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chase_acow
Title: Five ways Jensen met Jared at the mall during the holiday season
Rating: Parts 1-4 are PG-13 and Part 5 is NC-17
Warnings: Extreme schmoop. I blame the idea of love at first sight.
Disclaimer: Jensen and Jared are not mine. I think they might belong to each other.
Word Count: 7,500
A/N: Thanks to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
domtheknight for the quick beta. : )
Summary: It doesn't matter if Jensen is homeless, ten years old, a jerk, a daddy, or an actor – he and Jared are made for each other
1. Home for the Holidays:
The music was enough to drive anyone crazy. Jensen shoved his free hand into the hip pockets of his khakis and tried to blend into the general chaos that was the mall at the beginning of the holiday season. His job interview hadn't gone the way he'd hoped, but at least he got a cup of coffee out of it.
He tightened his grip on the shopping bag by his side. The edge bit into his calf every third step, and he really would have felt more comfortable if he could have worn his backpack, but it was too grubby for his interview. Besides, he was enjoying fitting into the warm mall breezeway with people who didn't sneer at him or cross the street just to avoid him.
A woman pushing a stroller and hauling two other kids along behind her cut Jensen off as they ducked into a clothing store. He didn't really mind, he had about an hour before he should leave to find a good spot for the night. Pausing, Jensen looked in the window, and imagined owning the black coat the manikin wore. It would be much warmer than the jean jacket he shoved in his shopping bag to hide.
Jensen turned around, intending to head back to the big comfy chairs in the middle concord, but didn't get further than a step.
"Oh, crap, man! I'm so sorry."
Sighing, Jensen gingerly used two fingers to move his broken styrofoam cup from his coffee soaked hand. At least it wasn't as hot as it had been when the bookstore owner had handed it over, telling Jensen that he couldn't be hired without references and a permanent address. "It's okay," he said, keeping his head down as he flicked the coffee off into the trashcan next to him. With regret, he dropped the rest of his cup in too. He should have known better than to try to make it last.
"No really," a big hand broke into his field of vision wiping away a stray brown drop. "I should have been watching where I was going. I didn't hurt you did I?"
It wouldn't be the first time Jensen had to deal with a side of aching ribs. He thought maybe the other guy had landed an elbow when they crashed together. Shaking his head, he glanced up. And up. "Oh," he said softly.
The man was tall and broad. Normally, Jensen would have gone out of his way to avoid someone so muscled, but the man's face held nothing but kindness in his smile. He was wearing a beanie smashed down over his long hair making the ends curl around his ears and down his neck. The man's hand captured Jensen's bicep, fingers slipping down to brush warmly over his skin.
"I did, didn't I?" the man asked, furrowing his eyebrows so that his beanie slipped down over his forehead. He let his hand fall to cup Jensen's elbow, "I'm so sorry, I should have been watching where I was going."
"No it's okay," Jensen insisted, feeling heat flush to his cheeks. He turned his head and saw a security guard watching them. "I've got to go."
Jensen pulled away but a touch on his shoulder stopped him. The other man's hand was almost wide enough to span across Jensen's entire shoulder blade. He turned back around and the man dropped his hand to Jensen's lower back pulling him in.
"I'm Jared," Jared introduced himself, steering Jensen to walk beside him. "Let me buy you an early dinner to make up for spilling your coffee. Please?"
Jensen would have said no, he should have just jerked away and scrammed before anyone ran him out or found out what he was. Not even the allure of a free meal would have been enough for him to chance it, but there was something about Jared. Jensen couldn't help himself, and Jared took the extended silence to mean assent.
They settled down in a retro diner where Jared ordered more food for one meal than Jensen usually ate in three days. Jensen was careful to keep his bag between his feet where no one could get at it. Before he knew it, two hours had passed with him answering noncommittally and steering the conversation back to Jared. Jared didn't seem to mind, he chattered happily and always seemed to touch Jensen with a hand or knee, pressing together as if he couldn't bear to not to touch.
When they left the diner, Jared wrote down his phone number and pressed it into Jensen's palm with a reluctant goodbye. Jensen had to sleep curled in the doorway of the library, far too exposed to both the wind and anyone who happened to walk by to do more than doze fitfully. He woke up with a stiff back, an upset stomach from everything he ate the day before, and a lonely ache in his chest. He kept Jared's phone number in his pocket, and pulled it out sometimes, smoothing it over his knee so he could look at it and dream.
Nearly a month later, it was Christmas Eve and Jensen turned away from the dinner line with his food clutched between his hands next to his chest. The bowl of soup warmed his hands, hot enough to burn the places where his gloves had holes. He was watching over his shoulder, Michael and Jessica were there sitting at a table, and things had a habit of going missing whenever those two were around.
Of course, that meant that he wasn't really watching where he was going and ended up running into somebody stopped in front of him. His food went flying across the floor and the crowd either groaned or clapped at Jensen's bad luck. He blinked hard, sinking to his knees to gather up the bowl and spilt food to the trash. His belly growled in disappointment.
"Here, I've got this, I'm so sorry."
Jensen froze at the voice, thankful that he had his hood up from the sweatshirt the Salvation Army had given him. He'd avoided going to the mall just on the off chance that he might have run into Jared there. It had hurt worse than the cold that sank into his bones with the first snowfall, but he couldn't bear the thought of Jared finding out about him. Trying to gather up everything quickly, Jensen's hand shook when Jared beat him to it.
"Seriously, I can take care of this if you want to get back in line," Jared insisted, and Jensen couldn't help sneaking a glance. Jared looked just as good as he remembered, tan and strong and gentle.
"Nice one, Jensen!" Jessica yelled from across the room, her sneer evident in her tone.
Jared grabbed Jensen's wrist, his fingers wrapping completely around it as he tugged, "Jensen?"
With his secret gone, Jensen shrugged his hood down and dared to meet Jared's eyes, "Hi, Jared."
The smile that blazed across Jared's face was enough to warm Jensen completely through. "We just keep running into each other," he said, a chuckle making his voice rough, "I guess we're meant to be together. Are you here volunteering too?"
"Volunteering. Nice one, Jensen. What kind of lies have you been telling that guy?" Michael asked as he and Jessica slipped out into the drifting snow.
Jensen knew his face must be crimson, as he scrambled to his feet and tried to get away. He didn't want to have to tell the truth; he wanted to keep the fantasy that a guy like him could actually find a bit of happiness. Jared grabbed him though, pulling on his hips until Jensen found himself backed up against Jared's side. Reluctantly, he turned, waiting for the accusations to fly.
"So that's why you didn't call. I thought," Jared said slowly, clearly thinking out loud. He didn't let go of Jensen's jacket even when Jensen kept trying to pull away. He cleared his throat and continued louder, "I was just in the back helping to cook, and they ran me out for a break. You want to sit and eat with me?"
"You still want to eat with me?" Jensen said cautiously, lifting his head in surprise. He couldn't see any pity on Jared's face, just open worry and hopefulness. "But I'm not, I mean I didn't tell you…"
Jared smiled, letting go of Jensen though he stood tensed just in case Jensen made a break for it. "I understand why you felt like you couldn't," he said, steering them both back to the soup line. He kept a warm hand on the small of Jensen's back, "but you don't have to lie to me anymore. I like you no matter what."
"You?" Jensen shook his head; it was almost too much to take in all at once. He hadn't had anyone since Chris was arrested and taken away, but Jared made him feel safe. Made him happy. "I like you too."
"Good, that settles it," Jared said happily, wrapping an arm around Jensen's shoulders. "You want to come back to my place and watch It's A Wonderful Life with me tonight? It's tradition, and I won't have anyone for company if you say no."
Jensen smiled, small and tentatively, but he already knew what his answer was, "Well, we can't have that, can we?"
It was his best Christmas ever.
2. My Favorite Things
Josh was supposed to be with him. Jensen wasn't scared or anything, but the mall was really busy and Mom told Josh not to let Jensen wander off. Well Jensen hadn't wandered off, but Josh had met some friends and wanted to go to the arcade without his tag-along little brother. Jensen hadn't wanted to go anyway. He had five dollars in his pocket, and they were supposed to be looking for a Christmas present for their momma.
The mall was crazy. He looked at his Donatello watch and saw that he still had half an hour until they were supposed to meet back at the food court. That was probably enough time to find the perfect gift. All he had to do was get across the breezeway to that smelly store his mom liked so much.
Santa's House was right in the way with a gigantic crowd of children and their parents waiting in line. Jensen scowled, he was way too old to believe in Santa. He'd found out two years ago that it was his dad eating the cookies and milk he always left for Santa. His sister Kenzie still believed, and he was a good enough brother not to ruin it for her.
It looked like the only way to get to the store was to go all the way around the velvet green rope that an army of high school girls wearing elf ears was patrolling. He edged around, staying as close to the railing as he could so he wouldn't get turned around. Jensen had almost made it all the way around when he heard a low noise from behind a trashcan.
Jensen stopped and listened closer; it sounded like someone crying. He edged quietly around the corner and stooped low enough to see that a small boy had crammed himself into the space between the wall and the trashcan.
"Hey, are you okay?" Jensen asked, pitching his voice to be the same that he used to call his puppy to him.
