The Word of Us (Part Six)
Title: The Word of Us - Part Six
Author: Surevesta
Artist: Spn_2008
Genre: CW RPS
Pairing: J2 + many other common RPS pairings
Rating: NC17
Word Count: 6559
Warnings: “Homophobia”, AU Religious elements
Summary: When Jared Padalecki headed off to college he thought he was going to get an education and eventually mate with a nice girl his Mama would be proud to call daughter. He never expected to lock eyes with Jensen Ackles and have his whole world turned upside down.
After spending a week with his family, mourning the passing of his grandparents, the last thing Jensen expected was to come home to his roommate in the throes of a mating fever. Taking the high road, he moved out. Unable to find an apartment at such short notice he found himself moving back into the dorms and rooming with a freshman named Jared.
Previous Part | Master Post | Art Post
Part Six
“To be separated from ones mate, for longer than the
time it takes for the sun to cross the horizon once, should be
avoided as much as possible for to be apart is to be missing a limb.
Your mate is the second half of your soul.”
The Word - Lucas sec 15 line 12
Dropping Jensen off at the car rental shop and watching him drive off was one of the hardest things Jared had ever done. Even though he knew it would only be a week and a couple days till he saw his mate again, that didn’t make it any easier for him.
Sitting down with his brother, Megan, and Leah had probably been the second hardest thing, but that had come close to topping it. At least his mother hadn’t come to investigate what was going on-she was too focused on organizing events on the phone downstairs. Jared had two more parties to attend before Celebration, and that wasn’t including the church event the night before the holiday.
Leah had been the voice of reason during the discussion, and for that Jared was thankful. He was also extremely glad that his brother had mated with her, an opinion he hadn’t had the first time they met years ago. She was a sweet girl and very logical, too. Rather than act on her disbelief, she insisted they all sit down and talk things through-ask and answer questions. Plus, she knew exactly what to ask regarding the mating bond, but then she was almost finished with her nursing degree and was specializing in mating, and the testing that was done following the fever to check and classify the bond.
In the end, Jeff had to accept that Jensen was Jared’s mate, even if he hadn’t wanted to and didn’t understand how it was possible. There was still disbelief evident in how he’d eyed them, watching their every move, until they’d headed out the door to go to the rental store, but Jared couldn’t fault him for that. His world had just been turned upside down, and that was something Jared understood very well.
Megan, on the other hand, had been much more accepting of them and to some extent had been rather excited at the prospect of Jensen being a part of their family-even if it was as Jared’s mate and not hers. Although she had been a little curious and worried as well; at one point she’d gasped, interrupting something Jensen was saying to Leah in order to ask, “What if I mate with a girl?!”. Overall she'd taken it pretty well and had been pretty supportive, Leah too.
Arriving home after watching Jensen drive off was almost more difficult than telling them in the first place. His bond was stretching, fading to the point that he could barely feel Jensen’s emotions peeking through over the distance again.
“You okay?” Megan asked, biting her lip as she opened the door, before he could even slip his key into the lock.
He blinked at her, startled, and smiled a bit. Reaching out he ruffled her hair, causing her to scowl at him and try to press her frizzy curls down flat. “Yeah, it’s just a bit difficult at first.”
“Does it hurt?” Her lips twisted with worry as she stepped back to let him in.
Jared frowned. “Hurt?” It dawned on him then, what she meant, and he shook his head. “No! No . . . it’s just different. I miss him and-”
“Miss who?” His mother appeared, drying her hands with a towel as she walked into the room. “Oh good, you’re home. Mrs. Bledel just called and asked if we could bring some finger foods tonight, berries or vegetables . . . or even some melons if the store has some. Would you mind picking them up?”
Jared sighed, wincing a little, but nodded, “Yeah, I-”
“Actually he can’t.” Jeff’s voice startled him. Looking up he spotted his brother and Leah coming down the stairs. “I’m taking him and Meg out for some sibling bonding tonight. It’s been a while since we last hung out, just the three of us.” He smiled at them before turning to their mother. “I figured we could get some food and go to the movies or something.”
“Well,” she frowned, looking between her sons. “I did promise Mrs. Bledel. What if-”
“There’s only going to be, what, two or three girls Jared hasn’t met before at this party?” Jeff looked over at his brother and rolled his eyes a little. “He’s more likely to meet someone going out with us. I’m sure these girls will be at one of the other parties this week anyway. And if not, then it isn’t meant to be.”
“Please Mama?” Megan piped in, jumping a little on her toes. “Jeff and Jared are never here at the same time . . . it’s been forever since we had fun together!”
Sighing, Sharon nodded, relenting, “Oh all right . . . I guess. Just nothing above Megan’s age level.”
Megan scowled at that, and Jared chuckled a little, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.
“I’m serious. She doesn’t need to have certain things in her mind, corrupting her.” Sharon glanced between them. “It’s bad enough you two don’t listen to me all the time. I don’t need her following in your footsteps.”
“Sharon,” Leah interrupted, stepping forward, “I’d love to help you with the food for tonight, if you’d like? After all, you did promise Mrs. Bledel. It’d be horrible to leave her out to dry.
A smile lit up his mother’s face, and she nodded. “Thank you, hon. It’s good to know I can count on someone in this family.”
Leah sidled up to her and started a discussion about what they should buy and how they dhould cut and arrange it, leading her out of the room and towards the kitchen.
“Thank you.” Jared turned to his brother. There was so much relief flowing through him that Jensen could probably feel it miles away.
“Don’t mention it.” Jeff settled a hand on his shoulder and sighed. “I figure we still need to talk,” he glanced at Megan before meeting Jared’s eyes dead on, a small smile tugging the edge of his lips up, “and it has been a while since we spent time together Now is as good a time as any to get to know my little brother again, especially with all the changes going on in your life.”
“A parent’s home should always be open,
ready to welcome their children to sit before the hearth
no matter what length of time has passed.”
The Word - Sansori sec 11 line 10
The last time Jensen was home it had been to say goodbye to his grandmother as she made arrangements in order to follow her mate into the afterlife. In some ways that had been a joyous occasion, knowing that your loved one was rejoining their other half in a better place. But now, after everything he’d learned, Jensen was starting to doubt the veracity of the faith he’d been brought up in. It was hard not to, even after all the points Billy had made to them during their mentoring discussions that tried to lend credence to the faith-the man was still a staunch believer after mating with Dominic-that told them his relationship with Jared was impossible and blasphemy to claim.
If the portion of the word that claimed same-sex couples did not and could never exist was wrong, how could any of it be right? It was a difficult conundrum, and he was still dealing with it, unsure as to what he should think anymore.
Jensen’s parents lived up in Richardson, a suburb of Dallas; in a nice, two story house that they’d been in since he turned eleven. They’d moved when his sister was four, wanting her to have a room all to herself without having to make Jensen and his older brother, Josh, share. There were two cars parked in the drive when he pulled up, his father’s old pickup, which had served as a first car for both Jensen and his brother, and his mother’s SUV. That meant his dad was probably still at work.
Climbing out, he snagged his luggage from the back seat and headed towards the house. He wasn’t even to the front steps, before the door opened and a blond-blur was ramming into his middle, arms slotting around his waist, face burrowing into his chest with a delighted squeal. Jensen stumbled back a few steps, nearly dropping his bags.
“You’re home!” Mackenzie grinned up at him.
“Hey, Mack.” He dropped his bags and wrapped his arms around her, lifting her off the ground and squeezing tightly.
She squealed and slapped at his back, before he finally let her go. “Loser! You never answered my emails!”
“Yeah I did.” He frowned at her, knowing full well what she was getting at.
“Half a sentence is not an answer!” She pouted at him, stepping back and placing her hands on her hips.
“And an email filled with middle school gossip isn’t all that interesting.”
Jensen glanced up at the new voice and smiled. His mother was standing on the porch, watching them with a smile on her face.
