Geeked (a disclaimer!verse OneShot)
Oct. 29th, 2009 01:43 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
raeschaeTitle: Geeked (a disclaimer!verse OneShot)
Author:raeschae
Beta:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
neutraldeviance Thanks for knowing when to say 'something's missing.'
Graphics:raeschae
Rating: PG-13 for language
Characters/Pairings: Jared/Jensen, OMC (Brayden), Danneel, and introducing a Disney-famous pop princess as Brayden's lady love . . .
Warnings: Unapologetic schmoop, disclaimer style.
Word Count: 4200
Disclaimer: I own no one. Period.
Summary: Brayden's in love for the first time. The guys are actually kinda learning how to be parents. Sort of.
A/N: This one's forvamphile who, way back in the first story, prompted me with ideas of Brayden's first love, and his first job. I hope this satisfies your desire for both! You rock my socks off - you know that, right?
One more quick thing? Graphics under the cut, so watch out if you need to.
It's October and Jensen's up to his eyeballs in deadlines that just won't stop piling up. There's a new line for Macy's that has to be ready to launch by Black Friday. Two pro skaters have signed on to exclusive deals with Ollie, and another is ready to come on board as the first Grind-sponsored competitor. Mike decided to take his vacation this week, which means that Tom is taking his vacation this week, and the timing could not be worse. God bless 'em, Danneel and Julie are pulling sick hours to keep the pro shops running so Jensen doesn't have to, but it's just not enough anymore. He's at his breaking point and something's gonna have to give, or he might just lose his motherfucking mind.
“BRAYDEN!” he calls from his office toward the open door to the shop, but receives no response.
It's not like the kid needs a job or anything. He gets pretty much everything he wants just by thinking about it. Jensen has no problem spending his cash on Brayden – it's not like he doesn't have enough of it to go around these days. But Jared seems to think that making the kid work for his own money will keep him from being one of those spoiled fucking rich kids who end up on MTV crying about how fucked up their life is because they got a white Mercedes for their sixteenth fucking birthday when what they really needed was the black one. Jared's a little high strung sometimes.
But it's not like Jensen's going to fight him on it. It doesn't hurt to have an extra set of hands around the place these days anyway. Brayden pulls five hours a week at Ollie, and five hours a week at Slinging Ink, sweeping floors and stocking shelves, playing gopher when the guys need something from one of the other vendors on the Pier. Sure, it's a job, but it's for Jared and Jensen, so it's not like it's work or anything.
Standing from his table, Jensen shakes his head and silently curses the fact that nobody ever fucking listens to him when he calls for them anymore. Pencil trapped between his teeth and color swatches in both hands, he steps onto the sales floor and looks around for the kid who's supposed to be stocking wrist bands.
Pulling the pencil from his mouth, he looks at Danneel, who's leaning against the register and staring out toward the skate park. “Where's Bray?” he asks. She nods toward the window and Jensen turns again to see exactly what she's looking at. “Oh, fuck me,” he groans, but instead of charging out to grab the kid by his neck and pull him back inside, he just moves to Danneel's side and drops everything onto the counter. “Still?”
She smiles impishly and tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. “I think it's cute,” she says.
Brayden's a friendly guy. Talks to pretty much everyone who shows up to carve some pavement at Ollie. Boys, girls, older, younger, it doesn't really seem to matter to the kid. He's so much like Jared sometimes it punches Jensen in the gut.
He flirts a lot, Brayden does, but he's never really taken it any further with anyone. The accident last year, and the subsequent broken arm and leg, set his competing schedule back by several months and he's been so focused on getting back on the pipe and refining his skills that he just doesn't have that much time for girls in general.
Well, he has time to work them up and leave them wanting more. But he's never really expressed interest in any one of them in particular. Jensen's always assured him that he doesn't need to bother tying himself down to one person at fifteen anyway. Who the hell wants to be stuck to one person when there's fourteen other little girls in bikini tops and board shorts waiting for him to smile in their direction?
Three weeks ago, everything changed, though.
She goes to his school, but she's a year older than him and light years more mature. She cute. She's sweet. She's crazy smart. She sings and dances and does musicals. She wears torn-off mini skirts and flip flops with tee shirts and hoodies. More gel bracelets and wrist bands than even Jensen would dare to sport. Her dark hair hangs loose and straight over her shoulders and her mocha eyes sparkle every time Brayden gets within fifteen feet of her.
Her name is Demi, and Jensen's pretty sure that Brayden's ass-over-feet in love with her.
Not that he's admitting it. And she's not pushing. Instead, they dance around each other in that high school game of 'I won't admit I like you until you admit you like me.' It's so fucking saccharine, it makes Jensen's stomach hurt. But seeing Brayden smile like that, all white teeth and bright eyes? It's maybe not all bad.
The bell over the door dings and Jensen knows his face mirrors Brayden's outside when he sees his own boyfriend loping toward him, hands stuffed deep in his pockets. “Hey, you,” he greets when Jared rounds the corner and drops a kiss on his lips. “What's up?”
