FIC: "Avalanches Approaching" (4/10)
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: 3,030 (12,645)
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 Four
When his phone rings and wakes him up Jensen is momentarily confused about his whereabouts.. The ringing continues, and he untangles himself enough to be able to reach for the cell blinking and vibrating on the night stand. Chris’s name on the display surprises him, and he picks up curious as to why his friend calls him at this time of the day.
“Chris?” His voice is rough with sleep. Jared and Chad had played for a long time, and it had been around one when Jensen had taken his leave from the two, and made for his bed.
“Dude, what is going on out there in LA?” The accusing tone of voice freezes him. He doesn’t understand why Chris is this confrontational. Most of all, he can’t understand what he’s referring to.
“What are you talking about?” He slowly sits up and rubs over his eyes. The morning light is filtering through the blinds and bathing the room in twilight.
“What am I talking about? I’m talking about fucking paparazzi showing up and asking me about your and Jared fucking Padalecki’s relationship.” At this Jensen’s heart stops for a second. There’s the feeling of ice cold dread stabbing into him.
“What are you talking about, Chris?” His voice is tight with the growing panic. Jensen gets up from the bed but has to sit down again. He closes his eyes, hoping that when he opens them again, everything will only be a bad dream.
“Fuck, Jensen, you and Padalecki made the headlines in all the gossip rags. There’s talk about you having moved in with him, and there are pictures of the two of you, and of the dogs, and… Jensen, what is going on?” His friend sounds less angry and more concerned now.
“I’m just visiting. He invited me to stay with him while I’m in town with AE. I told you about it and you told me that I’m unnecessarily torturing myself.” The panicky feeling is stronger now, but Jensen forces himself to calm down again. “I don’t know what you read or what they said, but it’s bullshit.”
“Usually I would agree with that, but I know how you feel about Jared Padalecki. Promise me, Jensen, that you won’t do anything stupid, and be that idiot’s gay rebound or anything.” If the idea of Jared rebounding with Jensen wasn’t that stupid, Jensen would make that promise in a heartbeat, so the only reaction to his friend’s words is laughter. “Jensen!”
“Dude, chill out. First off, there’s nothing to rebound from, and second, why would he ever want to use me for that. He doesn’t even like guys.” Jensen once more laughs about the sheer idea of Jared coming on to him. It’s ridiculous.
“Promise me, Jensen.” Chris’s voice is getting steely again. He’s serious about it, and he wants Jensen to be on the same page as him.
“I promise, Chris.” It’s any easy enough thing to do, since it’s unrealistic anyway.
“No fooling around, giving in to his charms, or letting the guy walk all over your.” Jensen appreciates his friends worry about him. Even if it’s unfounded.
“Nothing of it, I promise you that I’ll keep on pining silently, and refuse any advances from my lecherous host.” Even though he’s being sarcastic, he knows that Chris can read between the lines.
“Just, you know.” Yeah, be careful. “Don’t be an idiot.”
“Thanks.” Jensen walks to the bathroom, and switches on the lights. He squints a little and then he walks up to the shower. “I’ll call you.”
“Do that.” He knows that Chris will be calling again if he doesn’t. “Bye.”
“Bye.” He sets the phone aside and strips, stepping into the shower, and letting the lukewarm water wash away the last remnants of sleep, and the shock of Chris’s call.
Afterwards he towels himself dry and puts on some fresh clothes. When he steps out of his room, the house is all quiet. Just like yesterday Dean is nowhere to be found, and Jensen knows that he’ll find him with Jared and his dogs down at the beach. After the news he just received he doesn’t know if Jared is the first person he wants to see in the morning. He’s got to sort through everything and deal with it before that.
So, the kitchen is his first stop. He finds himself navigating the way through the house without hesitation. Apparently he can get used to huge villas.
Linda is standing in front of the stove, and there’s the smell of eggs, and toast and coffee. He pads into the room and heads for his stool at the breakfast counter.
“Morning.” At his greeting she turns around, carefully scanning his face, as if she’s looking for something. His stomach drops. She knows. She’s read the articles about him and Jared and now she doesn’t like him. Jensen decides that the kitchen wasn’t a good place to start the day.