“Mooom!” Mackenzie turned to her, pouting indignantly.
“I kind of have to agree, pipsqueak.” Jensen leaned down and grabbed his bags from the ground. “High school, on the other hand, is when things actually start to get interesting.” He winked at her and got an eye roll in response.
“Come on in.” His mother waved him towards the house. “I put clean sheets on your bed, and your sister dusted. I’d leave the window open for a bit to make sure it airs out . . . it’s been too long since you were home.
“I was here over the summer.” He ducked his head and followed her into the house.
She was quiet for a moment and then turned towards him. “It wasn’t the same, Jensen. You know that.”
The mood in the room changed slightly, and he nodded, adjusting his grip on his bags. “Yeah, I know.”
Very little about the house had changed; it was still homey with a bit too much clutter trying to pass for decorations on every surface. His room was almost exactly the way it had been in high school. There were photos, neatly spaced out on every wall along with a couple of sports posters. The desk was clean-even cleaner than his dorm room desk thanks to disuse-but there was a stack of books on one side, titles that had been required reading for his senior year English class.
He dropped his bags near the closet and eyed the room. It was little chilly due to the open window, but not too cold. The bed was made up nicely, only a few wrinkles around the edges. Sighing, he grabbed his backpack and moved to the desk to set up his computer.
The events of that morning were still ringing through the back of his mind, and it was hard for him to believe that they had gone even as well as they’d seemed to. When Jensen had left his mate’s family home, Jeff had still been standoffish to him, a stark contrast to his welcoming smile and handshake from just the day before.
Jared wasn’t online, but he did have an email from him. Apparently he was spending the evening with his siblings. Chewing on the inside of his cheek, Jensen typed back a short reply. Hopefully they’d both have time-and space-to talk on the phone for a bit later that night. They had yet to really discuss everything, and Jensen wanted to make sure things were going okay for Jared now that Jeff, Megan, and Leah knew the truth.
A knock on the door startled him from his thoughts. Switching his browser quickly to a search engine, he turned towards the door. “Come in.”
“Hey.” Mackenzie pushed the door open. “Mom wanted me to tell you we’re meeting dad, Josh, and Shelly at some French sounding place in about an hour for dinner. She said you should wear something nice and respectable.”
“Nice and respectable?” Jensen raised an eyebrow, pushing his chair back from the desk and turning to her.
She slipped into the room, leaned against the door jamb, and shrugged. “That’s what she said. I think she meant, like, slacks and-”
“I got it.” Jensen smiled, chuckling as he waved a hand to interrupt her. “No jeans or missing buttons.”
“Right,” Mackenzie nodded and wrinkled her nose. “She’s making me wear a skirt.”
“Oh, no! It’s the end of the world!”
Shse glared at him and stepped away from the door, placing her hands on her hips. “Not funny.”
“Yeah,” Jensen nodded, grin widening, “it kind of is.”
“Why can’t we just eat at home?” Her lips twisted into a pout, and she crossed her arms. “Or at Mitchel's?”
“It’s the holidays, and there aren’t any kids in the family anymore.” Jensen leaned back in the chair, settling his arms on the rests. “If Mom and Dad want to have a fancy holiday dinner with the family, then we shouldn’t complain . . . besides, have you looked up the menu for this place?”
“No.” Mackenzie frowned and tilted her head, eyes slanting. “Why?”
“Well, Miss Chocoholic, you should look up the desert menu. If it’s the place I’m thinking of they have flourless chocolate cake to die for . . . and I’m sure with a little bit of effort on your part,” he mimed a puppy-dog face, “Dad’ll buy it for you.”
“For on this day God sent his mate to us,
to show us the correct way in which to live
and the manner in which our destined
mates should be treated.”
The Word - Lucas sec 1 line 4
Jensen only been to Aile d'Ange once and that was for his graduation dinner. Both sets of his grandparents, parents, and Josh and Shelly had all been there. Mackenzie, at ten years old, had been left with a babysitter for the evening. It was just as fancy, if not more so due to some remodeling, as he remembered it being.
His dad was waiting for them when they arrived, and they were seated at a table near a long window that had a nice view of the city and the setting sun. Josh and his mate arrived a few minutes after they were already seated, and Jensen’s eyes widened in surprise when he saw them. He wasn’t sure if he should get up or stay seated to greet them, but chose the latter.
“Hey bro.” Josh smiled at him, settling a hand on his shoulder after helping Shelly into her seat.
“Congratulations?” Jensen ventured, a smile working its way onto his face.
“Thanks.” Josh had the grace to look ashamed. “We were going to tell you earlier but . . .” he trailed off, looking at his mate who rolled her eyes.
“It was touch and go for a while.” She glanced down at her hands. “We didn’t tell anyone till just a few weeks ago.”
Jensen nodded. This wasn’t Shelly’s first pregnancy, and the last time had been really rough, to put it mildly. They’d lost the baby at about twenty six weeks, and they’d already told everyone about it and made up a nursery, when she’d miscarried.
“The doctor has her on a pretty strict-”
“Everything,” Shelly interrupted with a slight huff. To Jensen it didn’t look as if she was actually all that annoyed with it, though, more like she was providing a typical retort.
Josh smiled and nodded, reaching out to take her hand in his. “He said everything is looking good now, so hopefully it will all work out well.”
“That’s great,” Jensen nodded, and he was saved from pressing forward with the conversation by the waiter arriving.
The evening went like any other family gather from then on, gossip about family and friends and news about acquaintances-especially people Jensen grew up with, and whether or not they’d mated yet-was the mainstay of the conversation. Mackenzie piped in a couple times, trying to direct the conversation into areas she cared about or to relay major events related to school or her own friends and their families. Turned out a couple of Jensen’s friends from high school had mated, one of whom had done so recently and he was invited to join in the mating celebration the week after next. He shook his head, declining. Jensen was only planning to stay for a little over a week, and, if he did stay, it was likely that it’d be another three weeks till he saw Jared. And that just wasn’t something he could live with.
After dinner, and a very delicious desert, they headed home. On the way to the car, Josh caught his arm, stopping him a ways back from their family.
“Are you all right?”
Jensen blinked and raised an eyebrow. “What?”
“Are you all right?” Josh repeated, his eyes scrutinizing Jensen’s response.
“Of course, why wouldn’t I be?”
“You just seem . . .” Josh trailed off before sighing. “Different.”
Jensen’s insides froze and he wondered what he’d been doing, how he’d been acting that had thrown up alarm bells for his brother. “Dude, it’s been months since we last saw each other and years since we spent a lot of time together. Of course I’ve changed.”
“No, it’s not-” Josh stopped again. “Have you . . . no. You would have said if you did.”
“Have I what?” Jensen’s brow furrows and he frowned.
“Nothing,” Josh shook his head. He looked up when Shelly called his name from where she was waiting next to their car. “I should get going. Call me though, we should hang out. Like you said, it’s been a long time.”
“Will do,” Jensen nodded and watched as his brother walked off before jogging to catch up with his parents and Mackenzie.
“Celebration Day has been observed for nearly a thousand
years in its current incarnation. While some of the exact traditions
have been adapted over time, it harkens back to the same story.
The story of God sending his beloved Mate to live among us and show
us the ills of how mates of differing social classes were treated and how
domination and submission were not the correct way to treat
God’s greatest gift to us: the uniting of men and women in mated pairs.”
Excerpt from the History of Celebration Day
Ronald M. Milson. New York: Horizon Press, 2001
Celebration Day, or just Celebration, was a big deal. It marked the end of an era, and the beginning of a new. It wasn’t the same as the New Year, although Jared often wondered why the two holidays couldn’t just be combined to save money and time. They woke up early on Celebration morning, his mother insisting they go to church in order to take part in the early service-even though they’d gone the night before-in order to celebrate God’s Mate being sent down to Earth in order to put humanity back on the correct course.
