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Long Way Home (Epilogue), CWrpf, JA/JP, NC-17
Title: Long Way Home, Epilogue
Fandom: CWrps
Pairing: Jared/Jensen
Rating/Warnings: NC-17 (this part)
Length: ~4400 words (for this part) // ~33,000 (total)
Disclaimer: Clearly, this never happened, but just in case you're confused, nope, I don't know anything about anybody.
Notes/Thanks: This is the epilogue I should have written when I originally posted, but I ran out of time (and inspiration.) Better late than never? The whole story, which was written for the 2010![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
j2_everafter Disney movie challenge (for Candleshoe) starts here on LJ, and here on AO3.
Summary: Jared is all grown up now, and he has plans for New Year's Eve.
Epilogue
December 1999
The dogs always seemed to know when it was Jensen in a car coming up the drive. They would bark and jump around whenever they were out and any car came by, but when it was Jensen, they would race out to meet him, running alongside and practically turning flips in their excitement.
Jared totally got it.
He made himself stay on the steps, though, and yeah, okay, he might be vibrating with excitement, but that was (mostly) on the inside. And hey, he wanted Jensen to know Jared was happy to see him. Plus, it was December, so it was cold, and who was going to blame Jared for moving around a little to help keep warm?
Jensen finally made it all the way to the house (it was a long drive, but Jared supposed that went with the big house behind him, and no, even after living there for years, he still couldn't quite wrap his brain around it being home), pulling up with a flourish (it was a great car, Jared wasn't going to argue with that, but he was still going to give Jensen shit about driving like he thought he was James Bond or something) and opening the door. The dogs converged on him before he took his second step, and Jared couldn't help laughing at the beleaguered expression on his face as they all but tackled him.
"You might consider helping," Jensen said as he staggered back, losing ground rapidly under their combined weight and momentum. "They listen to you."
"I wouldn't want you to think they didn't remember you," Jared answered, but he relented and whistled sharply. The dogs were really excited, though, and it took a second and third try before they stopped slobbering on Jensen and only raced around him, barking at every step he took. Jared couldn't decide if they were trying to be encouraging or trying to take him down so they could get a proper face-licking in.
"Heavens," his grandmother said, coming out of the door behind him. "If I didn't know better, I'd think we were about to be invaded." Her expression softened into a beaming smile for Jensen--Hello, darling, lovely to see you--before she turned back to meet Jared's eyes serenely. "No glaring, young man. I am all but mummified with cashmere, I can certainly pop out to see what all the uproar is about."
Since she was wrapped up in sweaters and scarves against the cold, and he knew how much she hated to be fussed over, Jared bit his tongue, but he called the dogs off with meaning this time so everyone could get back inside before the chill could settle in their bones. Jensen might have been in Greece during the worst of the pneumonia incident, but he'd called nearly every day and worried right along with Jared; he came up the steps quickly, but without looking like he was hurrying.
"I hope I'm not late for tea," he said, and somehow they were all inside and in front of the fire before Jared more than blinked. But then, Jared already knew Jensen was really smooth, it was one of those things Jared admired.
"Like Mrs. Priory wouldn't save you three of everything even if you had," Jared said. The table was laid and ready to go, and he knew Mrs. Priory would have put the kettle on as soon as she heard the dogs going wild.
"Having you both here will be very satisfying for her," Lady Frances said. "She's certain to have you stuffed fatter than the Christmas goose before you leave, which will be tomorrow, Jared. I don't want to hear any nonsense about the two of you missing out on the Millennium Eve celebrations to sit here with me."
Before Jared could open his mouth, Mrs. Priory arrived with her little cart loaded down with covered plates and the big silver teapot and the creamer and sugar bowl. Jensen gave Jared a quick, sideways look, one that said to let Jensen handle things, so Jared went to help her unload everything while Jensen did his not-fussing act and got Lady Frances settled in front of the fire with a dog on either side of her and the needlepoint rug over her knees. Jared handed over a cup of tea fixed exactly how she liked it, and put on his best innocent face when she turned a stern look at him.
"I'm eating, I'm eating," he said, pointing to the giant piece of gingerbread on the plate by his elbow. "You know I'm not going to skip out on that, no matter how many cups of tea I make for you."
"Yes, well, less fussing and more enjoying each others company would be appreciated," Lady Frances said severely, including Jensen, who had neatly slid a plate of biscuits and sweets onto the small table next to her, in her glare this time.
"Who's not enjoying each others company?" Jensen asked, with an innocent face of his own. "I am capable of multitasking, you know."
Jared kept a straight face as he nodded vigorously in agreement--his mouth was full of gingerbread. Lady Frances shook her head at their antics, but she stopped glaring at them and let Jensen tell her all about Greece and the project he was working on. Jared listened with half an ear; he'd heard a lot of this as it happened, but then Jensen said, "About tomorrow night--" and Lady Frances actually snapped at him.
"I shall be very disappointed in the both of you, giving up your plans simply because I was silly enough to have pneumonia three months ago." She set her teacup into its saucer sharply, which for her was like Jared throwing the whole thing against a wall or something.
"We don't want to leave you here alone," Jared said simply.
"Whatever gave you that idea?" his grandmother sniffed. "I have plans of my own, you know." She smiled imperturbably at their reaction. "It is the new millennium, after all, and while I have no desire to traipse to the city to see it in, it does seem as though it should be marked in some fashion. I'm having a party."
Jared gave up trying not to be rude and gaped at her. Jensen, who was much less trusting than Jared when it came to Lady Frances, turned immediately to Mrs. Priory.
"It's to be twelve for dinner, and quite a few more for after. I've been baking for days." She nodded conspiratorially to Lady Frances. "We might want to order an extra case of champagne, my lady."
"Now, then, should you wish to join us, I'm certain Mrs. Priory can manage something, and I've never been one to be fussed about whether the seating arrangements alternate strictly between men and women, but do let us know shortly. I'm to be writing up the place cards this evening."
