Disclaimer: The Final Chapter
Sep. 16th, 2010 12:42 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
raeschaeTitle: Disclaimer: The Final Chapter
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
raeschae
Wordcount: ~6500
Rating: R
Pairing(s): Jared/Jensen
Summary: For twelve years, Brayden has watched and emulated Jared and Jensen. Now he's starting to apply some of the things he's learned.
Notes: One year ago, I posted the first chapter of Disclaimer: We Will Not Be Held Responsible, so it seems fitting that I post the final installment today. As I said in a post a couple of days ago, there will be random comment memes for these guys in the future, but I won't be posting anymore full-length stories in this verse.
This foul-mouthed, punk ass group of friends was my introduction to fandom and they'll probably always be my favorite, but I really feel like it's time to let go. I hope you find this a fitting end to their story.
Jared's arms are burning, every muscle strained to the breaking point as he fights to hold his position. Sweat plasters his hair to the back of his neck, a thin sheen coating his chest and back. There's a catharsis in the burn, but there's also a hell of a lot of pain now that he's been trying to keep himself up for going on a full minute.
“Man, I can't,” he grunts, wanting more than anything to drop his arms. “I gotta,” he starts again, releasing the pull-up bar in his basement gym, managing to land low on his feet. “Fuck me.”
Jensen looks up from his sketch pad, tongue caught between his teeth and a devious glint in his eyes. “That an invitation?” he winks, pencil running over his paper before he glances back down at it.
With a roll of his eyes, Jared grabs his towel from the bench press and wipes the dripping sweat from his forehead and neck. “You get what you needed?”
Jensen nods and flips the book shut before Jared can see what he's working on. “You sure yours is ready to go?” He lifts his face for a kiss and then stands, staring a little too long at Jared's pecs.
The way he clears his throat and averts his eyes when Jared flexes is funny, but Jared would be lying if he said pride didn't well up in his chest every time Jensen blatantly checked him out like that. After fifteen years, it feels pretty damn good to know that he can still turn Jensen on with a simple flex of his pecs.
“Mine has been done for two weeks, man,” Jared laughs, snapping his towel against Jensen's thigh before he turns to head up the stairs.
Jensen follows – Jared can practically feel his eyes on his ass – bitching under his breath about how Jared is an overachiever. “I'd have mine done, too, if I sat around with nothin' else to do all damn day.”
Rolling his eyes, Jared heads for the stairs. “I'm takin' a shower. You wanna continue this conversation, you're gonna have to come with,” he invites, not bothering to wait around for an answer.
Ever since he decided to semi-retire, to spend more time painting and less time at the shop, Jensen has been riding his ass about not doing anything. It would bother Jared if he wasn't so busy traveling up and down the coast, visiting art museums and friends' shops along the way, and reading by the pool. He's not even forty, but he figures one of the perks of being wildly successful in his twenties and thirties is retiring early. He still takes appointments and occasional trips for rock tours and conventions – he'll always be a tat artist at his core – but it's not his full-time job anymore. Jared loves that he doesn't need one.
Over the last few years, Jensen has cut back a lot, too. He designs exclusively for his own stores now and if Jared asks him to come along on a business trip or even just a long weekend vacation, Jensen doesn't turn him down. Since Brayden moved out of the pool house a year ago, he's been a lot more interested in spending as much time with Jared as he possibly can. Jared isn't complaining.
He's just started the shower when the bathroom door flies open and Jensen rests his hands on his hips, completely naked and smirking like he has a thousand plans in his head for what he wants to do with Jared. Again, Jared is not complaining.
“I'll make you a deal,” Jensen says, tongue traveling along his bottom lip while Jared takes the chance to check him out this time. “You give me a hint about your piece and I will blow your brains out through your dick before you even get in the shower.”
Instead of answering, Jared considers him in silence. He's barely over forty and still looks like he did at thirty. Sure, he's matured and changed a little, but his hair's still his favorite shade of crimson, eyebrow and tongue are still pierced, and his eyes are still lined in the same charcoal color they have been since the day they met. He's got a lot more ink, thanks to Jared's annual anniversary gifts, but his smile and his swagger haven't changed a bit.
Turning before he can be swayed, Jared steps into the steaming spray of the shower and pulls the door shut behind him. When Brayden asked them to sketch portraits of each other for a mural he's going to paint on the wall above their bed, Jared knew Jensen wasn't going to want to keep it a secret. He tried to convince Jared that he could wait, but Jared knows him well enough by now to know that it was a crock of shit.
“Come on, man. One hint,” Jensen begs, sliding the door open to step into the shower behind Jared. He slips his arms around Jared's waist and presses his open mouth directly between Jared's shoulders. “You know you wanna give me somethin,” he urges.
Jared turns on him fast enough to catch him off guard and backs Jensen up to the wall, arm pressed against his chest. “Oh, I wanna give you somethin' alright,” he winks before gracefully falling to his knees. His arms are still tingling a little, but that doesn't so much matter when Jensen is all slick and slippery and naked.
“This is not what I meant,” Jensen groans, head falling back against the tiles when Jared's breath ghosts over the head of his cock. Tangling his fingers in Jared's hair, he yanks his head back long enough to give him what Jared assumes is supposed to be a very stern look. “I let you do this, you give me a hint?”
Using one hand to bat Jensen's away from his head, Jared digs the fingers of his other hand into Jensen's hip and swallows his cock as far back as he can at once. It doesn't take much time to find a rhythm, for Jensen to bury his hands back in Jared's hair and hold him steady while he fucks his mouth with appreciative grunts and filthy encouragement.
Jensen is coming against Jared's chest in no time, slumping back against the shower tiles until Jared turns the water on above his head. In his opinion, installing double showers heads was the best idea Jensen's ever had.
By the time they manage to finish manhandling each other and actually clean themselves off, Jensen seems to have forgotten his original plan for joining Jared in the shower. Just as Jared intended.
*
The weirdest thing about Jared's pseudo retirement is not that he's around the house more. The weirdest thing, at least from Jensen's perspective, is that he stopped ordering take out and started grilling almost every night of the week. Jared's damn good at it and all, but they've never been big on cooking their own meals. It's taken some getting used to.
“Don't fuckin' burn it this time!” Brayden calls as he enters the backyard, laughing as Jared flips him off.
He still walks around like he owns the place even though he hasn't lived here for awhile now. At twenty-four, Brayden is as big as Jared was at his age; sometimes Jensen has trouble reconciling the man he is with the kid he used to be. Danneel assures him that all parents go through that, but what the hell does Danneel know about being a parent?
Brayden extends his hand, bumping his knuckles against Jensen's before he drops into the chair across the table. “What's up, old man?' he asks, grin every bit as wide and mischievous as it always has been.
Jensen rolls his eyes, reaches into the cooler at his side and withdraws an energy drink for himself, two beers for his boys. “You wanna head over to Ollie later? Hit the pipe with me for awhile?”
With a shrug, Brayden pops the cap on his bottle and takes a quick drink. “Think I can manage that. You feelin' nostalgic or somethin'?” It's been awhile since they skated together; hell, it's been awhile since Brayden skated at all.
“Man, he's been draggin' me around on the magical memory tour all fuckin' week,” Jared says.
“Oh, fuck you,” Jensen shoots back, unwilling to admit that he has, in fact, been feeling pretty nostalgic lately. Maybe it's their impending anniversary, or the party Sophia is planning for the occasion. “I just wanna get away from you for awhile,” he says, though there's no bite to his insult. Also, he's smiling, so it's probably not all that effective. Turning back to Brayden, he asks, “Does your leash reach that far these days?”
