[FIC] Gazes Into You - 13/27
Aug. 1st, 2015 06:51 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
alexisjane<<<<< Chapter Twelve / Masterpost
When Jensen finally showed Karen and Rachel out, he felt embarrassed at how excited he was. He had butterflies in his stomach and couldn't stop smiling, like a fourteen-year-old girl who's crush had finally noticed her. Not that he knew what that felt like, except he imagined it was like this being that he was seriously considering skipping.
Jared was sitting on the bed, wearing shorts and a baseball jersey, his damp hair still sticking up all over the place. Jensen walked in smiling but was taken aback by Jared's somber mood. "You okay?"
Jared looked up and shrugged. "Yeah, I guess." Jensen sat on the end of the bed facing him and waited for an explanation. Jared sighed and tipped his head back. "I don't know...you just seem really happy that I'm finally mobile."
Jensen looked confused. "It means you're getting better? Aren't you happy about that?"
Jared nodded. "Yes. I mean...yeah but I guess...I don't know. It made me realize how much I must be intruding on your life. It makes sense that you'll be looking forward to getting your space back. I just feel bad about taking up your time like this."
Jensen felt like he had been slapped. He'd been so preoccupied with taking care of Jared, protecting him, he hadn't let himself think about what would happen when it was all over, when Jared was well, and the bad guys were behind bars.
He scrubbed a hand over his face hoping that it would mask his sudden panic. "Okay, for starters, you are not intruding. I know initially I wasn't sold on the idea of having you here but...well, I am now. And just because you're up on your feet – well, foot – doesn't mean I'm going to be throwing you out anytime soon. You stay as long as you want. I...I kinda like the company."
Jared glanced up at him. "You don't have to say that."
"I mean it, Jay. Don't think you have to rush on out of here, just because you're on the mend. Especially with the investigation still ongoing."
Jared nodded. They both knew what Jensen meant was ’Especially with the guys that tried to murder you still wandering the streets' but neither of them wanted to say it.
Instead, Jared looked up, smiling and said, "It's 'cause you get to see me pee in a bottle, isn't it?" Jensen laughed, and Jared slapped his thigh. "I knew it! I knew you were pervy for my urine."
Jensen nodded dramatically. "Best part of my day." Jared laughed and they smiled at each other until Jensen realized he either had to speak or kiss him. He cleared his throat. "So, I was thinking. I know you're still worrying about Adrienne. Would it make you feel any better if I went down to the bar to see if I could get hold of her there?"
Jared opened his mouth to protest but then his shoulders slumped. "Yeah. Yeah, actually it would." Jensen nodded and pushed himself up off the bed. Jared looked up at him. "I feel bad about sending you out like this. I feel so goddamn useless."
"You're not sending me, I offered. And you're not useless, you're...recovering. Will you be okay until I get back?"
Jared smirked at him. "Yes, Mom. I think I can manage for a couple of hours." Jensen made pretense of scowling at him over his shoulder as he walked away and bit back the nagging voice in his head that said 'when you get back, he'll be gone' over and over.
~•~
It was around 6:30pm when Jensen walked into the bar. There were a goodly number of people scattered around the tables and bench seats but it didn't feel crowded by any means. It was too early for that. Jensen wandered over to the bar and parked his ass on one of the high bar stools. It didn't take long for the bartender to saunter over to him, wiping his hands on the towel hanging from the waistband of his dark trousers. Jensen ordered a beer and then sat quietly, alternately picking at the label on the bottle, and watching the clientele in the mirror that hung over the bar.
He thought about what Chris had said about there being nothing that had raised any suspicions about the place, and he had to agree. All the people drinking seemed like office workers letting their hair down after work. Some of the ones that seemed to be doing better for themselves headed up the stairs to the private lounge but there was nothing that rang any alarm bells that might have indicated something cloak and dagger going on.
His beer was getting low and attracted the attention of the barman. As he passed Jensen, he pointed at it. "Get you another?"
Jensen smiled. "That depends. Is Adrienne coming in tonight?"