"You never said!" Jared sputtered.
"You never asked," Lady Frances answered, reasonably enough, except for the tiniest of smirks (he wouldn't have thought somebody as old as Lady Frances could smirk, but he'd found out how wrong he was pretty fast.) It told Jared how much she liked messing with him and Jensen. That was okay, though; Jared was happy enough to see her back to where she was feeling strong enough. "You are welcome to stay, but I can't imagine a room full of ancient dinner jackets and ball gowns would be nearly as entertaining as whatever you might get up to in the city."
"I don't know," Jensen said, arching one eyebrow and sending a smirk of his own toward Jared. "You're ordering cases of champagne--maybe we should think about hanging around. Just to keep an eye on things, of course."
Jared nodded as innocently as possible, and his grandmother laughed at the both of them and shooed them off to get ready for their trip.
* * *
The train was a much better option than driving up to London in Jensen's sleek little car--they sat together and Jensen read an impenetrable text in ancient Aramaic while Jared watched and dozed--but Jared still gave Jensen a hard time about how he babied the car. Jensen claimed he couldn't be made to feel guilty about it, but he did promise to take Jared out and show him what the car could really do.
"Don't tell your grandmother," Jensen warned, and Jared laughed, because he knew exactly why Jensen wanted to keep it a secret and it had nothing to do with Lady Frances not approving of fast cars.
"You just know you can't say no to her," Jared teased. "She probably can drive it better than either of us."
"I've no doubt," Jensen answered, one side of his mouth quirking up into a half-smile. "I also have no doubt I'd have a heart attack in the process of her proving that to me."
They were pulling into the station then, and even still being on the train, Jared could feel how much more charged up the city was than usual. The first couple of months that he'd lived in England, he'd had this idea that London would be boring. He'd grown up in LA, after all, and the manic energy there was what he was used to, but he'd been wrong about that, too. He liked living out in the country and having tons of space to roam around, but he'd found that London was awesome. When he came with his grandmother, they never stopped. She took him to the West End to see everything from Shakespeare to musicals, and they only went to a restaurant a second time if Jared asked point-blank because there was always some place new to try. She always had something she wanted him to see, even if it was just a different neighborhood or a little park in a square. A couple of years earlier, Jared would have laughed at anyone who would have said he'd have cared about a bunch of old buildings, but it was different now that he had someone who could tell him what everything looked like during the Blitz or how the shop they were walking into had been around for hundreds of years.
It took for-freaking-ever to get a cab--the city was already a zoo and it wasn't even much after lunch--but they finally got to the mews house and dumped their bags and tried to figure out what their game plan was. Jensen was big on Jared seeing the fireworks, which Jared didn't object to, not at all, even if it did mean they'd need to be standing around in the cold for hours. What wasn't good about shit that blew up? Jensen kept checking, like he was afraid Jared wouldn't have a good time or something.
"Dude," Jared said, shoving Jensen back down steps and outside. "I'm good with whatever, as long as you're planning to feed me in there somewhere."
"I have it marked down right here," Jensen deadpanned, pretending to write on his palm. "Feed the American grizzly; he gets snappish when he's hungry. Curry good with you?"
Jared rolled his eyes and bumped his shoulder into Jensen's. He was cool with whatever, so long as it didn't interfere with his own plans, the ones that involved having Jensen all to himself.
"Lead on," Jared said cheerfully.
"You know that's a misquote, right?" Jensen bumped shoulders back. "And the original meaning is to start fighting to the death?"
"Details," Jared said. "Didn't you say something about food?"
* * *
It was gone past two in the morning before they finally made it back to the house, half-frozen and stumbling, mostly from how tired they were, but a little from the Scotch Jensen had carried along in a little flash. It was disgusting stuff in Jared's opinion, but he had no objection about getting a little buzzed, and he sure as hell wasn't going to turn down sharing anything with Jensen.
It took Jared three tries to get the key in the lock and the door open, but that was because Jensen had draped himself over Jared's back and that was so incredibly distracting Jared was lucky he could remember what a key was for, much less how to use one. Plus, he was sure that Jensen was going to let go as soon as Jared got the door open and he had to remind himself that standing still meant freezing to death. It took longer than it probably should have for that to really sway the argument, but he didn't think Jensen figured it out.
They'd forgotten to turn a light on before they left, so it was pitch black inside. Jared fumbled for the light switch, but right when he finally found it, Jensen reached out and wrapped his hand around Jared's wrist.
"Jen--?" Jared started to ask what was wrong, but then Jensen turned him just enough that he could find Jared's mouth with his own and there was nothing wrong with that. Jensen's lips were cold and a little chapped, rough from the wind and weather, but Jared's were probably the same, and it really freaking didn't matter, especially not once Jared got turned around enough that Jensen could press up close, and really not when he put his hand on Jared's jaw, held him steady and kept kissing him until Jared was almost dizzy from not breathing.
"Happy new year," Jensen murmured, breaking off and working his way along Jared's jaw, leaving a trail of quick, sharp bites and not-quite gentle kisses over the stings.
"Same--same to you," Jared gasped. He felt Jensen grin against his skin, and he laughed, because apparently, Jensen had the same plan Jared had, only he was sneakier about it than Jared imagined. Jensen gave him just enough time to breathe in a couple of times--and seriously, oxygen was a good thing--and then he went right back to the kissing part, harder now, more serious. Jared gave up trying to get the light on--really, he thought vaguely, who cared if there was light?--and backed toward the narrow flight of stairs that led up to the living space. Jensen moved with him, letting Jared feel their way up, one step at a time while he worked his hand between them, unbuttoning coats and pushing them off.
Jared stumbled once, when Jensen got his hands up under Jared's sweater, but managed not to fall, and they got to the top of the stairs without killing themselves. Up there, the streetlights filtered in through where they hadn't pulled the curtains, enough light that Jared could see well enough not to trip as he edged them away from the stairwell. Jensen still moved with him, but they'd been here before, long, deep kisses and hands under clothes.
