FIC: "Avalanches Approaching" (3/10)
Avalanches Approaching
By Simarillion
Fandom: Supernatural RPS
Universe: Alternative Universe
Rating: PG-13/R (this instalment)
Beta: asm_z
Pairing: Jensen Ackles/Jared Padalecki, Jared Padalecki/Sandra McCoy (mentioned), others
Warnings: slash, M/M
Word Count: 3,111 (9,615 total)
Summary: Extra! Extra! Read all about it! (Of pictures, and rumours, and beginnings)
Disclaimer: None of the herein presented happenings and events are true. Everything is 100% fiction and that includes the sexuality of the characters. I don’t claim to be in the know about their relations and private affairs, and I don’t make any money with the creation of this story.
Author’s Note: I changed the age of Jensen and Jared, they are the same age now. The plot wouldn’t really work otherwise.
This is part 3 of the Glaciology! ‘verse. Jensen is a scientist in the field of glaciology and he spends most of his time surrounded by ice, whereas Jared is a Hollywood movie star. Prequel to this story are Invisible Glaciers and Iceberg Anatomy.
[ Masterpost]
Part Three
The first thought Jensen has when he wakes up the next morning, is that he’s in some kind of movie. Staring up at the white ceiling of his room, he thinks about his arrival in LA, and Jared’s warm welcome. After Jared had left for work, Jensen had taken a quick shower and gotten himself ready to head out as well.
Danny, who’s the guard on duty that day, chatted with Jensen while he’d been waiting for the cab to show up. From what the guy had told Jensen, Jared is the best employer there is.
The drive into town had been hot and uneventful, and he arrived at the café with a couple of minutes to spare. He picked a table outside, and waited for the others to join him. One after another the AE team members had arrived, and the next couple of hours were spent discussing possible future projects, funding and promotion ideas, and possible co-operations.
Afterwards Jensen rented a SUV. The car makes him look like a soccer mum. But the size of the trunk made the decision easy, if he really wants to, he can load all three dogs into the car. So, style has to take the backseat, and utility is what counts.
Jared had a long day at the set. A change in the shooting schedule, and more scenes for his character than originally intended had him stay out until well into the night. By the time he returned, Jensen was already asleep.
Now, it’s Saturday and they have brunch planned for today. Jensen rolls on his side and glances at his wrist watch. It’s seven thirty, and Jared mentioned something about leaving at nine. It suddenly occurs to him that Dean’s not in the room, and Jensen is sure that the husky settled down with him last night.
Dean had ignored the doggy bed, jumping onto the one Jensen was sleeping in, and no amount of scolding and protesting had convinced him to do otherwise. So in the end Jensen had let the dog stay where he was, hoping that his claws wouldn’t tear any of the thousand thread cotton sheets. He’s sure he can’t afford replacing them.
He can’t hear any barking, or other indications of the dogs’ whereabouts, and so he gets up, and heads for a shower. Jensen makes it quick, eager to find out where Dean disappeared to. Picking the discarded pair of jeans he wore the day before, and a clean t-shirt, he heads out.
For a moment he panics when he takes a wrong turn and ends up in a hallway he’s sure he hasn’t seen before, but the smell of coffee and toasted bread, helps him navigate through corridors and staircases to the kitchen where he finds Linda.
“Morn’n’.” He climbs the stool at the breakfast counter. His greeting is met with a look at the way he slouches on the stool, and a cup of steaming coffee is placed right in front of him. “You are my goddess.”
Linda chuckles amused at the blissful look that crosses Jensen’s face. “Sleep well?”
He nods and sips the hot beverage, careful not to burn his lips or his tongue. “In those sheets one can only sleep well.” Jensen looks around for any sign of the dogs or of Jared, but there is none. “Where are Sadie, Harley, and Dean?”
“They are at the beach. Jared went for his run.” She puts a glass of OJ next to his cup of coffee.