“Morning.” She pours a cup of coffee and sets it down in front of him. Next follow a glass of OJ, and scrambled eggs with some toasted bread. Instead of turning back to what she had been working, Linda stays standing there, facing him, her arms crossed over her chest.
Jensen doesn’t know how to proceed. He’s no longer interested in the food or the coffee; it would only make him vomit. His stomach is too nervous right now. The tension has him hunch his shoulders and stare at the full plate in front of him. He toys with his cutlery, pushing the fork around.
When he doesn’t say anything, Linda sighs heavily and takes the fork he’s been playing with. She puts it on the plate with the food and moves everything even closer to him. “Eat something.”
He reacts instinctively, grabbing the fork, but then he doesn’t want to load it with any food. He really has no appetite anymore.
“Jensen, eat something. Stop being so melodramatic, and eat some breakfast.” She huffs with indignation. “If you want to be a friend of Jared, you have to grow a thicker skin. There will always be people talking shit about him, about you, and about him and you. This is not the end of the world.”
Her words calm him somewhat down. He takes a bite from the dry toast and has a fork of scrambled eggs. “It’s good.”
His mumbled compliment is ignored for some more advice.
“Let me tell you something. I haven’t seen this boy relaxed and happy in years. The whole movie business, and the end of his relationship with Sandy were, and still are, hard on him, even if he pretends it’s not. So, when he returned from Alaska, all upset because he had to leave his best friend,” at that Jensen looks up stunned, “yes, he said best friend. He really missed you and the dogs. For days it was Jensen this, Dean that. He needs all the moral support he can get, and I think that you like him as well.”
The only problem is that Jensen likes Jared differently than Jared likes Jensen. He enjoys being friends with him, but the truth is that he has stronger feelings than mere friendship. Even if he’s well aware that nothing can come from them, the longing will always be there. Has been there since high school.
Jensen looks back at his breakfast but nods his agreement. He can’t bring himself yet to say what she wants to hear. After Chris’s warning, and her advice, he has to find his centre again. At the moment he feels like he’s being tossed around by everything that’s happening.
“Just, don’t let something like this get to you. He’s a person the public is interested in, and as such there will always be someone watching what he does, interpreting what they are seeing.” With this she turns away from him again, and continues puttering around.
Now that she’s no longer staring at him, Jensen can look up again. The reason why this gets to him, even if Linda says that it shouldn’t, is that Jensen is just not used to it. Back at school, when he was invisible, something like being targeted by the media never even occurred to him in his wildest dreams. Even later on with his publicity work for AE, the only interest magazines and documentaries had was the mission, the project, never Jensen Ackles.
With this sudden focus on his person, Jensen feels threatened, more like cornered. Like people are pointing at him, and judging who he is and what he does. He really doesn’t like this feeling.
Even though he tries his best, he can only eat a small portion of the food Linda had prepared for him, and then he says his goodbye and heads for the beach. Maybe talking to Jared about the situation is the best thing to do. With him being a famous star, he’s much more experienced with situations like the one Jensen finds himself in.
It’s cooler than the day before. When he reaches the sand, Jensen walks into the direction Jared and the dogs had come from the day before. A strong breeze blows sand against his feet, and he checks the sky for storm or rain clouds. There are flimsy white clouds that look more like torn shreds than full and fluffy cotton balls.
Jensen continues walking down the beach , closer to the surf. Some of the waves lap at his feet, wetting them just enough that the sand can stick to them.
Where the rocks reach into the water, a thin path trails up and into a wooded area. Jensen sits down on a boulder at the bottom of the path and looks out over the sea. He doesn’t sit there for long before he can hear the sound of barking. Soon after that, Dean appears at the top of the rocks. When he sees Jensen, he yips happily and runs towards him.
The dog jumps up, covering Jensen’s face with kisses, showing him that he missed his human. There’s the sound of more barking and then Harley and Sadie are at his feet, slinking around, unsure if they are allowed to jump Jensen as well. He pats his chest, and Harley is all over him, excited and happy.