"Jen," Jared said against Jensen's mouth. It wasn't quite kissing, but it wasn't quite not kissing either. "Jen--I want--"
It was stupid, not being able to just say it, but Jared was suddenly, horribly, certain that he was reading Jensen wrong, that saying the words I want you out loud would break whatever spell they were under and Jared would just be the kid with a crush. That was more than stupid--Jensen had never treated him like that, not even when it was all Jared really was. Even now, Jensen wasn't pulling away, so Jared took a deep breath and brushed his mouth across Jensen's for luck.
"I want you," he said, and if he couldn't make his voice be louder than a hoarse whisper, at least it was steady. He'd mostly stopped breathing, but you couldn't have everything.
"I want you, too," Jensen murmured back, and Jared almost fell over, he was so relieved. He did stagger a little, but Jensen had his arms around him, so he was doing just fine.
"Stay with me tonight," Jared managed to say in between the kind of kisses he'd been thinking about for years now, serious and focused and so freaking good
"Jay," Jensen said, sounding suspiciously like he was trying not to laugh at Jared. He was still kissing Jared, though, and he was steering them into the bedroom, so Jared really didn't care. "Where else would I go?"
"I'm just making sure," Jared answered. "Communication is important, right?"
Jensen made a low, quiet sound of agreement, all but lost in Jared's gasp as he slid his hands up under Jared's sweater and shirt, a fast glide of skin on skin that lit up nerves all over Jared's body. Jared let go of Jensen long enough to reach back and grab at his sweater, yank it off over his head, and Jensen made another quiet noise, one that sounded like a purr. Jared was going to give him a hard time about it, but then Jensen practically ripped Jared's shirt open and everything that wasn't Jensen's hands stroking up and down Jared's body went flying out of Jared's head.
Jared managed to stumble back to the bed, dragging Jensen with him until they were sprawled out on the icy, crisp linen sheets and it felt like the only thing keeping Jared anchored to the world was Jensen heavy and warm on top of him. Jared felt like he should be doing something, not just clutching randomly at Jensen but his brain wasn't keeping up, even before Jensen slipped the tips of his fingers under Jared's waistband.
"Jared?" Jensen traced a tiny arc with his fingers, a slow back-and-forth brush that had Jared arching desperately into it. "I'll take that as a yes?"
"God, please," Jared whimpered. "Yes."
Jensen didn't tease, just tugged open the buttons on Jared's jeans and pushed his boxers out of the way. Jared was half-hard already, just from the kissing and the little bit of touching they'd been doing; the feel of Jensen's hand closing around his dick--holding at first, and then dragging his hand along the full length--was almost too much. Jared heard the noises he was making and knew he was making an idiot of himself, but he'd wanted Jensen for so long he couldn't stop himself.
"Shhh," Jensen soothed, stroking Jared with an easy, smooth rhythm. "I've got you, I've got you." He coaxed Jared to turn his head enough that Jensen could kiss him, little nips along Jared's bottom lip until Jared opened his mouth and let Jensen swallow down his gasps and whimpers. Jensen hummed encouragement, and his hand tightened around Jared.
Jared spread his legs and pushed up into Jensen's fist, jerking helplessly and groaning as Jensen rubbed his thumb hard over the head of his dick. It was perfect; it was too much; it was nowhere near enough. Jared wanted it to last longer--wanted it to never end, really--but Jensen was relentless, his hand moving faster and just a little rougher, not backing off at all, his tongue pushing into Jared′s mouth with the same rhythm, claiming Jared everywhere. Jared gave up and let it happen, let Jensen′s hands and mouth send him spiraling completely out of control. It rushed over Jared, uncoiling from low in his gut, fast, hard waves of pleasure that left him a sweaty, shaking mess.
Jensen stayed right with him, pressed even closer. He murmured quietly, things that Jared couldn't make sense of but brought him back down anyway, word by word until Jared's heart settled down a little and he could breathe without panting.
"God," Jared sighed, turning his head so he could kiss Jensen for real. He could feel the tension still thrumming through Jensen, the want and the need, and it sparked an echo in him even though he'd just come hard enough that he still wasn't seeing right. "Wait," Jared murmured, stealing one more kiss before he made himself reach for his duffel on the floor. It seemed a million years earlier that he'd packed, but he knew exactly where he'd tucked the rubbers and a little packet of slick into his shaving kit. It had felt like a huge thing, packing up supplies for actual sex when he and Jensen hadn't really talked about anything, but now he was so glad he'd gone ahead and done it he could barely keep a stupid grin off his face. He managed, though, because it was super-important that Jensen not think he wasn't ready for this.
"Jared," Jensen whispered when Jared turned around with the stuff. "Are you--are you--?"
"Yes," Jared said firmly, dropping everything on the bed next to Jensen, and attacking the rest of his clothes, wrestling his jeans down over his hips and toeing out of his socks and shoes at he same time. He tucked away the thought of Jensen getting him off before they'd even gotten undressed for later thought--he was pretty sure he'd be jerking off to that for at least a couple of years--and reached out to help Jensen with his clothes, too. "I am so sure you don't even know, Jen," Jared said, straddling his lap and kissing him slowly. "So sure."
"I--" Jensen broke off with a gasp as Jared ground down on him. "I'm sure, too." He slid his hands up Jared's back, and Jared arched into the touch. "I just needed to know you were."
"Always," Jared answered, letting Jensen roll him onto his back. He braced his feet flat on the bed and spread his thighs, made room for Jensen between them. "Always," he repeated, his breath hissing in as Jensen pressed a finger, cool and slick from the lube, inside him. Jensen moved in him slowly, stroking in and out and never once looking away from Jared's face. It made Jared feel open and exposed, even more than being naked did, but it was amazing to know Jensen wanted to see all of him.
