raeschae | Caring and Sharing (prompt 13, table 04)

Title: Caring and Sharing
Author:

raeschae
Character(s)/Pairing: Jared/Jensen
Theme: Theme 04: Lover's Rock
Prompt(s): #13 - Secret
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Summary: Jared and Jensen have been getting to know each other pretty thoroughly, but Jensen isn't sure how to respond when Jared wants to know more.

It's two thirty on Thursday afternoon when Jensen happens to glance toward the coffee shop window. Sure, he's maybe happened to let his gaze wander in the direction a lot this week, but it's not like he can be blamed. The things Jared can do with whipped cream and chocolate syrup are impressive, okay?

He was just over there, grabbing a sandwich from the deli next door, about an hour ago. It's totally feasible that he might be craving coffee right now, isn't it? It's not a creepy stalker thing at all.

It's humid today, the air sticking to his skin as he jogs across the street and lets himself into the shop. Jared looks up as soon as he enters, knowing smile starting in his eyes and then spreading across his lips. “Just couldn't stay away, could ya?” he teases.

Jensen rolls his eyes and pulls away from the kiss to straighten his back. “I need caffeine,” he defends. “Someone kept me up too late last night.”

Flipping the cup in some ridiculous Cocktail fashion, Jared starts making whatever he thinks Jensen might be in the mood for today. Jensen is kind of stupidly fond of the way Jared never asks what he wants, but always seems to make him the perfect thing to hit a spot he didn't even know needed hitting.

“Dude, I was at work at five thirty this morning,” Jared reminds him.

It's true that Jensen didn't stumble into the studio until just before his nine thirty performance today, but it totally wasn't his fault. Jared dragged him into the shower at four forty-five this morning, and then abandoned him around five twenty. He can't be expected to act all well-rested when there are interruptions like that to his peaceful sleep.

He takes the coffee and kicks one of the chairs out to sit at the table. They're alone in the shop for now, so Jensen can stare at Jared, Jared can stare back, without anyone mocking them for it. They don't spend a lot of time gazing into each others' eyes or anything, but once in awhile, it's kind of cool to feel like they're both in the same moment without a need for words.

“You ever feel like we don't really know each other at all?”

The question surprises Jensen, but he manages to maintain his cool while swallowing his coffee. “I'd say we know each other pretty well,” he jokes, aiming for seductive and falling more than a little bit short.

Jared shakes his head and smiles. “I didn't do a single homework assignment in eleventh grade. Not one.”

“Bull shit. That's not even possible.”

“Sure it is,” Jared answers easily, leaning back against the espresso machine, arms folded over his chest. “I had one friend in every class that did it for me. None of them knew about the others, though. I passed my entire junior year by only taking tests.”

Though he's not entirely sure that Jared's telling him the whole truth, Jensen nods his head like he's impressed anyway. “This story have one of those after-school special, 'I couldn't do it because my mom was sick in the hospital' twists of nobility at the end?”

The wicked glint in Jared's eye when he smiles in response makes Jensen a little hotter than it probably should. “Fuck no,” Jared says. “I couldn't do it because I was too busy with basketball.” He shrugs before he adds, “Well, that and I was fuckin' my Chemistry teacher's daughter a lot.”

“I honestly do not know what to say right now.” It's not often that Jensen is speechless; Jared should be proud of himself.

Instead of waiting for a pat on the back, Jared asks, “What about you?”

“What about me what?”

“What's your secret, Jensen? The thing you've never told anybody?”

Oh, the answers Jensen could give. It's safer to go with, “My secrets aren't that interesting, man.”

Jared rounds the corner and perches on the corner of the table next to Jensen. “Alright. How 'bout this one? I'm terrified that I'm gonna get a hit on one of those resumes that I sent out. It's not even that I love it here so much or anything, but I just. I don't know, man. It freaks me out, the thought of getting a real job and growing up.”

Sometimes it's easy to forget that Jared is only twenty-three. Jensen remembers well that struggle, between what he was supposed to do and what he actually wanted for his life. He also remembers how hard it was to admit that to anyone, and how good it felt when he finally did open up about it.

Clearing his throat, he lowers his eyes to the table and says, “I've done some really fucked up shit, ya know? My friends think I should let it go and move on or whatever, but I can't help wonderin' when it's gonna come back to bite me in the ass, ya know? I worry about that a lot. Like pretty much all the time.”

To his credit, Jared doesn't make any stupid reassurances about how Jensen's going to be fine or whatever. He also doesn't press for any further details, though that could be because a tiny tornado blows through the door, apologizing profusely for being late.

Jared just shrugs it off. “It's not a big deal, Sandy. Don't worry about it.” Turning to Jensen, he asks, “You gotta head back, or you wanna come up for awhile?”

As surprisingly vulnerable as he feels right now, Jensen thinks the smartest thing to do is retreat to his studio and figure out how Jared punched through his defenses without even really trying. But then he meets Jared's eye, and all he can think to say is, “Lead the way.”

All Worked Up