably limp because this girl has a bit of melodramatic streak), Jensen's by her side, kneeling down on the floor in front of her and opening his arms wide to take her in.
"Daddy," she cries as she scoots forward in her chair until only her little bum is sitting on the edge and then she leans into the embrace.
As soon as she's in his arms, she starts sobbing loudly, bawling words that Jensen doesn't understand because she's crying so hard.
"Shhhh, it's okay, baby," Jensen says as he runs a hand softly over her small back. With his other hand, he strokes over her blonde hair, combing through it because he knows that it'll calm her down. He kisses the top of her head as he continues soothing her. Slowly, he then starts rocking her back and forth until Audrey's hard sobs die down to hiccups and sniffles.
Of course it always takes at least two to fight. Jensen doesn't miss the other girl sitting in the chair next to Audrey. He's not surprised to see her. What was her name again? Sophia? Sophie? Sandra? Ever since Audrey started getting into quarrels, the little troublemaker has become a bit of an archenemy of Audrey.
But right now she looks small and fragile as she's crying silently, big, round tears rolling down her puffy cheeks. Jensen might think that her dad's a moron for not picking her up the last two times the girls got into a fight, but that doesn't mean he doesn't feel sorry for the six year old girl crying right next to him. There's blood underneath her nose and there's an unpleasant feeling spreading in the pit of Jensen's stomach.
Softly, he nudges Audrey away and looks at her. Her green eyes are blood-shot from crying and still wet with tears. Jensen runs a gentle hand over her thigh and then he asks, "Audrey, what did you do this time?"
Audrey doesn't look at him and only hangs her head in shame, giving Jensen more confirmation than he wants right now. Just as Jensen's about to ask her again, Ms. Ferris, who he totally forgot about, suggests that they wait until Mr. Padalecki is here to pick up Sophie.
Jensen snorts when she says that. Because if Mr. Padalecki does it like the last two last times Audrey and Sophie got into a fight, he's sending the nanny while he and his wife are too busy at work to pick up their daughter from school after she's been repeatedly offensive.
Okay, so, Jensen's a single father. He's a happy single father with his daughter being the most important person in his life. He's a theater actor and sometimes the working hours are horribly long and being an actor is not comparable to your usual 24/7 office job, but still, there's nothing that could keep him from being there for his child.
Apparently the Padaleckis see things differently. Both he and the staff at the school were pretty surprised to see the nanny or best friend (whoever she is) turn up to pick Sophie up the first and second time Audrey and she got into a fight. Aside from the fact that Jensen wouldn't be able to afford a nanny, even if he wanted one, he'd never let anybody else collect his child in such a situation.
By the time the nanny or friend finally turned up the first time - when they were all waiting for Mr. Padalecki - Jensen was almost seething with rage. Not only did they all have to wait and waste a lot of time, but also Sophie was all by herself and pretty upset after what has been apparently the very first fight in her life. Not that it was Jensen's job to comfort another person's child, especially not on top of his own.
Jensen considers himself to be an open-minded, laid back and extremely tolerant person, but the name Padalecki is all that he needs to hear to drive him up the wall. He sits down next to Audrey and almost immediately she climbs into his lap.
Strangely enough, today they don't have to wait all that long. Maybe Ms. Ferris was so smart to tell the Padaleckis that this time, their daughter's hurt worse than a few torn out hairs and a couple of scratches. Who knows?
Jensen's shifting Audrey from one leg to the other when there's a light knock on the door. His stomach cramps slightly as Ms. Ferris calls the person in and as the door opens.
The person entering looks nothing like Jensen expected. Jensen, in fact, was expecting the petite, dark-haired woman from last time and not this- this tall, muscular guy. This extremely attractive tall and muscular guy. Jensen's mouth immediately goes dry and his cock twitches a little. Quickly, he shoves Audrey off his lap and stands up.
Jensen's an openly gay man, who enjoys kinky sex and body jewelry in unusual places. He's an openly gay man, who's sexually active and he gets laid plenty. But still, there's a ridiculously sexy man, exactly matching Jensen's type just a few feet away and Jensen certainly didn't anticipate this reaction.
Fuck.
It all happens within seconds but to Jensen it feels like slow motion. The guy clears his throat, holds out his hand for the secretary to shake and then he says, "Hi. Uh, my name's Jared Padalecki."
Wait? What?
Sophie's in Padalecki's arms faster than Jensen can look, squealing "Daddy!" The guy grins at her before he showers her with kisses and squeezes his daughter tight. Jensen's too shocked to actually see the guy for a change to do more than stare. Jared Padalecki looks like this?
Jensen imagined him as an overweight guy with way too much facial hair and not enough hair on his head, or maybe small and skinny, by all means looking like a total loser. Not like the kind of guy Jensen would immediately take home if he met him at his favorite gay bar.
Still stuck somewhat between awe and shock, Jensen keeps staring at the guy. He's exactly how Jensen likes his sexual partners, tall, dark-haired, well-built, bright smile, deep, sexy voice. Jensen briefly shakes his head to clear his thoughts. Just because the guy is attractive, doesn't mean he'll like him all of a sudden; Jensen's not that easy. Plus the guy still sucks at being a father if he can't even manage to pick up his girl from school.
"Well," the secretary says eventually. Jensen takes a step closer to her and Padalecki lets go of his daughter and stands up, taking her small hand in his large one, ridiculously large and sexy if Jensen might add.
"Let's go into the principal's office and see if we can solve this problem," she suggests and for a moment, Jensen almost forgot why he came here in the first place. He picks Audrey up and follows Ms. Ferris into the principal's office, where he sits down in the offered chair, Audrey sitting in his lap again.
Padalecki takes the chair next to his and smiles at him quickly. It's an uncomfortable, forced and embarrassed smile, nothing like that 1000 watt grin the guy was sporting for his daughter earlier. Jensen nods at him politely. Not liking someone doesn't mean you've got the right be a jerk to them.
Then Jensen shifts his attention to the principal, Mr. Morgan, and Jensen wishes this whole situation didn't feel so much like a déjà-vu. The talk goes just like the last two times. The adults try to make it clear to the girls that violence and fighting is not a solution to their problem and that kicking and biting and hitting and scratching isn't going to solve anything.
But when Principal Morgan asks for the reasons they fought, neither girl says anything. They simply fall into mutual silence as if they had a secret pact. No amount of soft but persistent nudging from their dads makes them say anything either. Just like the last two times, Jensen's getting a little frustrated because apparently there's something going down between the two girls but they don't seem to have enough confidence in their parents to tell them what it is.
There is no doubt that something's wrong. Usually, Audrey is not a violent child; she especially doesn't punch other girls in the face. Jensen has never witnessed any kind of aggressive behavior from her. Sure thing, she's a six year old girl, and yeah, she's an only child and Jensen's everything. It's normal that sometimes she's petulant and that she'll stomp her little foot and pout because Jensen doesn't buy her certain things or because he says no. But still, she's never showed any kind of aggression.
Of course, the recent happenings worry Jensen. He doesn't understand his daughter at the moment and he doesn't know what's going on in her head lately. He knows the nature of his child and to make her kick off like this, something bad must have happened, something that upset her so much that she's behaving so differently around Sophie. Around the all the other kids Audrey is friends with and back home, she is perfectly normal.
Jensen steals a glance to the side, looking at the girl who brings out the worst in his daughter. Sophie Padalecki sits on her dad's lap, curled into his chest with her little hand fisted in his shirt. The blood on her face is gone and Jensen assumes that Padalecki wiped it off when Jensen didn't look.
Principal Morgan keeps talking about how they'll have to find a solution to the problem because this is of course not leading to anything. Jensen doesn't even listen properly anymore. It's not as if Principal Morgan was saying anything new. Instead, Jensen's gaze wanders from Sophie to her dad. Padalecki is listening to everything with sharp attention while he cradles his child.
Jensen doesn't want to admit it, but looking at the guy does weird things to his stomach. He fits into Jensen's predatory pattern, if you want to call it that. Padalecki's maybe a bit younger than he is and he's definitely attractive.
Jensen has a thing for tall, strong men who can physically dominate him. Jensen's in no way small or weak so it's not always easy to find such guys. But sometimes he likes rough, hard sex, where his sexual partners can manhandle him. He bets Padalecki could just do that.
Fuck, he really needs to stop thinking about sex right now.
Just in time for the end of the meeting, Jensen manages to get his mind out of the gutter and stop staring at Padalecki. He's not even supposed to like a guy who cares more about his job than his family. For a brief moment, Jensen wonders what kind of job could be more important than a child.
Eventually, Principal Morgan dismisses them and as they stand outside the office, in the long corridor of the school, only the four of them, there's an awkward moment of silence. Neither Jensen nor Padalecki rush off immediately as they stand opposite each other. Their girls are next to them, holding on to their daddies' hands.
Jensen doesn't know what to say. There's a million questions he wants to ask, a million accusations he wants to make. There's nothing that should ever be more important to you than your child. Maybe Jensen has been a single father for too long and maybe he's just too used to the fact that there are not really a lot of other people he can rely on when it comes to taking care of Audrey. Not that he'd want it any other way though.
"I'm Jared," Padalecki says eventually, holding out his hand for Jensen to shake. There's a smile on his face, a little less embarrassed, a little less uncomfortable than the last one he gave Jensen.
"Jensen."
