[RPF]:Gemini / Suffer love for all your bad parts. Part One.
Pairing: J2, with a side of many others (non explicit)
Words: 3600+
Ratings and warnings:R (NC-17 in later parts). Swearing, sexual references in blasphemous contexts.
Disclaimer: I do not own anyone involved as character in this story, but their names have been used with only admiration and love :)
Summary:
Jared and Jensen don't like each other. Sure, they dated years ago. Sure, the sex was great. Sure, they never really resolved their issues in the breakup. All that matters is that they are definitely not in love. At all. Right?
A/N: This is incomplete because I had a horrid four weeks or so where I got sick, got slightly better and then got sick again and time completely ran away from me because when I wasn't sleeping, I was working and it turned into a vicious cycle.
Beta'd by the lovely jdl71, who stepped in at the last minute and fixed all my problem areas. Any remaining mistakes are all mine.
Written for the spn_reversebang 2017 challenge. I scored the stunning prompt by fridayblues, who was an absolute saint and forgave me even though I don't deserve it. I look forward to completing this, because I'm genuinely excited about it and about getting back into writing after my super long hiatus. Ann has even expressed interest in continuing with art as it unfolds! (Seriously, how lucky am I?). Make sure you head on over to her post and leave her some love there for her gorgeous art!
Gemini / Suffer love for all your bad parts
“Oh. My. GOD,” Danneel squeals, and Jensen flinches with how it makes his ears hurt. “Chris got us a house!”
Jensen puts down his phone - he was having trouble beating that level of Candy Crush anyway - and turns to face Danneel, who’s busy typing away frantically on her own phone. She has a big grin on her face and she’s bouncing lightly on her feet from where she’s standing at the end of the couch.
“A house?” he asks, because the conversation has clearly started halfway through and there are several things Chris got us a house could mean. One being Danneel has finally agreed to move out away from Jensen's place and in with her boyfriend of eight years. Danneel finishes her text and looks at him.
“Yes!” Danneel squeals again, but almost immediately looks down again as her phone dings. She’s gone for another thirty seconds while she replies but Jensen’s patient, has learned to be after a lifetime of knowing Danneel - she is his cousin after all. Or rather, step cousin since they’re not actually blood related, but whatever. They’ve lived in each other’s back pockets ever since her grandma married Jensen’s grandpa when he and Danneel were five.
When she looks up again at Jensen, the look on her face is almost surprised to see him still sitting there waiting for her. She tilts her head at him and then sighs. “For the summer getaway, of course! Jesus, there’s no way I’m leaving you when I know you can’t survive without me. Chris has rented us a house on the beach and the best part is it’s big enough for us all to stay there!”
Jensen suppresses a groan. The summer getaway is simultaneously the highlight of his year and the most dreaded week of his year. In their last year of college, their little group of friends decided they would get together over the summer and it turned into an annual thing since then. Jensen loves it because they don’t get many other chances to catch up over the year, but unfortunately it usually means…
“Is Master Smartmouth also coming?”
Danneel flops down onto the couch but Jensen can’t move his feet away quick enough, and she traps them under her thighs. “Yes, you know he is. But don’t you think -”
“Nope.”
Danneel sighs again, “Well, there are enough bedrooms for us all, which means you get to keep one all to your own grumpy self and not ruin anyone else’s holiday.” She pats him on the leg and stands again, and Jensen wriggles his toes to get the feeling back into them. “You know, Jensen, someday you’re going to have to deal with all your repressed shit.”
Jensen doesn’t know what she’s talking about. He hasn’t repressed anything. He’s well aware of what happened, and how he feels about it. There’s nothing to be resolved.
See, back in college Jensen had a boyfriend for all of five minutes. Jared Padalecki was in his Modern History class in Sophomore year. He was funny and smart and gorgeous, and Jensen may have developed a little crush. They had started hanging out together outside of class and then Jensen had introduced Jared to his best friend Chris, because Chris had been looking for a drummer for his dream band and Jared happened to be talented with a pair of drumsticks. It was only a few months before Jensen and Jared hanging out turned into Jensen and Jared going on a second date when, half drunk and riding the high of a successful show, they slept together.
And then everything had imploded between them. Turns out they just weren’t as compatible as Jensen thought, but unfortunately by then Jared and Chris had bonded way too much. Jensen very much regrets introducing Jared and Chris, because it meant his best friend now came with a side of smug doucheknuckle. And it wasn’t looking like it was going to change with the increasing popularity of the Good Thieves. When the band landed a recording deal and a manager who was very enthusiastic about the band’s future in the music scene, Jensen resigned himself to the thought that Jared would be in his life for the foreseeable future.
Whatever, he’s totally moved on.