“He got up this early after a long night?” Jensen thinks back at some of the mornings at the boot camp, when Jared had stumbled into Jensen’s room just to fall facedown onto his bed.
“He set his alarm and all.” She smiles amused at Jensen. “Seemed really motivated to get ready for your brunch date.”
The word date in combination with him and Jared makes him squirm in his seat. It’s too close to what he wants, to not make him uncomfortable. He doubts that Jared referred to their plans for this day in such a way.
After downing the rest of the coffee and the orange juice, Jensen thanks her for them, and heads out to the beach. He never went down yesterday, but he remembers how to get there. Walking through the garden he enjoys the fresh morning air. It’s balmy, and there’s already a hint of the heat it will get during the day, but at the moment the temperature is alright.
The stairs are partially carved into the rocks, and partially mounted on them. He carefully climbs them down, wary about them being slippery in the morning. The beach at the bottom is golden and soft. Jensen slips out of his shoes and walks barefoot. He sinks into the cool grains with every step he takes.
He looks the stretch of the beach up and down, searching for Jared and the dogs. To the left he can make out four figures moving. One of them parts from the group and heads towards Jensen. The blurry shape becomes clearer and it soon is clear that the white and black dog bounding towards him is Dean.
Jensen stops his approach and waits for the dog to reach him. The husky jumps him and knocks him over. Dean yips and barks excitedly. For a dog who loves snow and ice, he likes the sand well enough. Jensen sits up, which is a rather difficult feat when being run over by two other dogs. With his attention on Dean, he never saw Harley and Sadie catch up to their new canine friend.
Laughing, he pets the dogs who happily rub against him. The two brown dogs are taller than Dean and Harley is even more muscle than Sadie. But in the end they have nothing on Sammy, and after dealing with the hyperactive Alaskan malamute Jensen knows how to reign dogs in.
By the time he’s up and has most of the sand brushed off, he can hear Jared calling out to him. He looks up from perusing his clothes, and watches the other jog up to him. Jared is grinning and he calls out to the dogs that are chasing around in the surf.
“I thought about waking you up when I got Dean, but since you can’t jog with me, I decided to let you get some more beauty sleep in.” The teasing has Jensen kick sand at the laughing Jared.
“Asshole.” The insult loses all of its offense when Jensen grins broadly at him though.
Jared drapes his sweaty arm around Jensen’s shoulder and leans on him. “Ah, you like me, I know you do. All those insults are veiled declarations of undying love.”
The words are spoken in jest but they’re cutting a little bit too close to home for Jensen. He forces himself to laugh it off together with Jared. He hopes that it doesn’t come over as fake. Apparently he masked his feelings well because Jared doesn’t comment on it, just steers him towards the stairs that lead back up to Jared’s house.
The five of them return to the villa. Inside Jared tries to get a glass of milk without Lisa noticing, but she smacks his fingers when he thinks he’s in the safe. Muttering he shakes them out and pouts theatrically at her.
“Sit down and drink from a glass like every other civilized person. Do I have to talk with your mum again about your manners?” This has Jared obediently sit down and wait for the glass Lisa pours for him.
Jensen just grins at the two of them and leans against the door jamb, watching Jared squirm on the stool, eager to be off, and Lisa pin him into place with her eyes. After he’s finished with the milk, Jared pushes the empty glass around in front of him, as if he’s waiting for permission to leave. The okay is given in the form of Lisa taking the dirty glass, and turning her back to him.
In a second Jared is up and drags Jensen away from the kitchen. “Never hand the telephone number of you mum to you housekeeper.”
The advice is given to him in a hushed tone. Although Jensen knows that he’ll never have a housekeeper he nods his agreement. He hurries after Jared who strides through the house towards where Jensen supposes his bedroom is. He’s surprised when they end up in the same corridor Jensen’s room is in.