Brayden rolls his eyes like he's fifteen again. “Hilarious,” he intones, shifting in his seat to pull something out of the pocket of his jeans. “I kinda wanted to talk to you guys about somethin', though.”
He doesn't say anything, but Jensen's stomach drops a little when Jared delivers the burgers to the table at the same time Brayden slides a little black velvet box across the glass. “The fuck is that?” Jared asks.
Sighing, Jensen grabs the box and flips it open. At the sight of the giant diamond ring, he says, “Bray, I know I'm not your biological relative, but I'm not sure marriage is appropriate for us.”
Brayden makes a face and Jared steals the box. “You're also taken, dumb ass,” he smiles at Jensen and then flips the box closed and tosses it back to Brayden. “You're twenty-four.”
“You're thirty-eight,” Brayden fires back. “The fuck does that have to do with anything?” Without waiting for an answer, he goes on. “Didn't we have this same conversation when we bought the house?”
Brayden met his girlfriend, Adrianne, when she started working as Z's office manager a few years ago. It took him nearly three years to get her to agree to have dinner with him because she was so unimpressed by his reputation for one night stands. At first, Jensen was sure he would give up after a few rejections and carry on his merry, slutty way. Instead, he tripped over his own feet to prove himself to Adrianne and finally managed to catch her.
They did talk about this when Brayden explained that he and Adrianne, after almost two years of dating, wanted to buy a house together a couple of miles from here. They both thought he was too young, but Brayden pointed out that he was the same age Jared was when he met Jensen, and that Adrianne was only a year younger than Jensen was back then It was a valid point then, and it still is.
“Look, I know you guys aren't big on the whole marriage situation, but.” He drops his head and Jensen can almost see a hint of a blush in his cheeks. “I don't know. It's important to Adrianne.” He doesn't say that it is therefore important to him. He doesn't have to. They get it.
Jared drops into his seat and rests his arm over the back of Jensen's chair. “So you just wanted to give us a heads up? Or was there somethin' more to this?” If anyone knows how to read everything Brayden doesn't say, it's Jared. Jensen's pretty good at it, but there's a bond between those two that's just kind of transcendent. Jensen's not complaining; he thinks it's pretty fucking beautiful.
Taking his time to fill his plate with three burgers and half the platter of grilled vegetables, Brayden waits until he's finished to answer. “I don't want to steal your thunder or anything, but I kinda thought I might ask her at your party.”
It doesn't take more than a shared look and a nod between them for Jensen to say, “Go for it, man.”
*
“This is stupid.” Jensen punches the pillow and rolls over, nearly taking Jared's nose out in the process of tossing and turning. “How the fuck did we get kicked out of our own damn house?”
With a groan, Jared grabs his arm and pins it to his own chest. “You knock me in the face again, I'm gonna kick you the fuck outta this house, too,” he warns, releasing his hold.
Three days of sleeping in the pool house is starting to take its toll on both of them. It's not uncomfortable – Brayden lived here for five years – but their own bed is only yards away. And they own the damn house. If their sleeping out here is not a testament to the lengths they will go to for that kid, Jared doesn't know what is.
“Better be the best damn painting I've ever fuckin' seen,” Jensen grumbles into his pillow, turning on his side and thrusting his ass against Jared's thigh.
Slipping an arm over Jensen's hip, Jared rests a hand low on his belly and speaks into the back of his head. “You'll love it.”
He gives a noncommittal grunt. If either of them was honest, they're pretty fucking excited to see what Brayden's doing up in their room. Even if it looks like a third grader did it, they'll both think it's the coolest thing ever. Luckily, Brayden's a pretty damn good artist, so chances are it won't blow.
“Jay?”
Jared just mumbles against Jensen's neck.
“I wanna give you your anniversary present.”
“Gonna have to give me a little more time,” Jared tells him. His turn-around time's not what it used to be.
He receives a sharp elbow to the sternum in response before Jensen is pulling away and fighting to sit. The light stabs at Jared's eyes when Jensen turns it on. “You awake?”
Blinking, Jared nods and manages to hoist himself onto one elbow, wiping the sleep from his eyes groggily. “Shoot.”
“I'm turning over day-to-day operations of both stores to Mike and Jake, as of Thursday.”
The news hangs between them for awhile, Jared hearing the words but not really processing them. When they do sink in, he can't help gaping like a fish. “Are you kidding?”
Jensen shakes his head. “I'm still going to do a few lines a year, and I'll have my hands in things, but I'm stepping back.” Scrubbing a hand over his face, he yawns and then laughs. “I'll probably go nuts in the first three days, but you're right on this one, ya know? I have worked my ass off since I bought the park. What's the point if I don't take the time to enjoy it?”
Jared could argue that he's been making those same points for years, but that's not nearly as important as the fact that Jensen's actually going to give up working insane hours to spend lazy days hanging out with him. In essence, he's giving Jared himself for their anniversary. Completely. In a way that he's never fully been able to do.
“I love you,” Jared blurts.
“You might change your mind when I've been home for a couple weeks,” Jensen warns, falling forward easily when Jared reaches for him.
He kisses Jensen a little harder than he meant to, but he can't exactly help it. He's excited. “Dude, if I'm not sick of your shit by now, I don't think you have anything to worry about.”
*
As far as parties go, this one doesn't suck. There's amazing food, great music and, most importantly, their friends. Jensen can't think of anything else he would need to enjoy this night.
“Why don't you sit your punk ass down for a second. You're makin' me nervous,” Chris shoots, kicking the chair beside him out for Jensen.
Grabbing an appetizer from the passing waitress's tray, he flops down and looks around the room. Jared is talking to Brayden and Sophia while Chad chases their four-year-old daughter, Emily, around the dance floor. Adrianne is ever-present at Brayden's side and she's going to figure out what's going on if he doesn't stop jumping every time she touches him. It's funny, but Jensen has been mocking him all night so it's probably time to give it a rest.
“Happy anniversary,” Danneel smiles, raising her beer bottle in a toast.
Jensen returns the gesture and focuses his attention on his friends. “This is so gay,” he says, laughing as he shakes his head and watches Tom and Mike making out in the corner. Their commitment ceremony five years ago made sense; a party to celebrate Jared and Jensen's relationship seems more ridiculous somehow.
At his side, there's a huff from his newest employee, Misha. “You've been together an eternity in this town.”
When Danneel decided to start acting as the manager for Chris and Steve's band, she suggested Misha to take her place as Marketing Director at Ollie. Jensen's never been so glad for a hiring decision in his life. He's a little left-of-center, but that's exactly what the company has needed to hit another level of success. Jensen doesn't pretend to know how Misha's mind works, but he certainly isn't upset about everything he's accomplished.
“Especially for the guy who used to say he'd rather be castrated than monogamous,” Chris teases, running his hand over the top of Danneel's head and then down her back.
“That's extreme,” Misha observes.
Jensen just shrugs. That was a long time ago, before Jared was even a thought. “I didn't know,” is all he says in his own defense.
“What'd you get this year?” Steve asks before drinking from his beer bottle.
Jensen smirks. “Dragon. Can't show you where.” Steve just laughs when he winks.
“What the hell is up with Bray?” Chris asks, eyes drifting over Jensen's head to the place where Brayden is shoving an entire cheese stick in his mouth in one bite. “Kid's been all over the place tonight.”
It's not Jensen's place to say anything, but he can't help laughing. “You'll see,” he says, shaking his head as he takes a drink. He's ready to walk over there and tell the kid to get it over with; he's starting to make Jensen twitchy.
*
Jared is just about to smack Brayden in the back of the head when a small pair of arms and legs wrap around his torso from behind, causing him to stumble back a little. “Dammit, woman!”
