Side Effects
I have to put more icons in here again...
Title: Side Effects
Fandom: RPS
Characters/Pairings: Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki
Prompt: 059. Food.
fanfic100 table: here
Word Count: 1,689
Rating: PG
Warnings: I don't think any are needed. Maybe a lil awkwardness? Mostly schmoop.
Summary: Follow-up to Flu Shot. Jared calls Jensen about the side effects of his flu shot...actual side effects.
Jensen frowned at his phone when it rang, eyes narrowing at the unrecognizable number. He sighed, stepping outside in his scrubs. He usually let numbers he didn’t know go to voicemail, but he needed a break from the chaos of the hospital. He touched the screen to answer and lifted the phone to his ear. “Hello?”
“Oh, um...hi. Jensen?”
Jensen tilted his head, trying to place the voice. “Who’s this?”
“It’s Jared. You know, the big, bumbling idiot you gave a flu shot and your phone number to?”
“Oh, right!” Jensen smiled, happy to have answered the call. “It’s good to hear from you. How are you?”
“Actually, I’ve been having some side effects.”
Jensen laughed and rubbed at the back of his neck, embarrassed even though no one else was there. “You know, unless you’re in work, I think we can drop the code words.”
“No, I mean, like…actual side effects.” The sound went muffled, and Jensen could hear Jared coughing on the other end of the line. “I wanted to ask you if they were normal.”
“Oh.” Jensen’s heart sank, the smile dropping from his face. He listened to Jared cough some more and rolled his eyes, feeling irritated now. “You read the possible side effects, Jared. You told me you did. What is it, just a cough?”
“Cough, fever, and aches.” There was a moment of silence before Jared spoke again. “I’m sorry, I know I read them, I just get paranoid about these things. You already know I don’t like needles.”
Jensen’s grip on the phone tightened. He was tempted to just hang up on Jared. “It’s perfectly normal, Jared,” he said curtly. “They’re mild side effects, and they’ll go away in the next couple of days. If they don’t, call your doctor.”
“Okay.” Jared sounded dejected, but Jensen didn’t really care. “The thing is, I...I kind of suck at being alone when I’m sick. Or...you know. When I have side effects.”
Another moment of silence. Jensen pulled the phone away from his ear and looked at it, wondering if this would ever make sense. And then it clicked. “...Are you inviting me over?”
“I know it’s way less than romantic, but I wanted to see you again anyway. I totally understand if you don’t want to. Most people don’t want to hang out with the feverish, coughing guy. But if you wouldn’t mind just coming over and being low-key with me…”
Jensen ignored the fact that this phone call hadn’t taken any track that he’d ever expected and looked around, thinking. He was usually dead tired after his shifts, but as weird as this was, he didn’t want to pass it up. “Let me see if I can get off early. Maybe after a quick nap, I can bring you some soup?”
“Really?” Jared sounded so hopeful, it almost broke Jensen’s heart. “That would be great, if you can swing it. I can text you my address?”
“Sure. I’ll let you know when I’m on my way.”
****
Hours later, Jensen was strapping himself into the car, enough soup for the both of them in a large container on the passenger seat. After a few wrong turns that his GPS corrected, he was walking up to a quaint little corner house. He smiled at the site of it. It somehow seemed inviting already, red brick with a fenced in yard, a small garden, and wisps of smoke leaving the chimney. He walked up to the front door and knocked, soup in hand.
The door opened to reveal Jared, comfortable in long sleeves and pajama pants, his eyes a bit red. Jensen smiled, thinking that he didn’t usually see his dates like this the first time around. Most people only let you see the dressed-up, cleaned-up side of themselves until you were too far gone to care. But this was…nice. Odd, but nice. Not that Jensen had dressed up much himself, knowing what he was walking into.
“Jensen!” There was still a bit of a bounce in Jared’s step, even though it was obvious that he wasn’t feeling well. He stepped aside, allowing Jensen to enter and closing the door behind him, then surprised him with a hug. “I’m really glad you came.”
“Thanks for the invitation.” Jensen held up the container he was holding. “Homemade chicken noodle! It might need to be heated a little.”
“I’ll take care of it.” Jared took the container from home and hurried off towards what Jensen assumed was the kitchen, but not before gesturing to the large, soft couch, the living room a combination of soothing blues. “Please, have a seat, make yourself at home.”
