(no subject)

[longsufferingly]

Title: Tell Her She Can Look Me Up If She's Got the Time
Author: chash
Fandom: Supernatural RPF
Pairing: Jensen Ackles/Danneel Harris
Rating: R.
Warnings: None!
Word Count: 3600.
Summary: Jensen pretty much wants to court Danneel Harris.
Notes: For kestrelsan for spn_j2_xmas. I hope you enjoy it!
Disclaimer: I make this shit up.


Jensen absolutely does not have a crush on Danneel Harris. Jensen hasn't had a crush since he was a junior in high school, for Christ's sake, so he clearly can't have a crush on Danneel Harris, no matter how much Jared makes kissy faces at him through One Tree Hill and periodically sends him messages signed "Your Danny 4ever xoxo" from e-mail addresses like "mrsjensenackles@gmail.com."

"I can't believe you registered mrsjensenackles," Jensen grumbled after that one.

"I'm still waiting for you to propose, douchewad," Jared said brightly. "To anyone. If it's not to me, I'll sell the e-mail to your new wife for a billion dollars."

"Yeah, let me know how that goes," Jensen said, giving him the finger.

So yeah, Jared is a fucker, but what else is new? The important thing is that Danneel Harris is really hot, and really awesome, and Jensen doesn't have a crush on her. He just got to talking to her a little during that weird short they did, and he would have asked for her number, except that she was dating Riley and he was too chickenshit. And they've seen each other on and off since then, made light conversation--they have a lot of friends in common, it'd be hard to not see her. So now he maybe sometimes watches One Tree Hill when it's on, because Jared's already watching it out of some kind of fucked up loyalty to Chad Michael Murray, and he tracked down a few episodes of her other things. Because he respects her acting.

Yeah, that's totally it.

*

"You're such a wuss," says Jared, during the new One Tree Hill. "Just ask her out."

"She's dating Riley," Jensen points out. "And your face is a wuss."

"Chad said they broke up."

"Why do you talk about Danneel's love life with Chad?"

"Because my costar is a giant pussy girl who has a crush on her and won't do anything about it."

"So you and Chad gossip about me behind my back?"

"For your own good. Face it, you'd be useless without me, bitch."

Jensen's going to protest, but Jared's phone rings. So he contents himself with giving Jared the finger and mouthing curse words at him as Jared says, "Hey, Chad!"

Jensen's steeling himself for hearing one side of a long, rambling, nonsensical conversation between Jared and Chad, but instead Jared says, "Oh! Um, hi! Yeah, he's right here. Yeah, no problem. Yeah." And then he hands the phone to Jensen.

Jensen hates talking to Chad on the phone. Really, he pretty much always hates talking to Chad, but it's worst on the phone, because you cannot yet punch people through the phone. Jensen can't wait for someone to work that technology out.

"Hello?" he says, cautious.

"Hey, Jensen!" says the bright, familiar, definitely female voice on the other end of the phone. "It's Danneel. Danneel Harris?"

Jensen swallows. "Yeah. Uh. Hi, Danneel," he manages, sitting up stock straight even though it's not like Danneel knows he's slumped on Jared's couch with a beer and One Tree Hill. He clears his throat. "What's up?"

"Sorry about the weird call," she says, apparently oblivious to the way Jensen is totally freaking out. "I didn't think you had my number, and Chad said you didn't pick up numbers you didn't know, or calls from him..."

"No, no, it's fine!" he says quickly. "Sorry I'm hard to get a hold of."

She laughs easily. "Don't worry, I get it. Listen, I had an idea for you."

"Yeah?"

"What are you doing this summer?"

"Nothing yet," he says, completely confused.

"There's this indie movie, Ten Inch Hero? Filming during summer hiatus. A guy I know sent me the script. I thought you'd be good for it."

Jensen does not cough or gasp or do anything vocal to show his shock, which might be the crowning achievement of his life to date.

"Yeah?" is what he does say.

"Yeah," she agrees warmly. "I like it. You want me to send it over?"

"Yeah," he says, "absolutely. And, uh, you should give me your number. So you can call me next time," he adds, with a kind of bravery that makes his heart thump.

"Good idea," she says. "I hate having to talk to Chad more than I have to."

Jensen barks out a laugh as she gives him the number and says her goodbyes, stares at Jared's phone in something like awe for a long minute.

"Maybe I should have registered mrsdanneelharris for you," Jared comments. "Because you are so clearly the girl."

Jensen doesn't even care enough to retort.

He's pretty much a twelve-year-old girl for Danneel Harris.