Genevieve laughs as she jumps back to the ground, raking her fingers through her hair. “You love me,” she tells him, a little twinkle in her eye. “Congrats, Boss,” she adds with a wink.
It's not exactly classified information that Genevieve thinks of Jensen and Jared as her surrogate parents. Jared has lost count of the nights she's spent in their guest room after some blow-out with a girlfriend or when the cat-and-mouse between she and Katie gets to be a little too much for her to handle. She's like his office manager, web designer, and unrelated little sister all rolled into one awesomely obnoxious package.
“Thanks,” he accepts her greeting and the hug she follows it up with easily. “You here alone?”
Genevieve's smile only grows when she nods over her shoulder. “Katie got caught talking to somebody in the hall,” she explains.
Though she decided freelancing was more her thing, Katie still stops in at Slinging Ink a few times a week. Jared suspects that has more to do with Genevieve than the shop itself, but he doesn't mind. If he's honest, he's glad for both of them – they'll never admit it, but they're really pretty damn good when they're actually together.
“Hey, can I get everybody's attention up here?” Brayden calls out when the music cuts off suddenly.
“We were dancing!” Chad exclaims, hoisiting Emily onto his hip with one arm while the other hand flips Brayden off out of her eyeline.
Brayden shakes his head and runs his tongue over his bottom lip. He's making a fist at his side, but Jared's proud of him for not returning Chad's gesture while Emily's watching him. It's always been a little off-putting how good he is with that kid. “That wasn't dancing, man,” Brayden laughs. “Hey, so Sophia wanted me to thank everyone for coming, first of all.” He glances at a piece of paper in his hand. “She gave me some speech to read but it's a bunch of girlie bull shit, so I'm gonna skip over that and just do my own thing.”
“HEY!” Sophia calls out, standing up on her chair. “That is a damn good speech!” When Brayden just winks at her and shrugs, she narrows her eyes but she's smiling. “I hate all of you.”
With a hand on Jensen's shoulder, Jared waits to hear where Brayden is going with this. It's been hilarious watching him skitter around all day, twitching and jumping every time somebody tries to talk to him, but Jared's really hoping this goes well. Adrianne's been known to play hard-to-get and Jared's not sure if he's going to be able to keep his cool if she embarrasses his kid in front of everyone. It's probably not going to happen, but sometimes he can't stop his brain from worst-case scenarios.
“Alright, calm down,” Brayden growls, smiling again as he runs his fingers through his hair. “So, we're all here to get hammered in honor of those two guys over there,” he points toward the guys and Jensen shoots him a bright, cheesy grin. “I'm not gonna get all weepy, but I will say that I've had twelve years to watch the way a real relationship is supposed to work; I've seen fights you can't imagine and way too much not-fighting for my taste.”
Jared raises his tumbler at Brayden and takes this opportunity to suck on the bend of Jensen's neck. A few catcalls and a smattering of applause greet his gesture, but he's only interested in the press of Jensen's ass against his hips.
“Seriously? Now?” Brayden laughs and shakes his head, again waiting for the crowd to die down before he goes on. “Anyway, I don't say it all that often, but I'm grateful for the life these two chuckleheads have given me. I've been places and seen things I never should have been able to see, but I've also learned that none of that matters as much as family. Surrounding yourself with people that you trust, that you love, that you can count on? That's what Jared and Jensen live; everybody in this room has felt that from them at some point over the last fifteen years.”
Taking a few steps to the side, he reaches out for Adrianne's hand and pulls her back to the center of the stage. “For those of you who don't know, this is my girlfriend, Adrianne.” There are more wolf whistles, but Brayden doesn't pay much attention to them. Jared would laugh, but he knows how it feels to forget the rest of the room when he's looking at the person he's kind of crazy about. “If this thing goes my way, she'll be my fiance in a second.”
To her credit, Adrianne holds it together pretty well when the words actually register. Brayden doesn't take a knee, it's not his style, but he does put the microphone down to pull the ring box out of his pocket. With one hand on her waist, he says something that only she can hear. Adrianne laughs and shakes her head before she throws her arms around his neck.
“Is that a yes?” Genevieve's voice shouts into the applause.
Adrianne lets Brayden slide the ring on her finger while she grabs the microphone and says, “It's a hell yes!”
Jared claps, along with the rest of the crowd, and he knows he's smiling like an idiot but he just doesn't care. He's hanging out with his friends, celebrating his relationship, and his kid is really fucking happy. Life just doesn't get much better than this.
*
By the time the guys stumble through the back door, Jared is a little tipsy and Jensen is buzzed enough on the high of the night not to care that he's being pawed and stripped of his tee shirt in front of Brayden and Adrianne.
“Alright, enough,” Brayden holds a hand out when Jared pulls at Jensen's hips and starts mouthing at his throat.
Adrianne just chuckles and leans against Brayden's shoulder. “I think it's hot that they're still so into each other,” she says, though it's hard to tell if she actually means it or if she's just trying to get Brayden going.
“You want hot? I will bend you over this counter right now,” Brayden taps the island with both hands.
That sobers Jared faster than a cold bucket of water to the face. “The fuck you will. Come on,” he says, pulling Jensen toward the stairs. “Show us this mural so I can get fucked in my own bed for a change.”
Staying out of their room has been difficult, but the obvious pride on Brayden's face when they all start up the stairs kind of makes it worth it. Jensen has no doubt the painting will be well-done. He's just anxious to see it. Also, to fuck Jared in their own bed, instead of out in the pool house. That's always a perk.
Jared's mouth is gaping before Jensen even turns to look at the mural. When he sees it, it's pretty impossible not to do his own mute impression.
Over Jensen's side of the bed, the picture he sketched of Jared pulling himself up on the bar in the basement has been morphed into this crucifix-like pose. The muscles in his outstretched arms still strain and bulge but the look on his face is more relaxed, commanding, and really fucking hot. Jared’s sketch of Jensen in their bed, covered to his waist by a sheet, has been altered, as well. He’s still laying back, propped up on his elbows, shirtless and sprawled, but wearing pants. His eyes, though, are still fixed solely on Jared. There are a million other little features in the background – inside jokes and symbolic details – but the focus of the piece and both of its central figures is clear.
“It’s phenomenal.” Jared turns to see Jensen will struggling to take it all in. “Look, you made Jensen all sobby and everything.”
“Shut up, fucker.” Jensen shoves him half-heartedly and then steps up onto the bed to get a closer look. “This is the coolest thing I’ve ever seen.” He expected it to be good. He did not expect this.
Brayden chuckles, but it’s pretty obvious that he’s proud of himself. “Adrianne came up with a lot of the background stuff,” he explains, arms wrapped around her from behind, his chin resting on her shoulder.
She reaches back to touch his face and her new ring catches the light. She’s been around long enough now that she already feels like part of the family, but it’s still a little jarring. “It wasn’t that hard. I just made a list of everything you guys talk about that I don’t understand,” Adrianne admits. None of them spend a lot of time contemplating just how much of a secret language they’ve developed over the years – why would they? – but Adrianne isn’t the first to be confused by it.
“Seriously, Bray,” Jared finally says, shaking his head again in disbelief. “Best gift fucking ever.”
“Hey!”
Rolling his eyes, Jared pulls Jensen off of the bed and catches him before he can knock them both to the ground. “After Jen’s retirement.” He squeezes Jensen’s ass and winks. “Cause that provides more time for -,”
“For ridiculous sex you are far too old and disgusting to have. We get it, you can shut up about it any time,” Brayden finishes his sentence on a disapproving groan.
