Prompts 23, 24 from the table "Perspectives: Lives lived, chances taken" for spn_30snapshots
Title: "Lean on me, when you're not strong"
Authorthe_milky_way
Character(s)/Pairing: Jared Padalecki (Jared/Jensen)
Theme: 09 "Perspectives: Lives lived, chances taken"
Prompt(s): 23. Song, 24. Sacrifice
Rating: PG
Beta: Many thanks to parka_girl
Disclaimer: This is not true. It never happened and I don't own anything.
Summary: Jensen is there when Jared needs him, even if it's just to mock Jared about his favorite cotton candy color.
Notes:
This was written for enablelove, wo wanted the boys, cotton candy and kids. I know it's a little late but not too late to count as a Christmas present.
I hope this comes at least a little close to what you wanted.
Lean on me, when you're not strong
And I'll be your friend
I'll help you carry on
For it won't be long
'Til I'm gonna need
Somebody to lean on
Jared doesn’t know why he agreed to do it, but his brother had looked so helpless and needy that he couldn’t've said ‘no,’ even if he'd wanted to. With his parents still in San Antonio, his sister somewhere milling around New York and Jeff’s wife stuck at work, Jared was the only one available and willing to baby-sit.
That’s how he finds himself in the middle of Dallas, pushing a stroller and trying to dodge all the Santas and elves out to lure innocent people into the mall and other stores. It’s a few days before Christmas, the only time of year his brother has to host the family gathering. It was also the first time in a while that Jared actually had the time to come to Dallas early. He likes the Christmas atmosphere of the city, likes to walk by the windows and look at all the displays.
This time, though, he's doubly aware of the looks his receives, thinks that cell phone pictures will end up on every available internet platform dealing with Supernatural that exists, but right now all he cares about is how to calm down his little niece.
She's been in a mood all day, actually ever since Jeff placed her in his arms and rushed off to his emergency. Jared wonders if his niece just doesn’t like him or if something's wrong. Jared doesn’t feel all that confident when it comes to dealing with toddlers, even though he loves to spend time with them. He, of course, has all the emergency numbers, knows where Jeff is and where everyone else is, but he still feels sort of uncomfortable.
So he does the one thing he always does in situations where he doesn’t really know what to do, he calls Jensen.
***
The park is like another world. It’s almost eerily calm and peaceful. The air is clear, cold but not too cold to stay outside for a while. His niece is cuddled up close to him, a tiny bundle sleeping peacefully.
Jared smiles down at her, then turns his head and smiles at the sight of Jensen and Logan playing at the swings. Logan demands to be pushed higher and higher, Jensen just laughs and tries to keep his nephew on the seat.
He's glad that he called Jensen, that Jensen just told him to stay put and that he’d be there in twenty. Jensen was there in ten. He's got a weird kind of radar when it comes to small children. Somehow, he knows exactly how to calm them down, to handle them in a way Jared thinks he’ll never get the grasp of.
So the little girl sleeping in his arms after simply needing to burp after her last meal, something Jeff had neglected to tell Jared. Not the burping thing but that she just had something to eat. Jared's grateful for Jensen’s calm presence and guidance and thinks he should tell him that.
He tried to say 'thank you,' tried to pay Jensen back through food or dinner invitations, but Jensen just smiled and told him that this was what friends were for.
Now they're here, in this small park hidden behind houses and hedges. Jared had never seen it before, but feels like he needed this place to calm himself down a little, not just his niece. Jensen seems to always know what Jared needs. It’s a little scary when Jared thinks about it, because he's pretty sure that he's the same with Jensen.
He smiles at the thought, thinks that Gen might have been right when she told him that Jensen was his rock, his shoulder to lean on and that he was the same for Jensen. Gen had also said that she couldn’t come up against that. Jared knows he never deserved her.
Logan sprints up to him, yelling something about a nearby market and cotton candy. Jared only hears half of it, but it seems like his stomach agrees with that half. Jensen just snorts at how fast Jared has his niece tucked away in her stroller and is ready to go.
****
Jared knows he doesn’t look any better than Logan, and at least Logan has the excuse of being a kid. But really, eating cotton candy isn’t easy at all.
