The Apocolypse Is Upon Us (better write some pr0n)

“Your boyfriend?” Jensen knows that was totally not the correct response, but really…what the fuck?

Tom’s welcoming smile fades into a concerned frown. “Is that a problem?” Tom looks at Jared. “He does know this is a gay-friendly establishment, right?”

Jensen shakes his head and ducks around to help his plate. “No, not at all and yes, Jared did tell me.” With breakfast in hand, Jensen heads to the dining room, his appetite not nearly as strong as the desire to yank Jared outside and make him explain himself.

From his spot in the dining room, Jensen can see Jared using the dirty dishes in the sink as an excuse not to face Jensen and he’s not sure why but Jensen’s really disappointed in him. He’d pegged Jared as an upfront guy. No bullshit, no games. He wasn’t usually that far off-base in his assessment of guys. And he really hated being off about Jared.

When he’s done eating, both Tom and Jared have gone off somewhere and Jensen’s relieved he can just go upstairs, call Chris and hideout until he gets there. His smile is weak and greeting half-hearted when he walks through the great room and Reese waves cheerily.

“We’re going on a wildflower tour. Wanna go, Jensen?”

Jensen can’t help but smile at Reese, the flaming epitome of gay. In different circumstances, they’d probably be pretty good friends. Not boyfriends, but just hanging around friends.

“Nah, Chris’ll be here shortly and we’re going to the festival grounds early to look up his friend. They were supposed to get in last night.” He escapes by bounding up the stairs two at a time before he has to really be friendly.

He’s not so lucky upstairs, however. Jared’s coming out of the room next to Jensen’s with an armload of sheets, obviously headed down to the laundry. Jensen has a minute to make his expression neutrally thoughtful while Jared’s back is to him closing the bedroom door. When Jared turns, he thinks he’s ready.

That would be a wrong assumption.

Jared’s face goes from mildly distracted to silent appeal at the speed of light. Jensen sees the plea in Jared’s eyes and knows he’s going to have to talk to him, right here, right now.

“Come on. My room.” Jensen walks by Jared, still standing with bright sunflower-yellow sheets draped over his shoulder, and into his room, leaving the door open.

Jared enters, sans sheets, and Jensen can see them dropped in the middle of the hall just before Jared closes the door behind himself. He can’t help just one little dig, even though he already knows how mean he’s being. “Won’t your boyfriend get the wrong idea with the door closed?”

Sure enough, Jared’s eyes widen before he looks down, tugging and fiddling with the hem of his shirt. “Can I explain? It’s not…”

“What it looks like?” Jensen finishes for him.

Jared looks stung, then surprises Jensen by bursting out laughing as he shakes his head and scratches the back of his neck. “No.” He draws the word out in his cute drawl. “I guess it is what it looks like. It just doesn’t have to be.”

“Vague much?” Jensen sits on the edge of his bed and motions for Jared to take the chair. He doesn’t think he can stand to sit very close to him without touching.

“I’m sorry you had to find out this way.” Jared scrubs at his face, and Jensen wonders just how much more cliché this entire situation can become. So, he decides to make it easy on both of them.

“Look, I get it. Boyfriend’s not home, you’re a little drunk, a little down, and then I made a move. It doesn’t have to be a big deal, Jared.”

That’s when Jared starts to look just plain scared. “But, Jensen, it wasn’t a mistake. Nothing you can say will make me think that.” He leans forward, elbows resting on long, folded up legs and hands clasped between them. “Tom and I – it’s pretty much over between us. We’re just both having a hard time with the concept of being single again, so I think we keep putting off the inevitable.”

Jared must see that Jensen’s about to shut him down again, because he raises his hand, stands and begins to pace. Jensen thinks he fills the whole room.

“Just give me five minutes and if you want to punch me out or leave, or whatever, that’s fine. Deal?”

Jensen figures Jared had him at “not a mistake.” He nods and Jared starts babbling and Jensen’s hard pressed to follow along, but gives it his best shot.

“Tom and I have been together for five years. We met in LA when I was working on the show and he owned the catering company that serviced the studio. We were both from Texas, missed home and I’d just come out of the closet.” Jared stops and shrugs at Jensen, like that sort of explains that.