“Careful, once you let them, they’ll never stop slobbering all over you.” Jared is the last one to come down the path. He’s flushed from the exercise, and his t-shirt is sticking to his chest. There is a cautious look in his eyes, and he seems hesitant to meet Jensen’s gaze.
“Have a good run?” Apparently Jared is not as sure about the situation as Jensen thought he would be. Truth is he had expected Jared to joke about it, and tell Jensen that he shouldn’t worry about the articles and the rumors.
“Yeah, we ran the longer route.” When Jared starts to squirm he decides to put an end to this awkwardness.
“We’re friends, right?” His question is answered by enthusiastic nodding. “Let’s just forget about the fucked up start of this day.”
“Awesome.” And just like that Jensen has done two things. He’s given Jared an out, allowing him to forget about the hubbub without having to talk about it, and he’s made it even harder for himself to be honest about his feelings for Jared. In the end though, knows that it is the best solution.
“D’you have to work today?” Jared is sitting down next to him. The body heat is welcome warmth against the cooling breeze.
“Yeah, I have to head over to the studio in the afternoon. It’s going to be a night shoot.” They stay on the boulder for some more time, not talking, just watching the dogs chase around, occasionally bounding up to them to try and coax either Jared or Jensen into joining their game.
When Jensen starts to shiver from the fresh breeze, because even someone used to arctic temperatures needs warmer clothes than a thin t-shirt, they head back to the house. Linda is no longer in the kitchen, but a huge pot is simmering on the stove, the smell of soup scenting the air.
Jared wants to take a shower, and Jensen needs a sweater or a warmer shirt, so they head to the bedrooms. While Jared is busy getting clean, Jensen checks his cell phone, and finds three missed calls (Steve, Mike, and Gabe) and five messages (Chris, Mac, Josh, Mac, and Danneel). Apparently today’s gossip headlines made it even to Alaska.
Since his sister left two very colorful demands of an explanation, Jensen decides to call her first. After putting on a thin sweater he sits down on the bed, and calls Mac. The phone doesn’t even ring twice before it’s picked up.
“Jensen?” Mac’s voice is a little bit muted by the phone’s connection, but even so her volume has him cringe.
“Hi, Mac.” He doesn’t even get the chance to say any more.
“What the heck is going on with you and Jared Padalecki?” She sounds worried, confused and indignant. The mix is rather amusing.
“Nothing is going on. I told you that he invited me to stay at his place while going to LA, and a couple of photographers took pictures of us while he was playing tour guide.” There’s the sound of scratching at the door, followed by a low whine. He gets up and lets Dean into the room, closely followed by Jared’s dogs.
The three of them jump onto the bed and curl around Jensen when he sits down again.
“A friend called me at night and told me to check this online article out. She said that it says that you and Jared are a couple.” More confusion now.
“I haven’t seen the pictures or read the article, but I can assure you that whatever they wrote is not true.” Dean buries his nose in Jensen’s crotch and closes his eyes. “Jared and I are friends. Besides, Jared’s straight. Why should he go on a date with a guy?”
“How should I know?” Mac is getting more worked up again. “The first article I saw was all ‘who’s the stranger with Jared Padalecki’, but someone must have recognised you and done some really quick research. Suddenly there’s talk about the openly gay environmental activist. And then there are rumors about a secret long term relationship.”
“Mac, calm down. It’s all crap and you know it.” Jensen closes his eyes and wonders what his friends and family must be thinking about him. “I met Jared when he and his colleagues were sent to the station for the boot camp, and he left after four weeks, during which nothing happened, we’re just friends.”
“But they know about you and him going to the same school.” There’s the sound of people talking in the background.
“Are mum and dad with you?” Talking to his parents is the one thing Jensen fears the most. It’s not about him being gay, because his parents know about that since he referred to one of the men on a photo he took at an expedition, as his partner. After a short discussion and some explanations it had been clear, what exactly the term partner entailed.
“No, I’m at Josh’s. He wants to talk with you.” Josh is the next person on the list of people he doesn’t want to talk about this mess.
“Okay, hand me over.” There is the rustle of the phone being passed form one person to the other, and then Josh’s voice is filling his ear.