*
The house Chris has got them sits at the end of a long, winding, leafy driveway. Jensen’s driving, and Danneel is painting her toenails in the passenger seat beside him, when they turn the last bend to find the house sitting like a behemoth of glittering glass in the afternoon sunlight.
“Jesus Holy Cocksucking Christ,” Danneel says, “He really outdid himself this year.”
Chris has always been the one to rent the places they stay in - he comes from old money with more than one trust fund to his name and has never batted an eyelid at treating his friends every now and then. With the relatively recent success of the Good Thieves practically becoming a household name, he isn’t going to need to worry about blowing his inheritance. But he also doesn’t let people mooch off him - usually the trade-off for Chris supplying the accommodation is that everybody else supplies the food and drinks.
Even so, Chris is usually pretty mindful with his spending - he may have a bottomless wallet but he’s just as comfortable slumming it in a 2-star motel as he is in a 5-star resort. So this modern glass-walled monolith is definitely a step up from their usual getaway style.
Jensen pulls his car up in between Chris’s beaten down truck and Genevieve’s Corvette. She’s left the top down and the keys in the ignition. When Danneel exits Jensen’s car - waddling on her heels so she doesn’t ruin her pedicure - she leans over the Corvette and grabs them before heading toward the house.
“You got my bags, yeah?” She calls over her shoulder, and then starts waddling faster when the door opens and Chris comes to stand out on the patio. She makes a final leap into his arms and he grips under her thighs as he kisses her, throwing an arm quickly up to wave at Jensen as he walks into the house. Jensen grabs his duffle from the backseat, leaving Danneel’s suitcases where they are, and follows them.
The house is laid out in an open concept floor plan on the ground floor, furnished in simple but comfortable-looking furniture. The patio wraps around from the front around the side and then the back, overlooking an entertainment area complete with firepit, bar and pool. Further out, the yard is bordered by a short stone wall and Jensen can see how beyond that it drops away in a small cliff and miles of ocean stretches out toward the horizon. Jensen drops his bag and presses his fingers against the glass, enamoured with the view. He can see a sandy strip and wonders how to get down to it, and when he looks to the right there’s his answer - a series of stone steps angle down toward the beach.
He turns around and focuses on the interior again. The front door is directly opposite him now, and to his right is a modern kitchen in shades of blue and grey. To the left is a driftwood dining table, and further forward a sitting area of several couches and armchairs circling a flat screen mounted on a wood panelled wall. Genevieve’s car keys have been thrown on one of the chairs and there’s no sign of Jensen’s cousin or best friend. Back on the right, on the other side of the entryway Jensen finds a bathroom in cream and forest green, and a storage closet. Right in the centre is a staircase to the upper floor. Sandwiched between the bathroom and the kitchen area is a short hallway and Jensen follows it to find that it ends in a bedroom with the same view out toward the back of the house. A note pinned to the door reads “Jeff and Kim”, and so Jensen heads toward the upstairs in search of his own allocated room.
The upper floor starts with a landing over the living area, and contains four other bedrooms. Another staircase winds up to a third floor, but Jensen finds his bedroom tucked away on the other side of the staircases, facing the front of the house. The room has a small ensuite which Jensen is grateful for, because he’s never been very comfortable sharing toilet spaces with others.
Jensen dumps his bag on the bed and steps back into the hall, looking to explore further. Jared and Chad are sharing a room on the opposite corner to Jensen’s room (Jensen makes a short mental note to thank Chris) but Briana and Genevieve also have their own rooms, and Briana’s is right across from him. The door is cracked open and when Jensen pokes his head in, he sees Briana’s got a set of headphones on, bopping on the spot to a beat only she can hear as she unpacks her bag. Jensen smiles and she spots him as she turns in his direction.
“Jensen!” she cries, “it’s been way too long.” Her voice is overly loud and Jensen points at his own head. Her mouth forms an ‘O’ and she reaches up to take off the headphones. “Oops, I wasn’t too loud, was I? Gen’s having a nap and you know how she gets if you wake her up before she’s ready. When did you get in? Gen and I arrived about an hour ago - and how long have you been standing there?”
Jensen opens his mouth to reply but Briana continues, “Have you had a look around yet? How fucking beautiful - Chris is treating us because our tour sold out less than a day after we announced it, and we’re all so fucking excited even though it means nearly four months on the road. Anyway, it’s been way too long since I’ve seen you!”
“I saw you six weeks ago at Aldis and Sandy’s wedding.”
“Exactly! Too long!” She strides over and hugs Jensen, planting a kiss on his cheek. “Oh, how’d that date with the banker go?”
“Terribly,” Jensen sighs, “Turns out he was married.”
