Real Person Fic - CW: Under the Sea
Title: Under the Sea
Fandom: Real Person Fic - CW
Characters/Pairings: Jared/Jensen
Rating: PG-13 for Language
Word Count: 1,508
Author’s Note: Written for ordinaryink as a part of our Rarefied Love series. For an explanation on what the hell that means and a bonus Sam/Dean and J2 Non-AU ficlet go here. This was supposed to be a drabble, too, but like any J2 AU, it quickly spun out of control. Not beta'd! This verse now comes with gorgeous art by lamapan. ETA 5/7/2013: Thanks to eos_rose, you can now read this and the sequel in epub format here.
Summary: AU: Jared works in an aquarium. No one visits anymore, except for that stupidly gorgeous guy who comes by to draw every day.
Jared's not usually this creepy.
No, scratch that. He's not the one being creepy. He works here, for God's sake, it's his job to be around. This other guy? He's just here to be distracting.
Jared's been working as a tour guide at the city aquarium for four years now. He loves his job, but ever since they built the shopping mall down the street, people don't really come by so much. For the last two years, it's only been kids on fieldtrips during the day-kids who only really come to get out of school and who don't take much of an interest. Aside from the little girl with the long brown hair who comes on the trip every year and asks Jared if they've gotten a great white shark, no one asks questions-and she always loses interest when the answer is still, "Not just yet."
For the last six months, though, this guy has come in, sat down on the bench in the middle of the aquarium's best underwater viewing room, and drawn. He stays for hours, all day sometimes, and it's Jared's favorite room to hang out in while he has no one to show around. It's awkward, maybe, sitting in here while the guy is busy, just the two of them, but Jared's not about to let him steal the best seat in the house.
And, okay, maybe Jared spends as much time staring at the guy as he does staring at the marine life, but that's not entirely his fault. He's beautiful; the blue glow from the tank only makes him more beautiful, like he's got a fucking halo or something. And he just sits there, sketching away at something Jared resists the urge to peek at over his shoulder to see.
He brings lunch, some days. It's as good an excuse as any. It gives him a reason to sit down on the bench next to the man, munch his sandwich, and try his best to be discrete. Jared expects to see fish the first time he finally catches a glimpse of the sketchbook, and he doesn't. Which makes the whole thing weird. There are art students who come by every now and then to draw the fish-assignments or something, Jared figured this guy just really liked drawing fish. But the particular page Jared manages to look at the first time he tries this is a charcoal outline of what looks like a woman, and Jared realizes the man has a reference photo tucked into the pages.
Every time Jared repeats the study, it's the same situation. Not always the woman but never the fish. One day, the artist looks up exactly as Jared is craning his neck, and Jared knows he has to say something to avoid being a complete freak.
"Nice landscape," he says.
"Thanks," the man replies with a slight smile. He turns back to the page and lifts his charcoal.
"Was kind of expecting to see the fish, though," Jared continues. Because, hey, whatever, he's started talking, he might as well keep going.
"Oh, yeah," says the guy. "I guess that makes sense."
It's obvious he wants to get back to work, but Jared is curious and bored, and that leaves not enough room for consideration.
"Why do you come here if not to draw the fish?"
The man shrugs. "I like the lighting," he says distractedly.
Jared finishes his sandwich in silence.
If the man were less attractive, or Jared less lonely, probably it wouldn't bug him so much. But day after day after day, everything is dead quiet except for Jared puttering around looking for something to do, and the scratching of the man's pen or pencil or whatever on paper.
"You ever been on a tour of this place, or do you just like to sit there?"
Ultra Hot Artist Dude (Jared is awesome at inventing names, clearly) puts his bag down on the bench, but doesn't continue to settle. He looks around the room, then down and gives Jared a sheepish smile.
"I guess that's kind of rude, huh?" he asks.