With a shrug, Jared positions himself on the other side of Jensen and leans forward on his elbows, mimicking Danneel's posture. “Had to take a second. Forgot what it's like to work with a fuckin' camera crew all over the place.”
Season three of Bravo's Slinging Ink just started filming this morning and Jensen's actually kind of surprised it took Jared this long to show up. He loves doing the show, but it usually takes him a little bit of time to re-acclimate himself to the madness that goes along with filming. It's one of the reasons Jensen still refuses to be a part of the circus that is Jared's “reality” show – he likes that Ollie is a safe haven for Jared's crew when the stress gets to them.
“Don't you have a shitload of work to do?” Jared finally asks, turning his head from the scene outside to stare at Jensen's profile. It's a pretty fantastic profile, after all.
Jensen nods his head toward the color swatches he dropped and shrugs his shoulders. “Had to take a second,” he echoes Jared's sentiment.
Outside, Brayden's friends skate while Demi's clique stand around the pipe, giggling and pretending to know what's going on. Off to the side, the not-quite couple stands close, smiling like their faces are stuck that way, shooting furtive glances between staring at their shoes, or the ocean, or whatever else their eyes land on that is not each other.
“I'm about thirty seconds away from goin' out there and askin' her out to dinner for him,” Jared finally groans when Brayden says something that makes Demi blush and push softly at his left shoulder.
“Oh, give 'em time,” Danneel advises, eyes still fixated on the couple. “They'll get there eventually.”
What happens next kind of surprises the three adults into silence.
In one fell swoop, Brayden recovers from the shoulder push to tuck Demi's hair behind her ear and dips his head to press his lips to the corner of hers. He then takes advantage of the way she turns toward him, startled, and covers her mouth with his own in a quick, chaste kiss that leaves the girl visibly blushing, even from however many yards away they are inside the shop.
“Goddamn, he's smooth,” Jensen shakes his head in disbelief.
“He gets that from me,” Jared grins.
“Oh, he did not get that from you,” Jensen snorts, turning his attention to the man at his side. “You are nowhere near that subtle.”
“That's just 'cause you're oblivious,” Jared defends, his attention focused solely on Jensen now. Sometimes it's hard not to, ya know, stare at the guy. He's pretty fucking attractive, after all. “I don't grab your ass and jam my tongue down your throat, you have no idea that I'm even in the room.”
“You are the fucking king of bull shit, Jay,” Jensen rolls his eyes. “You're, like, forty feet tall. And also have no control over your own fucking feet. It's kinda hard not to notice when you're in the room.”
Somewhere in the background, Danneel chuckles but neither of them are so much focused on her at the moment. Hand on the back of Jensen's neck, Jared pulls his boyfriend flush against his own body and tugs at Jensen's lower lip with his teeth. “How busy are you right now?” he asks in a low voice.
Jensen doesn't even remember what he was doing in the first place. Which, with Jared, isn't that unusual. Fucking distracting is what the kid is. But before he can say anything, the bell over the door dings again and a stammered guffaw follows it.
“Did you fucking see that?” Brayden asks loudly, hand clutched against his chest as he flushes and laughs. “I can't believe I just did that!”
The master of the subtle mack that they just watched outside is gone. Like he never really existed. Instead, sidling up to the counter is an honest-to-goodness fifteen-year-old with blushing cheeks and wide eyes, presumably in awe of his own game.
“You actually ask her out this time?” Jared teases like he has been for weeks.
Brayden nods, swallows hard, and licks his lips. When he's speaks, he's a little bit breathless. “We're goin' to the movies this weekend.” His tone says he can't believe that he actually has a date with the coolest girl I've ever met in my entire fucking life, as he described her to Jensen while they were knee-deep in zombie guts during last night's video game tournament.
“Awesome,” Jensen offers a high five and grabs his color swatches from the counter. “But ya know what? Ya need cash to take a girl to the movies, and your ass isn't earnin' any sittin' here, droolin' all over yourself.” He nods toward the box of wrist bands still sitting next to the bin Brayden was supposed to put them in twenty minutes ago.
With a groan and a roll of his eyes, Brayden pushes away from the counter. “Really know how to kill a guy's buzz, Jen. Ya know that?”
“I'm a mean fucker,” Jensen agrees easily, Jared's hands on his hips as he turns back toward his own office.
Once inside the office, Jared kicks the door closed and looks around. “Where's Jake?” he asks, though it doesn't much sound like he really cares.
“Down at Grind, helpin' Julie out for the day,” Jensen answers, lowering himself back to the stool at his design table. “You wanna grab that for me?” he nods toward the fabric swatch near Jared's hand and the younger man does it without so much as a word. Hands it over and Jensen doesn't have to look up to know that he's being watched. “Much as I wish I did, I really don't have time to fuck you right now,” he mutters.
Jared laughs and leans against the closed door. He absolutely wasn't thinking about the fact that they're alone in Jensen's office, or that his design table is really fucking huge and sturdy. “Have time for me to blow you under the table?”
“Uh,” Jensen stops what he's doing and looks up, pierced eyebrow quirking along with the smirk of his lips. “Yeah,” he says as though the answer should be that obvious.