The boy startled and struggled further back until he realized that Jensen was just a kid too. He sniffed hard and wiped his nose on his sleeve before he looked up with watery eyes, "I got lost," he whispered, hiccupping slightly at the end.
Jensen pursed his lips thinking. This was his only chance to buy a present from his mom, but the boy sitting there really needed him. The kid bit his lip, blinking hard and Jensen made up his mind, "I'll help you. What's your name?"
"J-jared," Jared said softly, finally crawling out and straight onto Jensen's lap. He grabbed the strings of Jensen's hoodie and held them in his little chubby hands. "What's your name?"
"I'm Jensen," Jensen answered, smiling to reassure the kid. He thought Jared might be around six, definitely too young to be wandering around the mall by himself. "Where's your mom at?"
Jared sniffed and shrugged, falling more securely into Jensen. "I don't know. I wanted to see Santa and I lost her," he explained. His hair was almost as long and curly as Kenzie's and it fell over into his eyes.
"Okay," Jensen said, and tucked his hands under Jared's armpits to haul him to his feet. "Do you know where she was? What kind of store?"
"Books," Jared said, taking Jensen's hand and holding onto it as tightly as he could so Jensen couldn't pull away. "There are too many people, and I got knocked over when I tried to go back."
From his superior height, Jensen could see the bookstore sign on the opposite side from the smelly store. He sighed, but tugged Jared back around the way Jensen had originally come from. Nobody paid much attention to the two boys threading their way through the crowd. Jared stayed right behind him, holding both Jensen's hand and the bottom of his hoodie right above his butt.
They had just escaped from the biggest pocket of people standing around waiting for their pictures with Santa to finish developing when someone shouted. Jared froze and Jensen automatically put his arms around the smaller boy.
"Jared Tristan Padalecki!
Jared peeked out from under Jensen's arm and then whooped, taking off running, "Mama!" He jumped at a woman who flung her arms out to catch him. They hugged, and Jensen could see tears in both their eyes.
Jensen could have left, but he sidled up to them and reached out to pull on Jared's foot until the boy smiled down at him. "You good now?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.
"Did you help my baby?" Jared's mom asked, stooping down to set Jared back on his feet and reaching out to put her hand on Jensen's shoulder.
"Yeah, Mama," Jared answered for Jensen, squirming out of her hold so he could throw his arms around Jensen's waist. "This is my new friend Jensen!"
Jensen just shrugged, a little embarrassed, and quickly squeezed Jared before gently pushing him away. "It's okay," he said quickly when she looked like she wanted to hug him too. "I'm just glad he's okay."
She smiled at that and ruffled Jared's hair, her expression melting the second she looked at him. Then she turned back to Jensen, "Are you here by yourself?"
"No ma'am," he checked his watch and saw that he'd run out of time. He needed to get back to the food court before either Josh or his parents. "My brother's waiting for me."
"Okay, you'd better hurry back then," she said, standing back up with a hand at her lower back. "Thank you so much for taking care of Jared."
"Yeah, thanks," Jared said, grabbing Jensen's hoodie strings and yanking until Jensen bent over. Jared planted a loud, wet kiss on cheek and then another right on his mouth. "One day, I'm gonna marry you."
Jensen was shocked speechless, turning bright red and reaching up to touch his lips with his fingertips.
Jared's mom laughed, a bright sound like church bells ringing, and grabbed Jared's hand. "Not in Texas, sweetie," she said and waved to Jensen before she pulled Jared away. He kept looking back over his shoulder at Jensen until there were too many people in between them to see.
That's when Josh found him, wrapping an arm around Jensen's throat like he was choking him in greeting. "Hey, Jenny," he teased, hooking Jensen's head into his armpit. "You finally find a girlfriend?"
Jensen just scowled, and jabbed his elbow into Josh's side. The warm feeling in his tummy stayed with him for the rest of the day.
3. You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch:
"Can you believe the lengths that jackass we go to just to steal business?"
Danneel looked up from where she was sorting Twilight merchandise and popped her gum at him. "I dunno, boss," she said, shrugging and bending back to pull out a package of Edward bookmarks. "I think he just really likes Christmas."
"Well, he looks like an idiot," Jensen muttered, leaving the storeroom before the other employees could take the maniac's side too. Seriously, a six and a half foot Santa with no beard or padding was just bizarre; it would have given him nightmares as a child.
"Excuse me, do you have the latest Mercedes Lackey book?" a young woman asked him, her arms already full with half a dozen fantasy novels.
Jensen smiled, pushing the movie store buffoon to the back of his mind, nothing made him happier than finding the book that a customer wanted. "Yes ma'am, right this way," he said, taking the books from her and showing her to the new releases display. "I'll just keep these at the counter for you any time you're ready."
"Ho, ho, ho! Merry Christmas!"
Jensen growled low in his throat and squinted out the front window toward the store across the center aisle. Ackles' Books & More was busy with last minute shoppers, but Padalecki's Movies Unlimited was overflowing with people rushing around the day before Christmas. Padalecki himself stood out in front greeting people and handing out candy to anyone who came close enough to him.
The moron had even tried to give Jensen something when they'd both got back from lunch at the same time. As if Jensen would ever take anything that heathen had to offer. It had been almost a year since the movie store opened up, and almost a year since their hate at first sight feud had begun.
"Hey boss, I need to get some stuff out of the community janitor's closet," Danneel said when they had a lull in customers.
"Yeah sure," he answered, fishing in his pocket for his key ring. "Let's go now before Mr. Christmas over there starts up another off key verse of 'Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer' and makes my ears bleed."
"Aw, I think he's kinda cute," Danneel said.
Jensen rolled his eyes and led the way around the corner to the custodial closed that their corner of the mall used. He found the right key and shoved it in the lock with a little more force than was strictly necessary, "Oh yeah, he's as adorable as a - what the hell?"
Danneel had shoved him hard in the back and he fell forward into the back of the closet, tripping over a fallen mop. By the time he regained his balanced and whirled around, she'd already slammed the door in his face and jerked out the key. He beat on the door, rattling the knob, "Open up this door right now!"
He kept at it for a good twenty minutes but eventually tired himself out. With a last kick at the door, he backed away and leaned against the wall trying to catch his breath. Of course, that was when the door jerked open again and he found himself with an armful of his archenemy.
"Jesus Christ!"
Before Jensen could do anything, Padalecki shoved himself away. He didn't even yell, just groaned as he pounded and scratched against the door. Grabbing the doorknob, he threw himself against the heavy metal until he finally collapsed to the bare concrete floor.
"Hey, are you all right?" Jensen asked reaching out and putting his hand on Padalecki's shoulder. Padalecki just moaned and curled in tighter on himself.
Sure, he hated the guy, but Jensen couldn't just stand there while he freaked out at Jensen's feet. Slowly so he didn't cause any more damage, Jensen sank to the floor and rubbed his hand up and down Padalecki's back. He could feel the other man shaking and trembling with every gasping breath he took.
"It's okay. We're fine, you're gonna be fine" Jensen said softly, twisting until somehow Padalecki ended up sitting between Jensen's knees, his back pressed against Jensen's chest. Jensen kept up a string of nonsense for he didn't know how long until Padalecki's shivering died down.
"S-sorry," Padalecki said, his low voice vibrating up through Jensen's body. "I'm not good with small spaces."
Jensen chuckled, instinctively tightening his arms and legs around the man sitting in front of him, "Really? I couldn't tell."
They sat there in silence for a few minutes before Padalecki fidgeted and craned his neck around to look at Jensen. "Why are you being so nice?" he asked, a doubtful grimace etched across his face, "You don't even like me."
"It's not," Jensen heated, imagining all the ways that he was going to fire Danneel for this, "it's not that I don't like you."
"You flip me off every time I turn my back," Padalecki said quietly, turning around and pulling away from Jensen's grasp. He settled with his back against the door, and Jensen immediately missed his warmth. "I can see you sometimes in the window reflections."
Now Jensen really felt like an asshole. "Um," he grunted, and cleared his throat while he scratched at the stubble. It had seemed so harmless at the time, just a small way to stick it back to the annoying movie guy who cashed in after all Jensen's hard work to get his bookstore going. He could tell now that it had really hurt Padalecki though. "Yeah, I just. Sorry. I'm really sorry about that."
Padalecki looked at him hard, clearly deciding whether Jensen's lame apology was going to cut it. Eventually, he held out his hand and said, "I'm Jared. I bought the empty storefront across from Ackles' Books because I really admired everything the owner did to promote good books. I guess you don't remember, but I was in there all the time."
Holy shit, Jensen thought, trying desperately to remember when Jared had ever been in his shop. "I'm Jensen," he said, instantly feeling stupid as he reached out to take Jared's hand.
"Yeah, I know," Jared said, one side of his mouth tipping into a grin. "It's okay if you don't remember. I was really skinny and bald at the time because my nephew stuck gum in my hair."
Suddenly Jensen remembered, "You bought Call of the Wild by Jack London after I recommended it on the board as one of my favorites."
Jared smiled, showing his dimples and ducked his head. They were still holding hands, but neither seemed to mind. After another couple of minutes, Jared shuffled back over to press their shoulders together. The red of his Santa suit was the brightest color in the dingy closest.
"So why did you hate me?" Jared asked, switching hands before Jensen could pull away and lacing their fingers together.