"Gorgeous," Jensen murmured to him. He pressed a second finger in and bent low to catch Jared's gasp with a long kiss. "God, so beautiful." He scissored his fingers, and Jared could feel his body relaxing and opening a little more each time. It was good, a low, intense buzz that built higher with each stroke and then arced spectacularly as Jensen found the exact right spot inside him, a careful, gentle touch that Jared desperately needed more of. Jensen gave it to him, again and again, and Jared felt himself getting hard once more.
Jensen knew it, too; he kept going with the same focus and attention, watching, seeing, every reaction Jared had, every gasp, every shudder, every helpless whine, even though he should have been paying attention to himself by now. Jared tried to tell him, tried to make him understand that Jared was good, more than good, but Jensen ignored all that, until Jared gave in and let him have his way, arching up into every stroke, spreading his legs even wider, fucking himself on Jensen's hand the way he wanted to on his dick.
"Now, Jen, please. Want to come around you," Jared moaned, and that, finally, set Jensen off, sent him grabbing for the rubber Jared had brought. Jared caught one leg behind his knee and pulled it down close to his chest, offering himself up to Jensen wordlessly.
Jensen looked up and caught sight of Jared and closed his eyes, just for a second, but then he was there, pressing against Jared, not quite inside but enough that Jared could feel how thick he was, how much Jared was going to have to take. It didn't matter: Jared wanted him, had wanted him for forever. He made a low encouraging noise, and then breathed out steadily as Jensen pushed into him, his heart slamming heavy and fast at the hard burn of being opened up even more. Jensen didn't stop, only kept pressing in deeper and deeper, rocking into Jared with an even, steady pressure that let Jared feel every inch of him.
"Jared," Jensen whispered, buried deep in Jared, dropping his head down to mouth along Jared's jaw, and Jared couldn't help smiling at everything he heard under that one, single word.
"Right here," Jared whispered back, wrapping his legs around Jensen's waist and bringing him in even closer. "Waiting on you, in case you missed that." Jensen laughed softly, and started moving, long, slow glide out and then a fast snap back in, each time quicker and harder, and it was all good, so good. Jared heard himself gasping that, and Jensen's name, and crazy, disjointed words. He let himself fall into everything, just let it wash over him, Jensen inside him and over him, all that Jared could feel and see and breathe.
"So close," Jensen breathed. "So close, so good."
Jared managed the necessary coordination to get his hand around his own dick, falling into rhythm with Jensen, holding off just long enough to be able to watch Jensen lose it before he quickened his strokes and let it all, everything, but especially Jensen's eyes and what he saw in them, draw a second orgasm out of him, slow this time, and long enough that Jared lost all track of time.
They stayed tangled together until Jensen was only breathing, not gasping, against Jared's neck and shoulder, and Jared didn't feel as though he might shake out of his skin, and then they only moved enough to lie alongside each other, Jared tucked up under Jensen's arm, the very tips Jensen's fingers dancing lightly over Jared's shoulder and back.
"Okay, that was seriously the way to celebrate the millennium," Jared said. Jensen laughed, a soft chuff of air that brushed over Jared like the tiniest of touches, and Jared reached down and ran his own fingers over the one spot on Jensen's ribs that sent him squirming. When things calmed back down, Jared tilted his head back so he could just meet Jensen's eyes. "Seriously," he repeated. "And don't tell me it's really not the new millennium; I'm going off the party definition here, not the actual scientific one."
"I wouldn't dream of arguing." Jensen had his quirky half-smile going, but he didn't laugh, so Jared let it slide. "Though I hope you're not planning to wait until the next millennium--or even the next year--to do it again."
"Very funny," Jared mumbled, all the sex and the day catching up to him suddenly. He couldn't stop the mammoth yawn that threatened to crack his jaw, either. "It was totally worth waiting for for years, but that's it. "
"Years?" Jensen was still. Jared knew what that meant, and he wasn't having any of it.
"You had to know that, Jen."
"I thought--"
"You thought I had a crush and I'd grow out of it and think you were boring or whatever it is that goes on in your head."
"You had dates," Jensen said. "School dances and the like."
"Of course," Jared answered. "You'd have had a fit if I skipped out on those--all about how I was cheating myself of all the good parts of school. I had fun, but the girls I went with all knew I was--" Jared stumbled a bit, because it was a big thing to say, even if it should have been so completely obvious by now. "They all knew I was in love with somebody else, and they were cool with just going and having a good time."
"I--"
"Don't," Jared said, before Jensen could really get going. "I know you had the thing about our ages, and, y'know, I still think it was kind of stupid, but whatever. We're here, and if you still think I'll be bored with you, I'm totally good with staying right here--" Jared threw one leg over Jensen's and pressed himself even closer-- "until I can get it through your head that I'm not going anywhere."
"Well," Jensen said, dryly. "If you're determined to stay the course for as long as it takes, I'll be happy to tell you I'm sure you'll tire of me. Please feel free to convince me otherwise."
"I can do that," Jared said. He knew Jensen was laughing at him again, but they were still practically breathing each other in, so he didn′t care. Plus: tired and he was pretty sure he was the living definition of fucked-out. All good things, so he yawned again, instead. "In the morning, though."
"The morning works fine for me," Jensen murmured. Jared nodded. It was quiet for a while; Jared was almost asleep when Jensen added,″I love you, too, by the way.″
Jared didn′t care what Jensen thought, it was still the most awesome way to celebrate the new millennium ever, and Jared was definitely not letting Jensen out of bed until he agreed. With that plan firmly in mind, Jared fell asleep with Jensen wrapped around him and a smile on his face.