Jensen hasn’t stopped mocking him, though. Not since Jared picked up is deeply pink cotton candy and refused to share with Jensen. Jensen, ever the one in control, picked a plain white small portion, which is already gone. He's helping Logan now to destroy the monstrosity of blue sugar, all the while telling his nephew to not tell his parents.
Just sitting there and watching them makes Jared a little wistful. Something flutters in his chest, squeezes his heart a little. It happens again when Jensen directs the same smile he gave Logan at Jared.
When the blue mess is gone, or rather solely in Jensen’s possession, Logan demands more but this time it has to be green. Jensen groans out loud and Jared can’t help but laugh. They both know where most of it will end up.
Jared heart swells when Jensen just gets up and gets Logan his green cotton candy. He can tell that Jensen'll be a great dad one day. Jared suddenly feels weird about the fact that he can see himself there as well, not so much with having kids and being a dad but about him not being able to imagine it all without Jensen.
The pink sugar suddenly doesn’t taste good anymore. It’s the wrong time and the wrong place to have that kind of revelation. It’s the wrong person to have that kind of revelation about. At least that's what Jared tries to tell himself.
Logan ends up getting Jensen sick on the way home by telling him all about the mud cake competition from pre-school the other day. Jensen is a trooper and just turns slightly green. And yet even then, Jared thinks he looks gorgeous.
**********
Jensen calls him for help this time.
He's alone with Logan because everyone is either at work, like Logan’s parents, or out getting last minute Christmas presents. Jensen needs help finding some himself and he just doesn’t want to drag a little kid through half the city without being able to provide proper entertainment.
Jared, apparently, is this proper entertainment. He loves Logan, so it's not like it's a hardship to come along. He still complains to Jensen about having to sacrifice a well planned day in front of the TV with his dogs and brother's family. But Jensen just tells him to show up and then hangs up on him.
Jared stands there, in front of the Ackles’ family home and tries to calm his nerves. He and Jensen have gone longer without seeing each other than just two days and there have been many times before where Jared stood in the exact same spot about to ring the door bell, even if the house is new and Jared means it metaphorically … he stops to blink and wonders when he started to ramble in his own head. But then again, at all those previous times, Jared didn’t have to deal with this ‘having a sudden and forceful crush on Jensen’ thing.
He's about to ring the bell for real this time when the door is wrenched open. Jared blinks and can’t help but grin at the sight of Jensen. Jensen covered in green goo and purple pieces of confetti.
When he can’t hold it anymore, Jared burst out laughing. He laughs hard for a few minutes and has tears in his eyes when he's done. Jensen just stands there and watches him, motionless. Jared, though, can see the sparkle in Jensen’s eyes. He tries not to stare too much at the tight t-shirt and well fitting jeans. This is new.
“You done?” Jensen’s sounds almost bored but Jared knows he's suppressing laughter.
“I guess.” Jared hiccups and pushes past Jensen into the house. The living room looks like a battlefield, cushions everywhere, some piled up to work as some kind of shield and green, yellow, pink goo everywhere. Yeah, Jared thinks,Jensen actually needs help.
“World War Three?” Jared chuckles, and goes down hard with an ‘oompf’ when Logan barrels into him. Jared almost can't believe he was just knocked down on his ass by a child.
This time it’s Jensen cracking up.
***
They manage to get Logan and the living room cleaned up before they leave the house. Jensen has a precise plan on where they have to go and how long Jared has to watch Logan. It’s so precise that it's printed out on paper that Jensen ends up throwing away at the sight of the first crowded store.
Jared just grins and finds Jensen’s little frown very adorable.
It takes them a few hours but they get all the things on Jensen’s list and manage to not lose Logan in all the chaos that is Christmas shopping. Jared is rather proud of them even if Jensen mocks his paranoid tendencies.
They even get Logan another green cotton candy. This time Jensen doesn’t have to rescue the rest from the gutter. He looks really glad about it, too, which makes Jared find him even more adorable.
At the last store they visit, Jared has to stay outside. He pouts a little which makes Jensen smile all soft at him. Logan just sticks his tongue out because he's allowed to go with Jensen.