“When I decided to come home, Tom did too, but he wanted to live in the city, start his own restaurant. So, we moved to Houston while I figured out what I wanted to do and he opened Kaliope. When I bought the inn, he refused to move and I knew I couldn’t live in a place like Houston.”

Jared sits again, facing Jensen, acts like he wants to reach out and touch him, then draws back and crosses his legs. “We’ve been doing the long-distance thing for a year and his visits come less frequently all the time. Last night we had a big fight because he backed out of coming this weekend. He knew how important it was for me and how much I wanted to share it with…someone. I guess I pitched a big enough hissy he felt guilty, so he drove down early this morning.”

Now that he’s done with the brain dump, Jared looks drained. Jensen knows he’s waiting for him to say something, but because he knows he can’t tell Jared what he obviously wants to hear, he just sits, watching Jared, hoping some glimmer of what to do will occur to him.

Jared tilts his head at Jensen, then before he can stop him, Jared falls out of the chair onto his knees in front of Jensen. He lifts those big hands of his and frames Jensen’s face and Jensen knows what’s coming. He can’t stop him.

Jared’s mouth is dry and rubs briefly across Jensen’s lips before he pulls back a few inches. Jensen’s still frozen in place and Jared takes advantage by moving in again. This time the kiss is questing, probing, trying to get Jensen to give in and Jensen feels himself melting against Jared’s broad chest.

It’s a kiss of discovery and silent communication. And Jensen knows he’s probably saying all the wrong things with his acceptance of Jared’s mouth on his, but damn if it doesn’t feel so right. He lifts his arms and wraps them around Jared’s neck and leans back, pulling Jared on top of him on the bed.

Jared’s all mouth and hands and sweet, sweet moans now and Jensen’s jolted from this fantasy world he’s let himself slip into when Jared’s hand slides under his shirt, walking his fingers along Jensen’s ribs.

Jensen gets his hands between them and presses up, turning his head away from Jared’s questing mouth. “Stop. Jared, wait.”

Jared’s immediately off of him and scooting off to the side of the bed. He’s looking at Jensen expectantly and the word flashes through Jensen’s mind again. Hopeful.

“Jared, this is totally fucked up. I’m not going to seduce you – or let you seduce me – when you have a boyfriend lurking around here somewhere. Hell, even if he was in Houston…just knowing you have a boyfriend!. I’m not that guy.”

Jensen jumps up and takes two long strides to the door and opens it. “I think you better leave now. I’m not…Jared, I’m not going to be that guy.” No matter how much I want to be.

Kicking Jared out of his room is probably the hardest thing Jensen’s ever done…well, besides telling his parents he’s gay. He feels impossibly cold as he watches Jared slowly get up, like a whipped dog, and leave his room, when all he really wants to do is take Jared back to bed and strip every thread of clothing off his body with his teeth.