Jared's across the small space in two long strides, pulling the sunglasses from the top of his head and dropping them to the table. But before he can sink out of sight, the office door clangs open and Brayden bursts in.
“What have I told you about bustin' in closed doors without knockin'?” Jensen asks automatically, and inwardly smacks himself in the head for sounding like his mother.
“That I can't bitch if I get an eyeful,” Brayden responds just as quickly. Shaking his head, he visibly shudders at the implied thought (and silently thanks every possible god in every possible religion that he never actually has gotten said eyeful). “But, dude, I was thinkin'. Ya know what would be awesome?”
If you hadn't come in and my cock was down Jared's throat right now? Jensen doesn't say it, but fuck all if Jared's hand doesn't find the small of his back like he's thinking the same damn thing. “What?” he says out loud.
“If that prototype for the new line was ready by Saturday,” Brayden says, eyes fucking dancing at the thought of rocking the newest, unreleased Ollie gear on his first ever real date.
Reaching under his desk, Jensen withdraws the tee shirt he was saving for a special occasion. He shakes it out and holds it up, smiling when Brayden's eyes double in size. “Make ya a deal?” Jensen offers. Brayden nods, and he doesn't actually say that he'll do anything Jensen asks, but it's implied in the hopeful expression on his face. “Get your ass out there and empty that box of fuckin' wristbands, like I asked you to three times now. Help Dani with the street deck display, and I will give you this before your first tournament.”
“Dude,” Brayden bounces on the balls of his feet, “I fuckin' love you, Jen!”
The door slams behind him and Jensen feels Jared's eyes on him without turning to look. “What?” he asks, considering the sketch he'd been working on for the last three hours.
Jared's lips press, hot and wet, against his neck. “You're such a damn push over,” he teases, lips curling even as they continue to kiss that place behind Jensen's ear that he refuses to admit reduces him to a jello-y heap.
“Yeah, yeah.” With a grunt, he pulls away, eyes still on the paper before him. One hand tapping his pencil against the table, the other ghosting over the buckle of his studded belt, he smirks and nods toward the floor at his feet. “Don't you have some place to be?”
*-*-*
The doorbell sounds at seven thirty on Saturday night and Jensen can't help laughing at the way Brayden flies out of his room and down the stairs before Jared can get to the door.
“Jesus Christ, Kid, calm down,” Jared teases, taking a step back as Brayden gives him a death glare and pauses with his hand on the door handle. His eyes are wide, his breathing is shallow, and it looks like he could possibly pass out. Resting his hands on Brayden's shoulders, Jared bends his knees just a little and stares straight into the kid's eyes. “Relax. You're gonna come off creepy if you don't settle yourself.”
Earlier, while he was refilling ink wells at the shop, Brayden was asking Chad for dating advice. Chad. The logic being that he used to date women, and then he scored Sophia, so he must know what he's doing. It took nearly fifteen full minutes for Sophia to stop cackling long enough to hold her hand steady with her client, and that's when Jared stepped in to help the kid out a little bit. To lay down the ground rules for keeping your cool and not looking like a spazz on a first date.
“Remember what I told you, okay?” Brayden's face is a little flushed, but he's definitely calmer as Jared pats his shoulder and takes a step back. “Alright. Let her in 'fore she thinks she drove over here for nothin'.”
He heads back into the kitchen as the door opens and Jared brushes his shoulder up against Jensen's on his way to the refrigerator. “We goin' out tonight, or orderin' in?” he asks, pulling a bottle of water out and unscrewing the lid.
There's a blank look of confusion on Jensen's face when he turns back to Jared. “Seriously?” Jared just shrugs his shoulders because he's sure as hell not cooking, so Jensen's going to have to pick one of the options. “Kid's gonna be gone for at least three hours,” Jensen goes on.
“Right,” Jared nods his head, still not quite catching on whatever that knowing look in Jensen's eye is implying. “Which means,” he prods, and then the light bulb clicks on. “Oh!”
“Fuck all, it's a good thing you're hot as hell,” Jensen shakes his head in disbelief. There are times when it seems that Jared can turn the most innocent statement into a dirty innuendo. And there are times when he can't catch a fucking hint if you wrap it around a dildo and smack him in the face with it.
As Jensen passes in an effort to grab a take out menu from the refrigerator, Jared wraps his arms around the older man's waist. “Hey!” he feigns offense to Jensen's statement, but then lowers his head and sinks his teeth into his boyfriend's shoulder. There is no protest in the way Jensen's fingers dig into into the hot skin just under Jared's tank top.
“Dammit, guys!” Brayden's voice interrupts their impromptu make out session and they don't so much let go of each other as pull away far enough to turn toward the couple in the doorway. “You can't wait until we leave?”
Rolling his eyes at the kid, Jensen disentangles himself from Jared's grasp and takes a few steps, extending his hand to the young woman hiding behind Brayden's shoulder. “Hi, Demi,” he greets easily, and she takes his hand with a smile. She's been hanging around the store long enough to at least be familiar with Jensen, though they haven't really had a chance to talk or anything. “Have you met Jared?”
