![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
raeschaeTitle: Sometimes You Do
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
raeschae
Wordcount: 1K
Rating: G
Pairing(s): J2
Summary: Jensen shares his favorite book with Jared.
(This is an outtake from Sneaking Out.)
"Which one's your favorite?"
Jensen looks up from his computer long enough to see Jared standing in front of one of his bookshelves. It seems as though Jared never ceases to be amazed at the enormity of Jensen's library. Maybe if he didn't wake up to it every morning, Jensen would be a little more impressed, too.
"Favorite what?" he asks, signing out of his e-mail before he powers the laptop down. He's kidding, of course, but Jared gives him this incredulous look that's funny enough to make teasing him worth it.
"Jonas brother," Jared fires back sarcastically.
"Frank," Jensen answers. He's pretty sure there isn't a Jonas named Frank, but what the hell does Jensen know? Maybe he's a lucky guesser.
Jared stares at him for a long moment, head tilted, considering. He has to know how much shit Jensen's going to give him if he corrects him on this one. Instead, he shrugs and turns his attention back to the shelf.
He runs his fingers over the bindings, most of them tattered and cracked paperbacks. His parents bought him a Kindle for his birthday, but there's something about the feel and the smell of a book in his hands that Jensen can't give up. It's fine when he's traveling, but Jensen still prefers the hard copies.
"To Kill a Mockingbird," he finally takes pity on Jared with a real answer. Jared smiles, eyes scanning the titles, so Jensen points vaguely to a shelf. "This first one, sixth row from the bottom, dead center." It's not the Dewey Decimals or anything but Jensen has a system. He's the only one who understands it and he likes it that way.
Book in hand, Jared climbs onto Jensen's massive platform bed and situates himself against the sprawling, padded headboard. "How many times have you read it?"
Huffing a laugh, Jensen scratches his hand over the back of his head and shrugs his shoulders. "Dude, I don't know. I don't count." When Jared rests it on his thigh to flip it open, Jensen adds, "Be careful with it, though. The middle's fallin' out."
Jared smiles like that's a better answer to his question and Jensen can feel a blush burning up the back of his neck. With everyone else, he plays this off as some silly collection that his parents just won't stop buying for him, but Jared knows the truth. He knew it the second he stepped into Jensen's room for the first time, Jensen could tell.
"This why you wanna go to law school?" Jared asks, focus drifting from the yellow pages to Jensen and back again, shaggy hair falling into his eyes as he skims the words distractedly.
"Yeah," Jensen admits, crawling onto the bed to sit next to Jared. He carefully lifts the book and turns to the page he knows by heart. "Read it for the first time when I was thirteen. That's when I knew."
Jensen's used to attention. Hell, Jensen postures for attention all the time. He likes being known, being liked and envied and wanted. He doesn't pretend to be something he's not, but he only gives people a teaser of his reality, just enough to keep them hooked and wanting more. When Jared smiles at him, all bright eyes and dimples a guy could get lost in, Jensen feels like maybe Jared is seeing the whole show. The fact that he keeps tuning in means more than Jensen will ever tell him.
"Which part?" Jared presses, eager as though he can't get far enough into Jensen's mind.
"Which part what? Made me wanna become a lawyer? Or which part's my favorite?"
Jared shifts a little, one hand idly drawing patterns on the back of Jensen's hand. "Both?"
He looks like he wants to retract the statement but Jensen finds that he doesn't mind. He likes that Jared wants to know him. He likes it way too damn much sometimes.
"Alright, well, the career-inspiring passage probably isn't a huge shock," he says, chuckling as he scans the page for the part he practically knows from memory. "But there is one way in this country in which all men are created equal - there is one human institution that makes a pauper the equal of a Rockefeller, the stupid man the equal of an Einstein, and the ignorant man the equal of any college president. That institution, gentlemen, is a court. It can be the Supreme Court of the United States or the humblest JP Court in the land, or this honorable court which you serve. Our courts have their faults, as does any human institution, but in this country our courts are the great levelers-"
Jensen almost trips over the last line when Jared finishes it with him, "and in our courts all men are created equal."
With a shy shrug, Jared defends himself with a simple, "What? I'm literate."
Pointing to the closet door across from the bed, he smiles and says, "That's my favorite line," referring to the words painted in bold, black letters above the door.
Courage is when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do.
"I painted the first sentence up there the day before I came out to my parents," he explains. "I was so sure they were gonna freak out and go ballistic, or just deny it all and tell me I was being ridiculous." He can laugh now at how scared he was just a couple of years ago. "After I told my mom that I put it up there, she made me finish it with the second sentence." Blinking away the unexpected emotion, he explains, "She told me that any time I doubt how proud she and my dad are of me, I should come up here and remind myself that sometimes you do win."
Jared tangles their fingers together, squeezing just enough for Jensen to nod his head; Jensen's mom was right. Sometimes you do win.
Author:
raeschaeWordcount: 1K
Rating: G
Pairing(s): J2
Summary: Jensen shares his favorite book with Jared.
