Your Strength

On Tuesday, Jensen took Jared to a fun interactive theater where they watched a movie with live actors both acting along and serving as commentators. The movie was Hair, and the night was a blast. Jensen drove and paid this time, and found it adorable how many times Jared thanked him on the ride back. They parked in the parking lot at the base of Jared’s apartment complex.

“Shall I be a gentlemen and walk you to your door?” Jensen asked both hesitantly and flirtatiously.

“Or you could do one more than that and come in for some coffee,” Jared suggested, grinning at Jensen. Jensen loved how much Jared seemed to smile, and the downright adorable dimples displayed when he did so. “You can meet Harley and Sadie too.”

“You had me at coffee, but meeting the dogs is a definite plus,” Jensen said, winking.

They headed up to Jared’s apartment, talking idly. When they reached Jared’s door and pushed it open, Jared was instantly attacked by two dogs, who shortly after greeting their owner, greeted Jensen with a similar amount of warmth and enthusiasm. Jensen dropped to his knees and scrubbed their heads.

“Hello,” he greeted amiably, and they both excitedly nuzzled him, and tentatively licked his face. He slowly stood to see Jared smiling at him, with an odd look in his eyes.

“What?” Jensen asked, feeling, as he had all night, a warm tightness in his chest when he looked at the tall drink of water that stood in front of him.

Jared grinned at him. “I love that you greeted them like that. It means that they probably like you.”

Jensen laughed. “Well, what I’ve seen of them thus far, I doubt they dislike anyone really.”

Jared laughed and then stepped up to Jensen, putting his hands on Jensen’s cheeks and kissing him quickly before pulling away. He grinned at Jensen and Jensen felt as though he’d found the source of the sun’s warmth, and somehow it was this man.

Jared turned towards the kitchen. “So coffee?”

Jensen was torn for a short moment at the promise of coffee, but instead chose to grab Jared’s hand as he began to walk away, pulling him back to Jensen.

“Coffee can wait,” Jensen replied huskily, pulling Jared against him until their mouths met, almost frantically. They kissed and Jensen pushed Jared onto the couch, straddling the younger man. Jensen wrapped his arms around Jared’s neck and Jared’s hands wrapped around Jensen’s waist, pulling Jensen closer against him. Jensen licked eagerly across Jared’s lips, and Jared immediately opened his mouth accommodatingly. The longer they made out, the more urgent it seemed to become until Jared was practically bucking up against Jensen. Jensen smiled against his mouth as he slowly eased away, barely allowing enough room for their eyes to meet momentarily.

“You’re not going to make me leave this time, are you?” Jensen asked and Jared laughed.

“I barely managed last time, there’s no way I’m denying you this time,” Jared replied, his voice low and husky, which made Jensen want him even more. “Although, we should go in the bedroom.”
Jensen agreed, hopping off of Jared’s lap. Jared stood quickly, grabbed Jensen’s hand, and they both walked, rather unsteadily, into Jared’s bedroom, shutting the door behind them. Jared flopped belly first onto his bed, reaching into the drawer of his bedside table where he retrieved a bottle of lube and a condom. He then flipped over and set them aside.

“This is your show, cowboy,” Jared said and Jensen laughed.

“You’re so weird,” Jensen murmured as he slowly straddled Jared’s hips again and began unbuttoning his shirt. When it was off, he leaned down to kiss along Jared’s jaw line, down his neck, and finally spending a decent amount of time sucking each nipple in turn. Jensen was very pleased to see and feel the very excited reaction each of these in turn elicited. Jared moaned deeply in the back of his throat when Jensen finally pulled away, sliding down slightly so he could make quick work of Jared’s pants. When he had slipped them off, with a little help from Jared, he finally tore off his own shirt and pants.

“You’re so stupidly hot,” Jared told Jensen and Jensen rolled his eyes.

“You’re one to talk,” Jensen replied, running a finger along Jared’s nicely defined abdominal oblique before he disappeared underneath Jared’s boxer briefs. Jensen allowed himself a quick moment of hesitation as he looked up into Jared’s eager and beautiful eyes. “Are we doing this…um, all the way?”

Jared chuckled. “We’re doing whatever you want to, baby.”

“Wow, ‘baby’ and ‘cowboy’,” Jensen laughed, kissing Jared a few times on the lips as they spoke softly. “You’re nicknames are very incongruous.”

“Are you using big words to seduce me?” Jared asked, making Jensen laugh again.

“Why? Are you sapiosexual? Because I can certainly use that to my advantage,” Jensen asked and Jared grinned.

“I wouldn’t define myself specifically as sapiosexual, but hey, if that’s all you got going for you…” Jared replied and Jensen snorted.

“Yeah, that’s it, just my intellect,” Jensen nodded. “That’s definitely what gets me all the guys.”

“Well, it’s definitely not the perfectly symmetrical face or the amazing personality, that’s for sure,” Jared retorted and Jensen rolled his eyes.

“Enough with the flattery, Jared,” Jensen replied, leaning in so his lips were pressed against Jared’s ears and his voice barely audible. “I want you in me, now.”

Jared shuddered beneath him, a moan caught in his throat as Jensen took it from joking to hot in a blink of an eye. “What the fuck are you waiting for, then?”

Jensen chuckled lowly, and wiggled out of his underwear atop Jared, which he saw elicited another shudder from the giant man beneath him. He helped Jared out of his underwear and managed to grind gently against Jared’s erection for a moment before Jared finally began to moan.

