fic: A Bad Day Made Better
Title: A Bad Day Made Better
Genre: J2 RPS
Rating: R (for some pretty heavy petting)
Word Count: ~3,200
Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction, no more, no less.
Summary: The title explains it; Jensen is having a bad day, but it is bound to get better.
A/N 1. Many thanks to shattershockredfor a beta so fast it broke the sound barrier, to cowboyangelwho helped me put together the pieces of this thing when they did not seem to fit, and last, but certainly not least, to insane_songbirdwho deserves a round of applause for the absolutely lovely banner.
A/N 2: This was written for the May prompt inspn_pic_for_fic. The photo is featured front and center in the banner, and can also be found here.
Feedback: Any and all comments and constructive criticisms are welcome and more than appreciated, tell me what you liked, tell me what you did not like, and make me a better writer!
Jensen figured that he was probably having just about the worst day ever. They were seven days into the shooting of “Home,” and were growing further and further behind schedule. Not only did the ever changing script have Dean crying on the phone to his father, but it had him going from sad to joking, and from scared to pissed faster than a Ferrari can go from zero to sixty, and all of this in the same shot.
But that was not the worst part.
Then there was what Jensen began to think of as the Never Ending Scene.
It was a simple enough scene, or so Jensen had thought. Dean was supposed to swoop in to save the day by rescuing Sammy, who was prone on the floor, strangled by a lamp cord. For the first part of the scene, all Jensen really needed to do was run in, land next to Jared, get up, kick a hole in the wall, and toss a hex bag in. Yeah, a simple physical scene, no real thought involved, he just had to hit his mark. That was all. Easy.
Nothing was ever that easy.
The first attempt was a disaster. He slid in and landed heavily on Jared, pushing all the air out of his lungs. Jared began shaking with barely suppressed mirth beneath him.
“Dude, you alright?” Jared managed to say between snorts of laughter.
“Shut up, Jared,” Jensen replied, and he might have pressed a little harder on Jared’s stomach than he really needed to as he stood up, causing Jared to groan a little. Yeah, that take was completely useless.
During the second take, he missed his mark, and instead landed straddled across Jared’s legs. There was more laughter from his co-star, but this time it was accompanied by a not unpleasant warmth a little too far below Jensen’s belt. Oh God.
The third take found him landing again on Jared, his own thigh pressed snugly between Jared’s legs. And perhaps Jensen did lay there a few seconds longer than was strictly necessary. It was just to get his breath back, he told himself.
“Hey darlin’,” Jared joked to him, a smile shining out a few inches from Jensen’s face. “I didn’t know you cared.”
“Shut up, Jared,” Jensen said again, thinking that just may be his phrase of the day, and feeling more than a little embarrassed.
The next take, Jensen hit his mark right on the money.
The following scene was quickly blocked out. Jensen had to again land next to Jared, lift him up, and unwrap the chord from Jared’s neck, let Jared drop back down, and all would be well.
But when he manhandled Jared into a sitting position, the kid just fell limply against him, head on Jensen’s shoulder as Jensen worked on getting the cord from around his neck. Jensen knew he was supposed to just let him fall back to the floor, but damned if he wasn’t really enjoying the feeling of Jared pressed up against to him. He was so pliable, trusting and close. Jared was gasping, his breath hot on Jensen’s neck, sending electric currents right down to the base of Jensen’s spine. And if Jensen was breathing just a little heavy too, well then, that was just Dean’s anxiety over his brother, right?
Keeping with the script, Jared began to fall backward, but Jensen pulled him up again, placing a hand behind his head to hold him closer, not willing to lose the contact. He knew full well that this was going to be another take that was going to end up on the floor of the editing room, but at that moment, he could not care less.
“Cut!” the director called. “Jensen, that was a great idea, not letting Sam fall. A couple more takes, just like that, and I think we’ve nailed it.”
“Ad-libbing a bit there, kiddo?” Jared teased, but there was a strange, low quality to his voice that Jensen didn’t recognize. They were both still sitting on the floor.
“Dude, you were heading backwards pretty fast there. I didn’t want you to knock yourself out in all of your enthusiasm,” Jensen lied.
A small smile crept up on Jared’s face, as did a dark glint in his eyes. “You sure about that?” he whispered, voice low.