"I honestly don't remember," Jensen answered, swallowing thickly and licking his lips as Jared angled his face up toward him. They were so close together that Jensen could feel Jared's breath against his cheek.
"You know what?" Jared whispered so softly that Jensen had to lean forward that extra half an inch until their lips almost touched. "You're kind of a jackass."
Jared's lips were soft, but his tongue pushed at Jensen's mouth insistently until Jensen sighed and closed his eyes into the kiss. Jared's tongue tracing his sent a wave of heat radiating down his body. He moaned and twisted until he could hold Jared's face in both his hands and deepen the kiss even further.
They broke apart, both gasping for air as Jared tightened his hold around Jensen's waist. Jensen rested his forehead against Jared's cheek and kissed the bit of jaw line he could reach. Underneath him, Jared rumbled, almost purring.
"How about if after we get out of here and make our employees pay, we join forces? I'm always sending people across the hall to get the book after Hollywood adapts it," Jared said, scratching down Jensen's back until he lifted the hem and smoothed his fingers over Jensen's skin.
"Really?" Jensen asked slipping one hand down Jared's ridiculous outfit until he could press his palm over Jared's heart. "Even after I was such a jerk to you?"
"Sure," Jared smiled again, and Jensen realized that he'd do whatever it took to keep that smile in place. "Everyone deserves a second chance for Christmas."
"Thank you," Jensen breathed, kissing the corner of Jared's mouth and working his way in small nips and licks to the middle. His stomach muscles were tight, the weight between his legs satisfying as he rubbed up against Jared's side.
Ten minutes later when Danneel opened the door, she immediately turned to Jared's assistant, Sandy, and held out her hand. "I knew it!" she crowed, "You so owe me twenty bucks."
4. All I Want For Christmas Is You:
Telia Ackles was a nine-year-old handful, but one that her daddy wouldn't trade away for anything in the world. Jensen squeezed the tiny hand in his and glanced down with a smile. His daughter had his sandy colored hair and her mother's deep brown eyes. She was a complete charmer and knew she had him wrapped around her little finger.
"Daddy, look! Arts and crafts!" Telia yelled, pulling on Jensen's arm with one hand and pointing with the other toward a couple of long tables laid out with supplies. "Can we go?"
"Yeah, baby," Jensen answered, letting her drag him along behind her. He had her for the week leading up to Christmas, and not even the crowed shopping mall could dampen his spirits. "Let's go see what's going on."
There were several other children there with parents in varying levels of holiday stress. Telia, of course, gravitated right to the glitter, and Jensen sighed, resigned to finding himself covered with sparkles in five seconds or less. He helped Telia with some red construction paper and handed her a marker to write with.
"There's no more glue left, Daddy," Telia said, gesturing with the empty bottle.
Jensen looked around and spotted a man wearing the official mall polo. "Go ask that man over there, and don't forget to say please and thank you," he said pointing her in the right direction.
Telia had always been a very friendly child, so she walked over to the man without hesitation and tugged on the corner of his shirt that was loose from his pants, "Excuse me, sir?"
The man straightened from the table and ended up towering over Jensen's daughter, but she just tipped her head further back so she could look up at him. He shook his head, trying to get his bangs out of his eyes while he smiled down at her, "What can I do for you, sweetheart?"
"Is there anymore glue, please?" she asked.
"Sure is," he answered her, and stooped down to rifle through a tub under the table. Jensen couldn't help but notice that as the man bent down, his shirt hiked up even higher revealing a strip of skin and the beginnings of divots from his hips. He handed Telia a bottle he found, "Here you go."
"Thank you!" Telia yelled, taking the glue and skipping back to Jensen's side.
They finished a card, and Jensen was blowing to dry the glue holding the glitter to the front when a deep voice spoke up behind him.
"That's really good, cutie. Who's it for?"
Jensen turned around, mouth still pursed to blow on Telia's card and saw the man standing right between them. Up close, he was gorgeous, a tall drink of water with beautiful green eyes.
"It's for my mommy!" Telia answered.
"Oh," the man said, and it might have just been Jensen's imagination, but he looked a little crestfallen.
"We're going to mail it first thing in the morning, right Daddy?" Telia continued, pulling on Jensen's sleeve.
Jensen dropped his hand to palm Telia's head and shake it gently, "Yeah, we'll get it sent tomorrow."
"Mail?"
Handing the now dry card back to his daughter, Jensen glanced up, "We've been separated for the last five years. We share custody of Telia here."
"Oh, that's… oh," the man looked away and rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm Jared. I'll be here all week if y'all have more shopping to do. Stop by and say hi."
Butterflies fluttered in his stomach; it had been a long time since he'd flirted with anyone. He was out of practice. "We'll do that," he said, returning the smile that lit up Jared's face. "I'm Jensen."
"Dad, can we go get a corndog now?" Telia asked, completely unaware of the forming connection between Jensen and Jared.
"Sure thing, honey," Jensen said and automatically reached his hand down for her to take.
"Just a sec, you've got some glitter," Jared said and reached out, brushing his thumb across Jensen's cheekbone. "There you go."
"Thanks," Jensen really wanted to grab Jared thumb and lick the ridges. Suck the rest of Jared's fingers until they were both worked up. Instead, he turned and walked Telia to the food court, trying to shove Jared and his bangs out of his mind for a while.
The next day, Jensen and Telia headed back to the mall. He didn't want to seem too eager, so he went to the toy store with Telia and then took her to the music store. Armed with bags as excuses, he led them around the playground to the arts and crafts table.
Jared was there again, wearing jeans, his polo, and a long blue scarf wrapped around his neck, the ends dangling down his back and front. "Hello again, Telia, I'm glad you came back!" he greeted her with genuine warmth when they made it between his tables.
She giggled and reached for Jared's big hand to shake it back and forth. "What are we making today, Mr. Jared?" she asked, smiling wide enough to crinkle the corner of her eyes.
Laughing, Jared closed his hand over Telia's thumbs and pulled her to the table in front of him. "We're making reindeer," he said and moved a box of crayons so she could reach them. "Do you want to color his face and scarf?"
"I'm good at coloring!" Telia said, digging in the box until she found a pink crayon to color the animal's scarf. After a second, she looked up with her eyebrows low over her eyes, "But he doesn't have any antlers!"
"Smart girl," Jared grinned and winked at her. "That's where your papa comes in."
Jensen jerked up from where he'd been studying the way Jared's polo stretched tight across his shoulders, "What?"
"Reindeer antlers," Jared repeated and grabbed Jensen's hand before he had a chance to move. Carefully, and with more delicacy than Jensen would have expected from a man so big, Jared tugged Jensen forward and situated his hand on a piece of brown construction paper. "Now, hold still."
It tickled like fuck, Jared tracing a pencil around his fingers, but Jared's other hand firmly holding Jensen's wrist made him go from zero to inappropriately hard in about three seconds. Jared was biting his bottom lip, concentrating solely on Jensen's hand. Bent over like he was, the ends of his scarf dangled nearly to the ground, and Jensen very consciously did not check out Jared's ass.
"I've decided it's Blitzen, Daddy," Telia said, still coloring the picture in front of her. "He is the best reindeer."
"That's good sweetie, you're doing a good job," Jensen said his voice a little more hoarse than it had be just five minutes ago. Without asking, Jared scooped up Jensen's other hand and started tracing it. Jensen nearly lost his balance at the sudden shift and ended up resting his free hand on Jared's back. He could feel every breath Jared took and he couldn't tell if the warmth was bleed from his hand to Jared or the other way around.
"Here we go. You cut those out, Jensen, and I'll see if I can find the glitter I stashed from yesterday on the chance you two would be back."
Taking the scissors, Jensen hid a smile at the frisson that tickled down his spine when Jared had drawled his name.
They ended up going back for arts and crafts Wednesday and Thursday too.
On Friday, Jensen hugged and kissed Telia goodbye as he buckled her carefully in the back of his ex-wife's SUV. He stood out on the sidewalk until they turned the corner and he lost sight of his little girl. His chest ached hollowly, and each step up the stairs seemed to make his feet heavier and heavier. His apartment was so empty without her there.
Blitzen mocked him from the refrigerator.
Jensen pushed up the sleeves of his sweater and got to work on the dishes he let pile up while Telia was there. Then, like a man possessed, he dusted, vacuumed, and mopped his entire apartment. He didn't realize that he'd worked the whole day away until the programmed TV came on at the start of the five o'clock news.
He watched the news anchor give a report on another holiday suicide and made his decision. Grabbing his car keys, Jensen jerked his coat on and took the stairs two at a time down to the bottom floor.
The mall was still packed, even on Christmas Eve, and it took forever to find a parking place. He ended up jogging, hoping that he wasn't too late to catch Jared before he packed up. He rounded the last corner, and his heart sank when he saw that the tables were gone and there was no sign of Jared anywhere.
He didn't get much further than the nearby bench before his knees gave out and he plopped down. He ran his fingers through his hair and cursed himself for not getting Jared's last name or even a phone number.
"I thought you weren't coming today."
Jensen jumped off the bench and turned, shocked to find Jared standing behind him with a handful of shopping bags at his feet. "I had to say goodbye to Telia this morning," Jensen tried to explain, his throat closing up just at the memory of waving goodbye. "I got, well it messed me up a little."
