There's Always Tomorrow, Chapter 4

[timehasa_way]

Chapter 3



Jared’s disturbed when he comes home to an empty apartment, and he immediately checks all of the rooms, sighing in relief when he sees Jensen’s old suitcase still there. But Jensen’s usually home, just finishing up dinner. Jared heads into the kitchen, just about to try and scrape something together, when he hears the front door open and close. He rushes out to find Jensen standing there grinning, hanging his coat up and revealing a blue polo shirt with a yellow name tag on it.

“I’m working retail!” Jensen says triumphantly, pumping his arms up in the air. Jared grins and then breaks out into laughter, his cheeks hurting with it as he bounds over to Jensen and wraps him up in a hug.

“From CEO to name tag employee,” Jared teases, kissing Jensen’s forehead. “I’m proud of you!”

“Bet you are,” Jensen says, eyes sparkling with his newfound happiness. “Now I can contribute.”

“Damn straight.” Jared slaps Jensen ass and nods towards the kitchen. “Now put some dinner on, bitch.”

“Hey,” Jensen laughs, shoving at Jared’s chest. “I’m a workin’ girl, now! You gotta show me a little more respect than that.” Jared grabs Jensen and crowds him up against the nearest wall, leaning in close.

“Make me dinner, and I’ll fuck you nice and slow in my bed tonight.”

“Not fair,” Jensen breathes, and Jared leans in and presses a quick kiss to his lips.

“Or we could just order out. Eat some junk food to celebrate your new life in retail.” Jensen smiles.

“I like that plan better.”

Jared orders Chinese, tons of tiny little boxes full of different foods that they mix and split up between them. He cracks open a bottle of wine to go along with it and they sit on the floor together, eating and toasting Jensen’s new life. The wine clashes a bit with the sweet-sour-spicy Chinese food, but it doesn’t matter. They’re together, warm and happy. Jared just listens, smiling the entire time, as Jensen tells him about the electronics store in the mall, the manager who hired him immediately, and the workers who were so relieved to have some extra help with the customers.

“So I have to be up extra early tomorrow,” Jensen says as he finishes his story, and he grins. “You know…to go to work.”

Jared leans over plates and boxes on the floor, feels his hand squish into either rice or noodles, but he’s a little buzzed, and he doesn’t care. He just leans over and kisses Jensen, long and thorough, a slow caress of his tongue over Jensen’s. It’s Jensen who breaks it, suddenly growing serious.

“I owe you Jared,” he says quietly, licking his reddened lips. “And I can make up for that now. Anything you want, everything I’ve used. The food, the wash, I can pay rent…”

“What? No.” Jared’s heart clenches, and he wonders just what Jensen’s thinking. He touches Jensen’s cheek with his clean hand and frowns as he wipes his other hand on a napkin on the floor. “Jensen, I don’t want you to worry about that. You don’t owe me anything. And even if you did, you’re just one person. It’s not like you cleaned me out.” Jensen smirks just a bit, and Jared smiles again, resting their foreheads together. His stomach twists a little, and there’s something about Jensen bringing this up now that scares him, but he tries to ignore it and be reasonable. “If you want to help out? Financially, I mean. You do that when the time’s right. You’re just getting back on your feet now. You need clothes, shoes, a phone. You take care of yourself first. I don’t need anything from you. Okay?”

“Okay.”

“Hey.” He can hear the reluctance in Jensen’s tone, and he nudges him. Jensen lifts his head and looks at him. “I’ve been handling this place just fine on my own. I’m not worried about it.”

“I just wanna thank you for everything you’ve done,” Jensen says, and Jared laughs with relief, poking Jensen in the ribs.

“Just say, ‘Thank you!’”

“Jared, words can’t…”

Jensen trails off, and Jared almost feels bad for laughing with the way Jensen frowns. There’s no anger in Jensen’s expression. There’s just a deep frustration with the inadequacies of trying to express such a huge amount of gratitude. It hits Jared hard, and it isn’t even until then that he realizes just what he’s done. He’s not patting himself on the back, by any means. But it’s just dawned on him that he impulsively took this man off the street, gave him food and shelter, and helped him to rebuild his life. He knows it always felt right in his heart, but he also understands why Sandy thought it was so crazy. Yet here he is, the battle already over. It feels like they’ve made it so far in so little time. Jared’s always enjoyed the Christmas season, but this year? This year, he helped change someone’s life; someone that he’s fallen in love with. It’s almost like a miracle, and that makes a warmth spread throughout Jared’s chest that no amount of wine could be responsible for. It’s just so perfect.