“What’s up, little brother?” Jensen knows that the innocent question is only a lead-in for the real talk Josh wants to have. Deciding to stop beating around the bush, he goes for the horns.
“How bad is it? Be honest.” Jensen can hear Jared talking in the corridor. He thinks he recognises Jack as the other person outside.
“Well, so far I have never had anything of the likes to compare it to. Mum called me in the morning. Apparently Mrs. Burns saw a picture of you and Jared on TV. It was in the god damned morning show.” At least Josh doesn’t sound angry. But Jensen knows that all the questions and looks his family must be getting is weighing on them. “At eight a news reporter showed up at my door and asked for a comment. I just closed the door in his face. That was before I even knew what’s going on.”
It’s even worse than Jensen feared. His siblings and his parents are being harassed because they can’t get to Jensen himself.
Somehow he’s glad that Chris called him so early, because otherwise he wouldn’t even have known about the chaos that’s raging outside the world of casa Padalecki. It’s like behind the estate’s security gate you’re living in a different time zone.
“I’m sorry about the mess. I never wanted this to happen.” Somehow that makes it sound like something’s actually going on. “Not like anything happened to begin with.”
“You should call mum and dad and let them know that you’re alright. They’re worried.” Jensen promises that he will. Even though he fears talking to them, he knows that he can’t ignore the predicament they are in because of him.
“How’s Sara taking it?” And with that Josh tells him about how his wife had squealed excitedly upon reading the articles about Jensen and Jared’s secret love life. The longer Jensen listens to his brother talking, the calmer he gets. It’s good to have Josh on his side.
When the call is over and Jensen stares at the dark display of his cell phone, he takes one, two, three deep breaths and dials the land line of his parent’s house. It rings three times and then his mum picks up.
“Ackles?” She sounds tired, like she didn’t get any sleep at all. At once Jensen feels even guiltier about the whole situation.
“Hi mum!” His greeting takes her by surprise, there’s the sound of her taking a deep breath.
And then she softly whispers into the phone, “Jensen.”
continue: Part Five
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: 3,030 (12,645)
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 Four
When his phone rings and wakes him up Jensen is momentarily confused about his whereabouts.. The ringing continues, and he untangles himself enough to be able to reach for the cell blinking and vibrating on the night stand. Chris’s name on the display surprises him, and he picks up curious as to why his friend calls him at this time of the day.
“Chris?” His voice is rough with sleep. Jared and Chad had played for a long time, and it had been around one when Jensen had taken his leave from the two, and made for his bed.
“Dude, what is going on out there in LA?” The accusing tone of voice freezes him. He doesn’t understand why Chris is this confrontational. Most of all, he can’t understand what he’s referring to.
“What are you talking about?” He slowly sits up and rubs over his eyes. The morning light is filtering through the blinds and bathing the room in twilight.
“What am I talking about? I’m talking about fucking paparazzi showing up and asking me about your and Jared fucking Padalecki’s relationship.” At this Jensen’s heart stops for a second. There’s the feeling of ice cold dread stabbing into him.
“What are you talking about, Chris?” His voice is tight with the growing panic. Jensen gets up from the bed but has to sit down again. He closes his eyes, hoping that when he opens them again, everything will only be a bad dream.
“Fuck, Jensen, you and Padalecki made the headlines in all the gossip rags. There’s talk about you having moved in with him, and there are pictures of the two of you, and of the dogs, and… Jensen, what is going on?” His friend sounds less angry and more concerned now.
“I’m just visiting. He invited me to stay with him while I’m in town with AE. I told you about it and you told me that I’m unnecessarily torturing myself.” The panicky feeling is stronger now, but Jensen forces himself to calm down again. “I don’t know what you read or what they said, but it’s bullshit.”
“Usually I would agree with that, but I know how you feel about Jared Padalecki. Promise me, Jensen, that you won’t do anything stupid, and be that idiot’s gay rebound or anything.” If the idea of Jared rebounding with Jensen wasn’t that stupid, Jensen would make that promise in a heartbeat, so the only reaction to his friend’s words is laughter. “Jensen!”