"No!" Jared replies. "I mean, it's a public space for a reason, you're welcome to use it however you want." He shrugs. "I just didn't know if you wanted to, maybe, and just never got around…never mind, I don't mean to be pushy."
The man looks around again and maybe realizes for the first time that it's not just dead quiet because he sits down and zones into his art. He frowns just a little, then smiles at Jared. "I'd love a tour," he says.
They finish in the room they started in, and Jared smirks. "Thanks for indulging me," he says. "I'll let you get back to your art now."
The man shakes his head. "No, really, thanks for showing me around. It was really interesting."
"Yeah?" Jared asks. "I thought it was just me. You know, geeking out over the sea life."
The answering smile makes the man's eyes fold in the corners. "You obviously really enjoy what you do."
"Yeah," he says. Then he sticks out his tongue. "Well, I don't just come for the pretty lighting."
"Maybe I'd still come without the lighting," the guy says. "It's a good atmosphere. Full of fun facts, apparently."
Jared laughs. "I guess I wouldn't be working here if I wasn't as pathetically enthusiastic. Anyway, let me know if you ever have any questions."
Next week, the guy has already set up camp before Jared arrives. Jared is about to ignore him, go about his business, but the man lifts his head and smiles.
"You still want to know why I come here?" he asks.
Jared tilts his head. "I thought you already told me."
"Well, the official answer, yes," the artist replies. "It is great lighting."
"And the unofficial answer?"
He moves over, picks up the art supplies he scattered about, making room for Jared to sit next to him. Jared does, and the man points at the bright blue and orange fish hovering by the coral at the bottom of the tank. "I've named him Dean," he says playfully.
"Mandarin Dragonet," Jared says as soon as he's sure which one the man is pointing at.
"That's an awful name for a fish," he replies. "I'm staying with Dean."
"No, the species. We got him from Australia."
The man laughs. "You really do love this stuff, huh?"
Jared blushes. "He's a beautiful fish."
"Yes," Jensen agrees.
"They're not that rare, you know. You could probably get one at home and not have to come here all the time."
The man shrugs. "No, it doesn’t work like that. I like Dean specifically. He's my muse."
Jared smiles. "Samuel, the blue-spotted sting ray."
"Uh," the guy replies.
Jared stands up and steps up to the other wall, the one the man generally faces away from. The guy takes the hint, sets his things aside and moves to where Jared is. "That's Sam," he says, pressing his finger to the glass. "He's the first thing I ever fed after I got hired. He's my favorite."
The man is smiling up at Jared when Jared turns away from the tank. "I'm Jensen," he says.
"Jared," Jared replies.
Jensen smiles again, cleans up his area, and leaves.
Jensen's things are turned in the opposite direction when Jared gets in the next day, and Jensen is standing by the tank, fingers pressed to the glass. "Heya, Sammy," he says with a smile, and Jared's chest feels like a volcano went off inside it.
They talk after that. Not always. Some days Jared has groups to show around, some days Jared can tell Jensen is really in the zone, and they sit quietly in the room. Some days, Jared insists Jensen takes a sandwich instead of starving himself for his art all day and they joke away a few hours.
"Don't you ever get bored?" Jared asks one day as he's getting ready to clock out for lunch. "Being stuck here with no one but me and the fish?"
Jensen looks at him for a second, says nothing, and goes back to drawing.
He's gone when Jared gets back, all his things cleared away except for a large sketchbook page on the bench where Jensen had been sitting. It's blank, or at least it looks blank until Jared turns it over. His first thought is that it's not like Jensen to leave his work behind, and then he really looks at it and his heart seizes up.
It's Jared, chin propped on his hand as he slumps onto the podium and waits for work. He's gazing out at nothing, but the drawing is gorgeous, despite the failings of the subject, soft lines and careful study.
"Why do you come here every day?" Jared asks the next morning, sneaking up behind Jensen. "And stay when Dean isn't out?"
Jensen startles, then turns to look up at Jared over his shoulder. "You," he replies without a moment's hesitation.