“Jensen, the only thing I want from you?” Jensen looks at him, and Jared knows now. He knows why this conversation scares him. He knows what they both agreed to in the heat of the moment the night before, but he wonders if Jensen will think he has to leave now that he can be responsible for himself again. “I want you to stay. I want you to live with me.”

“Not sick of me yet?” Jensen jokes, and Jared can’t laugh this time, because this means too much to him.

“Not at all.”



Jensen gets to the mall early the next day, and he spends some time walking the length of it before heading to work. The stores are just opening, only a handful of people walking around. There are kiosks on the floor, in the center, separating the main corridor into two separate aisles. Jensen’s grateful that they haven’t opened just yet. He’s always tried to avoid the kiosks in malls. They’re always managed by obnoxious people who push their products so hard that you’re wearing them before you’ve even spoken a word, let alone agree to buy them. He pauses when he sees one open. He’s facing the back of an easel that’s been set up alongside it, and his eye catches movement on the opposite side of the easel. He’s curious, though he’s not sure why. He assumes it’s just another one of those people who sits in the mall and paints caricatures of people who walk by and pay the price. But then, there aren’t many people to paint at this hour.

Jensen cautiously moves closer, still trying to make a bit of an arc around the easel, just so he doesn’t get jumped by an overeager salesman. He catches sight of the painter first, a dark haired guy who didn’t seem much older than him. The guy is concentrating hard, his eyes squinted a bit as he steadies his hand and leads the brush over the canvas. Jensen keeps walking, trying to get a view of the canvas. It’s large, probably 24x36, and Jensen can just see a rough sketch on it that’s slowly being covered by streaks of color. And that’s when Jensen realizes what the guy is painting.

He stops, stunned, and stares. It’s just one of the city streets, but it’s not just any street. It’s his street. It’s a view from the corner of shops and the theater, visible even from where Jensen stands. But he would recognize it anywhere. He’s walking closer before he even realizes it, and then he’s suddenly standing right behind the guy, practically looking over his shoulder. The guy pauses before lowering his brush and turns to look up at him with kind blue eyes, even if he does seem a little confused.

“Something I can help you with?” the guy asks, and Jensen gives an embarrassed smile and gestures towards the painting.

“Just admiring. Sorry.”

“Oh.” The guy looks at the painting and then back up at him, smiling. “Don’t be. Glad to know I have a fan of my work, even if it’s barely started.”

“What made you choose that block?” Jensen asks, and the guy shrugs, turning and reaching behind him for a photograph that he then hands to Jensen.

“I was walking around town last night, and it just hit me. Just ‘felt inspired,’ as all those pompous artists say. Took this picture to work off of.”

Jensen holds the picture in his hands for a moment, just staring at it. It resonates with him, the theater, that sidewalk, the lighting and decorations, the snow falling. It’s like he’s holding his life in that one little photograph. He moves through time in his mind, through all the performances he’s seen at the theater and how they soothed and fueled him; through all the times he watched Jared from his seat in the front row. He looks at the picture, and he can feel the tap of Jared’s fingers on his shoulder from a year ago, remembering the shock of turning around and meeting that brilliant smile. Jared was warmth in the cold of that night, hesitant but hopeful, and Jensen knows now that he fell for Jared that very moment. He stares longer, and once again feels the cold of December being pushed away by Jared, seeing himself walking that street with just a suitcase left of his belongings, only to find Jared standing before him. He’d been lost and hopeless, and he’d been found there, on that sidewalk, by the one man who was willing to accept him and all his past mistakes.

He’s in a fog, taken aback by how suddenly he’s come upon this, and has to remind himself to hand the picture back to the guy, who just nods his thanks and puts it back. Jensen takes the opportunity to look up at the guy’s kiosk, and he sees a number of other paintings for sale there. They’re all beautiful, all different sizes and subjects, and Jensen can’t deny that the man has talent. He sees one about the size of the one he’s already thinking of as his, and his heart falls when he sees the price. It’s something he could’ve easily afforded before, but now? He swallows, surprised by how disappointed he feels, and all he can think about is Jared.

