tebtosca

“He always thought I was crazy,” Chris says, his voice lower than usual. He’s sitting next to Jensen’s hospital bed, one elbow propped up on the railing raised up on one side.

Jared looks up at him. They haven’t spoken in a while, just sitting there as silent as Jensen.

Chris continues as he traces a hand over Jensen’s forearm. “He used to tell me how lucky I was that I was normal. “

“Man, I hate that fucking word,” Jared mumbles, resting his hand on the bed next to Jensen’s other side but not touching him.

Chris lets out a short, sharp laugh. “Yeah, me too.” There is a pregnant pause before he continues. “He was so caught up on how much of a freak he was that he couldn’t understand that there were people out there that didn’t want to be like everyone else. “

Jared’s face falls and his mouth twists into a miserable grimace. “I didn’t mean what I said, about him being a freak. It all just happened so fast—“

Chris cuts him off. “I know, Jared. He knows it too, deep down underneath all the other shit that he keeps inside. “

Chris reaches into his pocket then and pulls out his wallet. He flips through a few things before pulling out a battered photograph. He hands it wordlessly to Jared, who takes it and looks at it. It’s a picture of a teenage Chris and Jensen standing next to what looks like a lake in swim trunks. Chris’ face bright and clear of any ink or metal and his smile twisting up into his trademark smirk. He would be barely recognizable if it wasn’t for that smirk. Jensen’s hair is blonder, his lips somehow lusher, body thin and wiry, and there are no lines around his eyes. He’s stupidly beautiful, but there’s something in his face that makes Jared suddenly sad. Jensen is turned slightly towards Chris, not looking at the camera, and the expression on his face is a mixture of apprehension and awe. It’s like he can’t believe that he’s there in that moment, allowed to do something as simple as swim in the lake with his friend. Allowed to actually have a friend. Allowed to be happy.

The silence stretches out for a while as Chris lets Jared take in the picture before speaking again. “He doesn’t know I carry that and would probably kick my ass if he did.”

Chris snorts and Jared laughs because the familiarity of it is somehow comforting in this moment as they sit together next to Jensen’s comatose body.

Chris takes the photograph back from Jared and looks at it briefly before putting it back in his wallet and away from view. “I carry that because I like to remind myself where we began. Jensen’s always gonna be messed up a little, but he’s come a long way from the boy in that picture."

Chris closes his eyes then, like he can feel the breeze from the lake washing over him. Jared closes his too and tries to imagine it.

“I told him what I wanted to do later that day, the plans for my metal work, showed him some designs for my face. You should have seen how angry he got! Fucking picked up my alarm clock and threw it against the wall. I think the only reason he didn’t punch me in my face was because he thought he’d get shoved back to Child Services.”

“Why was he so mad?” Jared asks, even though he’s pretty sure he knows the answer.

Chris looks at Jensen’s placid face, tubes everywhere, and smiles sadly. “He told me I was selfish for wanting to make myself a freak. That I didn’t understand what it was like to live with being so different.”

“What did you tell him?”

Chris shrugs. “I told him that it’s what makes us different that makes us important. That life is pointless if we don’t embrace all that we were meant to be.”

“Pretty wise for a teenage boy, huh?” Jared smiles slightly.

“Yeah, that’s what he said, after he stopped bawling. Fucking child,” Chris laughs softly before shooting Jared a look. “And don’t you dare tell him I told you that because he has no reason to not punch me in the face now."

Silence lingers again, sitting there between him as surely as Jensen’s body is. Chris is again the one to break it.

“We’re gonna help Kat figure out her powers. We’re a weird little family, but there isn’t a better group of people you could be with to help her learn what she’s capable of,” Chris says softly, his eyes willing Jared to understand.

Jared remembers the conversation he had with the McCoys the day before. He demanded to know whether they knew about Sandy and after only a moment they crumbled and admitted they did. It seems they had always tried to respect Sandy’s wishes and let her live her life in the most normal way possible. When she died they worried about Kat’s possible manifestation and how a clueless Jared would deal with that, but it wasn’t until Roché had come to them and twisted their concern that they thought about suing for custody. Now though, with Roché out of the way, they realize how hurtful it would be to take Kat away from her father.

Jared tries to understand. He knows there are things about the world that he never even fathomed, but he also knows that his child is part of that world now. The McCoys offer to help Kat deal with her abilities, and Jared finds himself accepting their offer gratefully.

“Thanks, Chris. Just, thank you,” Jared says. They’re silent again for a moment until suddenly Jared looks up, worry etched in his face.

“Roché’s body. What happened to it? Can they trace it back to Kat?” He can’t believe he hadn’t thought of it before, but with everything that had gone on it was the least of his concern.

Chris smirks. “Don’t you worry about that. I believe the front page of the Post is going to have a pretty interesting story about that fancy Manhattan lawyer found OD’ed in his bedroom. Nasty drug, cocaine. ”

Jared mouth dropped open. “How the hell is that going to happen?”