“Ugh,” Briana says, “Men. Can’t live with them, still want to ride them hard and put them away wet.” She pauses and looks around for a moment. “Danni with you?”
“Already off with Chris somewhere.”
A giggle floats down from the upper floor as if summoned and when it’s quickly followed by a male-voiced moan, Jensen and Briana both smirk.
“Master bedroom,” Briana says, pointing up.
Jensen’s about to reply but Genevieve’s door opens and she tumbles out, clothes rumpled from sleep and half of her hair is tangled and sticking out away from her head. She yawns and blinks at the two of them.
“Oh, hey J. B, have you seen my keys?”
Briana shakes her head as Jensen says “They’re downstairs on the couch, you left them in your ignition again.”
Genevieve nods absently. “Probably best they stay there for now. I’m going for a swim, wanna join?”
“Be right there!” Briana says, and darts back into her room. Genevieve blinks at Jensen again.
“How’d that date with the banker go?”
*
Jensen and Chris have been friends for almost as long as he’s known Danneel, but it wasn’t until college that most of their friendships were made. Chris had met Briana in a music theory class their Freshman year, and bonded over a love of Miles Davis and singing. She and Chris formed the Good Thieves one afternoon with only a guitar, their voices and Jensen’s encouragement. Genevieve responded to an audition call for a keyboard player and was accepted on that fact that she’s basically an instrumental prodigy, playing not only piano, but clarinet, trumpet and the double bass. She has a habit of losing her keys, but can bring a grown biker to tears on a solo.
Jensen had brought Jared into their lives, but Jared also brought along Chad, his roommate at the time. Jensen still hasn’t decided if he’ll ever forgive Jared for that, but he likes Chad well enough even if Chad’s taste in everything from fashion to food to women leaves something to be desired.
They met Aldis and his high school sweetheart Sandy in their final year when Aldis joined the band as the audio engineer for their albums. The pair isn't around this year on account of being sickeningly in love and finally tying the knot after being together for over a decade.
Jeff came into the picture when he and Danneel had dated briefly (before she and Chris got their heads out of their asses and started sleeping with each other), but after the breakup Jeff just never left. When Danneel brought Kim, the overqualified line cook at the bar she was working at, around one afternoon that was it for Jeff - he and Kim were married and opened up their own restaurant, Bisou, within a year.
*
Jensen’s sitting on the kitchen island, swinging his legs over the side and drinking a bottle of water when Chris and Danneel finally make an appearance. Danneel’s toenail polish is smudged along her toes and Chris’s ankles. Danneel looks around the room and then sighs.
“You bitch. Did you at least leave the car unlocked or do I need your keys?”
“Car’s open, your highness.”
She makes a face at him and wanders outside to collect her things.
“Nice digs you got us,” Jensen says, and Chris nods.
“We sold out the tour in less than a day, thought why not, they deserve it. Gonna be sleeping in a tour bus for way too long anyway. And besides, a house even as ostentatious as this works out cheaper than a bunch of hotel rooms.”
“Really?”
“Mhmm, seven day discount.”
Jensen snorts out his water and the front door opens, Danneel rolling her suitcases behind her.
“Look who I found!” She yells, as Kim walks in laden with enough bags to outweigh her three times over. Jensen slides down off the island and he and Chris go over to relieve some of the burden. Kim ‘oophs’ as she hands the bags over. She gives a low whistle when she spots the kitchen and heads for it, dropping her load on the island and reaching out to run a hand over the stove top.
Kim’s been their self-appointed chef ever since Chad nearly burned down a barbeque four years ago. She claims it’s because no one can cook, but really it’s because she gets to have total control, which is her preference for life in general. Jensen thinks if she wasn’t such a great chef she’d make a great dictator.
She turns to Chris and says, “Mind giving Jeff a hand, hon? There’s a few more bags to bring in still.”
Chris nods and leaves and Jensen begins unpacking the bags. Kim prefers to put things away to her liking but Jensen can still help get everything onto the counter for sorting.
“Hey, honey,” Kim says, “How’ve you been?”
“Good, I guess,” Jensen replies, “Nothing new to report.”
“Really? How’d that date with the banker go?”
Jensen sighs, “Horribly. It started with a racist comment and ended with me calling a cab when he admitted he was married - happily married, to a woman no less.”
“Bastard!”
“Eh, I threw a glass of wine at him like a Hollywood cliché and left him with the bill.”
Kim hip-checks him and grins, “I keep telling you - you need to come in to Bisou with your dates. I have a very good sense about people, I’ll save you the trouble of finding out for yourself how terrible your romantic choices are.”
“Ha ha,” Jensen says in a monotone, but he’s spared having to come up with a witty retort when Chris and Jeff haul the last of the bags inside.