Want more? Read the sequel HERE.
Fandom: Real Person Fic - CW
Characters/Pairings: Jared/Jensen
Rating: PG-13 for Language
Word Count: 1,508
Author’s Note: Written for ordinaryink as a part of our Rarefied Love series. For an explanation on what the hell that means and a bonus Sam/Dean and J2 Non-AU ficlet go here. This was supposed to be a drabble, too, but like any J2 AU, it quickly spun out of control. Not beta'd! This verse now comes with gorgeous art by lamapan. ETA 5/7/2013: Thanks to eos_rose, you can now read this and the sequel in epub format here.
Summary: AU: Jared works in an aquarium. No one visits anymore, except for that stupidly gorgeous guy who comes by to draw every day.
Jared's not usually this creepy.
No, scratch that. He's not the one being creepy. He works here, for God's sake, it's his job to be around. This other guy? He's just here to be distracting.
Jared's been working as a tour guide at the city aquarium for four years now. He loves his job, but ever since they built the shopping mall down the street, people don't really come by so much. For the last two years, it's only been kids on fieldtrips during the day-kids who only really come to get out of school and who don't take much of an interest. Aside from the little girl with the long brown hair who comes on the trip every year and asks Jared if they've gotten a great white shark, no one asks questions-and she always loses interest when the answer is still, "Not just yet."
For the last six months, though, this guy has come in, sat down on the bench in the middle of the aquarium's best underwater viewing room, and drawn. He stays for hours, all day sometimes, and it's Jared's favorite room to hang out in while he has no one to show around. It's awkward, maybe, sitting in here while the guy is busy, just the two of them, but Jared's not about to let him steal the best seat in the house.
And, okay, maybe Jared spends as much time staring at the guy as he does staring at the marine life, but that's not entirely his fault. He's beautiful; the blue glow from the tank only makes him more beautiful, like he's got a fucking halo or something. And he just sits there, sketching away at something Jared resists the urge to peek at over his shoulder to see.
He brings lunch, some days. It's as good an excuse as any. It gives him a reason to sit down on the bench next to the man, munch his sandwich, and try his best to be discrete. Jared expects to see fish the first time he finally catches a glimpse of the sketchbook, and he doesn't. Which makes the whole thing weird. There are art students who come by every now and then to draw the fish-assignments or something, Jared figured this guy just really liked drawing fish. But the particular page Jared manages to look at the first time he tries this is a charcoal outline of what looks like a woman, and Jared realizes the man has a reference photo tucked into the pages.
Every time Jared repeats the study, it's the same situation. Not always the woman but never the fish. One day, the artist looks up exactly as Jared is craning his neck, and Jared knows he has to say something to avoid being a complete freak.
"Nice landscape," he says.
"Thanks," the man replies with a slight smile. He turns back to the page and lifts his charcoal.
"Was kind of expecting to see the fish, though," Jared continues. Because, hey, whatever, he's started talking, he might as well keep going.
"Oh, yeah," says the guy. "I guess that makes sense."
It's obvious he wants to get back to work, but Jared is curious and bored, and that leaves not enough room for consideration.
"Why do you come here if not to draw the fish?"
The man shrugs. "I like the lighting," he says distractedly.
Jared finishes his sandwich in silence.
If the man were less attractive, or Jared less lonely, probably it wouldn't bug him so much. But day after day after day, everything is dead quiet except for Jared puttering around looking for something to do, and the scratching of the man's pen or pencil or whatever on paper.
"You ever been on a tour of this place, or do you just like to sit there?"
Ultra Hot Artist Dude (Jared is awesome at inventing names, clearly) puts his bag down on the bench, but doesn't continue to settle. He looks around the room, then down and gives Jared a sheepish smile.
"I guess that's kind of rude, huh?" he asks.
"No!" Jared replies. "I mean, it's a public space for a reason, you're welcome to use it however you want." He shrugs. "I just didn't know if you wanted to, maybe, and just never got around…never mind, I don't mean to be pushy."