It was a quiet morning and rather uneventful. The pastor went through his usual sermon, they recited the usual prayers, and accepted the communion-a symbol of God’s connection to humanity for sacrificing his Mate. There was a short meet and greet near the end, wherein all those who had yet to mate of suitable age were asked to come up front while everyone chatted for a few moments. Just before returning to their seats, the pastor had the congregation pray over them, a yearly ceremony to bless them so they would, hopefully, find their mate in the year to come.
They didn’t stay for brunch, much to his mother’s chagrin, as both sets of his grandparents were driving into town, and his father wanted to make sure they were home before they arrived. When it came to Grandpa Padalecki, you never knew if he was going to be two hours early or three hours later than he’d said. He was never on time.
Getting away from the hustle and bustle of the church was fine with Jared. It wasn’t like he was looking for a mate, and it seemed like every time he turned around someone was trying to set up a time for him to meet yet another unmated relative or friend, or friend of a friend. The whole experience was awkward as could be, and he was tired of it.
While Jeff had saved him that one night, his mother hadn’t relented at all. In fact, Jared could have sworn she was working double time to find more parties and meet ups for him to attend. He was half tempted to just tell her about Jensen, but he knew that would be a really bad idea. Not only was she unlikely to believe him, but when she finally did, she’d be utterly heart broken. Jared loved his Mama, and the last thing he wanted to do was hurt her, no matter how obnoxious she was being.
It wasn’t until just before midnight that he finally got a moment away from the festivities to call Jensen. Between his grandparents, aunts, uncles, parents, cousins, and siblings . . . his day had been chocked full of things to do and people to talk with. Most of his family left for their own homes or hotels just after ten, though, and then he had spent a little under an hour helping clean up after everyone.
He dropped onto his bed as he hit the first speed dial and pressed his cell phone to his ear. It only rang one and a half times, before the ring tone was interrupted and Jensen’s low voice answered.
“Hey.”
“Hey,” Jared answered, a smile tugging the edges of his lips up. While they might not have been within touching distance or close enough to feel each other’s emotions, hearing Jensen’s voice in his ear still made him feel better. “How was your Celebration Day?”
“S’alright. Would have been better if . . .”
“Yeah, it would have.” He agreed, breathing out a sigh. Idly, Jared wondered if they’d ever be able to celebrate the holiday together. Rolling onto his side, he adjusted the phone to rest against his other ear. “Miss you.”
“Me too.” Jensen was quiet for a moment and Jared could hear fabric rustling on the other end of the line. “What’d you get?”
“Hmm?” Jared hummed as his free hand scratched over his chest. “Oh, a couple hundred dollars and a few gift cards. How do you feel about Red Robin?”
“I could go for a hamburger,” Jensen yawned, static rustling over the line as he spoke.
“What about you?”
“The same only most of the gift cards are for places like Wal-Mart or Target,” chuckling, Jensen continued, “apparently I need some new clothes.”
Jared laughed at that. While Jensen wasn’t by any means the most fashionable person, and he also tended not to throw any of his old clothes out, he wasn’t in dire need of anything. Plus he was meticulous about mending things if they wore too much. “you should get Danneel to go with you . . . maybe find something suitable for job interviews this summer.”
“Why Danneel?”
“Because she does all the shopping for her and Elisabeth.” Jared raised an eyebrow. “Don’t tell me you haven’t noticed the difference between their outfits, and the fact that Danneel is always looking at the magazines around. Elisabeth practically tosses them away in disgust if she even touches them.”
“Since when do you know about fashion . . . and why did you notice that?”
“I don’t,” he paused for a moment. The silence was a telltale sign that Jensen was quirking his eyebrow skeptically. “Billy told me.”
“Ah ha!” Jensen’s grin was audible. “Knew it.”
Jared stretched, holding the phone away as he yawned. “How many people were over there today? I swear we had around thirty here.” He was exaggerating a bit, but then his house wasn’t that big, so even fifteen to twenty people made it seem over crowded.
“Just my Dad’s parents, my parents, Josh and Shelly, and my Mom’s sister.” Jensen was quiet for a moment. “My Mom’s sister doesn’t have a mate.”
Jared sat up a little, leaning on his elbow. “Oh?”
“Yeah. I wasn’t sure how to broach the subject though . . . so I didn’t. I was afraid of what would happen if I was wrong. Plus I’ve never really heard of her hanging out with anyone, specifically another woman that is.”
Jared nodded to himself. “Sometimes, rarely, people just don’t mate.”
“That’s why I didn’t want to bring it up,” Jensen agreed. “I didn’t want to be wrong and make her feel even worse than she already does about being alone.” He was quiet for a moment. “Even without you by my side, I know you’re there. I can’t imagine what it must be like for those who don’t have a mate or who lost them too soon.”
“Probably a bit lonely.” Jared leaned back against his pillow, thinking. “But then they wouldn’t know the difference if they haven’t mated yet. How could they? Maybe . . . maybe they don’t miss it at all, because they’ve never felt it in the first place.”
There was a moment of silence then. It wasn’t awkward; rather, they were just enjoying the knowledge that they were both there, able to communicate even if it wasn’t face to face.
“What time are you going to be arriving Tuesday?” Jared asked finally.
“I was thinking I’d leave here around eight or nine. I’ll grab something to eat in Temple or Georgetown and get there around one or two, maybe a little later.”
Jared ‘hmm’ed, “That’d give us part of the afternoon and all evening . . .” he trailed off, biting his lip. “Jeff wants to get to know you.”
There was a slight pause before Jensen spoke again, “What?”
“He wants to get to know you. Say’s it’s his ‘brotherly duty’ or something, since you’re my mate.” Jared snorted, rolling his eyes. “He said something about how ‘since I couldn’t mate the right way, he’d have to make it up as we went along’. He does want to do something akin to the meet and greet part of the mating celebration, even if it’s just the five of us.” When Jensen didn’t say anything right away, he continued, “Is that all right?”
“Course it is! I just,” Jensen sighed, “I didn’t actually expect him to be willing to hang out with me for long. Not right away, anyway.”
“Neither did I. He’s trying, though, and that counts for something, right?”
“Yeah . . .”
“How do you think your family would take it?” Jared asked, voice lowering in volume and pitch as he heard a door slam shut somewhere.
“I don’t know. I think-I think Josh might suspect something is up.” He waited for Jensen to continue, and after a moment he did. “He pulled me aside the night I showed up and I’ve been trying to avoid him since, but he cornered me tonight to make plans. We’re hanging out tomorrow for some sort of ‘brotherly bonding’.” Jensen snorted. “He’s dragging me to some bar or other. I’m probably going to end up being the designated driver.”
“Sounds fun . . . not.”
“At least if he ends up drunk he’ll probably forget all about his reasons for dragging me out of the house in the first place.”
“Do not oversaturate thyself in the pleasures
of the world, instead enjoy life’s pleasantries
with restraint and in proper accord with the rules
of the society in which one lives and God’s eyes.”
The Word - Sansori sec 3 line 5
It turned out Jensen was right. He did end up being the designated driver in the end, and Shelly was more than a bit annoyed with them, when he dropped his drunken brother off at their house. She’d offered him their couch-which was actually a futon-as they didn’t have a guest room, but he’d declined, instead heading back to his parents house for the remainder of the night.
The lights were off when he got home, and the house was dark. He went through the back door, knowing it would be the quietest point of entry and the least likely to wake anyone up. Stopping in the kitchen, he grabbed a glass and filled it with cool water from the tap, gulping half a glass down. While he hadn’t actually drunk any alcohol, the bar had been loud, and his ears were still ringing. Gulping down a glass or two somehow seemed to help with the resulting headache.
Leaning against the counter in front of the sink, he pulled out his cell and flipped it open. Using one hand he typed out a simple text message to Jared. Got home safe. Played DD, call me in the morning?
He got a reply less than a minute later, which put a smile on his face. Good. :) Sleep well. I’ll call around 9:30?