Jensen sat on the leftmost cushion, eyeing the knit blanket that Jared had obviously been curled up with on the right. A small fire crackled in the fireplace, and Jensen did feel at home. The TV was on, low, though it was only commercials for the moment. He sat back, enjoying the feel of this place, ears perking up when he heard Jared coughing. “Need some help?”
“No, I’m good, thanks!” Jared called out, but Jensen got up anyway, following where Jared had gone before. He passed by the light oak table and chairs in the dining room and found himself in the black-and-white kitchen, Jared already pouring the soup into two bowls.
“Hope you don’t mind, but I thought I’d at least help with the carrying.”
Jared looked up at him and smiled. “That would be great, thanks.” They poured themselves some water and gathered up their small meals. “I don’t mind us eating on the couch if you don’t?” Jared tossed his head a little to move the hair out of his eyes and shrugged awkwardly, showing a bit of nerves.
“Hey, who needs dining rooms?” Jensen said, trying to put Jared at ease, and it worked, Jared’s shoulders lowering. Besides, Jensen was enjoying the informal nature of this visit.
They sat on the couch together, room for glasses and bowls on the nearby coffee table, and Jensen kicked off his shoes, which seemed to make Jared happy. “Thank you for doing this,” he said, sounding truly grateful. “For coming over, the soup, everything.”
Jensen shrugged, spooning some of the soup into his mouth. “I’m glad I could. You have a nice place.”
“My parents left it to me,” Jared said, smiling proudly. “I try to keep it looking nice, the way they had it.”
“Well, A-plus!” Jensen didn’t ask about Jared’s parents, not yet. Jared tried the soup and immediately made an appreciative noise, eating some more. Jensen laughed. “Maybe I should come over more often, huh?”
“Maybe.” Jared blushed a little, and Jensen fought the urge to scoot up next to him. “You know, I haven’t gotten anybody’s number in a really long time.”
“I can’t imagine why.” Jared looked at him oddly, and Jensen briefly wondered if he’d said something wrong, until he realized that Jared was trying to figure out if he was being sarcastic or not. Jensen felt a pang in his heart, relieved when Jared figured it out and brightened a little.
“I, uh…” Jared cleared his throat. “That’s really nice of you to say. I guess I’ve just always been a little...weird. Clumsy, as you’ve seen. Nerdy.”
“You mean smart,” Jensen supplied, and he watched Jared shyly duck his head a bit. “Tech support, right? You can do pretty much anything with a computer?”
Jared nodded, accepting that. “Great with technology, but not people? That’s kind of been my life.”
Jensen raised an eyebrow. “What am I, chopped liver?”
Jared laughed, shaking his head. “No, no, definitely not. You’re...kind of amazing.” He looked away, brushing his hair behind his ears and then going back to eating.
“Only kind of?” Jensen dropped the jokes then, taking a few more spoonfuls before continuing the conversation, neither of them paying attention the TV. “What makes you think that?”
“The fact that you gave me your number after I made a fool of myself, then agreed to come to see me sick for what should have been our first date, and even made me soup. Plus, you know,” Jared found some courage and gestured to Jensen. “You.”
“...Wow,” Jensen said after a brief silence, unsure of what to say. “Thanks. But, uh, I have a confession to make. I didn’t only give you my number because of your winning personality.”
Jared grinned and looked away again, and Jensen had forgotten just how nice those dimples were. “If you say so.”
They let the subject of attraction drop then, the atmosphere still comfortable as they settled in, finishing up their meals. Jensen looked at the TV then, gesturing towards it. “What are we watching?”
“Pit Bulls & Parolees?” Jared looked over at Jensen, who shrugged. He hadn’t watched much of anything in a long time. “Honestly, I should probably change it. It tends to make me cry like a bitch.”
Jensen grinned. “Good to know you have a sensitive side.”
“One day, I’ll rescue dogs of my own,” Jared said, nodding to himself. “Maybe after I get over this crap your flu shot gave me.” He stretched his leg out and playfully kicked at Jensen’s foot.
“Hey, you can’t say I didn’t warn you!” Jensen laughed and followed it up with a yawn, the toll work had taken finally catching up to him. He needed more than a nap, now. “I should go.”
Jared stood. “Let me get your container for you.”
“No!” Jensen stood, too, catching Jared by the arm. “Please, don’t bother. I, uh...I’ll come back for it.” He shrugged and smiled. “If that’s okay.”
“Yeah,” Jared answered, smiling back. “Yeah, that would be great.”
They hugged again before he left, Jensen slipping his shoes back on and telling Jared to feel better before heading back out to his car. He drove himself home and fell into bed wondering if it was possible to fall in love so quickly.