Jensen takes his hand and shakes it shortly and firmly. A cold shiver runs down his spine and Jensen curses inwardly because really, he gets laid plenty, his body shouldn't react to such a simple touch like this. But there's something about Padalecki, there's something about Jared, that has him intrigued.
"I guess I should apologize for Audrey's behavior," Jensen then says, his eyes meeting Jared's.
There's a flicker of amusement in Jared's eyes. Then he says, "Oh, don't worry. I know that Sophie's no saint either."
Usually, Jensen's pretty good at this whole small talk thing, usually, he'll always find something to say. And usually, it's particularly easy when he's having a conversation with fellow parents. There's kids to talk about and school and everything that comes with it. But then, the other parents usually aren't that damn attractive and Jensen doesn't think they lose at parenting. He doesn't want to talk to Jared about bringing up a child.
"Yeah, let's just hope the girls know how to behave now," Jensen says. His gaze wanders from Jared to Audrey, giving her a quick, stern look. Audrey lowers her head in shame as her grip on Jensen's hand tightens.
"Ah, don't be so hard on her," Jared says. He even gives a little laugh.
Jensen's head immediately shoots up as he stares at Jared in disbelief. Is the guy who didn't even bother show up the last two times really trying to tell him how to treat his daughter? The guy who cares more about his job than his kid?
Jensen's somewhere between irritated, perplexed and angry. He bites his cheek in order not to snap at Jared and say something he doesn't want his daughter to hear. After all, he's the adult and he should set a good example.
"I guess that's for me to decide," Jensen says, trying his hardest to stay calm.
Jared huffs a breath, probably not anticipating Jensen's reaction. He probably expected Jensen to laugh and shrug at it, but you know, maybe he just hit a sore spot. Jensen and Audrey have been fine on their own for the last five and a half years and Jensen certainly doesn't need anyone to tell him how to bring up his daughter and how not to.
Before Jared can say any more, Jensen goes on. Jensen's mouth works faster than his brain as he blurts out, "I'm not sure whether you missed the memo the last two times because you and your wife were too busy caring more about your stupid work than your child, but this is the third time my daughter has gotten into a physical fight with your daughter. I'm not keen on letting this happen again. If not for the sole sake of my child."
Jared looks dumbfounded and as soon as Jensen registers what he just said, he regrets having mentioned the job thing. He stares at Jared for a few seconds and Jared stares back at him with his mouth open. Jensen wishes the earth would open up and swallow him. Quickly, he grabs Audrey and stalks down the corridor to rush toward his car and back home. He's really not up for a discussion about this and he feels so stupid. As he practically runs from Jared, he can hear Jared calling out for him, but thankfully, Jared doesn't follow.
On their way back home, Audrey doesn't talk very much. No matter how hard Jensen tries, he can't convince her to tell him what's upsetting her so much that it would make her punch another girl in the face. See, Jensen believes in talking about things and that there are always other ways to solve problems than violence. That's why it shocked him in the first place when Audrey got into a fight the first time. He always thought that he'd managed to bring his child up well, even though he did most of that all by himself.
He always believed in being honest with his daughter, to make her understand things and to make sure she turned out tolerant as well. Okay, Audrey is only six years old and there are things she doesn't understand fully yet, but the things she's old enough to understand, Jensen explains to her.
One of the things Jensen had to explain to her was what being gay means. He's never really had an interest in women and he's been gay ever since he was in his teens. This is maybe not a surprise when you know that on top of being an actor, he also named his child after Audrey Hepburn. Anyway, he never makes a big deal out of it in front of his child.
He never hides the fact that there's never going to be a mommy and that at best, there might be two daddies, but most of the time, not even that. Audrey always seems to be fine with that. When she was born, Jensen has been in a long-term relationship he thought that was going to last forever.
Tom, his boyfriend, and he took the decision together to have a child and soon found a surrogate mother to give birth for them rather than adopting. Biologically speaking, Jensen is the father of Audrey but back when Audrey was born, it didn't feel as if the baby was only his child, she was theirs. When Audrey was six months old, Tom and Jensen broke up and Jensen was left with his daughter.
It was extremely hard at first. Not only did Jensen have to deal with a long-term relationship ending, the man he thought was the love of his life leaving him, but he was also alone with a small child who needed all of his attention. It hasn't always been easy with working and taking care of Audrey, but somehow he managed. Maybe that's one of the things that makes him so angry when he sees how the Padaleckis treat their child. Jensen knows that sometimes it's hard to balance work and family, but he damn well knows that it's possible.
Despite his situation not always being easy, Jensen's confident that he can give his daughter all the love, attention and comfort she needs and that there's no need for another someone to make their little family perfect. Sure thing, Jensen knows that sometimes he needs a certain someone for his own, that he has adult needs. That's when he'll accept one of those invitations to a one-time thing made to him whenever he's going out. But he never looks for a long-term relationship.
Sometimes Chris, his best friend, teases him about whoring his way through the city and maybe Chris is right, maybe Jensen sleeps around and has a lot of different sexual partners, but at least he's not pretending to be looking for something he's not. Each and every man Jensen sleeps with knows that Jensen's not going to sleep with him again.
It's all in the open and Jensen is a man for speaking out his thoughts clearly and directly. Sometimes a bit too clearly and a bit too directly. He can't help but think about his earlier conversation with Jared Padalecki as he pulls into the driveway, a pouting Audrey in the backseat. Maybe Jensen should have kept his mouth shut, maybe he shouldn't have let himself get carried away. It's not in his right to judge other people, no matter how much the Padaleckis' attitude annoys him.
One thing he certainly did right though, is not giving in when Audrey whined how much she wanted to eat at McDonald's. Jensen explained to her that she'd done something bad and therefore they couldn't go to McDonald's today. She's still pouting and Jensen knows that she'll pout all the way through dinner when she'll mopishly stab her vegetables, but still, he's not giving in.
"Come on, pumpkin," Jensen says as he opens the door and leads her into the house. He's glad to be back home and when Jensen allows Audrey to watch cartoons, she already seems less grouchy. The joy of television.
Later Chris calls and announces that he's coming over for the evening and that he'll bring the beer. Jensen thinks he could use one of those after today. For a few minutes they talk about Audrey and then Chris promises, or rather threatens, that he'll talk to her. For a while Jensen thought that if Chris were at least the slightest bi or gay, then he'd be the perfect partner for him and the perfect second dad for Audrey. However, that was before Jensen discovered that Chris and he disagree on quite a few things when it comes to bringing up a child.
Whenever Chris watches Audrey for the night because Jensen has to work, she's totally hyped up from all the sugary crap Chris lets her eat by the time Jensen comes back home. But Audrey loves Chris. Her admiration goes so far that Jensen would even call it a crush. It's kind of cute and Jensen's sure that by the time Audrey's twenty and Chris is all old and wrinkled, she'll be embarrassed by the fact that she used to assure everyone how she was going to marry Chris when she was a little girl. That's a day Jensen's looking forward to.
So when Chris suggests that he talk to Audrey, Jensen has mixed feelings about this. However, as soon as Chris comes over that evening, six-pack of Budweiser in one hand and big Toys R Us bag in the other, Jensen should have known that his concerns were justified.
"Hey man!" Chris greets Jensen, thrusting the beer into his hands.
Jensen wants to ask what's up with the suspicious bag when Chris calls out for Audrey and only gives Jensen a wink. "Princess!"
Audrey immediately comes running and hugs Chris before she gives him a sloppy kiss on the cheek. She eyes the bag with interest and Chris laughs as he reaches into it. Jensen wants to remind him that Audrey has not been a good girl today and that she certainly doesn't deserve presents when Chris pulls out a new Barbie from the bag. Jensen's eyes widen in shock and just as he goes to reach for the doll, Audrey spots it and squeals happily.
Jensen's not the type of guy who buys his daughter a lot of Barbies. Dolls, sure, but not Barbies. The problem he has with those is that he doesn't want his daughter to take those as a role model when it comes to femininity and beauty. He doesn't want his daughter to develop complexes because she most likely won't look like such a doll.
But now the harm is done. When Jensen thinks it couldn't get worse, Chris says, "Hey, Princess. I heard you threw your first punch today. Gimme five!"
And then he holds out his hand and Jensen doesn't trust his eyes and ears. Chris even goes on and asks, "Did she bleed?"
Audrey grins broadly and nods quickly and Chris - the ass - goes as far as congratulating her. It takes Jensen a split second until he realizes in shock what just happened. Jensen's hand circles around Chris' upper arm and gives it a quick and forceful pull until Chris is standing up.
"Dude," Jensen snarls, trying very hard to keep his voice down. It's not easy because he's so aggravated. "I spent most of the afternoon lecturing my daughter and explaining to her why she can't punch other children!"
But Chris only grins broadly and blinks a few times at Jensen as if he were the most innocent person on earth. "Chill, Jen. At least you know she can take care of herself."
"But that's not what it's about, Chris!" Jensen says, a little louder and a little angrier now. Audrey quickly looks up at them with questioning eyes and the last thing Jensen wants right now is to fight with Chris in front of his daughter.
"Daddy and Chris will be right back, baby," he says as he drags Chris into the kitchen, leaving Audrey with the doll in the living room. He hates that he'll have to take it away from her later because he can't just let her keep a reward for something she shouldn't have done in the first place.
"Jen, she just got into a fight. It's no biggie," Chris tries to defend himself.