***
***
Prologue | Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Epilogue
When she edited the original,![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
without_me really wanted to know where the epilogue was. And so, not quite two years later, and just a tiny bit late for her birthday: ta-daaaa! I am slow, but sometimes I do manage to get there. :D
Fandom: CWrps
Pairing: Jared/Jensen
Rating/Warnings: NC-17 (this part)
Length: ~4400 words (for this part) // ~33,000 (total)
Disclaimer: Clearly, this never happened, but just in case you're confused, nope, I don't know anything about anybody.
Notes/Thanks: This is the epilogue I should have written when I originally posted, but I ran out of time (and inspiration.) Better late than never? The whole story, which was written for the 2010
j2_everafter Disney movie challenge (for Candleshoe) starts here on LJ, and here on AO3. Summary: Jared is all grown up now, and he has plans for New Year's Eve.
December 1999
The dogs always seemed to know when it was Jensen in a car coming up the drive. They would bark and jump around whenever they were out and any car came by, but when it was Jensen, they would race out to meet him, running alongside and practically turning flips in their excitement.
Jared totally got it.
He made himself stay on the steps, though, and yeah, okay, he might be vibrating with excitement, but that was (mostly) on the inside. And hey, he wanted Jensen to know Jared was happy to see him. Plus, it was December, so it was cold, and who was going to blame Jared for moving around a little to help keep warm?
Jensen finally made it all the way to the house (it was a long drive, but Jared supposed that went with the big house behind him, and no, even after living there for years, he still couldn't quite wrap his brain around it being home), pulling up with a flourish (it was a great car, Jared wasn't going to argue with that, but he was still going to give Jensen shit about driving like he thought he was James Bond or something) and opening the door. The dogs converged on him before he took his second step, and Jared couldn't help laughing at the beleaguered expression on his face as they all but tackled him.
"You might consider helping," Jensen said as he staggered back, losing ground rapidly under their combined weight and momentum. "They listen to you."
"I wouldn't want you to think they didn't remember you," Jared answered, but he relented and whistled sharply. The dogs were really excited, though, and it took a second and third try before they stopped slobbering on Jensen and only raced around him, barking at every step he took. Jared couldn't decide if they were trying to be encouraging or trying to take him down so they could get a proper face-licking in.
"Heavens," his grandmother said, coming out of the door behind him. "If I didn't know better, I'd think we were about to be invaded." Her expression softened into a beaming smile for Jensen--Hello, darling, lovely to see you--before she turned back to meet Jared's eyes serenely. "No glaring, young man. I am all but mummified with cashmere, I can certainly pop out to see what all the uproar is about."
Since she was wrapped up in sweaters and scarves against the cold, and he knew how much she hated to be fussed over, Jared bit his tongue, but he called the dogs off with meaning this time so everyone could get back inside before the chill could settle in their bones. Jensen might have been in Greece during the worst of the pneumonia incident, but he'd called nearly every day and worried right along with Jared; he came up the steps quickly, but without looking like he was hurrying.
"I hope I'm not late for tea," he said, and somehow they were all inside and in front of the fire before Jared more than blinked. But then, Jared already knew Jensen was really smooth, it was one of those things Jared admired.
"Like Mrs. Priory wouldn't save you three of everything even if you had," Jared said. The table was laid and ready to go, and he knew Mrs. Priory would have put the kettle on as soon as she heard the dogs going wild.
"Having you both here will be very satisfying for her," Lady Frances said. "She's certain to have you stuffed fatter than the Christmas goose before you leave, which will be tomorrow, Jared. I don't want to hear any nonsense about the two of you missing out on the Millennium Eve celebrations to sit here with me."
Before Jared could open his mouth, Mrs. Priory arrived with her little cart loaded down with covered plates and the big silver teapot and the creamer and sugar bowl. Jensen gave Jared a quick, sideways look, one that said to let Jensen handle things, so Jared went to help her unload everything while Jensen did his not-fussing act and got Lady Frances settled in front of the fire with a dog on either side of her and the needlepoint rug over her knees. Jared handed over a cup of tea fixed exactly how she liked it, and put on his best innocent face when she turned a stern look at him.
"I'm eating, I'm eating," he said, pointing to the giant piece of gingerbread on the plate by his elbow. "You know I'm not going to skip out on that, no matter how many cups of tea I make for you."
"Yes, well, less fussing and more enjoying each others company would be appreciated," Lady Frances said severely, including Jensen, who had neatly slid a plate of biscuits and sweets onto the small table next to her, in her glare this time.
"Who's not enjoying each others company?" Jensen asked, with an innocent face of his own. "I am capable of multitasking, you know."
Jared kept a straight face as he nodded vigorously in agreement--his mouth was full of gingerbread. Lady Frances shook her head at their antics, but she stopped glaring at them and let Jensen tell her all about Greece and the project he was working on. Jared listened with half an ear; he'd heard a lot of this as it happened, but then Jensen said, "About tomorrow night--" and Lady Frances actually snapped at him.
"I shall be very disappointed in the both of you, giving up your plans simply because I was silly enough to have pneumonia three months ago." She set her teacup into its saucer sharply, which for her was like Jared throwing the whole thing against a wall or something.
"We don't want to leave you here alone," Jared said simply.
"Whatever gave you that idea?" his grandmother sniffed. "I have plans of my own, you know." She smiled imperturbably at their reaction. "It is the new millennium, after all, and while I have no desire to traipse to the city to see it in, it does seem as though it should be marked in some fashion. I'm having a party."
Jared gave up trying not to be rude and gaped at her. Jensen, who was much less trusting than Jared when it came to Lady Frances, turned immediately to Mrs. Priory.
"It's to be twelve for dinner, and quite a few more for after. I've been baking for days." She nodded conspiratorially to Lady Frances. "We might want to order an extra case of champagne, my lady."
"Now, then, should you wish to join us, I'm certain Mrs. Priory can manage something, and I've never been one to be fussed about whether the seating arrangements alternate strictly between men and women, but do let us know shortly. I'm to be writing up the place cards this evening."
"You never said!" Jared sputtered.