Jared steps forward and offers his hand, easy smile on his face. “Call me Jay,” he says, smiling a little at the way her cheeks flush with color under his gaze.
“Oh, we are not starting this again,” Brayden warns her, and both guys look at each other as though they're missing out on something. “He's just a guy. Who happens to be on television. He's not, like, special or anything.” Jared's hand finds the back of Brayden's head, and it's unexpected so he grunts a little as his shoulder-length hair goes flying in all directions. “God, you're so sensitive,” Brayden grumbles.
Jensen can't help laughing as he leans against the island and looks at the kid standing in front of him. God, he used to be so little and shy and . . . well, goofy. Now he's almost as tall as Jensen and ready to walk out the door on his first date. “What are you guys gonna see?” Jensen asks, and he's proud of the kid when Brayden seems to notice Jensen's eyeline and waits for Demi to answer.
“I think The Vampire's Assistant?” Her dark eyes dart to Brayden and he nods, hands shoved so deep in his pockets, Jensen's afraid he might pull his pants off his hips. “Oh,” she says suddenly. “My mom and dad kinda wanted to make sure they had your number before we went. I hope it's okay that I gave it to 'em.”
Jensen nods and Jared shrugs. What does it matter? They won't actually need it, will they? It's not like Jared or Jensen really know the protocol for sending your kid out on his first date. “You have a curfew?” Jensen asks her. They didn't bother giving Brayden one, since he can't even drive yet. He'll be home when Demi either gets sick of him, or has to be home herself.
“Yeah. I gotta be home by midnight on the weekends,” she says, tucking her hands into the pockets of her Ollie hoodie. It's part of Jensen's Macy's line and he can't help wondering if she's wearing it to impress Brayden, or just because she likes it. Either way, it's pretty fucking cool.
A silence falls then, not quite long enough to be awkward, but almost. “Y'all better get movin',” Jared nods toward the door, hands on his hips as he watches the pair avoid eye contact again. It's funny how he doesn't remember ever being so awkward with anyone he dated in high school. Course, he didn't so much date as fuck anything that smiled his direction, so he figures maybe it's not the same thing.
The pair say their goodbyes and head out while Jensen shakes his head. By the time he turns to Jared, he's laughing softly. “He's so gone,” he says.
Jared chuckles in agreement. “Our little boy is growing up,” he fakes a sniffle and then laughs outright when Jensen punches his bicep lightly. “Order the food. I'm takin' a shower,” he says. Jensen raises an eyebrow and Jared's massive shoulders shrug again. “Dude, we got five hours alone in this house? We're doin' shit we ain't done in months.”
*-*-*
Nearly four hours later, Jensen's laying in the center of the bed, staring at the ceiling and wondering if he'll have feeling back in his legs ever again. Lazily, he says, “Bray better not fuck this date up.”
The response at his side is muffled by the bare mattress Jared's face is smashed into, his arm and both legs hanging limp over the edges of the bed. “Why?”
“I love the kid, Jay,” Jensen answers, heart still pounding against his ribcage. “But he is gettin' his ass outta this house more often.”
*-*-*
It's ten minutes until midnight when the front door opens and then shuts softly. Jared and Jensen are sharing a tub of Ben and Jerry's at the kitchen island and are, in no way “waiting up.”
The kid that comes strolling in, hands in his pockets, and a completely transparent look of bliss on his face is maybe the cutest thing either of them has ever seen. Not that they'll ever call it that out loud or anything.
“So,” Jared leads, pushing the spoon they already got out for Brayden toward him.
He digs into the container and tries to play it cool. “So, Dem's gonna tutor me in Algebra. With that shit I told ya I couldn't figure out, remember?” He waits for them to say something, and the sly smile that stretches across his lips as he looks up and pulls the spoon from his mouth nearly splits his face in half. “Also? Those lips of hers? Are not just good to look at.”
He blushes, but the pride is evident in his eyes as he extends his arm to accept Jared's high five, and then Jensen's. “You had fun?” Jensen asks.
“It was awesome,” he admits, though it's clear he's trying to temper his enthusiasm so as not to look like a giant nerd. “She's gonna come to my tournament next weekend,” he says, alluding to his first amateur competition in Pasadena next Sunday. “I told her she could ride with us.” He doesn't wait for a response before standing and stretching his arms over his head. “'m gonna go play some Halo. Too wired,” he explains and takes off in the direction of the rec room.
Jared looks across the island as Jensen puts the lid back on the ice cream and they smile. “Thank God I was never that geeked out over you,” Jared says.
“Bitch, please,” Jensen rolls his eyes and knocks the freezer door closed with his hip. “You even annoyed Sandy, you were so bad when we started dating.”
Alright, so maybe it's a little true. But Jared knows for a fact that Jensen was no better off in those days than he was. Steve used to tell him how Chris would bitch about how Jensen never stopped talking about Jared back then.
He starts to say as much, but then Jensen's looking at him like there's nothing else in the world he'd rather be looking at, and Jared kind of forgets what he was going to say. Maybe being a little geeked out over somebody isn't the worst thing in the world.