“I’ll just take a quick shower, and then we can leave. If we get there early, we can eat more.” This is an important argument with Jared, who can get extremely grumpy if he’s not properly fed.
“Okay.” Jensen goes to his own room. He needs to change his clothes after his roll in the sand with the dogs. He steps out of the jeans and puts others on. It’s not like Jensen wears a lot of other pants. A new shirt and he’s ready to leave. Jared said that the place they’re going to is low key so he doesn’t have to worry about dress code.
Since they’ll be touring Hollywood and whatever else Jared deems of importance, Jensen decides to take his camera with him. Usually he avoids being a tourist but this time with his own tour guide he simply has to play his part.
There’s a knock at his door, and Jensen grabs his shades and a hat, and opens the door. Jared is waiting for him, dressed in jeans and shirt himself, his hair still wet from the shower.
“Ready to go?” At this Jensen holds up his camera and smiles. “Really?”
“You bet.” He tucks the camera into his pocket and looks at Jared expectantly. He’s ready, the touring can begin.
They say their goodbye to Lisa on their way out. Jared refuses to take the SUV Jensen rented, claiming that it would wreck his reputation he’s working so hard to cultivate. So they get into the truck, and leave for their first stop of the day, brunch.
Jensen watches the houses and the neighborhoods change as they head back to the highway. The drive to the restaurant takes about forty-five minutes, and then they spend almost twenty minutes looking for spot to park the car. In the end they have to walk six blocks from the car to the restaurant. It’s a nice day though and Jensen doesn’t mind the exercise.
The restaurant looks unimpressive from the street. A white building with an average front door, it almost looks like a residential building. Inside there’s a reception desk, and Jared walks up to it. He’s got a reservation under his name. The girl directs them to their table, and Jensen looks around as they walk through the restaurant outside onto the deck.
They are seated close to the railing, the beach right next to them. There’s a long buffet along the house wall and waiters in pants and t-shirts carry pitchers with water and OJ to the tables. Even though Jensen recognized Bruce Willis sitting at one table with his family, including Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher, he doesn’t feel out of place.
After placing their order of coffee, they make for the buffet. Jensen peruses the assorted selections and then he takes a plate and piles his choices onto it. One look at Jared shows that his eating behavior doesn’t vary from his behavior in Alaska. Carrying two plates and a small bread basket, Jared is stockpiling food, and carrying back to their table.
Two carafes with their coffee are already there, and there’s small pitcher of milk as well. Jensen prepares himself a cup, and pours a glass of juice. Then he starts eating. The food is delicious and he readily agrees with Jared that this place was a perfect choice.
It takes them two and a half hours until they are finished with eating, and drinking their coffee and juice. The day has gotten considerably hotter, and Jensen is really thankful for the awning that prevents them from sitting in the open sun. A soft breeze is wafting from the water to the deck they are sitting on, carrying on it the smell of salt water and sunshine.
Since their arrival more and more celebrities Jensen usually sees only on posters or on pictures in the media. He’s sure that most of the other people he doesn’t recognize are famous as well, but with him not following gossip, or any celebrity news at all, he’s unaware of it.
When Jensen wants to pay for his part of the brunch, Jared waves him off, claiming that it’s the price for Jensen having to put up with a grumpy Jared every morning for four weeks. At this Jensen can’t protest, but he makes Jared offer that he gets to pay for the next meal they eat.
From the restaurant they walk back to the car, and Jared drives them to the studio he’s working at. He gives Jensen a tour of the premises, showing him indoor stages, outdoor areas for shooting, explains to him the process of making a movie, and introducing him to dozens of people they meet. Jensen can’t help but enjoy their excursion. Even if he won’t remember a fraction of the people he’s being introduced to, and if he doesn’t get the appeal of playing a character in front of fake landscapes, he gets to see Jared in his natural environment, and if Jared is a bright person in everyday life, he starts to truly shine here.
