raeschae | Lullaby (a J2 non-AU)

Title: Lullaby
Author:

raeschae
Wordcount: ~900
Rating: PG
Pairing(s): Jared/Jensen

Prompt(s): Serenade, for my

schmoop_bingo card.
Summary: Jensen has a big plans for spending some quality time with Jared. It doesn't turn out the way he expected, but maybe that's not so bad.

A/N: Thank goodness this one is for

schmoop_bingo, because it is sugar-packed with gooey schmoopiness. Beware!

As far as long days go, this one wasn't so bad. They only spent thirteen hours on the set, so the sun is barely starting to set by the time they pile into the car to head home. There might actually be time to hang out with the dogs and watch some television before they have to turn in for the night, an idea that actually kind of excites Jensen more than he's willing to admit. He sees Jared every day, but working together is not the same as spending quality time with the guy.

Unfortunately, Jared seems to be having trouble keeping his own head up before they're even out of the parking lot. Sam's scenes were more emotionally taxing today, and that kind of acting always wears Jared out twice as fast as the physical stunts they're asked to do. Fight scenes seem to re-energize him, but a heavy, angsty one will put him down for the count. Maybe Jensen won't be spending as much time lounging around with him tonight after all.

“You gonna make it to the house?” Jensen teases, shoulder brushing against Jared's as he leans over to keep their conversation private. He actually appreciates having a driver, especially after a full day, but he doesn't always like having someone else to listen in on whatever he has to say to Jared. Some things he prefers stay just between them.

Jared's smile is lazy, his eyes half-lidded, as he rolls his head along the back of the seat to face Jensen. “Maybe?” he answers, leaning forward just enough to catch a quick kiss. They're not exactly broadcasting this thing between them, it's fairly new and they both like their privacy, but neither of them are very good at hiding it in the car.

Shrugging his shoulder, Jensen pulls his iPod out of his messenger bag and offers Jared one of the ear buds. “You can sleep, if you want. I'll wake you up when we get home.”

He answers with a contented sigh instead of actual words. Jensen thumbs through his playlist until he finds something that he thinks they might both like. Mellow singer-songwriters are good for a come-down, so he cues it up and leans back to watch the road through the front window as they head north toward home.

Music isn't something that Jensen really thinks about much; it's always been a part of who he is, like Texas and acting and his family. It captivates him and, when he can't talk about something, it expresses his feelings for him. Most of the time, there's a song in his head and, more often than not, he finds himself singing without really knowing when he started doing it.

Jared reaches over to lay a hand over Jensen's, his fingers brushing against Jensen's knuckles. “You serenadin' me?” he asks, voice droopy and lethargic.

He wasn't intending to – the song's not even about a relationship or anything – but Jensen can't help smiling at Jared's question. “Is it working?”

“Depends,” Jared answers, never opening his eyes.

“On?”

“What yer tryin' to git out of it.” His accent is thick with sleep and Jensen wishes that didn't affect him quite as much as it does.

His own voice is rough when he all but whispers in return, “You're a little too tired for what I had planned.”

“Never,” Jared replies, but the word trails off on the end and Jensen knows that he's not going to be good for much when they get back to the house.

When he looks down, their fingers are laced together and Jared's thumb is barely moving over the back of Jensen's hand. “We're still about a half hour from home,” he smiles, turning to kiss the top of Jared's head where it's lolling closer and closer to Jensen. “Take a nap and we'll see how you feel when we get there.”

He manages a soft, “Kay,” before his cheek falls onto Jensen's shoulder. “You can keep singin',” he adds, barely whispering.

So Jensen does, soft and low beneath the talk radio their driver is listening to up front. He likes singing, would probably be doing it anyway, and it's what Jared wants. He hasn't quite figured out how to say 'no' to much when Jared's the one asking for it.

Whether they get a chance to hang out when they get back to the house, or Jared decides that he just wants to fall into bed, Jensen figures it doesn't much matter. 'Quality time' doesn't have to take place in front of the television with beer and conversation. They can have it right here, in the backseat of an SUV on a Vancouver highway while he sings Jared to sleep. Sure, it's sappy as all hell – he'd deny it ever happened to anyone outside this vehicle – but it's also intimate and theirs. For Jensen, for right now, it's more than enough.