Title: Side Effects
Fandom: RPS
Characters/Pairings: Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki
Prompt: 059. Food.
fanfic100 table: here
Word Count: 1,689
Rating: PG
Warnings: I don't think any are needed. Maybe a lil awkwardness? Mostly schmoop.
Summary: Follow-up to Flu Shot. Jared calls Jensen about the side effects of his flu shot...actual side effects.
Jensen frowned at his phone when it rang, eyes narrowing at the unrecognizable number. He sighed, stepping outside in his scrubs. He usually let numbers he didn’t know go to voicemail, but he needed a break from the chaos of the hospital. He touched the screen to answer and lifted the phone to his ear. “Hello?”
“Oh, um...hi. Jensen?”
Jensen tilted his head, trying to place the voice. “Who’s this?”
“It’s Jared. You know, the big, bumbling idiot you gave a flu shot and your phone number to?”
“Oh, right!” Jensen smiled, happy to have answered the call. “It’s good to hear from you. How are you?”
“Actually, I’ve been having some side effects.”
Jensen laughed and rubbed at the back of his neck, embarrassed even though no one else was there. “You know, unless you’re in work, I think we can drop the code words.”
“No, I mean, like…actual side effects.” The sound went muffled, and Jensen could hear Jared coughing on the other end of the line. “I wanted to ask you if they were normal.”
“Oh.” Jensen’s heart sank, the smile dropping from his face. He listened to Jared cough some more and rolled his eyes, feeling irritated now. “You read the possible side effects, Jared. You told me you did. What is it, just a cough?”
“Cough, fever, and aches.” There was a moment of silence before Jared spoke again. “I’m sorry, I know I read them, I just get paranoid about these things. You already know I don’t like needles.”
Jensen’s grip on the phone tightened. He was tempted to just hang up on Jared. “It’s perfectly normal, Jared,” he said curtly. “They’re mild side effects, and they’ll go away in the next couple of days. If they don’t, call your doctor.”
“Okay.” Jared sounded dejected, but Jensen didn’t really care. “The thing is, I...I kind of suck at being alone when I’m sick. Or...you know. When I have side effects.”
Another moment of silence. Jensen pulled the phone away from his ear and looked at it, wondering if this would ever make sense. And then it clicked. “...Are you inviting me over?”
“I know it’s way less than romantic, but I wanted to see you again anyway. I totally understand if you don’t want to. Most people don’t want to hang out with the feverish, coughing guy. But if you wouldn’t mind just coming over and being low-key with me…”
Jensen ignored the fact that this phone call hadn’t taken any track that he’d ever expected and looked around, thinking. He was usually dead tired after his shifts, but as weird as this was, he didn’t want to pass it up. “Let me see if I can get off early. Maybe after a quick nap, I can bring you some soup?”
“Really?” Jared sounded so hopeful, it almost broke Jensen’s heart. “That would be great, if you can swing it. I can text you my address?”
“Sure. I’ll let you know when I’m on my way.”
****
Hours later, Jensen was strapping himself into the car, enough soup for the both of them in a large container on the passenger seat. After a few wrong turns that his GPS corrected, he was walking up to a quaint little corner house. He smiled at the site of it. It somehow seemed inviting already, red brick with a fenced in yard, a small garden, and wisps of smoke leaving the chimney. He walked up to the front door and knocked, soup in hand.
The door opened to reveal Jared, comfortable in long sleeves and pajama pants, his eyes a bit red. Jensen smiled, thinking that he didn’t usually see his dates like this the first time around. Most people only let you see the dressed-up, cleaned-up side of themselves until you were too far gone to care. But this was…nice. Odd, but nice. Not that Jensen had dressed up much himself, knowing what he was walking into.
“Jensen!” There was still a bit of a bounce in Jared’s step, even though it was obvious that he wasn’t feeling well. He stepped aside, allowing Jensen to enter and closing the door behind him, then surprised him with a hug. “I’m really glad you came.”
“Thanks for the invitation.” Jensen held up the container he was holding. “Homemade chicken noodle! It might need to be heated a little.”
“I’ll take care of it.” Jared took the container from home and hurried off towards what Jensen assumed was the kitchen, but not before gesturing to the large, soft couch, the living room a combination of soothing blues. “Please, have a seat, make yourself at home.”
Jensen sat on the leftmost cushion, eyeing the knit blanket that Jared had obviously been curled up with on the right. A small fire crackled in the fireplace, and Jensen did feel at home. The TV was on, low, though it was only commercials for the moment. He sat back, enjoying the feel of this place, ears perking up when he heard Jared coughing. “Need some help?”