“Shut up, Jared.” Jensen said.
Jensen stood up, dodged crew members, cameras, and lighting equipment to find a deserted corner of the set to get himself together. He found it odd how Jared’s over the top gestures, the hugs, the very public acts of affection could slide off of him like they were nothing, just the actions of a couple of slightly homesick Texas boys whose circumstances had led them to be thick as thieves in a matter of months. But that look in his co-star’s eyes just then felt like something else entirely.
As Jensen was leaning against the wall, facing the corner, a large warm hand landed on his back, startling him. Jensen knew without turning around that it was Jared. It always was.
“Hey, everything alright here? Listen, if I crossed some sort of line or something…” Jared started to apologize.
Jensen turned around, looking up at Jared, searching for that look he had seen moments ago. Maybe Jared had been just joking; the slightly predatory look that had haunted his eyes minutes ago was now replaced with concern. Clapping Jared on his shoulder, and leading them back to their marks, Jensen said, “Lets get you laid out on your back again, it’s how I like you best.” If Jared was going to joke around, then Jensen was going to throw it right back at him.
Jared's feet stopped in their tracks. It was a few seconds before Jensen heard Jared issue an uncertain sounding chuckle behind him, and start to follow.
After three more takes, Jensen, with knees feeling a little weak, strode off set, thinking about a certain pair of hazel eyes, and that soft, raspy sound in Jared’s voice that he had never heard before.
*~*~*~*~*
Jensen emerged from his trailer, a fresh set of Dean’s clothes on, pissed off that it was yet again raining, just in time for some exterior late afternoon shots outside of the old Winchester family home. Umbrella in hand, he glanced at the sky, and grunted at the expanse of heavy rain clouds. There was no end to them in sight. Jensen seriously considered, and not for the first time, going to the producers and offering to take a pay cut. That may throw enough money into the budget to move production back to Los Angeles. Maybe later he’d try to convince Jared to take one for the team as well.
Jared appeared from around the corner of his own trailer, a grin on his face that looked a little too wicked. And there it was, that infernal camera.
A month ago, Jared had showed up on set, face cracked in a smile bigger than the Grand Canyon, his eyes twinkling with mischief. He had gotten himself a camera. Not one of those point and shoot jobs, but some expensive SLR with all the lenses and bells and whistles that money could buy. Jared thought it was near about the best thing that he had ever gotten. Jensen groaned whenever he saw it.
From that day on, it had been Jared’s prime directive to get shots of Jensen at the absolute worst times. And Jensen was becoming increasingly worried about his peace of mind, for a whole slew of reasons.
“For posterity,” Jared said, still smiling, holding up the camera.
“Really, Jared, really,” Jensen growled as he swept out his arm.
Click.
Great.
“Aw, come on Jensen, you know you love me,” Jared said with a quick flash of his dimples, before heading back to the door of his trailer.
“Shut up, Jared.” That was definitely his phrase of the day.
Jensen swore silently that the next time he saw that damn camera unattended, he was going to erase the memory card. And then steal the battery. And then maybe buy out all of the batteries in the city of Vancouver. It would be totally worth it.
*~*~*~*~*
Jensen had thought that the day could not get any worse, and then the day decided to prove him wrong.
Sam and Dean were supposed to walk up to the house. As the two made their way to the front door, Jared veered in the direction of Jensen, trying to steer clear of a puddle that had collected on the concrete. He bumped solidly into Jensen, who, in an attempt to avoid him, overbalanced as his foot slid off the edge of the sidewalk. The end result found Jensen landing heavily in the sodden muddy lawn. As Jensen felt the mud and water seep in through his jeans, Jared bent over, his body wracked with uncontrollable laughter.
“Ah, man, I’m sorry…but this? This is priceless” Jared barely managed, hands propped on his knees as he tried to get his breath.
Jensen glared at the man towering over him. “Are you drooling? That’s disgusting.” Jensen growled, wiping his hands on his jeans, which were pretty much trashed by the way. “I’m surprised you didn’t take a picture. You know, it’ll last longer.”
“Oh, shit! I left my camera in the trailer. Hey, do you mind hanging out here for just a minute, I’ll go grab it. I’ll be right back.”