Last stop at the studio is the set for Jared’s current movie. They meet Chad and Hayden in front of their trailers, on a break from their work. The two of them had been called in for some retakes. The girl throws herself at Jensen and immediately starts babbling about this and that, half of the things he doesn’t understand because of the sheer amount of information and the speed she’s talking in.
Chad whines at Jensen but surprises the both of them when he gives Jensen a hug. They pretend that nothing out of the ordinary happened, but Jared’s grinning broadly at them.
Once the two actors are called back in front of the camera, Jared and Jensen head out. Next stop will be Hollywood Boulevard but first they’re going for ice cream. Driving to a garage, they leave the car behind and walk to a small ice cream parlor that has according to Jared the ‘best ice cream in the universe’.
This time it’s Jensen buying (he suspects Jared to have manipulated him so that he can pay for their dinner), and then they are strolling down the sidewalk, Jared pointing out shops and other places of interest, as they are eating their ice cream.
The rest of the day they spend visiting museums, seeing the Walk of Fame, and they take a tourist bus that drives them around. They don’t listen to the guide, but Jared tells Jensen everything there’s to know about what they are passing by. Afterwards, they have dinner at a pub right off Hollywood Boulevard.
By the time they are returning to the car it’s getting dark, and Jensen is beat. He’s used to physical work, and walking for miles through snow and ice, but a day in the sun, listening to Jared nonstop, and trying to pay attention and remember what he’s being told, is more than he can handle. Sometime during their walk around the Boulevard his ankle started to ache, and now he’s glad that he’ll get to sit down.
During their drive back to the house Jensen is quiet and he almost falls asleep. His skin feels incredibly hot, and he’s sure that were he to look into a mirror his face would be covered with freckles. He hates that he can’t tan like a normal person.
After a day of talking Jared seems to be all talked out, he switches on the car radio and they listen to some chart list until they arrive at the villa. Their return is greeted with excitement by the dogs. There’s a bulky guy standing in the entrance, watching them.
“Jack! Come on over and meet Jensen!” So this is the bodyguard Jared told him about. He had been surprised that the man hadn’t been around the last two days, but apparently Jared only takes him with him to public events. Never to work or private outings.
Jack joins them and shakes Jensen’s hand. His grip is strong and Jensen has to fight the urge to wince. He thinks he can hear his bones cracking in his hand. But the man is smiling friendly at him. Apparently his grip is just that tight, and he isn’t trying to intimidate Jensen.
“Nice to meet you.” Jack’s voice is surprisingly soft. Looking like Vin Diesel or Arnold Schwarzenegger in his Terminator days, one would expect something more gravelly.
“Likewise.” Jensen can’t help rubbing his hand once it’s freed from the tight grip.
Jared is completely engrossed in the dogs, and so both him and Jack watch the actor clown around with his babies and Dean.
“I bet you missed me, guys.” At his comment Jack chuckles and glances over at Jensen. The way Jared fusses over the dogs is kind of amusing. “I’ll make it up to you. We’ll go on an extra-long run tomorrow morning.”
The answer he gets is excited barking and the dogs chasing off into the garden. Only when they are gone from sight, Jared redirects his attention to the human company next to him.
Jack just shakes his head and walks back to the house, and leaves Jared and Jensen to follow him inside. In the living room (at least Jensen thinks of it as the living room) Chad is waiting for them. He’s playing Halo Wars on the huge TV, completely ignoring them until his character is shot onscreen.
This is when he turns around and starts complaining. “Dude, you’re bad for my karma.”
Jared just rolls his eyes at the blonde and plops down onto the couch to watch Chad’s progress. For a moment Jensen keeps lingering in the back, unsure of what to do. He’s doesn’t play video games, and never has been interested in them either. In the end he goes to the kitchen and gets drinks for all three of them (Jack has disappeared again).