Kim grabs a hold of his arm before he can leave and smiles softly up at him. “It’ll happen, honey. Probably when you least expect it, but you’ll find it one day. You’re not totally a lost cause,” her smile turns into a smirk, “Not yet at least.”
Jensen rolls his eyes and she smacks him on the ass as he walks away from her.
It’s not that Jensen needs a man… at fifteen, when he realised the possibly gay thing wasn’t just possibly, he swore to himself that before finding happiness with anyone else, he would need to find happiness with himself. The thought of potentially not ever settling down with anyone never crossed his mind back then. At the time, that was mostly about a gay kid in Texas trying to ease his own mind and come to terms with who he was but as an adult in California with a lot more life (and sexual) experience, he really likes the thought of a stable and an adult, long term relationship. Most of his friends now have good solid relationships and he can’t lie - he’s a touch envious.
Hell, he’s twenty-eight. And while forty might be the new thirty for women, he’s only got a few more years before he fears he’ll be over the hill. It’s vain and selfish and grounded in nothing but the idea that he’ll always be alone. He just can’t help but be worried that by the time he falls in love he’ll be out of time to enjoy it.
He had thought at one point, that Jared would be the person he might just spend his life with. He had been everything Jensen could have wanted - Jensen nearly failed Modern History because he spent more time focussing on Jared Padalecki than his course work. After he’d worked up the courage to talk to him, he had a really good feeling - Jared was funny and smart, and thought Jensen’s pre-coffee bitchiness was adorable. He’d flirted gently and Jared flirted back (although Jared seemed to flirt with everyone) and if it wasn’t for Chad outright ribbing Jared about liking a guy (who at the time was Jensen, although he hadn’t known that yet) Jensen probably would have resigned himself to unrequited love.
Yes, he’s dramatic. But he’s also gay, so whatever.
He still remembers with vivid clarity the night Jared asked him out. They’d been out before, just the two of them for coffee or dinner, but always shrouded in the excuse to study.
They’d been at a superhero themed party organised by one of the LGBT+ groups on campus, and Jensen had spent nearly two weeks sourcing his Batman outfit and spent way more money on overnight shipping than he intended to. But it was worth it to see Jared’s look of sheer delight and he had laughed that deep laugh of his when he saw Jensen enter the party.
Jared was dressed as Wonder Woman, all six-foot-four of him squeezed into hot pants and a headband and Jensen couldn't stop thinking about the shape of Jared’s dick and the way his arms looked framed by the cuffs and wanting to climb him and never get off (or rather, get off repeatedly).
He’d leaned in to Jensen, lips brushing his ear as he fought to be heard over the music. “I guess we better stick together then,” he said, “Can’t leave a fellow Justice League member without backup.” Jensen had hoped the flush on his cheeks wasn’t too noticeable against the mask.
They’d spent much of the evening side by side, Jensen unwilling to go far for fear of then having to witness Jared take up one of the many offers he’d had that night. But Jared seemed perfectly happy to have Jensen there.
They’d both had too much to drink so Jared chose to leave his car at the party and they walked to Jensen’s, hands brushing every now and then as they leaned on each other to stay upright. To be honest Jensen doesn’t remember much else of the walk - there was a horrible rendition of ‘Memory’ - from the Cats musical, of course - that they had sung with all the confidence that alcohol could give them. Jensen remembers the distinct thought of wanting to forget about that, especially since it turned out he knew more words than he thought he did, and that was waaaay to embarrassing for sober Jensen to be proud of.
Jensen does remember the moment after he shut the front door, Jared pressed against him in the small space of the apartment’s hallway. It was dark, the doorway only dimly lit by the lamp he’d left on further in and Jared’s face was mostly shadowed, and no longer grinning.
Jensen had started to step away, but Jared stopped him with a gentle hand on his arm.
“Will you go out with me tomorrow?” Jared had asked in a hushed voice, and Jensen huffed a small laugh.
“’Course, dude, that was the plan.”
“No, Jensen, I mean I would like to take you out for breakfast. We can drop this stupid pretence because we won’t talk about school work for once and maybe afterward you would let me kiss you.” He paused. “Will you go out with me tomorrow?”
“It is already tomorrow,” Jensen said, and when Jared cocked his head, confused, he said, “It's after midnight, already tomorrow. So yes, I would like very much to have breakfast with you, today. But because it is already today and not tomorrow I don’t really want to wait to let you kiss me.”
Jared’s grin was obvious even in the shadows, but he didn’t move.
“Seriously, Jay, I don’t want to wait, but you gotta come down here ‘cause I can’t stretch that high.”
Then Jared leaned in, and it wasn’t the best kiss (they were both a little too drunk) but it was still perfect.