“Your work is beautiful,” he says, collecting himself. “You’re very talented.”

“Thank you.” The guy eyes him for a moment and then puts his paintbrush down and extends his hand for Jensen to shake. “Misha,” he says. “Misha Collins.”

“Jensen Ackles.” Jensen shakes Misha’s hand and tries to look happy and interested, but his eyes keep straying to the painting on the easel. He wants it. He wants it for Jared, for Christmas. Misha looks at the painting and back at him again.

“Does it mean something to you?”

“Yeah, it kinda does,” Jensen admits, smiling a little as he stares at it. He clears his throat and looks away. “It’s kind of a long story, but…my life changed there. For the better.”



“So when do I get to meet him?” Sandy asks, and Jared just smiles, guiding her across the stage.

“Aren’t you supposed to be concentrating?”

“I will when you are,” she counters, and the conversation stops as she spins in his arms. She’s just catching her breath when she speaks again, teasing him. “You’re just so sickeningly in love.”

“Is that such a bad thing?” he asks as they separate, moving to opposite sides of the stage. She shoots him a coy smile, and he’s there when she comes for him, leaping for him. He catches her, holds her and lifts her, sure and strong. They take their last steps to center stage after he lowers her, and she squeezes him in a hug.

“I guess not.” She pats his chest as she pulls away. “I’m happy for you, Padalecki.”

“Thank you.” He stands and looks out at the empty theater, and then he realizes where he’s standing. He flushes with the memory of being here with Jensen, feeling hot from more than just the strain of the dance.

“What?”

He turns and Sandy’s staring at him, wondering what his problem is. He shrugs and grins wolfishly.

“Just can’t look at this stage the same way again.”

It takes a moment for it to sink in. And Jared just grins wider when it does.

“Oh…Oh!” Sandy cringes and squeezes her eyes shut, and Jared just laughs. “Jared, please tell me you did not have sex with him on this stage!”

“He blew me, actually,” Jared says bluntly, delighting in the way Sandy groans and hides her face in her hands. “And then we almost had sex, but you called me.” She freezes, and Jared has to bite his tongue to keep from laughing out loud. He can tell she’s putting it together, remembering the day he was waiting for her to come to practice and he’d answered his phone so roughly. “I took him home to fuck him instead.”

“You…” Sandy trails off and then starts laughing behind her hands. It’s just a short, breathy sound at first, and then it grows into a giggle. Jared joins in, and then her hands are dropping as her shoulders shake with laughter. “You pervert,” she gasps, shoving at him. “Oh my God.”

“What can I say? We’re in love.”

“Fine,” Sandy says, holding her hands up and walking away. “As long as I don’t slip in any bodily fluids.”



“Ma’am, please,” Jensen says, but the customer isn’t listening to him.

“No! You don’t understand!” the woman shouts, and Jensen cringes at her tone of voice. “I called the store earlier and was told it was in stock!”

“You’re sure you called the number for this store?” Jensen asks. He’s checked everywhere for just one more damn digital camera for this woman, but there’s no question. They’re out. And she can’t have just any digital camera. She has to have that one, a specific make and model that Jensen just can’t replicate right here in front of her eyes, no matter how hard he tries.

“YES!” She’s practically screaming now, and Jensen can see his manager out of the corner of his eye. “Do you think I’m stupid?”

“No, Ma’am, I-”

“Where’s your manager?”

Jensen freezes. Those are three words that he really doesn’t want to hear right now. The last thing he needs is to be in trouble at work. He can feel his stomach churning as his manager walks over.

“I’m right here,” Jim says, and he gives Jensen a look and a nod, excusing him from the situation. Jensen walks away sweating, praying that he still has a job by the time Jim’s done speaking with the woman. He can hear her saying things about him and how rude and unhelpful he was, even though he tried his best to assist her.

“People.” Jensen turns towards the voice, and Chad’s standing there shaking his head. “Seriously. They think we’re fuckin’ miracle workers.” Another customer walks over and asks for help, and Chad just wordlessly points them towards an aisle. Jensen raises an eyebrow. That’s not how they’re supposed to handle their patrons. Chad just shrugs. “They can read. It’s retail, not the fuckin’ CIA.”

“Yeah, but it’s your job,” Jensen says, and that word actually has meaning for him now.

