Whoops, non-AU J2, PG, 1/1
Title: Whoops
AO3 for e-reader downloads
Spanish translation by alfer6
Author: sandymg
Summary: Jared finds a wedding ring when 'borrowing' a pair of Jensen's socks. Confusion reigns.
Wordcount: 1,400
Genre: RPS, non-AU J2, first time
Characters/Pairings: Jared/Jensen
Ratings/Warnings: PG, Schmoop and epic obliviousness
Disclaimer: This is fiction. No harm intended. No profit made.
A/N: Written for the comment_away Wedding-themed comment fic meme
Whoops
The air rushes out of his body and his legs wobble and for an endless moment he forgets how to breathe. And then his next thought is maybe it would be better if he just stopped altogether. Because this. Is pretty much the most horrible thing, ever. Jared fingers the jewelers’ box once more trying to convince himself hopelessly that there is some other explanation.
Could it be a prop? Some new ring for Dean? This instantly makes no sense and he knows that nobody is planning on marrying Dean off anytime soon. The fans wouldn’t be pleased and that’s not what Sera has planned and shit … It’s not Dean’s. He knows this.
So, it’s Jensen’s ring.
Okay. Still. Doesn’t have to mean anything. It’s not like he’s aware of Jensen even dating anyone right now. He lifts the ring out of the box and studies it. Doesn’t have to be related to marriage just because … fuck -- it’s a platinum band. Oh god. How could this happen? How could Jensen be marrying anyone? It’s Jared’s fault. He waited too long. Was too chickenshit. Shoulda said something. Shoulda done something. But it’s not like he even knew. Well until now … And dammit, what good is having this freakin’ gay love epiphany now that it was too late?
Jared thinks back. When could this have happened? How could Jensen had gotten close enough to someone to want to propose without Jared knowing about it? He and Jensen were hanging out more than ever. They were always together. In each other’s pockets. And it was good. More good than he’d realized given by his reaction to this.
The sound of Jen’s voice startles Jared out of his reverie. He scrambles to put the ring back and stash it into the drawer again. All of this serves him right for forgetting to do laundry and having to steal socks from Jensen. Laundry karma was a bitch.
“Jay? Where you at?”
Jared works his way downstairs on shaky legs. He can’t let on he knows. Has to let Jensen let him know about the lucky guy on his own time. It’s the right thing to do. He sees Jensen surrounded by the dogs. He’s on one knee allowing doggie spit to sprinkle his face and suddenly. Right the fuck then, he gets it. Talk about being an idiot of Padalecki proportions. He loves Jensen. It’s not a bromance. Not a close friendship. Not the result of spending 24/7 together. It’s love. Pure. Boundless. Deep and fucking forever.
Or until Jensen marries someone else and pulverizes Jared’s heart.
“You can’t.”
Jensen stands up, disengaging from the dogs. “Can’t what?”
He’s in Jensen’s face and his mouth is spouting and control was something left behind eons ago. “I don’t care who he is. He won’t … he doesn’t … “
Jensen is picking through the mail left on the breakfast counter. He lifts his head idly totally unaware of Jared’s epic freak out. The letters flip through Jensen’s lean fingers. Have Jensen’s hands always looked that good? Not that it’s really the first time he’s noticed them. Or thought about them on him. Or around him. Jensen’s eyebrows draw closer together in this absurdly adorable question mark.
And Jared has had enough. His brain goes something like pop and he leans in and pulls Jen’s neck toward him and their lips lock before Jensen can squeeze out his next breath.
The world stops and Jared just feels. Soft, moist, incredible. Jensen. He feels the moment when Jensen tilts his body closer, lips parting and tongue moving and oh yes. Swirly hot little bursts that melt his insides like chocolate on a double boiler. Drippy sweet and incredibly delicious. They nip their way apart.
Jensen touches his fingers to his lips and smiles brightly at Jared. “Unexpected.” He licks his lips. “But good.”