Author:
raeschae Beta:
neutraldeviance Thanks for knowing when to say 'something's missing.'Graphics:
raeschaeRating: PG-13 for language
Characters/Pairings: Jared/Jensen, OMC (Brayden), Danneel, and introducing a Disney-famous pop princess as Brayden's lady love . . .
Warnings: Unapologetic schmoop, disclaimer style.
Word Count: 4200
Disclaimer: I own no one. Period.
Summary: Brayden's in love for the first time. The guys are actually kinda learning how to be parents. Sort of.
A/N: This one's for
vamphile who, way back in the first story, prompted me with ideas of Brayden's first love, and his first job. I hope this satisfies your desire for both! You rock my socks off - you know that, right?One more quick thing? Graphics under the cut, so watch out if you need to.
It's October and Jensen's up to his eyeballs in deadlines that just won't stop piling up. There's a new line for Macy's that has to be ready to launch by Black Friday. Two pro skaters have signed on to exclusive deals with Ollie, and another is ready to come on board as the first Grind-sponsored competitor. Mike decided to take his vacation this week, which means that Tom is taking his vacation this week, and the timing could not be worse. God bless 'em, Danneel and Julie are pulling sick hours to keep the pro shops running so Jensen doesn't have to, but it's just not enough anymore. He's at his breaking point and something's gonna have to give, or he might just lose his motherfucking mind.
“BRAYDEN!” he calls from his office toward the open door to the shop, but receives no response.
It's not like the kid needs a job or anything. He gets pretty much everything he wants just by thinking about it. Jensen has no problem spending his cash on Brayden – it's not like he doesn't have enough of it to go around these days. But Jared seems to think that making the kid work for his own money will keep him from being one of those spoiled fucking rich kids who end up on MTV crying about how fucked up their life is because they got a white Mercedes for their sixteenth fucking birthday when what they really needed was the black one. Jared's a little high strung sometimes.
But it's not like Jensen's going to fight him on it. It doesn't hurt to have an extra set of hands around the place these days anyway. Brayden pulls five hours a week at Ollie, and five hours a week at Slinging Ink, sweeping floors and stocking shelves, playing gopher when the guys need something from one of the other vendors on the Pier. Sure, it's a job, but it's for Jared and Jensen, so it's not like it's work or anything.
Standing from his table, Jensen shakes his head and silently curses the fact that nobody ever fucking listens to him when he calls for them anymore. Pencil trapped between his teeth and color swatches in both hands, he steps onto the sales floor and looks around for the kid who's supposed to be stocking wrist bands.
Pulling the pencil from his mouth, he looks at Danneel, who's leaning against the register and staring out toward the skate park. “Where's Bray?” he asks. She nods toward the window and Jensen turns again to see exactly what she's looking at. “Oh, fuck me,” he groans, but instead of charging out to grab the kid by his neck and pull him back inside, he just moves to Danneel's side and drops everything onto the counter. “Still?”
She smiles impishly and tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. “I think it's cute,” she says.
Brayden's a friendly guy. Talks to pretty much everyone who shows up to carve some pavement at Ollie. Boys, girls, older, younger, it doesn't really seem to matter to the kid. He's so much like Jared sometimes it punches Jensen in the gut.
He flirts a lot, Brayden does, but he's never really taken it any further with anyone. The accident last year, and the subsequent broken arm and leg, set his competing schedule back by several months and he's been so focused on getting back on the pipe and refining his skills that he just doesn't have that much time for girls in general.
Well, he has time to work them up and leave them wanting more. But he's never really expressed interest in any one of them in particular. Jensen's always assured him that he doesn't need to bother tying himself down to one person at fifteen anyway. Who the hell wants to be stuck to one person when there's fourteen other little girls in bikini tops and board shorts waiting for him to smile in their direction?
Three weeks ago, everything changed, though.
She goes to his school, but she's a year older than him and light years more mature. She cute. She's sweet. She's crazy smart. She sings and dances and does musicals. She wears torn-off mini skirts and flip flops with tee shirts and hoodies. More gel bracelets and wrist bands than even Jensen would dare to sport. Her dark hair hangs loose and straight over her shoulders and her mocha eyes sparkle every time Brayden gets within fifteen feet of her.
Her name is Demi, and Jensen's pretty sure that Brayden's ass-over-feet in love with her.
Not that he's admitting it. And she's not pushing. Instead, they dance around each other in that high school game of 'I won't admit I like you until you admit you like me.' It's so fucking saccharine, it makes Jensen's stomach hurt. But seeing Brayden smile like that, all white teeth and bright eyes? It's maybe not all bad.
The bell over the door dings and Jensen knows his face mirrors Brayden's outside when he sees his own boyfriend loping toward him, hands stuffed deep in his pockets. “Hey, you,” he greets when Jared rounds the corner and drops a kiss on his lips. “What's up?”
With a shrug, Jared positions himself on the other side of Jensen and leans forward on his elbows, mimicking Danneel's posture. “Had to take a second. Forgot what it's like to work with a fuckin' camera crew all over the place.”
