A Man's Best Friend is his Trash Can, (1/1) PG-13, Jared/Jensen
Title: A Man’s Best Friend is his Trash Can.
Word Count: 12130......this was supposed to be a quick drabble!
Rating: PG-13.
Summary: When Jensen is taken ill on set, Jared has to come to terms with Jensen forming a new and very close relationship.
Pairing: Jared/Jensen.
Disclaimer: Here be fiction, folks. This isn’t real nor is it meant to reflect the relationship between the two men, whose names and faces I’m borrowing. This is my very own little take on reality or as I like to think of it now, the wrong trouser leg of time, where our universe and this one split apart, and this universe is bathed in a rosy pink hue.
Warnings: If you’re looking for a fic with a plot, then this is not the fic you’re looking for. Here follows a tale of puking, stomach rubbing, and general abuse of my long suffering muse, Jensen.
Notes: First of all my thanks go to my awesome and long-suffering beta, bigj52, a woman with the patience of a saint, and a goddess-like skill in her ability to turn my scribbles into English. This piece of wanton and gratuitous Jensen whump was written as a birthday present for my good friend, spnkinkfan. And because I write faster than a speeding snail, I missed her birthday by miles! So happy belated birthday, hun! I hope this is what you wanted. Also many thanks go to
denig37 for her awesome banner for this story.
Jared walked into the bathroom where he’d left Jensen huddled in a blanket; he looked at the bedraggled figure and smiled softly to himself. This had all started the day before. Jensen had walked into the kitchen first thing, quietly refusing anything to eat and only drinking half his coffee. Jared should’ve known right then, there was something wrong - Jensen never left his coffee. But before he could pass comment, Cliff had sounded the horn outside and they had left the house to travel to work. They had both been quiet during the journey, Jared going over his script for the day and Jensen resting his head against the window with his eyes closed.
When they had got to the studio they had gotten changed into Sam and Dean’s clothes, and then Jared had dragged Jensen into Kraft Services to get breakfast. He descended on the food as if he hadn’t eaten in days, filling two Styrofoam containers to chew his way through in make-up. He looked round and spotted that half the crew was there eating breakfast, but quite a few of them were sitting, nursing drinks, looking slightly green around the gills. Jared turned to Jensen and saw he’d already got his food. “Come on, Jen, let’s get to make-up before Gina sends out a search party.”
The two men had made their way to make-up, and when they walked in Gina smiled at them, “Good morning, boys. Jay, you look great this morning, shame we got to cover you in blood and bruises.” She pointed him to the chair first, as he was due to be covered in blood for today’s scenes. As he settled down and picked up his first carton of breakfast, the make-up artist looked over to the other chair where Jensen was sitting. Gina frowned at him, “Sugar, I know you’re dedicated to your craft, but it’s Dean who’s supposed to look like hell not you, Are you alright? You don’t look so good.” She looked worriedly at Jensen, as he sat back in the chair and closed his eyes.
Jensen opened his eyes and gave her a lop-sided grin, “I’m fine. Just a little tired. Well, come on, Gina perform a miracle and make Jay ugly.” As he spoke he flipped open his breakfast, and started to eat it.
Jared laughed, “Dude, I’ll have you know it’s being injured while being heroic, and what the hell are you eating?” That should have been Jared’s second clue that there was something wrong. Jensen’s breakfast was toast - dry toast and Jared sat watching Jensen struggle to eat it. After two slices he gave up, and relaxed back in the chair, letting Laura, Gina’s assistant get to work.
Jared continued to work his way through his breakfast. He looked up at Gina, who was still keeping one eye on Jensen, then she shrugged and finished her work on Jared. Just then Laura spun on her heel, and fled the trailer, “What the hell?” Gina exclaimed, looking at the two men. “Well, guys, you’re done. I better go and see what’s up with Laura.” She turned and followed her assistant.
Jared stood up and waited for Jensen. He got out of the make-up chair, moving slowly and stiffly as if he was in pain. Before he could ask what was wrong, Jensen waved him through the door, “Come on, Jay, we ain’t got all day. Guy wants to spend it with you getting the crap beat out of you, and me getting all teary eyed over my poor little Sasquatch’s battered body.”
Today’s scenes consisted of Sam being attacked by the monster of the week, Dean finding his injured brother, then dealing with it in typical Winchester fashion. Then he was going to lift Sam and carry him out of the room. When Jensen had seen that in the script, he’d asked if he they were going to give him a fork lift truck to help him carry Jared’s heavy ass. Which lead to Jared offering to massage his poor aging back when they were done.