Jensen manages to extract himself from Jared’s clutches and smooth a hand over his hair. It probably doesn’t help much. “Kid, you’ll be lucky as fuck if you still have half the sex we have after y’all have been together this long.”
Instead of answering, Brayden pulls his vibrating phone from his pocket and excuses himself into the hall while Jared winks at Adrianne. She’s laughing and shaking her head, but doesn’t seem too skeezed out by the direction this conversation was about to take.
Jensen, on the other hand, smacks Jared in the back of the head. “Stop being creepy Uncle Jared, ya perv.”
Jared laughs and tackles Jensen onto the bed, wrapping a leg over his thigh before Brayden’s rising voice cuts through the roughhousing. “I told you I wasn’t gonna do it…I don’t care, I’m not…No, I’m not gonna change my fucking mind. This is the same fucked up bull shit all over again and I’m fucking sick of it.”
Tension stretches thin through the room and Jensen has to tighten his grip to keep Jared from charging out there to fix things. If he’s honest, he’s holding on to keep himself from doing something stupid, too.
“Oh, fuck you,” Brayden’s voice carries through the open bedroom door. “This is not about them. It’s about you!” For a beat, there’s silence. Adrianne flinches when Brayden explodes again. “Do not try to pin this shit on me! I have done every fucking thing you have asked of me and all you’ve done is lie to my fucking face. I am not your goddamn mule. Far as I’m concerned, I’m not your fucking son anymore, either.”
Jensen doesn’t need a diagram or a pie chart to figure out who’s on the other end of that telephone. He is a little curious, however, as to why Brayden’s in a shouting match with a guy who’s supposed to be in prison for another three years.
“Stop it. Just...I can’t. We can’t keep doin’ this. Figure it out or don’t. I can’t do it anymore.”
The silence that follows echoes louder through the bedroom than Brayden’s heavy footsteps on the stairs. “When did he get out?” Jensen asks after a few really awkward seconds of Adrianne fidgeting next to the bed.
“Thursday,” she answers, eyes studying on the floor. “He didn’t wanna fuck up your actual anniversary.” She takes a breath and hazards a glance at the pair of them. “He stayed with us Thursday night, but his room smelled like crank yesterday morning, so Brayden kicked him out. This is the fourth call he’s gotten since.” Hands in her pockets, Adrianne looks to the door again. “I should probably go make sure he’s not gonna leave me here and go do somethin’ illegal.”
Jared doesn’t say anything; he just gets up off the bed and follows Adrianne down the stairs. Jensen doesn’t really have much choice but to tag along. If Brayden’s about to do something dumb, Jared’s about doing something suicidal. Adrianne will never be able to hold them both back on her own.
*
It’s not until Adrianne threatens to call the police that the guys calm down enough to sit at the island in the kitchen and stare at a bucket of ice cream none of them are touching. Jared doesn’t know how anyone expects him to eat anything – not after finding out that Rick’s been sending Brayden letters for more than a month, making plans and arrangements for his early release. Letters, plans and arrangements that Brayden didn’t say a word about.
“Can you blame me?” Brayden finally asks, looking a little defiant and a whole lot defeated. “It’s not like you’re the coolest head in the world when it comes to this particular situation.” He reaches for Adrianne’s thigh, leaning against her for support.
“What’re you gonna do?” Jared finally asks. He wants to rage, to scream and yell, but it’s not Brayden that’s pissing him off – not really. It’s the whole fucked up situation, and the fact that it’s slamming down on the heels of one of the greatest nights of his life. Also, he’s still a little drunk, so that’s not really helping ebb his anger, either.
“Nothing?” He rests one arm on the table and drops his forehead onto it with a sigh. “Fuck if I know, man. You fix it.”
When Jared starts to stand, cracking his knuckles in anticipation, Jensen yanks him back down to his seat. “Sit your ass down,” he growls, turning his attention back to Brayden. “Look, man, we’ve always been pretty careful to tread lightly where your dad is concerned, but whatever you decide you’re gonna do, we’ll back you up, alright?”
Jensen’s right, of course. Jared would like to go smash Rick’s coke-snorting nose, but the time for that has passed. Brayden’s a grown man, about to have a wife and probably a family of his own after that. If he wants to ignore his dad and hope he goes away, they have to let him do that. Rationality and maturity are just not Jared’s favorite things right now.
“We could always send him back to jail,” he shrug, waiting for Brayden to huff a laugh before he smirks. They won’t do it, Jared knows without actually asking, but the thought of it makes his chest feel a little bit lighter.
Adrianne stands, running her hand over Brayden’s shoulders before stretching both arms over her head. “You gonna hang out here for awhile?” He gives her a half shrug, half nod. “I’m gonna go crash in the pool house then.” It won’t be the first time they’ve partied a little too hard and slept it off in Brayden’s old place.
She’s barely gone before Jensen grabs an ice cream spoon and pushes one over to Brayden. “He’s always gonna be your dad.”
“Look, it took me awhile to figure it out, okay?” Brayden starts, digging a heaping mound of ice cream onto his spoon. “I thought I could just blend everything together and make one big, happy family. But he kinda made it an easy choice, ya know? He had his chance to be my dad and he fucked that up. More than once. I got more important shit to focus on now,” he nods down the hall, but doesn’t clarify. He doesn’t need to. “’Sides, I got you two irritatin’ the hell outta me. What else do I need, really?” With a low whistle, he quirks an eyebrow at each of them. “Also, I don’t know if you noticed, but I totally hooked the hottest piece of ass in all of Southern California tonight. Forever.”
Jensen flips him off, causing Brayden to laugh deep and loud around another mouthful of ice cream. He’s twenty-four, but Jared can’t help wondering if he’ll ever really stop being fifteen. He still cares about people more than he’s willing to admit. He still hurts a lot deeper than he’ll acknowledge. He still smiles like there’s nothing better in the world than sitting at the island, eating ice cream and talking about how awesome his girlfriend is.
*
Jensen watches Jared move from the bathroom, across the bedroom. He’s stretching his arms over his head, his wet hair is dropping onto the swell of his shoulders and he’s completely naked. There’s really nothing else Jensen can be bothered to focus on at the moment.
“You still wanna knock his teeth down his throat, huh?” he asks as Jared drops one knee to the mattress and then the other.
With a shake of his head, Jared chuckles when Jensen shies away from the spay of water falling off of him like a wet dog. “Nah,” he answers, flopping onto his back and folding his hands against his stomach. “Maybe I’m mellowing in my old age, but I don’t care enough to pick a fight with him anymore.” He blinks toward the ceiling and then rolls his head on the pillow to level Jensen with one an intense glare. “I mean, if he gives me reason to, I’ll break his face, don’t get me wrong. Bray’s happy, though. He’s got a good girl and a good life. The rest of it doesn’t seem that important anymore.”
“Look at you,” Jensen teases, leaning back against the headboard and nudging Jared’s arm with his knee. “All enlightened and shit.”
Jared growls, flipping onto his side and raking his eyes over Jensen’s naked body. “How’s your ink healin’?” Jensen shrugs and follows Jared’s eye to the inside of his thigh where a new gauze bandage covers the two-day old tattoo. “You should probably let it breathe a little.”
Wordlessly, Jensen stands on the bed and kneels back down between Jared’s legs, forcing them further apart. He leans over to grab the lube out of the bedside table before he smirks. “Thought I’d keep it protected for one more night while it’s slammin’ up against your ass.”
Nodding, Jared sits up and grabs the back of Jensen’s head. “You’re a wise man, Jen.”
