(no subject)

[longsufferingly]

Fic for help_haiti for anowlinsunshine. Timestamp to I Know Who I Wanna Take Me Home. No warnings, PG-13.


"What do I wear?" asks Jared.

His roommate, Chad, doesn't look up from his Nintendo DS. "Something gay. Remind him he likes dick now."

"What if he doesn't?" asks Jared, looking at two pretty much identical pairs of jeans. "What if he thinks he does and he really doesn't?"

"No one accidentally thinks they like dick," says Chad. "Dick is disgusting."

"Thanks, Chad."

"Look, you've been in love with this dude for forever, right?"

"That doesn't help," says Jared.

"Why not?"

Jared sighs. "I'm nervous as shit, maybe?"

Chad snorts. "He's single and you guys made out. And now you're going on a date. Get happy, fucker."

Jared can't help smiling at that. "You're sometimes useful, Chad."

Chad shakes his head. "Dumbass."

*

Jared thought about things with Jensen. Mostly things like getting married and having kids and this awesome future of being together forever. Because, in his mind, dating Jensen didn't change most of his day-to-day life. He still went into work every day and played pranks and stared at Jensen non-stop. Just Jensen loved him back.

He never thought that much about going on dates with Jensen, not the awkward first dates where he wasn't sure what would happen.

He thought about dating Jensen, just not first dating him.

His hair is a total disaster.

Of course.

*

Jensen raises his eyebrows when he opens the door.

"Hi," says Jared, smiling nervously.

"Hi," Jensen says. He looks smug and amused. Jensen is a jerk. "You clean up nice. Except for all the sweat."

"I hate you," says Jared, feeling so much better already.

"Uh huh," says Jensen. "That explains the dating. Where are we going?"

"I was thinking July's."

"Classy but not too classy," says Jensen, nodding. He grabs his coat and gives Jared another amused look. "You don't really have to try this hard."

Jared swallows hard, bites his lip. "I want to," he finally says.

"You're totally a southern gentleman, aren't you?"

"Texas born and bred," says Jared, even though Jensen knows.

"Well, let's go, cowboy." He shoots Jared a mock glare. "Hold the door for me and I'll kick your ass."

"My last girlfriend told me the same thing," says Jared, sighing. "Guess I've got a type."

"I thought your type was guys," says Jensen, sounding surprised.

"Yeah," says Jared. "My last girlfriend was in high school, when I was, you know, in denial."

Jensen laughs, but it's definitely awkward. "That's about when my last boyfriend was.

"Your last--" Jared stares at him.

Jensen flushes and shrugs. "Only boyfriend, I guess. Except for--" his eyes cut to Jared, awkwardly.

"Dude! You never told me you--"

"Yeah, well, if you asked me what my type was it'd be harder to ignore that it's pretty much you."

Jared stares at him, and Jensen blushes harder, doing his best to keep eye contact.

"You ready to go?" he finally asks.

"Yeah," says Jared. He smirks. "I didn't get you flowers, by the way."

Jensen laughs. "Well, then it's all over."

*

Jared's relaxed a little by the time they get to the restaurant. It's a date, yeah, but it's a date with Jensen.

"So," he finally says awkwardly, "you had a boyfriend in high school?"

"Kind of," says Jensen. "I hooked up with a guy a couple times. Enough to know I liked it. Then Mel and me started dating and it didn't really--" he shrugs. "I figured it didn't really matter I was bi, because I was taken."

"I would've gone nuts," Jared admits, and then wants to kick himself.

Jensen laughs, a little awkwardly. "I thought you were gonna ask me out your first day."

"I was, but then you were engaged," says Jared. He squeezes his eyes shut. "This is weird, isn't it? Us dating."

Jensen doesn't reply for a while, and Jared opens his eyes. Jensen is looking thoughtful, kind of amused.

"What?" Jared asks.

"This is my first date in a really long time, man. I'm just digging the novelty."

"Not the awkward?"

Jensen shrugs. "If I had a problem with you being in love with me, I wouldn't be on a date with you in the first place," he points out.

Jared suddenly feels a lot better.

*

Jared's been to see Jensen sing before, and it's always a good time, but being on an actual date with Jensen makes it so much better. He doesn't have to resent that Mel isn't there at the same time he's glad not to see her. It's more peaceful. He can relax.

Chris gives him an appraising look and Jared doesn't break the gaze. When Chris nods, Jared feels warm all inside.

He's good for Jensen. He's always known he would be. Now he's going to get to prove it.