"Hey, I understand," Jared said softly, and before Jensen knew what was going on, pulled Jensen into a hug. "Shhhh, it's okay."
Realizing that he was holding on too tightly and winding his fists in the back of Jared's coat, Jensen quickly tried to detangle himself, but Jared just held on until Jensen relaxed again. As much as he loved Telia grabbing his neck for a hug, it was so nice to feel someone bigger wrapped around him. Finally, he had a chance to let someone else take charge for a second.
"Thanks," he said when Jared finally let him go. He knew his face must be bright red, and was acutely aware of the scene they were making. He shuffled his feet and then looked up with his heart in his throat, "Listen, I know it's a long shot, but if you don't have any plans tonight, I could offer you pizza at my place."
"Sounds awesome," Jared replied, brushing his knuckles over Jensen's cheek. He gathered up his bags and followed when Jensen turned to head back out of the mall toward his car. "Hey, Jen, look."
Shivering in pleasure at the nickname, Jensen looked over his shoulder and stopped when he realized that Jared wasn't behind him anymore. He was standing under a small archway situated in the middle of the walking path, and he was staring straight up. "What is it?" Jensen asked walking back so he could see too.
Jared waited until Jensen was standing with him in the arch before his face broke into a grin and answered, "Mistletoe."
Jensen looked up and saw that they were standing underneath a sprig of mistletoe and he swallowed nervously. Jared grabbed Jensen's chin with his fingers and held him still while he leaned down to brush their lips together. He could only imagine that it was what being struck by lightning felt like.
5. Someday at Christmas
"Excuse me?"
Jensen turned away from the jewelry counter with a plastic smile fixed on his face. Since Dark Angel's second season started playing, he'd been recognized a lot more when he went out. Some of it was nice, it wasn't just the women his mother's age who remembered him from Days, but it was Christmas and he really wasn't up for getting his ass pinched.
So, he was pleasantly surprised when he wasn't immediately accosted by a woman with blue hair or a pack of fangirls. Instead, it was just a guy, a young guy, but at least his ear drums were probably safe from high decibel squealing. Jensen put down the watch he'd been thinking about for his mom and shifted into a real smile.
"You are Jensen Ackles," the guy smiled, showing white teeth and a matching set of dimples while he extended his hand. "I'm a fan; you do good work."
Jensen flushed, normally he let both insults and compliments roll off his back but somehow he already wanted this guy to like him. "Aw, thanks, man. I appreciate it," Jensen squinted, taking the offered hand and holding it. He thought he might recognize the other man, "Are you in the business?"
"Yeah, I do a supporting role on The Gilmore Girls. It pays the bills," Jared said, squeezing Jensen's hand. His thumb traced over the back of Jensen's hand and his index finger found Jensen's pulse. "I'm Jared Padalecki."
For such a skinny kid, Jared definitely had a much bigger presence. Jensen had been staring for several seconds before he realized and unwillingly pulled his hand back. He cleared his throat, "I'll have to catch that sometime."
Jared laughed, leaning forward to crowd Jensen's space. "I think it's kind of an acquired taste," he said and laughed, brushing his chest against Jensen's shoulder. "I've got to run, but I just wanted to say hi."
"It was nice to meet you," Jensen said, keeping himself from swaying into Jared's body by sheer force of will. "Maybe we'll work together sometime."
"I'd like that," Jared said, and then stepped back into the crowded mall walkway and disappeared.
Seven years later and a country away, Jensen and Jared curled up in their house, relaxing on break before they started filming the last episodes of Supernatural's season four.
Jared liked to surf the internet in bed while Jensen worked through his list of books to read before he died. Currently, he was working through Watership Down, but it wasn't so bad when he could lie on his side with his knees pulled up and groin pushed tight to the curve of Jared's ass. It was a pain to turn the pages, but it was Jensen's favorite way to wind down at the end of the day.
"Hey, there's this site where you can put peoples' head on elf bodies and make them dance," Jared said, shifting slightly while he pulled his right arm out from under him to hit a button on his laptop. "I think I'll make an army of tight-wearing Chads and force them do my bidding."
"That's a horrifying thought," Jensen mumbled, his concentration quickly shifting from the escaping bunnies of his book to the half-naked man lying on the bed in front of him. Jared always talked a lot, and Jensen would listen or not depending on how into the book he was, "I think that one is bad enough."
The snow that had stranded them in Vancouver was still falling silently outside, clumping almost halfway up the window. The air in the bedroom was chilly, but between the pile of blankets and his Jared-heater, Jensen stayed toasty warm. Jared had some cheesy Christmas music playing soft and tinny from his laptop, and the dogs snored from their basket.
Jensen turned another page and read until he got to the chapter break. It was a good book, but he'd been mindlessly rubbing up against Jared for the last ten minutes, and his dick was finally at that half-hard stage where he had to decide whether to continue or not. He shifted to put the book on his nightstand and then rolled over, spooning tightly behind Jared's body.
"Just a sec," Jared said, quickly copying and pasting the picture of Chad he was working with into another window.
Jared liked to lounge in just his pajama pants, so Jensen had a bare shoulder underneath him to play with while he waited for Jared to finish. He started kissing the raised muscle first, smiling as Jared shifted in surprise. The sound of his stubble rasping softly made him harder still. Jensen bit down, licking his tongue along the red marks he left behind.
Grunting, Jared shifted with more purpose, rubbing his ass deliberately along the hard ridge of Jensen's dick. "Seriously, it'll just take a second to send this to Chad, and it'll so be worth the howl of rage when he hears the song," Jared said, his voice lower and huskier than it was before.
"You have strange priorities," Jensen said gently, watching as the blush spread across Jared's neck and down his back. He slipped his hand around Jared's hip and tangled his fingers in the flimsy tie until it unknotted and he could slip his hand inside. Jared immediately thrust forward, but Jensen just cupped him through his briefs and left his hand there as a warm promise. "Take your time, I'm not going anywhere."
Jensen could see Jared's movements speed up as he typed and double clicked with intent. While he waited, Jensen stretched up and nosed at the little knob of bone that stuck out on the back of Jared's neck. Jared's hair smelled like apples and twisted softly in wide curls; Jensen liked the feeling of it rubbing against the back of his eyelids.
"Jensen," Jared sighed, arching his back so he could have friction both from the front and the back.
"What?" Jensen teased, his lips moving over Jared's warm skin. He leaned up on his elbow, licked the back of Jared's jaw, and spoke straight into his ear. "Am I bothering you?"
"N-no," Jared stuttered, shivering against Jensen's body. He shut his laptop and moved away just long enough to slip it over the edge of the bed to the floor. When he moved back, he rolled over until he was face to face with Jensen. They kissed slowly, stretching and tangling their legs together. They broke apart and Jared asked, "What do you want?"
Jensen didn't even have to think about it. He tugged until Jared rolled on top of him, his weight pressed Jensen into their mattress. "Just like this," he said, locking his hands across Jared's back and burying his fingers in Jared's hair, "Stay with me like this."
"Always," Jared answered, rolling his hips down hard into Jensen. He ducked his head and bit up the tendon on Jensen's neck. "Remember the first day we met?"
"Best time I ever spent in a mall," Jensen said, throwing his head back against the pillow to give Jared more room to work. He shifted just enough to free one leg and twist it back over Jared's thighs bringing them into even closer contact. "Except for that one time in the dressing room."
Jared laughed, his breath puffing against Jensen's collarbone. "It was totally worth buying those two suits we'll never wear again," he agreed, building speed as they rolled against each other. He pushed up Jensen's t-shirt until their bellies pressed flush together. "I was nervous. I thought maybe you'd turn out to be one of those Hollywood assholes."
"You tell me I'm a jerk every single day," Jensen said, catching Jared's mouth for several lingering kisses before he added, "Besides, you like my asshole."
"Yeah, but you're nice to me," Jared said.
Something about that simple statement shocked straight to Jensen's gut, and he attacked both their pants, struggling to shove them down just far enough to get his hands around both dicks. Jared groaned, bending his whole body up so he could slide through Jensen's hand. They'd been flirting all day, keeping their touches light enough to drive them both crazy, so Jensen wasn't surprised when his muscles locked and he shot off against Jared's stomach.
"Jen, Jen," Jared panted, closing his eyes tight as he gripped Jensen's shoulders hard enough to bruise.
"I gotcha, Jare," Jensen promised, his hand slipped with the extra lubricant, and his thumb dragged over the slit at the top of Jared's cock. Jared grunted, and Jensen did it again, purposefully smearing his come across Jared's heated skin. "C'mon."
Jared strained up for just a fraction of a second before he fell, mashing against Jensen while he came, twitching his release. He breathed loud, panting in Jensen's ear as his heart rate slowed back to normal. His hands brushed over Jensen's skin, drawing patterns and smoothing over scattered freckles.
Thankfully, their pants weren't a total wash. Jensen dislodged Jared long enough to strip off his shirt and mop up their stomachs. Jared was an unhelpful lump as Jensen tried to fix the waist of his pajamas. He sighed as he leaned over Jared's body to flip the switch on the lamp.
Jared caught him and pulled him down for one last sleepy kiss. "Merry Christmas, Jensen," he mumbled, settling his chin on the curve of Jensen's shoulder and his arm across Jensen's chest.
Pulling the blankets up to cover them, Jensen craned his neck over to press a kiss to the top of Jared's head, "Merry Christmas."
