CW RPS: Jared/Jensen, NC-17
Title: Under My Tree
Fandom: CW RPS
Pairing: Jared/Jensen (Tom/Mike, Alyson/Jeff, Chris Kane/Amber Bensen)
Rating: NC-17
Word Count: 8,000
Summary: Christmas for the Love Shack crew.
Notes: First off, thanks to neroli66 for the wonderful (as always) beta job. Also, this is getting posted a bit out of order, since I haven't posted the one where Chris and Amber get together yet. Just trust me on it, ok? Heh. Also, this is set in e Love Shack 'verse, so you should be familiar with the other stories.
Jensen caught Jared moping during the first week of December and couldn’t figure out why. He would only do it when he didn’t think Jensen was watching, and at first Jensen thought he’d done something to piss off Jared. He finally called him on it, and was somewhat relieved to find out Jared’s moodiness was due to Christmas. Or the lack thereof, really. Ever since Jared’s parents had disowned him, Jensen had been doing his best to cheer him up, but not being at home for Christmas was something Jensen couldn’t fix.
He decided to do his best to try, though. The invitations went out the next week, mostly verbal, but everyone agreed to spend Christmas afternoon and evening at Jensen’s apartment. Most of their families were across the country anyway, and even Amber said she’d spend the morning with her parents and then come over for dinner and whatever else Jensen threw together. Mike had taken to calling it the Very Love Shack Christmas and speaking about it as if it were some cheesy TV special. Which yeah, knowing his friends, it would be.
Jared still pouted from time to time, but as Christmas rolled closer, he started to become his lively self again. Jensen did his best to hide presents, but he was pretty sure Jared had seen the PS2 he’d hidden in their closet. Jared had left his old one at his parents house, and even though Meg offered to bring it over, he hadn’t dared take anything else out of his old room. Hell, Jensen knew Jared hadn’t even seen Meg in person since she dropped him off at Jensen’s doorstep nearly half a year before.
By the time Christmas Eve came around, Jared was back to his gleeful self. They spent the night at home, cuddling on the couch and watching the Charlie Brown Christmas special. Jared had a soft spot for Linus, and Jensen even conned him into doing the Snoopy dance for him. Seeing as Jared was well over six feet tall, it was quite the spectacle.
“And that’s how you do a proper Snoopy dance,” Jared said as he collapsed on the couch next to Jensen.
“I love you,” Jensen said, snickering as he slung an arm over Jared’s shoulders. Jared grinned at him and tucked his head under Jensen’s chin.
“Enough to tell me what you got me?” Jared asked as he nuzzled Jensen’s neck. His hair tickled, and Jensen let out a chuckle as he ran his hand through the soft strands.
“You only have a few more hours,” Jensen told him as he shook his head. “Plus, I haven’t cracked the last hundred times you asked me that question, so why should I now?”
“Because it’s Christmas Eve? Some people open their presents on Christmas Eve, you know,” Jared pointed out. He pressed a quick kiss beneath Jensen’s chin and snuggled closer. Jensen wished they had a fire crackling in a fireplace, but L.A. didn’t really call for it.
“What are you, twelve?” Jensen asked with a laugh. “You can hold out for a few more hours. Maybe I didn’t even get you anything. Did you ever think of that?”
“Then what’s wrapped and hidden in the top shelf of our closet?” Jared asked pointedly. Jensen smacked him lightly on the back of the head.
“You’re too damn nosey for your own good. Maybe I went all out for the gang this year.” He laughed again when Jared shot him a look of pure horror. “Okay, they’re for you. Speaking of presents...I didn’t see any with my name on them tucked away anywhere.”
“That’s because I didn’t get you anything,” Jared deadpanned. He squeaked when Jensen hopped off the couch and left him lying there alone. Jensen grinned down at him and fought to hold back a yawn.
“I guess I’ll go to bed then…alone,” Jensen said, his voice a bit harsher than he meant it to be. He got about two steps away from the couch before Jared hopped on his back and wrapped his arms around his neck. Jensen staggered beneath his weight but somehow managed to turn it into a fucked up piggyback ride. He slowly made his way down the hall, Jared giggling in his ear the entire time.
“You wouldn’t leave me hanging on Christmas Eve,” Jared told him, snorting when Jensen dropped him onto the bed. He held up a hand and snagged the edge of Jensen’s plaid pajama pants, tugging gently to pull him into bed. Jensen went down without a fight, collapsing against Jared with a long sigh.
“The faster we get to sleep, the faster Christmas morning will come,” Jensen told him, closing his eyes. He trusted Jared to scoot them up to the pillows, and was pretty damn comfortable sprawled out next to him on their bed.
“Which one of us is going to play Santa?” Jared asked, poking Jensen in the side. His eyes flew open and he gave Jared a confused look.
“Huh?” he asked, blinking at Jared in the darkened room.
“We have to put the presents under the tree so they’ll be there when we wake up,” Jared told him, glaring at him like he should have known.
“You gonna put out milk and cookies, too?” Jensen asked, smirking at his boy.
“Just be thankful I don’t make you go out for carrots for the reindeer,” Jared said as he shoved at Jensen’s shoulder, causing him to fidget and roll over. “You go to sleep; I’ll take care of putting the presents out. Maybe I’ll even write a thank you note for the cookies. My mom always used to do that when we were little.” Jensen could actually see the hurt in Jared’s body as his shoulders slumped and he trailed off.
“Let me get them,” Jensen said. He sat up and stroked a comforting hand over Jared’s back, but Jared stood up and shook his head.
“Can’t be sad forever,” he said with a sigh. “You’re all peaceful and half asleep. Good night. I love you.” He bent down and kissed Jensen quickly on the mouth.
“Love you, too,” Jensen said as he watched Jared stumbled around in the dark. “Do you even know where all mine for you are?” They weren’t all in the closet. He did have some sneakiness after all.
“There’s one tucked in your sock drawer, a smaller one under the bathroom sink, a few shoved under the bed, and the ones in the closet I already told you about,” Jared said with a laugh. He couldn’t see him in the dark, but he knew Jared was wearing the biggest grin as he spoke. He could hear it.
“Okay then...how come I don’t know about any of yours?” Jensen asked. He scooted up the bed and flung back the covers, fluffing his pillow a little and wishing it were Jared’s broad chest.
“Because I didn’t get you anything. I told you. Now go to bed and stop being so damn greedy.” Jared giggled when Jensen threw a pillow at him and ducked out of the room. Jensen snorted and curled up with his head on the remaining pillow. Man, he knew how to pick them.
--
Alyson leaned in the doorway of Jeff’s studio apartment and watched him crouch on his heels by their tiny Christmas tree. They were mostly over the whole living together freak out, and even managed to buy the tree a day or two before Christmas Eve. She smiled and walked across the room, squatting down behind him and putting her arms around his neck. Jeff hung one final candy cane on the tree and turned to rub his cheek against hers.
“Happy Christmas Eve, babe,” he said softly.
“You too,” Alyson whispered. She pressed her lips lightly against Jeff’s beard, enjoying the soft scratch of it against her chin.
“Want to help?” Jeff asked her as he held out a small ornament. The two foot tall tree had come in a little box complete with decorations, and Jeff had spent about half an hour fluffing the branches before he declared it ready to be trimmed. Alyson had stood back and watched him go at it, finding the idea of such a manly man getting off on Christmas decorations endearing.
“I wouldn’t want to hang it in the wrong place,” she said, smiling against his cheek. Jeff laughed and knelt down, pulling her forward to his side. He stretched out her arm, trailing his fingers along her skin before settling the bright red ball in her hand.
“Just follow my lead,” Jeff said with a sly grin. He moved their hands forward and Alyson shivered when the fake pine needles brushed her fingertips. How the hell did this man make something as mundane as decorating a tree so damn sexy?
“This is so new to me,” she told him as she hooked the ornament on the branch. He pulled their hands back and pressed a kiss against the back of hers before dropping it.
“What is?” he asked as he settled into a cross-legged position on the floor.
“We didn’t really go all out for Christmas at my house. I don’t think we had a tree after I was eight or nine.”
“You’re kidding, right?” Jeff asked her, his eyebrows flying up in shock. She shook her head and Jeff gave her the sweetest smile she’d ever seen. “I’m glad I get to make up for that, then.”
“Oh shut up, you romantic you,” she said with a laugh. Jeff joined in and tugged at her shoulder, wrapping her in a hug. He squeezed her once and then let go, reaching for the switch on the single strand of lights that were weaved around the tree.
“Ready?” he asked; a gleam in his eyes. Alyson nodded, and he flicked the switch, illuminating the tiny tree. She had to smile, watching as his face light up along with the lights. Little flashes of color reflected on his face and shirt, and Alyson couldn’t help extending a hand to trail her fingers across his cheek.
“Thank you,” she said, her voice faltering a bit.
“Anytime,” Jeff said as he stood up and held out a hand. Alyson tucked hers in his and let him pull her to her feet. “Let’s leave the tree on while we sleep. We’ll do the presents in the morning. Come to bed.”
And really, Alyson didn't want to do anything but just that.
--
Mike shifted in his seat, unable to find a comfortable position on the hard pew. Hell, he couldn’t even find one that didn’t make his spine hurt. Tom elbowed him in the ribs for the fifth time that night, and Tom’s great aunt Shelly coughed loudly in his direction. Mike wasn’t one to fade into the background, but he longed for it at the moment.
It wasn’t that he had a thing against God or anything, but he tended to spend the night before Jesus’ birthday in a livelier way. Christmas Eve usually meant he’d be doing his best George Michael impression and belting out “Last Christmas” to some unsuspecting person. This was his first Christmas Eve without his karaoke machine for a long time now, and he couldn’t imagine going without the music and the drinks for anyone but the man pressed tightly against his side.