Jensen shakes his head as he puts the beers into the fridge. "Chris, you can't just undermine my authority. I'm her father and when I tell her that it's bad that she's hitting other children, you can't come over and give her a fucking Barbie doll and reward her for something that's wrong."
"I get into fights all the time," Chris says, shrugging his shoulders. "There's nothing wrong with being tough."
Despite the situation, Jensen smiles at the various memories of Chris getting into fights. Out of their group of close friends, it's always Chris to be the first to cause trouble and the last to try and get them out of it. Jensen's thankful for his other friends who, unlike Chris, believe that issues should not be solved by throwing punches.
"But you're a grown man, Chris. Audrey's a six year old girl. Can't you see that I'm worried? She's a good girl and becoming violent is just not like her," Jensen admits.
Chris puts a hand on Jensen's arm and squeezes it gently. He smiles at Jensen and Jensen can already feel his anger fading. Sometimes, Jensen hates how easily Chris has wrapped him around his little finger. "Listen, man. I get it. But I'm sure that it's only a phase, okay? It'll go away all by itself. You keep telling her that she can't do that and I stop giving her presents. Deal?"
Jensen smiles and nods. He sighs as he opens two bottles of beer, handing one over to Chris, keeping the other for himself.
"I don't like that she's become all quiet lately. There's clearly something that's bothering her but she won't tell me what it is," Jensen sighs again.
Chris takes a few drinks from his beer and then wipes his mouth with the back of his hand. "It's always the same girl she's fighting with, right?"
"Yeah. Sophie Padalecki," Jensen says, nodding.
Chris thinks for a moment, scratching at his chin as he does. "Maybe that Sophie girl is bullying her. Did you ever think about that?"
Of course, Jensen thought about it. There must be a reason why Audrey's become so quiet and why she isn't so enthusiastic about school anymore. She's a first grader. At that age, all kids are proud that they can finally go to school because it means they're all grown up. But somehow, Audrey's changed and whines more and more often that she doesn't want to go anymore. So yeah, of course Jensen played the scenario of Sophie bullying Audrey through in his mind.
Eventually, he says, "I don't know. I mean, course I thought about it, but Sophie doesn't look the type. She looks all sweet with her big, brown eyes and her curly, brown hair."
When Jensen says that, Chris only snorts and shakes his head. "Yeah, dude. But Audrey doesn't look like the type to punch other girls either. Maybe you should talk to Sophie's parents."
Chris is suggesting what? Talking to Padalecki again? Quickly, Jensen bursts out, "Oh God, I can't do that."
Chris only gives him a weird look and then he asks, "Why not?"
Jensen doesn't answer immediately. He takes his sweet time taking a long gulp from his beer and then he runs a hand over his face before he says, "Her father showed up today. The first time ever. And fuck, I've been such an idiot."
"You, an idiot? No way, Jen," Chris laughs, definitely not understanding the gravity of the situation.
This time it's Jensen's turn to snort because this isn't as funny as Chris thinks it was. "Dude! Look, I told you before that they piss me off because apparently they care more about their jobs than their kid. I mean, they didn't even come pick her up the first two times but sent the nanny. And today I told him what I thought. I- I was so annoyed because he was telling me not to be so hard on Audrey and I just lost it. 'Cause I was so angry that a guy like Padalecki would lecture me on how to treat my child. So I kinda told him that he's an ass for caring more about his job than his child."
Jensen takes a deep breath and prepares himself for Chris laughing at him and calling him an idiot, this is Chris after all. But Chris only stares at him in disbelief and asks, "You did what?"
"I know. I shouldn't have. But I just lost it," Jensen defends himself. "I want to know what's wrong with my child and then along comes this idiot and makes stupid suggestions. I just wasn't thinking very clearly."
Then, out of the blue and totally ignoring everything Jensen just said the last few minutes, Chris asks, "That Padalucky guy hot?"
Jensen's perplexed at first because he didn't expect such a question at all. Sure thing, Chris and he talk about relationships or flings or whatever's happening at the moment, but still, Jensen didn't expect the question at all. "Huh? What? Uh, and it's -lecki not -lucky."
This only leads to Chris repeating his question. "Whatever. So, is the guy hot? You usually don't think very clearly as soon as you're round hot guys." He grins.
"Chris!" Jensen's cheeks start burning. He feels a bit as if he were caught in the act because, yeah, Jared is hot and Jensen's been thinking about that. It doesn't change anything about the situation though. Eventually, he admits, "Yeah, he's hot. Tall, strong, dark hair, bright smile."
There's a flicker of something in Chris' eyes and it only takes Jensen a split second to read his thoughts. Just like Tom. Jensen's stomach jumps because the last subject he wants to bring up right now is Tom and how Chris thinks Jensen should get committed again. Or how Chris thinks Jensen is only sleeping around because he's not over Tom leaving him, even five and a half years later. Jensen groans because he's just not up for this argument, not today.
So when Chris says, "Just your type," and not what Jensen feared he'd say, he's a little relieved.
"Yeah, just my type," Jensen repeats. "But the guy's married and straight, so don't even go there. I can get laid all by myself, thanks. In fact, I do plenty."
Chris grins broadly at that and winks at him. "Just sayin', dude. I still think you should talk to the guy. This isn't about you or him. This is about your kid, Jensen."
Jensen sighs before he admits, "Yeah, you're right."
They spend a nice evening in each other's company, watching a football match and drinking some more beer. Audrey's happily playing with her new doll but as soon as Jensen tries to take it away from her, her eyes tear up and she starts crying. No matter how hard he explains to her that she can't have it because she's been a bad girl, she just won't understand.
Eventually, Jensen gives in and lets her keep the Barbie. As soon as he tells her, her tears magically stop and Chris grins. Somehow Jensen can't shake the feeling that Chris has something to do with it, but he's got no energy to question it any further.
Chris tries talking to Audrey but she won't tell him either what's up or why she's fighting with Sophie in the first place. It's a little frustrating because sending Chris to talk to her always worked in the past and now Jensen's at his wits' end.
After Jensen puts Audrey to bed and kisses her goodnight, Chris and he keep talking about random things. About their jobs, about this girl Chris has been sort-of-dating recently, a little more about Audrey. Padalecki doesn't come up again.
It takes exactly another two days until Jensen's being called into the principal's office again because Audrey and Sophie got into their third fight in a week. The only positive thing Jensen can think of as he makes his way into the office, is that thankfully it's Friday and there won't be any other fights this week.
He's surprised, no, he's shocked to see Jared Padalecki already sitting in the office upon Jensen's arrival. Jensen's cheeks burn as Jared glances at him, a mixture between anger and compassion on his face. Jensen didn't expect Jared and even less, did he expect him to be there before Jensen.
Looking at the girls, Jensen sees that there's more blood than the last time and it worries him that apparently the girls are getting more violent. He's still busy calming Audrey down and clearing the mixture of blood and snot from her face when they're asked into Principal Morgan's office.
The procedure seems to go as each time before. The girls are asked what's wrong and about the reason for their fight, but neither is saying anything. With each minute that passes, Jensen fears that Chris' suggestion is going to happen. He'll have to talk to Padalecki and try to figure this out without the school's help. That's not something he's looking forward to.
Principal Morgan suggests then that maybe both families see a counselor with the girls and really, that's something Jensen doesn't want to do unless it's the last resort. But all of a sudden, Audrey bursts out the reason for this mess, apparently, it's been brewing inside her so badly that she just couldn't keep it to herself anymore.
"Sophie said my daddy's a fag!" she exclaims, only to immediately curl against Jensen's chest and to cling to him.
Almost everyone's eyes spring wide open in the room. Of all the things Jensen expected, it was not this. He thought, maybe the girls liked the same boy or that maybe they were fighting because of their different clothing. While Sophie looks like a little princess with her pink dress with white polka dots and sparkly pink hairclips, Audrey's more of a tomboy, mostly dressed in jeans and plain shirts. Or he thought that maybe they just hated each other out of principle and there was not even a real reason.
He never dared imagine that his sexuality was the problem, maybe because it's never been a real problem before. Though he has to admit that he's not sure that either Audrey or Sophie knows what the word means in the first place. Audrey for sure understands the word gay, but of course, fag is not a word Jensen would ever use to describe himself and his sexuality. He tightens his arms around his daughter, still totally speechless.
Jared Padalecki is the first to find his voice again. "Is that true, Sophie?" he asks, his tone stern.
Sophie whimpers and doesn't look at her father when she defends herself, "But the boys from the fourth grade said it first, daddy!"
Jared sighs and then he says, "Sophie, do you understand what the word means? Do you know what a fag is?"
Sophie simply shakes her head and Jensen is somewhat mesmerized by the interaction between Jared and his daughter. From one second to the next, his strict tone has become soft and gentle. There's definitely something loving in the way he reproves his child and maybe Jensen did the guy a little wrong.
"What did we say about you using words you don't understand?" Jared asks, nudging Sophie until she looks at him.
"I- I shouldn't use them and- and I should ask you what they mean, daddy," she says in shame.
Then, Jared smiles and nods at Sophie before he kisses the top of her head and says, "I think you owe someone an apology, Sophie."
Sophie sighs as if the weight of the world was on her shoulders but then she apologizes to Audrey and even to Jensen. It takes a little convincing but eventually Audrey accepts the apology and promises that she's not going to hit Sophie anymore if Sophie stops calling her daddy a fag.