Rating: Parts 1-4 are PG-13 and Part 5 is NC-17
Warnings: Extreme schmoop. I blame the idea of love at first sight.
Disclaimer: Jensen and Jared are not mine. I think they might belong to each other.
Word Count: 7,500
A/N: Thanks to
domtheknight for the quick beta. : )Summary: It doesn't matter if Jensen is homeless, ten years old, a jerk, a daddy, or an actor – he and Jared are made for each other
1. Home for the Holidays:
The music was enough to drive anyone crazy. Jensen shoved his free hand into the hip pockets of his khakis and tried to blend into the general chaos that was the mall at the beginning of the holiday season. His job interview hadn't gone the way he'd hoped, but at least he got a cup of coffee out of it.
He tightened his grip on the shopping bag by his side. The edge bit into his calf every third step, and he really would have felt more comfortable if he could have worn his backpack, but it was too grubby for his interview. Besides, he was enjoying fitting into the warm mall breezeway with people who didn't sneer at him or cross the street just to avoid him.
A woman pushing a stroller and hauling two other kids along behind her cut Jensen off as they ducked into a clothing store. He didn't really mind, he had about an hour before he should leave to find a good spot for the night. Pausing, Jensen looked in the window, and imagined owning the black coat the manikin wore. It would be much warmer than the jean jacket he shoved in his shopping bag to hide.
Jensen turned around, intending to head back to the big comfy chairs in the middle concord, but didn't get further than a step.
"Oh, crap, man! I'm so sorry."
Sighing, Jensen gingerly used two fingers to move his broken styrofoam cup from his coffee soaked hand. At least it wasn't as hot as it had been when the bookstore owner had handed it over, telling Jensen that he couldn't be hired without references and a permanent address. "It's okay," he said, keeping his head down as he flicked the coffee off into the trashcan next to him. With regret, he dropped the rest of his cup in too. He should have known better than to try to make it last.
"No really," a big hand broke into his field of vision wiping away a stray brown drop. "I should have been watching where I was going. I didn't hurt you did I?"
It wouldn't be the first time Jensen had to deal with a side of aching ribs. He thought maybe the other guy had landed an elbow when they crashed together. Shaking his head, he glanced up. And up. "Oh," he said softly.
The man was tall and broad. Normally, Jensen would have gone out of his way to avoid someone so muscled, but the man's face held nothing but kindness in his smile. He was wearing a beanie smashed down over his long hair making the ends curl around his ears and down his neck. The man's hand captured Jensen's bicep, fingers slipping down to brush warmly over his skin.
"I did, didn't I?" the man asked, furrowing his eyebrows so that his beanie slipped down over his forehead. He let his hand fall to cup Jensen's elbow, "I'm so sorry, I should have been watching where I was going."
"No it's okay," Jensen insisted, feeling heat flush to his cheeks. He turned his head and saw a security guard watching them. "I've got to go."
Jensen pulled away but a touch on his shoulder stopped him. The other man's hand was almost wide enough to span across Jensen's entire shoulder blade. He turned back around and the man dropped his hand to Jensen's lower back pulling him in.
"I'm Jared," Jared introduced himself, steering Jensen to walk beside him. "Let me buy you an early dinner to make up for spilling your coffee. Please?"
Jensen would have said no, he should have just jerked away and scrammed before anyone ran him out or found out what he was. Not even the allure of a free meal would have been enough for him to chance it, but there was something about Jared. Jensen couldn't help himself, and Jared took the extended silence to mean assent.
They settled down in a retro diner where Jared ordered more food for one meal than Jensen usually ate in three days. Jensen was careful to keep his bag between his feet where no one could get at it. Before he knew it, two hours had passed with him answering noncommittally and steering the conversation back to Jared. Jared didn't seem to mind, he chattered happily and always seemed to touch Jensen with a hand or knee, pressing together as if he couldn't bear to not to touch.
When they left the diner, Jared wrote down his phone number and pressed it into Jensen's palm with a reluctant goodbye. Jensen had to sleep curled in the doorway of the library, far too exposed to both the wind and anyone who happened to walk by to do more than doze fitfully. He woke up with a stiff back, an upset stomach from everything he ate the day before, and a lonely ache in his chest. He kept Jared's phone number in his pocket, and pulled it out sometimes, smoothing it over his knee so he could look at it and dream.
Nearly a month later, it was Christmas Eve and Jensen turned away from the dinner line with his food clutched between his hands next to his chest. The bowl of soup warmed his hands, hot enough to burn the places where his gloves had holes. He was watching over his shoulder, Michael and Jessica were there sitting at a table, and things had a habit of going missing whenever those two were around.
Of course, that meant that he wasn't really watching where he was going and ended up running into somebody stopped in front of him. His food went flying across the floor and the crowd either groaned or clapped at Jensen's bad luck. He blinked hard, sinking to his knees to gather up the bowl and spilt food to the trash. His belly growled in disappointment.
"Here, I've got this, I'm so sorry."
Jensen froze at the voice, thankful that he had his hood up from the sweatshirt the Salvation Army had given him. He'd avoided going to the mall just on the off chance that he might have run into Jared there. It had hurt worse than the cold that sank into his bones with the first snowfall, but he couldn't bear the thought of Jared finding out about him. Trying to gather up everything quickly, Jensen's hand shook when Jared beat him to it.
"Seriously, I can take care of this if you want to get back in line," Jared insisted, and Jensen couldn't help sneaking a glance. Jared looked just as good as he remembered, tan and strong and gentle.
"Nice one, Jensen!" Jessica yelled from across the room, her sneer evident in her tone.
Jared grabbed Jensen's wrist, his fingers wrapping completely around it as he tugged, "Jensen?"
With his secret gone, Jensen shrugged his hood down and dared to meet Jared's eyes, "Hi, Jared."
The smile that blazed across Jared's face was enough to warm Jensen completely through. "We just keep running into each other," he said, a chuckle making his voice rough, "I guess we're meant to be together. Are you here volunteering too?"
"Volunteering. Nice one, Jensen. What kind of lies have you been telling that guy?" Michael asked as he and Jessica slipped out into the drifting snow.
Jensen knew his face must be crimson, as he scrambled to his feet and tried to get away. He didn't want to have to tell the truth; he wanted to keep the fantasy that a guy like him could actually find a bit of happiness. Jared grabbed him though, pulling on his hips until Jensen found himself backed up against Jared's side. Reluctantly, he turned, waiting for the accusations to fly.
"So that's why you didn't call. I thought," Jared said slowly, clearly thinking out loud. He didn't let go of Jensen's jacket even when Jensen kept trying to pull away. He cleared his throat and continued louder, "I was just in the back helping to cook, and they ran me out for a break. You want to sit and eat with me?"
"You still want to eat with me?" Jensen said cautiously, lifting his head in surprise. He couldn't see any pity on Jared's face, just open worry and hopefulness. "But I'm not, I mean I didn't tell you…"
Jared smiled, letting go of Jensen though he stood tensed just in case Jensen made a break for it. "I understand why you felt like you couldn't," he said, steering them both back to the soup line. He kept a warm hand on the small of Jensen's back, "but you don't have to lie to me anymore. I like you no matter what."
"You?" Jensen shook his head; it was almost too much to take in all at once. He hadn't had anyone since Chris was arrested and taken away, but Jared made him feel safe. Made him happy. "I like you too."
"Good, that settles it," Jared said happily, wrapping an arm around Jensen's shoulders. "You want to come back to my place and watch It's A Wonderful Life with me tonight? It's tradition, and I won't have anyone for company if you say no."
Jensen smiled, small and tentatively, but he already knew what his answer was, "Well, we can't have that, can we?"
It was his best Christmas ever.
2. My Favorite Things
Josh was supposed to be with him. Jensen wasn't scared or anything, but the mall was really busy and Mom told Josh not to let Jensen wander off. Well Jensen hadn't wandered off, but Josh had met some friends and wanted to go to the arcade without his tag-along little brother. Jensen hadn't wanted to go anyway. He had five dollars in his pocket, and they were supposed to be looking for a Christmas present for their momma.
The mall was crazy. He looked at his Donatello watch and saw that he still had half an hour until they were supposed to meet back at the food court. That was probably enough time to find the perfect gift. All he had to do was get across the breezeway to that smelly store his mom liked so much.
Santa's House was right in the way with a gigantic crowd of children and their parents waiting in line. Jensen scowled, he was way too old to believe in Santa. He'd found out two years ago that it was his dad eating the cookies and milk he always left for Santa. His sister Kenzie still believed, and he was a good enough brother not to ruin it for her.
It looked like the only way to get to the store was to go all the way around the velvet green rope that an army of high school girls wearing elf ears was patrolling. He edged around, staying as close to the railing as he could so he wouldn't get turned around. Jensen had almost made it all the way around when he heard a low noise from behind a trashcan.
Jensen stopped and listened closer; it sounded like someone crying. He edged quietly around the corner and stooped low enough to see that a small boy had crammed himself into the space between the wall and the trashcan.
"Hey, are you okay?" Jensen asked, pitching his voice to be the same that he used to call his puppy to him.
The boy startled and struggled further back until he realized that Jensen was just a kid too. He sniffed hard and wiped his nose on his sleeve before he looked up with watery eyes, "I got lost," he whispered, hiccupping slightly at the end.