Chris cocks an eyebrow. “Do you really think a 227-year-old vampire gets to be that age without making a few shady connections?”

“Oh. Oh,” Jared says dumbly. “That’s….highly unethical.”

Chris laughs softly. “That’s our Genevieve.”

Jared laughs with him but then looks back at Jensen and sobers. “Do you really think he’s going to be alright?”

Chris reaches over to squeeze Jensen’s unresponsive hand. “His body knows what it needs to do, even if his brain is always a little slower to catch up with the plan.”

“I can’t lose him, not now, not after everything he’s done for me and Kat.” Jared’s voice aches.

“Do you love him?” Chris asks, and his face holds no judgment.

Jared just nods because saying the words out loud here in the room where Jensen lies unconscious and unhearing is just too much grief for him to handle.

“Good, he deserves it,” Chris replies, leaning over to stroke Jensen’s hair. He looks up at Jared. “You do too, you know. Deserve it.”

Jared blinks away the tears in his eyes and nods again.

++++++

Jensen wakes up one week later. Kat is curled up in the bed next to him, her hand on his heart.

Epilogue—One Month Later

Jared presses his face against Jensen’s thigh, letting the warmth of his skin soak into him. His lips trail their way across smooth flesh, nose brushing hard cock before his tongue follows, licking a stripe from root to tip. Jensen sighs as Jared teases him, twirling around the crown, sinking down a few inches before pulling back up. Jensen arches into him every time and Jared repeats it just to feel the acknowledgment of how badly he wants it.

It's been a month since Jensen almost died saving his daughter’s life. First came the week of Jensen’s coma as his tired organs used every molecule of their magic to knit themselves back together. Then two weeks of long nights bundled up with each other, Jared using his long limbs to hold Jensen tight to his body, to his heart. Two weeks of Danneel’s gumbo and Chad’s latest marketing scheme, of watching Chris help Kat navigate the snow while chasing after Harley and Sadie, of snuggling on the microfiber couch while watching CSI reruns as Misha and Gen did the same on the matching recliner. Two weeks of being a family.

And then the past week. Well, the past week has been about sheer unadulterated fucking. In every possible permutation.

Jared loves all of it. Loves the way Jensen’s lips swell after being well-kissed until they look almost painful. Loves pressing his face into Jensen’s pelvic bone and breathing in his scent. Loves opening Jensen up with his tongue until it feels like he can’t get any farther in before adding his fingers, one, two, three, four, and licking in between them. Loves the little sounds Jensen makes when Jared bites right between his shoulder blades while fucking him. Loves the way Jensen grits his teeth and flutters his eyes open and then closed when he’s grinding down on Jared’s lap. Loves the way Jensen laughed and whispered “aren’t you lucky your boyfriend has magical hands” as he smoothed them down Jared’s backside to reduce the sting the first time he pushed into him.

Jared just loves Jensen.

Jared’s speed increases as Jensen presses his thighs around his head. He feels the tip of Jensen’s cock press the back of his throat, his nose buried in pubes, tears stinging his eyes, and can’t remember ever feeling such ridiculous pleasure. Jensen’s fingers tug at Jared’s too long hair and Jared can feel his balls tighten against his chin.

“Daddy!” Kat’s voice rings out loudly from the hallway. Jensen shrieks and comes unexpectedly down Jared’s throat as Jared starts coughing.

Jensen pulls a pillow over his face and groans as Jared’s coughing turns to laughter. “Yes, Kit-Kat?” he hollers back.

“My Best Friend Christian Kane says to tell you to stop kissing The Prettiest Warlock and come to the living room. Tommy’s on the phone!” Kat sing-songs and knocks on the locked door a few times for emphasis.

“The Prettiest Warlock, huh?” Jared grins gleefully, pulling himself up to lie next to Jensen. He starts rubbing leftover come over Jensen’s lips as he scowls.

“No way Chris said that. Remind me to kill Misha the next time I see him,” Jensen grumbles, sucking Jared’s ring finger all the way to the second knuckle.

“Tell your Best Friend Christian Kane we’ll be there in a sec!” Jared yells and waits to hear the pitter patter of feet running down the hallway before pulling down Jensen’s jaw and forcing his tongue inside. He feeds Jensen his own come until there’s nothing left to taste.

“If you don’t stop that we’ll never get out of this bed,” Jensen murmurs, licking a path from Jared’s collarbone to the bottom of his ear.

“Kat wouldn’t even notice. She has her Best Friend Christian Kane to take care of her,” Jared grins, pulling Jensen’s head back by his hair to bite his swollen bottom lip.

“But then Misha would have free reign to turn her into a sarcastic nudist agoraphobic like himself. We can’t let the terrorists win, Jared,” Jensen huffs, but it comes out muffled because Jared is intent on licking the enamel off his teeth.