Suddenly everyone was standing up and Mike jumped to his feet, mentally cursing when he realized he hadn’t marked what page the next carol was on. He fumbled with his hymnal, nearly tearing out one of the thin pages before Tom leaned over and hissed, “Page 218” in his ear.
Mike listened to the music for a few bars before joining in and belting Silent Night at the top of his lungs. After another loud cough from Great Aunt Shelly and a snort from one of Tom’s numerous cousins, he toned it down a bit. Church was so not his thing; no showmanship. It wasn’t as if he should know what to do though. The whole being Jewish thing put a damper on learning church rules. Apparently rule number one was to not have any fun.
The song ended and Mike went to sit down, but Tom slipped an arm around his waist and held him up. Mike stumbled and leaned against the back of the pew in front of him, wondering why the Christians were so damn complicated. The things he put up with for love. All Tom had to do was bat those insanely long and beautiful eyelashes at him and beg him to do Christmas Eve with his family. There was no way Mike was going to deny him that, especially since they hadn’t done much of the whole meeting the families thing.
Mike didn’t catch what the minister said, but everyone sat down, and Tom dragged him back into the pew. Mrs. Welling was sitting on his right and sent him a reassuring look. Mike smiled at her and linked his fingers with Tom’s. The service had to be over soon, and really, Tom’s family was putting up with all his shortcomings pretty decently. And Mrs. Welling made the best damn pecan pie he’d ever had the pleasure to taste.
“You surviving?” Tom asked, turning his head slightly so he could whisper in Mike’s ear.
“I think I’ll make it,” Mike muttered back, carefully avoiding the glare Great Aunt Shelly sent them. Apparently whispering was frowned upon in church as well. Though it seemed like Great Aunt Shelly frowned upon a lot of things, especially every little thing Mike did. She doted on Tom though, so she must be okay once you got to know her. Anyone who had a soft spot for Tom was alright by Mike.
“Thanks for coming,” Tom told him, squeezing his hand beneath their hymnal.
“You can make it up to me later by playing with my dreidel,” Mike said, laughing softly against Tom’s neck. He smirked as a deep blush spread across Tom’s face and pressed a quick kiss against his cheek. Tom leaned his head on Mike’s shoulder, and Mike settled back against the pew, figuring church wasn’t so bad after all.
--
Chris closed the door behind him and tried not to panic. Sure, it was over with at the moment, but he still had a whole Christmas morning to get through in a few hours. Amber was across the room, ruffling through her overnight bag. She pulled out an adorable red plaid flannel pajama set and started to undress and put it on. All Chris could do was watch her with wide eyes, wondering if he even remembered to bring pajamas. Would the family mock him if he showed up in tattered gray sweats in the morning?
“Are you okay?” Amber asked, finally turning to face him. Her hair - blonde again - was pulled back in two low pigtails at the nape of her neck, and for a few seconds, Chris just smiled at her.
“Yeah, just a little overwhelmed,” he admitted, finally stepping away from the door. Amber laughed at him, deep in her chest, and he swatted at her before taking the sweat pants she held out to him. At least she’d remembered to pack a fairly decent pair. He didn’t bother with a shirt, just stepping into the sweats as Amber continued to laugh at him.
“It’s not that scary,” she told him once she got herself back under control. She flopped onto the bed and crooked a finger at him. Chris hopped on top of the covers, shifting as she struggled to shove them down the bed from beneath their bodies.
“No offense, but your family is terrifying,” he said, his voice strained. It was true, too. Chris was hardly what you would call a pussy, but he'd spent the entire night fending off her aunts and uncles and cousins and God knows what else.
“Oh, you’re so brave to put up with them,” Amber said in a mocking voice. She held a hand up to her forehead and swooned a bit for added effect. Chris tackled her to the mattress and kissed her hard. Then he thought about her parents sleeping down the hall and jumped back as if burned. He sent her a worried look and she raised an eyebrow at him.
“We can’t even touch,” he told her, rolling over so that he was a good inch away from her. “Maybe I should sleep in the other guest room? I mean…your parents.”
“Know I’m having sex with you,” Amber told him, laughing again when his eyes popped out of his head and he made a little choking noise in the back of his throat.
“How do they know that?” Chris asked her once he got his voice back. Seriously, his mother would die if she knew of his exploits, even if they were a bit more tame now that he’d settled down with Amber.
“Please,” she said, her face scrunching up in a way that could only be described as adorable. “My mom and I go over things like that. She knows you’re a damn good kisser and have the sexiest hands I’ve ever felt on me.”
“Oh fuck,” Chris said with a sigh. He crumbled against her side and buried his face in the side of her neck. Amber patted him gently on the back, snorting softly in his ear. “Your dad is going to kill me. I should leave right now.” His heart was racing at the thought of Mr. Benson finding him in bed with Amber, even though she seemed to be less than worried about it.
“There won’t be any killing on Christmas. Let’s get some sleep. I’m sure we’ll be woken up at daybreak to open presents and chow down on French toast.” Chris nuzzled her neck and melted into her embrace. Really, the thought of pissing off her dad was a little less scary when he had Amber wrapped around him. He took her advice and closed his eyes, letting himself drift off in a pair of arms he’d never thought he’d lie in.
--
Jensen was ripped out of a dream involving Jared and a pint of Cherry Garcia, his eyes fluttering open as he batted at whatever was attacking him. His palm collided with Jared’s upper arm and Jensen sat up, wiping at his eyes with the back of his hand. He glared at Jared, but his boyfriend didn’t seem to think there was anything wrong with pummeling Jensen in his sleep.
“It’s morning!” Jared shouted, tackling him down to the bed again and wrapping him in all those long, long limbs. Jensen laughed and kissed Jared quickly on the mouth before pushing him off so he could sit up again.
“Yes it is, though the sun doesn’t seem to be out,” he said with a pointed glare at the bedroom window.
“The sun doesn’t matter on Christmas. Come on, let’s go look at the presents!” Jared scooted off the bed and tugged at Jensen’s arm, dragging him behind him. They shuffled through the hallway and into the living room, where Jared had already turned on the lights on the tree.
“You put them out here yourself,” Jensen told him. “You know what it looks like.” He laughed when Jared shrugged and bounded for the tree, pulling Jensen behind him by one arm. Jensen tripped as they sat down and ended up sprawled out across Jared’s insanely long legs. Jared laughed and clapped him on the back, a completely different person than he’d been for the past month or so. Christmas morning looked good on him.
“I shook them all last night, too,” Jared admitted, a thin blush creeping across his cheeks. Jensen pushed up on his elbows and kissed Jared squarely on the mouth, trailing his tongue across his pink lips before delving inside. Jared moaned into his mouth, and then pushed him back, smiling against his lips. Jensen had to close his eyes rather than see Jared’s cross-eyed expression of pure glee. Then he sat back on his heels and tumbled off of Jared’s outstretched legs.
“You’re such a child. Want to go first?” he asked, chuckling when Jared enthusiastically nodded and lunged forward to grab the largest package with his name on it. True to his words, he shook it up by his ear again, and Jensen settled back to watch him scramble with the wrapping paper.
“Yeah!” Jared cried out as soon as he could see through the tattered wrapping paper. There was a mad dash to rip off the remainder of it and then he stared at the PS2 for a few seconds before tossing it aside and crawling over to Jensen. He cupped his head in his hands and kissed him, apparently not worried about morning breath as he thrust his tongue lazily into Jensen’s mouth. They fell backwards against the carpet, their bodies aligning as they swallowed each other’s moans and gasps. Jensen could feel Jared hardening against his thigh and went to snake a hand between their bodies, but Jared jumped back up and shot him a crooked grin. “After presents,” he said, gesturing towards Jensen’s pile beneath the tree.
“You’re evil,” Jensen told him as he grabbed the first package he could reach and tried to ignore the ache in his groin. He followed Jared’s example and shook the box near his ear before setting it in his lap and tearing off the paper. He stared down at the three DVDs in his hand, a slow smile spreading across his face as he damn near cried. “I take it back. You’re a wonderful, wonderful human being and I couldn’t love you more.” He caressed the cover of Star Wars: A New Hope the original release, and grinned up at Jared.
“Remember our first conversation?” Jared asked, smirking at him. “I figured you’d need these. We’ll have a marathon someday, okay?”
“Yeah, you don’t have to twist my arm,” Jensen said with a snort. He delicately set the cases to the side of him and then darted out a hand and pulled Jared down against him, crushing their mouths together in a sloppy kiss. His body was on edge already, and only half of it had to do with the man pressed to his chest. Hell, he had really wanted those DVDs.
“Okay, less kissing, more present opening,” Jared said as he climbed off of Jensen’s body and reached beneath the tree again. Jensen laughed from his spot on the floor as Jared knocked into the lower branches and nearly toppled the fake tree over. The damn thing was almost as tall as Jared, and it would have been a disaster to say the least.
“You’re only using me for my presents,” Jensen said with a sigh. He covered his face with his hands, mock sobbing into his palms. Jared giggled and sat down on his stomach, straddling him as he put his next gift on Jensen’s chest. Jensen peeked through his fingers in time to see Jared open the small box. He felt irrationally nervous as Jared peered into the box and lifted the silver ornament out of it.
It was shaped like a heart and hung on a bright red ribbon with Jared & Jensen, First Christmas 2006 engraved on it in a flowery script. Jensen could feel his heart pounding like a wild beast ready to burst out of his chest as he watched the ornament turning slowly while it hung from Jared’s slender fingers.
“I thought it would look good on the tree,” Jensen mumbled, worrying more every second Jared as just stared at the silver bauble.