“Jared,” Jensen said seriously, looking up at him from beneath his brow.
“I know, I know, ‘Shut up, Jared.’” He offered up his best impersonation of Jensen. “Somebody around here can’t take a joke,” Jared smiled, extending a hand to help Jensen to his feet.
Jensen started marching toward his trailer, waving off crew members, letting them know he was fine, that he just needed to get changed. As he approached the trailers, he impulsively changed direction making a beeline for Jared’s door. There was no better opportunity than the present to make good on his promise to sabotage Jared’s newfound love of photography.
Entering his co-star’s trailer, he glanced around quickly, looking for the abandoned camera, and found it sitting on the table. Jensen grabbed it and headed for the sofa. He knew that he should not sit on the furniture with muddy clothes-his mama had raised him right after all-but after a moment of debate, he decided to anyway. The way he saw it, Jared more than deserved it.
After fiddling with the controls for a few seconds, Jensen found the review button, and decided to take a quick look through the photos; he was going to only delete the pictures Jared had taken of him, and leave the inevitable ones of everyone else. After all, he wasn’t that much of an ass.
He stared down at the screen, his own eyes staring back up at him, and he looked pissed. It was the photo that Jared had taken just an hour ago. Flipping through all of the images, Jensen began to grow increasingly more annoyed and a little uncertain. Here was an image of him dozing in his chair on set, mouth open. Lovely. The next showed him eating in the catering tent, barbecue sauce sloppy all over his face. Even better.
Then there was a whole series of photos that he never knew Jared had taken; Jensen standing alone, a distance off set, shoulders slumped and obviously getting into Dean’s headspace, another was a close up of just him smiling. Here was one taken from behind, as Jensen was walking back to his trailer. Maybe that one was from “Dead in the Water?”Jensen wasn’t sure. Fact of the matter was that every photo on the camera featured Jensen. Occasionally there were other people in the image, but Jensen was always front and center.
Now wasn’t that something.
Jensen didn’t register the sound of the trailer door opening until it was too late. Jared burst in, stating, “There you are.”Seemingly unaffected by the fact that Jensen was in his trailer, he continued, “I just wanted to let you know that they’ve called off shooting for the day, something about how the weather isn’t really cooperating, so we can just-“ Jared stopped, just then noticing what Jensen had in his hands.
Jensen watched as a slow blush crept high across Jared’s cheeks, and realization dawned in his expression. Sliding out of his jacket and tossing it into a chair, Jared took a couple of quick steps and sat down on the opposite end of the sofa.
Talking quickly and nervously, Jared said, “I was just not sure how long this show was going to run, you know? I mean, we don’t have the best ratings, and we are always maxed out on budget, and that is just how it is in this business. So I wanted to take all these pictures, because I swear this is the most fun that I have ever had at work. And I’m really glad that I got to work with such great people. I know that we haven’t known each other very long…but I really think you’re great, and that you’ve helped to make me a better actor, and all that, so…” Jared speech tapered off with a shrug and a shy smile.
“Hey, Jared, slow down, it’s alright,” and Jensen was surprised to find that he was telling the truth, somehow, he really did not mind at all. “But this one?” Jensen said, sliding across the couch, close to Jared so that they could both look into the viewfinder. He told himself it was because he wanted to get Jared muddy, because if Jensen was muddy and wet, everybody should be muddy and wet. Hell, he almost believed his reasoning for pressing so close against Jared’s hip and thigh. Showing Jared the photo he had taken earlier that day, Jensen said, “Is this really how you want to remember me? Ticked off and annoyed and right smack dab in the middle of a really bad day?”
Jared quickly looked down, and started pulling absently at the frayed edges of a hole in Sam’s jeans. He said quietly, impulsively, “Jensen, good, bad, or otherwise, there is not one single thing about you that I would want to forget.”
The camera still in his hands, Jensen slowly pointed the lens toward Jared. The shutter clicked. “Me neither,” Jensen confessed. He lowered the camera, setting it on the table in front of them.
It was several long seconds before Jared turned and looked up at Jensen directly, “Really?” Traces of a small, hopeful smile played around his lips.
