AU Fic: everyone experiments in college
Everyone Experiments in College Part 1
- AU Jared/Jensen
- PG, for now, heads into NC-17 territory eventually, and trust me, I'm as nervous as anyone about that. The writing of porn is hard...Heh.
- Oh, real people, not mine, total fiction.
- In an alternate universe, Jared goes to college. Things start ensuing all over the place. Comments and constructive criticism greatly appreciated!
When his mom starts to fold his towels for the fifth time, Jared can't help but laugh.
"Mom, leave it alone. They're just gonna end up on the floor eventually anyway."
She flicks a stern gaze at her son, still folding the towel over her arm. "You will do no such thing, Jared Padalecki. The thought of having damp towels on carpet, it just--how on earth are you ever going to take care of yourself?" She sighs, helpless, before turning to her husband, asking, "Jerry, did we leave anything in the truck, I don't want Jared to be missing his book bag, or toothbrush or something, God knows how long he'd wallow in his own filth before going out to replace--"
"I'm right here, momma--"
"Honey, relax." Jared's father smiles indulgently. "Jared's a college boy now, you're gonna need to let him go. Let's head out, leave the boy in peace." He gently tugs the towel from his wife's hands, tossing it onto Jared's bed.
Jared grins, nodding in agreement until his dad's gaze turns to the bed. "Jared, this bed of yours looks awfully small." Jared's mom clucks her tongue, before circling the bed, looking over it at every angle. Jerry nods, "Shari, maybe we should stop off at that Ikea, his feet are going to be hanging off this itty bitty thing. Jared, where'd you put those tools I gave you, we're gonna be needing them."
And Jared loves his mom and dad, he really does, but at this rate, he's gonna be spending his whole first day at college nipping at the heels of his parents. He scrambles to stretch out onto the bed, calves propped up on the baseboard, huge smile in place. "No, dad, really, it's great, I like it, it's gonna keep my feet elevated and that's good for, uh," he searches, "for blood flow--"
The door slams open with a bang, Megan strolling in, nose in a magazine. "Jared, the girls who live down the hall wanted to know if they could come over and introduce themselves, but I told them that they shouldn't bother if they want any chance at all of avoiding your gigantic, annoying ass--"
"Megan!" yelped their mom.
"Ass..ignment. The gigantic, annoying assignment of having to listen to you talk on and on and whoa that bed is small."
Jared jumps to his feet, teeth grit together as he herds his family out the door. "Mom, dad, I love you guys, and thank you so much for all your help, but maybe it's time for you guys to be leaving now. Got that flight to catch tomorrow morning, bright and early. Take a load off. Meggie, scram."
Megan aims a kick at his shin that he dances around before tackling her into a hug. She rolls her eyes before hugging back, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek. Blinking rapidly, she pulls away, then, looking down at her magazine, she yelps, "Jared, you totally wrinkled the pages!" She storms away, muttering, "Shoulda been born a giraffe, no respect for Elle, it's ridiculous."
He grins huge, watching her go, before ducking for a kiss from his mom. She looks at him for a long while, eyes bright, before hurrying away and his dad follows her after issuing a gruff reminder to call and slipping a twenty into his pocket.
Jared watches them go, and if his grin wobbles, it's only because he's so excited for college. That's all. He's rubbing something out of his eye, when a voice calls down the hallway.
"Hey, Andre! You mind postponing the sob session 'til after you help me move my shit in?"
Jared straightens abruptly, peers down the hallway to see a blond dude, rangy-limbed and squinty-eyed. "You talking to me?"
"Uh, yeah. Only giant I see." The guy doesn't quite lower his voice enough when he mutters, "Big enough to fucking block the sun."
Jared jogs down the hallway, only to see a small freight train's worth of bags. Talk about blocking the sun; Jared swears this must be messing with the planet's gravitational pull. "Jesus."
The blond tosses him a bag then grins. It's a nice enough smile, Jared thinks, the guy should really think about swapping it in for the pouty squint he was sporting at first.
"I'm Chad. Could you bring in the big boxes first, bro? You're a rock star."
Chad pats him on the shoulder before striding past him, empty-handed. Jared wonders if slugging someone the first day in the dorms would set a bad precedent. He sighs. Common sense says better to make a friend than an enemy and Jared hauls up another bag, arms straining.
"Name's Jared here!" he calls down after Chad. "Real great to meet you. You're super." Then, more seriously, "What room do these go in?"
A pair of blondes cross Chad's path, long hair swinging, and he calls back distractedly, "1304, Andre. Just dump 'em wherever."
Jared groans out loud. Of course. Well, cross nightmare roommate off the college checklist. He smirks to himself, remembering the large, yellowed stain that colored the mattress on the bed he hadn't chosen.
Hey, he tells himself, you gotta take your small pleasures where you can.
It takes him an hour to drag all of Chad's shit into their teacup-sized room. The first ten minutes he'd had to remind himself every few seconds that he had to live with this guy and it wouldn't help if he just chucked Chad's Louis Vuitton luggage out the window.
The next twenty he'd spent cataloguing all the blackmail potential he could pull out down the line when he wanted the room to himself or something like that. He'd already noticed a pair of black silk boxers poking out the top of a suitcase, and seriously? Who was this Chad guy kidding? Also, he'd had to stop and lean against the wall he was laughing so hard when he found a little book entitled "Musings". Chad as a songwriter was apparently heavily inspired by the great love ballads of the 90's. A lot of eyes meeting, hearts soaring, pulses quickening. Pure. Gold.
The last half hour, this pretty little brunette and her pretty little brunette friend had casually swung their door open. The first time he'd moved past, they'd giggled and Jared, after dropping that armload into his room, had rolled his sleeves up over his shoulders. The next time he walked by, he made sure to grunt manfully, flexing his triceps. He could hear them whispering excitedly, key phrases popping out, like: "so hot", "did you see those arms" and "dibs."
So that hour kind of flew right by.
When the trainload of luggage's been lugged over into his room, he smirks as he looks at the tower of boxes he'd constructed. It reaches right up the ceiling and he giggles a little thinking about Chad trying to reach the top box.
A knock on the door, and Jared quickly drops his giggle an octave. He spins around, seeing the two dark-haired girls.
The shorter one carries a bottle of Coke and she smiles brightly. "We thought you deserved a cold drink after all that hard work."
Jared grins so hard, he can feel his cheeks spasm. "Thanks, really appreciate that."
She tosses it to him, appropriately dazzled by his smile, saying, "I'm Sandy, this is my roommate Sophia."
"Jared. It's good to meet ya'll."
Sophia dimples at him, then jumps up onto his bed. bouncing a little.
Sandy eyes the box tower. "Impressive."