Back with Chad and Jared he hands them their drinks and settles in to watch them play the game. Even if he can’t understand their fascination with it, he enjoys their banter.
continue: Part Four
By Simarillion
Fandom: Supernatural RPS
Universe: Alternative Universe
Rating: PG-13/R (this instalment)
Beta: asm_z
Pairing: Jensen Ackles/Jared Padalecki, Jared Padalecki/Sandra McCoy (mentioned), others
Warnings: slash, M/M
Word Count: 3,111 (9,615 total)
Summary: Extra! Extra! Read all about it! (Of pictures, and rumours, and beginnings)
Disclaimer: None of the herein presented happenings and events are true. Everything is 100% fiction and that includes the sexuality of the characters. I don’t claim to be in the know about their relations and private affairs, and I don’t make any money with the creation of this story.
Author’s Note: I changed the age of Jensen and Jared, they are the same age now. The plot wouldn’t really work otherwise.
This is part 3 of the Glaciology! ‘verse. Jensen is a scientist in the field of glaciology and he spends most of his time surrounded by ice, whereas Jared is a Hollywood movie star. Prequel to this story are Invisible Glaciers and Iceberg Anatomy.
[ Masterpost]
Part Three
The first thought Jensen has when he wakes up the next morning, is that he’s in some kind of movie. Staring up at the white ceiling of his room, he thinks about his arrival in LA, and Jared’s warm welcome. After Jared had left for work, Jensen had taken a quick shower and gotten himself ready to head out as well.
Danny, who’s the guard on duty that day, chatted with Jensen while he’d been waiting for the cab to show up. From what the guy had told Jensen, Jared is the best employer there is.
The drive into town had been hot and uneventful, and he arrived at the café with a couple of minutes to spare. He picked a table outside, and waited for the others to join him. One after another the AE team members had arrived, and the next couple of hours were spent discussing possible future projects, funding and promotion ideas, and possible co-operations.
Afterwards Jensen rented a SUV. The car makes him look like a soccer mum. But the size of the trunk made the decision easy, if he really wants to, he can load all three dogs into the car. So, style has to take the backseat, and utility is what counts.
Jared had a long day at the set. A change in the shooting schedule, and more scenes for his character than originally intended had him stay out until well into the night. By the time he returned, Jensen was already asleep.
Now, it’s Saturday and they have brunch planned for today. Jensen rolls on his side and glances at his wrist watch. It’s seven thirty, and Jared mentioned something about leaving at nine. It suddenly occurs to him that Dean’s not in the room, and Jensen is sure that the husky settled down with him last night.
Dean had ignored the doggy bed, jumping onto the one Jensen was sleeping in, and no amount of scolding and protesting had convinced him to do otherwise. So in the end Jensen had let the dog stay where he was, hoping that his claws wouldn’t tear any of the thousand thread cotton sheets. He’s sure he can’t afford replacing them.
He can’t hear any barking, or other indications of the dogs’ whereabouts, and so he gets up, and heads for a shower. Jensen makes it quick, eager to find out where Dean disappeared to. Picking the discarded pair of jeans he wore the day before, and a clean t-shirt, he heads out.
For a moment he panics when he takes a wrong turn and ends up in a hallway he’s sure he hasn’t seen before, but the smell of coffee and toasted bread, helps him navigate through corridors and staircases to the kitchen where he finds Linda.
“Morn’n’.” He climbs the stool at the breakfast counter. His greeting is met with a look at the way he slouches on the stool, and a cup of steaming coffee is placed right in front of him. “You are my goddess.”
Linda chuckles amused at the blissful look that crosses Jensen’s face. “Sleep well?”
He nods and sips the hot beverage, careful not to burn his lips or his tongue. “In those sheets one can only sleep well.” Jensen looks around for any sign of the dogs or of Jared, but there is none. “Where are Sadie, Harley, and Dean?”
“They are at the beach. Jared went for his run.” She puts a glass of OJ next to his cup of coffee.