Season three of Bravo's Slinging Ink just started filming this morning and Jensen's actually kind of surprised it took Jared this long to show up. He loves doing the show, but it usually takes him a little bit of time to re-acclimate himself to the madness that goes along with filming. It's one of the reasons Jensen still refuses to be a part of the circus that is Jared's “reality” show – he likes that Ollie is a safe haven for Jared's crew when the stress gets to them.
“Don't you have a shitload of work to do?” Jared finally asks, turning his head from the scene outside to stare at Jensen's profile. It's a pretty fantastic profile, after all.
Jensen nods his head toward the color swatches he dropped and shrugs his shoulders. “Had to take a second,” he echoes Jared's sentiment.
Outside, Brayden's friends skate while Demi's clique stand around the pipe, giggling and pretending to know what's going on. Off to the side, the not-quite couple stands close, smiling like their faces are stuck that way, shooting furtive glances between staring at their shoes, or the ocean, or whatever else their eyes land on that is not each other.
“I'm about thirty seconds away from goin' out there and askin' her out to dinner for him,” Jared finally groans when Brayden says something that makes Demi blush and push softly at his left shoulder.
“Oh, give 'em time,” Danneel advises, eyes still fixated on the couple. “They'll get there eventually.”
What happens next kind of surprises the three adults into silence.
In one fell swoop, Brayden recovers from the shoulder push to tuck Demi's hair behind her ear and dips his head to press his lips to the corner of hers. He then takes advantage of the way she turns toward him, startled, and covers her mouth with his own in a quick, chaste kiss that leaves the girl visibly blushing, even from however many yards away they are inside the shop.
“Goddamn, he's smooth,” Jensen shakes his head in disbelief.
“He gets that from me,” Jared grins.
“Oh, he did not get that from you,” Jensen snorts, turning his attention to the man at his side. “You are nowhere near that subtle.”
“That's just 'cause you're oblivious,” Jared defends, his attention focused solely on Jensen now. Sometimes it's hard not to, ya know, stare at the guy. He's pretty fucking attractive, after all. “I don't grab your ass and jam my tongue down your throat, you have no idea that I'm even in the room.”
“You are the fucking king of bull shit, Jay,” Jensen rolls his eyes. “You're, like, forty feet tall. And also have no control over your own fucking feet. It's kinda hard not to notice when you're in the room.”
Somewhere in the background, Danneel chuckles but neither of them are so much focused on her at the moment. Hand on the back of Jensen's neck, Jared pulls his boyfriend flush against his own body and tugs at Jensen's lower lip with his teeth. “How busy are you right now?” he asks in a low voice.
Jensen doesn't even remember what he was doing in the first place. Which, with Jared, isn't that unusual. Fucking distracting is what the kid is. But before he can say anything, the bell over the door dings again and a stammered guffaw follows it.
“Did you fucking see that?” Brayden asks loudly, hand clutched against his chest as he flushes and laughs. “I can't believe I just did that!”
The master of the subtle mack that they just watched outside is gone. Like he never really existed. Instead, sidling up to the counter is an honest-to-goodness fifteen-year-old with blushing cheeks and wide eyes, presumably in awe of his own game.
“You actually ask her out this time?” Jared teases like he has been for weeks.
Brayden nods, swallows hard, and licks his lips. When he's speaks, he's a little bit breathless. “We're goin' to the movies this weekend.” His tone says he can't believe that he actually has a date with the coolest girl I've ever met in my entire fucking life, as he described her to Jensen while they were knee-deep in zombie guts during last night's video game tournament.
“Awesome,” Jensen offers a high five and grabs his color swatches from the counter. “But ya know what? Ya need cash to take a girl to the movies, and your ass isn't earnin' any sittin' here, droolin' all over yourself.” He nods toward the box of wrist bands still sitting next to the bin Brayden was supposed to put them in twenty minutes ago.
With a groan and a roll of his eyes, Brayden pushes away from the counter. “Really know how to kill a guy's buzz, Jen. Ya know that?”
“I'm a mean fucker,” Jensen agrees easily, Jared's hands on his hips as he turns back toward his own office.
Once inside the office, Jared kicks the door closed and looks around. “Where's Jake?” he asks, though it doesn't much sound like he really cares.
“Down at Grind, helpin' Julie out for the day,” Jensen answers, lowering himself back to the stool at his design table. “You wanna grab that for me?” he nods toward the fabric swatch near Jared's hand and the younger man does it without so much as a word. Hands it over and Jensen doesn't have to look up to know that he's being watched. “Much as I wish I did, I really don't have time to fuck you right now,” he mutters.
Jared laughs and leans against the closed door. He absolutely wasn't thinking about the fact that they're alone in Jensen's office, or that his design table is really fucking huge and sturdy. “Have time for me to blow you under the table?”
“Uh,” Jensen stops what he's doing and looks up, pierced eyebrow quirking along with the smirk of his lips. “Yeah,” he says as though the answer should be that obvious.
Jared's across the small space in two long strides, pulling the sunglasses from the top of his head and dropping them to the table. But before he can sink out of sight, the office door clangs open and Brayden bursts in.