They arrived on set and took up their positions. After a run-through of the scene, they were filming. Everything was going fine, until off camera there was the sound of someone running off set, “Cut, goddamnit! Sorry, guys. Hold on for five and then we’re good to go again.” Guy’s frustrated voice floated from behind the camera.
Jared looked up from the floor where the fugly had dumped him, and shrugged his shoulders. Jensen gave him a weak smile. He was looking pale even through the heavy make-up he was wearing, and Jared saw him swallow a couple of times as if he was feeling sick.
Then Guy called for quiet and they were filming again. This time the monster mis-timed his attack, and tripped over the hunter he was trying to kill. Jared roared with laughter and for once his partner in crime was silent. He looked for Jensen and suddenly his concern spiked. Jensen was stood in the middle of the set with his arm curled around his stomach, and even from the floor Jared could see the beads of sweat forming on his forehead.
Jensen shivered as he took a breath. His hand flew up to his mouth and suddenly he turned and sprinted off the set. Guy stood opened-mouthed as one of his leads ran past, as if he was being chased by hell hounds. He turned to ask Jared what was wrong, and was nearly run over by a speeding Sasquatch as Jared chased after him.
Jared tore after Jensen, seeing him disappear into his trailer, leaving the door open. Jared ran as fast as he could and flew up the steps of the trailer, then he heard the unmistakeable sound of Jensen throwing up. He was familiar with the aftermath of too much Tequila and Jensen. He’d sat rubbing his back while he threw up more than once, and that was what he heard now. He approached the bathroom, and he could see Jensen’s feet sticking out of the doorway. Jared winced at the sound of Jensen kneeling in front of the toilet, his body wracked with tremors as he continued to puke.
Jared climbed over him, managing to squeeze into the small room. He leant over the hunched figure and lightly touched Jensen’s neck and was stunned at the heat he felt there. Jared straightened up and picked up a wash cloth, and ran it under the cold tap. He wrung it out, and gently placed it on the back of Jensen’s neck.
He heard a moan of gratitude, and very possibly the sound of Jensen’s spleen hitting the toilet bowl. He gagged slightly at the sounds and smell but he stayed with Jensen. He dropped down beside him and slipped his hand beneath Dean’s jacket and rubbed Jensen’s back soothingly, offering him any comfort he could.
Jensen turned his face to Jared, and now Jared could see how white he’d gone, along with the look of discomfort of his face. Jared could feel Jensen shivering, but the set and the trailer were warm. “Come on, man, what’s wrong? And no ‘I’m fine’ bullshit. The puking and looking like death warmed over is kind of a giveaway.” Jared offered the other man a warm smile.
Jensen went to answer, then the little colour he had drained from his face and he returned to throwing up. Jared heard a soft moan and saw Jensen’s hand pressed against his stomach. Jared sighed, “That’s it! I’m fetching Sue. There’s no way you’re fit to carry on filming.” Jared stood up and edged past Jensen, who seemed to be trying to say something to him. Jared knew exactly what he’d say. But no way was he going to let Jensen carry on filming in that state.
As he stepped out of the bathroom, Guy and Sue, the set medic appeared. Guy looked round Jared and cringed when he heard the sound of Jensen being sick and his muffled pained moans. He looked over at Jared and ran his fingers through his hair, “Ok, we got good news and bad news. Which do you want first, Jay?” Guy asked.
Jared looked at Sue’s worried face and saw the desperation in Guy’s eyes and his shoulders slumped. “I think I’ll take the Sam Winchester approach to life. How about the bad news first?” Jared folded his arms and waited.
Sue stepped forward, “Well, in case you hadn’t noticed, we have a slight problem. A lot of the crew are developing symptoms like Jensen. I just got off the phone with the local health authority. One of our food suppliers had some contaminated produce delivered, and now we have food poisoning on set.” Sue paused when she heard another groan from Jensen. “We don’t know how many people have been affected; we’re just checking the numbers now.”
Jared turned his eyes heavenwards in a mute appeal for help, and then he looked at Guy, “Ok, that’s the bad news. What’s the good news? And please tell me it’s ‘we can go home’ and I can get Jensen to bed.” He looked at Guy, and got a sinking feeling in his own gut; he knew their schedule was brutal. Sometimes he wished there were other cast members who could carry the burden. But it wasn’t to be, and he put on a brave face and smiled at Guy.