Ok. Miss you. Jensen sent back, sighing. He dropped his hand onto the counter and stared out the window into the back yard. It was early or late depending on the perspective, nearing two or three in the morning. Running his free hand over his face, he stared out into the dimly lit yard. The street lamps and other lights made it so the night wasn’t entirely pitch black, but that didn’t mean he could do more than make out the vague shapes of the trees in the back yard, the fence, and the hot tub his father had installed a few years ago.
A noise from behind him made him startle and turn around to come face to face with his mother. She was wearing a robe and blinking at him sleepily. “Jensen? Good, you’re home.”
“I’m sorry,” he apologized, smiling sheepishly. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”
“You didn’t,” she shook her head and moved to get a glass from the cupboard, “not really, anyway. I don’t sleep well when I know one of you kids is going to be back late. I worry.”
“Sorry.” Jensen stepped back so she could fill her cup at the sink.
“Nothing to be sorry about, sweetie.” She touched his arm, squeezing gently. “It’s a mother thing. Parent thing. You’ll understand one day.”
Swallowing, he looked away at that. Kids were something he had taken for granted growing up. They had always been a part of the plan, but then so had mating with a girl. The fact that he was with Jared had changed so many things. While he’d never really been sure if he wanted kids, the fact that the likelihood they’d be able to have them considering most adoption agencies wouldn’t look twice at them made him feel guilty when his mother or another family member brought it up. And it had been brought up a couple dozen times so far in the time he’d been home.
His phone buzzed in his hand, letting him know he’d received a text message. Flipping it open, he read it. Miss you, too. Sleep well!
“Who’s that?” His mother asked curiously before taking a sip from her glass.
“Jared,” he answered honestly and closed his phone, putting it away in his jacket pocket. “My roommate.”
“He’s the one you were visiting in San Antonio?”
Jensen nodded. “Yeah. His family is there. He was asking what time I’m planning on driving down there on Tuesday.”
“Ah,” she nodded and dumped the remainder of her water into the sink. Quirking an eyebrow she continued, “And he’s up this late?”
Blinking, he managed to stumble out an answer. “His Mom dragged him to some party I think . . . he got back a couple of hours ago, but he takes a while to wind down.”
“Must make things interesting.” She chuckled and he froze.
“What?”
“Having a roommate that can’t settle down.” She shook her head her head. “I guess I was lucky I met your father so early on. He sleeps like a rock. Although that can make things rather difficult-”
“Mom!” Jensen interrupted her, shaking his head, his eyes wide.
“I was going to say when he snores.” She smiled at him cheekily and patted his shoulder.
Jensen Ackles
5 mins away, ready to go?
Jared Padalecki
Yes. More than! Know where we’re going?
Jensen Ackles
Rental car comes with a TomTom, we’re good.
“God,” Jared groaned, stretching as Jensen stood and moved to the bathroom to retrieve a towel to clean them up with.
His mate’s eyes were at half0mast when he returned, glittering slightly in the fluorescent light from the lamp. They’d shut the blinds, blocking out as much as they could just in case. Jensen had booked the room, while Jared waited around the corner of the building for him to finish. Then they’d done their best not to be seen entering the room together. It had been ten or so minutes before Jared had finally followed him in, and, once he had, Jensen had taken the opportunity to push him up against the door, covering his mate’s lips with his own before trailing down his body and showing just how much he’d missed him.
“You aren’t going to fall asleep on me, are you?” Jensen asked as he ran the cloth over his mate, doing his best to clean him up.
Jared shifted to help him be able to reach everywhere. “Not trying to, but man . . . I think you wore me out.”
He snorted and rolled his eyes. “And which of us is the teenager here?”
“Stamina comes with age?”
“And how long will that last?” Jensen tossed the cloth to the side and settled down next to Jared, hooking a leg over Jared’s and resting his chin on his chest. He curled his toes into the insole of Jared’s foot and his mate pressed back against them.
“At least until you’re thirty.” Jared grinned at him. “I hear it’s all downhill from there.”
Rolling his eyes, Jensen turned his head to rest his cheek against Jared’s skin. He couldn’t see Jared’s face anymore, but his emotions were clearer than ever, filtering across the bond. Jensen had missed this so much, just being able to acutely feel his mate, and what was going on in his head. Being away from each other was like missing a limb, and he hated it. Abhorred it like nothing he’d ever thought of. Given a chance he’d never be away from Jared for the rest of his life.
Jared’s hand came up and started caressing his back, the fingers brushing up and down over his spine. “Just another week and a half, and we’ll be home.”
“S’torture,” Jensen murmured and pressed his lips against the warm, slightly damp skin in front of him. He sighed and lifted up to meet Jared’s eyes. “Did you talk to them about the summer internship?”
Elisabeth had sent Jared applications for several different internships at Nimoy & Shatner that he’d been interested in. All of them were within a forty five minute drive of campus-not that they’d be living on campus over the summer. They’d have to find other accommodation, once school let out.
Jensen knew Jared was already working on his parents, trying to convince them that moving into an apartment was a good idea. His mother wasn’t too enthused about the whole idea, since he’d be away from the dorm-a focal point for meeting eligible young women and thus possible mates.
“Yeah,” Jared nodded as he ran his hand up to cup Jensen’s cheek. “My Mama’s skeptical. I think she wanted me to come home for more social events.” He rolled his eyes. “My Dad actually thinks it’s a pretty good opportunity for me. I think he was surprised that I was interested in interning for a law or PR firm . . . but he thinks it’d be a good experience.”
“And that it’d look great on a resume?” Jensen chuckled as Jared nodded in response.
“That too.”
“Think that’ll help with the apartment issue?” He asked, tilting his head into Jared’s palm just enough that his nose brushed the curve of Jared’s thumb, and his lips brushed against skin.
Jared brushed his thumb over the thin skin beneath Jensen’s eye and shrugged. “Maybe. I hope it will. It would make things so much easier . . .” he trailed off and tilted Jensen’s face up as he awkwardly leaned forward to press their lips together. As he pulled away, he continued, “Jeff’s trying to convince them, too. I think he’s gotten more used to the idea and wants to help as much as possible.”
“Cool.” Jensen pressed his lips together and nodded. While Jeff still seemed to falter between acceptance and skepticism, he did seem to believe they were telling the truth. He couldn’t blame Jared's brother, and was actually really thankful that he knew. It meant things were a tad easier for his mate at home.
Sure, Jensen had been faced with a few social gatherings while at his parents, but the three he'd gone to were nothing compared with the five or more a week Jared had been inflicted with during his time in San Antonio. Between the larger evening parties and smaller meet ups. He was starting to suspect that his mother would have a much easier time accepting their situation than Jared’s. While his mom was invested in his future Jared’s mother was beyond invested in finding him a mate. It was actually a bit disturbing.
Not wanting to get up, let alone go anywhere, but also not wanting to get on the bad side of Jared’s mother, Jensen sighed. “What time were we supposed to be at your place again?”
“Six o’clock on the dot.” Jared groaned, tilting his head, so he could eye the clock on the bedside table. “Is that the right time?”
Jensen dropped his head to rest against Jared’s skin, nodding. “Sadly, I think it is.”
“Shit.” Jared cursed and Jensen grinned. When they had first met, it had been all Jared could do to avoid using anything worse than ‘shoot’, ‘crap’, and ‘dang’. “That doesn’t give us much time.”
“Hmmm.” Jensen lifted his head, glancing at the red, digital numbers. “Gives us plenty of time to shower . . .” grinning he quirked an eyebrow at his mate, “. . . together.”
“Oh?” Jared squinted a little as if he was trying to figure out the logistics. “Will we both fit in there?” It was a legitimate question. The motel they were at wasn’t exactly the best out there, and they were both rather tall.
“Only one way to find out.” Jensen pushed up and slid off the bed, looking over his shoulder as he headed to the small bathroom. “Coming?”