It was over less than three weeks later.
Words: 3600+
Ratings and warnings:R (NC-17 in later parts). Swearing, sexual references in blasphemous contexts.
Disclaimer: I do not own anyone involved as character in this story, but their names have been used with only admiration and love :)
Summary:
Jared and Jensen don't like each other. Sure, they dated years ago. Sure, the sex was great. Sure, they never really resolved their issues in the breakup. All that matters is that they are definitely not in love. At all. Right?
A/N: This is incomplete because I had a horrid four weeks or so where I got sick, got slightly better and then got sick again and time completely ran away from me because when I wasn't sleeping, I was working and it turned into a vicious cycle.
Beta'd by the lovely jdl71, who stepped in at the last minute and fixed all my problem areas. Any remaining mistakes are all mine.
Written for the spn_reversebang 2017 challenge. I scored the stunning prompt by fridayblues, who was an absolute saint and forgave me even though I don't deserve it. I look forward to completing this, because I'm genuinely excited about it and about getting back into writing after my super long hiatus. Ann has even expressed interest in continuing with art as it unfolds! (Seriously, how lucky am I?). Make sure you head on over to her post and leave her some love there for her gorgeous art!
Gemini / Suffer love for all your bad parts
“Oh. My. GOD,” Danneel squeals, and Jensen flinches with how it makes his ears hurt. “Chris got us a house!”
Jensen puts down his phone - he was having trouble beating that level of Candy Crush anyway - and turns to face Danneel, who’s busy typing away frantically on her own phone. She has a big grin on her face and she’s bouncing lightly on her feet from where she’s standing at the end of the couch.
“A house?” he asks, because the conversation has clearly started halfway through and there are several things Chris got us a house could mean. One being Danneel has finally agreed to move out away from Jensen's place and in with her boyfriend of eight years. Danneel finishes her text and looks at him.
“Yes!” Danneel squeals again, but almost immediately looks down again as her phone dings. She’s gone for another thirty seconds while she replies but Jensen’s patient, has learned to be after a lifetime of knowing Danneel - she is his cousin after all. Or rather, step cousin since they’re not actually blood related, but whatever. They’ve lived in each other’s back pockets ever since her grandma married Jensen’s grandpa when he and Danneel were five.
When she looks up again at Jensen, the look on her face is almost surprised to see him still sitting there waiting for her. She tilts her head at him and then sighs. “For the summer getaway, of course! Jesus, there’s no way I’m leaving you when I know you can’t survive without me. Chris has rented us a house on the beach and the best part is it’s big enough for us all to stay there!”
Jensen suppresses a groan. The summer getaway is simultaneously the highlight of his year and the most dreaded week of his year. In their last year of college, their little group of friends decided they would get together over the summer and it turned into an annual thing since then. Jensen loves it because they don’t get many other chances to catch up over the year, but unfortunately it usually means…
“Is Master Smartmouth also coming?”
Danneel flops down onto the couch but Jensen can’t move his feet away quick enough, and she traps them under her thighs. “Yes, you know he is. But don’t you think -”
“Nope.”
Danneel sighs again, “Well, there are enough bedrooms for us all, which means you get to keep one all to your own grumpy self and not ruin anyone else’s holiday.” She pats him on the leg and stands again, and Jensen wriggles his toes to get the feeling back into them. “You know, Jensen, someday you’re going to have to deal with all your repressed shit.”
Jensen doesn’t know what she’s talking about. He hasn’t repressed anything. He’s well aware of what happened, and how he feels about it. There’s nothing to be resolved.
See, back in college Jensen had a boyfriend for all of five minutes. Jared Padalecki was in his Modern History class in Sophomore year. He was funny and smart and gorgeous, and Jensen may have developed a little crush. They had started hanging out together outside of class and then Jensen had introduced Jared to his best friend Chris, because Chris had been looking for a drummer for his dream band and Jared happened to be talented with a pair of drumsticks. It was only a few months before Jensen and Jared hanging out turned into Jensen and Jared going on a second date when, half drunk and riding the high of a successful show, they slept together.
And then everything had imploded between them. Turns out they just weren’t as compatible as Jensen thought, but unfortunately by then Jared and Chris had bonded way too much. Jensen very much regrets introducing Jared and Chris, because it meant his best friend now came with a side of smug doucheknuckle. And it wasn’t looking like it was going to change with the increasing popularity of the Good Thieves. When the band landed a recording deal and a manager who was very enthusiastic about the band’s future in the music scene, Jensen resigned himself to the thought that Jared would be in his life for the foreseeable future.
Whatever, he’s totally moved on.