“What have I told you about bustin' in closed doors without knockin'?” Jensen asks automatically, and inwardly smacks himself in the head for sounding like his mother.
“That I can't bitch if I get an eyeful,” Brayden responds just as quickly. Shaking his head, he visibly shudders at the implied thought (and silently thanks every possible god in every possible religion that he never actually has gotten said eyeful). “But, dude, I was thinkin'. Ya know what would be awesome?”
If you hadn't come in and my cock was down Jared's throat right now? Jensen doesn't say it, but fuck all if Jared's hand doesn't find the small of his back like he's thinking the same damn thing. “What?” he says out loud.
“If that prototype for the new line was ready by Saturday,” Brayden says, eyes fucking dancing at the thought of rocking the newest, unreleased Ollie gear on his first ever real date.
Reaching under his desk, Jensen withdraws the tee shirt he was saving for a special occasion. He shakes it out and holds it up, smiling when Brayden's eyes double in size. “Make ya a deal?” Jensen offers. Brayden nods, and he doesn't actually say that he'll do anything Jensen asks, but it's implied in the hopeful expression on his face. “Get your ass out there and empty that box of fuckin' wristbands, like I asked you to three times now. Help Dani with the street deck display, and I will give you this before your first tournament.”
“Dude,” Brayden bounces on the balls of his feet, “I fuckin' love you, Jen!”
The door slams behind him and Jensen feels Jared's eyes on him without turning to look. “What?” he asks, considering the sketch he'd been working on for the last three hours.
Jared's lips press, hot and wet, against his neck. “You're such a damn push over,” he teases, lips curling even as they continue to kiss that place behind Jensen's ear that he refuses to admit reduces him to a jello-y heap.
“Yeah, yeah.” With a grunt, he pulls away, eyes still on the paper before him. One hand tapping his pencil against the table, the other ghosting over the buckle of his studded belt, he smirks and nods toward the floor at his feet. “Don't you have some place to be?”
The doorbell sounds at seven thirty on Saturday night and Jensen can't help laughing at the way Brayden flies out of his room and down the stairs before Jared can get to the door.
“Jesus Christ, Kid, calm down,” Jared teases, taking a step back as Brayden gives him a death glare and pauses with his hand on the door handle. His eyes are wide, his breathing is shallow, and it looks like he could possibly pass out. Resting his hands on Brayden's shoulders, Jared bends his knees just a little and stares straight into the kid's eyes. “Relax. You're gonna come off creepy if you don't settle yourself.”
Earlier, while he was refilling ink wells at the shop, Brayden was asking Chad for dating advice. Chad. The logic being that he used to date women, and then he scored Sophia, so he must know what he's doing. It took nearly fifteen full minutes for Sophia to stop cackling long enough to hold her hand steady with her client, and that's when Jared stepped in to help the kid out a little bit. To lay down the ground rules for keeping your cool and not looking like a spazz on a first date.
“Remember what I told you, okay?” Brayden's face is a little flushed, but he's definitely calmer as Jared pats his shoulder and takes a step back. “Alright. Let her in 'fore she thinks she drove over here for nothin'.”
He heads back into the kitchen as the door opens and Jared brushes his shoulder up against Jensen's on his way to the refrigerator. “We goin' out tonight, or orderin' in?” he asks, pulling a bottle of water out and unscrewing the lid.
There's a blank look of confusion on Jensen's face when he turns back to Jared. “Seriously?” Jared just shrugs his shoulders because he's sure as hell not cooking, so Jensen's going to have to pick one of the options. “Kid's gonna be gone for at least three hours,” Jensen goes on.
“Right,” Jared nods his head, still not quite catching on whatever that knowing look in Jensen's eye is implying. “Which means,” he prods, and then the light bulb clicks on. “Oh!”
“Fuck all, it's a good thing you're hot as hell,” Jensen shakes his head in disbelief. There are times when it seems that Jared can turn the most innocent statement into a dirty innuendo. And there are times when he can't catch a fucking hint if you wrap it around a dildo and smack him in the face with it.
As Jensen passes in an effort to grab a take out menu from the refrigerator, Jared wraps his arms around the older man's waist. “Hey!” he feigns offense to Jensen's statement, but then lowers his head and sinks his teeth into his boyfriend's shoulder. There is no protest in the way Jensen's fingers dig into into the hot skin just under Jared's tank top.
“Dammit, guys!” Brayden's voice interrupts their impromptu make out session and they don't so much let go of each other as pull away far enough to turn toward the couple in the doorway. “You can't wait until we leave?”
Rolling his eyes at the kid, Jensen disentangles himself from Jared's grasp and takes a few steps, extending his hand to the young woman hiding behind Brayden's shoulder. “Hi, Demi,” he greets easily, and she takes his hand with a smile. She's been hanging around the store long enough to at least be familiar with Jensen, though they haven't really had a chance to talk or anything. “Have you met Jared?”
Jared steps forward and offers his hand, easy smile on his face. “Call me Jay,” he says, smiling a little at the way her cheeks flush with color under his gaze.