“Dude, chill out. First off, there’s nothing to rebound from, and second, why would he ever want to use me for that. He doesn’t even like guys.” Jensen once more laughs about the sheer idea of Jared coming on to him. It’s ridiculous.
“Promise me, Jensen.” Chris’s voice is getting steely again. He’s serious about it, and he wants Jensen to be on the same page as him.
“I promise, Chris.” It’s any easy enough thing to do, since it’s unrealistic anyway.
“No fooling around, giving in to his charms, or letting the guy walk all over your.” Jensen appreciates his friends worry about him. Even if it’s unfounded.
“Nothing of it, I promise you that I’ll keep on pining silently, and refuse any advances from my lecherous host.” Even though he’s being sarcastic, he knows that Chris can read between the lines.
“Just, you know.” Yeah, be careful. “Don’t be an idiot.”
“Thanks.” Jensen walks to the bathroom, and switches on the lights. He squints a little and then he walks up to the shower. “I’ll call you.”
“Do that.” He knows that Chris will be calling again if he doesn’t. “Bye.”
“Bye.” He sets the phone aside and strips, stepping into the shower, and letting the lukewarm water wash away the last remnants of sleep, and the shock of Chris’s call.
Afterwards he towels himself dry and puts on some fresh clothes. When he steps out of his room, the house is all quiet. Just like yesterday Dean is nowhere to be found, and Jensen knows that he’ll find him with Jared and his dogs down at the beach. After the news he just received he doesn’t know if Jared is the first person he wants to see in the morning. He’s got to sort through everything and deal with it before that.
So, the kitchen is his first stop. He finds himself navigating the way through the house without hesitation. Apparently he can get used to huge villas.
Linda is standing in front of the stove, and there’s the smell of eggs, and toast and coffee. He pads into the room and heads for his stool at the breakfast counter.
“Morning.” At his greeting she turns around, carefully scanning his face, as if she’s looking for something. His stomach drops. She knows. She’s read the articles about him and Jared and now she doesn’t like him. Jensen decides that the kitchen wasn’t a good place to start the day.
“Morning.” She pours a cup of coffee and sets it down in front of him. Next follow a glass of OJ, and scrambled eggs with some toasted bread. Instead of turning back to what she had been working, Linda stays standing there, facing him, her arms crossed over her chest.
Jensen doesn’t know how to proceed. He’s no longer interested in the food or the coffee; it would only make him vomit. His stomach is too nervous right now. The tension has him hunch his shoulders and stare at the full plate in front of him. He toys with his cutlery, pushing the fork around.
When he doesn’t say anything, Linda sighs heavily and takes the fork he’s been playing with. She puts it on the plate with the food and moves everything even closer to him. “Eat something.”
He reacts instinctively, grabbing the fork, but then he doesn’t want to load it with any food. He really has no appetite anymore.
“Jensen, eat something. Stop being so melodramatic, and eat some breakfast.” She huffs with indignation. “If you want to be a friend of Jared, you have to grow a thicker skin. There will always be people talking shit about him, about you, and about him and you. This is not the end of the world.”
Her words calm him somewhat down. He takes a bite from the dry toast and has a fork of scrambled eggs. “It’s good.”
His mumbled compliment is ignored for some more advice.
“Let me tell you something. I haven’t seen this boy relaxed and happy in years. The whole movie business, and the end of his relationship with Sandy were, and still are, hard on him, even if he pretends it’s not. So, when he returned from Alaska, all upset because he had to leave his best friend,” at that Jensen looks up stunned, “yes, he said best friend. He really missed you and the dogs. For days it was Jensen this, Dean that. He needs all the moral support he can get, and I think that you like him as well.”
The only problem is that Jensen likes Jared differently than Jared likes Jensen. He enjoys being friends with him, but the truth is that he has stronger feelings than mere friendship. Even if he’s well aware that nothing can come from them, the longing will always be there. Has been there since high school.
Jensen looks back at his breakfast but nods his agreement. He can’t bring himself yet to say what she wants to hear. After Chris’s warning, and her advice, he has to find his centre again. At the moment he feels like he’s being tossed around by everything that’s happening.