"Not at all phallic," agrees Sophia.
Jared chokes on the sip of Coke he's just taken, blushing as soda dribbles down his chin. Sex-ay.
Sandy laughs, and Sophia tosses him his towel off his bed.
He wipes off, then gestures towards the pillar. "No, it's uh, this is all my roommate's stuff, actually. Figured I'd make it harder on him to unpack since he used me like a workhorse."
Sophia asks, "Who's your roommate?"
"Uh, Chad?"
Sandy tilts her head. "Is he that guy who smells like he took a bath in Axe?"
Jared nods and Sophia smiles, wheels turning in her head. "Ooh, he's cute."
Jared frowns. "He's kind of a douche."
Sophia shrugs. "Just means he'll get me in bed that much faster. I'm douche-prone. It's a fatal flaw."
Jared takes a long pull of his soda, watching Sandy examine the photos scattered on his desk. "What about you, Sandy?"
"Nope, I'm hoping to live douche-free."
They share a smile and Jared drains the Coke, tossing it into the trash can.
Sophia falls back on Jared's bed, making herself at home. "So where are you from Jared?"
Jared sits down hard on his desk chair, stretching, keeping an eye on Sandy as she looks through his CD collection. "San Antonio."
"No way! Texas?" asks Sophia, sitting up. "You're the only out-of-stater I've met so far."
"You're a California girl?"
She grins flirtatiously, quirking one shoulder at him. "Born and raised. Don't I look the part?"
Jared grins wide, and Sophia falls back onto the bed, admitting, "Grew up just a couple hours from here actually. UC San Diego's just far enough away from home to keep the parents away, but close enough to take my laundry home when I run out of things to wear. Plus, the beaches, all the surfer boys--"
"Oh my god, Sophia!" Sandy rushes over to the bed, frame in hand, "Look at baby Jared!"
"Oh god. Please don't look at that. C'mon ya'll give it here." Jared stands, long arms reaching over to snatch at it.
Sandy passes it off to Sophia, who jumps off the bed, dancing just beyond Jared's reach. Sophia laughs, "Oh my god, don't worry, JJ, you are so adorable! Look at those chubby cheeks, and those tiny toes!" Her smile goes wicked. "And the little thing! It's so precious!"
Sandy gasps for breath through her laughter, consoling a furiously blushing Jared. "Oh, Jared, I'm sorry, I couldn't help it." She purses her lips, cooing at him, "But look what a strapping young man you grew up into!"
Jared pouts, leaning against the wall. "I hate you guys."
Sandy, giggling, asks, "Why would you frame that?"
"I didn't!" Jared's arms flail. "My mom must've slipped it in!"
Sandy and Sophia burst into fresh laughter. Sophia, measuring the distance between Jared and the door, makes a sudden dash, "JaredI'mgonnaborrowthis,okay,bye! Sandy, distract him!"
Jared lunges for her, but his path is blocked by just over five feet of very determined girl. Sandy runs one hand up his chest, pushing him back until he stumbles onto his bed.
Standing between his knees, she smiles, whispering, "Alone at last."
She leans in slowly, and Jared gulps, blood running hot and sudden. She's so close he can feel the warmth of her lips.
"All clear!" Sophia's shout echoes down the hall.
Sandy changes course, pressing a friendly kiss to his cheek. Smiling brightly, she chirps, "Mission accomplished! Okay, Jared, look for our handiwork online in about twenty minutes!" She winks, skipping outside before Jared's blood pools somewhere north of his waist.
"They wouldn't." He shakes his head, leaning forward to shout, "You wouldn't! Guys?" Silence. "Guys?"
He lays back in bed, staring at the ceiling. Damn it, Jared thinks, I should know never to trust girls that hot.
He's still burning from his humiliation when Chad strolls in. The guy doesn't even have the grace to react appropriately, or really, at all, to the tribute to the Leaning Tower of Pisa Jared's constructed out of Chad's belongings.
"Dude, those girls just run out of here? Lukewarm high five, man. Points for getting them in here at all, but I have to take a deduction for sending them shrieking."
"Shut up, man."
Chad grimaces at the yellow spot on his mattress, poking at it. "Hey, I have a lot of wisdom I could pass on to you."
Jared turns his head, lips curling up. "Yeah, you do seem like the kind of guy who'd have a lot of...musings."
Chad's back stiffens and he snaps his head towards Jared's. "What'd you say?"
"What?" asks Jared, pasting on his most innocent face. "Musings?"
Chad's face goes stormy and he pulls a box from the tower, not even bothering to try to reach the top. The whole thing comes tumbling down on top of him.
Jared smirks. Small pleasures.
****
"Dude, that's not funny."
"Chad, could you just pay. My arms are getting sore." Jared struggles to hold onto his cafeteria tray.
It's only been four days, and Jared's already worried about stretching his meal points out over the rest of the quarter. He's not a big fan of coercing Chad, mostly because his roommate bitches and moans about it for days, but his stomach's as good a cause as they come.
"Seriously, Jared, lamest joke ever. Even you can't eat that much food."
Jared stares down at his tray. Two breakfast burritos, three orders of tater tots, a plate of lasagna, a couple apples, a banana, six waffles and some yogurt. He shrugs, "What're you talking about? Pretty typical breakfast."
"Where did you even find lasagna?"
Jared grins. "You have to ask for it. Sonya keeps it in the back."
Chad shakes his head. "No. No, man, you're not allowed to know them by name."
Jared rolls his eyes, stepping back to let someone squeeze past. "Dude, don't be a jackass."
"Jared, that's not fair." Sandy pops up from behind him, stealing a tater tot. "You know you can't expect Chad to follow through with impossible tasks." She wrinkles her nose. "No fries? Way to go breakfast-lite."
Jared smiles triumphantly at Chad. His roommate gives him the finger.
"C'mon, man, there's a lady present," Jared mock-reprimands as Sandy curtsies.
Chad turns his back to them, heading towards the cashier. "There is no way I'm paying for all that. One meal, Jared, that's all I agreed to, not a fucking banquet."
Jared raises his tray, gesturing with his head. "Breakfast! One meal!" He sighs, staring at Chad's stony back. Turning to Sandy, he begins, "Did I ever tell you about Chad's many talents? They include song--"
Chad stomps over and drags Jared to the cashier by the elbow. "I hate you."
Jared grins. He's really starting to like Chad.
Sandy grabs a couple cookies and tosses 'em onto the tray. "Chad's treat."
Chad scowls. "Bitch."
Sandy turns to Jared. "Jared, when you defend my honor, don't punch him in the eye. It's just going to get all swollen and squintier."
She walks off haughtily. Jared chuckles, calling after her, "You're all heart!"