Guy sighed, and shrugged his own shoulders in response to Jared’s unspoken plea. “I know. I wish you could go too, Jay, but we need to get more filming done today. The good news is, according to the docs, this should be over in around twenty-four hours. I’m sorry but can you come back on set? We’re going to move the scenes around so we don’t need Jensen. Look, if we get this done, you guys should be done in three or four hours.” Guy felt guilty at what he was asking of his actors. The whole crew knew how much Jensen meant to the young man in front of him. He hated to have to ask this of them. If he was in Jared’s place he would’ve yelled, ranted, stamped his foot and refused to move, but Jared would take it all in his stride and do what the powers that be wanted.
There was a sound from behind Jared and Guy saw movement - the look on Guy’s face made Jared turn round. Jensen was leaning on the door frame, as white as a sheet and still shivering. Jared looked at him in astonishment, and for a second they stared at one another. Guy and Sue were treated to the kind of non-verbal communication Sam and Dean were famed for. Finally Jared shook his head, “Oh hell, no, you don’t! You can barely stand up and what about when you start puking again? No, you can go over there and lie on your couch until I’m done for the day.” Jared pointed to the couch and unleashed Bitch face No 13, a weapon so powerful, Bob Singer had told Jared never to use it for evil, and stop scaring the stunt men with it.
Jensen gave a tired laugh and weakly pushed himself forward; he walked over to Jared and patted him on his shoulder. “Nice try, dude, but I’m doing this. And that look won’t work on me. I’m too sick for it to have any effect on me. I’m immune to your powers. Ok, Guy, I’m pretty sure I can do most of today’s scenes, and by the way if I get sick I’m prepared.” He smirked at Jared then bent over and picked up the trash can and hugged it to his body.
Jared rubbed his forehead; he could feel the start of a ‘Jensen forgetting he wasn’t actually Dean and ignoring injuries and illness’ headache. He watched as Jensen gingerly made his way out of the door; he clenched his fists. He took a deep breath then he reached out and placed his hand on Sue’s arm. She turned back and gave him a sympathetic smile, “Ok, Sue, what will I need to do to take care of him, if the idiot won’t take care of himself?” Jared sounded resigned as he asked the medic what to do.
“Well, you need to make sure he doesn’t dehydrate, so keep giving him water. It might not stay down but you’ll have to try. He’ll probably get a fever and from what I’ve seen, the chills as well. Basically just keep him as comfortable as you can.” Sue responded, watching a frown cross Jared’s face.
“Isn’t there anything you can give him, to help stop him being sick? I can’t just stand there and watch. I can see it’s hurting him already.” Jared pleaded for help.
Sue sighed sadly and shook her head, “I hate to say this but in the words of my mom - better out than in. Trust me, Jay. It’s better this works its way through his system. Don’t try to find something to stop it; it will only make it worse in the long run. Although if it does continue beyond tomorrow, or he gets too dehydrated, get a doctor to check him over. For now, it’s really a case of letting Nature take its course. I’m sorry, Jared but I better go and check on the crew and see how they’re doing.” Sue turned and left the trailer.
Jared followed her and as he walked across the lot he could see the crew members who were sick. They all looked as ill as Jensen; he wondered what Guy was going to do. He reached the set and he saw Gina was there touching up Jensen’s make-up, disguising his pallor. Then she handed Jensen a bottle of water, and stood with her hands on her hips until he took a drink. That made Jared smile. Just what Jensen would hate - a crew full of mother hens. It made him feel a little better about carrying on.
Guy appeared beside him, and Jared looked around at the now depleted crew, “Ok, Guy, what’s happening, and how much do you think we can do today?” Jared waited as the crew worked to set up the shot.
Guy glanced down at his now useless shooting schedule. “I’ve rung Sera, and informed her of the situation. We’ve decided to send the affected members of the crew home. There’s nothing they can do. We’ll just try and get this scene finished. Dean’s squaring up to the fugly, and then he’s getting Sam out of there.”
Jared’s eyes drifted back to where Jensen stood alone on set. He could see the tremors running down his body, and the way his shoulders were slightly hunched. He could see him breathing deeply in an attempt not to succumb to nausea. Just seeing that told him how bad Jensen was feeling. Then as if he knew he was being watched, he straightened up and smiled. He let Dean’s cocky demeanour flow over him, disguising how he really felt.