“Just, don’t let something like this get to you. He’s a person the public is interested in, and as such there will always be someone watching what he does, interpreting what they are seeing.” With this she turns away from him again, and continues puttering around.
Now that she’s no longer staring at him, Jensen can look up again. The reason why this gets to him, even if Linda says that it shouldn’t, is that Jensen is just not used to it. Back at school, when he was invisible, something like being targeted by the media never even occurred to him in his wildest dreams. Even later on with his publicity work for AE, the only interest magazines and documentaries had was the mission, the project, never Jensen Ackles.
With this sudden focus on his person, Jensen feels threatened, more like cornered. Like people are pointing at him, and judging who he is and what he does. He really doesn’t like this feeling.
Even though he tries his best, he can only eat a small portion of the food Linda had prepared for him, and then he says his goodbye and heads for the beach. Maybe talking to Jared about the situation is the best thing to do. With him being a famous star, he’s much more experienced with situations like the one Jensen finds himself in.
It’s cooler than the day before. When he reaches the sand, Jensen walks into the direction Jared and the dogs had come from the day before. A strong breeze blows sand against his feet, and he checks the sky for storm or rain clouds. There are flimsy white clouds that look more like torn shreds than full and fluffy cotton balls.
Jensen continues walking down the beach , closer to the surf. Some of the waves lap at his feet, wetting them just enough that the sand can stick to them.
Where the rocks reach into the water, a thin path trails up and into a wooded area. Jensen sits down on a boulder at the bottom of the path and looks out over the sea. He doesn’t sit there for long before he can hear the sound of barking. Soon after that, Dean appears at the top of the rocks. When he sees Jensen, he yips happily and runs towards him.
The dog jumps up, covering Jensen’s face with kisses, showing him that he missed his human. There’s the sound of more barking and then Harley and Sadie are at his feet, slinking around, unsure if they are allowed to jump Jensen as well. He pats his chest, and Harley is all over him, excited and happy.
“Careful, once you let them, they’ll never stop slobbering all over you.” Jared is the last one to come down the path. He’s flushed from the exercise, and his t-shirt is sticking to his chest. There is a cautious look in his eyes, and he seems hesitant to meet Jensen’s gaze.
“Have a good run?” Apparently Jared is not as sure about the situation as Jensen thought he would be. Truth is he had expected Jared to joke about it, and tell Jensen that he shouldn’t worry about the articles and the rumors.
“Yeah, we ran the longer route.” When Jared starts to squirm he decides to put an end to this awkwardness.
“We’re friends, right?” His question is answered by enthusiastic nodding. “Let’s just forget about the fucked up start of this day.”
“Awesome.” And just like that Jensen has done two things. He’s given Jared an out, allowing him to forget about the hubbub without having to talk about it, and he’s made it even harder for himself to be honest about his feelings for Jared. In the end though, knows that it is the best solution.
“D’you have to work today?” Jared is sitting down next to him. The body heat is welcome warmth against the cooling breeze.
“Yeah, I have to head over to the studio in the afternoon. It’s going to be a night shoot.” They stay on the boulder for some more time, not talking, just watching the dogs chase around, occasionally bounding up to them to try and coax either Jared or Jensen into joining their game.
When Jensen starts to shiver from the fresh breeze, because even someone used to arctic temperatures needs warmer clothes than a thin t-shirt, they head back to the house. Linda is no longer in the kitchen, but a huge pot is simmering on the stove, the smell of soup scenting the air.
Jared wants to take a shower, and Jensen needs a sweater or a warmer shirt, so they head to the bedrooms. While Jared is busy getting clean, Jensen checks his cell phone, and finds three missed calls (Steve, Mike, and Gabe) and five messages (Chris, Mac, Josh, Mac, and Danneel). Apparently today’s gossip headlines made it even to Alaska.
Since his sister left two very colorful demands of an explanation, Jensen decides to call her first. After putting on a thin sweater he sits down on the bed, and calls Mac. The phone doesn’t even ring twice before it’s picked up.