“No, I’m good, thanks!” Jared called out, but Jensen got up anyway, following where Jared had gone before. He passed by the light oak table and chairs in the dining room and found himself in the black-and-white kitchen, Jared already pouring the soup into two bowls.
“Hope you don’t mind, but I thought I’d at least help with the carrying.”
Jared looked up at him and smiled. “That would be great, thanks.” They poured themselves some water and gathered up their small meals. “I don’t mind us eating on the couch if you don’t?” Jared tossed his head a little to move the hair out of his eyes and shrugged awkwardly, showing a bit of nerves.
“Hey, who needs dining rooms?” Jensen said, trying to put Jared at ease, and it worked, Jared’s shoulders lowering. Besides, Jensen was enjoying the informal nature of this visit.
They sat on the couch together, room for glasses and bowls on the nearby coffee table, and Jensen kicked off his shoes, which seemed to make Jared happy. “Thank you for doing this,” he said, sounding truly grateful. “For coming over, the soup, everything.”
Jensen shrugged, spooning some of the soup into his mouth. “I’m glad I could. You have a nice place.”
“My parents left it to me,” Jared said, smiling proudly. “I try to keep it looking nice, the way they had it.”
“Well, A-plus!” Jensen didn’t ask about Jared’s parents, not yet. Jared tried the soup and immediately made an appreciative noise, eating some more. Jensen laughed. “Maybe I should come over more often, huh?”
“Maybe.” Jared blushed a little, and Jensen fought the urge to scoot up next to him. “You know, I haven’t gotten anybody’s number in a really long time.”
“I can’t imagine why.” Jared looked at him oddly, and Jensen briefly wondered if he’d said something wrong, until he realized that Jared was trying to figure out if he was being sarcastic or not. Jensen felt a pang in his heart, relieved when Jared figured it out and brightened a little.
“I, uh…” Jared cleared his throat. “That’s really nice of you to say. I guess I’ve just always been a little...weird. Clumsy, as you’ve seen. Nerdy.”
“You mean smart,” Jensen supplied, and he watched Jared shyly duck his head a bit. “Tech support, right? You can do pretty much anything with a computer?”
Jared nodded, accepting that. “Great with technology, but not people? That’s kind of been my life.”
Jensen raised an eyebrow. “What am I, chopped liver?”
Jared laughed, shaking his head. “No, no, definitely not. You’re...kind of amazing.” He looked away, brushing his hair behind his ears and then going back to eating.
“Only kind of?” Jensen dropped the jokes then, taking a few more spoonfuls before continuing the conversation, neither of them paying attention the TV. “What makes you think that?”
“The fact that you gave me your number after I made a fool of myself, then agreed to come to see me sick for what should have been our first date, and even made me soup. Plus, you know,” Jared found some courage and gestured to Jensen. “You.”
“...Wow,” Jensen said after a brief silence, unsure of what to say. “Thanks. But, uh, I have a confession to make. I didn’t only give you my number because of your winning personality.”
Jared grinned and looked away again, and Jensen had forgotten just how nice those dimples were. “If you say so.”
They let the subject of attraction drop then, the atmosphere still comfortable as they settled in, finishing up their meals. Jensen looked at the TV then, gesturing towards it. “What are we watching?”
“Pit Bulls & Parolees?” Jared looked over at Jensen, who shrugged. He hadn’t watched much of anything in a long time. “Honestly, I should probably change it. It tends to make me cry like a bitch.”
Jensen grinned. “Good to know you have a sensitive side.”
“One day, I’ll rescue dogs of my own,” Jared said, nodding to himself. “Maybe after I get over this crap your flu shot gave me.” He stretched his leg out and playfully kicked at Jensen’s foot.
“Hey, you can’t say I didn’t warn you!” Jensen laughed and followed it up with a yawn, the toll work had taken finally catching up to him. He needed more than a nap, now. “I should go.”
Jared stood. “Let me get your container for you.”
“No!” Jensen stood, too, catching Jared by the arm. “Please, don’t bother. I, uh...I’ll come back for it.” He shrugged and smiled. “If that’s okay.”
“Yeah,” Jared answered, smiling back. “Yeah, that would be great.”
They hugged again before he left, Jensen slipping his shoes back on and telling Jared to feel better before heading back out to his car. He drove himself home and fell into bed wondering if it was possible to fall in love so quickly.