*

Jensen has never actually tried to convince Jared that he just wants to fuck Danneel. Jared is smarter than that--Jared knows that Jensen doesn't just fuck people, that he's not that kind of guy. But he doesn't want to marry Danneel either. He just--he likes her, and he wants to ask her out and hold doors open and pay for dinner even though he knows she can afford it. He wants to fucking court Danneel Harris, and he is never telling Jared that, because Jared would never shut up about it.

*

Jensen gets the script and likes it, notes with interest that the girl Danneel is playing ends up with the guy whose lines are highlighted for him. Which is, you know. Something. He can't mention this to Jared, of course, because Jared is an awesome friend who will tease him about this until the day he dies. He can't mention it to Chris either, because Chris would too.

Steve picks up on the third ring. "Hey, Jensen."

"Hey," he says. "Did Danneel and Riley really break up?"

"They did," confirms Steve. "You gonna do something about your thing for her?"

"I think she's gonna do something about my thing for her. She asked me to be in a movie."

Steve whistles. "Yeah, she might as well've proposed."

"Playing her love interest. And she does a nude scene."

"Yeah, that ain't subtle. What are you gonna do about it?"

"Gonna be in L.A. next weekend. I was thinking I'd ask her out for dinner."

"Awful short notice," Steve points out. "Pretty girl like that, she might already have plans."

"Yeah," agrees Jensen. "Can't blame a guy for trying, right?"

"Can't at that. Don't tell Jared unless she says yes. I don't want you calling me up to bitch about your costar being mean to you."

"Fuck you," says Jensen cheerfully. "Bye."

"Good luck," says Steve, before he goes.

*

Jensen finds himself staring at the phone like it might attack him. He knows it won't. He knows that he is a good-looking guy with a lot to recommend him; he knows that women like him, that if he goes into a bar, he will do pretty well hitting on whomever he wants. He knows Danneel likes him enough to ask him to be in a movie.

But he's always been like this--distance and time make him antsy. If he was in a room with Danneel, it would be easy to go up to her, start talking without any trouble at all. That's how it was with Clownana, simple and fun. Now he's built her up in his head, and he assumed she'd forgotten about him. Even though he knows she hasn't, it still feels a little like that.

What he doesn't want, though, is for her to be single and willing now and to have found another boyfriend by the time filming starts in a few months. He wants to get his interest out there, in the world.

All he has to do is call her.

It doesn't even have to be awkward. He's asking her out to dinner; if she says no, it's not a huge deal.

She picks up and greets him easily, "Hey, Jensen! You like the script?"

"Yeah," he says, honestly. "My agent's working on it."

"Cool," she says. "So what's up?"

"I'm gonna be in L.A. next weekend," he says, scratching the back of his head and thanking God she can't see him do it. "Was wondering if you wanted to get dinner with me on Saturday." He bites back the urge follow up with something like to talk about the movie, because he wants her to realize he's actually asking her out.

"Hmm," she says, sounding thoughtful, but not reluctant. Jensen lets out the breath he's been holding as quietly as he can. "As long as it's a little late--eight or so work for you?"

"Yeah," he says, trying not to sound too eager. "I don't ever eat much earlier than that, with how filming is."

She laughs, suggests a restaurant he already likes, and he agrees readily, because he's having dinner with Danneel Harris. He'd pretty much go anywhere if Danneel was going to be there with just him.

*

"I've got a date with Danneel Harris," says Jensen proudly.

Jared raises his eyebrow. "Did you send her a little card asking to circle if she liked you?"

Jensen smacks him lightly in the back of the head. "I called her, you freak."

Jared grins. "I'm happy for you, man. You could use a girlfriend. Me and you and her and Sandy can go on double dates and shit."

"And I'm the girl?" asks Jensen. "You want to double date."

"We do everything else together, we might as well date," Jared says.

"You're not my type," says Jensen, sighing. "I don't date girls who are taller than me."

"Shut up," says Jared. "I'm way out of your league."

"You wish."

Jared laughs. "Seriously, man. I'm really happy for you."

"It's just a date," says Jensen, shifting uncomfortably. He doesn't want to jinx himself or anything.

"What are you talking about? I meant I was happy you finally grew some balls."

Jensen lets out a laugh almost without noticing, short and surprised. "Shut up."

Jared grins.

*

Jensen is actually pretty good at dates. Getting to dates, he stresses out and wrings his hands and kind of acts, generally, like a Victorian heroine in the throes of anguish (at least, according to Mack, who knows a lot more about Victorian heroines in the throes of anguish than he does), but one he's got a date? He zens a little. After all, the girl likes him enough to have agreed to go out with him, and that means something. He's pretty good at being charming one-on-one; his mama raised him right, after all. And it was how he was raised, too, a part of him, all genuine. Not like when Mike does it and ends up skeevy. Jensen just...he likes dates, yeah.