"You never asked," Lady Frances answered, reasonably enough, except for the tiniest of smirks (he wouldn't have thought somebody as old as Lady Frances could smirk, but he'd found out how wrong he was pretty fast.) It told Jared how much she liked messing with him and Jensen. That was okay, though; Jared was happy enough to see her back to where she was feeling strong enough. "You are welcome to stay, but I can't imagine a room full of ancient dinner jackets and ball gowns would be nearly as entertaining as whatever you might get up to in the city."
"I don't know," Jensen said, arching one eyebrow and sending a smirk of his own toward Jared. "You're ordering cases of champagne--maybe we should think about hanging around. Just to keep an eye on things, of course."
Jared nodded as innocently as possible, and his grandmother laughed at the both of them and shooed them off to get ready for their trip.
The train was a much better option than driving up to London in Jensen's sleek little car--they sat together and Jensen read an impenetrable text in ancient Aramaic while Jared watched and dozed--but Jared still gave Jensen a hard time about how he babied the car. Jensen claimed he couldn't be made to feel guilty about it, but he did promise to take Jared out and show him what the car could really do.
"Don't tell your grandmother," Jensen warned, and Jared laughed, because he knew exactly why Jensen wanted to keep it a secret and it had nothing to do with Lady Frances not approving of fast cars.
"You just know you can't say no to her," Jared teased. "She probably can drive it better than either of us."
"I've no doubt," Jensen answered, one side of his mouth quirking up into a half-smile. "I also have no doubt I'd have a heart attack in the process of her proving that to me."
They were pulling into the station then, and even still being on the train, Jared could feel how much more charged up the city was than usual. The first couple of months that he'd lived in England, he'd had this idea that London would be boring. He'd grown up in LA, after all, and the manic energy there was what he was used to, but he'd been wrong about that, too. He liked living out in the country and having tons of space to roam around, but he'd found that London was awesome. When he came with his grandmother, they never stopped. She took him to the West End to see everything from Shakespeare to musicals, and they only went to a restaurant a second time if Jared asked point-blank because there was always some place new to try. She always had something she wanted him to see, even if it was just a different neighborhood or a little park in a square. A couple of years earlier, Jared would have laughed at anyone who would have said he'd have cared about a bunch of old buildings, but it was different now that he had someone who could tell him what everything looked like during the Blitz or how the shop they were walking into had been around for hundreds of years.
It took for-freaking-ever to get a cab--the city was already a zoo and it wasn't even much after lunch--but they finally got to the mews house and dumped their bags and tried to figure out what their game plan was. Jensen was big on Jared seeing the fireworks, which Jared didn't object to, not at all, even if it did mean they'd need to be standing around in the cold for hours. What wasn't good about shit that blew up? Jensen kept checking, like he was afraid Jared wouldn't have a good time or something.
"Dude," Jared said, shoving Jensen back down steps and outside. "I'm good with whatever, as long as you're planning to feed me in there somewhere."
"I have it marked down right here," Jensen deadpanned, pretending to write on his palm. "Feed the American grizzly; he gets snappish when he's hungry. Curry good with you?"
Jared rolled his eyes and bumped his shoulder into Jensen's. He was cool with whatever, so long as it didn't interfere with his own plans, the ones that involved having Jensen all to himself.
"Lead on," Jared said cheerfully.
"You know that's a misquote, right?" Jensen bumped shoulders back. "And the original meaning is to start fighting to the death?"
"Details," Jared said. "Didn't you say something about food?"
It was gone past two in the morning before they finally made it back to the house, half-frozen and stumbling, mostly from how tired they were, but a little from the Scotch Jensen had carried along in a little flash. It was disgusting stuff in Jared's opinion, but he had no objection about getting a little buzzed, and he sure as hell wasn't going to turn down sharing anything with Jensen.
It took Jared three tries to get the key in the lock and the door open, but that was because Jensen had draped himself over Jared's back and that was so incredibly distracting Jared was lucky he could remember what a key was for, much less how to use one. Plus, he was sure that Jensen was going to let go as soon as Jared got the door open and he had to remind himself that standing still meant freezing to death. It took longer than it probably should have for that to really sway the argument, but he didn't think Jensen figured it out.
They'd forgotten to turn a light on before they left, so it was pitch black inside. Jared fumbled for the light switch, but right when he finally found it, Jensen reached out and wrapped his hand around Jared's wrist.
"Jen--?" Jared started to ask what was wrong, but then Jensen turned him just enough that he could find Jared's mouth with his own and there was nothing wrong with that. Jensen's lips were cold and a little chapped, rough from the wind and weather, but Jared's were probably the same, and it really freaking didn't matter, especially not once Jared got turned around enough that Jensen could press up close, and really not when he put his hand on Jared's jaw, held him steady and kept kissing him until Jared was almost dizzy from not breathing.
"Happy new year," Jensen murmured, breaking off and working his way along Jared's jaw, leaving a trail of quick, sharp bites and not-quite gentle kisses over the stings.
"Same--same to you," Jared gasped. He felt Jensen grin against his skin, and he laughed, because apparently, Jensen had the same plan Jared had, only he was sneakier about it than Jared imagined. Jensen gave him just enough time to breathe in a couple of times--and seriously, oxygen was a good thing--and then he went right back to the kissing part, harder now, more serious. Jared gave up trying to get the light on--really, he thought vaguely, who cared if there was light?--and backed toward the narrow flight of stairs that led up to the living space. Jensen moved with him, letting Jared feel their way up, one step at a time while he worked his hand between them, unbuttoning coats and pushing them off.
Jared stumbled once, when Jensen got his hands up under Jared's sweater, but managed not to fall, and they got to the top of the stairs without killing themselves. Up there, the streetlights filtered in through where they hadn't pulled the curtains, enough light that Jared could see well enough not to trip as he edged them away from the stairwell. Jensen still moved with him, but they'd been here before, long, deep kisses and hands under clothes.