“It’s perfect,” Jared said after an eternity. Jensen realized his eyes were watery and propped himself up on his elbows, drawing Jared down for a soft kiss. He could feel the cool silver of the ornament pressed against his side, touching his skin where his t-shirt rode up. Then Jared slid off of him and studied the tree for a few minutes before hanging the ornament on a branch in the middle of the tree. The lights reflected off of it, and Jensen felt his own eyes getting wet. He was such a damn sap sometimes.
“Okay, one more for you before we get to boring stuff like clothing,” Jared said. He stood up and snuck behind the tree, reaching for a present Jensen’s hadn’t seen yet. He gave a vague thought to why Jared would bother buying him clothes if he spent most of his time trying to get Jensen out of them, but he’d done the same damn thing. Jensen sat up and eyed the funnily shaped package. He couldn’t tell what it was from the shape, so he held out his hands and took it from Jared. He tore into the paper slowly, drawing it out before he caught sight of a black case and frantically ripped the rest of the paper away.
“Jare!” Jensen cried out, giddy with the feeling of a guitar case in his hands.
“It’s okay, right?” Jared asked, an adorable look of worry on his face. He chewed on his lower lip and continued. “I know you don’t have your own and usually play with one of Chris’ if you’re up on stage, but he helped me pick this one out and I figured you might want one because you’re always singing and I know you scribble down lyrics when you think I’m not looking and maybe if you had your own you could do more and if it’s horrible I’ll just return it, okay?”
“Breathe, man,” Jensen said with a laugh. He clicked open the locks on the case and pulled out the most beautiful acoustic guitar he’d ever laid eyes on. “It’s perfect,” he said as he smiled up at Jared. “I love it, seriously.”
“Good,” Jared said as he knelt down beside Jensen. He reached out and stroked his fingers across the neck of the guitar, and Jensen felt something stir deep in his chest. He set the guitar back in its case, carefully shutting it before turning to Jared and sending him an impish grin.
“Merry Christmas,” he said as he placed one hand in the center of Jared’s chest and shoved him backwards, chuckling when he landed half under the tree and in a pile of wrapping paper. Jared looked edible, sprawled out beneath the tree and all lanky and gorgeous. Jensen slowly crawled up his body, pausing to rub his cheek on Jared’s crotch, stroking his erection through the flannel pajama pants. Jared made a deep growling sound low in his throat, and Jensen moved upwards, tonguing his way up Jared’s chest. He dipped his tongue into his belly button, smiling against Jared’s skin when he cried out and cupped Jensen’s head in his large hands.
Jensen captured Jared’s lips in a kiss, darting his tongue out to trace over his mouth as he cupped Jared through his pajamas. His cock was leaking, and Jensen could feel a small damp spot on the flannel. He moaned into Jared’s mouth and swirled his tongue across Jared’s teeth. Nipping at Jared’s lower lip, Jensen broke the kiss and sucked his way down Jared’s exposed neck. His head was thrown back, pine needles mingling with his soft hair as Jensen started down his body.
Sliding a hand inside Jared’s pants, Jensen found his cock and palmed it, smirking against Jared’s nipples when the other man bucked his hips and let out a strangled gasp. Jared made the best sounds in bed, and Jensen’s goal in life was to discover as many of them as possibly. He sucked Jared’s nipple into his mouth, reveling in the soft, broken hiss that escaped Jared’s mouth. God, he was gorgeous.
Jensen slid down further, shoving at Jared’s pants and helping him kick out of them. He sat back on his heels, just studying his boy. Jared was all smooth lines and sharp angles; such a delicious mixture of adorableness and pure sex. Jensen shrugged out of his shirt, reaching for his pants to tug them off as well. Jared’s hands covered his own and helped push them over his hips, and Jensen smiled down at him. He stood up and stepped out of his pants before climbing back onto Jared’s thighs. He fisted a hand around Jared’s leaking cock, ignoring his own for the moment.
Jared’s mouth hung open, and his hair fell into his eyes. He looked up at Jensen through his bangs and rocked his hips into Jensen’s hand. His cock was hard and heavy in Jensen’s palm, and it was pretty much the best fucking Christmas he could imagine. Jensen dipped down and crushed his mouth against Jared’s, swallowing a moan as he pumped Jared’s dick.
Jared bucked his hips, and Jensen’s cock slid into the hollow of his hip, finding the perfect place. He let go of Jared's cock and brought his hand up to his lips to lap the few droplets of pre-come from his palm before shifting so that his cock brushed against Jared's. He arched his back and started rocking his hips, gasping when Jared’s hot hands found his hips and helped him move . Jared’s fingers were digging into his flesh, leaving what he knew would be ten perfect bruises. The thought of seeing his marred skin the next day made him shudder, and he ground his cock against Jared’s.
Jared was panting in his ear, hot puffs of breath coming out to caress his neck. Jensen shivered when Jared attached his mouth to Jensen’s neck, sucking hard on that spot beneath his ear that always made him cry out. Just knowing how well they knew each others bodies, could map out little hot spots, was enough to make Jensen lose it. His hips moved of their own accord, brutally grinding against Jared as he rushed towards orgasm.
Jared came first, tightening his hold on Jensen’s slender hips as he exploded between their bodies, coating their abdomens with sticky come. Jensen came almost as soon as he felt the first splash of Jared’s release on his skin, shouting Jared’s name as he bent his head down and emptied his cock in hot bursts between them.
Jared clung to him as they came down from orgasm, small aftershocks running through their bodies. Jensen turned his head and kissed Jared, sucking on his tongue before letting himself collapse on his chest. There was a cooling mess against his stomach and thighs, and his body was covered in a light sheen of sweat. He knew he should move, but he didn’t feel up to it. Apparently, neither did Jared. They lay there, breathing harshly and still half hard, content to spend their Christmas morning just being together.
--
Jared snuck up behind Jensen and wrapped his arms around him. His hair was still wet from the shower, and it hung in his eyes as he nuzzled Jensen’s cheek. He pressed Jensen against the sink and placed light, open mouthed kisses against his neck. Jensen shivered and leaned back into Jared’s body, sighing softly with each little kiss. The water was running, so he leaned forward to see what was going on, towering over Jensen as he did it. Apparently Jensen was washing potatoes. Hell, he hadn’t even known they owned one of those special…potato type brushes, let alone that Jensen used it. They tended to make simple meals more often than not, and Jared really didn’t chip in on the cooking front.
“Whatcha making?” he asked as he rubbed his cheek against Jensen’s. Jensen shrugged out of his hold, and he frowned a bit before he realized Jensen was busy scrubbing potatoes.
“I promised everyone food once I talked them into ditching their families and doing Christmas dinner over here. The ham is already in the oven, but I need to get the potatoes, the stuffing, the carrots, and yams, and the cranberry sauce ready. Alyson should be bringing some sort of salad, Mike has dessert covered, and Chris is doing what he does best by bringing the beer. I think we should be all set. You can handle opening a can and slicing some cranberries, right?” Jensen asked; his eyes full of mirth. Jared swatted at his shoulder and nodded. He might not be capable of much in the kitchen, but he was pretty decent with a knife. He should take up throwing them or something.
“Point me in the direction of the can opener and I’m your man,” Jared replied as he took a step back and surveyed the kitchen. It was kind of cramped, and Jensen had vegetables and bags of stuffing mix scattered all over the counters.
“You live here, how do you not know it’s on the counter over there?” Jensen asked, waving the brush around and spraying droplets of water across the floor. Jared shrugged and found the cans of cranberries and the can opener. He went to work taking off the ends and spreading slices on a plate that looked suspiciously like something Jensen had gotten from a grandmother.
“You cook for me. You’re like my little housewife,” Jared said with a smirk. He jumped when Jensen slapped him on the ass and let out a small giggle. “Where’d you learn to cook anyway? You’re pretty damn good at it.”
“I’m pretty damn good at a lot of things,” Jensen replied. Jared looked over his shoulder and watched Jensen chop potatoes and toss them in a pot of water. He knew they’d end up mashed and covered in the jars of gravy he saw on the counter, but he had no idea how to go about doing it himself. Jared could only cook the basic necessities: tuna fish, mac and cheese, and anything that needed microwaving. “My grandma taught me how to cook before we left Texas,” Jensen said as he dropped the last of the potatoes into the big pot on the stove.
“My grandma knew I wasn’t made for the kitchen,” Jared said. He opened the refrigerator and placed the cranberry slices on one of the shelves before wandering back over to Jensen’s side. “’Sides, it’s woman’s work anyway,” he said, gleefully slapping Jensen on the ass.
“You want to settle down with some bright and shiny woman, be my guest,” Jensen told him, smiling widely. “I’ll move in with…I don’t know. Steve or someone.”
“Yeah, because Steve is all about the cock,” Jared said, laughing as he watched Jensen’s face scrunch up in horror. “Is he coming over?”
“Nah, said he was flying home to see the family. I bet he’s shacking up with some groupie and doesn’t want the rest of us to know,” Jensen said. He turned on the burner and wiped his wet hands on a dish rag. “We’re done in here for now. Everything just needs to cook. I’ll do the stuffing when it’s closer to dinner.”
“So I can have you to myself for the time being?” Jared asked, hoping his voice didn’t sound as overjoyed as he thought it did. Seriously, he was utterly and completely whipped for one Mr. Jensen Ackles. It would be ridiculous if he didn’t know Jensen was the same damn way about him.
“I’m all yours, baby,” Jensen said, smirking at Jared.
“Good, because I checked the paper and A Muppet Christmas Carol is on TV. Guess how we’re spending the afternoon?” Jared asked as he put an arm around Jensen’s shoulders and steered him towards their living room.
“The things I do for you,” Jensen said, letting out a long, drawn out sigh as they sat down on the couch. Jared snagged the remote and flipped on the TV, settling back against the couch and Jensen.