“Jensen?” Mac’s voice is a little bit muted by the phone’s connection, but even so her volume has him cringe.
“Hi, Mac.” He doesn’t even get the chance to say any more.
“What the heck is going on with you and Jared Padalecki?” She sounds worried, confused and indignant. The mix is rather amusing.
“Nothing is going on. I told you that he invited me to stay at his place while going to LA, and a couple of photographers took pictures of us while he was playing tour guide.” There’s the sound of scratching at the door, followed by a low whine. He gets up and lets Dean into the room, closely followed by Jared’s dogs.
The three of them jump onto the bed and curl around Jensen when he sits down again.
“A friend called me at night and told me to check this online article out. She said that it says that you and Jared are a couple.” More confusion now.
“I haven’t seen the pictures or read the article, but I can assure you that whatever they wrote is not true.” Dean buries his nose in Jensen’s crotch and closes his eyes. “Jared and I are friends. Besides, Jared’s straight. Why should he go on a date with a guy?”
“How should I know?” Mac is getting more worked up again. “The first article I saw was all ‘who’s the stranger with Jared Padalecki’, but someone must have recognised you and done some really quick research. Suddenly there’s talk about the openly gay environmental activist. And then there are rumors about a secret long term relationship.”
“Mac, calm down. It’s all crap and you know it.” Jensen closes his eyes and wonders what his friends and family must be thinking about him. “I met Jared when he and his colleagues were sent to the station for the boot camp, and he left after four weeks, during which nothing happened, we’re just friends.”
“But they know about you and him going to the same school.” There’s the sound of people talking in the background.
“Are mum and dad with you?” Talking to his parents is the one thing Jensen fears the most. It’s not about him being gay, because his parents know about that since he referred to one of the men on a photo he took at an expedition, as his partner. After a short discussion and some explanations it had been clear, what exactly the term partner entailed.
“No, I’m at Josh’s. He wants to talk with you.” Josh is the next person on the list of people he doesn’t want to talk about this mess.
“Okay, hand me over.” There is the rustle of the phone being passed form one person to the other, and then Josh’s voice is filling his ear.
“What’s up, little brother?” Jensen knows that the innocent question is only a lead-in for the real talk Josh wants to have. Deciding to stop beating around the bush, he goes for the horns.
“How bad is it? Be honest.” Jensen can hear Jared talking in the corridor. He thinks he recognises Jack as the other person outside.
“Well, so far I have never had anything of the likes to compare it to. Mum called me in the morning. Apparently Mrs. Burns saw a picture of you and Jared on TV. It was in the god damned morning show.” At least Josh doesn’t sound angry. But Jensen knows that all the questions and looks his family must be getting is weighing on them. “At eight a news reporter showed up at my door and asked for a comment. I just closed the door in his face. That was before I even knew what’s going on.”
It’s even worse than Jensen feared. His siblings and his parents are being harassed because they can’t get to Jensen himself.
Somehow he’s glad that Chris called him so early, because otherwise he wouldn’t even have known about the chaos that’s raging outside the world of casa Padalecki. It’s like behind the estate’s security gate you’re living in a different time zone.
“I’m sorry about the mess. I never wanted this to happen.” Somehow that makes it sound like something’s actually going on. “Not like anything happened to begin with.”
“You should call mum and dad and let them know that you’re alright. They’re worried.” Jensen promises that he will. Even though he fears talking to them, he knows that he can’t ignore the predicament they are in because of him.
“How’s Sara taking it?” And with that Josh tells him about how his wife had squealed excitedly upon reading the articles about Jensen and Jared’s secret love life. The longer Jensen listens to his brother talking, the calmer he gets. It’s good to have Josh on his side.
When the call is over and Jensen stares at the dark display of his cell phone, he takes one, two, three deep breaths and dials the land line of his parent’s house. It rings three times and then his mum picks up.
“Ackles?” She sounds tired, like she didn’t get any sleep at all. At once Jensen feels even guiltier about the whole situation.
“Hi mum!” His greeting takes her by surprise, there’s the sound of her taking a deep breath.
And then she softly whispers into the phone, “Jensen.”
continue: Part Five