Jensen pursed his lips thinking. This was his only chance to buy a present from his mom, but the boy sitting there really needed him. The kid bit his lip, blinking hard and Jensen made up his mind, "I'll help you. What's your name?"
"J-jared," Jared said softly, finally crawling out and straight onto Jensen's lap. He grabbed the strings of Jensen's hoodie and held them in his little chubby hands. "What's your name?"
"I'm Jensen," Jensen answered, smiling to reassure the kid. He thought Jared might be around six, definitely too young to be wandering around the mall by himself. "Where's your mom at?"
Jared sniffed and shrugged, falling more securely into Jensen. "I don't know. I wanted to see Santa and I lost her," he explained. His hair was almost as long and curly as Kenzie's and it fell over into his eyes.
"Okay," Jensen said, and tucked his hands under Jared's armpits to haul him to his feet. "Do you know where she was? What kind of store?"
"Books," Jared said, taking Jensen's hand and holding onto it as tightly as he could so Jensen couldn't pull away. "There are too many people, and I got knocked over when I tried to go back."
From his superior height, Jensen could see the bookstore sign on the opposite side from the smelly store. He sighed, but tugged Jared back around the way Jensen had originally come from. Nobody paid much attention to the two boys threading their way through the crowd. Jared stayed right behind him, holding both Jensen's hand and the bottom of his hoodie right above his butt.
They had just escaped from the biggest pocket of people standing around waiting for their pictures with Santa to finish developing when someone shouted. Jared froze and Jensen automatically put his arms around the smaller boy.
"Jared Tristan Padalecki!
Jared peeked out from under Jensen's arm and then whooped, taking off running, "Mama!" He jumped at a woman who flung her arms out to catch him. They hugged, and Jensen could see tears in both their eyes.
Jensen could have left, but he sidled up to them and reached out to pull on Jared's foot until the boy smiled down at him. "You good now?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.
"Did you help my baby?" Jared's mom asked, stooping down to set Jared back on his feet and reaching out to put her hand on Jensen's shoulder.
"Yeah, Mama," Jared answered for Jensen, squirming out of her hold so he could throw his arms around Jensen's waist. "This is my new friend Jensen!"
Jensen just shrugged, a little embarrassed, and quickly squeezed Jared before gently pushing him away. "It's okay," he said quickly when she looked like she wanted to hug him too. "I'm just glad he's okay."
She smiled at that and ruffled Jared's hair, her expression melting the second she looked at him. Then she turned back to Jensen, "Are you here by yourself?"
"No ma'am," he checked his watch and saw that he'd run out of time. He needed to get back to the food court before either Josh or his parents. "My brother's waiting for me."
"Okay, you'd better hurry back then," she said, standing back up with a hand at her lower back. "Thank you so much for taking care of Jared."
"Yeah, thanks," Jared said, grabbing Jensen's hoodie strings and yanking until Jensen bent over. Jared planted a loud, wet kiss on cheek and then another right on his mouth. "One day, I'm gonna marry you."
Jensen was shocked speechless, turning bright red and reaching up to touch his lips with his fingertips.
Jared's mom laughed, a bright sound like church bells ringing, and grabbed Jared's hand. "Not in Texas, sweetie," she said and waved to Jensen before she pulled Jared away. He kept looking back over his shoulder at Jensen until there were too many people in between them to see.
That's when Josh found him, wrapping an arm around Jensen's throat like he was choking him in greeting. "Hey, Jenny," he teased, hooking Jensen's head into his armpit. "You finally find a girlfriend?"
Jensen just scowled, and jabbed his elbow into Josh's side. The warm feeling in his tummy stayed with him for the rest of the day.
3. You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch:
"Can you believe the lengths that jackass we go to just to steal business?"
Danneel looked up from where she was sorting Twilight merchandise and popped her gum at him. "I dunno, boss," she said, shrugging and bending back to pull out a package of Edward bookmarks. "I think he just really likes Christmas."
"Well, he looks like an idiot," Jensen muttered, leaving the storeroom before the other employees could take the maniac's side too. Seriously, a six and a half foot Santa with no beard or padding was just bizarre; it would have given him nightmares as a child.
"Excuse me, do you have the latest Mercedes Lackey book?" a young woman asked him, her arms already full with half a dozen fantasy novels.
Jensen smiled, pushing the movie store buffoon to the back of his mind, nothing made him happier than finding the book that a customer wanted. "Yes ma'am, right this way," he said, taking the books from her and showing her to the new releases display. "I'll just keep these at the counter for you any time you're ready."
"Ho, ho, ho! Merry Christmas!"
Jensen growled low in his throat and squinted out the front window toward the store across the center aisle. Ackles' Books & More was busy with last minute shoppers, but Padalecki's Movies Unlimited was overflowing with people rushing around the day before Christmas. Padalecki himself stood out in front greeting people and handing out candy to anyone who came close enough to him.
The moron had even tried to give Jensen something when they'd both got back from lunch at the same time. As if Jensen would ever take anything that heathen had to offer. It had been almost a year since the movie store opened up, and almost a year since their hate at first sight feud had begun.
"Hey boss, I need to get some stuff out of the community janitor's closet," Danneel said when they had a lull in customers.
"Yeah sure," he answered, fishing in his pocket for his key ring. "Let's go now before Mr. Christmas over there starts up another off key verse of 'Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer' and makes my ears bleed."
"Aw, I think he's kinda cute," Danneel said.
Jensen rolled his eyes and led the way around the corner to the custodial closed that their corner of the mall used. He found the right key and shoved it in the lock with a little more force than was strictly necessary, "Oh yeah, he's as adorable as a - what the hell?"
Danneel had shoved him hard in the back and he fell forward into the back of the closet, tripping over a fallen mop. By the time he regained his balanced and whirled around, she'd already slammed the door in his face and jerked out the key. He beat on the door, rattling the knob, "Open up this door right now!"
He kept at it for a good twenty minutes but eventually tired himself out. With a last kick at the door, he backed away and leaned against the wall trying to catch his breath. Of course, that was when the door jerked open again and he found himself with an armful of his archenemy.
"Jesus Christ!"
Before Jensen could do anything, Padalecki shoved himself away. He didn't even yell, just groaned as he pounded and scratched against the door. Grabbing the doorknob, he threw himself against the heavy metal until he finally collapsed to the bare concrete floor.
"Hey, are you all right?" Jensen asked reaching out and putting his hand on Padalecki's shoulder. Padalecki just moaned and curled in tighter on himself.
Sure, he hated the guy, but Jensen couldn't just stand there while he freaked out at Jensen's feet. Slowly so he didn't cause any more damage, Jensen sank to the floor and rubbed his hand up and down Padalecki's back. He could feel the other man shaking and trembling with every gasping breath he took.
"It's okay. We're fine, you're gonna be fine" Jensen said softly, twisting until somehow Padalecki ended up sitting between Jensen's knees, his back pressed against Jensen's chest. Jensen kept up a string of nonsense for he didn't know how long until Padalecki's shivering died down.
"S-sorry," Padalecki said, his low voice vibrating up through Jensen's body. "I'm not good with small spaces."
Jensen chuckled, instinctively tightening his arms and legs around the man sitting in front of him, "Really? I couldn't tell."
They sat there in silence for a few minutes before Padalecki fidgeted and craned his neck around to look at Jensen. "Why are you being so nice?" he asked, a doubtful grimace etched across his face, "You don't even like me."
"It's not," Jensen heated, imagining all the ways that he was going to fire Danneel for this, "it's not that I don't like you."
"You flip me off every time I turn my back," Padalecki said quietly, turning around and pulling away from Jensen's grasp. He settled with his back against the door, and Jensen immediately missed his warmth. "I can see you sometimes in the window reflections."
Now Jensen really felt like an asshole. "Um," he grunted, and cleared his throat while he scratched at the stubble. It had seemed so harmless at the time, just a small way to stick it back to the annoying movie guy who cashed in after all Jensen's hard work to get his bookstore going. He could tell now that it had really hurt Padalecki though. "Yeah, I just. Sorry. I'm really sorry about that."
Padalecki looked at him hard, clearly deciding whether Jensen's lame apology was going to cut it. Eventually, he held out his hand and said, "I'm Jared. I bought the empty storefront across from Ackles' Books because I really admired everything the owner did to promote good books. I guess you don't remember, but I was in there all the time."
Holy shit, Jensen thought, trying desperately to remember when Jared had ever been in his shop. "I'm Jensen," he said, instantly feeling stupid as he reached out to take Jared's hand.
"Yeah, I know," Jared said, one side of his mouth tipping into a grin. "It's okay if you don't remember. I was really skinny and bald at the time because my nephew stuck gum in my hair."
Suddenly Jensen remembered, "You bought Call of the Wild by Jack London after I recommended it on the board as one of my favorites."
Jared smiled, showing his dimples and ducked his head. They were still holding hands, but neither seemed to mind. After another couple of minutes, Jared shuffled back over to press their shoulders together. The red of his Santa suit was the brightest color in the dingy closest.
"So why did you hate me?" Jared asked, switching hands before Jensen could pull away and lacing their fingers together.
"I honestly don't remember," Jensen answered, swallowing thickly and licking his lips as Jared angled his face up toward him. They were so close together that Jensen could feel Jared's breath against his cheek.
