(no subject)

[longsufferingly]

Title: The World, It Was the Old World Yet
Author: chash
Fandom: Supernatural RPS
Pairing: Jared Padalecki/Jensen Ackles
Rating: PG-13.
Warnings: None?
Word Count: 2340.
Summary: Jared Padalecki saved the world yesterday, and today, there are no parades or songs of praise or parties. But there's Jensen.
Notes: I'm going to do an epic story for j2_everafter, but this isn't it. This is my A Wrinkle In Time fic, and it's a coda to the book, not a reworking of the whole thing. I've tried to give enough context that a reader unfamiliar with L'Engle's original will be able to follow it, but if you'd like more context wikipedia, as always, is there for you. I thought of doing a straight retelling, but the book is unique enough that I couldn't picture that working out for me. So, a coda, in which Jared is Meg, Jensen is Calvin, and Meg is Charles Wallace. Title from A. E. Housman.
Disclaimer: Lies and untruths.


Jared always figured saving the world would be the hard part.

Not that he'd ever though he actually would save it, but what socially outcast teenage boy hadn't had the occasional fantasy about becoming a hero? So he knew how he thought it'd go--parades, adoration, groveling and apologies, his father by his side.

At least his father came back. That had always been the most important part, anyway.

But it's strange. Jared wakes up the next morning and his entire world is different; he has traveled to other planets, he has confronted Evil, he has pulled his beloved baby sister out of the grip of something terrible, and yet, nothing he can see has changed. The twins' vegetable garden is the same as ever outside his window. But downstairs, he can hear his mother singing, and his father's quiet laughter.

That should be enough, shouldn't it? It doesn't matter if no one knows how brave he was, how amazing. He has his family. That's all he needs.

*

"Morning, dad," he says when he goes downstairs, unable to keep the grin off his face and out of his voice when he sees his father at the table. How many times had he dreamed of just this, of walking downstairs to find his father home?

"Morning, Jared," says his father, grinning back.

His mother kisses him on the cheek. "Your father told me what happened," she says. "I'm so proud of you."

"I didn't do anything that special," says Jared. It's mostly true--he has loved Meg more than anyone else in the world ever since she was born, so loving her under enormous, life-threatening pressure wasn't actually that hard. It was just getting there, thinking he might never get home again, saying goodbye to his father, to Jensen...

And Jensen had kissed him.

That's the kind of thing Jared feels like he shouldn't be thinking about with everything else, but . . . Jensen Ackles kissed him.

"You did," says his mother, startling him out of thinking about Jensen. "Now sit down and eat your breakfast. You know you get crankier at school if you haven't eaten."

Jared groans. "I have to go to school?"

"Of course you do," says his mother, glaring.

"I saved the world yesterday," says Jared, pouting. "I saved dad."

"And you still need an education," says his father.

Jared sighs loudly.

"Oh, don't complain," says Meg, sitting down next to him and kicking him in the leg. "You're still a hero to me."

Jared grins. "I've always been a hero to you."

Meg just shakes her head. "Are you going to ask Jensen to breakfast?"

Jared turns red. He hates that. Whenever he blushes he looks like an overripe tomato on a think, long stalk. He needs some body mass, and soon. "Why would I do that?"

"Because he's waiting for you outside," says Meg, sticking a spoon in her grapefruit.

Jared chokes on his waffle. "What?"

Meg just smiles primly.

Jared manages to get out of his chair and runs to the door. In the yard, shifting from one foot to the other with his backpack over one shoulder, is Jensen Ackles.

"Hi," says Jared in a rush of breath.

Jensen looks up and grins at him. "Hey. I thought we could walk to school together."

"It's really early," Jared manages.

Jensen repositions his bag on his shoulder. "My mom was dropping off a couple of the other kids at their school. She keeps forgetting I'm too old to go there anymore. I quit arguing with her."

Jared swallows. He knows--he saw with the Happy Medium how bad Jensen's home life is. And he wants to help, even though he's just that Padalecki kid who no one likes, and Jensen is . . . Jensen. "Want to have breakfast with us?" he asks finally.

Jensen smiles. "Thought you'd never ask."

*

Jared never thought much one way or another about kissing anyone. It wasn't that he didn't want to or anything, just that he never thought he'd get the opportunity. He has braces and out-of-control hair and he gets in fights with people for making fun of his little sister. No one wants to kiss him.

Except Jensen did.