Jensen slams the door a little harder than is necessary once he hears Jared’s footsteps growing fainter.

~~~

When Chris arrives, Jensen’s worked himself into a supremely foul mood.

“What crawled up your ass, hoss?”

They’re bouncing along the rutted dirt driveway that leads into the festival grounds and Jensen refuses to speak about what’s happened with Jared, either last night or this morning. Finally, Chris gives up and practically shoves Jensen out the door of his Jeep, telling him not to come near him ‘til he’s drank it out, fought it out or fucked it out.

Jensen kinda wants to do all three.

By the time it’s full dark and the opening acts have (thankfully) finished, Jensen manages to achieve two. The first was almost too easy. A bottle blonde at the beer concession takes one look at his pouty lips and broody eyes and adopts him as her own. She was very clear on the fact that the beer wasn’t the only thing he could have if he wanted it.

The second takes a bit of doing, but by dusk Jensen’s found the perfect motivation to make it happen. He finally finds Chris sometime mid-afternoon and makes nice again. So, now Jensen’s on his way around the amphitheatre to meet his buddy, and Chris’ protégé Dillon, backstage. As he rounds the last row, a familiar face causes every muscle in his body, including his lungs, to freeze.

Jared and Tom, or more like Tom with Jared in tow it appears, are just sitting down with a couple of beers and sausages on a stick. Jensen walks up behind the pair just like his body has a mind of its own. Then it becomes obvious his body learned this trick from his mouth.

“Hey Jared.” Fuck it! Why is he even here?

Jared’s sausage hits the ground and Jensen hears Tom curse as if from a distance. Hazel eyes just stare at Jensen and the spark that started the night before reignites in the Texas sunset.

“Jen.” His name is scarcely a whisper on Jared’s lips but it tells Jensen all he needs to know.

Jensen takes a step forward, swaying a bit in his alcohol-Jared-induced haze, when he feels a hand on his arm. It stops him dead with a hard squeeze just below his elbow.

“ ‘Scuse us… is it Jensen? Jared and I sort of want a little time alone tonight. It’s been a long time since we’ve had a chance to be together.” The smirk on Tom’s face makes it perfectly clear how he wants Jensen to interpret ‘together’.

It’s almost amusing to watch the storm clouds gathering on Jared’s face. He glowers at Tom who just smiles and wraps a hand around the back of his neck possessively. “Come on. Let’s get another beer before the main acts start, baby. I love it when you’re all mellow and buzzed.”

Jensen looks to Jared, watching for his response to such condescending treatment. He thinks he sees a flicker of annoyance, but is more surprised when Jared quickly covers it with a sweet mile at Tom and slips a hand around his waist.

“Sounds great, T. Jensen, good to see ya. Hope you enjoy the show. Guess we’ll see you at breakfast tomorrow, huh? Tom’s fixing crepes and you really don’t want to miss ‘em.”

And before Jensen can respond, Jared’s turned both he and Tom in the opposite direction, heading back toward the concessions.

Well fuck.

Not only is Jensen left in the middle of the festival, surrounded by people oblivious to his dangerous mood, but he has nothing to vent the overwhelming frustration that’s boiling up into his throat, ready to explode in a cloud of venom.

When he unclenches his fists, his palms are marked with deep crescent-moon shaped gouges.

An hour later, he meets up with Chris and Dillon, with just minutes to spare before the performer goes on stage. Chris is about to tear him a new one when he just stops talking, leaving his mouth agape.

“What the fuck happened to you, son? What is it with you and trouble?”

Dillon lays a hand on Chris’ shoulder. “I gotta go out now, man. Thanks for uh…backing me up earlier.” He slides between them and climbs the stairs to the stage and Chris grabs Jensen’s arm in a death grip and pulls him as far back from the rest of the milling artists as he can manage.

“I swear I can’t remember why I brought your sorry ass.” Chris is pissed and Jensen’s just as happy to finish here what he started with some wannabe hippie at the alternate music venue in the back of the grounds.

Jensen can hardly see out of his left eye and he knows when the adrenaline fades, it’s going to hurt like a mother, and his lip is split and still bleeding into his mouth. “I don’t either. Why don’t you just leave me the hell alone and stop trying to entertain me. I was doing just fine sitting home alone.”

“Right, cause moping and brooding over that job you didn’t get is always more fun than a road trip.” Chris’ voice dripped with sarcasm, but there was a softening in his eyes. “Look, Jen, let’s just kick back here, relax and listen to Dillon. Then maybe we’ll haul ourselves over to that fancy bed & breakfast you’re staying at and do some jammin’ on the screen porch.”

Chris realizes what a mistake his suggestion is when Jensen’s eyes turn dark and angry. “Fuck the bed & breakfast. I’ll find somewhere else to crash around here and then tomorrow I’m going to get my shit and we’re leaving.”

Jensen’s mouth goes all pinched and pissy and Chris knows better than to argue the point further. So, he shoves a can of beer in his friend’s hand and leans back against the railing to listen to Dillon. Chris ignores Jensen when he tells him he’s going to get more beer and figures his best friend won’t be surprised at all when he doesn’t come back.

~~~

Fuck it’s cold. This is Texas. It’s supposed to be warm and humid and good outside-sleeping weather. Jensen hears the snores and shuffle-slide of nylon sleeping bags all around him and is momentarily …well confused would be putting it mildly. It’s the rock digging into his back that finally clarifies things a bit. And his own lack of a sleeping bag or any kind of covers, for that matter.

He’s lying with his face about five inches from the still smoking ashes of a campfire and his right hand is numb from where his face has spent the night on it. He knew there was a reason he wasn’t much of a camper. Apparently, small animals crawl into your mouth while you’re asleep, too.

Jensen sits up, clears his throat and tries to cough out whatever rodent has taken up residence, but nothing emerges. Ugh. It’s just the fur on his teeth and tongue. Not cool. It takes amazing concentration to manage to stand without tumbling into either the fire pit or the tent behind him, but Jensen manages.