*
The house Chris has got them sits at the end of a long, winding, leafy driveway. Jensen’s driving, and Danneel is painting her toenails in the passenger seat beside him, when they turn the last bend to find the house sitting like a behemoth of glittering glass in the afternoon sunlight.
“Jesus Holy Cocksucking Christ,” Danneel says, “He really outdid himself this year.”
Chris has always been the one to rent the places they stay in - he comes from old money with more than one trust fund to his name and has never batted an eyelid at treating his friends every now and then. With the relatively recent success of the Good Thieves practically becoming a household name, he isn’t going to need to worry about blowing his inheritance. But he also doesn’t let people mooch off him - usually the trade-off for Chris supplying the accommodation is that everybody else supplies the food and drinks.
Even so, Chris is usually pretty mindful with his spending - he may have a bottomless wallet but he’s just as comfortable slumming it in a 2-star motel as he is in a 5-star resort. So this modern glass-walled monolith is definitely a step up from their usual getaway style.
Jensen pulls his car up in between Chris’s beaten down truck and Genevieve’s Corvette. She’s left the top down and the keys in the ignition. When Danneel exits Jensen’s car - waddling on her heels so she doesn’t ruin her pedicure - she leans over the Corvette and grabs them before heading toward the house.
“You got my bags, yeah?” She calls over her shoulder, and then starts waddling faster when the door opens and Chris comes to stand out on the patio. She makes a final leap into his arms and he grips under her thighs as he kisses her, throwing an arm quickly up to wave at Jensen as he walks into the house. Jensen grabs his duffle from the backseat, leaving Danneel’s suitcases where they are, and follows them.
The house is laid out in an open concept floor plan on the ground floor, furnished in simple but comfortable-looking furniture. The patio wraps around from the front around the side and then the back, overlooking an entertainment area complete with firepit, bar and pool. Further out, the yard is bordered by a short stone wall and Jensen can see how beyond that it drops away in a small cliff and miles of ocean stretches out toward the horizon. Jensen drops his bag and presses his fingers against the glass, enamoured with the view. He can see a sandy strip and wonders how to get down to it, and when he looks to the right there’s his answer - a series of stone steps angle down toward the beach.
He turns around and focuses on the interior again. The front door is directly opposite him now, and to his right is a modern kitchen in shades of blue and grey. To the left is a driftwood dining table, and further forward a sitting area of several couches and armchairs circling a flat screen mounted on a wood panelled wall. Genevieve’s car keys have been thrown on one of the chairs and there’s no sign of Jensen’s cousin or best friend. Back on the right, on the other side of the entryway Jensen finds a bathroom in cream and forest green, and a storage closet. Right in the centre is a staircase to the upper floor. Sandwiched between the bathroom and the kitchen area is a short hallway and Jensen follows it to find that it ends in a bedroom with the same view out toward the back of the house. A note pinned to the door reads “Jeff and Kim”, and so Jensen heads toward the upstairs in search of his own allocated room.
The upper floor starts with a landing over the living area, and contains four other bedrooms. Another staircase winds up to a third floor, but Jensen finds his bedroom tucked away on the other side of the staircases, facing the front of the house. The room has a small ensuite which Jensen is grateful for, because he’s never been very comfortable sharing toilet spaces with others.
Jensen dumps his bag on the bed and steps back into the hall, looking to explore further. Jared and Chad are sharing a room on the opposite corner to Jensen’s room (Jensen makes a short mental note to thank Chris) but Briana and Genevieve also have their own rooms, and Briana’s is right across from him. The door is cracked open and when Jensen pokes his head in, he sees Briana’s got a set of headphones on, bopping on the spot to a beat only she can hear as she unpacks her bag. Jensen smiles and she spots him as she turns in his direction.
“Jensen!” she cries, “it’s been way too long.” Her voice is overly loud and Jensen points at his own head. Her mouth forms an ‘O’ and she reaches up to take off the headphones. “Oops, I wasn’t too loud, was I? Gen’s having a nap and you know how she gets if you wake her up before she’s ready. When did you get in? Gen and I arrived about an hour ago - and how long have you been standing there?”
Jensen opens his mouth to reply but Briana continues, “Have you had a look around yet? How fucking beautiful - Chris is treating us because our tour sold out less than a day after we announced it, and we’re all so fucking excited even though it means nearly four months on the road. Anyway, it’s been way too long since I’ve seen you!”
“I saw you six weeks ago at Aldis and Sandy’s wedding.”
“Exactly! Too long!” She strides over and hugs Jensen, planting a kiss on his cheek. “Oh, how’d that date with the banker go?”
“Terribly,” Jensen sighs, “Turns out he was married.”
“Ugh,” Briana says, “Men. Can’t live with them, still want to ride them hard and put them away wet.” She pauses and looks around for a moment. “Danni with you?”