"Jen," Jared said against Jensen's mouth. It wasn't quite kissing, but it wasn't quite not kissing either. "Jen--I want--"
It was stupid, not being able to just say it, but Jared was suddenly, horribly, certain that he was reading Jensen wrong, that saying the words I want you out loud would break whatever spell they were under and Jared would just be the kid with a crush. That was more than stupid--Jensen had never treated him like that, not even when it was all Jared really was. Even now, Jensen wasn't pulling away, so Jared took a deep breath and brushed his mouth across Jensen's for luck.
"I want you," he said, and if he couldn't make his voice be louder than a hoarse whisper, at least it was steady. He'd mostly stopped breathing, but you couldn't have everything.
"I want you, too," Jensen murmured back, and Jared almost fell over, he was so relieved. He did stagger a little, but Jensen had his arms around him, so he was doing just fine.
"Stay with me tonight," Jared managed to say in between the kind of kisses he'd been thinking about for years now, serious and focused and so freaking good
"Jay," Jensen said, sounding suspiciously like he was trying not to laugh at Jared. He was still kissing Jared, though, and he was steering them into the bedroom, so Jared really didn't care. "Where else would I go?"
"I'm just making sure," Jared answered. "Communication is important, right?"
Jensen made a low, quiet sound of agreement, all but lost in Jared's gasp as he slid his hands up under Jared's sweater and shirt, a fast glide of skin on skin that lit up nerves all over Jared's body. Jared let go of Jensen long enough to reach back and grab at his sweater, yank it off over his head, and Jensen made another quiet noise, one that sounded like a purr. Jared was going to give him a hard time about it, but then Jensen practically ripped Jared's shirt open and everything that wasn't Jensen's hands stroking up and down Jared's body went flying out of Jared's head.
Jared managed to stumble back to the bed, dragging Jensen with him until they were sprawled out on the icy, crisp linen sheets and it felt like the only thing keeping Jared anchored to the world was Jensen heavy and warm on top of him. Jared felt like he should be doing something, not just clutching randomly at Jensen but his brain wasn't keeping up, even before Jensen slipped the tips of his fingers under Jared's waistband.
"Jared?" Jensen traced a tiny arc with his fingers, a slow back-and-forth brush that had Jared arching desperately into it. "I'll take that as a yes?"
"God, please," Jared whimpered. "Yes."
Jensen didn't tease, just tugged open the buttons on Jared's jeans and pushed his boxers out of the way. Jared was half-hard already, just from the kissing and the little bit of touching they'd been doing; the feel of Jensen's hand closing around his dick--holding at first, and then dragging his hand along the full length--was almost too much. Jared heard the noises he was making and knew he was making an idiot of himself, but he'd wanted Jensen for so long he couldn't stop himself.
"Shhh," Jensen soothed, stroking Jared with an easy, smooth rhythm. "I've got you, I've got you." He coaxed Jared to turn his head enough that Jensen could kiss him, little nips along Jared's bottom lip until Jared opened his mouth and let Jensen swallow down his gasps and whimpers. Jensen hummed encouragement, and his hand tightened around Jared.
Jared spread his legs and pushed up into Jensen's fist, jerking helplessly and groaning as Jensen rubbed his thumb hard over the head of his dick. It was perfect; it was too much; it was nowhere near enough. Jared wanted it to last longer--wanted it to never end, really--but Jensen was relentless, his hand moving faster and just a little rougher, not backing off at all, his tongue pushing into Jared′s mouth with the same rhythm, claiming Jared everywhere. Jared gave up and let it happen, let Jensen′s hands and mouth send him spiraling completely out of control. It rushed over Jared, uncoiling from low in his gut, fast, hard waves of pleasure that left him a sweaty, shaking mess.
Jensen stayed right with him, pressed even closer. He murmured quietly, things that Jared couldn't make sense of but brought him back down anyway, word by word until Jared's heart settled down a little and he could breathe without panting.
"God," Jared sighed, turning his head so he could kiss Jensen for real. He could feel the tension still thrumming through Jensen, the want and the need, and it sparked an echo in him even though he'd just come hard enough that he still wasn't seeing right. "Wait," Jared murmured, stealing one more kiss before he made himself reach for his duffel on the floor. It seemed a million years earlier that he'd packed, but he knew exactly where he'd tucked the rubbers and a little packet of slick into his shaving kit. It had felt like a huge thing, packing up supplies for actual sex when he and Jensen hadn't really talked about anything, but now he was so glad he'd gone ahead and done it he could barely keep a stupid grin off his face. He managed, though, because it was super-important that Jensen not think he wasn't ready for this.
"Jared," Jensen whispered when Jared turned around with the stuff. "Are you--are you--?"
"Yes," Jared said firmly, dropping everything on the bed next to Jensen, and attacking the rest of his clothes, wrestling his jeans down over his hips and toeing out of his socks and shoes at he same time. He tucked away the thought of Jensen getting him off before they'd even gotten undressed for later thought--he was pretty sure he'd be jerking off to that for at least a couple of years--and reached out to help Jensen with his clothes, too. "I am so sure you don't even know, Jen," Jared said, straddling his lap and kissing him slowly. "So sure."
"I--" Jensen broke off with a gasp as Jared ground down on him. "I'm sure, too." He slid his hands up Jared's back, and Jared arched into the touch. "I just needed to know you were."
"Always," Jared answered, letting Jensen roll him onto his back. He braced his feet flat on the bed and spread his thighs, made room for Jensen between them. "Always," he repeated, his breath hissing in as Jensen pressed a finger, cool and slick from the lube, inside him. Jensen moved in him slowly, stroking in and out and never once looking away from Jared's face. It made Jared feel open and exposed, even more than being naked did, but it was amazing to know Jensen wanted to see all of him.