Jared felt warring emotions; he was impressed with Jensen’s determination to keep going no matter how ill he was. But he also wanted to wring his neck because he refused to give up, and just admit he was sick and needed to lie down. In the end he settled for thinking, ‘I love you, you dumbass, now I better try and make sure you don’t end up in a heap on set’.
Guy was watching Jensen as well, and again he felt guilty, but time, tide and TV executives wait for no man. No matter even if the man is on the verge of collapse. He turned to Jared. “All I can say is thank God you and the rest of the crew were on location yesterday. Listen, Jay, I’ll try and make this as painless as possible for the two of you...”Jared went to speak and Guy waved his hand, “I get it, we all do. If one of you is ill or hurt, the other one suffers just as much. That’s when you’re not doing fart gags to take your mind off it. Right. I’ve pulled together what’s left of the camera crew, and we’ll try and run two cameras together get both sides of the shot. Hopefully that will cut down filming time. You ready to go? Great. I promise to keep Jensen’s trash can handy in case. Oh and Jay, if things get too bad, I’ll call it a day and we’ll take it from there. Thanks again for doing this.” Guy smiled and got ready to get things moving.
Jared nodded, “It’s not me you need to thank, it’s Jensen. The moment I found him puking his guts up I was ready to pack him in the car and get him home so I could put him to bed and nurse him back to health. That’s me - a kind, considerate partner. Plus I’d get the day off as well, and could put my feet up.” He grinned at the director then he turned and walked towards Jensen.
When he reached him, he couldn’t help but reach out and put his hand on Jensen’s shoulder, being careful not to smudge the heavy make-up Gina was using to give Dean a ‘healthy’ glow. “I’d ask if you’re ok, but I already know what you’ll say. How about you promise me if it gets too much, you’ll call it? Alright?” Jared asked softly and Jensen nodded, tight lipped. He squeezed Jensen’s shoulder gently.
The two men took their positions - Jared on the floor, and Jensen walking back to the door, ready to burst in and rescue Sam. Guy checked the set. Once he was happy with everyone’s positions he called “Action.”
The door was kicked open, and Dean came charging in. His eyes flicked down to where his brother was laying, and then snapped up to glare murderously at the creature who’d hurt Sam. He raised his gun, ready to fire.
“And cut! Guys, we need to go again, problems with the door......” Before he could finish, Jensen ran to where the trash can was and started to throw up. Jared went to get up and go to him. Jensen just waved a hand, motioning him to stay still. Everyone on set had frozen when that happened, and then they sprang into action. Gina knelt beside him and put her hand on his back speaking softly to him. Another crew member handed him a bottle of water. Jensen rinsed out his mouth and he stayed still until he was happy he’d stopped, then he slowly got back to his feet. He turned and walked back to his mark, “I’m ok, Jay. Don’t worry. Ready to go again, Guy?” Jensen’s voice was hoarse, and he rubbed absently at his throat.
Guy looked at the crew working on the door; they nodded and he got ready to roll. “Action!” Once again Dean crashed through the door and advanced on the monster, gun raised, ready to fire. “And cut! That’s fine, guys. Now take a little break while we sort out the prop gun, ready for Dean to take out the bad guy.” As soon as Guy said that, Jared sprung to his feet and went over to Jensen. He took his arm and led him out of the way of the prop men.
“Come on. Let’s go back to your trailer, and you can lie down for a while.” Jared put his arm round Jensen’s shoulders and tried to guide him out of the studio. Jensen just shook his head and nodded tiredly to a quiet spot out of the way of all the activity. “No way, man, you need to rest. You’re getting worse and you know it.” Jared said through gritted teeth, not wanting to start yelling at his stubborn other half.
Jensen looked at him and licked his lips, “Jay, if I go back to my trailer and lie down I ain’t gonna make it back here, and we both know it. Look, I’ll be honest. I feel like crap, but we need to get this done. I promise I’ll rest when we get home. Please, Jay.” Jensen shoulders slumped as he spoke, and he leant against Jared.