“If you watch the whole thing with me and let me sing along to any songs, I’ll blow you before the guests get here,” he told Jensen, grinning as he saw the movie starting. Jensen grinned back and rested his head against Jared’s shoulder. He might miss his family, but Jared was starting to realize he had a new one; one who was currently pressed against his side and snuggling close to him.
--
“Remind me who invited Chad?” Jensen asked in a hushed tone. He was hiding in the kitchen with Mike and Tom while Jeff, Alyson, Chad, Chris, Amber, and Jared entertained each other in the living room. He didn’t really have anything against Chad, but they had a general awkwardness around each other since Alyson had once gotten the bright idea to try and hook them up. Chad was a little to dumb and a lot too sleazy for Jensen’s taste. Come to think of it, if Steve were into cock Chad would be a perfect match. They could….bang groupies together or something.
“I felt bad,” Mike admitted with a shrug. He took a sip of his wine, his teeth already looking a bit purple as he grinned at Jensen. “He didn’t have a family to go home to and got this puppy dog look in his eyes when I mentioned coming over here. I don’t have the heart to fire him, let alone have him be alone and miserable on Christmas.”
“That’s so sweet,” Tom said, patting his boyfriend on the arm. Jensen rolled his eyes; ever since they got together, everything Mike did was sweet. He had no idea why he’d pushed them together in the first place. Oh yeah, they were dumb shits and couldn’t get it together on their own.
“Yeah, Mikey’s nothing but sweetness and sugar. I just hope he doesn’t hit on Jared,” Jensen said, genuinely worried as he peeked into the living room and saw Jared and Chad in the middle of what looked like an animated conversation.
“You’re kidding, right?” Mike asked, quirking an eyebrow. “That boy wouldn’t even realize if someone besides you were hitting on him. He’s so fucking gone no one else has a shot. Plus, I told Chad not to touch him. They do seem to be getting along, though. Maybe Chad will finally have a friend who isn’t me.”
“It couldn’t hurt,” Jensen said with a chuckle. He poured another Jack and Coke for himself and refilled the glass Jared had left on the counter for him. “Let’s get out there and put a stop to anything horrible.”
“Our friends are horrible,” Mike said, snorting as Alyson looked at him, glaring a bit as they walked into the living room.
“So anyone get a ring for Christmas?” Chad asked, earning a couple of glares. Jensen sighed, wondering if Chad would ever get his shit together and think about people before he spoke. Alyson and Jeff were still kinda freaked out about the whole falling in love thing, Chris would never admit to his desire to wed Amber, Mike and Tom were as committed as any married couple he knew, and Jared would probably say no. So, no, none of them got rings for Christmas.
“Just a cock ring,” Mike said, winking at Chad. Leave it to Mike to set things right. Everyone laughed at Chad’s obvious discomfort, and Jensen wondered how Alyson ever thought he was gay. The kid was bi at most, and probably deeply ashamed of it.
“I got a new PS2!” Jared said, still bursting with glee over his new toy.
“Seriously? Let’s hook that shit up and get a game going,” Chad told him, his voice a little too excited for Jensen’s liking. Jared just smiled and nodded, dragging Chad off of the couch and across the room to his gifts beneath the tree. Then he remembered how Jared and he had made love under that tree that morning, slowly rocking against each other until they were satisfied. Chad could play as many games of Guitar Hero as he wanted; as long as he knew he wasn’t getting anything else out of Jared.
“Don’t worry about it,” Jeff whispered as he came to stand next to Jensen.
“I’m not,” Jensen told him, only half lying as he took his gaze off of the two boys fussing with the TV. “You have a good Christmas morning?”
“Best ever,” Jeff said, turning to look at Alyson as he spoke. Jensen wouldn’t have believed that Alyson could actually get Jeff, let alone get him to settle down with her. They worked though; they really did.
“Me too, love will do that,” he said, laughing when Jeff choked on his drink and spat an ice cube back into his glass. Jensen clapped him on the back and reminded himself Jeff was still getting used to the whole love thing.
“Hands off my man,” Alyson joked as she slid up to the pair, snaking an arm around Jeff’s waist as she leaned against him. Jensen shook his head and muttered something about checking on the ham before wandering back into the kitchen.
“You sure do know how to throw a shindig,” Chris told him, clapping him on the back as he walked through the door. Chris smirked and popped open another can of Bud Light. He winked) as he took a sip, and Jensen couldn’t help but think back to their bachelor days when he and Chris and Steve shared a tiny apartment and took turns leaving it so the others could hook up in private. Well, Jensen never got left on his own much, but his sexual luck was turning around. All he’d needed was an adorable, dorky yet incredible sexy video store clerk to come into his life.
“Thanks, man,” Jensen said as he opened the oven and looked at the ham. Everything was about ready, and he figured he should tell everyone to go ahead and sit down.
“You wanna tell everyone to refill their drinks and head to the table? I’ll bring out the food in a minute,” he told Chris as he looked for his pot holders.
“Sure thing,” Chris said as he left Jensen alone in the kitchen. As Jensen got everything together, he realized that he really did have the best friends in the world. Hell, even Chad was pretty much behaving.
--
“That was hectic, but I’m glad you talked everyone into coming over,” Jared said as he led Jensen into their bedroom. He stifled a yawn and stretched his arms over his head, his knuckles nearly brushing the ceiling.
“Wouldn’t be the holidays without some kind of family, right?” Jensen asked as he came up behind Jared and wrapped his arms around him. He rested his chin on Jared’s shoulders, going up on his toes to do so. Jared tilted his head and nuzzled Jensen’s cheek, for once not overly upset about not being with his parents for Christmas.
“I’m starting to realize that,” he said. He felt Jensen stiffen up and continued. “I mean, you’re kind of my family now, right? Not legally or anything, but we’re as close as we can be. Plus, the gang is part of our fucked up little family.”
“Yeah, I guess,” Jensen said, and Jared could feel his shoulders relax. Sometimes his boyfriend was pretty damn stupid, especially if he thought Jared would give up what he had with Jensen for another shot at his family. “Speaking of family…I have one more present for you. It’s almost eleven, so I better give it to you.” Jensen dropped his arms and wandered over to their dresser, opening his underwear drawer to pull out the tiny package Jared had noticed wasn’t under the tree that morning. “Here,” he said as he placed it in Jared’s outstretched palm.
“Thanks,” Jared said as he weighed the object in his hand, eying the small wrapped box warily. He shrugged and tore into it, wondering why he had to open it by eleven. It was a plain box, so he opened that as well and found a flip phone inside. He tilted his head and looked at Jensen, awaiting an explanation.
“It’s your new phone,” Jensen told him as he watched the red lights of their alarm clock. It switched over to eleven and the phone in Jared’s hand rang, the sounds of some type of waltz filling the room. Jared stared at the phone and gave Jensen a questioning look. Then he noticed that the caller ID read Meg and he couldn’t open it fast enough.
“Hello?” he asked, knowing he was hoping too hard that it really was his little sister on the other end.
“Jared!” she called out, her voice almost deafening in her joy. Jared chuckled and mouthed thank you to Jensen as he concentrated on his little sister. He’d missed a bit of her rambling, but he’d figure it out later. “Yeah, so Jensen, who is such a great guy by the way, called me up and had me meet him. It was kind of sketchy until he told me about the phones and how he had one for both of us and we can call each other whenever we want and not have to worry about Mom or Dad knowing. Brilliant, right?”
“Yeah, he has his moments,” Jared said, smirking at Jensen who was giving him the most heartfelt and somehow worried look he’d ever seen. “I miss you,” he said, breathing softly into the phone. He hadn’t minded being without his family while everyone was over, crowded around the table in Jensen and his small apartment, but now that he could hear his sister’s voice it was hitting him.
“He’s pretty damn hot, too!” Meg squealed in his ear, and Jared eyed Jensen for a minute before he realized he hadn’t heard anything.
“Yeah, he is,” Jared admitted. He licked his lips and grinned at Jensen, who had the decency to blush as he sat down on the edge of their bed.
“Gonna give me all the sordid details of your love life?” Meg asked, causing Jared to choke and nearly stumble over his feet.
“Not a chance,” he said, doing his best not to look Jensen in the eye.
“Aww, you’re no fun at all. Anyway, I’m hiding in my room and better get back downstairs before Mom and Dad think something fishy is going on. I’ll give you a call sometime soon, okay? Love you, JT,” Meg said, her voice cracking a bit. Jared realized how hard this must be on her, and felt a second of regret before he could help himself. Still, he wouldn’t give up Jensen for anything.
“Okay, Meg. I’ll talk to you later,” Jared said as he flipped the phone shut, grinning as he did so. He turned towards Jensen and noticed that he still looked a bit nervous, like he thought Jared might not love the gift. Jared set the phone down on his dresser and then raced towards the bed, leaping on top of Jensen and pushing him down on the mattress.
“I take it you like it?” Jensen asked with a laugh. He shoved Jared off of him, just for a second so he could pull their bodies all the way onto the bed.
“Love it,” Jared replied, grinning as he rolled over on top of Jensen and kissed him hard on the mouth. “Love you,” he said as he broke the kiss, resting his forehead against Jensen’s.
“Me too,” Jensen said with a yawn.
“Glad I bore you,” Jared said even though he was pretty worn out himself.
“Some loser woke me up at the ass crack of dawn, running around and screaming like a child,” Jensen said, chuckling when Jared pouted at him.
“How awful,” Jared said, joining in of the laughter. He was just so damn happy. Thankful that they’d already changed into their pajamas, Jared spread out next to Jensen and tugged him close. “Night. Merry Christmas,” he said as he closed his eyes and settled down.
“Merry Christmas,” Jensen whispered, his lips moving against Jared’s neck as he drifted off.