Jensen winks and smacks Jared’s hip until he rolls over onto his hands and knees. “Only when I’m thinkin’ with my dick, Jay.”
Author:
raeschaeWordcount: ~6500
Rating: R
Pairing(s): Jared/Jensen
Summary: For twelve years, Brayden has watched and emulated Jared and Jensen. Now he's starting to apply some of the things he's learned.
Notes: One year ago, I posted the first chapter of Disclaimer: We Will Not Be Held Responsible, so it seems fitting that I post the final installment today. As I said in a post a couple of days ago, there will be random comment memes for these guys in the future, but I won't be posting anymore full-length stories in this verse.
This foul-mouthed, punk ass group of friends was my introduction to fandom and they'll probably always be my favorite, but I really feel like it's time to let go. I hope you find this a fitting end to their story.
Jared's arms are burning, every muscle strained to the breaking point as he fights to hold his position. Sweat plasters his hair to the back of his neck, a thin sheen coating his chest and back. There's a catharsis in the burn, but there's also a hell of a lot of pain now that he's been trying to keep himself up for going on a full minute.
“Man, I can't,” he grunts, wanting more than anything to drop his arms. “I gotta,” he starts again, releasing the pull-up bar in his basement gym, managing to land low on his feet. “Fuck me.”
Jensen looks up from his sketch pad, tongue caught between his teeth and a devious glint in his eyes. “That an invitation?” he winks, pencil running over his paper before he glances back down at it.
With a roll of his eyes, Jared grabs his towel from the bench press and wipes the dripping sweat from his forehead and neck. “You get what you needed?”
Jensen nods and flips the book shut before Jared can see what he's working on. “You sure yours is ready to go?” He lifts his face for a kiss and then stands, staring a little too long at Jared's pecs.
The way he clears his throat and averts his eyes when Jared flexes is funny, but Jared would be lying if he said pride didn't well up in his chest every time Jensen blatantly checked him out like that. After fifteen years, it feels pretty damn good to know that he can still turn Jensen on with a simple flex of his pecs.
“Mine has been done for two weeks, man,” Jared laughs, snapping his towel against Jensen's thigh before he turns to head up the stairs.
Jensen follows – Jared can practically feel his eyes on his ass – bitching under his breath about how Jared is an overachiever. “I'd have mine done, too, if I sat around with nothin' else to do all damn day.”
Rolling his eyes, Jared heads for the stairs. “I'm takin' a shower. You wanna continue this conversation, you're gonna have to come with,” he invites, not bothering to wait around for an answer.
Ever since he decided to semi-retire, to spend more time painting and less time at the shop, Jensen has been riding his ass about not doing anything. It would bother Jared if he wasn't so busy traveling up and down the coast, visiting art museums and friends' shops along the way, and reading by the pool. He's not even forty, but he figures one of the perks of being wildly successful in his twenties and thirties is retiring early. He still takes appointments and occasional trips for rock tours and conventions – he'll always be a tat artist at his core – but it's not his full-time job anymore. Jared loves that he doesn't need one.
Over the last few years, Jensen has cut back a lot, too. He designs exclusively for his own stores now and if Jared asks him to come along on a business trip or even just a long weekend vacation, Jensen doesn't turn him down. Since Brayden moved out of the pool house a year ago, he's been a lot more interested in spending as much time with Jared as he possibly can. Jared isn't complaining.
He's just started the shower when the bathroom door flies open and Jensen rests his hands on his hips, completely naked and smirking like he has a thousand plans in his head for what he wants to do with Jared. Again, Jared is not complaining.
“I'll make you a deal,” Jensen says, tongue traveling along his bottom lip while Jared takes the chance to check him out this time. “You give me a hint about your piece and I will blow your brains out through your dick before you even get in the shower.”
Instead of answering, Jared considers him in silence. He's barely over forty and still looks like he did at thirty. Sure, he's matured and changed a little, but his hair's still his favorite shade of crimson, eyebrow and tongue are still pierced, and his eyes are still lined in the same charcoal color they have been since the day they met. He's got a lot more ink, thanks to Jared's annual anniversary gifts, but his smile and his swagger haven't changed a bit.
Turning before he can be swayed, Jared steps into the steaming spray of the shower and pulls the door shut behind him. When Brayden asked them to sketch portraits of each other for a mural he's going to paint on the wall above their bed, Jared knew Jensen wasn't going to want to keep it a secret. He tried to convince Jared that he could wait, but Jared knows him well enough by now to know that it was a crock of shit.
“Come on, man. One hint,” Jensen begs, sliding the door open to step into the shower behind Jared. He slips his arms around Jared's waist and presses his open mouth directly between Jared's shoulders. “You know you wanna give me somethin,” he urges.
Jared turns on him fast enough to catch him off guard and backs Jensen up to the wall, arm pressed against his chest. “Oh, I wanna give you somethin' alright,” he winks before gracefully falling to his knees. His arms are still tingling a little, but that doesn't so much matter when Jensen is all slick and slippery and naked.
“This is not what I meant,” Jensen groans, head falling back against the tiles when Jared's breath ghosts over the head of his cock. Tangling his fingers in Jared's hair, he yanks his head back long enough to give him what Jared assumes is supposed to be a very stern look. “I let you do this, you give me a hint?”
Using one hand to bat Jensen's away from his head, Jared digs the fingers of his other hand into Jensen's hip and swallows his cock as far back as he can at once. It doesn't take much time to find a rhythm, for Jensen to bury his hands back in Jared's hair and hold him steady while he fucks his mouth with appreciative grunts and filthy encouragement.
Jensen is coming against Jared's chest in no time, slumping back against the shower tiles until Jared turns the water on above his head. In his opinion, installing double showers heads was the best idea Jensen's ever had.
By the time they manage to finish manhandling each other and actually clean themselves off, Jensen seems to have forgotten his original plan for joining Jared in the shower. Just as Jared intended.
*
The weirdest thing about Jared's pseudo retirement is not that he's around the house more. The weirdest thing, at least from Jensen's perspective, is that he stopped ordering take out and started grilling almost every night of the week. Jared's damn good at it and all, but they've never been big on cooking their own meals. It's taken some getting used to.
“Don't fuckin' burn it this time!” Brayden calls as he enters the backyard, laughing as Jared flips him off.
He still walks around like he owns the place even though he hasn't lived here for awhile now. At twenty-four, Brayden is as big as Jared was at his age; sometimes Jensen has trouble reconciling the man he is with the kid he used to be. Danneel assures him that all parents go through that, but what the hell does Danneel know about being a parent?
Brayden extends his hand, bumping his knuckles against Jensen's before he drops into the chair across the table. “What's up, old man?' he asks, grin every bit as wide and mischievous as it always has been.
Jensen rolls his eyes, reaches into the cooler at his side and withdraws an energy drink for himself, two beers for his boys. “You wanna head over to Ollie later? Hit the pipe with me for awhile?”
With a shrug, Brayden pops the cap on his bottle and takes a quick drink. “Think I can manage that. You feelin' nostalgic or somethin'?” It's been awhile since they skated together; hell, it's been awhile since Brayden skated at all.
“Man, he's been draggin' me around on the magical memory tour all fuckin' week,” Jared says.
“Oh, fuck you,” Jensen shoots back, unwilling to admit that he has, in fact, been feeling pretty nostalgic lately. Maybe it's their impending anniversary, or the party Sophia is planning for the occasion. “I just wanna get away from you for awhile,” he says, though there's no bite to his insult. Also, he's smiling, so it's probably not all that effective. Turning back to Brayden, he asks, “Does your leash reach that far these days?”