“Stay here and don’t run away, Jay.” Jensen tells him with a very mocking grin. But the look in his eyes is soft and Jared actually melts a little at that.
“I'm not a dog, you know.” Jared pouts more.
“But you do those really cute puppy dog eyes so well, Jared.” With that Jensen's gone and Jared has to fight the urge to dance around like a demented chipmunk because Jensen indirectly acknowledged that his puppy dog look works on him. Yes, Jared is really kind of gone for the guy. His sister would whack him over the head for not realizing it sooner and Jensen’s sister would happily join her.
***
Jared’s feet feel dead when he slowly sinks into the sofa. Jensen is tugging Logan in, who’ll spend the night after all. Jensen’s parents are still out. Though it’s not really late yet, Jared feels all powered out.
Somehow he still feels good. He’s spent the whole day with Jensen and that was definitely better than anything he'd planned on doing. Jared wonders if he should try and talk to Jensen, risk their friendship for something more. Wonders if Jensen feels the same, if the looks he's been getting all day mean anything.
“Tired?”
Jared doesn’t jump but realizes that he must have dozed off for a while. He opens his eyes and sleepily blinks at Jensen, who's sitting closer than Jared anticipated.
“Yeah, a little. A day out with kids is actually exhausting.”
“But you aren’t regretting sacrificing a day of stale popcorn and bad chick flick movies with your brother and his wife?” Jensen’s smirk is mischievous and Jared finds that rather hot. He doesn’t really know why but somehow in the space of a second, Jared decides to throw caution to the wind. And before he knows what he's doing he is leaning in and kisses Jensen.
Softly, not pushing, just testing if it's all right. And it seems to be really all right, because Jensen sighs against his lips, buries his hands in Jared’s hair and pulls him closer. “Been waiting for you Jay. To figure it out.“ Jensen mubles, kisses him again.
When they separate Jared can only smile slowly and rest his head in Jensen’s shoulder. “I’ll sacrifice anything for you.”
Jensen laughs at that but keeps his hand carding through Jared’s hair. “Wow Jay, you're all for grand gestures today, huh?”
Jared doesn’t know how to answer that, so he shrugs, kisses Jensen’s neck and settles even more against him. They sit there, on the couch in front of the fire, together.
Authorthe_milky_way
Character(s)/Pairing: Jared Padalecki (Jared/Jensen)
Theme: 09 "Perspectives: Lives lived, chances taken"
Prompt(s): 23. Song, 24. Sacrifice
Rating: PG
Beta: Many thanks to parka_girl
Disclaimer: This is not true. It never happened and I don't own anything.
Summary: Jensen is there when Jared needs him, even if it's just to mock Jared about his favorite cotton candy color.
Notes:
This was written for enablelove, wo wanted the boys, cotton candy and kids. I know it's a little late but not too late to count as a Christmas present.
I hope this comes at least a little close to what you wanted.
Lean on me, when you're not strong
And I'll be your friend
I'll help you carry on
For it won't be long
'Til I'm gonna need
Somebody to lean on
Jared doesn’t know why he agreed to do it, but his brother had looked so helpless and needy that he couldn’t've said ‘no,’ even if he'd wanted to. With his parents still in San Antonio, his sister somewhere milling around New York and Jeff’s wife stuck at work, Jared was the only one available and willing to baby-sit.
That’s how he finds himself in the middle of Dallas, pushing a stroller and trying to dodge all the Santas and elves out to lure innocent people into the mall and other stores. It’s a few days before Christmas, the only time of year his brother has to host the family gathering. It was also the first time in a while that Jared actually had the time to come to Dallas early. He likes the Christmas atmosphere of the city, likes to walk by the windows and look at all the displays.
This time, though, he's doubly aware of the looks his receives, thinks that cell phone pictures will end up on every available internet platform dealing with Supernatural that exists, but right now all he cares about is how to calm down his little niece.
She's been in a mood all day, actually ever since Jeff placed her in his arms and rushed off to his emergency. Jared wonders if his niece just doesn’t like him or if something's wrong. Jared doesn’t feel all that confident when it comes to dealing with toddlers, even though he loves to spend time with them. He, of course, has all the emergency numbers, knows where Jeff is and where everyone else is, but he still feels sort of uncomfortable.