“Why do you sweat it so much?” Chad asks, and Jensen doesn’t have time to answer, because the woman’s leaving the store, and Jim’s walking towards him. He straightens and fidgets, relaxing a bit when Jim rolls his eyes and puts a hand on his shoulder.

“Some people just don’t get it, do they?” Jim says, and Jensen can’t find his voice to respond. “Don’t worry about it. You’ll be seein’ a lot of that during the holidays. It makes everyone a little crazy.” He gives Jensen’s shoulder a squeeze. “You’re doing a fine job.”

“Jim!” Danneel rushes over before Jensen can say anything, her long red hair bouncing down past her shoulders. “Jim, I just got a call, family emergency, I know I just got here, but…”

Jensen looks at the clock. He’s supposed to be leaving in a few minutes. He hears Jim telling Danneel that they’ll manage somehow, and he thinks again about Jared, about Misha’s painting.

“I’ll take the shift.” Jim and Danneel both turn to him, and Danneel’s eyes widen a little.

“But…you’ve been here since this morning.” She’s surprised and sympathetic, but she still sounds a little hopeful. “Nobody wants to deal with this place longer than they have to.”

“I don’t mind it,” Jensen says, shaking his head. “Really. You can go. I’ll stay on.” He doesn’t expect the hug she gives him, but he smiles and accepts it, squeezing her back.

“You’re the best!” she says, thanking him and pulling away. She pats Jim on the arm as she turns to leave. “Told you we got a good one.”

And just like that, his day goes from bad to good; from an irate customer to a happy coworker. Jensen’s not used to dealing with people so much or to every day being so unpredictable, but he thinks he kind of likes it.

“Alright,” Jim says, catching his attention. “Why don’t you run out into the mall and at least grab a bite to eat before you come back in here? Just a short break.”

Jensen takes the break and hurriedly grabs a sandwich at the food court before taking the opportunity to rush by Misha’s kiosk again. The painting’s more defined now, the street clearly outlined, along with the blocks in the pavement. The buildings are just being outlined, and shoppers are stopping to watch Misha work. Jensen tenses every time they do. He has visions of someone making an offer right then and there, before it’s even finished, and it kills him to have to wait like this. He turns and heads back to work, because that’s all he can do for now.



Jared checks the messages on the landline once he gets back to the apartment. He finds one from Jensen calling from the store, letting him know he picked up an extra shift. Jared scratches at his stomach and looks around. This probably means he’ll have to cook.

He searches through his fridge and cabinets, wondering how the hell Jensen knew which ingredients to use the first day he was here. He tries to remember what Jensen put in the chili, and he grabs things based on the flavors he thinks he tasted then. He doesn’t know how much of each thing to use, but he figures he’ll wing it. How hard could it be?

He grabs a pot, sits it over one of the burners, and tosses everything in. He stands there for a bit after he lights the burner, tapping his fingers on the countertop. It’s funny how he can’t remember how he passed the time without Jensen here. He wanders into the living room and stares at the space. It’s then that Jared remembers the tree. He grins, picturing Jensen’s face when he comes home to a lit Christmas tree.

Jared gets to work, moving and rearranging the furniture so that he can have that one corner open, the same one he used last year. Then he goes into the second bedroom, stepping over the air mattress to get to all the boxes at the back of the room. The biggest one is the one he wants. He grabs it, somehow managing to make his way back out over the air mattress. He pauses in the doorway, taking a moment to stare down at it. He supposes it was a good start for when he brought Jensen here, but he only smiles at it now because he knows they no longer need it. He makes a mental note to deflate it later and takes the boxed tree into the living room.

It takes him some time to put the tree together and stand it up, and he has to stop at a certain point to keep the chili from burning. Well, to keep it from burning any further. He leaves it all in the pot on the stove, figuring he’ll wait for Jensen to come home and then reheat it for the both of them. He pulls out boxes of decorations, getting lost in the moment, making sure each and every branch is taken care of and that the ornaments aren’t too crowded. He finds an old surge protector and plugs it in when he’s done, and then he turns all the lights off and stands back to admire it.