The man looks around again and maybe realizes for the first time that it's not just dead quiet because he sits down and zones into his art. He frowns just a little, then smiles at Jared. "I'd love a tour," he says.
They finish in the room they started in, and Jared smirks. "Thanks for indulging me," he says. "I'll let you get back to your art now."
The man shakes his head. "No, really, thanks for showing me around. It was really interesting."
"Yeah?" Jared asks. "I thought it was just me. You know, geeking out over the sea life."
The answering smile makes the man's eyes fold in the corners. "You obviously really enjoy what you do."
"Yeah," he says. Then he sticks out his tongue. "Well, I don't just come for the pretty lighting."
"Maybe I'd still come without the lighting," the guy says. "It's a good atmosphere. Full of fun facts, apparently."
Jared laughs. "I guess I wouldn't be working here if I wasn't as pathetically enthusiastic. Anyway, let me know if you ever have any questions."
Next week, the guy has already set up camp before Jared arrives. Jared is about to ignore him, go about his business, but the man lifts his head and smiles.
"You still want to know why I come here?" he asks.
Jared tilts his head. "I thought you already told me."
"Well, the official answer, yes," the artist replies. "It is great lighting."
"And the unofficial answer?"
He moves over, picks up the art supplies he scattered about, making room for Jared to sit next to him. Jared does, and the man points at the bright blue and orange fish hovering by the coral at the bottom of the tank. "I've named him Dean," he says playfully.
"Mandarin Dragonet," Jared says as soon as he's sure which one the man is pointing at.
"That's an awful name for a fish," he replies. "I'm staying with Dean."
"No, the species. We got him from Australia."
The man laughs. "You really do love this stuff, huh?"
Jared blushes. "He's a beautiful fish."
"Yes," Jensen agrees.
"They're not that rare, you know. You could probably get one at home and not have to come here all the time."
The man shrugs. "No, it doesn’t work like that. I like Dean specifically. He's my muse."
Jared smiles. "Samuel, the blue-spotted sting ray."
"Uh," the guy replies.
Jared stands up and steps up to the other wall, the one the man generally faces away from. The guy takes the hint, sets his things aside and moves to where Jared is. "That's Sam," he says, pressing his finger to the glass. "He's the first thing I ever fed after I got hired. He's my favorite."
The man is smiling up at Jared when Jared turns away from the tank. "I'm Jensen," he says.
"Jared," Jared replies.
Jensen smiles again, cleans up his area, and leaves.
Jensen's things are turned in the opposite direction when Jared gets in the next day, and Jensen is standing by the tank, fingers pressed to the glass. "Heya, Sammy," he says with a smile, and Jared's chest feels like a volcano went off inside it.
They talk after that. Not always. Some days Jared has groups to show around, some days Jared can tell Jensen is really in the zone, and they sit quietly in the room. Some days, Jared insists Jensen takes a sandwich instead of starving himself for his art all day and they joke away a few hours.
"Don't you ever get bored?" Jared asks one day as he's getting ready to clock out for lunch. "Being stuck here with no one but me and the fish?"
Jensen looks at him for a second, says nothing, and goes back to drawing.
He's gone when Jared gets back, all his things cleared away except for a large sketchbook page on the bench where Jensen had been sitting. It's blank, or at least it looks blank until Jared turns it over. His first thought is that it's not like Jensen to leave his work behind, and then he really looks at it and his heart seizes up.
It's Jared, chin propped on his hand as he slumps onto the podium and waits for work. He's gazing out at nothing, but the drawing is gorgeous, despite the failings of the subject, soft lines and careful study.
"Why do you come here every day?" Jared asks the next morning, sneaking up behind Jensen. "And stay when Dean isn't out?"
Jensen startles, then turns to look up at Jared over his shoulder. "You," he replies without a moment's hesitation.
Want more? Read the sequel HERE.