Nsync - Under My Tree
Fandom: CW RPS
Pairing: Jared/Jensen (Tom/Mike, Alyson/Jeff, Chris Kane/Amber Bensen)
Rating: NC-17
Word Count: 8,000
Summary: Christmas for the Love Shack crew.
Notes: First off, thanks to neroli66 for the wonderful (as always) beta job. Also, this is getting posted a bit out of order, since I haven't posted the one where Chris and Amber get together yet. Just trust me on it, ok? Heh. Also, this is set in e Love Shack 'verse, so you should be familiar with the other stories.
Jensen caught Jared moping during the first week of December and couldn’t figure out why. He would only do it when he didn’t think Jensen was watching, and at first Jensen thought he’d done something to piss off Jared. He finally called him on it, and was somewhat relieved to find out Jared’s moodiness was due to Christmas. Or the lack thereof, really. Ever since Jared’s parents had disowned him, Jensen had been doing his best to cheer him up, but not being at home for Christmas was something Jensen couldn’t fix.
He decided to do his best to try, though. The invitations went out the next week, mostly verbal, but everyone agreed to spend Christmas afternoon and evening at Jensen’s apartment. Most of their families were across the country anyway, and even Amber said she’d spend the morning with her parents and then come over for dinner and whatever else Jensen threw together. Mike had taken to calling it the Very Love Shack Christmas and speaking about it as if it were some cheesy TV special. Which yeah, knowing his friends, it would be.
Jared still pouted from time to time, but as Christmas rolled closer, he started to become his lively self again. Jensen did his best to hide presents, but he was pretty sure Jared had seen the PS2 he’d hidden in their closet. Jared had left his old one at his parents house, and even though Meg offered to bring it over, he hadn’t dared take anything else out of his old room. Hell, Jensen knew Jared hadn’t even seen Meg in person since she dropped him off at Jensen’s doorstep nearly half a year before.
By the time Christmas Eve came around, Jared was back to his gleeful self. They spent the night at home, cuddling on the couch and watching the Charlie Brown Christmas special. Jared had a soft spot for Linus, and Jensen even conned him into doing the Snoopy dance for him. Seeing as Jared was well over six feet tall, it was quite the spectacle.
“And that’s how you do a proper Snoopy dance,” Jared said as he collapsed on the couch next to Jensen.
“I love you,” Jensen said, snickering as he slung an arm over Jared’s shoulders. Jared grinned at him and tucked his head under Jensen’s chin.
“Enough to tell me what you got me?” Jared asked as he nuzzled Jensen’s neck. His hair tickled, and Jensen let out a chuckle as he ran his hand through the soft strands.
“You only have a few more hours,” Jensen told him as he shook his head. “Plus, I haven’t cracked the last hundred times you asked me that question, so why should I now?”
“Because it’s Christmas Eve? Some people open their presents on Christmas Eve, you know,” Jared pointed out. He pressed a quick kiss beneath Jensen’s chin and snuggled closer. Jensen wished they had a fire crackling in a fireplace, but L.A. didn’t really call for it.
“What are you, twelve?” Jensen asked with a laugh. “You can hold out for a few more hours. Maybe I didn’t even get you anything. Did you ever think of that?”
“Then what’s wrapped and hidden in the top shelf of our closet?” Jared asked pointedly. Jensen smacked him lightly on the back of the head.
“You’re too damn nosey for your own good. Maybe I went all out for the gang this year.” He laughed again when Jared shot him a look of pure horror. “Okay, they’re for you. Speaking of presents...I didn’t see any with my name on them tucked away anywhere.”
“That’s because I didn’t get you anything,” Jared deadpanned. He squeaked when Jensen hopped off the couch and left him lying there alone. Jensen grinned down at him and fought to hold back a yawn.
“I guess I’ll go to bed then…alone,” Jensen said, his voice a bit harsher than he meant it to be. He got about two steps away from the couch before Jared hopped on his back and wrapped his arms around his neck. Jensen staggered beneath his weight but somehow managed to turn it into a fucked up piggyback ride. He slowly made his way down the hall, Jared giggling in his ear the entire time.
“You wouldn’t leave me hanging on Christmas Eve,” Jared told him, snorting when Jensen dropped him onto the bed. He held up a hand and snagged the edge of Jensen’s plaid pajama pants, tugging gently to pull him into bed. Jensen went down without a fight, collapsing against Jared with a long sigh.
“The faster we get to sleep, the faster Christmas morning will come,” Jensen told him, closing his eyes. He trusted Jared to scoot them up to the pillows, and was pretty damn comfortable sprawled out next to him on their bed.
“Which one of us is going to play Santa?” Jared asked, poking Jensen in the side. His eyes flew open and he gave Jared a confused look.
“Huh?” he asked, blinking at Jared in the darkened room.
“We have to put the presents under the tree so they’ll be there when we wake up,” Jared told him, glaring at him like he should have known.
“You gonna put out milk and cookies, too?” Jensen asked, smirking at his boy.
“Just be thankful I don’t make you go out for carrots for the reindeer,” Jared said as he shoved at Jensen’s shoulder, causing him to fidget and roll over. “You go to sleep; I’ll take care of putting the presents out. Maybe I’ll even write a thank you note for the cookies. My mom always used to do that when we were little.” Jensen could actually see the hurt in Jared’s body as his shoulders slumped and he trailed off.
“Let me get them,” Jensen said. He sat up and stroked a comforting hand over Jared’s back, but Jared stood up and shook his head.
“Can’t be sad forever,” he said with a sigh. “You’re all peaceful and half asleep. Good night. I love you.” He bent down and kissed Jensen quickly on the mouth.
“Love you, too,” Jensen said as he watched Jared stumbled around in the dark. “Do you even know where all mine for you are?” They weren’t all in the closet. He did have some sneakiness after all.
“There’s one tucked in your sock drawer, a smaller one under the bathroom sink, a few shoved under the bed, and the ones in the closet I already told you about,” Jared said with a laugh. He couldn’t see him in the dark, but he knew Jared was wearing the biggest grin as he spoke. He could hear it.
“Okay then...how come I don’t know about any of yours?” Jensen asked. He scooted up the bed and flung back the covers, fluffing his pillow a little and wishing it were Jared’s broad chest.
“Because I didn’t get you anything. I told you. Now go to bed and stop being so damn greedy.” Jared giggled when Jensen threw a pillow at him and ducked out of the room. Jensen snorted and curled up with his head on the remaining pillow. Man, he knew how to pick them.
--
Alyson leaned in the doorway of Jeff’s studio apartment and watched him crouch on his heels by their tiny Christmas tree. They were mostly over the whole living together freak out, and even managed to buy the tree a day or two before Christmas Eve. She smiled and walked across the room, squatting down behind him and putting her arms around his neck. Jeff hung one final candy cane on the tree and turned to rub his cheek against hers.
“Happy Christmas Eve, babe,” he said softly.
“You too,” Alyson whispered. She pressed her lips lightly against Jeff’s beard, enjoying the soft scratch of it against her chin.
“Want to help?” Jeff asked her as he held out a small ornament. The two foot tall tree had come in a little box complete with decorations, and Jeff had spent about half an hour fluffing the branches before he declared it ready to be trimmed. Alyson had stood back and watched him go at it, finding the idea of such a manly man getting off on Christmas decorations endearing.
“I wouldn’t want to hang it in the wrong place,” she said, smiling against his cheek. Jeff laughed and knelt down, pulling her forward to his side. He stretched out her arm, trailing his fingers along her skin before settling the bright red ball in her hand.
“Just follow my lead,” Jeff said with a sly grin. He moved their hands forward and Alyson shivered when the fake pine needles brushed her fingertips. How the hell did this man make something as mundane as decorating a tree so damn sexy?
“This is so new to me,” she told him as she hooked the ornament on the branch. He pulled their hands back and pressed a kiss against the back of hers before dropping it.
“What is?” he asked as he settled into a cross-legged position on the floor.
“We didn’t really go all out for Christmas at my house. I don’t think we had a tree after I was eight or nine.”
“You’re kidding, right?” Jeff asked her, his eyebrows flying up in shock. She shook her head and Jeff gave her the sweetest smile she’d ever seen. “I’m glad I get to make up for that, then.”
“Oh shut up, you romantic you,” she said with a laugh. Jeff joined in and tugged at her shoulder, wrapping her in a hug. He squeezed her once and then let go, reaching for the switch on the single strand of lights that were weaved around the tree.
“Ready?” he asked; a gleam in his eyes. Alyson nodded, and he flicked the switch, illuminating the tiny tree. She had to smile, watching as his face light up along with the lights. Little flashes of color reflected on his face and shirt, and Alyson couldn’t help extending a hand to trail her fingers across his cheek.
“Thank you,” she said, her voice faltering a bit.
“Anytime,” Jeff said as he stood up and held out a hand. Alyson tucked hers in his and let him pull her to her feet. “Let’s leave the tree on while we sleep. We’ll do the presents in the morning. Come to bed.”
And really, Alyson didn't want to do anything but just that.
--
Mike shifted in his seat, unable to find a comfortable position on the hard pew. Hell, he couldn’t even find one that didn’t make his spine hurt. Tom elbowed him in the ribs for the fifth time that night, and Tom’s great aunt Shelly coughed loudly in his direction. Mike wasn’t one to fade into the background, but he longed for it at the moment.
It wasn’t that he had a thing against God or anything, but he tended to spend the night before Jesus’ birthday in a livelier way. Christmas Eve usually meant he’d be doing his best George Michael impression and belting out “Last Christmas” to some unsuspecting person. This was his first Christmas Eve without his karaoke machine for a long time now, and he couldn’t imagine going without the music and the drinks for anyone but the man pressed tightly against his side.