“He got up this early after a long night?” Jensen thinks back at some of the mornings at the boot camp, when Jared had stumbled into Jensen’s room just to fall facedown onto his bed.
“He set his alarm and all.” She smiles amused at Jensen. “Seemed really motivated to get ready for your brunch date.”
The word date in combination with him and Jared makes him squirm in his seat. It’s too close to what he wants, to not make him uncomfortable. He doubts that Jared referred to their plans for this day in such a way.
After downing the rest of the coffee and the orange juice, Jensen thanks her for them, and heads out to the beach. He never went down yesterday, but he remembers how to get there. Walking through the garden he enjoys the fresh morning air. It’s balmy, and there’s already a hint of the heat it will get during the day, but at the moment the temperature is alright.
The stairs are partially carved into the rocks, and partially mounted on them. He carefully climbs them down, wary about them being slippery in the morning. The beach at the bottom is golden and soft. Jensen slips out of his shoes and walks barefoot. He sinks into the cool grains with every step he takes.
He looks the stretch of the beach up and down, searching for Jared and the dogs. To the left he can make out four figures moving. One of them parts from the group and heads towards Jensen. The blurry shape becomes clearer and it soon is clear that the white and black dog bounding towards him is Dean.
Jensen stops his approach and waits for the dog to reach him. The husky jumps him and knocks him over. Dean yips and barks excitedly. For a dog who loves snow and ice, he likes the sand well enough. Jensen sits up, which is a rather difficult feat when being run over by two other dogs. With his attention on Dean, he never saw Harley and Sadie catch up to their new canine friend.
Laughing, he pets the dogs who happily rub against him. The two brown dogs are taller than Dean and Harley is even more muscle than Sadie. But in the end they have nothing on Sammy, and after dealing with the hyperactive Alaskan malamute Jensen knows how to reign dogs in.
By the time he’s up and has most of the sand brushed off, he can hear Jared calling out to him. He looks up from perusing his clothes, and watches the other jog up to him. Jared is grinning and he calls out to the dogs that are chasing around in the surf.
“I thought about waking you up when I got Dean, but since you can’t jog with me, I decided to let you get some more beauty sleep in.” The teasing has Jensen kick sand at the laughing Jared.
“Asshole.” The insult loses all of its offense when Jensen grins broadly at him though.
Jared drapes his sweaty arm around Jensen’s shoulder and leans on him. “Ah, you like me, I know you do. All those insults are veiled declarations of undying love.”
The words are spoken in jest but they’re cutting a little bit too close to home for Jensen. He forces himself to laugh it off together with Jared. He hopes that it doesn’t come over as fake. Apparently he masked his feelings well because Jared doesn’t comment on it, just steers him towards the stairs that lead back up to Jared’s house.
The five of them return to the villa. Inside Jared tries to get a glass of milk without Lisa noticing, but she smacks his fingers when he thinks he’s in the safe. Muttering he shakes them out and pouts theatrically at her.
“Sit down and drink from a glass like every other civilized person. Do I have to talk with your mum again about your manners?” This has Jared obediently sit down and wait for the glass Lisa pours for him.
Jensen just grins at the two of them and leans against the door jamb, watching Jared squirm on the stool, eager to be off, and Lisa pin him into place with her eyes. After he’s finished with the milk, Jared pushes the empty glass around in front of him, as if he’s waiting for permission to leave. The okay is given in the form of Lisa taking the dirty glass, and turning her back to him.
In a second Jared is up and drags Jensen away from the kitchen. “Never hand the telephone number of you mum to you housekeeper.”
The advice is given to him in a hushed tone. Although Jensen knows that he’ll never have a housekeeper he nods his agreement. He hurries after Jared who strides through the house towards where Jensen supposes his bedroom is. He’s surprised when they end up in the same corridor Jensen’s room is in.
“I’ll just take a quick shower, and then we can leave. If we get there early, we can eat more.” This is an important argument with Jared, who can get extremely grumpy if he’s not properly fed.