"You know what?" Jared whispered so softly that Jensen had to lean forward that extra half an inch until their lips almost touched. "You're kind of a jackass."
Jared's lips were soft, but his tongue pushed at Jensen's mouth insistently until Jensen sighed and closed his eyes into the kiss. Jared's tongue tracing his sent a wave of heat radiating down his body. He moaned and twisted until he could hold Jared's face in both his hands and deepen the kiss even further.
They broke apart, both gasping for air as Jared tightened his hold around Jensen's waist. Jensen rested his forehead against Jared's cheek and kissed the bit of jaw line he could reach. Underneath him, Jared rumbled, almost purring.
"How about if after we get out of here and make our employees pay, we join forces? I'm always sending people across the hall to get the book after Hollywood adapts it," Jared said, scratching down Jensen's back until he lifted the hem and smoothed his fingers over Jensen's skin.
"Really?" Jensen asked slipping one hand down Jared's ridiculous outfit until he could press his palm over Jared's heart. "Even after I was such a jerk to you?"
"Sure," Jared smiled again, and Jensen realized that he'd do whatever it took to keep that smile in place. "Everyone deserves a second chance for Christmas."
"Thank you," Jensen breathed, kissing the corner of Jared's mouth and working his way in small nips and licks to the middle. His stomach muscles were tight, the weight between his legs satisfying as he rubbed up against Jared's side.
Ten minutes later when Danneel opened the door, she immediately turned to Jared's assistant, Sandy, and held out her hand. "I knew it!" she crowed, "You so owe me twenty bucks."
4. All I Want For Christmas Is You:
Telia Ackles was a nine-year-old handful, but one that her daddy wouldn't trade away for anything in the world. Jensen squeezed the tiny hand in his and glanced down with a smile. His daughter had his sandy colored hair and her mother's deep brown eyes. She was a complete charmer and knew she had him wrapped around her little finger.
"Daddy, look! Arts and crafts!" Telia yelled, pulling on Jensen's arm with one hand and pointing with the other toward a couple of long tables laid out with supplies. "Can we go?"
"Yeah, baby," Jensen answered, letting her drag him along behind her. He had her for the week leading up to Christmas, and not even the crowed shopping mall could dampen his spirits. "Let's go see what's going on."
There were several other children there with parents in varying levels of holiday stress. Telia, of course, gravitated right to the glitter, and Jensen sighed, resigned to finding himself covered with sparkles in five seconds or less. He helped Telia with some red construction paper and handed her a marker to write with.
"There's no more glue left, Daddy," Telia said, gesturing with the empty bottle.
Jensen looked around and spotted a man wearing the official mall polo. "Go ask that man over there, and don't forget to say please and thank you," he said pointing her in the right direction.
Telia had always been a very friendly child, so she walked over to the man without hesitation and tugged on the corner of his shirt that was loose from his pants, "Excuse me, sir?"
The man straightened from the table and ended up towering over Jensen's daughter, but she just tipped her head further back so she could look up at him. He shook his head, trying to get his bangs out of his eyes while he smiled down at her, "What can I do for you, sweetheart?"
"Is there anymore glue, please?" she asked.
"Sure is," he answered her, and stooped down to rifle through a tub under the table. Jensen couldn't help but notice that as the man bent down, his shirt hiked up even higher revealing a strip of skin and the beginnings of divots from his hips. He handed Telia a bottle he found, "Here you go."
"Thank you!" Telia yelled, taking the glue and skipping back to Jensen's side.
They finished a card, and Jensen was blowing to dry the glue holding the glitter to the front when a deep voice spoke up behind him.
"That's really good, cutie. Who's it for?"
Jensen turned around, mouth still pursed to blow on Telia's card and saw the man standing right between them. Up close, he was gorgeous, a tall drink of water with beautiful green eyes.
"It's for my mommy!" Telia answered.
"Oh," the man said, and it might have just been Jensen's imagination, but he looked a little crestfallen.
"We're going to mail it first thing in the morning, right Daddy?" Telia continued, pulling on Jensen's sleeve.
Jensen dropped his hand to palm Telia's head and shake it gently, "Yeah, we'll get it sent tomorrow."
"Mail?"
Handing the now dry card back to his daughter, Jensen glanced up, "We've been separated for the last five years. We share custody of Telia here."
"Oh, that's… oh," the man looked away and rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm Jared. I'll be here all week if y'all have more shopping to do. Stop by and say hi."
Butterflies fluttered in his stomach; it had been a long time since he'd flirted with anyone. He was out of practice. "We'll do that," he said, returning the smile that lit up Jared's face. "I'm Jensen."
"Dad, can we go get a corndog now?" Telia asked, completely unaware of the forming connection between Jensen and Jared.
"Sure thing, honey," Jensen said and automatically reached his hand down for her to take.
"Just a sec, you've got some glitter," Jared said and reached out, brushing his thumb across Jensen's cheekbone. "There you go."
"Thanks," Jensen really wanted to grab Jared thumb and lick the ridges. Suck the rest of Jared's fingers until they were both worked up. Instead, he turned and walked Telia to the food court, trying to shove Jared and his bangs out of his mind for a while.
The next day, Jensen and Telia headed back to the mall. He didn't want to seem too eager, so he went to the toy store with Telia and then took her to the music store. Armed with bags as excuses, he led them around the playground to the arts and crafts table.
Jared was there again, wearing jeans, his polo, and a long blue scarf wrapped around his neck, the ends dangling down his back and front. "Hello again, Telia, I'm glad you came back!" he greeted her with genuine warmth when they made it between his tables.
She giggled and reached for Jared's big hand to shake it back and forth. "What are we making today, Mr. Jared?" she asked, smiling wide enough to crinkle the corner of her eyes.
Laughing, Jared closed his hand over Telia's thumbs and pulled her to the table in front of him. "We're making reindeer," he said and moved a box of crayons so she could reach them. "Do you want to color his face and scarf?"
"I'm good at coloring!" Telia said, digging in the box until she found a pink crayon to color the animal's scarf. After a second, she looked up with her eyebrows low over her eyes, "But he doesn't have any antlers!"
"Smart girl," Jared grinned and winked at her. "That's where your papa comes in."
Jensen jerked up from where he'd been studying the way Jared's polo stretched tight across his shoulders, "What?"
"Reindeer antlers," Jared repeated and grabbed Jensen's hand before he had a chance to move. Carefully, and with more delicacy than Jensen would have expected from a man so big, Jared tugged Jensen forward and situated his hand on a piece of brown construction paper. "Now, hold still."
It tickled like fuck, Jared tracing a pencil around his fingers, but Jared's other hand firmly holding Jensen's wrist made him go from zero to inappropriately hard in about three seconds. Jared was biting his bottom lip, concentrating solely on Jensen's hand. Bent over like he was, the ends of his scarf dangled nearly to the ground, and Jensen very consciously did not check out Jared's ass.
"I've decided it's Blitzen, Daddy," Telia said, still coloring the picture in front of her. "He is the best reindeer."
"That's good sweetie, you're doing a good job," Jensen said his voice a little more hoarse than it had be just five minutes ago. Without asking, Jared scooped up Jensen's other hand and started tracing it. Jensen nearly lost his balance at the sudden shift and ended up resting his free hand on Jared's back. He could feel every breath Jared took and he couldn't tell if the warmth was bleed from his hand to Jared or the other way around.
"Here we go. You cut those out, Jensen, and I'll see if I can find the glitter I stashed from yesterday on the chance you two would be back."
Taking the scissors, Jensen hid a smile at the frisson that tickled down his spine when Jared had drawled his name.
They ended up going back for arts and crafts Wednesday and Thursday too.
On Friday, Jensen hugged and kissed Telia goodbye as he buckled her carefully in the back of his ex-wife's SUV. He stood out on the sidewalk until they turned the corner and he lost sight of his little girl. His chest ached hollowly, and each step up the stairs seemed to make his feet heavier and heavier. His apartment was so empty without her there.
Blitzen mocked him from the refrigerator.
Jensen pushed up the sleeves of his sweater and got to work on the dishes he let pile up while Telia was there. Then, like a man possessed, he dusted, vacuumed, and mopped his entire apartment. He didn't realize that he'd worked the whole day away until the programmed TV came on at the start of the five o'clock news.
He watched the news anchor give a report on another holiday suicide and made his decision. Grabbing his car keys, Jensen jerked his coat on and took the stairs two at a time down to the bottom floor.
The mall was still packed, even on Christmas Eve, and it took forever to find a parking place. He ended up jogging, hoping that he wasn't too late to catch Jared before he packed up. He rounded the last corner, and his heart sank when he saw that the tables were gone and there was no sign of Jared anywhere.
He didn't get much further than the nearby bench before his knees gave out and he plopped down. He ran his fingers through his hair and cursed himself for not getting Jared's last name or even a phone number.
"I thought you weren't coming today."
Jensen jumped off the bench and turned, shocked to find Jared standing behind him with a handful of shopping bags at his feet. "I had to say goodbye to Telia this morning," Jensen tried to explain, his throat closing up just at the memory of waving goodbye. "I got, well it messed me up a little."
"Hey, I understand," Jared said softly, and before Jensen knew what was going on, pulled Jensen into a hug. "Shhhh, it's okay."