“Already off with Chris somewhere.”
A giggle floats down from the upper floor as if summoned and when it’s quickly followed by a male-voiced moan, Jensen and Briana both smirk.
“Master bedroom,” Briana says, pointing up.
Jensen’s about to reply but Genevieve’s door opens and she tumbles out, clothes rumpled from sleep and half of her hair is tangled and sticking out away from her head. She yawns and blinks at the two of them.
“Oh, hey J. B, have you seen my keys?”
Briana shakes her head as Jensen says “They’re downstairs on the couch, you left them in your ignition again.”
Genevieve nods absently. “Probably best they stay there for now. I’m going for a swim, wanna join?”
“Be right there!” Briana says, and darts back into her room. Genevieve blinks at Jensen again.
“How’d that date with the banker go?”
*
Jensen and Chris have been friends for almost as long as he’s known Danneel, but it wasn’t until college that most of their friendships were made. Chris had met Briana in a music theory class their Freshman year, and bonded over a love of Miles Davis and singing. She and Chris formed the Good Thieves one afternoon with only a guitar, their voices and Jensen’s encouragement. Genevieve responded to an audition call for a keyboard player and was accepted on that fact that she’s basically an instrumental prodigy, playing not only piano, but clarinet, trumpet and the double bass. She has a habit of losing her keys, but can bring a grown biker to tears on a solo.
Jensen had brought Jared into their lives, but Jared also brought along Chad, his roommate at the time. Jensen still hasn’t decided if he’ll ever forgive Jared for that, but he likes Chad well enough even if Chad’s taste in everything from fashion to food to women leaves something to be desired.
They met Aldis and his high school sweetheart Sandy in their final year when Aldis joined the band as the audio engineer for their albums. The pair isn't around this year on account of being sickeningly in love and finally tying the knot after being together for over a decade.
Jeff came into the picture when he and Danneel had dated briefly (before she and Chris got their heads out of their asses and started sleeping with each other), but after the breakup Jeff just never left. When Danneel brought Kim, the overqualified line cook at the bar she was working at, around one afternoon that was it for Jeff - he and Kim were married and opened up their own restaurant, Bisou, within a year.
*
Jensen’s sitting on the kitchen island, swinging his legs over the side and drinking a bottle of water when Chris and Danneel finally make an appearance. Danneel’s toenail polish is smudged along her toes and Chris’s ankles. Danneel looks around the room and then sighs.
“You bitch. Did you at least leave the car unlocked or do I need your keys?”
“Car’s open, your highness.”
She makes a face at him and wanders outside to collect her things.
“Nice digs you got us,” Jensen says, and Chris nods.
“We sold out the tour in less than a day, thought why not, they deserve it. Gonna be sleeping in a tour bus for way too long anyway. And besides, a house even as ostentatious as this works out cheaper than a bunch of hotel rooms.”
“Really?”
“Mhmm, seven day discount.”
Jensen snorts out his water and the front door opens, Danneel rolling her suitcases behind her.
“Look who I found!” She yells, as Kim walks in laden with enough bags to outweigh her three times over. Jensen slides down off the island and he and Chris go over to relieve some of the burden. Kim ‘oophs’ as she hands the bags over. She gives a low whistle when she spots the kitchen and heads for it, dropping her load on the island and reaching out to run a hand over the stove top.
Kim’s been their self-appointed chef ever since Chad nearly burned down a barbeque four years ago. She claims it’s because no one can cook, but really it’s because she gets to have total control, which is her preference for life in general. Jensen thinks if she wasn’t such a great chef she’d make a great dictator.
She turns to Chris and says, “Mind giving Jeff a hand, hon? There’s a few more bags to bring in still.”
Chris nods and leaves and Jensen begins unpacking the bags. Kim prefers to put things away to her liking but Jensen can still help get everything onto the counter for sorting.
“Hey, honey,” Kim says, “How’ve you been?”
“Good, I guess,” Jensen replies, “Nothing new to report.”
“Really? How’d that date with the banker go?”
Jensen sighs, “Horribly. It started with a racist comment and ended with me calling a cab when he admitted he was married - happily married, to a woman no less.”
“Bastard!”
“Eh, I threw a glass of wine at him like a Hollywood cliché and left him with the bill.”
Kim hip-checks him and grins, “I keep telling you - you need to come in to Bisou with your dates. I have a very good sense about people, I’ll save you the trouble of finding out for yourself how terrible your romantic choices are.”
“Ha ha,” Jensen says in a monotone, but he’s spared having to come up with a witty retort when Chris and Jeff haul the last of the bags inside.