Brayden rolls his eyes like he's fifteen again. “Hilarious,” he intones, shifting in his seat to pull something out of the pocket of his jeans. “I kinda wanted to talk to you guys about somethin', though.”
He doesn't say anything, but Jensen's stomach drops a little when Jared delivers the burgers to the table at the same time Brayden slides a little black velvet box across the glass. “The fuck is that?” Jared asks.
Sighing, Jensen grabs the box and flips it open. At the sight of the giant diamond ring, he says, “Bray, I know I'm not your biological relative, but I'm not sure marriage is appropriate for us.”
Brayden makes a face and Jared steals the box. “You're also taken, dumb ass,” he smiles at Jensen and then flips the box closed and tosses it back to Brayden. “You're twenty-four.”
“You're thirty-eight,” Brayden fires back. “The fuck does that have to do with anything?” Without waiting for an answer, he goes on. “Didn't we have this same conversation when we bought the house?”
Brayden met his girlfriend, Adrianne, when she started working as Z's office manager a few years ago. It took him nearly three years to get her to agree to have dinner with him because she was so unimpressed by his reputation for one night stands. At first, Jensen was sure he would give up after a few rejections and carry on his merry, slutty way. Instead, he tripped over his own feet to prove himself to Adrianne and finally managed to catch her.
They did talk about this when Brayden explained that he and Adrianne, after almost two years of dating, wanted to buy a house together a couple of miles from here. They both thought he was too young, but Brayden pointed out that he was the same age Jared was when he met Jensen, and that Adrianne was only a year younger than Jensen was back then It was a valid point then, and it still is.
“Look, I know you guys aren't big on the whole marriage situation, but.” He drops his head and Jensen can almost see a hint of a blush in his cheeks. “I don't know. It's important to Adrianne.” He doesn't say that it is therefore important to him. He doesn't have to. They get it.
Jared drops into his seat and rests his arm over the back of Jensen's chair. “So you just wanted to give us a heads up? Or was there somethin' more to this?” If anyone knows how to read everything Brayden doesn't say, it's Jared. Jensen's pretty good at it, but there's a bond between those two that's just kind of transcendent. Jensen's not complaining; he thinks it's pretty fucking beautiful.
Taking his time to fill his plate with three burgers and half the platter of grilled vegetables, Brayden waits until he's finished to answer. “I don't want to steal your thunder or anything, but I kinda thought I might ask her at your party.”
It doesn't take more than a shared look and a nod between them for Jensen to say, “Go for it, man.”
*
“This is stupid.” Jensen punches the pillow and rolls over, nearly taking Jared's nose out in the process of tossing and turning. “How the fuck did we get kicked out of our own damn house?”
With a groan, Jared grabs his arm and pins it to his own chest. “You knock me in the face again, I'm gonna kick you the fuck outta this house, too,” he warns, releasing his hold.
Three days of sleeping in the pool house is starting to take its toll on both of them. It's not uncomfortable – Brayden lived here for five years – but their own bed is only yards away. And they own the damn house. If their sleeping out here is not a testament to the lengths they will go to for that kid, Jared doesn't know what is.
“Better be the best damn painting I've ever fuckin' seen,” Jensen grumbles into his pillow, turning on his side and thrusting his ass against Jared's thigh.
Slipping an arm over Jensen's hip, Jared rests a hand low on his belly and speaks into the back of his head. “You'll love it.”
He gives a noncommittal grunt. If either of them was honest, they're pretty fucking excited to see what Brayden's doing up in their room. Even if it looks like a third grader did it, they'll both think it's the coolest thing ever. Luckily, Brayden's a pretty damn good artist, so chances are it won't blow.
“Jay?”
Jared just mumbles against Jensen's neck.
“I wanna give you your anniversary present.”
“Gonna have to give me a little more time,” Jared tells him. His turn-around time's not what it used to be.
He receives a sharp elbow to the sternum in response before Jensen is pulling away and fighting to sit. The light stabs at Jared's eyes when Jensen turns it on. “You awake?”
Blinking, Jared nods and manages to hoist himself onto one elbow, wiping the sleep from his eyes groggily. “Shoot.”
“I'm turning over day-to-day operations of both stores to Mike and Jake, as of Thursday.”
The news hangs between them for awhile, Jared hearing the words but not really processing them. When they do sink in, he can't help gaping like a fish. “Are you kidding?”
Jensen shakes his head. “I'm still going to do a few lines a year, and I'll have my hands in things, but I'm stepping back.” Scrubbing a hand over his face, he yawns and then laughs. “I'll probably go nuts in the first three days, but you're right on this one, ya know? I have worked my ass off since I bought the park. What's the point if I don't take the time to enjoy it?”
Jared could argue that he's been making those same points for years, but that's not nearly as important as the fact that Jensen's actually going to give up working insane hours to spend lazy days hanging out with him. In essence, he's giving Jared himself for their anniversary. Completely. In a way that he's never fully been able to do.
“I love you,” Jared blurts.
“You might change your mind when I've been home for a couple weeks,” Jensen warns, falling forward easily when Jared reaches for him.
He kisses Jensen a little harder than he meant to, but he can't exactly help it. He's excited. “Dude, if I'm not sick of your shit by now, I don't think you have anything to worry about.”
*
As far as parties go, this one doesn't suck. There's amazing food, great music and, most importantly, their friends. Jensen can't think of anything else he would need to enjoy this night.
“Why don't you sit your punk ass down for a second. You're makin' me nervous,” Chris shoots, kicking the chair beside him out for Jensen.
Grabbing an appetizer from the passing waitress's tray, he flops down and looks around the room. Jared is talking to Brayden and Sophia while Chad chases their four-year-old daughter, Emily, around the dance floor. Adrianne is ever-present at Brayden's side and she's going to figure out what's going on if he doesn't stop jumping every time she touches him. It's funny, but Jensen has been mocking him all night so it's probably time to give it a rest.
“Happy anniversary,” Danneel smiles, raising her beer bottle in a toast.
Jensen returns the gesture and focuses his attention on his friends. “This is so gay,” he says, laughing as he shakes his head and watches Tom and Mike making out in the corner. Their commitment ceremony five years ago made sense; a party to celebrate Jared and Jensen's relationship seems more ridiculous somehow.
At his side, there's a huff from his newest employee, Misha. “You've been together an eternity in this town.”
When Danneel decided to start acting as the manager for Chris and Steve's band, she suggested Misha to take her place as Marketing Director at Ollie. Jensen's never been so glad for a hiring decision in his life. He's a little left-of-center, but that's exactly what the company has needed to hit another level of success. Jensen doesn't pretend to know how Misha's mind works, but he certainly isn't upset about everything he's accomplished.
“Especially for the guy who used to say he'd rather be castrated than monogamous,” Chris teases, running his hand over the top of Danneel's head and then down her back.
“That's extreme,” Misha observes.
Jensen just shrugs. That was a long time ago, before Jared was even a thought. “I didn't know,” is all he says in his own defense.
“What'd you get this year?” Steve asks before drinking from his beer bottle.
Jensen smirks. “Dragon. Can't show you where.” Steve just laughs when he winks.
“What the hell is up with Bray?” Chris asks, eyes drifting over Jensen's head to the place where Brayden is shoving an entire cheese stick in his mouth in one bite. “Kid's been all over the place tonight.”
It's not Jensen's place to say anything, but he can't help laughing. “You'll see,” he says, shaking his head as he takes a drink. He's ready to walk over there and tell the kid to get it over with; he's starting to make Jensen twitchy.
*
Jared is just about to smack Brayden in the back of the head when a small pair of arms and legs wrap around his torso from behind, causing him to stumble back a little. “Dammit, woman!”