He stretches, trying to work out kinks and knots and gets a whiff of his underarms. Ugh. God, does he need a bath, coffee and aspirin. And not necessarily in that order.

The small trail that goes from campground to concession area, to vendor stalls and then on to the stage, is still and quiet, except for the sounds of the cooks preparing the Cowboy Breakfast. But, even they aren’t talking. Just efficiently chopping and boiling potatoes, frying up bacon and several pounds of scrambled eggs. Jensen has to veer as far from that side of the camp as he can or he’s sure he’ll puke on his boots.

A door to a pop-up camper squeaks open and Jensen turns his head to see Chris stumbling down the two steps of Dillon’s trailer, eyes more than half-closed.

“Didn’t know you were stayin’.” Jensen’s not even close to awake enough to discuss yesterday’s events with Chris, but he can probably buy the guy a cup of coffee. “Come on get some coffee with me.”

Chris squints, opens one eye a little more than the other and considers Jensen before nodding and matching steps with him down the trail toward blessed caffeine.

By the time they’re both on cup number three, the public area is open for the last day of the Kerrville Folk Festival. Chris hasn’t disowned him as a friend and apparently Dillon got a standing ovation last night.

“Hey, run me by the inn so I can grab my bag and then let’s go to your room so I can shower. Shit, I’m ripe!” Jensen wrinkles his nose at the smell of stale beer, sweat and plain old pissiness leaking out of his pores.

“You ready to tell me what happened with that innkeeper guy yet? Cause I know you Jen, and I know there ain’t too many things gonna get you riled up like you were yesterday.” Chris leans back in his folding chair and rocks it onto two legs. “Don’t tell me there’s a queer in the state of Texas who can say no to the great Jensen Ackles.”

Jensen tries to pull off a scowl, but based on Chris’ snort, fails. “Fucker’s got a boyfriend and didn’t say nothin’ ‘til … after.”

Chris lets the chair fall back down to four legs and crosses his arms over his chest. “Well, that ain’t right. Come on. Let’s go get your stuff and that shower. I can smell you over here and I’m not even downwind.”

It’s only nine o’clock, but there’s already activity in the parking lot of the house and Jensen figures he’s about to meet the infamous Macy and her people. Chris swings into the farthest spot and pushes the shifter into park. “I’ll wait here. Hurry it along.”

If Jensen wasn’t so dog-ass tired and hungry and dirty and just miserable in general, he’d have shot Chris down before slamming the truck door. As it was, he just let his legs fall to the ground and climbed out of the truck, leaving the door open and Chris yelling at him about his manners and their abandonment.

“Stop it, Macy. Come on, sit girl. Sit. SIT!” The man and woman didn’t give Jensen a moment’s notice while they were engaging in a spectacularly unsuccessful attempt to get the curly black dog to stop running around them in circles.

The amusing scene kept Jensen’s attention all the way to the door, so that when he turned and saw Jared standing there, an apron around his waist and dishtowel thrown over his shoulder, he was struck speechless and slightly off-keel.

“Hey,” Jared said softly, but didn’t step aside for Jensen to enter. “We need to talk.”

Jensen hesitated for just a few seconds before hardening his expression and shoving on past Jared into the house. Jared’s heavy steps were right behind him.

“Come on, Jen. I’ve got to tell you something and I’m going to have my say if I have to lock you in your room and yell at you through the door.”

Jensen stops abruptly and wheels around, his face clearly reads What the fuck, dude! “You’ll do what?” His laugh sounds dismissive and uncomprehending at the same time. “Far as I’m concerned, you got what you wanted, possibly making your boyfriend jealous along the way, as an added bonus, and I’m leaving. End of story.”

“Tom’s gone.”

Jensen shrugs and continues up the stairs to pack. “Not my problem.” He sure wasn’t going to get in the middle of some bullshit jealousy bitch-fight over some lanky, puppy-dog eyed cowboy. Nope. He wasn’t.

Jared’s still at his heels. “Jensen, he left because I told him to leave. We’re not… he’s not my boyfriend. I broke it off last night.”

Jensen stops at the top step, one foot on the landing and half turns to face Jared. “Yeah, I noticed you were having some real problems last night. I can see where you’d want to break up with a man who calls you baby and buys you beers.”