It’s the perfect shape, wrapped in multicolored lights and red garland. The whole room is lit, aided by the bright yellow star at the top, shadows fading into the corners. The ornaments are store bought and homemade, including ones that Jared took from his parents’ house. It hits Jared then that Jensen doesn’t have this. Jensen doesn’t have anything personal to put on the tree, any nice Christmas memory. Jared can’t imagine not having that, and it almost hurts to think about it. He only hopes that this will be a nice memory for Jensen that he can treasure for years to come.

Jared’s ears perk up when he hears the door, and he spins excitedly, standing by the tree and grinning. Jensen comes through, and he looks exhausted but happy. Jared watches as Jensen notices the odd lighting in the apartment, looking for its source. He watches Jensen freeze when he sees Jared and the tree, and his heart warms when a slow smile spreads across Jensen’s face.

“It looks beautiful,” Jensen comments, hanging up his coat and moving closer, slipping an arm around Jared’s waist. “Really makes this feel like home.”

“Good.” Jared kisses Jensen’s forehead. “How was work?” Jensen’s head falls down to Jared’s shoulder.

“Thought I was gonna get fired.”

“What?” Jared asks, half laughing, because he’s sure Jensen isn’t serious. “Why?”

“Because people are insane,” Jensen says, pulling back and looking up at him with tired eyes. “Some woman screamed at me because we didn’t have the camera she wanted, and then she asked to see the manager. Jim was cool about it. Apparently, the holiday spirit can make some people unbearable.”

“Yeah, that happens.” He hugs Jensen tight and then heads for the kitchen. “But I’m sure you’re doing a great job. And I’m sure you’re hungry.”

“You cooked?” Jared flicks the kitchen light on and looks over at Jensen, who just raises an eyebrow. “Really?”

“Don’t look so surprised,” Jared laughs, firing up the pot again. “I made chili. The kind you made.” Jensen steps over and lifts the lid, sniffing.

“Oh!” Jensen makes a face and coughs. “That is so not the kind I made!” Jared grimaces.

“Not good, huh?”

“Go sit down.” Jensen smiles at him and leaves the lid off of the pot, moving to poke around in the cabinets again. “I’ll fix this up.”

“No, no, no.” Jared grabs Jensen by the shoulders and stops him. “You just worked all damn day. You don’t have to do this now.”

“But I can fix it,” Jensen says simply, and Jared shakes his head.

“Don’t. I’ll order a pizza or something. This isn’t your job now. You have a real one. And you’re working overtime.” He steps back and cocks his head at Jensen. “Why is that, anyway?”

“Just the push of the season.” Jensen shrugs. “I could use the extra money at this point, you know? Plus, Danneel had to leave for a family emergency, and they needed someone to fill her shift.” Jensen looks back at the pot on the stove and gets back to the point at hand: dinner. “Might not be so bad if we make some grilled cheese to go along with it.”

“That I can do!” Jared says, clapping his hands together and getting to work. He heats up the chili and makes the sandwiches, and they both eat in the living room, another night on the floor. They sit next to each other and look up at the tree. It’s mesmerizing.

“This is disgusting,” Jensen says quietly, and Jared looks over to see him sweeping up some chili with an edge of his sandwich. He’s clearly teasing. His expression is dead serious, but there’s a glint in his eye that Jared’s just getting to know and love now that things have turned around for Jensen. Jared can’t help it. He snorts, and then he bursts out laughing, Jensen following suit.

“Yeah…” Jared dips his sandwich into his poor excuse for chili and lifts it up, shaking his head at it. “It’s pretty bad.”

“But you tried,” Jensen says, leaning over and kissing his cheek. “That’s cute.”

“Shut up!” Jared picks up a stray bean and throws it at Jensen. Jensen flinches when it bounces off his cheek.

“You wanna play that way?” Jensen says, tearing off a piece of crust and tossing it at Jared. Jared laughs as he feels it hit his head and catch in his hair. He shakes his head and watches it fall to the floor, then picks it up and throws it back at Jensen. “This could get messy.”

“Fine, we’ll stop then,” Jared says, lifting his chin in the air. “At least I got the last shot in.” He grabs what’s left of his food and stands, taking it into the kitchen. Jensen follows behind him, and suddenly there’s a piece of bread crust slipping down the back of Jared’s shirt. “You asshole!” He laughs and squirms, feeling it slide down his back, and then he turns and grabs Jensen, pinning him against the wall. Jensen’s eyes are crinkled from his smile, and Jared can’t resist kissing him in that moment. He fits a leg between Jensen’s, and Jensen bucks against it. “Mmm, wait,” Jared says, pulling away. He grabs Jensen by the hand and leads him to the second bedroom, turning the light on. “There’s something we have to do first.”