“As long as no one uses her as a human sacrifice, remember?” Jared grins, palming Jensen’s suddenly interested again dick before hopping out of bed.

Jensen groans and presses down his erection. “You’re evil.”

“Nah, too much hair,” Jared smirks, pulling on his drawstring pajama bottoms.

Jensen rolls his eyes but follows suit. They stroll over to the living room, stopping in the kitchen first to get Jensen his caffeinated lifeblood. He sees Misha sitting in his recliner and grabs a pillow to toss at his head.

“Such violence, Young Ackles!” Misha protests with his best wounded voice.

“You know what that’s for!” Jensen attempts to snarl but without at least two cups of coffee and after that mindblowing orgasm, it’s futile.

“Jensen, watch this!” Kat squeals from her place firmly on Chris’ lap. She squints her eyes in concentration and the same pillow Jensen just threw levitates in the air and projectiles right back into a startled Misha’s face.

“What the—“ Misha grunts as Kat giggles and high-fives Chris.

“You have the most awesome child,” Jensen grins widely, pulling Jared down and kissing him with a loud smack.

“I know, right?” Jared laughs, blowing a kiss at his daughter and laughing when Danneel pretends to intercept it. Kat feigns shock but then starts giggling again and presses a kiss into Danneel’s cheek.

“Ruffians, all of you!” Misha tsks, smoothing down the kilt that he has decided to dress himself in this morning.

“You must admit the aim was perfect,” Gen points out, and shuts up his outraged response with a kiss.

“Guys! Hellooooo, I’m still here!” the disembodied voice of Tom Welling comes from the speakerphone on the coffee table.

“We were waiting for the Js,” Chris tells him, rolling his eyes.

“Don’t you mean The Father of the Formerly Adorable Katherine Padalecki and The Prettiest Albeit Meanest Warlock?” Misha corrects and braces for another magic pillow attack.

“I’m not a warlock!” Jensen hollers at the same time Tom says “Jensen’s not a warlock.”

“Thank you, Tommy,” Jensen sniffs, sipping his coffee and pouting his lips so much that Jared has to resist leaning over and biting them.

“Who’s a warlock?” another, unfamiliar male voice inquires from the speakerphone and all the roommates suddenly look at each other in surprise.

“No one, baby, don’t pay attention to them,” Tom coos and the eyes of the room widen.

“Baby?” Chris mouths at Jensen, who just shrugs.

“I take it you have something you want to tell us,” Danneel prompts.

“Oh Danni, the most wonderful thing happened!” Tom bursts.

“They renewed Vampire Diaries?” Gen breathes excitedly as Misha uses the killer pillow to manually smack her on the head.

“I found my super-villain!” Tom replies in what can only be construed as a squeal.

“That’s me!” the other voice hollers, and then there is the conspicuously wet sound of making out.

“Tom, focus!” Jensen demands. “What are you talking about?”

They can hear Tom pulling away from the mystery man’s mouth breathlessly. “There was this barn!”

“A barn?” Chris repeats, eyebrow lifted.

“Yes, a barn! It was a New Years Eve party and it was decorated like an Ice Palace. And I’m standing there and thinking to myself that I would never, ever find The One and I would be alone and villainless my whole sad pathetic intergalactic life, but then I saw HIM. He was just standing there in the corner all anti-social like and it made me gasp because I totally felt it, you know? It was like I just knew and I went over to him and said to him ‘will you shave your head’ and he looked at me and was like ‘do you have a razor on you right now’ and I said ‘of course I do!’ and then he DID and then we went back to my house and had sex like twenty times and we are in love and life is MAGICAL, guys.”

The room is completely silent as they take in Tom’s monologue.

“He shaved his head for me, guys,” Tom repeats, his voice still a little stunned.

“Of course I did, have you seen you, dude? I’d shave my balls for you!” the super-villain crows and that breaks the silence immediately. Jared looks over frantically at Kat, whose ears are being covered by Chris as he laughs hysterically into the top of her head.

After a minute everyone calms down and Jensen replies warmly, “That’s great man, that’s really great. What’s your name, mystery man?”

“Mike Rosenbaum, nice to meet you all, kind of. I’ve heard…um…a lot about you,” Tom’s super-villain replies, voice unsteady for just a second before the kissing noises start up again. Jared assumes these are distraction kisses this time.

“I bet,” Jensen mumbles as Jared stifles a laugh and rubs his nose over his stubbly cheek.

“So,” Tom starts, pulling away again and managing to sound a bit sheepish. “I’ve been a horrible friend! I haven’t called you guys in forever.”

“No reception in the barn,” Mike offers and Chris snorts.

“It’s been, what, over a month since the last time we talked, right?” Tom inquires casually. “So how was your Christmas?”

“You really don’t want to know,” Kat deadpans as the entire room bursts out laughing.

THE END

AUTHOR'S NOTES AND SOUNDTRACK