“Oh, we are not starting this again,” Brayden warns her, and both guys look at each other as though they're missing out on something. “He's just a guy. Who happens to be on television. He's not, like, special or anything.” Jared's hand finds the back of Brayden's head, and it's unexpected so he grunts a little as his shoulder-length hair goes flying in all directions. “God, you're so sensitive,” Brayden grumbles.
Jensen can't help laughing as he leans against the island and looks at the kid standing in front of him. God, he used to be so little and shy and . . . well, goofy. Now he's almost as tall as Jensen and ready to walk out the door on his first date. “What are you guys gonna see?” Jensen asks, and he's proud of the kid when Brayden seems to notice Jensen's eyeline and waits for Demi to answer.
“I think The Vampire's Assistant?” Her dark eyes dart to Brayden and he nods, hands shoved so deep in his pockets, Jensen's afraid he might pull his pants off his hips. “Oh,” she says suddenly. “My mom and dad kinda wanted to make sure they had your number before we went. I hope it's okay that I gave it to 'em.”
Jensen nods and Jared shrugs. What does it matter? They won't actually need it, will they? It's not like Jared or Jensen really know the protocol for sending your kid out on his first date. “You have a curfew?” Jensen asks her. They didn't bother giving Brayden one, since he can't even drive yet. He'll be home when Demi either gets sick of him, or has to be home herself.
“Yeah. I gotta be home by midnight on the weekends,” she says, tucking her hands into the pockets of her Ollie hoodie. It's part of Jensen's Macy's line and he can't help wondering if she's wearing it to impress Brayden, or just because she likes it. Either way, it's pretty fucking cool.
A silence falls then, not quite long enough to be awkward, but almost. “Y'all better get movin',” Jared nods toward the door, hands on his hips as he watches the pair avoid eye contact again. It's funny how he doesn't remember ever being so awkward with anyone he dated in high school. Course, he didn't so much date as fuck anything that smiled his direction, so he figures maybe it's not the same thing.
The pair say their goodbyes and head out while Jensen shakes his head. By the time he turns to Jared, he's laughing softly. “He's so gone,” he says.
Jared chuckles in agreement. “Our little boy is growing up,” he fakes a sniffle and then laughs outright when Jensen punches his bicep lightly. “Order the food. I'm takin' a shower,” he says. Jensen raises an eyebrow and Jared's massive shoulders shrug again. “Dude, we got five hours alone in this house? We're doin' shit we ain't done in months.”
Nearly four hours later, Jensen's laying in the center of the bed, staring at the ceiling and wondering if he'll have feeling back in his legs ever again. Lazily, he says, “Bray better not fuck this date up.”
The response at his side is muffled by the bare mattress Jared's face is smashed into, his arm and both legs hanging limp over the edges of the bed. “Why?”
“I love the kid, Jay,” Jensen answers, heart still pounding against his ribcage. “But he is gettin' his ass outta this house more often.”
It's ten minutes until midnight when the front door opens and then shuts softly. Jared and Jensen are sharing a tub of Ben and Jerry's at the kitchen island and are, in no way “waiting up.”
The kid that comes strolling in, hands in his pockets, and a completely transparent look of bliss on his face is maybe the cutest thing either of them has ever seen. Not that they'll ever call it that out loud or anything.
“So,” Jared leads, pushing the spoon they already got out for Brayden toward him.
He digs into the container and tries to play it cool. “So, Dem's gonna tutor me in Algebra. With that shit I told ya I couldn't figure out, remember?” He waits for them to say something, and the sly smile that stretches across his lips as he looks up and pulls the spoon from his mouth nearly splits his face in half. “Also? Those lips of hers? Are not just good to look at.”
He blushes, but the pride is evident in his eyes as he extends his arm to accept Jared's high five, and then Jensen's. “You had fun?” Jensen asks.
“It was awesome,” he admits, though it's clear he's trying to temper his enthusiasm so as not to look like a giant nerd. “She's gonna come to my tournament next weekend,” he says, alluding to his first amateur competition in Pasadena next Sunday. “I told her she could ride with us.” He doesn't wait for a response before standing and stretching his arms over his head. “'m gonna go play some Halo. Too wired,” he explains and takes off in the direction of the rec room.
Jared looks across the island as Jensen puts the lid back on the ice cream and they smile. “Thank God I was never that geeked out over you,” Jared says.
“Bitch, please,” Jensen rolls his eyes and knocks the freezer door closed with his hip. “You even annoyed Sandy, you were so bad when we started dating.”
Alright, so maybe it's a little true. But Jared knows for a fact that Jensen was no better off in those days than he was. Steve used to tell him how Chris would bitch about how Jensen never stopped talking about Jared back then.
He starts to say as much, but then Jensen's looking at him like there's nothing else in the world he'd rather be looking at, and Jared kind of forgets what he was going to say. Maybe being a little geeked out over somebody isn't the worst thing in the world.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2009-10-29 05:20 pm (UTC)I so love this verse.
no subject
Date: 2009-10-29 07:22 pm (UTC)