“Okay.” Jensen goes to his own room. He needs to change his clothes after his roll in the sand with the dogs. He steps out of the jeans and puts others on. It’s not like Jensen wears a lot of other pants. A new shirt and he’s ready to leave. Jared said that the place they’re going to is low key so he doesn’t have to worry about dress code.
Since they’ll be touring Hollywood and whatever else Jared deems of importance, Jensen decides to take his camera with him. Usually he avoids being a tourist but this time with his own tour guide he simply has to play his part.
There’s a knock at his door, and Jensen grabs his shades and a hat, and opens the door. Jared is waiting for him, dressed in jeans and shirt himself, his hair still wet from the shower.
“Ready to go?” At this Jensen holds up his camera and smiles. “Really?”
“You bet.” He tucks the camera into his pocket and looks at Jared expectantly. He’s ready, the touring can begin.
They say their goodbye to Lisa on their way out. Jared refuses to take the SUV Jensen rented, claiming that it would wreck his reputation he’s working so hard to cultivate. So they get into the truck, and leave for their first stop of the day, brunch.
Jensen watches the houses and the neighborhoods change as they head back to the highway. The drive to the restaurant takes about forty-five minutes, and then they spend almost twenty minutes looking for spot to park the car. In the end they have to walk six blocks from the car to the restaurant. It’s a nice day though and Jensen doesn’t mind the exercise.
The restaurant looks unimpressive from the street. A white building with an average front door, it almost looks like a residential building. Inside there’s a reception desk, and Jared walks up to it. He’s got a reservation under his name. The girl directs them to their table, and Jensen looks around as they walk through the restaurant outside onto the deck.
They are seated close to the railing, the beach right next to them. There’s a long buffet along the house wall and waiters in pants and t-shirts carry pitchers with water and OJ to the tables. Even though Jensen recognized Bruce Willis sitting at one table with his family, including Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher, he doesn’t feel out of place.
After placing their order of coffee, they make for the buffet. Jensen peruses the assorted selections and then he takes a plate and piles his choices onto it. One look at Jared shows that his eating behavior doesn’t vary from his behavior in Alaska. Carrying two plates and a small bread basket, Jared is stockpiling food, and carrying back to their table.
Two carafes with their coffee are already there, and there’s small pitcher of milk as well. Jensen prepares himself a cup, and pours a glass of juice. Then he starts eating. The food is delicious and he readily agrees with Jared that this place was a perfect choice.
It takes them two and a half hours until they are finished with eating, and drinking their coffee and juice. The day has gotten considerably hotter, and Jensen is really thankful for the awning that prevents them from sitting in the open sun. A soft breeze is wafting from the water to the deck they are sitting on, carrying on it the smell of salt water and sunshine.
Since their arrival more and more celebrities Jensen usually sees only on posters or on pictures in the media. He’s sure that most of the other people he doesn’t recognize are famous as well, but with him not following gossip, or any celebrity news at all, he’s unaware of it.
When Jensen wants to pay for his part of the brunch, Jared waves him off, claiming that it’s the price for Jensen having to put up with a grumpy Jared every morning for four weeks. At this Jensen can’t protest, but he makes Jared offer that he gets to pay for the next meal they eat.
From the restaurant they walk back to the car, and Jared drives them to the studio he’s working at. He gives Jensen a tour of the premises, showing him indoor stages, outdoor areas for shooting, explains to him the process of making a movie, and introducing him to dozens of people they meet. Jensen can’t help but enjoy their excursion. Even if he won’t remember a fraction of the people he’s being introduced to, and if he doesn’t get the appeal of playing a character in front of fake landscapes, he gets to see Jared in his natural environment, and if Jared is a bright person in everyday life, he starts to truly shine here.