Chad storms off after paying, muttering some shit about checking out Rush Week. Jared spots Sophia and Sandy pretty quick though, two dark heads in a booth, and he grabs a seat next to them.
Sophia snags a tater tot, and Jared has to suppress a frown. He's never been good with sharing food.
Sandy notices and rolls her eyes. "Sophia, eat your own food, Jared's about to throw a hissy fit."
"I am not!"
"Oh, you so are. Just for that I'm taking back one of my cookies."
Jared grabs the cookies and clutches them to his chest. "You'll have to get through me first."
"Have you learned nothing, Jared Padale--"
"Guys!" Sophia hisses, "Shut up!" She stares just over Jared's shoulder, eyes dreamy.
Sandy follows her gaze, confusion melting into one half awe, one half lust. "Wow," she breathes.
Jared moves into their line of sight, smiling humbly, all aw-shucks. "Guys, c'mon, take a breath. You'd think you'd be used to looking at me, by now."
"Jared, get out of the way!" Sophia shoves him aside and Sandy teeters on her elbows as she looks around him.
Jared pouts until he notices no one's paying attention to him. He turns to see what they're staring at.
The lust object's standing just inside the door, chatting somebody up. Jared has to admit, the guy's good-looking. Tall, broad-shouldered, and brown-haired, he's got a polished confidence that Jared's never quite been able to pull of.
He's also wearing a flannel shirt and boots, and Jared gets one of those pangs he's never prepared for. Homesickness flares up, every now and then, and this guy's the most Texas looking person he's seen since he's gotten here.
The guy grins and Sophia whimpers.
Jared has to shake off that smile himself. Damn, like a punch to the gut, all easy friendliness and warmth. The past few days, Chad's been his only source of testosterone. He kind of misses having a buddy he didn't have constantly fight down the urge to strangle.
Sandy sighs. "I'll sign up for four of him."
Sophia bites her lip. "Dibs."
"No way!" Sandy exclaims, "You can't call dibs on everyone!"
Jared laughs. "You call dibs on me?" he asks Sophia, feeling his ego soar.
She doesn't even spare him a glance, telling Sandy, "You can have Jared."
His ego crashes.
"I don't want Jared!"
And burns.
His pride's just drifted down to dangerous lows, so Jared feels it's appropriate to resort to a good old-fashioned storm off. He stands, burritos in hand, then bends to scoop up the rest in his arms. Only he didn't realize there was quite so much, and he ends up having to ask for Sandy's help to balance everything just so. He storms off after anyway, but it's not right, all half-hearted.
He brushes past the guy on his way out, and the manners his momma hammered into him kick in. His grin lights up, and he nods at the fellow Texan, but the guy jerks back like he's been burned, looks away.
Jared frowns. But then he eats a tater tot, and he has to admit, it makes him feel better. He reminds himself to never underestimate the power of a tater tot.
****
Jared's got an eight a.m. class on Friday mornings, and it makes his soul cry.
He wakes up at 7:45, brushes his teeth and throws a hoodie on over his sweat pants before dragging his ass to lecture. He walks in and sees Sophia waving frantically at him from the middle of class. Apparently she's a morning person.
He wonders if he can pretend like he didn't see her, but she hisses, "Jared!" and that's another good plan down the drain.
He makes his way towards her, and of course she's in the very goddamn middle of the room. He hates having to maneuver past people's knees; he's got big feet and only moderate control over them, so when he finally collapses next to Sophia, he can barely keep from slapping his hand over her chattering mouth.
"You will not believe who's here."
He takes a stab. "Dionne Warwick?"
"What?"
Jared gives a sleepy shrug. "I don't know, it's morning."
She smiles, pats his cheek indulgently. "Look, front row."
He peers down and then grins. "Heeey, it's your dream hunk."
Sophia sighs wistfully. "He really is. Look at those lips. God, I just want to chew on that lower one for hours."
"Jesus." Jared shifts uncomfortably, carefully readjusting his sweatpants. Stupid persistent morning wood. "I think someone might need a change of panties."
"Gross!" Sophia smacks him. For a little girl, she packs a wallop. "Such a horndog."
Jared laughs. "Excuse me? You're the one who was just composing a full on ode to the guy's mouth."
She's too busy retightening her ponytail and adjusting her too-small hoodie to pay attention though, so that goes flying right over her head. "Thank god I took the time this morning to get scrubby-hot."
"Scrubby-hot?"
She fixes Jared with a look, and he prepares himself. Sophia's 'let me teach you something' face usually precedes a few minutes of Jared sputtering. "Look, Padalecki, do you honestly think I roll out of bed looking like this? It takes me half an hour to do my makeup so it looks like I'm not wearing makeup. My ponytail is perfect, my sweatshirt hugs my boobs, and I spent 45 bucks on these cute pajama pants because they ride just right on my hips." She shakes her head. "Boys. Thank god you're pretty."
Jared has to fight the instinct to be pleased to fully process the rest of what Sophia said. He wakes up just enough to be appropriately impressed. "You conniving minx."
"Aw." Sophia winks. "Love you too, babe."
He's still processing Sophia's reveal, so when the professor gets up and introduces the TA's, the first being one Mr. Jensen Ackles, he just can't seem to find the energy to be suitably shocked when Sophia's dream hunk, he of the kissable lips and Texan air, half-stands and waves.
****
Section's right after lecture, so he stumbles into that alone; Sophia, the lucky bitch, gets to go back to her bed. Jared thinks of his lush, wonderfully soft pillow and whimpers.
He's staggering into the smaller classroom, but notices he's attracting a few stares, so he tones himself down. Sandy says he has a natural tendency towards hamminess, and he's known her for barely a week. He can't help but drop into his chair, though. Hey, you take the good with the bad with Jared Padalecki.
The TA's late, and Jared folds his arms on the table, resting his head on 'em. He's half-drowsing when the dude next to him elbows him sharply.
Jared jerks up. "Thanks man."
The guy grins. "No worries, bro, I get it."
"Thank god," Jared sighs, relieved. "I thought I was the only one who thought that class was a complete suckfest."
"Ahem."
Jared doesn't even bother turning around. He knows it's the TA and he knows the TA's Jensen Ackles. He's spent more than a decade perfecting his foot in mouth technique and it hasn't failed him yet.
He waves over his head in the direction of the voice. "Hey Jensen, I'm Jared: J, A, R, E, D. Thrilled to be here."
****
The rest of section pretty much consists of Jared wallowing in shame. Every time he tries to catch Jensen's eye, to show him he's awake and involved, the guy just darts his gaze away. Jared even tries answering a question but Jensen just kind of nods before moving on quickly. Jared's on full blast with the whole charm initiative here, and he's being stonewalled. He's not used to that kind of resistance.