Fuck. Now he’s feeling all lousy for putting that kicked-puppy look on Jared’s face. “I’m sorry. That was uncalled for. I really don’t have any right…” Jensen’s stopped when Jared climbs up into his face and continues walking them back on the landing until his back hits wooden wall.

“You kinda do, though.”

“Huh? Do what?” His brain feels whip lashed.

“Have the right. The way I handled things…it was really shitty and I’m sorry. But also, what we did Friday night. The things I said. I meant them and I meant to tell you about Tom and talk about things with you Saturday morning.” Jared looks down while absently rubbing up and down Jensen’s arm with both hands. “Except I didn’t get the chance before it all went to hell.”

“But, last night…” Jensen swore under his breath. Why was he even having this discussion. He is NOT having hopeful thoughts about Jared.

“I know Tom and the best way to handle that situation last night was to just go along with him until you were gone and I could get him home. He’s always been a jealous son of a bitch, and I just…I just didn’t want it to become this big fight, which uh…I guess was wasted effort.” Jared looks pointedly at Jensen’s bruised face and winces. “But, I know how it looks and I’m sorry…”

“Will you stop saying you’re sorry?”

Jensen brushes past Jared and keeps going but the tenacious son of a bitch just follows him down the hall to his room and slams the door behind them, cutting off the rest of the world.

Jensen spins around and faces Jared. “Okay, fine. Why, exactly, are you saying all this to me?”

In an effort to prove just how unconcerned he is with things, Jensen begins pulling shirts and underwear out of the one dresser drawer he’s been using and refolding each piece before placing it in his weekend bag. He’s not nervous. Just curious.

“I’d already decided. Friday night after we… after we said goodnight, I went back to my room and thought about you ‘til dawn.” Jared laughs and Jensen can’t help but cut him a look and tilt his head.

Jared continues. “I almost climbed these stairs and woke you up at least three times during the night. I was about to the point where I was ready to just say ‘fuck it’ and tempt you with my cinnamon rolls.”

Jared’s sly smile is probably the cutest thing Jensen’s ever seen and he can’t help answering in kind. “I’m pretty sure that would’ve worked. I’ve always had a soft spot for hot cinnamon rolls.”

“So anyway, I wanted to tell you about Tom right up front. I wanted to explain our situation and how things were pretty much out the backdoor anyway and that I wanted to see where things could go. You know, with you.”

“Oh.” Jensen stops packing and leans back against the window until his butt hits the sill. “So, you were already going to break up?”

Jared nods and gives him that uncertain half-smile again. Just enough dimple to make Jensen shift around on the windowsill looking for more room in his pants. He’s just about to tell Jared to get his ass over here so he can kiss him like he means it when he hears Chris tromp down the hall and poke his head in the room.

“I figured you kids were making up. Was hoping I wasn’t going to walk in on something that was going to scar me for life.” Chris’ face is cautious and watches Jensen for a signal.

Jensen snorts. “Like anything could. Uh, yeah about that ride back to your hotel…”

“Yeah, yeah, I know. Tossed aside for a pretty face,” Chris jokes and leans against the door jam, but Jensen sees the concern in his face. The you need some help, pard? look they’ve perfected.

When Jensen moves his head back and forth just enough to get his point across, Chris straightens and makes to leave. “I’m gonna go then. See if I can rustle up something to eat that doesn’t involve mysterious animal parts shaped like phallic symbols.”

Chris makes to go and Jared jumps up from the bed. “Wait. If you wanna hang out for a bit, I’m about to start lunch. Muffulatta’s and potato salad if you want it.”

The wide grin on Chris’ face makes Jensen relax and somehow feel better about everything. “Well, alright then. Now you’re talkin’. Down-home food!”

Jared turns back to Jensen and shrugs in apology. Jensen supposes the kiss can wait, but that shower can’t. “Look, you two get the hell out of here so I can get the stink off, would ya? Jared, don’t let Chris off the hook for his lunch. Don’t you have weeds that need pulling or dog kennels to hose out?”