It feels like a huge load being taken of Jensen's mind. At least, he knows now what's wrong and that's something he can work with. Also, the problem with Sophie seems to be solved and all that's left is maybe those fourth-graders who started with the name calling.
It takes some encouraging but eventually, Audrey admits that some of the older boys have been bullying her and since she has no chance against a group of boys who are three years older than her, she took it out on Sophie whenever she had the chance. She's reluctant at first but then she gives out the names of the boys and Sophie even adds a few.
Principal Morgan promises that he'll take care of the issue and that he'll talk to the mentioned children and their parents. With a smile he dismisses the two families, but not before he suggests that maybe Sophie and Audrey should spend some free time together to get over the animosities between them.
Jensen swallows hard but he has to agree that maybe Morgan's right. It's certainly not a bad idea even if that means that Jared and he have to spend the afternoon together with the kids.
They're standing in the corridor just like two days ago and Jensen doesn't know how to apologize to Jared for what he said. Jared doesn't look mad; he only looks a little uncomfortable. Eventually Jensen pulls himself together and says, "Jared, I'm sorry for what I said last time. I- I shouldn't have. It's not in my right to judge."
Jared smiles at him then and shakes his head. "Don't worry. Maybe you're right. I've been engrossed a little too much with work lately. But it's not always easy as a single parent, you know?"
Oh.
Jensen's ears perk up because a hot man, standing really close to him, just admitted that he's single. Of course, Jensen knows that single doesn't automatically equal gay but it's already better than definitely straight and happily married. Jensen wants to ask whether Jared's divorced or not, but he knows that it would only make him look stupid. Especially after Jared just found out that Jensen's gay.
Instead, Jensen says, "Yeah, I can relate. It's not always easy."
And then, something happens that Jensen didn't think would happen. Jared smiles at him again, picking Sophie up and asks, "What d'you guys say, I've got the day off and since it's only midday, why don't we go somewhere? Go and get something to eat and then hit the park, all together."
Sophie grins and nods enthusiastically and wow, she's got a grin just like her dad. Jensen crouches down in front of Audrey and strokes over her hair. She's still upset, having had to tell the names of her tormentors hasn't been easy for her. Jensen kisses her and then asks, "What do you think, pumpkin? D'you want to go to McDonalds and then spend the afternoon with Sophie in the park? Hm, baby?"
She thinks for a few good moments and then she nods and smiles weakly. Later, as soon as Jensen sets a Happy Meal down in front of her, she brightens up and even goes as far as discussing the toy she got with Sophie. Jensen has a few questions about Jared but he doesn't bring them up in front of the kids.
The weather outside is good and that's why they decide to go to the park and spend some time at the playground. Jared says they don't live far from it and that he and Sophie will meet Jensen and Audrey there and that he'll take the opportunity to go home and get his two dogs for a walk.
The dogs turn out to be fairly big and at first Audrey's a little afraid of them. But when Sophie assures that they're nice dogs and that they don't bite, Audrey even pets them, immediately warming up to the animals.
Jensen's surprised at how quickly everything changes between the girls. They're not best friends or anything yet but all the hostilities and the anger between them are forgotten. It's a miracle.
The afternoon goes well. The girls seem to connect more and more as they run through the park, the dogs always at their heels, barking happily and after a few awkward moments, Jensen even finds talking to Jared more and more easy. At first they talk about the girls and their different point of views on the happenings of the recent weeks, but soon enough, the subjects become a little more personal.
"So how come you're a single father?" Jensen then asks. Jared Padalecki certainly doesn't look like the type of guy who couldn't find a willing woman to mother his child. Not with his tall, strong frame, his bright smile and those huge hands, Jensen doesn't allow himself to think about too much.
Jared takes a sip from his Starbucks decaf iced white chocolate mocha before he says, "Lisa, my wife, passed when Sophie was only one and a half. She died in a car crash."
"I'm sorry," Jensen says honestly. When he looks to the side, there's a sad expression on Jared's face.
"Thanks," Jared smiles weakly. "It's one of the reasons I wanted to become a paramedic, you know. I want to help people."
Jensen wants to add that the working hours must be shit and that this can't be good for a father-child relationship but he fears that it'll only sound accusing again. Instead, he just snorts.
Suddenly, Jared snickers and when Jensen gives him an irritated look, Jared says, "I know what you're thinking."
Oh really?
"Yeah?" Jensen asks, eyeing Jared suspiciously. "What am I thinking?"
Jared only grins at him and says, "You're thinking 'how can a single father have such a job with working hours like that? What an idiot!'"
Jensen feels his cheeks burn because fair enough, this is exactly what was on his mind. Maybe except for the idiot thing. Jared Padalecki does not look like an idiot at second glance.
"Maybe," Jensen admits and Jared only bursts out laughing.
They're interrupted by Sophie and Audrey who come running, asking for drinks. After the kids are taken care of, Jared becomes serious and says, "It's true. The working hours are shit as a paramedic, but thank God, I've got people I can rely on and trust when it comes to helping out. Usually, Sophie stays at my friend Sandy's whenever I'm at work. The one that picked her up from school the first two times, you know?"
Oh yeah, Jensen does remember the petite, dark-haired woman. First, he mistook her for Mrs. Padalecki, but when she introduced herself as a family friend and not as Sophie's mother, he thought that she was the nanny. He never planned on asking the question, but before he can stop his mouth, it's out. "So you never got Sophie a new mom? What about your friend Sandy? She seemed pretty close to her."
For a moment, Jensen fears that he said something he shouldn't have. After all, he doesn't really know Jared and maybe he doesn't like being asked personal questions.
"Nah," Jared says, no traces of anger on his face. "She's just a friend. I just- I never dated anyone ever since Lisa passed. It- it always felt like cheating on her."
Wow. And with that Jared's index of being desirable just sank by at least 50 percent. Not that there's anything wrong with being celibate, it's a somewhat honorable motive, but to Jensen this often translates to vanilla and plain boring. Not that Jensen was making plans of how to get Jared Padalecki sprawled out naked underneath him, but if he did, this would definitely put an end to his plans and make it easier not to focus on Jared's hotness. What a waste of good looks.
"That's… honorable," Jensen eventually says.
Jared gives him a confused look but doesn't ask any questions about it. Jensen doesn't say anything either as they sit next to each other in silence, happy with watching the girls play.
Eventually, Jared does ask a question though. "Why are you single? I mean, you're gay, but that doesn't have to mean that you can't be in a relationship."
Jensen takes a moment to think how much he wants to tell Jared. In the end, he goes for a mixture of saying some things and not saying others. "I was in a long-term relationship for many years. The guy was my first and big love. We eventually decided to have Audrey with the help of a surrogate mother," Jensen explains. "I'm Audrey's biological father. But once we had the baby things changed and we broke up eventually. Audrey was too young back then to even remember him properly."
Jared nods and looks at Jensen. There's something in his eyes that makes Jensen's palms sweat and his knees weak, even though he decided earlier that the guy's a total square. "But that doesn't explain why you're single," Jared states.
"Right, it doesn't," Jensen admits. "I guess, I've just not found the right person. I mean, it's one thing for me to break up with someone, but I don't want to have to explain to Audrey why someone she started considering a second parent is no longer a part of her life."
What he really wants to say is how he just couldn't stand someone who means a lot to him walking out of his and his daughter's life again. Maybe he's just too scared to get hurt again. Who knows, maybe there's a grain of truth in what Chris always says. Maybe this is not only about Audrey.
Jared seems to be satisfied with this answer as the conversation leads from Jensen being single to Jensen's job and friends. The afternoon passes quickly and soon enough, Jensen and Jared have to tell the girls that they'll have to go home now. There's a lot of whining and pouting involved but eventually they say their good-byes.
The day went a lot better than Jensen anticipated. On their way back, Audrey chatters happily about how Sophie's her friend now, all thoughts of wanting to hit her forgotten. Jensen's relieved and when he suggests that they'll see each other on Monday at classes, she already seems a lot more enthusiastic about school again.
Jensen thinks back to his conversation with Jared and all the things he learned about the guy. Jared's still hot as hell; too bad he seems to be such a tightass. Too bad that tightass is so not Jensen's type. Jensen concludes that he definitely has to go out this weekend and get laid, if he's lusting after Audrey's classmates' straight daddies. That's not a good sign .
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3
Author: benitle
Pairing: Jensen/Jared
Rating: NC-17
Fandom: Supernatural RPS
Summary: Jensen and Jared are single fathers. They met because their children keep on punching each other every day at school.
Word count: ca. 23,000
Warnings: AU
Notes: Written for fluffandfold. Many thanks to _doodle for letting me bounce off ideas. Also many thanks to mittelfeld and lissa_ann for betaing. ♥
This is a piece of fiction and I'm not associated with any of the people mentioned in this fic. Feedback is appreciated greatly. Please enjoy!
He's pretty sure that when he drove her to school this morning, she had two pigtails instead of one with the other half of her hair loose. Her clothes are dirty and Jensen's not even sure he wants to hear what his kid has done this time in all its gory detail.'>The long corridor feels way too familiar for Jensen's liking as he rushes along it, past the science classroom and past the lockers. He passes the boys' and girls' restrooms before he makes his way toward his final destination. By the time he reaches the door, he's a bit out of breath from practically running through Wilton Place Elementary School in L. A.