Jensen looks better on the stage than he has before too--more comfortable in his own skin, more content. Like he's doing what he wants to do. He watches Jared the whole time, not staring at him, exactly, just coming back to him with flickers to other places, a warm look on his face.

Chris gives Jensen the the mic toward the end of the night. "Hey," he says, looking kind of nervous, "hope everyone's having a good time tonight." He looks at Jared and gives a private grin. "I'm definitely having an awesome night. And this is the last song, and Chris is letting me sing lead, so I figure it'd be pretty romantic to dedicate it to this guy I'm on a date with, right? Fingers crossed it gets me laid."

There's a smattering of laughter, but Jared's mouth just feels dry and too big.

Jensen sings the whole song looking right at him.

*

Jared doesn't know afterward how they make it to the car. He knows that every part of him is tense, on alert, going crazy with want. Jensen looks flushed and happy and proud, and as soon as they're sitting, Jared is on him. He's never been a big fan of making out in cars--it's cramped and uncomfortable, but he can't even begin to care right now. He wants Jensen so much he can't help it.

Jensen is kissing him back just as hard, his hands tight in Jared's shirt, pulling him close. Jensen's head is pushed against the window and it can't be comfortable, but it doesn't seem like he cares. All Jared can think is Jensen wants me too, Jensen wants me too, and he's never been happier about anything.

It's not until he whacks his elbow against the windshield, sending sparks of pain up and down his arm, that he manages to stop.

Jensen smiles at him, really smugly. "Like the show?"

Jared laughs, a little hysterically. "I should take you home before I jump you. Again."

"I don't mind getting jumped again," says Jensen.

"Well," says Jared. "I'm a southern gentleman. I want to do this right."

Jensen laughs. "Then, yeah. Home sounds good."

*

Jared jerks off more optimistically than he has in years and goes to sleep feeling happy and loose, stupidly hopeful.

Jensen calls him the next morning, early. "You busy?"

"Aside from sleeping, you mean?" he asks, but he's grinning. "Not really. Why?"

"Logan wants me to take him to the zoo. You want to come?"

Jared's met Jensen's nephew a few times, for various outings, and they got along pretty well. And, of course, it's Jensen, and Jensen is asking him out. Maybe.

"Maybe catch a movie after?" Jensen adds.

"Yeah," says Jared. "Definitely."

"We'll pick you up at 11:30," says Jensen. "Wear something pretty."

*

Logan takes the revelation that Jared and Jensen are dating now with relative apathy. He requests that they not kiss in front of him, because his parents do that enough, and then says Mel made good cookies, but Jared is better company.

Jared shamelessly buys Logan's favor by carrying him around on his shoulders all the time and making amusing animal noises. Jensen keeps shooting him these fond, exasperated looks, like he can't think of anything he'd rather do than follow Jared and Logan around the zoo.

They start holding hands at the monkey house.

"Is this okay?" Jensen asks Logan, grinning.

Logan shrugs. "But me some ice cream."

"Me too," says Jared, instantly.

"Aren't you lactose intolerant?"

"Yeah," says Jared unrepentantly. "But ice cream is delicious."

"If you throw up on me, this is gonna be the worst second date I've ever been on."

"What if I don't?" asks Jared.

Jensen laughs. "Then you're doing pretty well."

They drop Logan off around three, and Jared wonders what his line is supposed to be. On an ordinary second date, he'd want to give the guy a little time to himself, a chance to escape.

"You want to check out my new place?" asks Jensen, before Jared has the chance to pretend he wants to be the gentleman.

"Yeah," says Jared. He feels nervous about it, because--he wants this to mean everything.

Jensen's new place is small and still cluttered with unpacking, a few boxes not yet sorted right, some dishes Jensen hasn't washed.

"I know it's kind of a mess," says Jensen.

"I don't mind," Jared says, and he really doesn't. He'd sit in a pile of garbage with Jensen, no questions asked.

"We can watch a movie," says Jensen. "Nothing's really out right now, so, you know."

Jared nods. "Yeah, definitely. Anything."

Jensen raises his eyebrows. "I'm going to miss when you aren't this excited about everything," he says, with a heavy sigh.

"Never going to happen," says Jared promptly, and then flushes.

Jensen shakes his head, but he looks happy. "Have a seat, get comfortable."

Jared settles down on the couch while Jensen finds DVDs and grabs some popcorn from the kitchen. When he sits down, he tucks himself into Jared's side, no space between them, and Jared can't help grinning over Jensen's head.

The future's still there, full of fantasies of dogs and kids and family, but the present's not looking so bad either.

Not bad at all.