He's recounting the whole thing to Sandy at lunch. He finishes off with: "Dude, it's like he's my kryptonite."
She stares at him before laughing at his sheer ridiculousness. "Wow."
"Shut up." Jared laughs, playing it off. "Stunned by my genius, again, huh, McCoy?"
"Who wouldn't be?"
Jared huffs. "My TA, apparently." Jared gulps down a tater tot, but it just gets stuck in his throat.
Sandy hands him her cup of water, before saying, "Jared, let it go. Not everybody has to like you."
"What?" He fakes bewilderment as he downs the whole cup.
"It's not a law that you have to get alone with every person in the world."
"It's not?"
She rolls her eyes. "Stop being a dumbass."
He grins. "No, I know you're right, it's just...it's just bugging me." He picks at his sandwich. "Oh, and he is from Texas. Right outside of Dallas."
She lowers her head to peek up at his downcast one. "Jared. So you guys aren't going to lasso things together or go buy boots. It's not the end of the world. Everyone gets homesick."
He grins at her, nodding. Then: "Lassoing things and buying boots? That's what you think guys do in Texas?"
She shrugs, inhaling her chicken strips. Around a mouthful of food, she squeezes out, "Oh, excuse me. And play football."
Jared's about to protest, but he has to haul himself up short. Actually, that pretty accurately describes his whole high school experience.
****
It's Saturday and Jared's up at eight a.m., once again. It's like the world hates him, like the planet was sick of having his heavy ass traipsing around on it. And yeah, in case it wasn't clear, Jared's a little woeful this morning.
He'd accidentally woken up Chad this morning, and the fucker had thrown his shoe at him; the guy had phenomenal aim. His forehead still stings, and now here he is standing on a track, getting ready to run laps next to Jensen fucking Ackles.
Lacrosse tryouts had sounded fun, he'd played in high school, and since there wasn't anything beyond intramural for football, he figured he might as well try club lacrosse.
Only Jensen's the fucking team captain and running tryouts.
Jared digs his toe into the ground hard. I get the message, he tells God, you want to make me cry like a little bitch.
Instead, Jared pushes off as hard as he can at the sound of the whistle, long legs eating up track.
He's settling into a groove, toned muscles working just under slick skin, getting ready to relax into his comfortable lead, when he sees Jensen cruise up right next to him.
Jared digs in a little deeper, knees flying up, putting on a burst of speed, but Jensen just sticks right by him, and fuck it all if Jensen's not smirking a little.
Jared puts his head down and feels his thighs tighten and release, sweat making the thin cotton of his shirt stick to his skin, and crosses the finish line just seconds before Jensen. He collapses onto his back on the green field, trying to catch his breath, chest heaving. Jensen stands next to him, and the asshole's not so much sweating as goddamn gleaming, and Jared grits his teeth.
Jensen offers Jared a hand, pointing towards the other players with his other one. "Scrimmage. Get your gear. They need an attackman."
Jared grabs Jensen's hand, getting to his feet. "I, uh, have my own stick. And I play midfielder."
Jensen looks him up and down, before grudgingly admitting, "You're tall and almost fast." He states curtly, "Just play the position I asked," before walking away abruptly.
Jared doesn't stick his tongue out, but he really, really wants to.
****
By the time Jared gets home, he's feeling a deep regret that he'll never get to see his momma one last time before he dies from the pain radiating down his arms and legs.
He tosses his pads and helmet onto the ground, the harsh clatter waking Chad. Jared can't bring himself to toss his stick around like that though so he gently places it against the wall with the last bit of strength he has.
And then, he dies. Or that's what it feels like. He falls into bed and the cool sheets and that luscious pillow feel so good, he could swear he's in heaven.
"Fuck man, you reek."
And the world all comes rushing back. Jared watches Chad crawl out of bed, still groggy with sleep. "Dude, did you just wake up? It's fucking four in the afternoon."
"I know." Chad rubs at his bedhead. "And man, as bad as my mouth tastes? You smell about ass times worse."
Jared groans. "I can't move, man. If you want me clean, you're gonna have to drag me into the shower yourself."
"The emoting's solid, but it's just not believable, Andre. Gonna have to get some better material." Chad yawns. "It's not you, it's the writing."
"Fuck off."
Chad pads to the door, and sticks his head out into the hallway, bellowing, "Sandy! Sophia! Jared's paralyzed! Totally at your mercy!"
"I hate you."
Chad shrugs. "It's what makes our particular world go round." He shushes Jared, straining to listen. "I think I hear them stirring."
Adrenaline courses through Jared and he sits up, pulling off his shoes and socks. Pounding down the hallway, he carefully blocks off the girls' doorway with his socks, before standing back.
Sandy opens the door with a big smile on her face. "Up and at 'em I see."
He smirks. "Sorry to disappoint."
Sophia pops over Sandy's shoulder. "It's ok, it's more fun when you struggle."
Chad, leaning out from his and Jared's room, mutters, "Kinky bitch."
Sophia sticks her head out and, seeing him, licks her lower lip seductively. "You love it."
Chad ducks back into his room, eyes wide, and Jared decides he needs to put Sophia on speed dial for when Chad goes above and beyond his typical douchebag schtick.
The girls are about to pounce when the smell hits them. Sandy looks down at the socks, eyes watering, "You dirty cheat."
Jared's grin broadens. "Hey, I'm in it to win it."
Sophia takes a deep breath, probably to fuel some sort of obscenity-laden rant, but it's a miscalculation Jared savors. She goes green, "Sandy, close the door, close the door!"
Jared snickers as he picks up his socks. Guess there really is a use for everything in this world. He should listen to his daddy more often. He heads straight to the shower, anyway. Even if there's a purpose for his sweatiness, doesn't make it any less unpleasant.
The hot water on his skin makes him groan, low and long. He almost kisses the showerhead, but there's some chalky white shit right there, and he thinks better of it. He's just starting to stop hating his own arms when a splash of ice cold water crashes over him, making him scream like a little girl.
Sandy's thoroughly amused voice comes drifting over the curtain. "Awfully little voice from some such a big boy."
Sophia's head peeks past the curtain and Jared doesn't get his hands down fast enough. Her eyebrows quirk way up as she whistles, "A very, very big boy."
"What? Let me see."
"No!" Jared shouts, but it's too late, Sandy's peeking in from the other side of the curtain.
"Aw, look," Sandy coos, "He blushes everywhere."
Chad calls from the room, "Too much information, ladies."
Sophia returns, "Well, stop straining your ears listening for every word then." She turns to look at Jared, all genuine concern. "Now, JJ, has Chad touched you in any of your bad places? You can tell me."