The bartender looked at him quizzically. "Sorry man, if you're waiting for her, you're going to be here a while." He leaned on the bar so he didn't have to talk so loud over the music. "She took off on vacation about two days ago."
Jensen sighed. "Damn. I've been calling her but I can't get through."
The barman smirked. "'You've been calling her?"
"Yeah."
"On a number she gave you?"
"Yeah?"
The barman did everything but laugh in his face. "Good luck with that, Buddy."
Jensen pulled out his wallet, threw a couple of bills down next to his empty bottle, and watched the bartender walk away. He sauntered down to the other end of the bar where one of the bouncers was leaning up against it. The bartender bent down and said something into his ear and the bouncer looked up and caught Jensen's eye. Jensen nodded hello, causing both the bartender and bouncer to erupt into laughter. Jensen stood, scowled at them, then took back one of the bills from the bar, and turned and left before he drew any more attention to himself.
Jensen figured that Jared wouldn't be in the best of moods when he got back with the news that Adrienne was MIA so he picked up some groceries on the way home. Feeding Jared seemed to make him feel better so Jensen figured it was the least he could do. He figured cooking Jared's favorite was out of the question, a proper chili wasn't the kind of thing he could just rustle up. But, he made a mean carbonara that Jared had asked for a couple of times so he thought that would be okay.
He grabbed a nice bottle of wine and more of the key lime pie that Jared had described as 'sex on a plate'. The little mean voice in his head was taunting him, asking what he was thinking, that of course Jared didn't think of him that way, that he was making a fool of himself and that Jared was just going to laugh him out of the room. There was no way that he could pass this dinner off as anything other than a romantic gesture and Jared was going to be disgusted by it. By the time he got to the checkout he was muttering, "It's just pasta and pie…" loud enough that the cashier gave him a funny look as he gingerly took Jensen's credit card.
When Jensen unlocked the apartment door, all his nervousness was forgotten. He had assumed the raised voices and laughter were coming from the TV, but when he opened the door, he could hear Jared laughing and chattering to someone else in the room. He walked down the short hall, the bags of shopping banging against his leg, half in fear that he would find men in balaclavas and Jared with his eyes taped shut, despite the happy noises coming from him.
When he rounded the corner into the living room, Jared had his head tilted back, laughing loud at the ceiling. The TV was on, some crappy movie that involved a lot of swimwear, playing with the sound on low. There were pizza boxes on the coffee table as well as a sprinkling of beer bottles. And there was a stranger sitting on his couch. A stranger who was holding onto Jared's bicep and talking into his face, half-choking on laughter. Completely in Jared's personal space.
Jensen stopped dead and just stared until the stranger noticed him and stopped yapping. Jared followed his eye-line and twisted around in his seat to beam at Jensen over the back of the couch.
"Jen! There you are! I've been calling you. Why didn't you pick up?" Jensen just stared. His face must have betrayed the fuming fury that was building in his chest as Jared's face fell and he swallowed.
The stranger practically sitting in Jared's lap, didn't seem to care much about that though. "Is this him? This is the guy? Jesus, Jay, you didn't say he was so old!" Jared glared at his friend and punched him in the arm. "Ow, fuck! What was that for?"
Jared put down the slice of pizza he was holding and turned back to Jensen. "I'm sorry. This is Chad. Chad pisses everybody off. He thinks it's his job or something."
Jensen glared at Chad and walked slowly towards the kitchen without saying a word. Jared twisted around to his left so he could talk more easily as Jensen moved. "I tried Adrienne again and got nothing, but then I thought Chad might know something as he sometimes crashes at her place, so I called him and he was freaking out 'cause he hadn't heard from me and he said Adrienne has gone to her Mom's for a couple of weeks, family emergency or something. But then he badgered me into inviting him over and we got hungry and I tried to call you to see what you wanted to do about eating but we just ended up getting pizza..."
Jensen put the grocery bags on the kitchen counter. He still had his keys in his hand when he turned around and Jared stopped talking. He walked forward a couple of steps and said. "I forgot to get milk." Then turned and walked back out of the apartment. As he closed the door behind him he heard Chad laugh out, "Oh my God! What an asshole!"