(This is an outtake from Sneaking Out.)
"Which one's your favorite?"
Jensen looks up from his computer long enough to see Jared standing in front of one of his bookshelves. It seems as though Jared never ceases to be amazed at the enormity of Jensen's library. Maybe if he didn't wake up to it every morning, Jensen would be a little more impressed, too.
"Favorite what?" he asks, signing out of his e-mail before he powers the laptop down. He's kidding, of course, but Jared gives him this incredulous look that's funny enough to make teasing him worth it.
"Jonas brother," Jared fires back sarcastically.
"Frank," Jensen answers. He's pretty sure there isn't a Jonas named Frank, but what the hell does Jensen know? Maybe he's a lucky guesser.
Jared stares at him for a long moment, head tilted, considering. He has to know how much shit Jensen's going to give him if he corrects him on this one. Instead, he shrugs and turns his attention back to the shelf.
He runs his fingers over the bindings, most of them tattered and cracked paperbacks. His parents bought him a Kindle for his birthday, but there's something about the feel and the smell of a book in his hands that Jensen can't give up. It's fine when he's traveling, but Jensen still prefers the hard copies.
"To Kill a Mockingbird," he finally takes pity on Jared with a real answer. Jared smiles, eyes scanning the titles, so Jensen points vaguely to a shelf. "This first one, sixth row from the bottom, dead center." It's not the Dewey Decimals or anything but Jensen has a system. He's the only one who understands it and he likes it that way.
Book in hand, Jared climbs onto Jensen's massive platform bed and situates himself against the sprawling, padded headboard. "How many times have you read it?"
Huffing a laugh, Jensen scratches his hand over the back of his head and shrugs his shoulders. "Dude, I don't know. I don't count." When Jared rests it on his thigh to flip it open, Jensen adds, "Be careful with it, though. The middle's fallin' out."
Jared smiles like that's a better answer to his question and Jensen can feel a blush burning up the back of his neck. With everyone else, he plays this off as some silly collection that his parents just won't stop buying for him, but Jared knows the truth. He knew it the second he stepped into Jensen's room for the first time, Jensen could tell.
"This why you wanna go to law school?" Jared asks, focus drifting from the yellow pages to Jensen and back again, shaggy hair falling into his eyes as he skims the words distractedly.
"Yeah," Jensen admits, crawling onto the bed to sit next to Jared. He carefully lifts the book and turns to the page he knows by heart. "Read it for the first time when I was thirteen. That's when I knew."
Jensen's used to attention. Hell, Jensen postures for attention all the time. He likes being known, being liked and envied and wanted. He doesn't pretend to be something he's not, but he only gives people a teaser of his reality, just enough to keep them hooked and wanting more. When Jared smiles at him, all bright eyes and dimples a guy could get lost in, Jensen feels like maybe Jared is seeing the whole show. The fact that he keeps tuning in means more than Jensen will ever tell him.
"Which part?" Jared presses, eager as though he can't get far enough into Jensen's mind.
"Which part what? Made me wanna become a lawyer? Or which part's my favorite?"
Jared shifts a little, one hand idly drawing patterns on the back of Jensen's hand. "Both?"
He looks like he wants to retract the statement but Jensen finds that he doesn't mind. He likes that Jared wants to know him. He likes it way too damn much sometimes.
"Alright, well, the career-inspiring passage probably isn't a huge shock," he says, chuckling as he scans the page for the part he practically knows from memory. "But there is one way in this country in which all men are created equal - there is one human institution that makes a pauper the equal of a Rockefeller, the stupid man the equal of an Einstein, and the ignorant man the equal of any college president. That institution, gentlemen, is a court. It can be the Supreme Court of the United States or the humblest JP Court in the land, or this honorable court which you serve. Our courts have their faults, as does any human institution, but in this country our courts are the great levelers-"
Jensen almost trips over the last line when Jared finishes it with him, "and in our courts all men are created equal."
With a shy shrug, Jared defends himself with a simple, "What? I'm literate."
Pointing to the closet door across from the bed, he smiles and says, "That's my favorite line," referring to the words painted in bold, black letters above the door.
Courage is when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do.
"I painted the first sentence up there the day before I came out to my parents," he explains. "I was so sure they were gonna freak out and go ballistic, or just deny it all and tell me I was being ridiculous." He can laugh now at how scared he was just a couple of years ago. "After I told my mom that I put it up there, she made me finish it with the second sentence." Blinking away the unexpected emotion, he explains, "She told me that any time I doubt how proud she and my dad are of me, I should come up here and remind myself that sometimes you do win."
Jared tangles their fingers together, squeezing just enough for Jensen to nod his head; Jensen's mom was right. Sometimes you do win.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2011-02-02 12:57 am (UTC)I still love this story. It's fabulous and you treated the characters with such respect and gave them so many facets that I would love to see more of them!
So proud of you bb ♥
no subject
Date: 2011-02-02 02:57 am (UTC)