“What’s that?”

Jared gestures towards the air mattress on the floor. “Thought you might like to do the honors.”

Jensen looks confused for a minute, and then he grins and moves past Jared into the room. He bends and pops the stopper on the mattress and then stands back up. They stand next to each other, the sound of air slowly leaving the mattress all too satisfying. Jared glances at Jensen briefly before tackling him down onto the mattress.

The material sags beneath them, a loud whoosh of air passing out of it. Jensen laughs, loud and happy, and Jared loves that sound. He rolls them across the mattress, forcing more air out of it, and Jensen catches on, rolling them back and forth on it until it’s completely flattened. It stops with Jared on his back, Jensen above him, falling between his legs. They’re both hard, and their smiles fade as their lips meet again. Jensen presses his hips down, and Jared groans into the kiss, Jensen’s tongue slipping into his mouth. Jared breaks the kiss when Jensen starts thrusting, moaning with the force of it, the friction. Jensen’s grunting with each push, his hand moving up under Jared’s shirt as his lips and teeth fall to Jared’s neck.

“Jensen,” Jared breathes, pulling Jensen closer even when he means to push him away. “Jensen…bedroom.”



Jensen flops onto his back on the bed and watches Jared strip, his back to Jensen. He takes in the long, lean lines of Jared’s body, the sculpted muscle, the tight, perfect curve of Jared’s ass. His gaze lingers there, and his dick twitches against his stomach.

“See something you like?” Jared teases, and Jensen looks up to see Jared twisting to look back over his shoulder at him. Before Jensen can answer, Jared’s turning and walking towards him, kneeling on the bed. He’s more serious when he speaks again. “See something you want?”

Jensen’s breath catches in his throat, and he reaches out, his hands skirting up Jared’s thighs and around to his ass, squeezing lightly. His fingers edge towards the crack, and he watches the way Jared’s dick bobs, all hard and red. “Can I?”

Jared leans down onto his hands, nuzzling Jensen’s jaw and whispering in his ear. “You never have to ask. I’m yours.”

Jensen takes his time fingering Jared open, delights in Jared’s pleasured moan when he finally thrusts inside. It’s heaven, having this, and he finally feels like he’s earned it. The past falls away as he moves inside Jared’s welcoming heat, and he reaches around to take Jared’s dick in his hand knowing that this is his; that he can have this now. Until now, he’s felt like his time with Jared was just him taking from Jared, asking too much. He couldn’t ask for this, too. But things are different now. He has a job and a purpose. He has a real place here, with Jared. And he’s wanted in this life. He’s a new man.

He moves harder, faster, and Jared comes over his fingers. He hears his name whispered reverently through Jared’s lips, feels the clench of Jared’s orgasm, and he lets himself go. He feels like his world is expanding when he comes, euphoria flooding his brain. He’s his own person again, and while he doesn’t have much to his name, he has this, here; this man he’s wrapping up in his arms and kissing goodnight. After years of searching and being disappointed, Jensen knows that he’s finally found all he’s ever wanted in life.



Chapter 5

Comments

[vodou-blue.livejournal.com]

“…he helped change someone’s life…” What a fantastic Christmas story that makes! I’m being sappy, I know, but it makes me happy just the same. *vbg*

“How hard could it be?” Just ask my sister, or my sister-in law. LOL! Neither of them can improv-cook to save their lives. *smirk*

[timehasa-way.livejournal.com]

LOL. It's a Christmas story! Sappiness is welcome! XD

[itskaylie.livejournal.com]

;__; This is like the feeling of Christmas all wrapped up in fic. I'm so impressed with this, and with you. *__* <3

[timehasa-way.livejournal.com]

Aww! *blushes* Thank you, bb!!

[bigj52.livejournal.com]

Awww, "After years of searching and being disappointed, Jensen knows that he’s finally found all he’s ever wanted in life."

Wonderful sappiness, I love it.

[maguie.livejournal.com]

It was kind of odd after being a CEO, he was happy being hired in a retail store, But a good odd, I liked it :)