Jensen is polite and charming over breakfast, talking to Meg about literature and flirting a little with Jared's mom and asking his dad all the right questions about his projects. And every now and then he'll smile at Jared, throw a few questions his way, and make Jared feel like the only person in the room at all.

"You're just using me for my family, aren't you?" asks Jared as they start for school.

Jensen laughs. "Who says I'm using you?"

Jared looks down. "Guys like you don't hang out with guys like me."

"You can't be seriously saying that after what happened," says Jensen easily. And then, just as easily, he takes Jared's hand, right as they're walking, right where anyone could see.

Jared looks up at him, shocked.

Jensen smiles and lets go. "I remembered you liked that."

"Jerk," mutters Jared.

"I can't believe we're just going back to school," Jensen says casually. "After all that."

Jared groans. "I know! And no one will care, and it's all going to be the same and miserable."

"No it's not," says Jensen. "You've got your dad now. Plus, me. I'm awesome."

And Jared looks at Jensen, who's wearing clothes that don't quite fit him, who has the nicest smile and the nicest freckles and the nicest eyes Jared has ever seen in his life. "Yeah," says Jared. Jared has pimples and braces and sometimes his hair actually ties itself in knots. What's Jensen seeing, exactly? He doesn't get it.

"See you at lunch?" Jensen suggests. "Save me a seat."

"No one sits with me anyway," says Jared.

"Legroom," says Jensen simply, and then he's gone.

*

Jensen actually gets to lunch first, and Jared finds him already sitting at Jared's usual table, eating a sandwich and sipping a bottle of milk.

Jared sits down. "How'd you know?"

Jensen raises his eyebrows behind the milk. "Know what?" he asks. He has a milk mustache. It's . . . cute. He looks like a little boy, open and easy, and Jared knows that Jensen is more than the jock he appears to be, but it's strange to see how real he is.

"Where I sit," Jared manages.

Jensen smiles and blushes a little. "I've seen you before," he says. "We go to the same school, Jared."

"Yeah, but . . ."

"I like you," says Jensen, as if it isn't a big deal to say it. "I've always liked you."

Jared swallows.

"So, yes," Jensen continues. "I know where you sit. Can you help me with my calculus?"

"What?"

"Calculus."

"Sure," says Jared. "If you can tell me what Hamlet means."

"I can help you figure it out," says Jensen, smiling.

Jared smiles back. "I'll take it."

*

Jared gets in a fight on the way home from school.

It's not his fault that Christian Kane is a total jerk who likes picking on him. And it's definitely not his fault that Jensen likes him. It really, really isn't. He didn't do anything.

"Just because Ackles is slumming it with you doesn't mean you're going to be cool," Kane had said, after he punched Jared.

Jared spat blood out of his mouth and whipped his foot out, sweeping Kane's legs out from under him.

"Nah," said Jared, "but I'm gonna be happy."

His mother is patching him up when Megan comes in with Jensen, chatting easily.

"Jesus!" Jensen exclaims. "What the hell happened to you?"

"Christian Kane," says Mrs. Padalecki, before Jared can respond. "I'm going to stop cleaning him up soon, if he can't keep his hands to himself."

"He started it," Jared mumbles.

"I'll do it," says Jensen. Meg is settling down at Jared's feet to look at his bruised fist. "What'd he say?" asks Jensen, gently scrubbing the cut over Jared's eye.

"The usual stuff," says Jared, swallowing hard.

"About me?" asks Meg.

"And me," says Jared. "And Jensen, actually."

"What'd he say about me?" asks Jensen. He runs his thumb over Jared's eyebrow, a soft pressure.

"That you're too good for me."

"Shows what he knows."

"Are you staying for dinner, Jensen?" calls Jared's mother from the kitchen.

"If you're offering, I won't say no, Mrs. Padalecki," Jensen calls back. He turns back to Jared. "Don't tell me I have to start walking you home," he says with a smile.

"You don't," Jared insists.

"You do," says Meg. "He gets in fights all the time."

"I don't start them. And I can take care of myself."

"You still got hurt," says Jensen.

"You should see the other guy," says Jared, smiling. His braces catch on his lips when he grins; three weeks ago, Milo Ventimiglia punched him in the mouth and his braces tore up his lips. He's glad they're mostly better now. In case Jensen--in case.

"I'm going to," says Jensen, sticking a band-aid on Jared's forehead.