Chapter Thirteen
When Jensen finally showed Karen and Rachel out, he felt embarrassed at how excited he was. He had butterflies in his stomach and couldn't stop smiling, like a fourteen-year-old girl who's crush had finally noticed her. Not that he knew what that felt like, except he imagined it was like this being that he was seriously considering skipping.
Jared was sitting on the bed, wearing shorts and a baseball jersey, his damp hair still sticking up all over the place. Jensen walked in smiling but was taken aback by Jared's somber mood. "You okay?"
Jared looked up and shrugged. "Yeah, I guess." Jensen sat on the end of the bed facing him and waited for an explanation. Jared sighed and tipped his head back. "I don't know...you just seem really happy that I'm finally mobile."
Jensen looked confused. "It means you're getting better? Aren't you happy about that?"
Jared nodded. "Yes. I mean...yeah but I guess...I don't know. It made me realize how much I must be intruding on your life. It makes sense that you'll be looking forward to getting your space back. I just feel bad about taking up your time like this."
Jensen felt like he had been slapped. He'd been so preoccupied with taking care of Jared, protecting him, he hadn't let himself think about what would happen when it was all over, when Jared was well, and the bad guys were behind bars.
He scrubbed a hand over his face hoping that it would mask his sudden panic. "Okay, for starters, you are not intruding. I know initially I wasn't sold on the idea of having you here but...well, I am now. And just because you're up on your feet – well, foot – doesn't mean I'm going to be throwing you out anytime soon. You stay as long as you want. I...I kinda like the company."
Jared glanced up at him. "You don't have to say that."
"I mean it, Jay. Don't think you have to rush on out of here, just because you're on the mend. Especially with the investigation still ongoing."
Jared nodded. They both knew what Jensen meant was ’Especially with the guys that tried to murder you still wandering the streets' but neither of them wanted to say it.
Instead, Jared looked up, smiling and said, "It's 'cause you get to see me pee in a bottle, isn't it?" Jensen laughed, and Jared slapped his thigh. "I knew it! I knew you were pervy for my urine."
Jensen nodded dramatically. "Best part of my day." Jared laughed and they smiled at each other until Jensen realized he either had to speak or kiss him. He cleared his throat. "So, I was thinking. I know you're still worrying about Adrienne. Would it make you feel any better if I went down to the bar to see if I could get hold of her there?"
Jared opened his mouth to protest but then his shoulders slumped. "Yeah. Yeah, actually it would." Jensen nodded and pushed himself up off the bed. Jared looked up at him. "I feel bad about sending you out like this. I feel so goddamn useless."
"You're not sending me, I offered. And you're not useless, you're...recovering. Will you be okay until I get back?"
Jared smirked at him. "Yes, Mom. I think I can manage for a couple of hours." Jensen made pretense of scowling at him over his shoulder as he walked away and bit back the nagging voice in his head that said 'when you get back, he'll be gone' over and over.
~•~
It was around 6:30pm when Jensen walked into the bar. There were a goodly number of people scattered around the tables and bench seats but it didn't feel crowded by any means. It was too early for that. Jensen wandered over to the bar and parked his ass on one of the high bar stools. It didn't take long for the bartender to saunter over to him, wiping his hands on the towel hanging from the waistband of his dark trousers. Jensen ordered a beer and then sat quietly, alternately picking at the label on the bottle, and watching the clientele in the mirror that hung over the bar.
He thought about what Chris had said about there being nothing that had raised any suspicions about the place, and he had to agree. All the people drinking seemed like office workers letting their hair down after work. Some of the ones that seemed to be doing better for themselves headed up the stairs to the private lounge but there was nothing that rang any alarm bells that might have indicated something cloak and dagger going on.
His beer was getting low and attracted the attention of the barman. As he passed Jensen, he pointed at it. "Get you another?"
Jensen smiled. "That depends. Is Adrienne coming in tonight?"
The bartender looked at him quizzically. "Sorry man, if you're waiting for her, you're going to be here a while." He leaned on the bar so he didn't have to talk so loud over the music. "She took off on vacation about two days ago."