Suddenly everyone was standing up and Mike jumped to his feet, mentally cursing when he realized he hadn’t marked what page the next carol was on. He fumbled with his hymnal, nearly tearing out one of the thin pages before Tom leaned over and hissed, “Page 218” in his ear.
Mike listened to the music for a few bars before joining in and belting Silent Night at the top of his lungs. After another loud cough from Great Aunt Shelly and a snort from one of Tom’s numerous cousins, he toned it down a bit. Church was so not his thing; no showmanship. It wasn’t as if he should know what to do though. The whole being Jewish thing put a damper on learning church rules. Apparently rule number one was to not have any fun.
The song ended and Mike went to sit down, but Tom slipped an arm around his waist and held him up. Mike stumbled and leaned against the back of the pew in front of him, wondering why the Christians were so damn complicated. The things he put up with for love. All Tom had to do was bat those insanely long and beautiful eyelashes at him and beg him to do Christmas Eve with his family. There was no way Mike was going to deny him that, especially since they hadn’t done much of the whole meeting the families thing.
Mike didn’t catch what the minister said, but everyone sat down, and Tom dragged him back into the pew. Mrs. Welling was sitting on his right and sent him a reassuring look. Mike smiled at her and linked his fingers with Tom’s. The service had to be over soon, and really, Tom’s family was putting up with all his shortcomings pretty decently. And Mrs. Welling made the best damn pecan pie he’d ever had the pleasure to taste.
“You surviving?” Tom asked, turning his head slightly so he could whisper in Mike’s ear.
“I think I’ll make it,” Mike muttered back, carefully avoiding the glare Great Aunt Shelly sent them. Apparently whispering was frowned upon in church as well. Though it seemed like Great Aunt Shelly frowned upon a lot of things, especially every little thing Mike did. She doted on Tom though, so she must be okay once you got to know her. Anyone who had a soft spot for Tom was alright by Mike.
“Thanks for coming,” Tom told him, squeezing his hand beneath their hymnal.
“You can make it up to me later by playing with my dreidel,” Mike said, laughing softly against Tom’s neck. He smirked as a deep blush spread across Tom’s face and pressed a quick kiss against his cheek. Tom leaned his head on Mike’s shoulder, and Mike settled back against the pew, figuring church wasn’t so bad after all.
--
Chris closed the door behind him and tried not to panic. Sure, it was over with at the moment, but he still had a whole Christmas morning to get through in a few hours. Amber was across the room, ruffling through her overnight bag. She pulled out an adorable red plaid flannel pajama set and started to undress and put it on. All Chris could do was watch her with wide eyes, wondering if he even remembered to bring pajamas. Would the family mock him if he showed up in tattered gray sweats in the morning?
“Are you okay?” Amber asked, finally turning to face him. Her hair - blonde again - was pulled back in two low pigtails at the nape of her neck, and for a few seconds, Chris just smiled at her.
“Yeah, just a little overwhelmed,” he admitted, finally stepping away from the door. Amber laughed at him, deep in her chest, and he swatted at her before taking the sweat pants she held out to him. At least she’d remembered to pack a fairly decent pair. He didn’t bother with a shirt, just stepping into the sweats as Amber continued to laugh at him.
“It’s not that scary,” she told him once she got herself back under control. She flopped onto the bed and crooked a finger at him. Chris hopped on top of the covers, shifting as she struggled to shove them down the bed from beneath their bodies.
“No offense, but your family is terrifying,” he said, his voice strained. It was true, too. Chris was hardly what you would call a pussy, but he'd spent the entire night fending off her aunts and uncles and cousins and God knows what else.
“Oh, you’re so brave to put up with them,” Amber said in a mocking voice. She held a hand up to her forehead and swooned a bit for added effect. Chris tackled her to the mattress and kissed her hard. Then he thought about her parents sleeping down the hall and jumped back as if burned. He sent her a worried look and she raised an eyebrow at him.
“We can’t even touch,” he told her, rolling over so that he was a good inch away from her. “Maybe I should sleep in the other guest room? I mean…your parents.”
“Know I’m having sex with you,” Amber told him, laughing again when his eyes popped out of his head and he made a little choking noise in the back of his throat.
“How do they know that?” Chris asked her once he got his voice back. Seriously, his mother would die if she knew of his exploits, even if they were a bit more tame now that he’d settled down with Amber.
“Please,” she said, her face scrunching up in a way that could only be described as adorable. “My mom and I go over things like that. She knows you’re a damn good kisser and have the sexiest hands I’ve ever felt on me.”
“Oh fuck,” Chris said with a sigh. He crumbled against her side and buried his face in the side of her neck. Amber patted him gently on the back, snorting softly in his ear. “Your dad is going to kill me. I should leave right now.” His heart was racing at the thought of Mr. Benson finding him in bed with Amber, even though she seemed to be less than worried about it.
“There won’t be any killing on Christmas. Let’s get some sleep. I’m sure we’ll be woken up at daybreak to open presents and chow down on French toast.” Chris nuzzled her neck and melted into her embrace. Really, the thought of pissing off her dad was a little less scary when he had Amber wrapped around him. He took her advice and closed his eyes, letting himself drift off in a pair of arms he’d never thought he’d lie in.
--
Jensen was ripped out of a dream involving Jared and a pint of Cherry Garcia, his eyes fluttering open as he batted at whatever was attacking him. His palm collided with Jared’s upper arm and Jensen sat up, wiping at his eyes with the back of his hand. He glared at Jared, but his boyfriend didn’t seem to think there was anything wrong with pummeling Jensen in his sleep.
“It’s morning!” Jared shouted, tackling him down to the bed again and wrapping him in all those long, long limbs. Jensen laughed and kissed Jared quickly on the mouth before pushing him off so he could sit up again.
“Yes it is, though the sun doesn’t seem to be out,” he said with a pointed glare at the bedroom window.
“The sun doesn’t matter on Christmas. Come on, let’s go look at the presents!” Jared scooted off the bed and tugged at Jensen’s arm, dragging him behind him. They shuffled through the hallway and into the living room, where Jared had already turned on the lights on the tree.
“You put them out here yourself,” Jensen told him. “You know what it looks like.” He laughed when Jared shrugged and bounded for the tree, pulling Jensen behind him by one arm. Jensen tripped as they sat down and ended up sprawled out across Jared’s insanely long legs. Jared laughed and clapped him on the back, a completely different person than he’d been for the past month or so. Christmas morning looked good on him.
“I shook them all last night, too,” Jared admitted, a thin blush creeping across his cheeks. Jensen pushed up on his elbows and kissed Jared squarely on the mouth, trailing his tongue across his pink lips before delving inside. Jared moaned into his mouth, and then pushed him back, smiling against his lips. Jensen had to close his eyes rather than see Jared’s cross-eyed expression of pure glee. Then he sat back on his heels and tumbled off of Jared’s outstretched legs.
“You’re such a child. Want to go first?” he asked, chuckling when Jared enthusiastically nodded and lunged forward to grab the largest package with his name on it. True to his words, he shook it up by his ear again, and Jensen settled back to watch him scramble with the wrapping paper.
“Yeah!” Jared cried out as soon as he could see through the tattered wrapping paper. There was a mad dash to rip off the remainder of it and then he stared at the PS2 for a few seconds before tossing it aside and crawling over to Jensen. He cupped his head in his hands and kissed him, apparently not worried about morning breath as he thrust his tongue lazily into Jensen’s mouth. They fell backwards against the carpet, their bodies aligning as they swallowed each other’s moans and gasps. Jensen could feel Jared hardening against his thigh and went to snake a hand between their bodies, but Jared jumped back up and shot him a crooked grin. “After presents,” he said, gesturing towards Jensen’s pile beneath the tree.
“You’re evil,” Jensen told him as he grabbed the first package he could reach and tried to ignore the ache in his groin. He followed Jared’s example and shook the box near his ear before setting it in his lap and tearing off the paper. He stared down at the three DVDs in his hand, a slow smile spreading across his face as he damn near cried. “I take it back. You’re a wonderful, wonderful human being and I couldn’t love you more.” He caressed the cover of Star Wars: A New Hope the original release, and grinned up at Jared.
“Remember our first conversation?” Jared asked, smirking at him. “I figured you’d need these. We’ll have a marathon someday, okay?”
“Yeah, you don’t have to twist my arm,” Jensen said with a snort. He delicately set the cases to the side of him and then darted out a hand and pulled Jared down against him, crushing their mouths together in a sloppy kiss. His body was on edge already, and only half of it had to do with the man pressed to his chest. Hell, he had really wanted those DVDs.
“Okay, less kissing, more present opening,” Jared said as he climbed off of Jensen’s body and reached beneath the tree again. Jensen laughed from his spot on the floor as Jared knocked into the lower branches and nearly toppled the fake tree over. The damn thing was almost as tall as Jared, and it would have been a disaster to say the least.
“You’re only using me for my presents,” Jensen said with a sigh. He covered his face with his hands, mock sobbing into his palms. Jared giggled and sat down on his stomach, straddling him as he put his next gift on Jensen’s chest. Jensen peeked through his fingers in time to see Jared open the small box. He felt irrationally nervous as Jared peered into the box and lifted the silver ornament out of it.
It was shaped like a heart and hung on a bright red ribbon with Jared & Jensen, First Christmas 2006 engraved on it in a flowery script. Jensen could feel his heart pounding like a wild beast ready to burst out of his chest as he watched the ornament turning slowly while it hung from Jared’s slender fingers.
“I thought it would look good on the tree,” Jensen mumbled, worrying more every second Jared as just stared at the silver bauble.