Kim grabs a hold of his arm before he can leave and smiles softly up at him. “It’ll happen, honey. Probably when you least expect it, but you’ll find it one day. You’re not totally a lost cause,” her smile turns into a smirk, “Not yet at least.”
Jensen rolls his eyes and she smacks him on the ass as he walks away from her.
It’s not that Jensen needs a man… at fifteen, when he realised the possibly gay thing wasn’t just possibly, he swore to himself that before finding happiness with anyone else, he would need to find happiness with himself. The thought of potentially not ever settling down with anyone never crossed his mind back then. At the time, that was mostly about a gay kid in Texas trying to ease his own mind and come to terms with who he was but as an adult in California with a lot more life (and sexual) experience, he really likes the thought of a stable and an adult, long term relationship. Most of his friends now have good solid relationships and he can’t lie - he’s a touch envious.
Hell, he’s twenty-eight. And while forty might be the new thirty for women, he’s only got a few more years before he fears he’ll be over the hill. It’s vain and selfish and grounded in nothing but the idea that he’ll always be alone. He just can’t help but be worried that by the time he falls in love he’ll be out of time to enjoy it.
He had thought at one point, that Jared would be the person he might just spend his life with. He had been everything Jensen could have wanted - Jensen nearly failed Modern History because he spent more time focussing on Jared Padalecki than his course work. After he’d worked up the courage to talk to him, he had a really good feeling - Jared was funny and smart, and thought Jensen’s pre-coffee bitchiness was adorable. He’d flirted gently and Jared flirted back (although Jared seemed to flirt with everyone) and if it wasn’t for Chad outright ribbing Jared about liking a guy (who at the time was Jensen, although he hadn’t known that yet) Jensen probably would have resigned himself to unrequited love.
Yes, he’s dramatic. But he’s also gay, so whatever.
He still remembers with vivid clarity the night Jared asked him out. They’d been out before, just the two of them for coffee or dinner, but always shrouded in the excuse to study.
They’d been at a superhero themed party organised by one of the LGBT+ groups on campus, and Jensen had spent nearly two weeks sourcing his Batman outfit and spent way more money on overnight shipping than he intended to. But it was worth it to see Jared’s look of sheer delight and he had laughed that deep laugh of his when he saw Jensen enter the party.
Jared was dressed as Wonder Woman, all six-foot-four of him squeezed into hot pants and a headband and Jensen couldn't stop thinking about the shape of Jared’s dick and the way his arms looked framed by the cuffs and wanting to climb him and never get off (or rather, get off repeatedly).
He’d leaned in to Jensen, lips brushing his ear as he fought to be heard over the music. “I guess we better stick together then,” he said, “Can’t leave a fellow Justice League member without backup.” Jensen had hoped the flush on his cheeks wasn’t too noticeable against the mask.
They’d spent much of the evening side by side, Jensen unwilling to go far for fear of then having to witness Jared take up one of the many offers he’d had that night. But Jared seemed perfectly happy to have Jensen there.
They’d both had too much to drink so Jared chose to leave his car at the party and they walked to Jensen’s, hands brushing every now and then as they leaned on each other to stay upright. To be honest Jensen doesn’t remember much else of the walk - there was a horrible rendition of ‘Memory’ - from the Cats musical, of course - that they had sung with all the confidence that alcohol could give them. Jensen remembers the distinct thought of wanting to forget about that, especially since it turned out he knew more words than he thought he did, and that was waaaay to embarrassing for sober Jensen to be proud of.
Jensen does remember the moment after he shut the front door, Jared pressed against him in the small space of the apartment’s hallway. It was dark, the doorway only dimly lit by the lamp he’d left on further in and Jared’s face was mostly shadowed, and no longer grinning.
Jensen had started to step away, but Jared stopped him with a gentle hand on his arm.
“Will you go out with me tomorrow?” Jared had asked in a hushed voice, and Jensen huffed a small laugh.
“’Course, dude, that was the plan.”
“No, Jensen, I mean I would like to take you out for breakfast. We can drop this stupid pretence because we won’t talk about school work for once and maybe afterward you would let me kiss you.” He paused. “Will you go out with me tomorrow?”
“It is already tomorrow,” Jensen said, and when Jared cocked his head, confused, he said, “It's after midnight, already tomorrow. So yes, I would like very much to have breakfast with you, today. But because it is already today and not tomorrow I don’t really want to wait to let you kiss me.”
Jared’s grin was obvious even in the shadows, but he didn’t move.
“Seriously, Jay, I don’t want to wait, but you gotta come down here ‘cause I can’t stretch that high.”
Then Jared leaned in, and it wasn’t the best kiss (they were both a little too drunk) but it was still perfect.
It was over less than three weeks later.