Next Part
Author: Surevesta
Artist: Spn_2008
Genre: CW RPS
Pairing: J2 + many other common RPS pairings
Rating: NC17
Word Count: 6559
Warnings: “Homophobia”, AU Religious elements
Summary: When Jared Padalecki headed off to college he thought he was going to get an education and eventually mate with a nice girl his Mama would be proud to call daughter. He never expected to lock eyes with Jensen Ackles and have his whole world turned upside down.
After spending a week with his family, mourning the passing of his grandparents, the last thing Jensen expected was to come home to his roommate in the throes of a mating fever. Taking the high road, he moved out. Unable to find an apartment at such short notice he found himself moving back into the dorms and rooming with a freshman named Jared.
Previous Part | Master Post | Art Post
Part Six
“To be separated from ones mate, for longer than the
time it takes for the sun to cross the horizon once, should be
avoided as much as possible for to be apart is to be missing a limb.
Your mate is the second half of your soul.”
The Word - Lucas sec 15 line 12
Dropping Jensen off at the car rental shop and watching him drive off was one of the hardest things Jared had ever done. Even though he knew it would only be a week and a couple days till he saw his mate again, that didn’t make it any easier for him.
Sitting down with his brother, Megan, and Leah had probably been the second hardest thing, but that had come close to topping it. At least his mother hadn’t come to investigate what was going on-she was too focused on organizing events on the phone downstairs. Jared had two more parties to attend before Celebration, and that wasn’t including the church event the night before the holiday.
Leah had been the voice of reason during the discussion, and for that Jared was thankful. He was also extremely glad that his brother had mated with her, an opinion he hadn’t had the first time they met years ago. She was a sweet girl and very logical, too. Rather than act on her disbelief, she insisted they all sit down and talk things through-ask and answer questions. Plus, she knew exactly what to ask regarding the mating bond, but then she was almost finished with her nursing degree and was specializing in mating, and the testing that was done following the fever to check and classify the bond.
In the end, Jeff had to accept that Jensen was Jared’s mate, even if he hadn’t wanted to and didn’t understand how it was possible. There was still disbelief evident in how he’d eyed them, watching their every move, until they’d headed out the door to go to the rental store, but Jared couldn’t fault him for that. His world had just been turned upside down, and that was something Jared understood very well.
Megan, on the other hand, had been much more accepting of them and to some extent had been rather excited at the prospect of Jensen being a part of their family-even if it was as Jared’s mate and not hers. Although she had been a little curious and worried as well; at one point she’d gasped, interrupting something Jensen was saying to Leah in order to ask, “What if I mate with a girl?!”. Overall she'd taken it pretty well and had been pretty supportive, Leah too.
Arriving home after watching Jensen drive off was almost more difficult than telling them in the first place. His bond was stretching, fading to the point that he could barely feel Jensen’s emotions peeking through over the distance again.
“You okay?” Megan asked, biting her lip as she opened the door, before he could even slip his key into the lock.
He blinked at her, startled, and smiled a bit. Reaching out he ruffled her hair, causing her to scowl at him and try to press her frizzy curls down flat. “Yeah, it’s just a bit difficult at first.”
“Does it hurt?” Her lips twisted with worry as she stepped back to let him in.
Jared frowned. “Hurt?” It dawned on him then, what she meant, and he shook his head. “No! No . . . it’s just different. I miss him and-”
“Miss who?” His mother appeared, drying her hands with a towel as she walked into the room. “Oh good, you’re home. Mrs. Bledel just called and asked if we could bring some finger foods tonight, berries or vegetables . . . or even some melons if the store has some. Would you mind picking them up?”
Jared sighed, wincing a little, but nodded, “Yeah, I-”
“Actually he can’t.” Jeff’s voice startled him. Looking up he spotted his brother and Leah coming down the stairs. “I’m taking him and Meg out for some sibling bonding tonight. It’s been a while since we last hung out, just the three of us.” He smiled at them before turning to their mother. “I figured we could get some food and go to the movies or something.”
“Well,” she frowned, looking between her sons. “I did promise Mrs. Bledel. What if-”
“There’s only going to be, what, two or three girls Jared hasn’t met before at this party?” Jeff looked over at his brother and rolled his eyes a little. “He’s more likely to meet someone going out with us. I’m sure these girls will be at one of the other parties this week anyway. And if not, then it isn’t meant to be.”
“Please Mama?” Megan piped in, jumping a little on her toes. “Jeff and Jared are never here at the same time . . . it’s been forever since we had fun together!”
Sighing, Sharon nodded, relenting, “Oh all right . . . I guess. Just nothing above Megan’s age level.”
Megan scowled at that, and Jared chuckled a little, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.
“I’m serious. She doesn’t need to have certain things in her mind, corrupting her.” Sharon glanced between them. “It’s bad enough you two don’t listen to me all the time. I don’t need her following in your footsteps.”
“Sharon,” Leah interrupted, stepping forward, “I’d love to help you with the food for tonight, if you’d like? After all, you did promise Mrs. Bledel. It’d be horrible to leave her out to dry.
A smile lit up his mother’s face, and she nodded. “Thank you, hon. It’s good to know I can count on someone in this family.”
Leah sidled up to her and started a discussion about what they should buy and how they dhould cut and arrange it, leading her out of the room and towards the kitchen.
“Thank you.” Jared turned to his brother. There was so much relief flowing through him that Jensen could probably feel it miles away.
“Don’t mention it.” Jeff settled a hand on his shoulder and sighed. “I figure we still need to talk,” he glanced at Megan before meeting Jared’s eyes dead on, a small smile tugging the edge of his lips up, “and it has been a while since we spent time together Now is as good a time as any to get to know my little brother again, especially with all the changes going on in your life.”
“A parent’s home should always be open,
ready to welcome their children to sit before the hearth
no matter what length of time has passed.”
The Word - Sansori sec 11 line 10
The last time Jensen was home it had been to say goodbye to his grandmother as she made arrangements in order to follow her mate into the afterlife. In some ways that had been a joyous occasion, knowing that your loved one was rejoining their other half in a better place. But now, after everything he’d learned, Jensen was starting to doubt the veracity of the faith he’d been brought up in. It was hard not to, even after all the points Billy had made to them during their mentoring discussions that tried to lend credence to the faith-the man was still a staunch believer after mating with Dominic-that told them his relationship with Jared was impossible and blasphemy to claim.
If the portion of the word that claimed same-sex couples did not and could never exist was wrong, how could any of it be right? It was a difficult conundrum, and he was still dealing with it, unsure as to what he should think anymore.
Jensen’s parents lived up in Richardson, a suburb of Dallas; in a nice, two story house that they’d been in since he turned eleven. They’d moved when his sister was four, wanting her to have a room all to herself without having to make Jensen and his older brother, Josh, share. There were two cars parked in the drive when he pulled up, his father’s old pickup, which had served as a first car for both Jensen and his brother, and his mother’s SUV. That meant his dad was probably still at work.
Climbing out, he snagged his luggage from the back seat and headed towards the house. He wasn’t even to the front steps, before the door opened and a blond-blur was ramming into his middle, arms slotting around his waist, face burrowing into his chest with a delighted squeal. Jensen stumbled back a few steps, nearly dropping his bags.
“You’re home!” Mackenzie grinned up at him.
“Hey, Mack.” He dropped his bags and wrapped his arms around her, lifting her off the ground and squeezing tightly.
She squealed and slapped at his back, before he finally let her go. “Loser! You never answered my emails!”
“Yeah I did.” He frowned at her, knowing full well what she was getting at.
“Half a sentence is not an answer!” She pouted at him, stepping back and placing her hands on her hips.
“And an email filled with middle school gossip isn’t all that interesting.”
Jensen glanced up at the new voice and smiled. His mother was standing on the porch, watching them with a smile on her face.
“Mooom!” Mackenzie turned to her, pouting indignantly.