Genevieve laughs as she jumps back to the ground, raking her fingers through her hair. “You love me,” she tells him, a little twinkle in her eye. “Congrats, Boss,” she adds with a wink.
It's not exactly classified information that Genevieve thinks of Jensen and Jared as her surrogate parents. Jared has lost count of the nights she's spent in their guest room after some blow-out with a girlfriend or when the cat-and-mouse between she and Katie gets to be a little too much for her to handle. She's like his office manager, web designer, and unrelated little sister all rolled into one awesomely obnoxious package.
“Thanks,” he accepts her greeting and the hug she follows it up with easily. “You here alone?”
Genevieve's smile only grows when she nods over her shoulder. “Katie got caught talking to somebody in the hall,” she explains.
Though she decided freelancing was more her thing, Katie still stops in at Slinging Ink a few times a week. Jared suspects that has more to do with Genevieve than the shop itself, but he doesn't mind. If he's honest, he's glad for both of them – they'll never admit it, but they're really pretty damn good when they're actually together.
“Hey, can I get everybody's attention up here?” Brayden calls out when the music cuts off suddenly.
“We were dancing!” Chad exclaims, hoisiting Emily onto his hip with one arm while the other hand flips Brayden off out of her eyeline.
Brayden shakes his head and runs his tongue over his bottom lip. He's making a fist at his side, but Jared's proud of him for not returning Chad's gesture while Emily's watching him. It's always been a little off-putting how good he is with that kid. “That wasn't dancing, man,” Brayden laughs. “Hey, so Sophia wanted me to thank everyone for coming, first of all.” He glances at a piece of paper in his hand. “She gave me some speech to read but it's a bunch of girlie bull shit, so I'm gonna skip over that and just do my own thing.”
“HEY!” Sophia calls out, standing up on her chair. “That is a damn good speech!” When Brayden just winks at her and shrugs, she narrows her eyes but she's smiling. “I hate all of you.”
With a hand on Jensen's shoulder, Jared waits to hear where Brayden is going with this. It's been hilarious watching him skitter around all day, twitching and jumping every time somebody tries to talk to him, but Jared's really hoping this goes well. Adrianne's been known to play hard-to-get and Jared's not sure if he's going to be able to keep his cool if she embarrasses his kid in front of everyone. It's probably not going to happen, but sometimes he can't stop his brain from worst-case scenarios.
“Alright, calm down,” Brayden growls, smiling again as he runs his fingers through his hair. “So, we're all here to get hammered in honor of those two guys over there,” he points toward the guys and Jensen shoots him a bright, cheesy grin. “I'm not gonna get all weepy, but I will say that I've had twelve years to watch the way a real relationship is supposed to work; I've seen fights you can't imagine and way too much not-fighting for my taste.”
Jared raises his tumbler at Brayden and takes this opportunity to suck on the bend of Jensen's neck. A few catcalls and a smattering of applause greet his gesture, but he's only interested in the press of Jensen's ass against his hips.
“Seriously? Now?” Brayden laughs and shakes his head, again waiting for the crowd to die down before he goes on. “Anyway, I don't say it all that often, but I'm grateful for the life these two chuckleheads have given me. I've been places and seen things I never should have been able to see, but I've also learned that none of that matters as much as family. Surrounding yourself with people that you trust, that you love, that you can count on? That's what Jared and Jensen live; everybody in this room has felt that from them at some point over the last fifteen years.”
Taking a few steps to the side, he reaches out for Adrianne's hand and pulls her back to the center of the stage. “For those of you who don't know, this is my girlfriend, Adrianne.” There are more wolf whistles, but Brayden doesn't pay much attention to them. Jared would laugh, but he knows how it feels to forget the rest of the room when he's looking at the person he's kind of crazy about. “If this thing goes my way, she'll be my fiance in a second.”
To her credit, Adrianne holds it together pretty well when the words actually register. Brayden doesn't take a knee, it's not his style, but he does put the microphone down to pull the ring box out of his pocket. With one hand on her waist, he says something that only she can hear. Adrianne laughs and shakes her head before she throws her arms around his neck.
“Is that a yes?” Genevieve's voice shouts into the applause.
Adrianne lets Brayden slide the ring on her finger while she grabs the microphone and says, “It's a hell yes!”
Jared claps, along with the rest of the crowd, and he knows he's smiling like an idiot but he just doesn't care. He's hanging out with his friends, celebrating his relationship, and his kid is really fucking happy. Life just doesn't get much better than this.
*
By the time the guys stumble through the back door, Jared is a little tipsy and Jensen is buzzed enough on the high of the night not to care that he's being pawed and stripped of his tee shirt in front of Brayden and Adrianne.
“Alright, enough,” Brayden holds a hand out when Jared pulls at Jensen's hips and starts mouthing at his throat.
Adrianne just chuckles and leans against Brayden's shoulder. “I think it's hot that they're still so into each other,” she says, though it's hard to tell if she actually means it or if she's just trying to get Brayden going.
“You want hot? I will bend you over this counter right now,” Brayden taps the island with both hands.
That sobers Jared faster than a cold bucket of water to the face. “The fuck you will. Come on,” he says, pulling Jensen toward the stairs. “Show us this mural so I can get fucked in my own bed for a change.”
Staying out of their room has been difficult, but the obvious pride on Brayden's face when they all start up the stairs kind of makes it worth it. Jensen has no doubt the painting will be well-done. He's just anxious to see it. Also, to fuck Jared in their own bed, instead of out in the pool house. That's always a perk.
Jared's mouth is gaping before Jensen even turns to look at the mural. When he sees it, it's pretty impossible not to do his own mute impression.
Over Jensen's side of the bed, the picture he sketched of Jared pulling himself up on the bar in the basement has been morphed into this crucifix-like pose. The muscles in his outstretched arms still strain and bulge but the look on his face is more relaxed, commanding, and really fucking hot. Jared’s sketch of Jensen in their bed, covered to his waist by a sheet, has been altered, as well. He’s still laying back, propped up on his elbows, shirtless and sprawled, but wearing pants. His eyes, though, are still fixed solely on Jared. There are a million other little features in the background – inside jokes and symbolic details – but the focus of the piece and both of its central figures is clear.
“It’s phenomenal.” Jared turns to see Jensen will struggling to take it all in. “Look, you made Jensen all sobby and everything.”
“Shut up, fucker.” Jensen shoves him half-heartedly and then steps up onto the bed to get a closer look. “This is the coolest thing I’ve ever seen.” He expected it to be good. He did not expect this.
Brayden chuckles, but it’s pretty obvious that he’s proud of himself. “Adrianne came up with a lot of the background stuff,” he explains, arms wrapped around her from behind, his chin resting on her shoulder.
She reaches back to touch his face and her new ring catches the light. She’s been around long enough now that she already feels like part of the family, but it’s still a little jarring. “It wasn’t that hard. I just made a list of everything you guys talk about that I don’t understand,” Adrianne admits. None of them spend a lot of time contemplating just how much of a secret language they’ve developed over the years – why would they? – but Adrianne isn’t the first to be confused by it.
“Seriously, Bray,” Jared finally says, shaking his head again in disbelief. “Best gift fucking ever.”
“Hey!”
Rolling his eyes, Jared pulls Jensen off of the bed and catches him before he can knock them both to the ground. “After Jen’s retirement.” He squeezes Jensen’s ass and winks. “Cause that provides more time for -,”
“For ridiculous sex you are far too old and disgusting to have. We get it, you can shut up about it any time,” Brayden finishes his sentence on a disapproving groan.