So he does the one thing he always does in situations where he doesn’t really know what to do, he calls Jensen.
***
The park is like another world. It’s almost eerily calm and peaceful. The air is clear, cold but not too cold to stay outside for a while. His niece is cuddled up close to him, a tiny bundle sleeping peacefully.
Jared smiles down at her, then turns his head and smiles at the sight of Jensen and Logan playing at the swings. Logan demands to be pushed higher and higher, Jensen just laughs and tries to keep his nephew on the seat.
He's glad that he called Jensen, that Jensen just told him to stay put and that he’d be there in twenty. Jensen was there in ten. He's got a weird kind of radar when it comes to small children. Somehow, he knows exactly how to calm them down, to handle them in a way Jared thinks he’ll never get the grasp of.
So the little girl sleeping in his arms after simply needing to burp after her last meal, something Jeff had neglected to tell Jared. Not the burping thing but that she just had something to eat. Jared's grateful for Jensen’s calm presence and guidance and thinks he should tell him that.
He tried to say 'thank you,' tried to pay Jensen back through food or dinner invitations, but Jensen just smiled and told him that this was what friends were for.
Now they're here, in this small park hidden behind houses and hedges. Jared had never seen it before, but feels like he needed this place to calm himself down a little, not just his niece. Jensen seems to always know what Jared needs. It’s a little scary when Jared thinks about it, because he's pretty sure that he's the same with Jensen.
He smiles at the thought, thinks that Gen might have been right when she told him that Jensen was his rock, his shoulder to lean on and that he was the same for Jensen. Gen had also said that she couldn’t come up against that. Jared knows he never deserved her.
Logan sprints up to him, yelling something about a nearby market and cotton candy. Jared only hears half of it, but it seems like his stomach agrees with that half. Jensen just snorts at how fast Jared has his niece tucked away in her stroller and is ready to go.
****
Jared knows he doesn’t look any better than Logan, and at least Logan has the excuse of being a kid. But really, eating cotton candy isn’t easy at all.
Jensen hasn’t stopped mocking him, though. Not since Jared picked up is deeply pink cotton candy and refused to share with Jensen. Jensen, ever the one in control, picked a plain white small portion, which is already gone. He's helping Logan now to destroy the monstrosity of blue sugar, all the while telling his nephew to not tell his parents.
Just sitting there and watching them makes Jared a little wistful. Something flutters in his chest, squeezes his heart a little. It happens again when Jensen directs the same smile he gave Logan at Jared.
When the blue mess is gone, or rather solely in Jensen’s possession, Logan demands more but this time it has to be green. Jensen groans out loud and Jared can’t help but laugh. They both know where most of it will end up.
Jared heart swells when Jensen just gets up and gets Logan his green cotton candy. He can tell that Jensen'll be a great dad one day. Jared suddenly feels weird about the fact that he can see himself there as well, not so much with having kids and being a dad but about him not being able to imagine it all without Jensen.
The pink sugar suddenly doesn’t taste good anymore. It’s the wrong time and the wrong place to have that kind of revelation. It’s the wrong person to have that kind of revelation about. At least that's what Jared tries to tell himself.
Logan ends up getting Jensen sick on the way home by telling him all about the mud cake competition from pre-school the other day. Jensen is a trooper and just turns slightly green. And yet even then, Jared thinks he looks gorgeous.
**********
Jensen calls him for help this time.
He's alone with Logan because everyone is either at work, like Logan’s parents, or out getting last minute Christmas presents. Jensen needs help finding some himself and he just doesn’t want to drag a little kid through half the city without being able to provide proper entertainment.
Jared, apparently, is this proper entertainment. He loves Logan, so it's not like it's a hardship to come along. He still complains to Jensen about having to sacrifice a well planned day in front of the TV with his dogs and brother's family. But Jensen just tells him to show up and then hangs up on him.
Jared stands there, in front of the Ackles’ family home and tries to calm his nerves. He and Jensen have gone longer without seeing each other than just two days and there have been many times before where Jared stood in the exact same spot about to ring the door bell, even if the house is new and Jared means it metaphorically … he stops to blink and wonders when he started to ramble in his own head. But then again, at all those previous times, Jared didn’t have to deal with this ‘having a sudden and forceful crush on Jensen’ thing.