Jared wishes he died on the field.
Part 2
- AU Jared/Jensen
- PG, for now, heads into NC-17 territory eventually, and trust me, I'm as nervous as anyone about that. The writing of porn is hard...Heh.
- Oh, real people, not mine, total fiction.
- In an alternate universe, Jared goes to college. Things start ensuing all over the place. Comments and constructive criticism greatly appreciated!
When his mom starts to fold his towels for the fifth time, Jared can't help but laugh.
"Mom, leave it alone. They're just gonna end up on the floor eventually anyway."
She flicks a stern gaze at her son, still folding the towel over her arm. "You will do no such thing, Jared Padalecki. The thought of having damp towels on carpet, it just--how on earth are you ever going to take care of yourself?" She sighs, helpless, before turning to her husband, asking, "Jerry, did we leave anything in the truck, I don't want Jared to be missing his book bag, or toothbrush or something, God knows how long he'd wallow in his own filth before going out to replace--"
"I'm right here, momma--"
"Honey, relax." Jared's father smiles indulgently. "Jared's a college boy now, you're gonna need to let him go. Let's head out, leave the boy in peace." He gently tugs the towel from his wife's hands, tossing it onto Jared's bed.
Jared grins, nodding in agreement until his dad's gaze turns to the bed. "Jared, this bed of yours looks awfully small." Jared's mom clucks her tongue, before circling the bed, looking over it at every angle. Jerry nods, "Shari, maybe we should stop off at that Ikea, his feet are going to be hanging off this itty bitty thing. Jared, where'd you put those tools I gave you, we're gonna be needing them."
And Jared loves his mom and dad, he really does, but at this rate, he's gonna be spending his whole first day at college nipping at the heels of his parents. He scrambles to stretch out onto the bed, calves propped up on the baseboard, huge smile in place. "No, dad, really, it's great, I like it, it's gonna keep my feet elevated and that's good for, uh," he searches, "for blood flow--"
The door slams open with a bang, Megan strolling in, nose in a magazine. "Jared, the girls who live down the hall wanted to know if they could come over and introduce themselves, but I told them that they shouldn't bother if they want any chance at all of avoiding your gigantic, annoying ass--"
"Megan!" yelped their mom.
"Ass..ignment. The gigantic, annoying assignment of having to listen to you talk on and on and whoa that bed is small."
Jared jumps to his feet, teeth grit together as he herds his family out the door. "Mom, dad, I love you guys, and thank you so much for all your help, but maybe it's time for you guys to be leaving now. Got that flight to catch tomorrow morning, bright and early. Take a load off. Meggie, scram."
Megan aims a kick at his shin that he dances around before tackling her into a hug. She rolls her eyes before hugging back, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek. Blinking rapidly, she pulls away, then, looking down at her magazine, she yelps, "Jared, you totally wrinkled the pages!" She storms away, muttering, "Shoulda been born a giraffe, no respect for Elle, it's ridiculous."
He grins huge, watching her go, before ducking for a kiss from his mom. She looks at him for a long while, eyes bright, before hurrying away and his dad follows her after issuing a gruff reminder to call and slipping a twenty into his pocket.
Jared watches them go, and if his grin wobbles, it's only because he's so excited for college. That's all. He's rubbing something out of his eye, when a voice calls down the hallway.
"Hey, Andre! You mind postponing the sob session 'til after you help me move my shit in?"
Jared straightens abruptly, peers down the hallway to see a blond dude, rangy-limbed and squinty-eyed. "You talking to me?"
"Uh, yeah. Only giant I see." The guy doesn't quite lower his voice enough when he mutters, "Big enough to fucking block the sun."
Jared jogs down the hallway, only to see a small freight train's worth of bags. Talk about blocking the sun; Jared swears this must be messing with the planet's gravitational pull. "Jesus."
The blond tosses him a bag then grins. It's a nice enough smile, Jared thinks, the guy should really think about swapping it in for the pouty squint he was sporting at first.
"I'm Chad. Could you bring in the big boxes first, bro? You're a rock star."
Chad pats him on the shoulder before striding past him, empty-handed. Jared wonders if slugging someone the first day in the dorms would set a bad precedent. He sighs. Common sense says better to make a friend than an enemy and Jared hauls up another bag, arms straining.
"Name's Jared here!" he calls down after Chad. "Real great to meet you. You're super." Then, more seriously, "What room do these go in?"
A pair of blondes cross Chad's path, long hair swinging, and he calls back distractedly, "1304, Andre. Just dump 'em wherever."
Jared groans out loud. Of course. Well, cross nightmare roommate off the college checklist. He smirks to himself, remembering the large, yellowed stain that colored the mattress on the bed he hadn't chosen.
Hey, he tells himself, you gotta take your small pleasures where you can.
It takes him an hour to drag all of Chad's shit into their teacup-sized room. The first ten minutes he'd had to remind himself every few seconds that he had to live with this guy and it wouldn't help if he just chucked Chad's Louis Vuitton luggage out the window.
The next twenty he'd spent cataloguing all the blackmail potential he could pull out down the line when he wanted the room to himself or something like that. He'd already noticed a pair of black silk boxers poking out the top of a suitcase, and seriously? Who was this Chad guy kidding? Also, he'd had to stop and lean against the wall he was laughing so hard when he found a little book entitled "Musings". Chad as a songwriter was apparently heavily inspired by the great love ballads of the 90's. A lot of eyes meeting, hearts soaring, pulses quickening. Pure. Gold.
The last half hour, this pretty little brunette and her pretty little brunette friend had casually swung their door open. The first time he'd moved past, they'd giggled and Jared, after dropping that armload into his room, had rolled his sleeves up over his shoulders. The next time he walked by, he made sure to grunt manfully, flexing his triceps. He could hear them whispering excitedly, key phrases popping out, like: "so hot", "did you see those arms" and "dibs."
So that hour kind of flew right by.
When the trainload of luggage's been lugged over into his room, he smirks as he looks at the tower of boxes he'd constructed. It reaches right up the ceiling and he giggles a little thinking about Chad trying to reach the top box.
A knock on the door, and Jared quickly drops his giggle an octave. He spins around, seeing the two dark-haired girls.
The shorter one carries a bottle of Coke and she smiles brightly. "We thought you deserved a cold drink after all that hard work."
Jared grins so hard, he can feel his cheeks spasm. "Thanks, really appreciate that."
She tosses it to him, appropriately dazzled by his smile, saying, "I'm Sandy, this is my roommate Sophia."
"Jared. It's good to meet ya'll."
Sophia dimples at him, then jumps up onto his bed. bouncing a little.
Sandy eyes the box tower. "Impressive."
"Not at all phallic," agrees Sophia.