And before Chris can retort, Jensen ducks into the bathroom and closes the door firmly. He figures it’ll do them good to get to know each other, since if he has his way, Jared’ll be joining Chris in the best friends line-up, and hopefully more.

~~~

When Jensen gets out of the shower, he feels like a new man and goes downstairs to find Jared whipping Chris’ ass at Texas Hold’em while they’re both trying to stuff an entire muffulata in their mouths.

When Chris spots Jensen coming down the stairs in a black T-shirt, faded jeans and hair still wet, he looks up from his hand. “Your boy cheats, Jenny!”

Jared’s mouth works into a fish-like ‘o’ pretending to be insulted and amazed at such an accusation. “You might be rough, tough and hard to stuff, but you don’t know shit about poker, cowboy.”

Jensen stops on the bottom step and laughs so hard he thinks he might strain something and within a few seconds, the cards are all thrown down on the table and the three guys head outside so Jared can show Chris around.

“Next year I’m going to put in a wildflower garden bordering the parking lot and maybe get the hardwood floors in the carriage house refinished. Right now I have three rooms, plus the carriage, and I’ve figured if I can keep a 70% occupancy rate through September, I’ll have enough to do everything I want to do next year without borrowing more money.”

Jared’s enthusiasm for the place is infectious and Chris drops some hints about the profitability of horseback rides and a dog-sitting service for Jared’s guests with pets. Jensen hasn’t ever seen this business side of his best friend. Jared seems to bring out the best in everyone.

“They’re not always going to want to have their furry kids with ‘em.” Chris explains his reasoning and Jared nods, then goes off on a tangent about Harley and Sadie having company and maybe putting in a pool just for the dogs.”

Jensen’s head is swimming by the time they get back to the kitchen. Not swimming fast enough that he doesn’t notice the stainless steel Viking stove top and oven, the granite counter tops and top of the line refrigerator that’s large enough to hang a side of beef in. Jared hasn’t skimped in this room, for sure.

When he whistles low at the set of copper pans hanging from a ceiling rack in front of the window, Jared grins proudly. “First thing I put money into was the kitchen. The plan was to have someone better than me doing the food-end of things…” he trails off and Jensen and Chris both know how that worked out.

Chris has also noticed Jensen’s longing looks and slaps him on the back. “You know, Jared, my boy Jensen here, he fancies himself a pretty good cook.”

“Fuck off, Chris.” Jensen feels his cheeks burning and rolls his eyes to cover his embarrassment.

“Really?” Jared looks expectantly at Jensen. “Man, I gotta tell you, I learned that cinnamon roll recipe from my mom and that’s pretty much what I stand by around here. If the guests want anything else, they’re pretty much on their own.”

Jensen squashes down visions of omelets made to order, Eggs Benedict and fresh breads of various flavors. “Well, they do call it a bed & breakfast for a reason, Jared,” he jokes, but already it’s hard to keep from making plans that involve him and Jared, together.

The conversation veers off to the local antique market and the types of things Jared’s found to finish out the rooms and before they know it, it’s dinnertime and Chris goes to pick up Dillon from his campsite at Jared’s urging.

Chris is no sooner turned out of the driveway and onto the road than Jared’s dragging Jensen up to his room, apparently hell-bent for leather on making the most of their time alone.

And God, but Jared’s tongue in his mouth is Jensen’s idea of heaven, but he won’t let himself just fall into this without some ground rules. “Wait.” The pressure he puts on Jared’s chest is handily ignored, so he pulls his mouth away and turns his head. “Jared, wait.”

Once more, Jared proves his upbringing and immediately steps away, leaving Jensen swaying from the loss of Jared’s body right up against him.

“Jensen?” Jared looks anxious, so Jensen hurries to reassure him.

“It’s not you. No. It’s just … I don’t want to be your rebound boy.”

There. It was out. The little niggling fear Jensen had been fighting all day. Jared has admitted himself that he’s been with someone ever since he came out of the closet. Jensen knows that feeling. Knows how scary it can be to face prejudices and narrow-minded thinking, especially living in this state all his life. And he doesn’t want to be just a lifeboat in rough waters.

“I think we should slow down a little. I mean, your season is just ramping up. I’ve still got a place in Richardson and well… you’ve just come out of a long-term relationship that was comfortable to the point of you not wanting to leave until something or someone else came along.”

Jared looks like a wounded deer, but takes a step back and slowly nods his head. “Yeah,” his voice cracks on the word. He clears his throat. “Yeah, you’re right. I’m sorry. I just felt this connection from the start with you.” Jensen notes a subtle shift in Jared’s face – the look in his eyes and it sends a shiver right down to the base of his spine.

“I want to know what it feels like to map every inch of your body with my tongue and be able to watch your face in the daylight when you come for me…and I just want to make you feel good.”

Well, hell. What do you say to that?

Jensen closes the gap between them again and draws Jared’s head down. When they pull apart this time, he’s willing to maybe give in a little. “I kind of liked the part where you watch me come,” he whispered into Jared’s mouth before sealing their lips once more.

Next thing Jensen knows, he’s naked on his bed with Jared atop him, making a buffet out of his skin. With his last few working brain cells Jensen realizes that exerting willpower around one Jared Padalecki is going to be an exercise in futility.

“I think I owe you a blowjob.” Jared’s nibbling down and down until his tongue swirls in the fine hairs of Jensen’s happy trail.

“We keeping score?” Jensen’s having a hard time remembering why moving too fast is a bad idea. Matter of fact, when Jared’s tongue swipes along the inside of his thigh, Jensen’s ready to cry uncle and let Jared have his way.

Then the delicious sensation of warm, moist tongue to skin just…stops. Dragging his brain back up to the business end, Jensen looks down to Jared’s smugly smiling face. He may have growled a little, too.

“Are you trying to kill me?” He squirms around on the handmade quilt that someone’s grandmother probably made in her church sewing group. Just below Jared’s chin, Jensen’s dick is bobbing back at him accusingly, all dripping and red.

“I thought you wanted to take it slow.” Jared tilts his head as if his answer should clear up all past, present and future misunderstandings they may have.

“Uh, hello! That was before you started that thing with your um, tongue, and teeth and um, lips.” He’s incoherent and it’s all Jared’s fault.

“Just letting you know what’s waiting for you when you’re ready to, you know, move forward.”

“Bitch.” Hoisted by his own petard.
Jared just shrugs and crawls up Jensen’s body ‘til he hovers just over him, face-to-face. “Your speed. Your rules.” He leans closer and kisses the tip of Jensen’s nose, then flops over to the side, pulling Jensen into a full body cuddle.
A few seconds later, Jensen pokes at Jared’s shoulders.
“Hmph?”
“You are going to finish what you started, though, right? The whole my hard dick and your pretty mouth. What happened to you owing me one?” He could feel Jared smiling against his neck.
“All you had to do was ask.”
~~~
From Jensen’s bed they hear Jesse and Reese returning from a day in San Antonio and then Chris’ truck pulling in and him and Dillon banging around downstairs, bringing their guitars in.