Jensen sighed. "Damn. I've been calling her but I can't get through."
The barman smirked. "'You've been calling her?"
"Yeah."
"On a number she gave you?"
"Yeah?"
The barman did everything but laugh in his face. "Good luck with that, Buddy."
Jensen pulled out his wallet, threw a couple of bills down next to his empty bottle, and watched the bartender walk away. He sauntered down to the other end of the bar where one of the bouncers was leaning up against it. The bartender bent down and said something into his ear and the bouncer looked up and caught Jensen's eye. Jensen nodded hello, causing both the bartender and bouncer to erupt into laughter. Jensen stood, scowled at them, then took back one of the bills from the bar, and turned and left before he drew any more attention to himself.
Jensen figured that Jared wouldn't be in the best of moods when he got back with the news that Adrienne was MIA so he picked up some groceries on the way home. Feeding Jared seemed to make him feel better so Jensen figured it was the least he could do. He figured cooking Jared's favorite was out of the question, a proper chili wasn't the kind of thing he could just rustle up. But, he made a mean carbonara that Jared had asked for a couple of times so he thought that would be okay.
He grabbed a nice bottle of wine and more of the key lime pie that Jared had described as 'sex on a plate'. The little mean voice in his head was taunting him, asking what he was thinking, that of course Jared didn't think of him that way, that he was making a fool of himself and that Jared was just going to laugh him out of the room. There was no way that he could pass this dinner off as anything other than a romantic gesture and Jared was going to be disgusted by it. By the time he got to the checkout he was muttering, "It's just pasta and pie…" loud enough that the cashier gave him a funny look as he gingerly took Jensen's credit card.
When Jensen unlocked the apartment door, all his nervousness was forgotten. He had assumed the raised voices and laughter were coming from the TV, but when he opened the door, he could hear Jared laughing and chattering to someone else in the room. He walked down the short hall, the bags of shopping banging against his leg, half in fear that he would find men in balaclavas and Jared with his eyes taped shut, despite the happy noises coming from him.
When he rounded the corner into the living room, Jared had his head tilted back, laughing loud at the ceiling. The TV was on, some crappy movie that involved a lot of swimwear, playing with the sound on low. There were pizza boxes on the coffee table as well as a sprinkling of beer bottles. And there was a stranger sitting on his couch. A stranger who was holding onto Jared's bicep and talking into his face, half-choking on laughter. Completely in Jared's personal space.
Jensen stopped dead and just stared until the stranger noticed him and stopped yapping. Jared followed his eye-line and twisted around in his seat to beam at Jensen over the back of the couch.
"Jen! There you are! I've been calling you. Why didn't you pick up?" Jensen just stared. His face must have betrayed the fuming fury that was building in his chest as Jared's face fell and he swallowed.
The stranger practically sitting in Jared's lap, didn't seem to care much about that though. "Is this him? This is the guy? Jesus, Jay, you didn't say he was so old!" Jared glared at his friend and punched him in the arm. "Ow, fuck! What was that for?"
Jared put down the slice of pizza he was holding and turned back to Jensen. "I'm sorry. This is Chad. Chad pisses everybody off. He thinks it's his job or something."
Jensen glared at Chad and walked slowly towards the kitchen without saying a word. Jared twisted around to his left so he could talk more easily as Jensen moved. "I tried Adrienne again and got nothing, but then I thought Chad might know something as he sometimes crashes at her place, so I called him and he was freaking out 'cause he hadn't heard from me and he said Adrienne has gone to her Mom's for a couple of weeks, family emergency or something. But then he badgered me into inviting him over and we got hungry and I tried to call you to see what you wanted to do about eating but we just ended up getting pizza..."
Jensen put the grocery bags on the kitchen counter. He still had his keys in his hand when he turned around and Jared stopped talking. He walked forward a couple of steps and said. "I forgot to get milk." Then turned and walked back out of the apartment. As he closed the door behind him he heard Chad laugh out, "Oh my God! What an asshole!"