“I kind of have to agree, pipsqueak.” Jensen leaned down and grabbed his bags from the ground. “High school, on the other hand, is when things actually start to get interesting.” He winked at her and got an eye roll in response.
“Come on in.” His mother waved him towards the house. “I put clean sheets on your bed, and your sister dusted. I’d leave the window open for a bit to make sure it airs out . . . it’s been too long since you were home.
“I was here over the summer.” He ducked his head and followed her into the house.
She was quiet for a moment and then turned towards him. “It wasn’t the same, Jensen. You know that.”
The mood in the room changed slightly, and he nodded, adjusting his grip on his bags. “Yeah, I know.”
Very little about the house had changed; it was still homey with a bit too much clutter trying to pass for decorations on every surface. His room was almost exactly the way it had been in high school. There were photos, neatly spaced out on every wall along with a couple of sports posters. The desk was clean-even cleaner than his dorm room desk thanks to disuse-but there was a stack of books on one side, titles that had been required reading for his senior year English class.
He dropped his bags near the closet and eyed the room. It was little chilly due to the open window, but not too cold. The bed was made up nicely, only a few wrinkles around the edges. Sighing, he grabbed his backpack and moved to the desk to set up his computer.
The events of that morning were still ringing through the back of his mind, and it was hard for him to believe that they had gone even as well as they’d seemed to. When Jensen had left his mate’s family home, Jeff had still been standoffish to him, a stark contrast to his welcoming smile and handshake from just the day before.
Jared wasn’t online, but he did have an email from him. Apparently he was spending the evening with his siblings. Chewing on the inside of his cheek, Jensen typed back a short reply. Hopefully they’d both have time-and space-to talk on the phone for a bit later that night. They had yet to really discuss everything, and Jensen wanted to make sure things were going okay for Jared now that Jeff, Megan, and Leah knew the truth.
A knock on the door startled him from his thoughts. Switching his browser quickly to a search engine, he turned towards the door. “Come in.”
“Hey.” Mackenzie pushed the door open. “Mom wanted me to tell you we’re meeting dad, Josh, and Shelly at some French sounding place in about an hour for dinner. She said you should wear something nice and respectable.”
“Nice and respectable?” Jensen raised an eyebrow, pushing his chair back from the desk and turning to her.
She slipped into the room, leaned against the door jamb, and shrugged. “That’s what she said. I think she meant, like, slacks and-”
“I got it.” Jensen smiled, chuckling as he waved a hand to interrupt her. “No jeans or missing buttons.”
“Right,” Mackenzie nodded and wrinkled her nose. “She’s making me wear a skirt.”
“Oh, no! It’s the end of the world!”
Shse glared at him and stepped away from the door, placing her hands on her hips. “Not funny.”
“Yeah,” Jensen nodded, grin widening, “it kind of is.”
“Why can’t we just eat at home?” Her lips twisted into a pout, and she crossed her arms. “Or at Mitchel's?”
“It’s the holidays, and there aren’t any kids in the family anymore.” Jensen leaned back in the chair, settling his arms on the rests. “If Mom and Dad want to have a fancy holiday dinner with the family, then we shouldn’t complain . . . besides, have you looked up the menu for this place?”
“No.” Mackenzie frowned and tilted her head, eyes slanting. “Why?”
“Well, Miss Chocoholic, you should look up the desert menu. If it’s the place I’m thinking of they have flourless chocolate cake to die for . . . and I’m sure with a little bit of effort on your part,” he mimed a puppy-dog face, “Dad’ll buy it for you.”
“For on this day God sent his mate to us,
to show us the correct way in which to live
and the manner in which our destined
mates should be treated.”
The Word - Lucas sec 1 line 4
Jensen only been to Aile d'Ange once and that was for his graduation dinner. Both sets of his grandparents, parents, and Josh and Shelly had all been there. Mackenzie, at ten years old, had been left with a babysitter for the evening. It was just as fancy, if not more so due to some remodeling, as he remembered it being.
His dad was waiting for them when they arrived, and they were seated at a table near a long window that had a nice view of the city and the setting sun. Josh and his mate arrived a few minutes after they were already seated, and Jensen’s eyes widened in surprise when he saw them. He wasn’t sure if he should get up or stay seated to greet them, but chose the latter.
“Hey bro.” Josh smiled at him, settling a hand on his shoulder after helping Shelly into her seat.
“Congratulations?” Jensen ventured, a smile working its way onto his face.
“Thanks.” Josh had the grace to look ashamed. “We were going to tell you earlier but . . .” he trailed off, looking at his mate who rolled her eyes.
“It was touch and go for a while.” She glanced down at her hands. “We didn’t tell anyone till just a few weeks ago.”
Jensen nodded. This wasn’t Shelly’s first pregnancy, and the last time had been really rough, to put it mildly. They’d lost the baby at about twenty six weeks, and they’d already told everyone about it and made up a nursery, when she’d miscarried.
“The doctor has her on a pretty strict-”
“Everything,” Shelly interrupted with a slight huff. To Jensen it didn’t look as if she was actually all that annoyed with it, though, more like she was providing a typical retort.
Josh smiled and nodded, reaching out to take her hand in his. “He said everything is looking good now, so hopefully it will all work out well.”
“That’s great,” Jensen nodded, and he was saved from pressing forward with the conversation by the waiter arriving.
The evening went like any other family gather from then on, gossip about family and friends and news about acquaintances-especially people Jensen grew up with, and whether or not they’d mated yet-was the mainstay of the conversation. Mackenzie piped in a couple times, trying to direct the conversation into areas she cared about or to relay major events related to school or her own friends and their families. Turned out a couple of Jensen’s friends from high school had mated, one of whom had done so recently and he was invited to join in the mating celebration the week after next. He shook his head, declining. Jensen was only planning to stay for a little over a week, and, if he did stay, it was likely that it’d be another three weeks till he saw Jared. And that just wasn’t something he could live with.
After dinner, and a very delicious desert, they headed home. On the way to the car, Josh caught his arm, stopping him a ways back from their family.
“Are you all right?”
Jensen blinked and raised an eyebrow. “What?”
“Are you all right?” Josh repeated, his eyes scrutinizing Jensen’s response.
“Of course, why wouldn’t I be?”
“You just seem . . .” Josh trailed off before sighing. “Different.”
Jensen’s insides froze and he wondered what he’d been doing, how he’d been acting that had thrown up alarm bells for his brother. “Dude, it’s been months since we last saw each other and years since we spent a lot of time together. Of course I’ve changed.”
“No, it’s not-” Josh stopped again. “Have you . . . no. You would have said if you did.”
“Have I what?” Jensen’s brow furrows and he frowned.
“Nothing,” Josh shook his head. He looked up when Shelly called his name from where she was waiting next to their car. “I should get going. Call me though, we should hang out. Like you said, it’s been a long time.”
“Will do,” Jensen nodded and watched as his brother walked off before jogging to catch up with his parents and Mackenzie.
“Celebration Day has been observed for nearly a thousand
years in its current incarnation. While some of the exact traditions
have been adapted over time, it harkens back to the same story.
The story of God sending his beloved Mate to live among us and show
us the ills of how mates of differing social classes were treated and how
domination and submission were not the correct way to treat
God’s greatest gift to us: the uniting of men and women in mated pairs.”
Excerpt from the History of Celebration Day
Ronald M. Milson. New York: Horizon Press, 2001
Celebration Day, or just Celebration, was a big deal. It marked the end of an era, and the beginning of a new. It wasn’t the same as the New Year, although Jared often wondered why the two holidays couldn’t just be combined to save money and time. They woke up early on Celebration morning, his mother insisting they go to church in order to take part in the early service-even though they’d gone the night before-in order to celebrate God’s Mate being sent down to Earth in order to put humanity back on the correct course.