Jared chokes on the sip of Coke he's just taken, blushing as soda dribbles down his chin. Sex-ay.
Sandy laughs, and Sophia tosses him his towel off his bed.
He wipes off, then gestures towards the pillar. "No, it's uh, this is all my roommate's stuff, actually. Figured I'd make it harder on him to unpack since he used me like a workhorse."
Sophia asks, "Who's your roommate?"
"Uh, Chad?"
Sandy tilts her head. "Is he that guy who smells like he took a bath in Axe?"
Jared nods and Sophia smiles, wheels turning in her head. "Ooh, he's cute."
Jared frowns. "He's kind of a douche."
Sophia shrugs. "Just means he'll get me in bed that much faster. I'm douche-prone. It's a fatal flaw."
Jared takes a long pull of his soda, watching Sandy examine the photos scattered on his desk. "What about you, Sandy?"
"Nope, I'm hoping to live douche-free."
They share a smile and Jared drains the Coke, tossing it into the trash can.
Sophia falls back on Jared's bed, making herself at home. "So where are you from Jared?"
Jared sits down hard on his desk chair, stretching, keeping an eye on Sandy as she looks through his CD collection. "San Antonio."
"No way! Texas?" asks Sophia, sitting up. "You're the only out-of-stater I've met so far."
"You're a California girl?"
She grins flirtatiously, quirking one shoulder at him. "Born and raised. Don't I look the part?"
Jared grins wide, and Sophia falls back onto the bed, admitting, "Grew up just a couple hours from here actually. UC San Diego's just far enough away from home to keep the parents away, but close enough to take my laundry home when I run out of things to wear. Plus, the beaches, all the surfer boys--"
"Oh my god, Sophia!" Sandy rushes over to the bed, frame in hand, "Look at baby Jared!"
"Oh god. Please don't look at that. C'mon ya'll give it here." Jared stands, long arms reaching over to snatch at it.
Sandy passes it off to Sophia, who jumps off the bed, dancing just beyond Jared's reach. Sophia laughs, "Oh my god, don't worry, JJ, you are so adorable! Look at those chubby cheeks, and those tiny toes!" Her smile goes wicked. "And the little thing! It's so precious!"
Sandy gasps for breath through her laughter, consoling a furiously blushing Jared. "Oh, Jared, I'm sorry, I couldn't help it." She purses her lips, cooing at him, "But look what a strapping young man you grew up into!"
Jared pouts, leaning against the wall. "I hate you guys."
Sandy, giggling, asks, "Why would you frame that?"
"I didn't!" Jared's arms flail. "My mom must've slipped it in!"
Sandy and Sophia burst into fresh laughter. Sophia, measuring the distance between Jared and the door, makes a sudden dash, "JaredI'mgonnaborrowthis,okay,bye! Sandy, distract him!"
Jared lunges for her, but his path is blocked by just over five feet of very determined girl. Sandy runs one hand up his chest, pushing him back until he stumbles onto his bed.
Standing between his knees, she smiles, whispering, "Alone at last."
She leans in slowly, and Jared gulps, blood running hot and sudden. She's so close he can feel the warmth of her lips.
"All clear!" Sophia's shout echoes down the hall.
Sandy changes course, pressing a friendly kiss to his cheek. Smiling brightly, she chirps, "Mission accomplished! Okay, Jared, look for our handiwork online in about twenty minutes!" She winks, skipping outside before Jared's blood pools somewhere north of his waist.
"They wouldn't." He shakes his head, leaning forward to shout, "You wouldn't! Guys?" Silence. "Guys?"
He lays back in bed, staring at the ceiling. Damn it, Jared thinks, I should know never to trust girls that hot.
He's still burning from his humiliation when Chad strolls in. The guy doesn't even have the grace to react appropriately, or really, at all, to the tribute to the Leaning Tower of Pisa Jared's constructed out of Chad's belongings.
"Dude, those girls just run out of here? Lukewarm high five, man. Points for getting them in here at all, but I have to take a deduction for sending them shrieking."
"Shut up, man."
Chad grimaces at the yellow spot on his mattress, poking at it. "Hey, I have a lot of wisdom I could pass on to you."
Jared turns his head, lips curling up. "Yeah, you do seem like the kind of guy who'd have a lot of...musings."
Chad's back stiffens and he snaps his head towards Jared's. "What'd you say?"
"What?" asks Jared, pasting on his most innocent face. "Musings?"
Chad's face goes stormy and he pulls a box from the tower, not even bothering to try to reach the top. The whole thing comes tumbling down on top of him.
Jared smirks. Small pleasures.
****
"Dude, that's not funny."
"Chad, could you just pay. My arms are getting sore." Jared struggles to hold onto his cafeteria tray.
It's only been four days, and Jared's already worried about stretching his meal points out over the rest of the quarter. He's not a big fan of coercing Chad, mostly because his roommate bitches and moans about it for days, but his stomach's as good a cause as they come.
"Seriously, Jared, lamest joke ever. Even you can't eat that much food."
Jared stares down at his tray. Two breakfast burritos, three orders of tater tots, a plate of lasagna, a couple apples, a banana, six waffles and some yogurt. He shrugs, "What're you talking about? Pretty typical breakfast."
"Where did you even find lasagna?"
Jared grins. "You have to ask for it. Sonya keeps it in the back."
Chad shakes his head. "No. No, man, you're not allowed to know them by name."
Jared rolls his eyes, stepping back to let someone squeeze past. "Dude, don't be a jackass."
"Jared, that's not fair." Sandy pops up from behind him, stealing a tater tot. "You know you can't expect Chad to follow through with impossible tasks." She wrinkles her nose. "No fries? Way to go breakfast-lite."
Jared smiles triumphantly at Chad. His roommate gives him the finger.
"C'mon, man, there's a lady present," Jared mock-reprimands as Sandy curtsies.
Chad turns his back to them, heading towards the cashier. "There is no way I'm paying for all that. One meal, Jared, that's all I agreed to, not a fucking banquet."
Jared raises his tray, gesturing with his head. "Breakfast! One meal!" He sighs, staring at Chad's stony back. Turning to Sandy, he begins, "Did I ever tell you about Chad's many talents? They include song--"
Chad stomps over and drags Jared to the cashier by the elbow. "I hate you."
Jared grins. He's really starting to like Chad.
Sandy grabs a couple cookies and tosses 'em onto the tray. "Chad's treat."
Chad scowls. "Bitch."
Sandy turns to Jared. "Jared, when you defend my honor, don't punch him in the eye. It's just going to get all swollen and squintier."
She walks off haughtily. Jared chuckles, calling after her, "You're all heart!"