Jensen manages to extract himself from Jared’s clutches and smooth a hand over his hair. It probably doesn’t help much. “Kid, you’ll be lucky as fuck if you still have half the sex we have after y’all have been together this long.”
Instead of answering, Brayden pulls his vibrating phone from his pocket and excuses himself into the hall while Jared winks at Adrianne. She’s laughing and shaking her head, but doesn’t seem too skeezed out by the direction this conversation was about to take.
Jensen, on the other hand, smacks Jared in the back of the head. “Stop being creepy Uncle Jared, ya perv.”
Jared laughs and tackles Jensen onto the bed, wrapping a leg over his thigh before Brayden’s rising voice cuts through the roughhousing. “I told you I wasn’t gonna do it…I don’t care, I’m not…No, I’m not gonna change my fucking mind. This is the same fucked up bull shit all over again and I’m fucking sick of it.”
Tension stretches thin through the room and Jensen has to tighten his grip to keep Jared from charging out there to fix things. If he’s honest, he’s holding on to keep himself from doing something stupid, too.
“Oh, fuck you,” Brayden’s voice carries through the open bedroom door. “This is not about them. It’s about you!” For a beat, there’s silence. Adrianne flinches when Brayden explodes again. “Do not try to pin this shit on me! I have done every fucking thing you have asked of me and all you’ve done is lie to my fucking face. I am not your goddamn mule. Far as I’m concerned, I’m not your fucking son anymore, either.”
Jensen doesn’t need a diagram or a pie chart to figure out who’s on the other end of that telephone. He is a little curious, however, as to why Brayden’s in a shouting match with a guy who’s supposed to be in prison for another three years.
“Stop it. Just...I can’t. We can’t keep doin’ this. Figure it out or don’t. I can’t do it anymore.”
The silence that follows echoes louder through the bedroom than Brayden’s heavy footsteps on the stairs. “When did he get out?” Jensen asks after a few really awkward seconds of Adrianne fidgeting next to the bed.
“Thursday,” she answers, eyes studying on the floor. “He didn’t wanna fuck up your actual anniversary.” She takes a breath and hazards a glance at the pair of them. “He stayed with us Thursday night, but his room smelled like crank yesterday morning, so Brayden kicked him out. This is the fourth call he’s gotten since.” Hands in her pockets, Adrianne looks to the door again. “I should probably go make sure he’s not gonna leave me here and go do somethin’ illegal.”
Jared doesn’t say anything; he just gets up off the bed and follows Adrianne down the stairs. Jensen doesn’t really have much choice but to tag along. If Brayden’s about to do something dumb, Jared’s about doing something suicidal. Adrianne will never be able to hold them both back on her own.
*
It’s not until Adrianne threatens to call the police that the guys calm down enough to sit at the island in the kitchen and stare at a bucket of ice cream none of them are touching. Jared doesn’t know how anyone expects him to eat anything – not after finding out that Rick’s been sending Brayden letters for more than a month, making plans and arrangements for his early release. Letters, plans and arrangements that Brayden didn’t say a word about.
“Can you blame me?” Brayden finally asks, looking a little defiant and a whole lot defeated. “It’s not like you’re the coolest head in the world when it comes to this particular situation.” He reaches for Adrianne’s thigh, leaning against her for support.
“What’re you gonna do?” Jared finally asks. He wants to rage, to scream and yell, but it’s not Brayden that’s pissing him off – not really. It’s the whole fucked up situation, and the fact that it’s slamming down on the heels of one of the greatest nights of his life. Also, he’s still a little drunk, so that’s not really helping ebb his anger, either.
“Nothing?” He rests one arm on the table and drops his forehead onto it with a sigh. “Fuck if I know, man. You fix it.”
When Jared starts to stand, cracking his knuckles in anticipation, Jensen yanks him back down to his seat. “Sit your ass down,” he growls, turning his attention back to Brayden. “Look, man, we’ve always been pretty careful to tread lightly where your dad is concerned, but whatever you decide you’re gonna do, we’ll back you up, alright?”
Jensen’s right, of course. Jared would like to go smash Rick’s coke-snorting nose, but the time for that has passed. Brayden’s a grown man, about to have a wife and probably a family of his own after that. If he wants to ignore his dad and hope he goes away, they have to let him do that. Rationality and maturity are just not Jared’s favorite things right now.
“We could always send him back to jail,” he shrug, waiting for Brayden to huff a laugh before he smirks. They won’t do it, Jared knows without actually asking, but the thought of it makes his chest feel a little bit lighter.
Adrianne stands, running her hand over Brayden’s shoulders before stretching both arms over her head. “You gonna hang out here for awhile?” He gives her a half shrug, half nod. “I’m gonna go crash in the pool house then.” It won’t be the first time they’ve partied a little too hard and slept it off in Brayden’s old place.
She’s barely gone before Jensen grabs an ice cream spoon and pushes one over to Brayden. “He’s always gonna be your dad.”
“Look, it took me awhile to figure it out, okay?” Brayden starts, digging a heaping mound of ice cream onto his spoon. “I thought I could just blend everything together and make one big, happy family. But he kinda made it an easy choice, ya know? He had his chance to be my dad and he fucked that up. More than once. I got more important shit to focus on now,” he nods down the hall, but doesn’t clarify. He doesn’t need to. “’Sides, I got you two irritatin’ the hell outta me. What else do I need, really?” With a low whistle, he quirks an eyebrow at each of them. “Also, I don’t know if you noticed, but I totally hooked the hottest piece of ass in all of Southern California tonight. Forever.”
Jensen flips him off, causing Brayden to laugh deep and loud around another mouthful of ice cream. He’s twenty-four, but Jared can’t help wondering if he’ll ever really stop being fifteen. He still cares about people more than he’s willing to admit. He still hurts a lot deeper than he’ll acknowledge. He still smiles like there’s nothing better in the world than sitting at the island, eating ice cream and talking about how awesome his girlfriend is.
*
Jensen watches Jared move from the bathroom, across the bedroom. He’s stretching his arms over his head, his wet hair is dropping onto the swell of his shoulders and he’s completely naked. There’s really nothing else Jensen can be bothered to focus on at the moment.
“You still wanna knock his teeth down his throat, huh?” he asks as Jared drops one knee to the mattress and then the other.
With a shake of his head, Jared chuckles when Jensen shies away from the spay of water falling off of him like a wet dog. “Nah,” he answers, flopping onto his back and folding his hands against his stomach. “Maybe I’m mellowing in my old age, but I don’t care enough to pick a fight with him anymore.” He blinks toward the ceiling and then rolls his head on the pillow to level Jensen with one an intense glare. “I mean, if he gives me reason to, I’ll break his face, don’t get me wrong. Bray’s happy, though. He’s got a good girl and a good life. The rest of it doesn’t seem that important anymore.”
“Look at you,” Jensen teases, leaning back against the headboard and nudging Jared’s arm with his knee. “All enlightened and shit.”
Jared growls, flipping onto his side and raking his eyes over Jensen’s naked body. “How’s your ink healin’?” Jensen shrugs and follows Jared’s eye to the inside of his thigh where a new gauze bandage covers the two-day old tattoo. “You should probably let it breathe a little.”
Wordlessly, Jensen stands on the bed and kneels back down between Jared’s legs, forcing them further apart. He leans over to grab the lube out of the bedside table before he smirks. “Thought I’d keep it protected for one more night while it’s slammin’ up against your ass.”
Nodding, Jared sits up and grabs the back of Jensen’s head. “You’re a wise man, Jen.”
Jensen winks and smacks Jared’s hip until he rolls over onto his hands and knees. “Only when I’m thinkin’ with my dick, Jay.”