Jared bit his lip. Every instinct he had screamed he should call a halt to this, but he had to respect what Jensen wanted. He knew making a fuss would only make Jensen more determined to do this. He looked around to see if he could see Sue, but she was nowhere on set. He’d hoped to see the medic and get her to force Jensen to go home. Instead he helped Jensen to an out-of-the-way corner and lowered him slowly to the floor then he went in search of Jensen’s trash can. When he returned he saw Jensen curled over, his head resting on his knees, his arms wrapped tightly round his stomach once more. Jared sat down beside him and pulled out a bottle of water for Jensen to drink. Jensen lifted his head slightly, caught sight of the water and shook his head. “Come on, Jen, we got to try and keep you hydrated. Just a couple of sips, please.” Jared begged softly, moving his hand up to Jensen’s neck and massaging it gently. He was worried by the warmth he felt beneath his fingers, and how Jensen was shivering.
“I can’t, Jay, it won’t stay down. I just want get this done as soon as possible, I’m sorry.” Jensen shivered even harder and his teeth began to chatter. Jared moved closer and put his arm round Jensen’s shoulders then he slowly moved his other hand up and eased it under Jensen’s shirts. He gently stroked his stomach, trying to ease muscles strained when he threw up. Jensen gave a quiet moan of discomfort as Jared stroked his stomach, but he managed a weary smile appreciating Jared’s attempts to make him feel better.
A shadow fell over them and one of the grips stood there, holding a blanket. He handed it to Jared and dropped down to crouch in front of Jensen, “Here, my wife got food poisoning last year, and she couldn’t get warm. We’re nearly ready to go again but this might help a little.” The grip smiled and went to stand.
“Thaannnnkkss man, I’m sorry for being such a wuss.” Jensen ground out, sounding as if he’d been gargling with broken glass, sighing gratefully when Jared draped the blanket round his shoulders. Jensen clutched the soft material tightly as if it was the answer to all his problems.
The grip shook his head, “Believe me, most of us would have gone home after the first bout of puking. You ain’t no wuss. Dean would be proud of you.” Then the grip went back to work.
Jared pulled the smaller man tightly into his side and rubbed his arm, trying to get him warm. He leant in and whispered in his ear. “My hero, taking on that big bad burrito and winning. We should give you a medal.” He grinned when Jensen’s middle finger emerged from the depths of the blanket.
“Well, while I’m being all heroic pass me the water and I’ll try to keep it down. Give the can to Guy just in case.” Jensen took several small sips of water, grimacing as it slid over his raw throat. Jared grinned in triumph, as they sat in silence waiting to be called back.
All too soon in Jared’s opinion, a PA came looking for them and once more they were back in front of the cameras, running through the final safety checks with the prop gun. Once the prop team were happy they left Jensen with the gun. Jared could see him getting the feel of it. Then Gina appeared and fixed his make-up once more, wiping away the sweat and hiding the dark circles beneath his eyes.
As everyone left the set, Jared saw Jensen was swaying slightly, his head lowered, his breathing shallow and fast. He considered calling a halt then Jensen took a deep breath, squared his shoulders, straightened his back and once more Dean was in the room. Jared composed himself, fell into Sam’s headspace, closed his eyes and waited.
Guy called ’Action’ and they were rolling...
Dean raised his gun, his eyes narrowed, totally focused on the creature that had hurt his little brother. Dean opened fire, three shots to the torso, watching dispassionately as the creature crumpled to the floor, “You picked the wrong brothers to tangle with, you son of a bitch.” Dean fell to his knees, dropping his gun, reaching out, and touching his brother’s battered face....”Sammy?” He pleaded gently with his injured brother to respond. Dean took hold of Sam’s jacket and pulled him up, cradling him to his chest.
“Cut and print! That’s a keeper. You’re doing great, guys. Keep up the good...Jensen? Oh god!” Guy saw Jensen let go of Jared, curling in on himself he heard his breathing coming in short sharp pants. Jared sat up quickly and looked frantically around the set. Guy realized what Jared was looking for, grabbed the trash can and ran to Jared with it.
Jensen heard the commotion going on around him and managed to lift his head. Guy was running towards them and Jared was reaching for the can, pushing it in front of him just in time. Jensen started to puke again. He felt as if he was being turned inside out, the acrid smell of cordite from the gun had helped this particular bout of nausea, along with the couple of mouthfuls of water. All he brought up was the water, along with bitter-tasting bile, and that just made him retch all the harder. The room was fading away, and he became vaguely aware of a pair of arms wrapping round his body and a soft voice in his ear telling him he would be alright. But the way he felt now, he just wanted to curl up in the corner and die. God, he wanted this to be done. His stomach cramped painfully, and he felt a great deal of sympathy for everyone who had been through the Angel Cavity Search. Jensen gasped in pain and shivered violently, his teeth starting to chatter again.