Jensen nodded, thinking vaguely about how Jared’s impulsiveness had been rubbing off on him. He placed a hand between Jared’s wide shoulders, moving his fingers gently. “I can’t believe I’m admitting this. But, yeah, really.”
“Oh thank God.” Jared moved forward, placing his hands firmly on Jensen’s upper arms, he pressed his lips against Jensen’s for a moment, just a warm and firm pressure before pulling back slightly, clearly testing his limits and portraying his intent.
Jensen looked at the lights’ pinprick reflection in the darkness of Jared’s half lidded eyes, and made a conscious decision to give in wholeheartedly to whatever on earth this was.
The second time Jared leaned in, Jensen met him halfway, taking Jared’s full lower lip lightly between his teeth before sucking it into his mouth. His hand moved to the back of Jared’s neck, fingers dipping just below the collar of his shirt, pulling him closer. Jensen tilted his head, sealing their lips together as he deepened the kiss, losing himself completely to the sensation of the silky smooth slip of their tongues curling together.
A small noise escaped Jared’s throat, something that was half sigh and half groan, and wholly sensual. Jensen believed that he could devote a lifetime to learning all the things that could make Jared sound just like that. He slipped his hands beneath Jared’s shirt. Feather light touches drank up the heat in the taught skin of Jared’s sides as Jensen’s hands moved upward, taking the shirt with them.
Leaning back on the couch, Jensen parted his legs as he pulled Jared along with him. Jared moaned softly and settled himself on top of Jensen, his warm solid weight enveloping Jensen. He felt Jared grab his thigh, pulling it up so that it pressed tightly against Jared’s hip, as Jensen wrapped his ankle around Jared’s leg.
“Is this alright? Are you sure?” Jared asked faintly, his mouth a hair’s breadth away from Jensen’s, his breath ghosting across Jensen’s lips as he breathed it in.
“Jared, can you please, for once in your life, just shut up?” Jensen panted, and grabbed handfuls of Jared’s hair, pulling him down to nip at his neck, his tongue leaving a wet stripe over the mark that he’d left there.
Jared laughed low, curling one arm above Jensen’s head as it fell backward to rest on the cushion. Jensen bit and sucked at the pad of the thumb that Jared pushed between his lips, as Jared pressed his hips down in an intoxicatingly slow and even rhythm, grinding against him. Jensen was achingly hard, and arching up against Jared, felt Jared’s arousal through two layers of denim.
Snaking his hands around to the small of Jared’s back, he pulled the taller man toward him, wanting him closer, needing him closer, moving his hands downward to draw Jared closer still.
Jared shifted slightly, running a hand between them to cup Jensen’s crotch, the force of his hips increasing the friction, his body moving more forcefully, his breath coming faster.
Jensen had not realized that his eyes had slipped closed until he opened them to stare at Jared hovering mere inches above him. Jared’s eyes were half closed, only the whites visible, his bottom lip trapped between his teeth, a thin sheen of sweat bathing his face, dampening the hair along his temples.
Perhaps it was the sensation of Jared’s hand bearing down on him, or perhaps it was the blissful expression on Jared’s face, or perhaps it was the thought that this was Jared, but one look into the face above him caused Jensen to buck up, pressing himself into Jared’s hand as it moved between them. With a short gasp, his orgasm burst white hot throughout his body. Jared, breath rasping unevenly above him, and hips stuttering, suddenly went very still, biting off a hoarse cry.
A drop of sweat fell from his Jared’s chin, landing on Jensen’s swollen bottom lip. Jensen darted his tongue out quickly to grab it. Propping himself on his elbows, Jared dipped his head down, claiming Jensen’s mouth in a languid, sated kiss.
“So you want to get out of here? Maybe head to my place?” Jared asked lazily, minutes later, faintly running his thumb along Jensen’s jaw.
Jensen pulled himself from the edge of a self-indulgent doze, still feeling muddy and now a little sticky. Tightening his arms around Jared’s waist he drawled, “Yeah, but give me a minute, I have to get out of these pants first.” A split second later realized his mistake.
“Well, we haven’t even had our first date yet, but if you’re game…” Jared feigned an innocent expression.
“Jared,” Jensen said with a mock warning, rolling his eyes.
“I know, you don’t have to say it.”
~fin~