Which isn't to say that he's not a little nervous, but it's good nervous, a thrill of anticipation under his skin as he gets dressed and messes with his hair.

It's a decently nice restaurant Danneel picked, a restaurant he's taken first dates to before, and that gives him another boost of confidence. Because it's not a dinner-with-a-friend restaurant. It has low lighting and intimate booths, and Jensen just thinks maybe.

It's all he needs.

*

"I was hoping you'd call," says Danneel as they slide into their booth. She's wearing a green dress, something pretty but casual, the kind of thing that would never make it to an event or red carpet. The kind of thing normal people wear on normal dates.

He knows she's happy to go out in a t-shirt and jeans and get beers and wings at a bar for a date, but that's later, he thinks. Even though they know each other, this is the time to pretend they're making first impression.

"I was hoping you'd say yes," Jensen replies, smiling at her a little.

She laughs. "You're Jensen Ackles," she says, slipping into a valley girl voice. "You're, like, so dreamy."

Jensen laughs with her, but he blushes too, because she's smiling at him like she means it.

After they order, they start talking about the script, and that leads naturally into talking about their current shows. Danneel responds to his stories of pranking with Jared with her own about pranking Chad, and Jensen thinks he could fucking fall in love with this girl, he really could.

"If Mark wouldn't kill me, I'd Nair him," says Danneel, sighing.

Jensen grins.

Danneel's cellphone sounds and she swears. "That's my warning alarm," she says to his confused look.

"Warning alarm?"

She flushes a little--it looks great on her. "I've got a flight out tonight. I have to be back in North Carolina early tomorrow."

"You should've said something," he says quickly, feeling bad, "we could've rescheduled."

"I did," she shoots back with a smile. "Changed my flight so I could have dinner with this guy I like."

Jensen grins--he can't help it. "Next time, I'll get you dessert too," he says.

"Next time it's my treat," she tells him. "I can afford it."

"Yeah," says Jensen, "okay."

He gives her a kiss at the door, quick and chaste, and she licks across his bottom lick and sucks it before she lets go.

"Call me," she tells him.

"Next time I'm in town?" he asks, smiling.

"Whenever," she replies, and Jensen has to actually work to not punch the air as she goes.

*

After that, Jensen is not exactly in a long-distance relationship. He and Danneel talk every few weeks; if something particularly exciting happens on set, she's on his call list, along with Chris and Steve and his brother. It feels more like they're becoming friends than lovers, necessarily, but then whenever they're both in the same place at the same time, they have dinner, and the goodnight kiss is getting longer and longer each time.

"Seal the deal already," is what Jared tells him, before they break for summer hiatus. "Seriously, you need to get laid."

Jensen gives him the finger. "I haven't seen your girlfriend for weeks. When was the last time you got busy with anything other than your damn hand?"

"Hey, my hand is a great fuck," says Jared, pulling Jensen into a hug. "Call me, man."

"Girl," says Jensen. But he adds, "I'll call you."

"And get laid!" Jared yells as Jensen hefts his bag onto his shoulder.

"Screw you, Padalecki," Jensen shoots back.

"Screw Danneel," says Jared. "Fucking seriously."

Jensen just shakes his head.

*

Jensen definitely wants to have sex with Danneel. He thinks anyone who has eyes and likes girls probably wants to have sex with Danneel. And, honestly, that kind of hyperbole is a sure sign he's gone for her. And he's going to be filming with her. Which means there isn't any reason they won't have sex.

But Jensen--he's got rules for these things. Or guidelines, at least. Because he doesn't believe in sex on the first date, or even the second. The third, he's willing to, but circumstances have to be right.

He and Danneel have actually been dating for a while, though. It's just this weird, arrested, lurching dating, like a Frankenstein's monster relationship that's only partially been brought to life.

Metaphors like that either mean he's been spending too much time filming Supernatural or too much time hanging out with Jared Padalecki. It's pretty much the same thing, all told, but still. Worrying.

Either way, he has no doubt that Danneel would be up for it. He just--he likes to be sure, before he sleeps with girls he likes. It's not like he never has one-night stands, but he never...he doesn't want that, from Danneel. He wants more, a lot more.

He thinks he wants everything she'll give him.

He thinks he might be in love.

So.

He doesn't have a lot of experience with this.