“It’s perfect,” Jared said after an eternity. Jensen realized his eyes were watery and propped himself up on his elbows, drawing Jared down for a soft kiss. He could feel the cool silver of the ornament pressed against his side, touching his skin where his t-shirt rode up. Then Jared slid off of him and studied the tree for a few minutes before hanging the ornament on a branch in the middle of the tree. The lights reflected off of it, and Jensen felt his own eyes getting wet. He was such a damn sap sometimes.
“Okay, one more for you before we get to boring stuff like clothing,” Jared said. He stood up and snuck behind the tree, reaching for a present Jensen’s hadn’t seen yet. He gave a vague thought to why Jared would bother buying him clothes if he spent most of his time trying to get Jensen out of them, but he’d done the same damn thing. Jensen sat up and eyed the funnily shaped package. He couldn’t tell what it was from the shape, so he held out his hands and took it from Jared. He tore into the paper slowly, drawing it out before he caught sight of a black case and frantically ripped the rest of the paper away.
“Jare!” Jensen cried out, giddy with the feeling of a guitar case in his hands.
“It’s okay, right?” Jared asked, an adorable look of worry on his face. He chewed on his lower lip and continued. “I know you don’t have your own and usually play with one of Chris’ if you’re up on stage, but he helped me pick this one out and I figured you might want one because you’re always singing and I know you scribble down lyrics when you think I’m not looking and maybe if you had your own you could do more and if it’s horrible I’ll just return it, okay?”
“Breathe, man,” Jensen said with a laugh. He clicked open the locks on the case and pulled out the most beautiful acoustic guitar he’d ever laid eyes on. “It’s perfect,” he said as he smiled up at Jared. “I love it, seriously.”
“Good,” Jared said as he knelt down beside Jensen. He reached out and stroked his fingers across the neck of the guitar, and Jensen felt something stir deep in his chest. He set the guitar back in its case, carefully shutting it before turning to Jared and sending him an impish grin.
“Merry Christmas,” he said as he placed one hand in the center of Jared’s chest and shoved him backwards, chuckling when he landed half under the tree and in a pile of wrapping paper. Jared looked edible, sprawled out beneath the tree and all lanky and gorgeous. Jensen slowly crawled up his body, pausing to rub his cheek on Jared’s crotch, stroking his erection through the flannel pajama pants. Jared made a deep growling sound low in his throat, and Jensen moved upwards, tonguing his way up Jared’s chest. He dipped his tongue into his belly button, smiling against Jared’s skin when he cried out and cupped Jensen’s head in his large hands.
Jensen captured Jared’s lips in a kiss, darting his tongue out to trace over his mouth as he cupped Jared through his pajamas. His cock was leaking, and Jensen could feel a small damp spot on the flannel. He moaned into Jared’s mouth and swirled his tongue across Jared’s teeth. Nipping at Jared’s lower lip, Jensen broke the kiss and sucked his way down Jared’s exposed neck. His head was thrown back, pine needles mingling with his soft hair as Jensen started down his body.
Sliding a hand inside Jared’s pants, Jensen found his cock and palmed it, smirking against Jared’s nipples when the other man bucked his hips and let out a strangled gasp. Jared made the best sounds in bed, and Jensen’s goal in life was to discover as many of them as possibly. He sucked Jared’s nipple into his mouth, reveling in the soft, broken hiss that escaped Jared’s mouth. God, he was gorgeous.
Jensen slid down further, shoving at Jared’s pants and helping him kick out of them. He sat back on his heels, just studying his boy. Jared was all smooth lines and sharp angles; such a delicious mixture of adorableness and pure sex. Jensen shrugged out of his shirt, reaching for his pants to tug them off as well. Jared’s hands covered his own and helped push them over his hips, and Jensen smiled down at him. He stood up and stepped out of his pants before climbing back onto Jared’s thighs. He fisted a hand around Jared’s leaking cock, ignoring his own for the moment.
Jared’s mouth hung open, and his hair fell into his eyes. He looked up at Jensen through his bangs and rocked his hips into Jensen’s hand. His cock was hard and heavy in Jensen’s palm, and it was pretty much the best fucking Christmas he could imagine. Jensen dipped down and crushed his mouth against Jared’s, swallowing a moan as he pumped Jared’s dick.
Jared bucked his hips, and Jensen’s cock slid into the hollow of his hip, finding the perfect place. He let go of Jared's cock and brought his hand up to his lips to lap the few droplets of pre-come from his palm before shifting so that his cock brushed against Jared's. He arched his back and started rocking his hips, gasping when Jared’s hot hands found his hips and helped him move . Jared’s fingers were digging into his flesh, leaving what he knew would be ten perfect bruises. The thought of seeing his marred skin the next day made him shudder, and he ground his cock against Jared’s.
Jared was panting in his ear, hot puffs of breath coming out to caress his neck. Jensen shivered when Jared attached his mouth to Jensen’s neck, sucking hard on that spot beneath his ear that always made him cry out. Just knowing how well they knew each others bodies, could map out little hot spots, was enough to make Jensen lose it. His hips moved of their own accord, brutally grinding against Jared as he rushed towards orgasm.
Jared came first, tightening his hold on Jensen’s slender hips as he exploded between their bodies, coating their abdomens with sticky come. Jensen came almost as soon as he felt the first splash of Jared’s release on his skin, shouting Jared’s name as he bent his head down and emptied his cock in hot bursts between them.
Jared clung to him as they came down from orgasm, small aftershocks running through their bodies. Jensen turned his head and kissed Jared, sucking on his tongue before letting himself collapse on his chest. There was a cooling mess against his stomach and thighs, and his body was covered in a light sheen of sweat. He knew he should move, but he didn’t feel up to it. Apparently, neither did Jared. They lay there, breathing harshly and still half hard, content to spend their Christmas morning just being together.
--
Jared snuck up behind Jensen and wrapped his arms around him. His hair was still wet from the shower, and it hung in his eyes as he nuzzled Jensen’s cheek. He pressed Jensen against the sink and placed light, open mouthed kisses against his neck. Jensen shivered and leaned back into Jared’s body, sighing softly with each little kiss. The water was running, so he leaned forward to see what was going on, towering over Jensen as he did it. Apparently Jensen was washing potatoes. Hell, he hadn’t even known they owned one of those special…potato type brushes, let alone that Jensen used it. They tended to make simple meals more often than not, and Jared really didn’t chip in on the cooking front.
“Whatcha making?” he asked as he rubbed his cheek against Jensen’s. Jensen shrugged out of his hold, and he frowned a bit before he realized Jensen was busy scrubbing potatoes.
“I promised everyone food once I talked them into ditching their families and doing Christmas dinner over here. The ham is already in the oven, but I need to get the potatoes, the stuffing, the carrots, and yams, and the cranberry sauce ready. Alyson should be bringing some sort of salad, Mike has dessert covered, and Chris is doing what he does best by bringing the beer. I think we should be all set. You can handle opening a can and slicing some cranberries, right?” Jensen asked; his eyes full of mirth. Jared swatted at his shoulder and nodded. He might not be capable of much in the kitchen, but he was pretty decent with a knife. He should take up throwing them or something.
“Point me in the direction of the can opener and I’m your man,” Jared replied as he took a step back and surveyed the kitchen. It was kind of cramped, and Jensen had vegetables and bags of stuffing mix scattered all over the counters.
“You live here, how do you not know it’s on the counter over there?” Jensen asked, waving the brush around and spraying droplets of water across the floor. Jared shrugged and found the cans of cranberries and the can opener. He went to work taking off the ends and spreading slices on a plate that looked suspiciously like something Jensen had gotten from a grandmother.
“You cook for me. You’re like my little housewife,” Jared said with a smirk. He jumped when Jensen slapped him on the ass and let out a small giggle. “Where’d you learn to cook anyway? You’re pretty damn good at it.”
“I’m pretty damn good at a lot of things,” Jensen replied. Jared looked over his shoulder and watched Jensen chop potatoes and toss them in a pot of water. He knew they’d end up mashed and covered in the jars of gravy he saw on the counter, but he had no idea how to go about doing it himself. Jared could only cook the basic necessities: tuna fish, mac and cheese, and anything that needed microwaving. “My grandma taught me how to cook before we left Texas,” Jensen said as he dropped the last of the potatoes into the big pot on the stove.
“My grandma knew I wasn’t made for the kitchen,” Jared said. He opened the refrigerator and placed the cranberry slices on one of the shelves before wandering back over to Jensen’s side. “’Sides, it’s woman’s work anyway,” he said, gleefully slapping Jensen on the ass.
“You want to settle down with some bright and shiny woman, be my guest,” Jensen told him, smiling widely. “I’ll move in with…I don’t know. Steve or someone.”
“Yeah, because Steve is all about the cock,” Jared said, laughing as he watched Jensen’s face scrunch up in horror. “Is he coming over?”
“Nah, said he was flying home to see the family. I bet he’s shacking up with some groupie and doesn’t want the rest of us to know,” Jensen said. He turned on the burner and wiped his wet hands on a dish rag. “We’re done in here for now. Everything just needs to cook. I’ll do the stuffing when it’s closer to dinner.”
“So I can have you to myself for the time being?” Jared asked, hoping his voice didn’t sound as overjoyed as he thought it did. Seriously, he was utterly and completely whipped for one Mr. Jensen Ackles. It would be ridiculous if he didn’t know Jensen was the same damn way about him.
“I’m all yours, baby,” Jensen said, smirking at Jared.
“Good, because I checked the paper and A Muppet Christmas Carol is on TV. Guess how we’re spending the afternoon?” Jared asked as he put an arm around Jensen’s shoulders and steered him towards their living room.
“The things I do for you,” Jensen said, letting out a long, drawn out sigh as they sat down on the couch. Jared snagged the remote and flipped on the TV, settling back against the couch and Jensen.