When Jensen started throwing up, Jared had knelt beside him. As it continued he noticed Jensen slumping further and further forward. He gently circled his arms round the shaking figure supporting him, trying to help any way he could. He looked up helplessly at Guy, who frowned and reached for his phone ready to call Sera and call a halt to filming. Before he had chance to dial a rough voice stopped him.
“Guy, don’t. Let me finish this scene and then I’ll go home. Jay can keep filming. Just give me a minute.” Jensen spat in the trash can and went to stand up; it took a couple of attempts but he made it.
Jared looked up from where he was kneeling then sprang to his feet, “Are you fucking nuts? Jesus, you can barely stand. Come on, enough is enough.” Jared spun Jensen round to face him. He then had to grab Jensen’s arms as his knees buckled. Jared lowered the two of them to the floor. Jared looked up panic-stricken as Sue appeared beside them; she looked at Guy and shook her head slightly.
“Hi Sera, it’s Guy. Listen. I’m calling a halt to filming. We’ve lost another three crew members since I called, and Jensen isn’t capable of carrying....well, if lying in Jared’s arms after passing out is fit enough, then Jensen should be good for another few hours.” Guy went silent and looked at Jared, a smile appearing. “Yeah, I know, Sera, we fall behind and the suits climb all over us. Trust me, it’s better we stop now. I’ll get the crew members that can still stand to come in early tomorrow, and we’ll work around the people who are missing. Yeah, I’m sure Jared will be in tomorrow. Bye Sera.” Guy hung up and walked over to where Jared was glaring at him.
Guy crouched down beside Jared, looking at Jensen; his eyes were open and he was bright red. He didn’t know if it was from fever or being embarrassed at collapsing on set; he could feel a pair of hazel eyes boring into the top of his head. Guy looked up and smiled innocently at Jared, “What’s wrong, Jay? Something I said?” He asked, amused, as Jared glared at him.
Jensen had been watching the exchange going on above him; he weakly lifted his hand and patted Jared’s chest, “Ok, you can let me up now, Jay, and stop threatening our nice director. We like Guy, remember.” Jensen tried to sit up, only to be stopped by a large hand pressing down gently on his chest.
“Stay still. I’ll let you up when I’m ready. What the fuck, Guy? I’m not leaving him alone tomorrow. Who’s gonna take care of him?” Jared tried to ignore the soft laughter coming from Jensen.
“Damn! I get all tingly when he takes control like that. I can take care of myself. I’ll just lie on the couch. I’ll be fine....Jay, can you let me up please?” The tone of Jensen’s voice made Jared look down. He was pale again and Jared knew what he was saying to him. Jared quickly slipped his arm around Jensen’s shoulders and sat him up, just in time to grab the trash can. Once more they were all treated to the now familiar sounds of Jensen being sick.
Jared glared daggers at Guy as he waited for Jensen to finish. Finally he let go of the can and Jared put it as far away from him as possible. Jared hugged him gently and continued to glare at Guy.
“Ok, Jay, stop with the look before I lose my eyebrows. The official position is you’re filming. But Sera said if you took a duvet day there was nothing we could do. I’m already sorting out two running orders, one with you here and one without. Now I’m sure you’ll be here bright and early tomorrow, won’t you, Jay?” Guy winked at him as he asked the question.
Jared gave the director a brilliant smile, “Of course I’ll be here in the morning. I’ll just make sure Jensen’s tucked up in bed. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’d better get us home while Jensen still has some of his internal organs on the inside.”
They heard a groan when Jared said that, and Jensen lifted his head, “Not funny, dude. I’m sure I lost my kidneys last time, and I ain’t too sure my liver’s where I left it this morning.” He managed a small smile, and motioned to Jared he wanted to get up.
Jared stood up and then helped Jensen slowly to his feet, holding him tightly while he regained his balance. Jensen swayed forward and Jared slipped his arm round his waist, “You dizzy? Breathe slowly. That’s it. When you’re ready we’ll get back to your trailer, get cleaned up, and then we’re out of here.” Jared waited patiently until Jensen nodded and as they went to move, he pointed down to the trash can. Jared grinned, “Alright, I won’t forget your new best friend. Should I be jealous? Oh God, don’t tell me I’m being replaced by a plastic bucket.” Jared sighed melodramatically.