Last stop at the studio is the set for Jared’s current movie. They meet Chad and Hayden in front of their trailers, on a break from their work. The two of them had been called in for some retakes. The girl throws herself at Jensen and immediately starts babbling about this and that, half of the things he doesn’t understand because of the sheer amount of information and the speed she’s talking in.
Chad whines at Jensen but surprises the both of them when he gives Jensen a hug. They pretend that nothing out of the ordinary happened, but Jared’s grinning broadly at them.
Once the two actors are called back in front of the camera, Jared and Jensen head out. Next stop will be Hollywood Boulevard but first they’re going for ice cream. Driving to a garage, they leave the car behind and walk to a small ice cream parlor that has according to Jared the ‘best ice cream in the universe’.
This time it’s Jensen buying (he suspects Jared to have manipulated him so that he can pay for their dinner), and then they are strolling down the sidewalk, Jared pointing out shops and other places of interest, as they are eating their ice cream.
The rest of the day they spend visiting museums, seeing the Walk of Fame, and they take a tourist bus that drives them around. They don’t listen to the guide, but Jared tells Jensen everything there’s to know about what they are passing by. Afterwards, they have dinner at a pub right off Hollywood Boulevard.
By the time they are returning to the car it’s getting dark, and Jensen is beat. He’s used to physical work, and walking for miles through snow and ice, but a day in the sun, listening to Jared nonstop, and trying to pay attention and remember what he’s being told, is more than he can handle. Sometime during their walk around the Boulevard his ankle started to ache, and now he’s glad that he’ll get to sit down.
During their drive back to the house Jensen is quiet and he almost falls asleep. His skin feels incredibly hot, and he’s sure that were he to look into a mirror his face would be covered with freckles. He hates that he can’t tan like a normal person.
After a day of talking Jared seems to be all talked out, he switches on the car radio and they listen to some chart list until they arrive at the villa. Their return is greeted with excitement by the dogs. There’s a bulky guy standing in the entrance, watching them.
“Jack! Come on over and meet Jensen!” So this is the bodyguard Jared told him about. He had been surprised that the man hadn’t been around the last two days, but apparently Jared only takes him with him to public events. Never to work or private outings.
Jack joins them and shakes Jensen’s hand. His grip is strong and Jensen has to fight the urge to wince. He thinks he can hear his bones cracking in his hand. But the man is smiling friendly at him. Apparently his grip is just that tight, and he isn’t trying to intimidate Jensen.
“Nice to meet you.” Jack’s voice is surprisingly soft. Looking like Vin Diesel or Arnold Schwarzenegger in his Terminator days, one would expect something more gravelly.
“Likewise.” Jensen can’t help rubbing his hand once it’s freed from the tight grip.
Jared is completely engrossed in the dogs, and so both him and Jack watch the actor clown around with his babies and Dean.
“I bet you missed me, guys.” At his comment Jack chuckles and glances over at Jensen. The way Jared fusses over the dogs is kind of amusing. “I’ll make it up to you. We’ll go on an extra-long run tomorrow morning.”
The answer he gets is excited barking and the dogs chasing off into the garden. Only when they are gone from sight, Jared redirects his attention to the human company next to him.
Jack just shakes his head and walks back to the house, and leaves Jared and Jensen to follow him inside. In the living room (at least Jensen thinks of it as the living room) Chad is waiting for them. He’s playing Halo Wars on the huge TV, completely ignoring them until his character is shot onscreen.
This is when he turns around and starts complaining. “Dude, you’re bad for my karma.”
Jared just rolls his eyes at the blonde and plops down onto the couch to watch Chad’s progress. For a moment Jensen keeps lingering in the back, unsure of what to do. He’s doesn’t play video games, and never has been interested in them either. In the end he goes to the kitchen and gets drinks for all three of them (Jack has disappeared again).
Back with Chad and Jared he hands them their drinks and settles in to watch them play the game. Even if he can’t understand their fascination with it, he enjoys their banter.
continue: Part Four