“If you watch the whole thing with me and let me sing along to any songs, I’ll blow you before the guests get here,” he told Jensen, grinning as he saw the movie starting. Jensen grinned back and rested his head against Jared’s shoulder. He might miss his family, but Jared was starting to realize he had a new one; one who was currently pressed against his side and snuggling close to him.
--
“Remind me who invited Chad?” Jensen asked in a hushed tone. He was hiding in the kitchen with Mike and Tom while Jeff, Alyson, Chad, Chris, Amber, and Jared entertained each other in the living room. He didn’t really have anything against Chad, but they had a general awkwardness around each other since Alyson had once gotten the bright idea to try and hook them up. Chad was a little to dumb and a lot too sleazy for Jensen’s taste. Come to think of it, if Steve were into cock Chad would be a perfect match. They could….bang groupies together or something.
“I felt bad,” Mike admitted with a shrug. He took a sip of his wine, his teeth already looking a bit purple as he grinned at Jensen. “He didn’t have a family to go home to and got this puppy dog look in his eyes when I mentioned coming over here. I don’t have the heart to fire him, let alone have him be alone and miserable on Christmas.”
“That’s so sweet,” Tom said, patting his boyfriend on the arm. Jensen rolled his eyes; ever since they got together, everything Mike did was sweet. He had no idea why he’d pushed them together in the first place. Oh yeah, they were dumb shits and couldn’t get it together on their own.
“Yeah, Mikey’s nothing but sweetness and sugar. I just hope he doesn’t hit on Jared,” Jensen said, genuinely worried as he peeked into the living room and saw Jared and Chad in the middle of what looked like an animated conversation.
“You’re kidding, right?” Mike asked, quirking an eyebrow. “That boy wouldn’t even realize if someone besides you were hitting on him. He’s so fucking gone no one else has a shot. Plus, I told Chad not to touch him. They do seem to be getting along, though. Maybe Chad will finally have a friend who isn’t me.”
“It couldn’t hurt,” Jensen said with a chuckle. He poured another Jack and Coke for himself and refilled the glass Jared had left on the counter for him. “Let’s get out there and put a stop to anything horrible.”
“Our friends are horrible,” Mike said, snorting as Alyson looked at him, glaring a bit as they walked into the living room.
“So anyone get a ring for Christmas?” Chad asked, earning a couple of glares. Jensen sighed, wondering if Chad would ever get his shit together and think about people before he spoke. Alyson and Jeff were still kinda freaked out about the whole falling in love thing, Chris would never admit to his desire to wed Amber, Mike and Tom were as committed as any married couple he knew, and Jared would probably say no. So, no, none of them got rings for Christmas.
“Just a cock ring,” Mike said, winking at Chad. Leave it to Mike to set things right. Everyone laughed at Chad’s obvious discomfort, and Jensen wondered how Alyson ever thought he was gay. The kid was bi at most, and probably deeply ashamed of it.
“I got a new PS2!” Jared said, still bursting with glee over his new toy.
“Seriously? Let’s hook that shit up and get a game going,” Chad told him, his voice a little too excited for Jensen’s liking. Jared just smiled and nodded, dragging Chad off of the couch and across the room to his gifts beneath the tree. Then he remembered how Jared and he had made love under that tree that morning, slowly rocking against each other until they were satisfied. Chad could play as many games of Guitar Hero as he wanted; as long as he knew he wasn’t getting anything else out of Jared.
“Don’t worry about it,” Jeff whispered as he came to stand next to Jensen.
“I’m not,” Jensen told him, only half lying as he took his gaze off of the two boys fussing with the TV. “You have a good Christmas morning?”
“Best ever,” Jeff said, turning to look at Alyson as he spoke. Jensen wouldn’t have believed that Alyson could actually get Jeff, let alone get him to settle down with her. They worked though; they really did.
“Me too, love will do that,” he said, laughing when Jeff choked on his drink and spat an ice cube back into his glass. Jensen clapped him on the back and reminded himself Jeff was still getting used to the whole love thing.
“Hands off my man,” Alyson joked as she slid up to the pair, snaking an arm around Jeff’s waist as she leaned against him. Jensen shook his head and muttered something about checking on the ham before wandering back into the kitchen.
“You sure do know how to throw a shindig,” Chris told him, clapping him on the back as he walked through the door. Chris smirked and popped open another can of Bud Light. He winked) as he took a sip, and Jensen couldn’t help but think back to their bachelor days when he and Chris and Steve shared a tiny apartment and took turns leaving it so the others could hook up in private. Well, Jensen never got left on his own much, but his sexual luck was turning around. All he’d needed was an adorable, dorky yet incredible sexy video store clerk to come into his life.
“Thanks, man,” Jensen said as he opened the oven and looked at the ham. Everything was about ready, and he figured he should tell everyone to go ahead and sit down.
“You wanna tell everyone to refill their drinks and head to the table? I’ll bring out the food in a minute,” he told Chris as he looked for his pot holders.
“Sure thing,” Chris said as he left Jensen alone in the kitchen. As Jensen got everything together, he realized that he really did have the best friends in the world. Hell, even Chad was pretty much behaving.
--
“That was hectic, but I’m glad you talked everyone into coming over,” Jared said as he led Jensen into their bedroom. He stifled a yawn and stretched his arms over his head, his knuckles nearly brushing the ceiling.
“Wouldn’t be the holidays without some kind of family, right?” Jensen asked as he came up behind Jared and wrapped his arms around him. He rested his chin on Jared’s shoulders, going up on his toes to do so. Jared tilted his head and nuzzled Jensen’s cheek, for once not overly upset about not being with his parents for Christmas.
“I’m starting to realize that,” he said. He felt Jensen stiffen up and continued. “I mean, you’re kind of my family now, right? Not legally or anything, but we’re as close as we can be. Plus, the gang is part of our fucked up little family.”
“Yeah, I guess,” Jensen said, and Jared could feel his shoulders relax. Sometimes his boyfriend was pretty damn stupid, especially if he thought Jared would give up what he had with Jensen for another shot at his family. “Speaking of family…I have one more present for you. It’s almost eleven, so I better give it to you.” Jensen dropped his arms and wandered over to their dresser, opening his underwear drawer to pull out the tiny package Jared had noticed wasn’t under the tree that morning. “Here,” he said as he placed it in Jared’s outstretched palm.
“Thanks,” Jared said as he weighed the object in his hand, eying the small wrapped box warily. He shrugged and tore into it, wondering why he had to open it by eleven. It was a plain box, so he opened that as well and found a flip phone inside. He tilted his head and looked at Jensen, awaiting an explanation.
“It’s your new phone,” Jensen told him as he watched the red lights of their alarm clock. It switched over to eleven and the phone in Jared’s hand rang, the sounds of some type of waltz filling the room. Jared stared at the phone and gave Jensen a questioning look. Then he noticed that the caller ID read Meg and he couldn’t open it fast enough.
“Hello?” he asked, knowing he was hoping too hard that it really was his little sister on the other end.
“Jared!” she called out, her voice almost deafening in her joy. Jared chuckled and mouthed thank you to Jensen as he concentrated on his little sister. He’d missed a bit of her rambling, but he’d figure it out later. “Yeah, so Jensen, who is such a great guy by the way, called me up and had me meet him. It was kind of sketchy until he told me about the phones and how he had one for both of us and we can call each other whenever we want and not have to worry about Mom or Dad knowing. Brilliant, right?”
“Yeah, he has his moments,” Jared said, smirking at Jensen who was giving him the most heartfelt and somehow worried look he’d ever seen. “I miss you,” he said, breathing softly into the phone. He hadn’t minded being without his family while everyone was over, crowded around the table in Jensen and his small apartment, but now that he could hear his sister’s voice it was hitting him.
“He’s pretty damn hot, too!” Meg squealed in his ear, and Jared eyed Jensen for a minute before he realized he hadn’t heard anything.
“Yeah, he is,” Jared admitted. He licked his lips and grinned at Jensen, who had the decency to blush as he sat down on the edge of their bed.
“Gonna give me all the sordid details of your love life?” Meg asked, causing Jared to choke and nearly stumble over his feet.
“Not a chance,” he said, doing his best not to look Jensen in the eye.
“Aww, you’re no fun at all. Anyway, I’m hiding in my room and better get back downstairs before Mom and Dad think something fishy is going on. I’ll give you a call sometime soon, okay? Love you, JT,” Meg said, her voice cracking a bit. Jared realized how hard this must be on her, and felt a second of regret before he could help himself. Still, he wouldn’t give up Jensen for anything.
“Okay, Meg. I’ll talk to you later,” Jared said as he flipped the phone shut, grinning as he did so. He turned towards Jensen and noticed that he still looked a bit nervous, like he thought Jared might not love the gift. Jared set the phone down on his dresser and then raced towards the bed, leaping on top of Jensen and pushing him down on the mattress.
“I take it you like it?” Jensen asked with a laugh. He shoved Jared off of him, just for a second so he could pull their bodies all the way onto the bed.
“Love it,” Jared replied, grinning as he rolled over on top of Jensen and kissed him hard on the mouth. “Love you,” he said as he broke the kiss, resting his forehead against Jensen’s.
“Me too,” Jensen said with a yawn.
“Glad I bore you,” Jared said even though he was pretty worn out himself.
“Some loser woke me up at the ass crack of dawn, running around and screaming like a child,” Jensen said, chuckling when Jared pouted at him.
“How awful,” Jared said, joining in of the laughter. He was just so damn happy. Thankful that they’d already changed into their pajamas, Jared spread out next to Jensen and tugged him close. “Night. Merry Christmas,” he said as he closed his eyes and settled down.
“Merry Christmas,” Jensen whispered, his lips moving against Jared’s neck as he drifted off.
Nsync - Under My Tree