Only two days ago, Jensen knocked lightly against the very same frosted glass, right where black stickers say Principal's Office, waiting for a woman's voice to call "Come in!"
It's no different today. He's called inside to pick up his daughter after she got into yet another fight, her third one. Quickly, Jensen turns the handle, opens the door and enters the room. He feels incredibly stupid because this is the second time in three days alone that he stands in the outer office with the secretary, Ms. Ferris, suspiciously eying him up and down.
Ms. Ferris acknowledges him with a nod then silently directs his attention to the reason he's here. Out of the corner of his eyes, he sees her sitting in one of the chairs by the wall of the office. Audrey's knees are scraped and angry red.
He's pretty sure that when he drove her to school this morning, she had two pigtails instead of one with the other half of her hair loose. Her clothes are dirty and Jensen's not even sure he wants to hear what his kid has done this time in all its gory detail.
Faster than Audrey can get up and run over to him (or probably limp because this girl has a bit of melodramatic streak), Jensen's by her side, kneeling down on the floor in front of her and opening his arms wide to take her in.
"Daddy," she cries as she scoots forward in her chair until only her little bum is sitting on the edge and then she leans into the embrace.
As soon as she's in his arms, she starts sobbing loudly, bawling words that Jensen doesn't understand because she's crying so hard.
"Shhhh, it's okay, baby," Jensen says as he runs a hand softly over her small back. With his other hand, he strokes over her blonde hair, combing through it because he knows that it'll calm her down. He kisses the top of her head as he continues soothing her. Slowly, he then starts rocking her back and forth until Audrey's hard sobs die down to hiccups and sniffles.
Of course it always takes at least two to fight. Jensen doesn't miss the other girl sitting in the chair next to Audrey. He's not surprised to see her. What was her name again? Sophia? Sophie? Sandra? Ever since Audrey started getting into quarrels, the little troublemaker has become a bit of an archenemy of Audrey.
But right now she looks small and fragile as she's crying silently, big, round tears rolling down her puffy cheeks. Jensen might think that her dad's a moron for not picking her up the last two times the girls got into a fight, but that doesn't mean he doesn't feel sorry for the six year old girl crying right next to him. There's blood underneath her nose and there's an unpleasant feeling spreading in the pit of Jensen's stomach.
Softly, he nudges Audrey away and looks at her. Her green eyes are blood-shot from crying and still wet with tears. Jensen runs a gentle hand over her thigh and then he asks, "Audrey, what did you do this time?"
Audrey doesn't look at him and only hangs her head in shame, giving Jensen more confirmation than he wants right now. Just as Jensen's about to ask her again, Ms. Ferris, who he totally forgot about, suggests that they wait until Mr. Padalecki is here to pick up Sophie.
Jensen snorts when she says that. Because if Mr. Padalecki does it like the last two last times Audrey and Sophie got into a fight, he's sending the nanny while he and his wife are too busy at work to pick up their daughter from school after she's been repeatedly offensive.
Okay, so, Jensen's a single father. He's a happy single father with his daughter being the most important person in his life. He's a theater actor and sometimes the working hours are horribly long and being an actor is not comparable to your usual 24/7 office job, but still, there's nothing that could keep him from being there for his child.
Apparently the Padaleckis see things differently. Both he and the staff at the school were pretty surprised to see the nanny or best friend (whoever she is) turn up to pick Sophie up the first and second time Audrey and she got into a fight. Aside from the fact that Jensen wouldn't be able to afford a nanny, even if he wanted one, he'd never let anybody else collect his child in such a situation.
By the time the nanny or friend finally turned up the first time - when they were all waiting for Mr. Padalecki - Jensen was almost seething with rage. Not only did they all have to wait and waste a lot of time, but also Sophie was all by herself and pretty upset after what has been apparently the very first fight in her life. Not that it was Jensen's job to comfort another person's child, especially not on top of his own.
Jensen considers himself to be an open-minded, laid back and extremely tolerant person, but the name Padalecki is all that he needs to hear to drive him up the wall. He sits down next to Audrey and almost immediately she climbs into his lap.
Strangely enough, today they don't have to wait all that long. Maybe Ms. Ferris was so smart to tell the Padaleckis that this time, their daughter's hurt worse than a few torn out hairs and a couple of scratches. Who knows?
Jensen's shifting Audrey from one leg to the other when there's a light knock on the door. His stomach cramps slightly as Ms. Ferris calls the person in and as the door opens.
The person entering looks nothing like Jensen expected. Jensen, in fact, was expecting the petite, dark-haired woman from last time and not this- this tall, muscular guy. This extremely attractive tall and muscular guy. Jensen's mouth immediately goes dry and his cock twitches a little. Quickly, he shoves Audrey off his lap and stands up.
Jensen's an openly gay man, who enjoys kinky sex and body jewelry in unusual places. He's an openly gay man, who's sexually active and he gets laid plenty. But still, there's a ridiculously sexy man, exactly matching Jensen's type just a few feet away and Jensen certainly didn't anticipate this reaction.
Fuck.
It all happens within seconds but to Jensen it feels like slow motion. The guy clears his throat, holds out his hand for the secretary to shake and then he says, "Hi. Uh, my name's Jared Padalecki."
Wait? What?
Sophie's in Padalecki's arms faster than Jensen can look, squealing "Daddy!" The guy grins at her before he showers her with kisses and squeezes his daughter tight. Jensen's too shocked to actually see the guy for a change to do more than stare. Jared Padalecki looks like this?
Jensen imagined him as an overweight guy with way too much facial hair and not enough hair on his head, or maybe small and skinny, by all means looking like a total loser. Not like the kind of guy Jensen would immediately take home if he met him at his favorite gay bar.
Still stuck somewhat between awe and shock, Jensen keeps staring at the guy. He's exactly how Jensen likes his sexual partners, tall, dark-haired, well-built, bright smile, deep, sexy voice. Jensen briefly shakes his head to clear his thoughts. Just because the guy is attractive, doesn't mean he'll like him all of a sudden; Jensen's not that easy. Plus the guy still sucks at being a father if he can't even manage to pick up his girl from school.
"Well," the secretary says eventually. Jensen takes a step closer to her and Padalecki lets go of his daughter and stands up, taking her small hand in his large one, ridiculously large and sexy if Jensen might add.
"Let's go into the principal's office and see if we can solve this problem," she suggests and for a moment, Jensen almost forgot why he came here in the first place. He picks Audrey up and follows Ms. Ferris into the principal's office, where he sits down in the offered chair, Audrey sitting in his lap again.
Padalecki takes the chair next to his and smiles at him quickly. It's an uncomfortable, forced and embarrassed smile, nothing like that 1000 watt grin the guy was sporting for his daughter earlier. Jensen nods at him politely. Not liking someone doesn't mean you've got the right be a jerk to them.
Then Jensen shifts his attention to the principal, Mr. Morgan, and Jensen wishes this whole situation didn't feel so much like a déjà-vu. The talk goes just like the last two times. The adults try to make it clear to the girls that violence and fighting is not a solution to their problem and that kicking and biting and hitting and scratching isn't going to solve anything.
But when Principal Morgan asks for the reasons they fought, neither girl says anything. They simply fall into mutual silence as if they had a secret pact. No amount of soft but persistent nudging from their dads makes them say anything either. Just like the last two times, Jensen's getting a little frustrated because apparently there's something going down between the two girls but they don't seem to have enough confidence in their parents to tell them what it is.
There is no doubt that something's wrong. Usually, Audrey is not a violent child; she especially doesn't punch other girls in the face. Jensen has never witnessed any kind of aggressive behavior from her. Sure thing, she's a six year old girl, and yeah, she's an only child and Jensen's everything. It's normal that sometimes she's petulant and that she'll stomp her little foot and pout because Jensen doesn't buy her certain things or because he says no. But still, she's never showed any kind of aggression.
Of course, the recent happenings worry Jensen. He doesn't understand his daughter at the moment and he doesn't know what's going on in her head lately. He knows the nature of his child and to make her kick off like this, something bad must have happened, something that upset her so much that she's behaving so differently around Sophie. Around the all the other kids Audrey is friends with and back home, she is perfectly normal.
Jensen steals a glance to the side, looking at the girl who brings out the worst in his daughter. Sophie Padalecki sits on her dad's lap, curled into his chest with her little hand fisted in his shirt. The blood on her face is gone and Jensen assumes that Padalecki wiped it off when Jensen didn't look.
Principal Morgan keeps talking about how they'll have to find a solution to the problem because this is of course not leading to anything. Jensen doesn't even listen properly anymore. It's not as if Principal Morgan was saying anything new. Instead, Jensen's gaze wanders from Sophie to her dad. Padalecki is listening to everything with sharp attention while he cradles his child.
Jensen doesn't want to admit it, but looking at the guy does weird things to his stomach. He fits into Jensen's predatory pattern, if you want to call it that. Padalecki's maybe a bit younger than he is and he's definitely attractive.
Jensen has a thing for tall, strong men who can physically dominate him. Jensen's in no way small or weak so it's not always easy to find such guys. But sometimes he likes rough, hard sex, where his sexual partners can manhandle him. He bets Padalecki could just do that.
Fuck, he really needs to stop thinking about sex right now.