Jensen rolled his eyes and shuffled forward, “Well, it’s better behaved than you, and it doesn’t smell as bad as you when you get gas. Perhaps I should take it out for coffee and see how that goes.” He looked up at Jared and batted his eyes at him, “Don’t worry, baby. I’ll never leave you for a plastic bucket. Bradley Cooper maybe, but not a trash can.” He laughed when Jared tossed his head in disgust, making his hair flick out.
Jared was pleased that Jensen could still laugh despite feeling like crap, but he was worried at how much of his weight he was leaning on him. They made it back to make-up, where Gina removed Jared’s injuries, “The last thing you two need is to be stopped by the cops because Jared looks like he’s been attacked. Hang on, Jensen and I’ll get you back to your pale self in no time.” Gina smiled as Jensen settled into his make-up chair.
After Gina finished with him, Jared slipped out and went to Jensen’s trailer, picking up Jensen’s own clothes. Then he went to his own trailer and got changed quickly. When he returned Jensen was sitting with his eyes closed, and the trash can was clutched to his chest. Jared stood beside him and put his hand on Jensen’s shoulder, “You ready to go? Right, let’s go home, Jen.” Jared held out his hand towards Jensen.
Jensen took the outstretched hand and let Jared pull him to his feet; Jared hovered beside him as he walked to the door. As they emerged from the trailer Jensen was surprised to see the SUV parked out front and Cliff opening the door. Jared grinned at him. “Your chariot awaits and don’t even think about whining. I really didn’t want you to face plant when I tried to get you to the car.” Jared helped Jensen into the car, where he immediately slumped back and closed his eyes.
Cliff gave Jared a concerned look, “I’ll get you two home as fast as possible. Oh and Guy told me not to pick you up tomorrow. Something about a duvet day. Although looking at Jensen you might be better off here. You know what he’s like - he’ll have you running round after him all day. You’d get more rest here.” Cliff laughed when Jensen flipped him the finger, and closed his eyes again. Then Cliff climbed into the driver’s seat.
Jared joined in with the laughter, and got in the car beside Jensen. Cliff turned back and handed him a blanket. Jared took it and wrapped Jensen in it. He gently stroked Jensen’s cheek, and was rewarded with a pair of bloodshot green eyes opening slowly. Jensen attempted to look pissed off, but missed by a mile and ended up looking more like a mogwai that had been whacked with a baseball bat. “Will you two quit with the mother hen routine, and what’s with you keeping me wrapped up like a mummy all the while? I ain’t dying, just feel a little queasy.” Just then his stomach gurgled loudly in protest.
Cliff started the engine, “A little queasy? According to the camera crew they thought we were remaking ‘The Exorcist’, with all the puking going on. Half of them were expecting your head to start spinning. Now go to sleep, Jensen. And if you must puke don’t get it on the upholstery, unless you want to clean it up when you’re feeling better.” Cliff stared at him through the rear view mirror, a stern expression on his face then he winked.
Jensen gave a put upon sigh and tried to get comfortable, “That’s it, mock a dying man in his hour of need.....Jay, you’ll help me clean up if that happens? I know you will because you luuurrrvve me.” He blew kisses at Jared who wrinkled his nose at the smell of his breath.
He reached over, took Jensen’s hand and squeezed it gently, smiling sincerely into green eyes. “You know I love you, but in the words of Meatloaf - ‘I would do anything for love but I won’t do that’.” Jared launched into song and made Jensen wince at the off-key rendition of the lyrics.
“Jay, please, I’ll go to sleep if it means you won’t sing to me.” Jensen sunk down lower in the seat and willed himself to relax. The motion of the car helped to lull him towards sleep. He was drained of energy and all his muscles ached; now he just wanted some rest.
They drove in silence, Jared listening carefully to sound of the other man’s breathing. Soon it had deepened and he knew Jensen was asleep. He rolled his neck and sighed. Cliff lifted his eyes and asked “Seriously, how is he, Jay? I heard from the crew he should have gone home hours ago.”
Jared turned to look at the man sleeping beside him, “He’s a lot sicker than he wants to admit to. But you know Jensen; he won’t let a little thing like puking his toenails up slow him down. With a bit of luck he should be over the worst by tomorrow. And I promise not to let him ruin your upholstery.” Jared smiled back at Cliff who laughed good-naturedly, and the rest of the journey passed silently.
part 2