*

The first night, the cast and crew decide to go out and drink, and Jensen figures, well, why not? Danneel hasn't arrived yet, and he needs something to do other than endlessly text message Jared like a loser. Which even Jared's text messages are telling him now. Jared is really good at telling Jensen that he should be being sociable. It's a gift Jared has.

So Jensen's having some beer and getting to know John Doe. After four beers and a shot, he still doesn't understand why anyone would change his name to that. It makes Jensen feel like he's costarring with an unidentified body.

Definitely too much Supernatural.

Then, the worst thing happens. Only Jensen is drunk enough to think that it's the best thing. Because Danneel comes in, and he doesn't think it's possible for anyone to look better than Danneel Harris does at that moment, a grin on her face, her eyes lighting up as she sees him.

And then, somehow, she gets even better, because she slides in next to him, kisses him on the cheek, and steals his beer for a long swig.

"Thought you were getting in tomorrow."

"Got out early," she says, smiling. "Thought I might kill Chad Michael Murray if I stayed."

"Always think I'm gonna kill that fucker," Jensen mutters. He takes a minute to look at her again, grins at her. "You look good."

"You too," she shoots back.

Jensen doesn't ordinarily make out with girls in bars--not in public, anyway, not where just anyone could see--but it's Danneel Harris, looking beautiful and happy, and he leans over and kisses her, and she kisses him back.

"You're drunk," she says, laughing.

"Not that drunk," he replies, trying to get back to her mouth. She lets him.

"We could go," she says, looking him up and down.

He licks his lips, looks at the way she's smiling. She's biting her bottom lip, a little, fond and amused and mischievous, and Jensen knows he's not this guy. He doesn't do this.

"We could," he agrees, and they do.

*

Jensen is not the best drunk lay.

He never remembers this when he's drunk, of course. When he's drunk, he feels like he is watching himself from far away, and he's awesome and amazing and a god of all things sex.

In the morning, he gets on instant replay and thinks that, yeah, he really could have been better.

He definitely enjoyed himself, he knows that. He knows that Danneel was soft and smooth beneath him, that her breasts are as amazing as he expected, that she moaned and shook and kissed him hard, but he's seen When Harry Met Sally and he's had drunk sex before.

He winces, but finally opens his eyes.

Danneel is a soft weight on his left arm, which is asleep and tingling like anything. She's curled towards him, which he didn't realize with his eyes closed. The sheets are pulled up a little over her chest, but it's slipping, and he can see the swell oh her breast. She looks happy, content.

He can't help reaching out to brush her hair back. He's kind of hungover, and the area behind his eyes hurts, so he's blaming that for his lack of self-control.

She stirs, smiles at him. "So, did I take advantage of you last night?" she asks. He feels himself smiling back. "Because you were pretty wasted."

He groans and laughs, looking up at the ceiling while the world swims around him a little.

Her hand traces idle patterns on his chest, her nails light and cool. Except for the pounding in his head, he's all for round two. Except that he wants this to be more.

Of course, Danneel is next to him, smiling. It's not a bad sign.

"You want breakfast?" he asks, sitting up a little. "I make good eggs."

"You cook too?" she asks, stretching. He's momentarily stunned by her breasts, right there as she raises her arms. He really needs at least an hour to just appreciate those--he was too drunk to really give them the attention they deserve. "Where do I sign?" she asks.

He drags his eyes to her face with effort, flushing all over in embarrassment. But she's got a smirk like she's saying See something you like? and Jensen really might be in love with her.

"Kripke still owns me for another year," he shoots back. "But you can rent."

"I'll have to think about it," she says. "Do you do dinner?"

He swallows. She's looking at him like, well. Like he might be dinner. "I can do some stuff," he says.

"How about tonight?" she asks, pulling on one of his t-shirts like they've done this a thousand times before.

"Yeah," he says. "I think I could fit you in."

"Great," she says. "We've got a lot of time to make up for."

The way she says it, it doesn't sound like she just wants to have sex.

And the way she leans against his back, casual and sure, her head on his shoulder as he stoops over the stove? That doesn't hurt.

*

Three weeks into filming, Danneel flashes her breasts at a bartender to get herself a gin and tonic before the rest of the line. She winks at him and adds, "Oh, and a Corona for my boyfriend."

Danneel slots herself against him, smiling. "Man, sometimes sexism rocks."

Jensen doesn't say something toolish like So, I'm your boyfriend, huh? Because that would be toolish. Instead he says, "I bet women's lib hates you."

She grins. "Fine, you can get your own beer next time."

And Jensen just says, "Yes," and he means it.