Chad storms off after paying, muttering some shit about checking out Rush Week. Jared spots Sophia and Sandy pretty quick though, two dark heads in a booth, and he grabs a seat next to them.
Sophia snags a tater tot, and Jared has to suppress a frown. He's never been good with sharing food.
Sandy notices and rolls her eyes. "Sophia, eat your own food, Jared's about to throw a hissy fit."
"I am not!"
"Oh, you so are. Just for that I'm taking back one of my cookies."
Jared grabs the cookies and clutches them to his chest. "You'll have to get through me first."
"Have you learned nothing, Jared Padale--"
"Guys!" Sophia hisses, "Shut up!" She stares just over Jared's shoulder, eyes dreamy.
Sandy follows her gaze, confusion melting into one half awe, one half lust. "Wow," she breathes.
Jared moves into their line of sight, smiling humbly, all aw-shucks. "Guys, c'mon, take a breath. You'd think you'd be used to looking at me, by now."
"Jared, get out of the way!" Sophia shoves him aside and Sandy teeters on her elbows as she looks around him.
Jared pouts until he notices no one's paying attention to him. He turns to see what they're staring at.
The lust object's standing just inside the door, chatting somebody up. Jared has to admit, the guy's good-looking. Tall, broad-shouldered, and brown-haired, he's got a polished confidence that Jared's never quite been able to pull of.
He's also wearing a flannel shirt and boots, and Jared gets one of those pangs he's never prepared for. Homesickness flares up, every now and then, and this guy's the most Texas looking person he's seen since he's gotten here.
The guy grins and Sophia whimpers.
Jared has to shake off that smile himself. Damn, like a punch to the gut, all easy friendliness and warmth. The past few days, Chad's been his only source of testosterone. He kind of misses having a buddy he didn't have constantly fight down the urge to strangle.
Sandy sighs. "I'll sign up for four of him."
Sophia bites her lip. "Dibs."
"No way!" Sandy exclaims, "You can't call dibs on everyone!"
Jared laughs. "You call dibs on me?" he asks Sophia, feeling his ego soar.
She doesn't even spare him a glance, telling Sandy, "You can have Jared."
His ego crashes.
"I don't want Jared!"
And burns.
His pride's just drifted down to dangerous lows, so Jared feels it's appropriate to resort to a good old-fashioned storm off. He stands, burritos in hand, then bends to scoop up the rest in his arms. Only he didn't realize there was quite so much, and he ends up having to ask for Sandy's help to balance everything just so. He storms off after anyway, but it's not right, all half-hearted.
He brushes past the guy on his way out, and the manners his momma hammered into him kick in. His grin lights up, and he nods at the fellow Texan, but the guy jerks back like he's been burned, looks away.
Jared frowns. But then he eats a tater tot, and he has to admit, it makes him feel better. He reminds himself to never underestimate the power of a tater tot.
****
Jared's got an eight a.m. class on Friday mornings, and it makes his soul cry.
He wakes up at 7:45, brushes his teeth and throws a hoodie on over his sweat pants before dragging his ass to lecture. He walks in and sees Sophia waving frantically at him from the middle of class. Apparently she's a morning person.
He wonders if he can pretend like he didn't see her, but she hisses, "Jared!" and that's another good plan down the drain.
He makes his way towards her, and of course she's in the very goddamn middle of the room. He hates having to maneuver past people's knees; he's got big feet and only moderate control over them, so when he finally collapses next to Sophia, he can barely keep from slapping his hand over her chattering mouth.
"You will not believe who's here."
He takes a stab. "Dionne Warwick?"
"What?"
Jared gives a sleepy shrug. "I don't know, it's morning."
She smiles, pats his cheek indulgently. "Look, front row."
He peers down and then grins. "Heeey, it's your dream hunk."
Sophia sighs wistfully. "He really is. Look at those lips. God, I just want to chew on that lower one for hours."
"Jesus." Jared shifts uncomfortably, carefully readjusting his sweatpants. Stupid persistent morning wood. "I think someone might need a change of panties."
"Gross!" Sophia smacks him. For a little girl, she packs a wallop. "Such a horndog."
Jared laughs. "Excuse me? You're the one who was just composing a full on ode to the guy's mouth."
She's too busy retightening her ponytail and adjusting her too-small hoodie to pay attention though, so that goes flying right over her head. "Thank god I took the time this morning to get scrubby-hot."
"Scrubby-hot?"
She fixes Jared with a look, and he prepares himself. Sophia's 'let me teach you something' face usually precedes a few minutes of Jared sputtering. "Look, Padalecki, do you honestly think I roll out of bed looking like this? It takes me half an hour to do my makeup so it looks like I'm not wearing makeup. My ponytail is perfect, my sweatshirt hugs my boobs, and I spent 45 bucks on these cute pajama pants because they ride just right on my hips." She shakes her head. "Boys. Thank god you're pretty."
Jared has to fight the instinct to be pleased to fully process the rest of what Sophia said. He wakes up just enough to be appropriately impressed. "You conniving minx."
"Aw." Sophia winks. "Love you too, babe."
He's still processing Sophia's reveal, so when the professor gets up and introduces the TA's, the first being one Mr. Jensen Ackles, he just can't seem to find the energy to be suitably shocked when Sophia's dream hunk, he of the kissable lips and Texan air, half-stands and waves.
****
Section's right after lecture, so he stumbles into that alone; Sophia, the lucky bitch, gets to go back to her bed. Jared thinks of his lush, wonderfully soft pillow and whimpers.
He's staggering into the smaller classroom, but notices he's attracting a few stares, so he tones himself down. Sandy says he has a natural tendency towards hamminess, and he's known her for barely a week. He can't help but drop into his chair, though. Hey, you take the good with the bad with Jared Padalecki.
The TA's late, and Jared folds his arms on the table, resting his head on 'em. He's half-drowsing when the dude next to him elbows him sharply.
Jared jerks up. "Thanks man."
The guy grins. "No worries, bro, I get it."
"Thank god," Jared sighs, relieved. "I thought I was the only one who thought that class was a complete suckfest."
"Ahem."
Jared doesn't even bother turning around. He knows it's the TA and he knows the TA's Jensen Ackles. He's spent more than a decade perfecting his foot in mouth technique and it hasn't failed him yet.
He waves over his head in the direction of the voice. "Hey Jensen, I'm Jared: J, A, R, E, D. Thrilled to be here."
****
The rest of section pretty much consists of Jared wallowing in shame. Every time he tries to catch Jensen's eye, to show him he's awake and involved, the guy just darts his gaze away. Jared even tries answering a question but Jensen just kind of nods before moving on quickly. Jared's on full blast with the whole charm initiative here, and he's being stonewalled. He's not used to that kind of resistance.