It was a quiet morning and rather uneventful. The pastor went through his usual sermon, they recited the usual prayers, and accepted the communion-a symbol of God’s connection to humanity for sacrificing his Mate. There was a short meet and greet near the end, wherein all those who had yet to mate of suitable age were asked to come up front while everyone chatted for a few moments. Just before returning to their seats, the pastor had the congregation pray over them, a yearly ceremony to bless them so they would, hopefully, find their mate in the year to come.
They didn’t stay for brunch, much to his mother’s chagrin, as both sets of his grandparents were driving into town, and his father wanted to make sure they were home before they arrived. When it came to Grandpa Padalecki, you never knew if he was going to be two hours early or three hours later than he’d said. He was never on time.
Getting away from the hustle and bustle of the church was fine with Jared. It wasn’t like he was looking for a mate, and it seemed like every time he turned around someone was trying to set up a time for him to meet yet another unmated relative or friend, or friend of a friend. The whole experience was awkward as could be, and he was tired of it.
While Jeff had saved him that one night, his mother hadn’t relented at all. In fact, Jared could have sworn she was working double time to find more parties and meet ups for him to attend. He was half tempted to just tell her about Jensen, but he knew that would be a really bad idea. Not only was she unlikely to believe him, but when she finally did, she’d be utterly heart broken. Jared loved his Mama, and the last thing he wanted to do was hurt her, no matter how obnoxious she was being.
It wasn’t until just before midnight that he finally got a moment away from the festivities to call Jensen. Between his grandparents, aunts, uncles, parents, cousins, and siblings . . . his day had been chocked full of things to do and people to talk with. Most of his family left for their own homes or hotels just after ten, though, and then he had spent a little under an hour helping clean up after everyone.
He dropped onto his bed as he hit the first speed dial and pressed his cell phone to his ear. It only rang one and a half times, before the ring tone was interrupted and Jensen’s low voice answered.
“Hey.”
“Hey,” Jared answered, a smile tugging the edges of his lips up. While they might not have been within touching distance or close enough to feel each other’s emotions, hearing Jensen’s voice in his ear still made him feel better. “How was your Celebration Day?”
“S’alright. Would have been better if . . .”
“Yeah, it would have.” He agreed, breathing out a sigh. Idly, Jared wondered if they’d ever be able to celebrate the holiday together. Rolling onto his side, he adjusted the phone to rest against his other ear. “Miss you.”
“Me too.” Jensen was quiet for a moment and Jared could hear fabric rustling on the other end of the line. “What’d you get?”
“Hmm?” Jared hummed as his free hand scratched over his chest. “Oh, a couple hundred dollars and a few gift cards. How do you feel about Red Robin?”
“I could go for a hamburger,” Jensen yawned, static rustling over the line as he spoke.
“What about you?”
“The same only most of the gift cards are for places like Wal-Mart or Target,” chuckling, Jensen continued, “apparently I need some new clothes.”
Jared laughed at that. While Jensen wasn’t by any means the most fashionable person, and he also tended not to throw any of his old clothes out, he wasn’t in dire need of anything. Plus he was meticulous about mending things if they wore too much. “you should get Danneel to go with you . . . maybe find something suitable for job interviews this summer.”
“Why Danneel?”
“Because she does all the shopping for her and Elisabeth.” Jared raised an eyebrow. “Don’t tell me you haven’t noticed the difference between their outfits, and the fact that Danneel is always looking at the magazines around. Elisabeth practically tosses them away in disgust if she even touches them.”
“Since when do you know about fashion . . . and why did you notice that?”
“I don’t,” he paused for a moment. The silence was a telltale sign that Jensen was quirking his eyebrow skeptically. “Billy told me.”
“Ah ha!” Jensen’s grin was audible. “Knew it.”
Jared stretched, holding the phone away as he yawned. “How many people were over there today? I swear we had around thirty here.” He was exaggerating a bit, but then his house wasn’t that big, so even fifteen to twenty people made it seem over crowded.
“Just my Dad’s parents, my parents, Josh and Shelly, and my Mom’s sister.” Jensen was quiet for a moment. “My Mom’s sister doesn’t have a mate.”
Jared sat up a little, leaning on his elbow. “Oh?”
“Yeah. I wasn’t sure how to broach the subject though . . . so I didn’t. I was afraid of what would happen if I was wrong. Plus I’ve never really heard of her hanging out with anyone, specifically another woman that is.”
Jared nodded to himself. “Sometimes, rarely, people just don’t mate.”
“That’s why I didn’t want to bring it up,” Jensen agreed. “I didn’t want to be wrong and make her feel even worse than she already does about being alone.” He was quiet for a moment. “Even without you by my side, I know you’re there. I can’t imagine what it must be like for those who don’t have a mate or who lost them too soon.”
“Probably a bit lonely.” Jared leaned back against his pillow, thinking. “But then they wouldn’t know the difference if they haven’t mated yet. How could they? Maybe . . . maybe they don’t miss it at all, because they’ve never felt it in the first place.”
There was a moment of silence then. It wasn’t awkward; rather, they were just enjoying the knowledge that they were both there, able to communicate even if it wasn’t face to face.
“What time are you going to be arriving Tuesday?” Jared asked finally.
“I was thinking I’d leave here around eight or nine. I’ll grab something to eat in Temple or Georgetown and get there around one or two, maybe a little later.”
Jared ‘hmm’ed, “That’d give us part of the afternoon and all evening . . .” he trailed off, biting his lip. “Jeff wants to get to know you.”
There was a slight pause before Jensen spoke again, “What?”
“He wants to get to know you. Say’s it’s his ‘brotherly duty’ or something, since you’re my mate.” Jared snorted, rolling his eyes. “He said something about how ‘since I couldn’t mate the right way, he’d have to make it up as we went along’. He does want to do something akin to the meet and greet part of the mating celebration, even if it’s just the five of us.” When Jensen didn’t say anything right away, he continued, “Is that all right?”
“Course it is! I just,” Jensen sighed, “I didn’t actually expect him to be willing to hang out with me for long. Not right away, anyway.”
“Neither did I. He’s trying, though, and that counts for something, right?”
“Yeah . . .”
“How do you think your family would take it?” Jared asked, voice lowering in volume and pitch as he heard a door slam shut somewhere.
“I don’t know. I think-I think Josh might suspect something is up.” He waited for Jensen to continue, and after a moment he did. “He pulled me aside the night I showed up and I’ve been trying to avoid him since, but he cornered me tonight to make plans. We’re hanging out tomorrow for some sort of ‘brotherly bonding’.” Jensen snorted. “He’s dragging me to some bar or other. I’m probably going to end up being the designated driver.”
“Sounds fun . . . not.”
“At least if he ends up drunk he’ll probably forget all about his reasons for dragging me out of the house in the first place.”
“Do not oversaturate thyself in the pleasures
of the world, instead enjoy life’s pleasantries
with restraint and in proper accord with the rules
of the society in which one lives and God’s eyes.”
The Word - Sansori sec 3 line 5
It turned out Jensen was right. He did end up being the designated driver in the end, and Shelly was more than a bit annoyed with them, when he dropped his drunken brother off at their house. She’d offered him their couch-which was actually a futon-as they didn’t have a guest room, but he’d declined, instead heading back to his parents house for the remainder of the night.
The lights were off when he got home, and the house was dark. He went through the back door, knowing it would be the quietest point of entry and the least likely to wake anyone up. Stopping in the kitchen, he grabbed a glass and filled it with cool water from the tap, gulping half a glass down. While he hadn’t actually drunk any alcohol, the bar had been loud, and his ears were still ringing. Gulping down a glass or two somehow seemed to help with the resulting headache.
Leaning against the counter in front of the sink, he pulled out his cell and flipped it open. Using one hand he typed out a simple text message to Jared. Got home safe. Played DD, call me in the morning?
He got a reply less than a minute later, which put a smile on his face. Good. :) Sleep well. I’ll call around 9:30?