He's about to ring the bell for real this time when the door is wrenched open. Jared blinks and can’t help but grin at the sight of Jensen. Jensen covered in green goo and purple pieces of confetti.
When he can’t hold it anymore, Jared burst out laughing. He laughs hard for a few minutes and has tears in his eyes when he's done. Jensen just stands there and watches him, motionless. Jared, though, can see the sparkle in Jensen’s eyes. He tries not to stare too much at the tight t-shirt and well fitting jeans. This is new.
“You done?” Jensen’s sounds almost bored but Jared knows he's suppressing laughter.
“I guess.” Jared hiccups and pushes past Jensen into the house. The living room looks like a battlefield, cushions everywhere, some piled up to work as some kind of shield and green, yellow, pink goo everywhere. Yeah, Jared thinks,Jensen actually needs help.
“World War Three?” Jared chuckles, and goes down hard with an ‘oompf’ when Logan barrels into him. Jared almost can't believe he was just knocked down on his ass by a child.
This time it’s Jensen cracking up.
***
They manage to get Logan and the living room cleaned up before they leave the house. Jensen has a precise plan on where they have to go and how long Jared has to watch Logan. It’s so precise that it's printed out on paper that Jensen ends up throwing away at the sight of the first crowded store.
Jared just grins and finds Jensen’s little frown very adorable.
It takes them a few hours but they get all the things on Jensen’s list and manage to not lose Logan in all the chaos that is Christmas shopping. Jared is rather proud of them even if Jensen mocks his paranoid tendencies.
They even get Logan another green cotton candy. This time Jensen doesn’t have to rescue the rest from the gutter. He looks really glad about it, too, which makes Jared find him even more adorable.
At the last store they visit, Jared has to stay outside. He pouts a little which makes Jensen smile all soft at him. Logan just sticks his tongue out because he's allowed to go with Jensen.
“Stay here and don’t run away, Jay.” Jensen tells him with a very mocking grin. But the look in his eyes is soft and Jared actually melts a little at that.
“I'm not a dog, you know.” Jared pouts more.
“But you do those really cute puppy dog eyes so well, Jared.” With that Jensen's gone and Jared has to fight the urge to dance around like a demented chipmunk because Jensen indirectly acknowledged that his puppy dog look works on him. Yes, Jared is really kind of gone for the guy. His sister would whack him over the head for not realizing it sooner and Jensen’s sister would happily join her.
***
Jared’s feet feel dead when he slowly sinks into the sofa. Jensen is tugging Logan in, who’ll spend the night after all. Jensen’s parents are still out. Though it’s not really late yet, Jared feels all powered out.
Somehow he still feels good. He’s spent the whole day with Jensen and that was definitely better than anything he'd planned on doing. Jared wonders if he should try and talk to Jensen, risk their friendship for something more. Wonders if Jensen feels the same, if the looks he's been getting all day mean anything.
“Tired?”
Jared doesn’t jump but realizes that he must have dozed off for a while. He opens his eyes and sleepily blinks at Jensen, who's sitting closer than Jared anticipated.
“Yeah, a little. A day out with kids is actually exhausting.”
“But you aren’t regretting sacrificing a day of stale popcorn and bad chick flick movies with your brother and his wife?” Jensen’s smirk is mischievous and Jared finds that rather hot. He doesn’t really know why but somehow in the space of a second, Jared decides to throw caution to the wind. And before he knows what he's doing he is leaning in and kisses Jensen.
Softly, not pushing, just testing if it's all right. And it seems to be really all right, because Jensen sighs against his lips, buries his hands in Jared’s hair and pulls him closer. “Been waiting for you Jay. To figure it out.“ Jensen mubles, kisses him again.
When they separate Jared can only smile slowly and rest his head in Jensen’s shoulder. “I’ll sacrifice anything for you.”
Jensen laughs at that but keeps his hand carding through Jared’s hair. “Wow Jay, you're all for grand gestures today, huh?”
Jared doesn’t know how to answer that, so he shrugs, kisses Jensen’s neck and settles even more against him. They sit there, on the couch in front of the fire, together.