The next day, Kane has another black eye, and Jensen walks home with Jared.

*

"I can't believe Jensen Ackles is talking to you," says Josh.

"Why would he talk to you?" adds Jeff. "We're better at sports than you are."

"Meg might be better at sports than Jared is."

"I am not," Meg calls from the other room.

"Seriously, Jared, it doesn't make any sense."

Jared glares at both twins, for good measure. "We're friends. He likes--my calculus tricks. And talking to me."

"Do you think he'll play soccer with us?"

"If he's going to be here all the time he should play soccer with us."

"He's too busy courting Jared," says Meg.

"He's not courting me!" says Jared.

"Jensen likes you?" ask Josh and Jeff together.

Jared wants to deny it, but Jensen said that, said it exactly, like it was as easy as anything.

"I have to go do my homework," Jared mutters, possibly for the first time ever. Jensen promised to help him with the fourth act of Hamlet, but only if he read it first, and Jared--Jared can do that.

*

"Your father's home, I see," says Mrs. Gamble at the post office.

"Yes," says Jared.

"Where has he been that he couldn't write?"

Jared stiffens. "It's classified," he says.

"I'm sure he'll tell you soo--"

"I know where he was," Jared says shortly. "But that doesn't mean you should."

He storms out with the mail, practically colliding with Jensen.

"Geez!" says Jensen, catching him. "Jared?"

"I hate them," says Jared, balling his hands into fists against Jensen's chest. "God, don't they--he didn't cheat and he didn't run away and we saved all of them and they're still fucking judgmental pricks and--"

"Hey," says Jensen, shaking his shoulders slightly. "I know, okay? I know."

Jared scrubs his hand over his face. "I just want to be happy he's back. I don't want to deal with all these people and you--" He cuts himself off as soon as he realizes what he's said, but Jensen's arms drop away and he looks almost shattered.

"Me?"

Jared looks at his shoes. "I--man, Jensen, what do you want?"

"You," says Jensen. "I didn't--I've been saying that this whole time, Jared."

"But you're friends with Kane. And Welling, and everyone who hates me."

"They don't get me," says Jensen. "And I always told them--look, if you don't like me, I'll leave you alone." He laughs a little. "I just thought, maybe . . ."

"I like you too," says Jared quickly.

Jensen grins now, his eyes lighting up. Jensen is very attractive--he's not gangly like Jared, not too tall or too skinny or too pointy around the elbows. His clothes don't fit, so he's not perfect, but he's--he's exactly what Jared wants.

Right there, in front of the post office, with Mrs. Gamble inside, probably watching, Jensen kisses Jared for the second time. It's not as fast, this time, and after a little while Jared can feel Jensen's tongue against his teeth.

Jared pulls away. "My braces are going to rip up your mouth," he says, sadly.

Jensen laughs. "I'll live."

"You're going to catch my pimples."

"You're going to catch mine."

"You don't have pimples."

"On my back," says Jensen.

Jared makes a face. "Seriously? Backne?"

Jensen smiles. "Yeah, it's terrible."

Jared can't help it; he starts laughing, dipping his head down to rest on Jensen's shoulder as he cracks up.

"Can't believe you're laughing at my pain," Jensen mutters.

Jared kisses Jensen this time, and Jensen's tongue doesn't get caught on Jared's braces, and when Jared's hands trace over Jensen's back, he doesn't wince, so Jared doesn't feel bad for laughing, not at all.

*

It isn't any more different after Jared kisses Jensen than it was after he saved the world. He wakes up in the morning with the twins' vegetable garden outside, with his mother in the kitchen cooking, with his father home.

Jensen is still waiting for him outside, but Jared goes before breakfast this time.

"Get in here," he says, propping the door open.

Jensen grins. "You don't have to feed me every day, you know," he says, coming in.

"You followed me home," says Jared, shaking his head, "and now I'm stuck with you."

Jensen laughs.

On their way to school, Jensen slips his hand into Jared's, curls their fingers together, and keeps telling Jared about Hamlet without missing a beat.

Welling says, "Since when are you a fag, Ackles?" as he passes, and Jensen calls back, "Since always!" like it's not a big thing.

"Now they're just going to beat you up too," Jared says.

"I think we can take them," says Jensen. "We saved the world, you know."

Jared smiles, because the sun is shining, the birds are singing, his father is at home in the kitchen, and Jensen Ackles is walking him to school.

The world has changed plenty.