Ok. Miss you. Jensen sent back, sighing. He dropped his hand onto the counter and stared out the window into the back yard. It was early or late depending on the perspective, nearing two or three in the morning. Running his free hand over his face, he stared out into the dimly lit yard. The street lamps and other lights made it so the night wasn’t entirely pitch black, but that didn’t mean he could do more than make out the vague shapes of the trees in the back yard, the fence, and the hot tub his father had installed a few years ago.
A noise from behind him made him startle and turn around to come face to face with his mother. She was wearing a robe and blinking at him sleepily. “Jensen? Good, you’re home.”
“I’m sorry,” he apologized, smiling sheepishly. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”
“You didn’t,” she shook her head and moved to get a glass from the cupboard, “not really, anyway. I don’t sleep well when I know one of you kids is going to be back late. I worry.”
“Sorry.” Jensen stepped back so she could fill her cup at the sink.
“Nothing to be sorry about, sweetie.” She touched his arm, squeezing gently. “It’s a mother thing. Parent thing. You’ll understand one day.”
Swallowing, he looked away at that. Kids were something he had taken for granted growing up. They had always been a part of the plan, but then so had mating with a girl. The fact that he was with Jared had changed so many things. While he’d never really been sure if he wanted kids, the fact that the likelihood they’d be able to have them considering most adoption agencies wouldn’t look twice at them made him feel guilty when his mother or another family member brought it up. And it had been brought up a couple dozen times so far in the time he’d been home.
His phone buzzed in his hand, letting him know he’d received a text message. Flipping it open, he read it. Miss you, too. Sleep well!
“Who’s that?” His mother asked curiously before taking a sip from her glass.
“Jared,” he answered honestly and closed his phone, putting it away in his jacket pocket. “My roommate.”
“He’s the one you were visiting in San Antonio?”
Jensen nodded. “Yeah. His family is there. He was asking what time I’m planning on driving down there on Tuesday.”
“Ah,” she nodded and dumped the remainder of her water into the sink. Quirking an eyebrow she continued, “And he’s up this late?”
Blinking, he managed to stumble out an answer. “His Mom dragged him to some party I think . . . he got back a couple of hours ago, but he takes a while to wind down.”
“Must make things interesting.” She chuckled and he froze.
“What?”
“Having a roommate that can’t settle down.” She shook her head her head. “I guess I was lucky I met your father so early on. He sleeps like a rock. Although that can make things rather difficult-”
“Mom!” Jensen interrupted her, shaking his head, his eyes wide.
“I was going to say when he snores.” She smiled at him cheekily and patted his shoulder.
Jensen Ackles
5 mins away, ready to go?
Jared Padalecki
Yes. More than! Know where we’re going?
Jensen Ackles
Rental car comes with a TomTom, we’re good.
“God,” Jared groaned, stretching as Jensen stood and moved to the bathroom to retrieve a towel to clean them up with.
His mate’s eyes were at half0mast when he returned, glittering slightly in the fluorescent light from the lamp. They’d shut the blinds, blocking out as much as they could just in case. Jensen had booked the room, while Jared waited around the corner of the building for him to finish. Then they’d done their best not to be seen entering the room together. It had been ten or so minutes before Jared had finally followed him in, and, once he had, Jensen had taken the opportunity to push him up against the door, covering his mate’s lips with his own before trailing down his body and showing just how much he’d missed him.
“You aren’t going to fall asleep on me, are you?” Jensen asked as he ran the cloth over his mate, doing his best to clean him up.
Jared shifted to help him be able to reach everywhere. “Not trying to, but man . . . I think you wore me out.”
He snorted and rolled his eyes. “And which of us is the teenager here?”
“Stamina comes with age?”
“And how long will that last?” Jensen tossed the cloth to the side and settled down next to Jared, hooking a leg over Jared’s and resting his chin on his chest. He curled his toes into the insole of Jared’s foot and his mate pressed back against them.
“At least until you’re thirty.” Jared grinned at him. “I hear it’s all downhill from there.”
Rolling his eyes, Jensen turned his head to rest his cheek against Jared’s skin. He couldn’t see Jared’s face anymore, but his emotions were clearer than ever, filtering across the bond. Jensen had missed this so much, just being able to acutely feel his mate, and what was going on in his head. Being away from each other was like missing a limb, and he hated it. Abhorred it like nothing he’d ever thought of. Given a chance he’d never be away from Jared for the rest of his life.
Jared’s hand came up and started caressing his back, the fingers brushing up and down over his spine. “Just another week and a half, and we’ll be home.”
“S’torture,” Jensen murmured and pressed his lips against the warm, slightly damp skin in front of him. He sighed and lifted up to meet Jared’s eyes. “Did you talk to them about the summer internship?”
Elisabeth had sent Jared applications for several different internships at Nimoy & Shatner that he’d been interested in. All of them were within a forty five minute drive of campus-not that they’d be living on campus over the summer. They’d have to find other accommodation, once school let out.
Jensen knew Jared was already working on his parents, trying to convince them that moving into an apartment was a good idea. His mother wasn’t too enthused about the whole idea, since he’d be away from the dorm-a focal point for meeting eligible young women and thus possible mates.
“Yeah,” Jared nodded as he ran his hand up to cup Jensen’s cheek. “My Mama’s skeptical. I think she wanted me to come home for more social events.” He rolled his eyes. “My Dad actually thinks it’s a pretty good opportunity for me. I think he was surprised that I was interested in interning for a law or PR firm . . . but he thinks it’d be a good experience.”
“And that it’d look great on a resume?” Jensen chuckled as Jared nodded in response.
“That too.”
“Think that’ll help with the apartment issue?” He asked, tilting his head into Jared’s palm just enough that his nose brushed the curve of Jared’s thumb, and his lips brushed against skin.
Jared brushed his thumb over the thin skin beneath Jensen’s eye and shrugged. “Maybe. I hope it will. It would make things so much easier . . .” he trailed off and tilted Jensen’s face up as he awkwardly leaned forward to press their lips together. As he pulled away, he continued, “Jeff’s trying to convince them, too. I think he’s gotten more used to the idea and wants to help as much as possible.”
“Cool.” Jensen pressed his lips together and nodded. While Jeff still seemed to falter between acceptance and skepticism, he did seem to believe they were telling the truth. He couldn’t blame Jared's brother, and was actually really thankful that he knew. It meant things were a tad easier for his mate at home.
Sure, Jensen had been faced with a few social gatherings while at his parents, but the three he'd gone to were nothing compared with the five or more a week Jared had been inflicted with during his time in San Antonio. Between the larger evening parties and smaller meet ups. He was starting to suspect that his mother would have a much easier time accepting their situation than Jared’s. While his mom was invested in his future Jared’s mother was beyond invested in finding him a mate. It was actually a bit disturbing.
Not wanting to get up, let alone go anywhere, but also not wanting to get on the bad side of Jared’s mother, Jensen sighed. “What time were we supposed to be at your place again?”
“Six o’clock on the dot.” Jared groaned, tilting his head, so he could eye the clock on the bedside table. “Is that the right time?”
Jensen dropped his head to rest against Jared’s skin, nodding. “Sadly, I think it is.”
“Shit.” Jared cursed and Jensen grinned. When they had first met, it had been all Jared could do to avoid using anything worse than ‘shoot’, ‘crap’, and ‘dang’. “That doesn’t give us much time.”
“Hmmm.” Jensen lifted his head, glancing at the red, digital numbers. “Gives us plenty of time to shower . . .” grinning he quirked an eyebrow at his mate, “. . . together.”
“Oh?” Jared squinted a little as if he was trying to figure out the logistics. “Will we both fit in there?” It was a legitimate question. The motel they were at wasn’t exactly the best out there, and they were both rather tall.
“Only one way to find out.” Jensen pushed up and slid off the bed, looking over his shoulder as he headed to the small bathroom. “Coming?”
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