He's recounting the whole thing to Sandy at lunch. He finishes off with: "Dude, it's like he's my kryptonite."
She stares at him before laughing at his sheer ridiculousness. "Wow."
"Shut up." Jared laughs, playing it off. "Stunned by my genius, again, huh, McCoy?"
"Who wouldn't be?"
Jared huffs. "My TA, apparently." Jared gulps down a tater tot, but it just gets stuck in his throat.
Sandy hands him her cup of water, before saying, "Jared, let it go. Not everybody has to like you."
"What?" He fakes bewilderment as he downs the whole cup.
"It's not a law that you have to get alone with every person in the world."
"It's not?"
She rolls her eyes. "Stop being a dumbass."
He grins. "No, I know you're right, it's just...it's just bugging me." He picks at his sandwich. "Oh, and he is from Texas. Right outside of Dallas."
She lowers her head to peek up at his downcast one. "Jared. So you guys aren't going to lasso things together or go buy boots. It's not the end of the world. Everyone gets homesick."
He grins at her, nodding. Then: "Lassoing things and buying boots? That's what you think guys do in Texas?"
She shrugs, inhaling her chicken strips. Around a mouthful of food, she squeezes out, "Oh, excuse me. And play football."
Jared's about to protest, but he has to haul himself up short. Actually, that pretty accurately describes his whole high school experience.
****
It's Saturday and Jared's up at eight a.m., once again. It's like the world hates him, like the planet was sick of having his heavy ass traipsing around on it. And yeah, in case it wasn't clear, Jared's a little woeful this morning.
He'd accidentally woken up Chad this morning, and the fucker had thrown his shoe at him; the guy had phenomenal aim. His forehead still stings, and now here he is standing on a track, getting ready to run laps next to Jensen fucking Ackles.
Lacrosse tryouts had sounded fun, he'd played in high school, and since there wasn't anything beyond intramural for football, he figured he might as well try club lacrosse.
Only Jensen's the fucking team captain and running tryouts.
Jared digs his toe into the ground hard. I get the message, he tells God, you want to make me cry like a little bitch.
Instead, Jared pushes off as hard as he can at the sound of the whistle, long legs eating up track.
He's settling into a groove, toned muscles working just under slick skin, getting ready to relax into his comfortable lead, when he sees Jensen cruise up right next to him.
Jared digs in a little deeper, knees flying up, putting on a burst of speed, but Jensen just sticks right by him, and fuck it all if Jensen's not smirking a little.
Jared puts his head down and feels his thighs tighten and release, sweat making the thin cotton of his shirt stick to his skin, and crosses the finish line just seconds before Jensen. He collapses onto his back on the green field, trying to catch his breath, chest heaving. Jensen stands next to him, and the asshole's not so much sweating as goddamn gleaming, and Jared grits his teeth.
Jensen offers Jared a hand, pointing towards the other players with his other one. "Scrimmage. Get your gear. They need an attackman."
Jared grabs Jensen's hand, getting to his feet. "I, uh, have my own stick. And I play midfielder."
Jensen looks him up and down, before grudgingly admitting, "You're tall and almost fast." He states curtly, "Just play the position I asked," before walking away abruptly.
Jared doesn't stick his tongue out, but he really, really wants to.
****
By the time Jared gets home, he's feeling a deep regret that he'll never get to see his momma one last time before he dies from the pain radiating down his arms and legs.
He tosses his pads and helmet onto the ground, the harsh clatter waking Chad. Jared can't bring himself to toss his stick around like that though so he gently places it against the wall with the last bit of strength he has.
And then, he dies. Or that's what it feels like. He falls into bed and the cool sheets and that luscious pillow feel so good, he could swear he's in heaven.
"Fuck man, you reek."
And the world all comes rushing back. Jared watches Chad crawl out of bed, still groggy with sleep. "Dude, did you just wake up? It's fucking four in the afternoon."
"I know." Chad rubs at his bedhead. "And man, as bad as my mouth tastes? You smell about ass times worse."
Jared groans. "I can't move, man. If you want me clean, you're gonna have to drag me into the shower yourself."
"The emoting's solid, but it's just not believable, Andre. Gonna have to get some better material." Chad yawns. "It's not you, it's the writing."
"Fuck off."
Chad pads to the door, and sticks his head out into the hallway, bellowing, "Sandy! Sophia! Jared's paralyzed! Totally at your mercy!"
"I hate you."
Chad shrugs. "It's what makes our particular world go round." He shushes Jared, straining to listen. "I think I hear them stirring."
Adrenaline courses through Jared and he sits up, pulling off his shoes and socks. Pounding down the hallway, he carefully blocks off the girls' doorway with his socks, before standing back.
Sandy opens the door with a big smile on her face. "Up and at 'em I see."
He smirks. "Sorry to disappoint."
Sophia pops over Sandy's shoulder. "It's ok, it's more fun when you struggle."
Chad, leaning out from his and Jared's room, mutters, "Kinky bitch."
Sophia sticks her head out and, seeing him, licks her lower lip seductively. "You love it."
Chad ducks back into his room, eyes wide, and Jared decides he needs to put Sophia on speed dial for when Chad goes above and beyond his typical douchebag schtick.
The girls are about to pounce when the smell hits them. Sandy looks down at the socks, eyes watering, "You dirty cheat."
Jared's grin broadens. "Hey, I'm in it to win it."
Sophia takes a deep breath, probably to fuel some sort of obscenity-laden rant, but it's a miscalculation Jared savors. She goes green, "Sandy, close the door, close the door!"
Jared snickers as he picks up his socks. Guess there really is a use for everything in this world. He should listen to his daddy more often. He heads straight to the shower, anyway. Even if there's a purpose for his sweatiness, doesn't make it any less unpleasant.
The hot water on his skin makes him groan, low and long. He almost kisses the showerhead, but there's some chalky white shit right there, and he thinks better of it. He's just starting to stop hating his own arms when a splash of ice cold water crashes over him, making him scream like a little girl.
Sandy's thoroughly amused voice comes drifting over the curtain. "Awfully little voice from some such a big boy."
Sophia's head peeks past the curtain and Jared doesn't get his hands down fast enough. Her eyebrows quirk way up as she whistles, "A very, very big boy."
"What? Let me see."
"No!" Jared shouts, but it's too late, Sandy's peeking in from the other side of the curtain.
"Aw, look," Sandy coos, "He blushes everywhere."
Chad calls from the room, "Too much information, ladies."
Sophia returns, "Well, stop straining your ears listening for every word then." She turns to look at Jared, all genuine concern. "Now, JJ, has Chad touched you in any of your bad places? You can tell me."
Jared wishes he died on the field.
Part 2