Realizing that he was holding on too tightly and winding his fists in the back of Jared's coat, Jensen quickly tried to detangle himself, but Jared just held on until Jensen relaxed again. As much as he loved Telia grabbing his neck for a hug, it was so nice to feel someone bigger wrapped around him. Finally, he had a chance to let someone else take charge for a second.
"Thanks," he said when Jared finally let him go. He knew his face must be bright red, and was acutely aware of the scene they were making. He shuffled his feet and then looked up with his heart in his throat, "Listen, I know it's a long shot, but if you don't have any plans tonight, I could offer you pizza at my place."
"Sounds awesome," Jared replied, brushing his knuckles over Jensen's cheek. He gathered up his bags and followed when Jensen turned to head back out of the mall toward his car. "Hey, Jen, look."
Shivering in pleasure at the nickname, Jensen looked over his shoulder and stopped when he realized that Jared wasn't behind him anymore. He was standing under a small archway situated in the middle of the walking path, and he was staring straight up. "What is it?" Jensen asked walking back so he could see too.
Jared waited until Jensen was standing with him in the arch before his face broke into a grin and answered, "Mistletoe."
Jensen looked up and saw that they were standing underneath a sprig of mistletoe and he swallowed nervously. Jared grabbed Jensen's chin with his fingers and held him still while he leaned down to brush their lips together. He could only imagine that it was what being struck by lightning felt like.
5. Someday at Christmas
"Excuse me?"
Jensen turned away from the jewelry counter with a plastic smile fixed on his face. Since Dark Angel's second season started playing, he'd been recognized a lot more when he went out. Some of it was nice, it wasn't just the women his mother's age who remembered him from Days, but it was Christmas and he really wasn't up for getting his ass pinched.
So, he was pleasantly surprised when he wasn't immediately accosted by a woman with blue hair or a pack of fangirls. Instead, it was just a guy, a young guy, but at least his ear drums were probably safe from high decibel squealing. Jensen put down the watch he'd been thinking about for his mom and shifted into a real smile.
"You are Jensen Ackles," the guy smiled, showing white teeth and a matching set of dimples while he extended his hand. "I'm a fan; you do good work."
Jensen flushed, normally he let both insults and compliments roll off his back but somehow he already wanted this guy to like him. "Aw, thanks, man. I appreciate it," Jensen squinted, taking the offered hand and holding it. He thought he might recognize the other man, "Are you in the business?"
"Yeah, I do a supporting role on The Gilmore Girls. It pays the bills," Jared said, squeezing Jensen's hand. His thumb traced over the back of Jensen's hand and his index finger found Jensen's pulse. "I'm Jared Padalecki."
For such a skinny kid, Jared definitely had a much bigger presence. Jensen had been staring for several seconds before he realized and unwillingly pulled his hand back. He cleared his throat, "I'll have to catch that sometime."
Jared laughed, leaning forward to crowd Jensen's space. "I think it's kind of an acquired taste," he said and laughed, brushing his chest against Jensen's shoulder. "I've got to run, but I just wanted to say hi."
"It was nice to meet you," Jensen said, keeping himself from swaying into Jared's body by sheer force of will. "Maybe we'll work together sometime."
"I'd like that," Jared said, and then stepped back into the crowded mall walkway and disappeared.
Seven years later and a country away, Jensen and Jared curled up in their house, relaxing on break before they started filming the last episodes of Supernatural's season four.
Jared liked to surf the internet in bed while Jensen worked through his list of books to read before he died. Currently, he was working through Watership Down, but it wasn't so bad when he could lie on his side with his knees pulled up and groin pushed tight to the curve of Jared's ass. It was a pain to turn the pages, but it was Jensen's favorite way to wind down at the end of the day.
"Hey, there's this site where you can put peoples' head on elf bodies and make them dance," Jared said, shifting slightly while he pulled his right arm out from under him to hit a button on his laptop. "I think I'll make an army of tight-wearing Chads and force them do my bidding."
"That's a horrifying thought," Jensen mumbled, his concentration quickly shifting from the escaping bunnies of his book to the half-naked man lying on the bed in front of him. Jared always talked a lot, and Jensen would listen or not depending on how into the book he was, "I think that one is bad enough."
The snow that had stranded them in Vancouver was still falling silently outside, clumping almost halfway up the window. The air in the bedroom was chilly, but between the pile of blankets and his Jared-heater, Jensen stayed toasty warm. Jared had some cheesy Christmas music playing soft and tinny from his laptop, and the dogs snored from their basket.
Jensen turned another page and read until he got to the chapter break. It was a good book, but he'd been mindlessly rubbing up against Jared for the last ten minutes, and his dick was finally at that half-hard stage where he had to decide whether to continue or not. He shifted to put the book on his nightstand and then rolled over, spooning tightly behind Jared's body.
"Just a sec," Jared said, quickly copying and pasting the picture of Chad he was working with into another window.
Jared liked to lounge in just his pajama pants, so Jensen had a bare shoulder underneath him to play with while he waited for Jared to finish. He started kissing the raised muscle first, smiling as Jared shifted in surprise. The sound of his stubble rasping softly made him harder still. Jensen bit down, licking his tongue along the red marks he left behind.
Grunting, Jared shifted with more purpose, rubbing his ass deliberately along the hard ridge of Jensen's dick. "Seriously, it'll just take a second to send this to Chad, and it'll so be worth the howl of rage when he hears the song," Jared said, his voice lower and huskier than it was before.
"You have strange priorities," Jensen said gently, watching as the blush spread across Jared's neck and down his back. He slipped his hand around Jared's hip and tangled his fingers in the flimsy tie until it unknotted and he could slip his hand inside. Jared immediately thrust forward, but Jensen just cupped him through his briefs and left his hand there as a warm promise. "Take your time, I'm not going anywhere."
Jensen could see Jared's movements speed up as he typed and double clicked with intent. While he waited, Jensen stretched up and nosed at the little knob of bone that stuck out on the back of Jared's neck. Jared's hair smelled like apples and twisted softly in wide curls; Jensen liked the feeling of it rubbing against the back of his eyelids.
"Jensen," Jared sighed, arching his back so he could have friction both from the front and the back.
"What?" Jensen teased, his lips moving over Jared's warm skin. He leaned up on his elbow, licked the back of Jared's jaw, and spoke straight into his ear. "Am I bothering you?"
"N-no," Jared stuttered, shivering against Jensen's body. He shut his laptop and moved away just long enough to slip it over the edge of the bed to the floor. When he moved back, he rolled over until he was face to face with Jensen. They kissed slowly, stretching and tangling their legs together. They broke apart and Jared asked, "What do you want?"
Jensen didn't even have to think about it. He tugged until Jared rolled on top of him, his weight pressed Jensen into their mattress. "Just like this," he said, locking his hands across Jared's back and burying his fingers in Jared's hair, "Stay with me like this."
"Always," Jared answered, rolling his hips down hard into Jensen. He ducked his head and bit up the tendon on Jensen's neck. "Remember the first day we met?"
"Best time I ever spent in a mall," Jensen said, throwing his head back against the pillow to give Jared more room to work. He shifted just enough to free one leg and twist it back over Jared's thighs bringing them into even closer contact. "Except for that one time in the dressing room."
Jared laughed, his breath puffing against Jensen's collarbone. "It was totally worth buying those two suits we'll never wear again," he agreed, building speed as they rolled against each other. He pushed up Jensen's t-shirt until their bellies pressed flush together. "I was nervous. I thought maybe you'd turn out to be one of those Hollywood assholes."
"You tell me I'm a jerk every single day," Jensen said, catching Jared's mouth for several lingering kisses before he added, "Besides, you like my asshole."
"Yeah, but you're nice to me," Jared said.
Something about that simple statement shocked straight to Jensen's gut, and he attacked both their pants, struggling to shove them down just far enough to get his hands around both dicks. Jared groaned, bending his whole body up so he could slide through Jensen's hand. They'd been flirting all day, keeping their touches light enough to drive them both crazy, so Jensen wasn't surprised when his muscles locked and he shot off against Jared's stomach.
"Jen, Jen," Jared panted, closing his eyes tight as he gripped Jensen's shoulders hard enough to bruise.
"I gotcha, Jare," Jensen promised, his hand slipped with the extra lubricant, and his thumb dragged over the slit at the top of Jared's cock. Jared grunted, and Jensen did it again, purposefully smearing his come across Jared's heated skin. "C'mon."
Jared strained up for just a fraction of a second before he fell, mashing against Jensen while he came, twitching his release. He breathed loud, panting in Jensen's ear as his heart rate slowed back to normal. His hands brushed over Jensen's skin, drawing patterns and smoothing over scattered freckles.
Thankfully, their pants weren't a total wash. Jensen dislodged Jared long enough to strip off his shirt and mop up their stomachs. Jared was an unhelpful lump as Jensen tried to fix the waist of his pajamas. He sighed as he leaned over Jared's body to flip the switch on the lamp.
Jared caught him and pulled him down for one last sleepy kiss. "Merry Christmas, Jensen," he mumbled, settling his chin on the curve of Jensen's shoulder and his arm across Jensen's chest.
Pulling the blankets up to cover them, Jensen craned his neck over to press a kiss to the top of Jared's head, "Merry Christmas."