Just in time for the end of the meeting, Jensen manages to get his mind out of the gutter and stop staring at Padalecki. He's not even supposed to like a guy who cares more about his job than his family. For a brief moment, Jensen wonders what kind of job could be more important than a child.
Eventually, Principal Morgan dismisses them and as they stand outside the office, in the long corridor of the school, only the four of them, there's an awkward moment of silence. Neither Jensen nor Padalecki rush off immediately as they stand opposite each other. Their girls are next to them, holding on to their daddies' hands.
Jensen doesn't know what to say. There's a million questions he wants to ask, a million accusations he wants to make. There's nothing that should ever be more important to you than your child. Maybe Jensen has been a single father for too long and maybe he's just too used to the fact that there are not really a lot of other people he can rely on when it comes to taking care of Audrey. Not that he'd want it any other way though.
"I'm Jared," Padalecki says eventually, holding out his hand for Jensen to shake. There's a smile on his face, a little less embarrassed, a little less uncomfortable than the last one he gave Jensen.
"Jensen."
Jensen takes his hand and shakes it shortly and firmly. A cold shiver runs down his spine and Jensen curses inwardly because really, he gets laid plenty, his body shouldn't react to such a simple touch like this. But there's something about Padalecki, there's something about Jared, that has him intrigued.
"I guess I should apologize for Audrey's behavior," Jensen then says, his eyes meeting Jared's.
There's a flicker of amusement in Jared's eyes. Then he says, "Oh, don't worry. I know that Sophie's no saint either."
Usually, Jensen's pretty good at this whole small talk thing, usually, he'll always find something to say. And usually, it's particularly easy when he's having a conversation with fellow parents. There's kids to talk about and school and everything that comes with it. But then, the other parents usually aren't that damn attractive and Jensen doesn't think they lose at parenting. He doesn't want to talk to Jared about bringing up a child.
"Yeah, let's just hope the girls know how to behave now," Jensen says. His gaze wanders from Jared to Audrey, giving her a quick, stern look. Audrey lowers her head in shame as her grip on Jensen's hand tightens.
"Ah, don't be so hard on her," Jared says. He even gives a little laugh.
Jensen's head immediately shoots up as he stares at Jared in disbelief. Is the guy who didn't even bother show up the last two times really trying to tell him how to treat his daughter? The guy who cares more about his job than his kid?
Jensen's somewhere between irritated, perplexed and angry. He bites his cheek in order not to snap at Jared and say something he doesn't want his daughter to hear. After all, he's the adult and he should set a good example.
"I guess that's for me to decide," Jensen says, trying his hardest to stay calm.
Jared huffs a breath, probably not anticipating Jensen's reaction. He probably expected Jensen to laugh and shrug at it, but you know, maybe he just hit a sore spot. Jensen and Audrey have been fine on their own for the last five and a half years and Jensen certainly doesn't need anyone to tell him how to bring up his daughter and how not to.
Before Jared can say any more, Jensen goes on. Jensen's mouth works faster than his brain as he blurts out, "I'm not sure whether you missed the memo the last two times because you and your wife were too busy caring more about your stupid work than your child, but this is the third time my daughter has gotten into a physical fight with your daughter. I'm not keen on letting this happen again. If not for the sole sake of my child."
Jared looks dumbfounded and as soon as Jensen registers what he just said, he regrets having mentioned the job thing. He stares at Jared for a few seconds and Jared stares back at him with his mouth open. Jensen wishes the earth would open up and swallow him. Quickly, he grabs Audrey and stalks down the corridor to rush toward his car and back home. He's really not up for a discussion about this and he feels so stupid. As he practically runs from Jared, he can hear Jared calling out for him, but thankfully, Jared doesn't follow.
On their way back home, Audrey doesn't talk very much. No matter how hard Jensen tries, he can't convince her to tell him what's upsetting her so much that it would make her punch another girl in the face. See, Jensen believes in talking about things and that there are always other ways to solve problems than violence. That's why it shocked him in the first place when Audrey got into a fight the first time. He always thought that he'd managed to bring his child up well, even though he did most of that all by himself.
He always believed in being honest with his daughter, to make her understand things and to make sure she turned out tolerant as well. Okay, Audrey is only six years old and there are things she doesn't understand fully yet, but the things she's old enough to understand, Jensen explains to her.
One of the things Jensen had to explain to her was what being gay means. He's never really had an interest in women and he's been gay ever since he was in his teens. This is maybe not a surprise when you know that on top of being an actor, he also named his child after Audrey Hepburn. Anyway, he never makes a big deal out of it in front of his child.
He never hides the fact that there's never going to be a mommy and that at best, there might be two daddies, but most of the time, not even that. Audrey always seems to be fine with that. When she was born, Jensen has been in a long-term relationship he thought that was going to last forever.
Tom, his boyfriend, and he took the decision together to have a child and soon found a surrogate mother to give birth for them rather than adopting. Biologically speaking, Jensen is the father of Audrey but back when Audrey was born, it didn't feel as if the baby was only his child, she was theirs. When Audrey was six months old, Tom and Jensen broke up and Jensen was left with his daughter.
It was extremely hard at first. Not only did Jensen have to deal with a long-term relationship ending, the man he thought was the love of his life leaving him, but he was also alone with a small child who needed all of his attention. It hasn't always been easy with working and taking care of Audrey, but somehow he managed. Maybe that's one of the things that makes him so angry when he sees how the Padaleckis treat their child. Jensen knows that sometimes it's hard to balance work and family, but he damn well knows that it's possible.
Despite his situation not always being easy, Jensen's confident that he can give his daughter all the love, attention and comfort she needs and that there's no need for another someone to make their little family perfect. Sure thing, Jensen knows that sometimes he needs a certain someone for his own, that he has adult needs. That's when he'll accept one of those invitations to a one-time thing made to him whenever he's going out. But he never looks for a long-term relationship.
Sometimes Chris, his best friend, teases him about whoring his way through the city and maybe Chris is right, maybe Jensen sleeps around and has a lot of different sexual partners, but at least he's not pretending to be looking for something he's not. Each and every man Jensen sleeps with knows that Jensen's not going to sleep with him again.
It's all in the open and Jensen is a man for speaking out his thoughts clearly and directly. Sometimes a bit too clearly and a bit too directly. He can't help but think about his earlier conversation with Jared Padalecki as he pulls into the driveway, a pouting Audrey in the backseat. Maybe Jensen should have kept his mouth shut, maybe he shouldn't have let himself get carried away. It's not in his right to judge other people, no matter how much the Padaleckis' attitude annoys him.
One thing he certainly did right though, is not giving in when Audrey whined how much she wanted to eat at McDonald's. Jensen explained to her that she'd done something bad and therefore they couldn't go to McDonald's today. She's still pouting and Jensen knows that she'll pout all the way through dinner when she'll mopishly stab her vegetables, but still, he's not giving in.
"Come on, pumpkin," Jensen says as he opens the door and leads her into the house. He's glad to be back home and when Jensen allows Audrey to watch cartoons, she already seems less grouchy. The joy of television.
Later Chris calls and announces that he's coming over for the evening and that he'll bring the beer. Jensen thinks he could use one of those after today. For a few minutes they talk about Audrey and then Chris promises, or rather threatens, that he'll talk to her. For a while Jensen thought that if Chris were at least the slightest bi or gay, then he'd be the perfect partner for him and the perfect second dad for Audrey. However, that was before Jensen discovered that Chris and he disagree on quite a few things when it comes to bringing up a child.
Whenever Chris watches Audrey for the night because Jensen has to work, she's totally hyped up from all the sugary crap Chris lets her eat by the time Jensen comes back home. But Audrey loves Chris. Her admiration goes so far that Jensen would even call it a crush. It's kind of cute and Jensen's sure that by the time Audrey's twenty and Chris is all old and wrinkled, she'll be embarrassed by the fact that she used to assure everyone how she was going to marry Chris when she was a little girl. That's a day Jensen's looking forward to.
So when Chris suggests that he talk to Audrey, Jensen has mixed feelings about this. However, as soon as Chris comes over that evening, six-pack of Budweiser in one hand and big Toys R Us bag in the other, Jensen should have known that his concerns were justified.
"Hey man!" Chris greets Jensen, thrusting the beer into his hands.
Jensen wants to ask what's up with the suspicious bag when Chris calls out for Audrey and only gives Jensen a wink. "Princess!"
Audrey immediately comes running and hugs Chris before she gives him a sloppy kiss on the cheek. She eyes the bag with interest and Chris laughs as he reaches into it. Jensen wants to remind him that Audrey has not been a good girl today and that she certainly doesn't deserve presents when Chris pulls out a new Barbie from the bag. Jensen's eyes widen in shock and just as he goes to reach for the doll, Audrey spots it and squeals happily.
Jensen's not the type of guy who buys his daughter a lot of Barbies. Dolls, sure, but not Barbies. The problem he has with those is that he doesn't want his daughter to take those as a role model when it comes to femininity and beauty. He doesn't want his daughter to develop complexes because she most likely won't look like such a doll.
But now the harm is done. When Jensen thinks it couldn't get worse, Chris says, "Hey, Princess. I heard you threw your first punch today. Gimme five!"
And then he holds out his hand and Jensen doesn't trust his eyes and ears. Chris even goes on and asks, "Did she bleed?"