"Gorgeous," Jensen murmured to him. He pressed a second finger in and bent low to catch Jared's gasp with a long kiss. "God, so beautiful." He scissored his fingers, and Jared could feel his body relaxing and opening a little more each time. It was good, a low, intense buzz that built higher with each stroke and then arced spectacularly as Jensen found the exact right spot inside him, a careful, gentle touch that Jared desperately needed more of. Jensen gave it to him, again and again, and Jared felt himself getting hard once more.
Jensen knew it, too; he kept going with the same focus and attention, watching, seeing, every reaction Jared had, every gasp, every shudder, every helpless whine, even though he should have been paying attention to himself by now. Jared tried to tell him, tried to make him understand that Jared was good, more than good, but Jensen ignored all that, until Jared gave in and let him have his way, arching up into every stroke, spreading his legs even wider, fucking himself on Jensen's hand the way he wanted to on his dick.
"Now, Jen, please. Want to come around you," Jared moaned, and that, finally, set Jensen off, sent him grabbing for the rubber Jared had brought. Jared caught one leg behind his knee and pulled it down close to his chest, offering himself up to Jensen wordlessly.
Jensen looked up and caught sight of Jared and closed his eyes, just for a second, but then he was there, pressing against Jared, not quite inside but enough that Jared could feel how thick he was, how much Jared was going to have to take. It didn't matter: Jared wanted him, had wanted him for forever. He made a low encouraging noise, and then breathed out steadily as Jensen pushed into him, his heart slamming heavy and fast at the hard burn of being opened up even more. Jensen didn't stop, only kept pressing in deeper and deeper, rocking into Jared with an even, steady pressure that let Jared feel every inch of him.
"Jared," Jensen whispered, buried deep in Jared, dropping his head down to mouth along Jared's jaw, and Jared couldn't help smiling at everything he heard under that one, single word.
"Right here," Jared whispered back, wrapping his legs around Jensen's waist and bringing him in even closer. "Waiting on you, in case you missed that." Jensen laughed softly, and started moving, long, slow glide out and then a fast snap back in, each time quicker and harder, and it was all good, so good. Jared heard himself gasping that, and Jensen's name, and crazy, disjointed words. He let himself fall into everything, just let it wash over him, Jensen inside him and over him, all that Jared could feel and see and breathe.
"So close," Jensen breathed. "So close, so good."
Jared managed the necessary coordination to get his hand around his own dick, falling into rhythm with Jensen, holding off just long enough to be able to watch Jensen lose it before he quickened his strokes and let it all, everything, but especially Jensen's eyes and what he saw in them, draw a second orgasm out of him, slow this time, and long enough that Jared lost all track of time.
They stayed tangled together until Jensen was only breathing, not gasping, against Jared's neck and shoulder, and Jared didn't feel as though he might shake out of his skin, and then they only moved enough to lie alongside each other, Jared tucked up under Jensen's arm, the very tips Jensen's fingers dancing lightly over Jared's shoulder and back.
"Okay, that was seriously the way to celebrate the millennium," Jared said. Jensen laughed, a soft chuff of air that brushed over Jared like the tiniest of touches, and Jared reached down and ran his own fingers over the one spot on Jensen's ribs that sent him squirming. When things calmed back down, Jared tilted his head back so he could just meet Jensen's eyes. "Seriously," he repeated. "And don't tell me it's really not the new millennium; I'm going off the party definition here, not the actual scientific one."
"I wouldn't dream of arguing." Jensen had his quirky half-smile going, but he didn't laugh, so Jared let it slide. "Though I hope you're not planning to wait until the next millennium--or even the next year--to do it again."
"Very funny," Jared mumbled, all the sex and the day catching up to him suddenly. He couldn't stop the mammoth yawn that threatened to crack his jaw, either. "It was totally worth waiting for for years, but that's it. "
"Years?" Jensen was still. Jared knew what that meant, and he wasn't having any of it.
"You had to know that, Jen."
"I thought--"
"You thought I had a crush and I'd grow out of it and think you were boring or whatever it is that goes on in your head."
"You had dates," Jensen said. "School dances and the like."
"Of course," Jared answered. "You'd have had a fit if I skipped out on those--all about how I was cheating myself of all the good parts of school. I had fun, but the girls I went with all knew I was--" Jared stumbled a bit, because it was a big thing to say, even if it should have been so completely obvious by now. "They all knew I was in love with somebody else, and they were cool with just going and having a good time."
"I--"
"Don't," Jared said, before Jensen could really get going. "I know you had the thing about our ages, and, y'know, I still think it was kind of stupid, but whatever. We're here, and if you still think I'll be bored with you, I'm totally good with staying right here--" Jared threw one leg over Jensen's and pressed himself even closer-- "until I can get it through your head that I'm not going anywhere."
"Well," Jensen said, dryly. "If you're determined to stay the course for as long as it takes, I'll be happy to tell you I'm sure you'll tire of me. Please feel free to convince me otherwise."
"I can do that," Jared said. He knew Jensen was laughing at him again, but they were still practically breathing each other in, so he didn′t care. Plus: tired and he was pretty sure he was the living definition of fucked-out. All good things, so he yawned again, instead. "In the morning, though."
"The morning works fine for me," Jensen murmured. Jared nodded. It was quiet for a while; Jared was almost asleep when Jensen added,″I love you, too, by the way.″
Jared didn′t care what Jensen thought, it was still the most awesome way to celebrate the new millennium ever, and Jared was definitely not letting Jensen out of bed until he agreed. With that plan firmly in mind, Jared fell asleep with Jensen wrapped around him and a smile on his face.
***
Prologue | Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Epilogue
When she edited the original,
without_me really wanted to know where the epilogue was. And so, not quite two years later, and just a tiny bit late for her birthday: ta-daaaa! I am slow, but sometimes I do manage to get there. :D
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Lovely!
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i went back and found the first 3 chapters so i could read the epilogue. really awesome!!
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