“Think we oughta go down?” Jared sounds like the last thing he wants to do is leave the warmth of Jensen’s arms.

“Well, I did once, but I guess I can do it again,” Jensen jokes and gets rewarded with a punch to his arm. “Hey, that’s no way to treat the guy that just made you scream ‘Oh God’ so loud, I’m sure my neighbors heard you.”

Jared snorts and throws the sheet back, revealing a long, tanned torso, even longer legs and rippling muscles that make Jensen’s stomach do flip flops. Oh yeah. He’s going to enjoy watching Jared writhe under him, and soon. But for now, he realizes Jared has to play host and they both probably need to get a little perspective on things. But ‘til him and Chris leave, he’s going to enjoy every single second of time at the Cock & Dog Inn.

The original plan was to be on the road by mid-afternoon Sunday, but like the rest of the weekend, nothing quite worked out like it was supposed to.

“How about goat cheese and asparagus frittatas for breakfast tomorrow?” he asks Jared as they both step into their jeans. Jensen likes the smug look Jared shoots him, even if he is being a smart-ass.

A half-hour later, the sun’s setting and the cicadas are trying to drown out Chris and Dillon’s guitar picking. Reese and Jesse decide to stay another night and are sitting around the porch with Jared, Jensen and the musicians. Everyone’s mellow with beers and giant pottery bowls of chips and salsa sitting in the middle of a low primitively carved table.

Jensen keeps reminding himself that he’s going to take it slow. Going to make Jared think about what he really wants. But he already knows he’ll fight for Jared…despite his earlier words of caution.

His momma and past experience has told him the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. Jensen figures between his culinary skills and his talent for making Jared speechless while sucking his dick, the odds are on his side.

End