Audrey grins broadly and nods quickly and Chris - the ass - goes as far as congratulating her. It takes Jensen a split second until he realizes in shock what just happened. Jensen's hand circles around Chris' upper arm and gives it a quick and forceful pull until Chris is standing up.
"Dude," Jensen snarls, trying very hard to keep his voice down. It's not easy because he's so aggravated. "I spent most of the afternoon lecturing my daughter and explaining to her why she can't punch other children!"
But Chris only grins broadly and blinks a few times at Jensen as if he were the most innocent person on earth. "Chill, Jen. At least you know she can take care of herself."
"But that's not what it's about, Chris!" Jensen says, a little louder and a little angrier now. Audrey quickly looks up at them with questioning eyes and the last thing Jensen wants right now is to fight with Chris in front of his daughter.
"Daddy and Chris will be right back, baby," he says as he drags Chris into the kitchen, leaving Audrey with the doll in the living room. He hates that he'll have to take it away from her later because he can't just let her keep a reward for something she shouldn't have done in the first place.
"Jen, she just got into a fight. It's no biggie," Chris tries to defend himself.
Jensen shakes his head as he puts the beers into the fridge. "Chris, you can't just undermine my authority. I'm her father and when I tell her that it's bad that she's hitting other children, you can't come over and give her a fucking Barbie doll and reward her for something that's wrong."
"I get into fights all the time," Chris says, shrugging his shoulders. "There's nothing wrong with being tough."
Despite the situation, Jensen smiles at the various memories of Chris getting into fights. Out of their group of close friends, it's always Chris to be the first to cause trouble and the last to try and get them out of it. Jensen's thankful for his other friends who, unlike Chris, believe that issues should not be solved by throwing punches.
"But you're a grown man, Chris. Audrey's a six year old girl. Can't you see that I'm worried? She's a good girl and becoming violent is just not like her," Jensen admits.
Chris puts a hand on Jensen's arm and squeezes it gently. He smiles at Jensen and Jensen can already feel his anger fading. Sometimes, Jensen hates how easily Chris has wrapped him around his little finger. "Listen, man. I get it. But I'm sure that it's only a phase, okay? It'll go away all by itself. You keep telling her that she can't do that and I stop giving her presents. Deal?"
Jensen smiles and nods. He sighs as he opens two bottles of beer, handing one over to Chris, keeping the other for himself.
"I don't like that she's become all quiet lately. There's clearly something that's bothering her but she won't tell me what it is," Jensen sighs again.
Chris takes a few drinks from his beer and then wipes his mouth with the back of his hand. "It's always the same girl she's fighting with, right?"
"Yeah. Sophie Padalecki," Jensen says, nodding.
Chris thinks for a moment, scratching at his chin as he does. "Maybe that Sophie girl is bullying her. Did you ever think about that?"
Of course, Jensen thought about it. There must be a reason why Audrey's become so quiet and why she isn't so enthusiastic about school anymore. She's a first grader. At that age, all kids are proud that they can finally go to school because it means they're all grown up. But somehow, Audrey's changed and whines more and more often that she doesn't want to go anymore. So yeah, of course Jensen played the scenario of Sophie bullying Audrey through in his mind.
Eventually, he says, "I don't know. I mean, course I thought about it, but Sophie doesn't look the type. She looks all sweet with her big, brown eyes and her curly, brown hair."
When Jensen says that, Chris only snorts and shakes his head. "Yeah, dude. But Audrey doesn't look like the type to punch other girls either. Maybe you should talk to Sophie's parents."
Chris is suggesting what? Talking to Padalecki again? Quickly, Jensen bursts out, "Oh God, I can't do that."
Chris only gives him a weird look and then he asks, "Why not?"
Jensen doesn't answer immediately. He takes his sweet time taking a long gulp from his beer and then he runs a hand over his face before he says, "Her father showed up today. The first time ever. And fuck, I've been such an idiot."
"You, an idiot? No way, Jen," Chris laughs, definitely not understanding the gravity of the situation.
This time it's Jensen's turn to snort because this isn't as funny as Chris thinks it was. "Dude! Look, I told you before that they piss me off because apparently they care more about their jobs than their kid. I mean, they didn't even come pick her up the first two times but sent the nanny. And today I told him what I thought. I- I was so annoyed because he was telling me not to be so hard on Audrey and I just lost it. 'Cause I was so angry that a guy like Padalecki would lecture me on how to treat my child. So I kinda told him that he's an ass for caring more about his job than his child."
Jensen takes a deep breath and prepares himself for Chris laughing at him and calling him an idiot, this is Chris after all. But Chris only stares at him in disbelief and asks, "You did what?"
"I know. I shouldn't have. But I just lost it," Jensen defends himself. "I want to know what's wrong with my child and then along comes this idiot and makes stupid suggestions. I just wasn't thinking very clearly."
Then, out of the blue and totally ignoring everything Jensen just said the last few minutes, Chris asks, "That Padalucky guy hot?"
Jensen's perplexed at first because he didn't expect such a question at all. Sure thing, Chris and he talk about relationships or flings or whatever's happening at the moment, but still, Jensen didn't expect the question at all. "Huh? What? Uh, and it's -lecki not -lucky."
This only leads to Chris repeating his question. "Whatever. So, is the guy hot? You usually don't think very clearly as soon as you're round hot guys." He grins.
"Chris!" Jensen's cheeks start burning. He feels a bit as if he were caught in the act because, yeah, Jared is hot and Jensen's been thinking about that. It doesn't change anything about the situation though. Eventually, he admits, "Yeah, he's hot. Tall, strong, dark hair, bright smile."
There's a flicker of something in Chris' eyes and it only takes Jensen a split second to read his thoughts. Just like Tom. Jensen's stomach jumps because the last subject he wants to bring up right now is Tom and how Chris thinks Jensen should get committed again. Or how Chris thinks Jensen is only sleeping around because he's not over Tom leaving him, even five and a half years later. Jensen groans because he's just not up for this argument, not today.
So when Chris says, "Just your type," and not what Jensen feared he'd say, he's a little relieved.
"Yeah, just my type," Jensen repeats. "But the guy's married and straight, so don't even go there. I can get laid all by myself, thanks. In fact, I do plenty."
Chris grins broadly at that and winks at him. "Just sayin', dude. I still think you should talk to the guy. This isn't about you or him. This is about your kid, Jensen."
Jensen sighs before he admits, "Yeah, you're right."
They spend a nice evening in each other's company, watching a football match and drinking some more beer. Audrey's happily playing with her new doll but as soon as Jensen tries to take it away from her, her eyes tear up and she starts crying. No matter how hard he explains to her that she can't have it because she's been a bad girl, she just won't understand.
Eventually, Jensen gives in and lets her keep the Barbie. As soon as he tells her, her tears magically stop and Chris grins. Somehow Jensen can't shake the feeling that Chris has something to do with it, but he's got no energy to question it any further.
Chris tries talking to Audrey but she won't tell him either what's up or why she's fighting with Sophie in the first place. It's a little frustrating because sending Chris to talk to her always worked in the past and now Jensen's at his wits' end.
After Jensen puts Audrey to bed and kisses her goodnight, Chris and he keep talking about random things. About their jobs, about this girl Chris has been sort-of-dating recently, a little more about Audrey. Padalecki doesn't come up again.
It takes exactly another two days until Jensen's being called into the principal's office again because Audrey and Sophie got into their third fight in a week. The only positive thing Jensen can think of as he makes his way into the office, is that thankfully it's Friday and there won't be any other fights this week.
He's surprised, no, he's shocked to see Jared Padalecki already sitting in the office upon Jensen's arrival. Jensen's cheeks burn as Jared glances at him, a mixture between anger and compassion on his face. Jensen didn't expect Jared and even less, did he expect him to be there before Jensen.
Looking at the girls, Jensen sees that there's more blood than the last time and it worries him that apparently the girls are getting more violent. He's still busy calming Audrey down and clearing the mixture of blood and snot from her face when they're asked into Principal Morgan's office.
The procedure seems to go as each time before. The girls are asked what's wrong and about the reason for their fight, but neither is saying anything. With each minute that passes, Jensen fears that Chris' suggestion is going to happen. He'll have to talk to Padalecki and try to figure this out without the school's help. That's not something he's looking forward to.
Principal Morgan suggests then that maybe both families see a counselor with the girls and really, that's something Jensen doesn't want to do unless it's the last resort. But all of a sudden, Audrey bursts out the reason for this mess, apparently, it's been brewing inside her so badly that she just couldn't keep it to herself anymore.
"Sophie said my daddy's a fag!" she exclaims, only to immediately curl against Jensen's chest and to cling to him.
Almost everyone's eyes spring wide open in the room. Of all the things Jensen expected, it was not this. He thought, maybe the girls liked the same boy or that maybe they were fighting because of their different clothing. While Sophie looks like a little princess with her pink dress with white polka dots and sparkly pink hairclips, Audrey's more of a tomboy, mostly dressed in jeans and plain shirts. Or he thought that maybe they just hated each other out of principle and there was not even a real reason.
He never dared imagine that his sexuality was the problem, maybe because it's never been a real problem before. Though he has to admit that he's not sure that either Audrey or Sophie knows what the word means in the first place. Audrey for sure understands the word gay, but of course, fag is not a word Jensen would ever use to describe himself and his sexuality. He tightens his arms around his daughter, still totally speechless.
Jared Padalecki is the first to find his voice again. "Is that true, Sophie?" he asks, his tone stern.