Jared pulls back, heart racing. Now he’s that guy. That other guy. The one that made Jensen cheat on someone he loves. Someone he wants to share his life with. God, shoot him now.
“I’m sorry,” he begins.
Jensen’s eyes dim immediately. “Right. You don’t want … of course not.” His lips curl down and something like a challenge fills his eyes. “But then why did you kiss me?”
Jared tugs his hand through his hair. “Look, I wasn’t snooping. I wasn’t. I just needed some fucking socks. And I forgot to do laundry. Again. I know, man, I know how it looks but I didn’t mean … “
Jensen’s anger seems forgotten and he’s back to puzzled. “What the hell are you talking about? You been drinking?”
Jared laughs somewhat hysterically. “No. I wish. Let’s just … let’s just forget it all and … If I can’t have … We have to stay friends. Tell me we’ll always be friends.”
“Of course we will be.” Jared hears something in Jensen’s voice. A tenseness that he doesn’t remember ever hearing before. He can’t lose Jensen completely. He just can’t.
Jared takes a deep breath. He has to go back to being that best friend. The guy who Jensen can trust. The guy who won’t grope him behind his fiancé’s back. “So, who is he?”
“Who is who?”
“I … I saw the ring.”
Jensen’s eyes grow huge. Dean huge. And Jared tries to make out what he sees in them. Normally, they are such a clear window. But what he’s seeing seems to make no sense. Because Jensen is scared.
“You weren’t supposed to see that.”
Now Jared feels hurt. “Why Jen? I’m your best friend. Why wouldn’t you want to share something so important with me?”
Again an indecipherable something passes Jensen’s face. “That’s why. Because we are best friends and I … I didn’t want to lose that. Couldn’t lose that. And now … I blew it, didn’t I?”
Shit. Now Jensen thinks that Jared’s spontaneous pouncing is going to ruin everything. Jared didn’t even know if Jensen was talking about their friendship or Jensen’s relationship with the mystery man. A part of him feels glad and that leads to immediate guilt. But there is just no way that mystery guy loves Jensen as much as Jared does.
He forces his eyes away because that window goes both ways and he doesn’t want to make this any worse than it already is. All Jared can do now is take the high road. He’d figure out how to re-knit his heart in the future. Now he needs to be a good friend.
“Jensen. Whomever he is. I hope he makes you happy.”
Jensen seems to sorta twitch. Which is odd because Jen’s kinda a cool guy and Jared is the twitchy one and this just isn’t right. Like the universe is off axis or something. “What? Who are you talking about?”
“The guy. The one you want to marry.”
Jared isn’t saying he knows what Jensen will do every moment. But laughing? No, roaring. Fucking falling on the floor, tears in his eyes, crinkles twinkling and throat raspy. Head thrown back all out guffaw? Nope. He isn’t expecting that.
“Jen? What the fuck, dude?”
When he finally catches his breath, Jensen holds each of Jared’s upper arms in a strong grip. His eyes glue to his. “Imma gonna say this once. And use small words so you get it. I love you. Have for years. And the ring. It’s for you. Well, for one day. Because I thought maybe when we’re not playing brothers any more … “
Jared’s not really a clueless idiot. He just occasionally plays one on TV. His lips latch back onto Jensen’s before Jensen can blink. Or take back a word. Or breathe. But breathing is overrated when you have Jensen’s tongue playing hockey in your mouth. He gives back as good as he gets and pulls back hard and panting and slightly delirious.
“You love me?”
Jensen smiles. “Yep. Poor me.”
Jared smiles back. “Yeah, well, I love you, too.” He fingers around the square edge of Jensen’s jaw line. Freakin’ perfect. “Show might get renewed again. Do we really have to wait till we’re not playing brothers anymore?”
Jensen looks shocked. “To get married?”
Jared smirks at him. “No, we can wait for that. But for everything else?”
He’s gifted with a stare hot enough to turn a rock back to lava. “I think everything else can be arranged.”
And, oh yeah. Jared’s thinking the laundry gods don’t really hate him after all.
fin