Sophie whimpers and doesn't look at her father when she defends herself, "But the boys from the fourth grade said it first, daddy!"
Jared sighs and then he says, "Sophie, do you understand what the word means? Do you know what a fag is?"
Sophie simply shakes her head and Jensen is somewhat mesmerized by the interaction between Jared and his daughter. From one second to the next, his strict tone has become soft and gentle. There's definitely something loving in the way he reproves his child and maybe Jensen did the guy a little wrong.
"What did we say about you using words you don't understand?" Jared asks, nudging Sophie until she looks at him.
"I- I shouldn't use them and- and I should ask you what they mean, daddy," she says in shame.
Then, Jared smiles and nods at Sophie before he kisses the top of her head and says, "I think you owe someone an apology, Sophie."
Sophie sighs as if the weight of the world was on her shoulders but then she apologizes to Audrey and even to Jensen. It takes a little convincing but eventually Audrey accepts the apology and promises that she's not going to hit Sophie anymore if Sophie stops calling her daddy a fag.
It feels like a huge load being taken of Jensen's mind. At least, he knows now what's wrong and that's something he can work with. Also, the problem with Sophie seems to be solved and all that's left is maybe those fourth-graders who started with the name calling.
It takes some encouraging but eventually, Audrey admits that some of the older boys have been bullying her and since she has no chance against a group of boys who are three years older than her, she took it out on Sophie whenever she had the chance. She's reluctant at first but then she gives out the names of the boys and Sophie even adds a few.
Principal Morgan promises that he'll take care of the issue and that he'll talk to the mentioned children and their parents. With a smile he dismisses the two families, but not before he suggests that maybe Sophie and Audrey should spend some free time together to get over the animosities between them.
Jensen swallows hard but he has to agree that maybe Morgan's right. It's certainly not a bad idea even if that means that Jared and he have to spend the afternoon together with the kids.
They're standing in the corridor just like two days ago and Jensen doesn't know how to apologize to Jared for what he said. Jared doesn't look mad; he only looks a little uncomfortable. Eventually Jensen pulls himself together and says, "Jared, I'm sorry for what I said last time. I- I shouldn't have. It's not in my right to judge."
Jared smiles at him then and shakes his head. "Don't worry. Maybe you're right. I've been engrossed a little too much with work lately. But it's not always easy as a single parent, you know?"
Oh.
Jensen's ears perk up because a hot man, standing really close to him, just admitted that he's single. Of course, Jensen knows that single doesn't automatically equal gay but it's already better than definitely straight and happily married. Jensen wants to ask whether Jared's divorced or not, but he knows that it would only make him look stupid. Especially after Jared just found out that Jensen's gay.
Instead, Jensen says, "Yeah, I can relate. It's not always easy."
And then, something happens that Jensen didn't think would happen. Jared smiles at him again, picking Sophie up and asks, "What d'you guys say, I've got the day off and since it's only midday, why don't we go somewhere? Go and get something to eat and then hit the park, all together."
Sophie grins and nods enthusiastically and wow, she's got a grin just like her dad. Jensen crouches down in front of Audrey and strokes over her hair. She's still upset, having had to tell the names of her tormentors hasn't been easy for her. Jensen kisses her and then asks, "What do you think, pumpkin? D'you want to go to McDonalds and then spend the afternoon with Sophie in the park? Hm, baby?"
She thinks for a few good moments and then she nods and smiles weakly. Later, as soon as Jensen sets a Happy Meal down in front of her, she brightens up and even goes as far as discussing the toy she got with Sophie. Jensen has a few questions about Jared but he doesn't bring them up in front of the kids.
The weather outside is good and that's why they decide to go to the park and spend some time at the playground. Jared says they don't live far from it and that he and Sophie will meet Jensen and Audrey there and that he'll take the opportunity to go home and get his two dogs for a walk.
The dogs turn out to be fairly big and at first Audrey's a little afraid of them. But when Sophie assures that they're nice dogs and that they don't bite, Audrey even pets them, immediately warming up to the animals.
Jensen's surprised at how quickly everything changes between the girls. They're not best friends or anything yet but all the hostilities and the anger between them are forgotten. It's a miracle.
The afternoon goes well. The girls seem to connect more and more as they run through the park, the dogs always at their heels, barking happily and after a few awkward moments, Jensen even finds talking to Jared more and more easy. At first they talk about the girls and their different point of views on the happenings of the recent weeks, but soon enough, the subjects become a little more personal.
"So how come you're a single father?" Jensen then asks. Jared Padalecki certainly doesn't look like the type of guy who couldn't find a willing woman to mother his child. Not with his tall, strong frame, his bright smile and those huge hands, Jensen doesn't allow himself to think about too much.
Jared takes a sip from his Starbucks decaf iced white chocolate mocha before he says, "Lisa, my wife, passed when Sophie was only one and a half. She died in a car crash."
"I'm sorry," Jensen says honestly. When he looks to the side, there's a sad expression on Jared's face.
"Thanks," Jared smiles weakly. "It's one of the reasons I wanted to become a paramedic, you know. I want to help people."
Jensen wants to add that the working hours must be shit and that this can't be good for a father-child relationship but he fears that it'll only sound accusing again. Instead, he just snorts.
Suddenly, Jared snickers and when Jensen gives him an irritated look, Jared says, "I know what you're thinking."
Oh really?
"Yeah?" Jensen asks, eyeing Jared suspiciously. "What am I thinking?"
Jared only grins at him and says, "You're thinking 'how can a single father have such a job with working hours like that? What an idiot!'"
Jensen feels his cheeks burn because fair enough, this is exactly what was on his mind. Maybe except for the idiot thing. Jared Padalecki does not look like an idiot at second glance.
"Maybe," Jensen admits and Jared only bursts out laughing.
They're interrupted by Sophie and Audrey who come running, asking for drinks. After the kids are taken care of, Jared becomes serious and says, "It's true. The working hours are shit as a paramedic, but thank God, I've got people I can rely on and trust when it comes to helping out. Usually, Sophie stays at my friend Sandy's whenever I'm at work. The one that picked her up from school the first two times, you know?"
Oh yeah, Jensen does remember the petite, dark-haired woman. First, he mistook her for Mrs. Padalecki, but when she introduced herself as a family friend and not as Sophie's mother, he thought that she was the nanny. He never planned on asking the question, but before he can stop his mouth, it's out. "So you never got Sophie a new mom? What about your friend Sandy? She seemed pretty close to her."
For a moment, Jensen fears that he said something he shouldn't have. After all, he doesn't really know Jared and maybe he doesn't like being asked personal questions.
"Nah," Jared says, no traces of anger on his face. "She's just a friend. I just- I never dated anyone ever since Lisa passed. It- it always felt like cheating on her."
Wow. And with that Jared's index of being desirable just sank by at least 50 percent. Not that there's anything wrong with being celibate, it's a somewhat honorable motive, but to Jensen this often translates to vanilla and plain boring. Not that Jensen was making plans of how to get Jared Padalecki sprawled out naked underneath him, but if he did, this would definitely put an end to his plans and make it easier not to focus on Jared's hotness. What a waste of good looks.
"That's… honorable," Jensen eventually says.
Jared gives him a confused look but doesn't ask any questions about it. Jensen doesn't say anything either as they sit next to each other in silence, happy with watching the girls play.
Eventually, Jared does ask a question though. "Why are you single? I mean, you're gay, but that doesn't have to mean that you can't be in a relationship."
Jensen takes a moment to think how much he wants to tell Jared. In the end, he goes for a mixture of saying some things and not saying others. "I was in a long-term relationship for many years. The guy was my first and big love. We eventually decided to have Audrey with the help of a surrogate mother," Jensen explains. "I'm Audrey's biological father. But once we had the baby things changed and we broke up eventually. Audrey was too young back then to even remember him properly."
Jared nods and looks at Jensen. There's something in his eyes that makes Jensen's palms sweat and his knees weak, even though he decided earlier that the guy's a total square. "But that doesn't explain why you're single," Jared states.
"Right, it doesn't," Jensen admits. "I guess, I've just not found the right person. I mean, it's one thing for me to break up with someone, but I don't want to have to explain to Audrey why someone she started considering a second parent is no longer a part of her life."
What he really wants to say is how he just couldn't stand someone who means a lot to him walking out of his and his daughter's life again. Maybe he's just too scared to get hurt again. Who knows, maybe there's a grain of truth in what Chris always says. Maybe this is not only about Audrey.
Jared seems to be satisfied with this answer as the conversation leads from Jensen being single to Jensen's job and friends. The afternoon passes quickly and soon enough, Jensen and Jared have to tell the girls that they'll have to go home now. There's a lot of whining and pouting involved but eventually they say their good-byes.
The day went a lot better than Jensen anticipated. On their way back, Audrey chatters happily about how Sophie's her friend now, all thoughts of wanting to hit her forgotten. Jensen's relieved and when he suggests that they'll see each other on Monday at classes, she already seems a lot more enthusiastic about school again.
Jensen thinks back to his conversation with Jared and all the things he learned about the guy. Jared's still hot as hell; too bad he seems to be such a tightass. Too bad that tightass is so not Jensen's type. Jensen concludes that he definitely has to go out this weekend and get laid, if he's lusting after Audrey's classmates' straight daddies. That's not a good sign .
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3