“Oh my God, Jensen,” Jared breathed out.

Jensen laughed tauntingly as he grabbed the lube and began fingering himself open. Jared watched, transfixed and Jensen could see the obvious arousal in his face even before he sat up and pushed Jensen’s hand away to replace it with his own. Jensen jumped a little at the contact but quickly leaned into Jared’s nimble fingers, pushing his mouth against Jared’s in a tentative but eager kiss. After a few minutes of work, Jensen nodded against Jared.

“God, I’m there, I’m there, just fuck me,” he whispered against Jared’s lips, prompting a groan.

“So bossy,” Jared commented and Jensen laughed.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” he muttered as he grabbed the condom, and slowly rolled it down Jared’s shaft. “Are you complaining?”

“Ohhh, no I’m not,” Jared managed as slowly lowered himself onto Jared’s cock. Jensen leaned in and kissed Jared for the slow descent and for a moment as Jensen allowed himself to adjust slightly. Jensen led the motions: first slow and steady which he saw made Jared writhe against him for more. After a little while, he picked up the pace much to Jared’s satisfaction.

“Oh, fuck,” Jared moaned out, and Jensen smiled, pressing his lips against Jared’s. Jared responded enthusiastically as Jensen began to really speed it up. To his surprise, Jared took hold of Jensen’s dick and matched Jensen’s tempo.

“Jared,” Jensen moaned out.

“I’m…oh my God…I’m so close…” Jared choked out and Jensen kissed him hard before replying.

“Dear God, me too,” he managed. “Come on, Jared.”

Jensen kicked it up a notch, clutching Jared closer to him as he finally felt Jared explode inside the condom, accompanied by a long moan from the man himself, that Jensen found supremely satisfying. He came shortly after and they both collapsed in a heap on the bed. Jared slowly pulled out of Jensen and threw the condom into a trashcan near the head of the bed. Jensen grabbed a shirt off the floor and wiped his cum off them both. They both fell back onto the bed, atop the sheets and comforter, breathing heavily.

“You know,” Jared started, a little sleepily. Jensen himself yawned openly as he turned so his head rested on Jared’s arm and he looked at the man as he spoke. “I had this really bad habit of telling jokes in the middle of sex, which most people didn’t appreciate, I don’t think. But I thought of a really great one just now.”

Jensen rolled his eyes at Jared which made Jared grin. “Alright, weirdo,” Jensen gave in. “Let’s hear it.”

“Okay, I think, as a man with an English degree, you will appreciate this,” Jared told Jensen. “Knock knock.”

“You’re kidding me,” Jensen snorted.

“Knock knock,” Jared insisted. Jensen sighed.

“Who’s there?”

“To.”

“To who?”

“To whom.”

Jensen was silent a moment and then had to laugh, which made Jared laugh, and before Jensen knew it, they were laughing so hard they both had tears in their eyes.

“You’re so dumb,” Jensen chuckled, wiping the wetness from his eyes.

“I’m so glad you laughed,” Jared replied, sounding genuinely pleased. “I figured it was a 50/50 chance that you’d either laugh or leave.”

“I’m not going to leave, just so long as we take a moment to reflect that the place you go after sex is to knock knock jokes,” Jensen replied.

“Surprisingly good knock knock jokes,” Jared correctly and Jensen rolled his eyes.

“Alright, I’ll give you that,” Jensen agreed.

“What can I say,” Jared smiled at him. “I’m an enigma.”

“No arguments here,” Jensen replied, yawning hugely.

“Are you tired?” Jared asked. “Because I’m tired now. I mean…unless you really want to that coffee?”

Jensen laughed. “I always want coffee, but we can just hold off until the morning…if that’s okay?”

Jared gave Jensen the biggest grin at this, and leaned down to kiss him before replying, “That is so okay by me.”

They both drifted off fairly quickly after that.

In the morning, Jensen woke to find the spot next to him empty. He rolled over and wiped a hand over his face before he slowly sat up and stretched. He could hear cupboards in the kitchen opening and he thought he smelled coffee. He slowly lifted himself from Jared’s exceedingly comfy bed and searched the floor until he found his boxers. He slipped them on and then debated going back to bed, but finally decided that he really did want to see Jared—plus there was coffee.

He opened the door to find Harley and Sadie lying patiently to see their overnight guest again. He leaned down to pet them both before walking into the kitchen, where he saw a pot of coffee, and Jared standing at the door in pajama pants, blocking a very eager looking Chad from entering.

Chad spotted Jensen before he could spin around and retreat back to Jared’s room.

“Jensen! Morning!” he called and Jensen groaned.

“Jared, make him go away,” Jensen pleaded. “It’s too early to deal with Chad.”

“I’m trying, he’s very stubborn,” Jared called back. “Chad, leave!”

“But it’s after ten, Jensen,” Chad argued. “That’s not early. In fact, many people would call that lazy.”

“Bite me, Chad,” Jensen growled as he walked over to the coffee pot and poured himself a cup of coffee, using a mug that sat next to an already full cup that he assumed was Jared’s.

“Is that an invitation?” Chad asked.

“Alright, seriously, get out, you freak,” Jared cried, pushing Chad and the door until it shut with finality.

“Rude, guys,” Chad called through the door, but apparently left.

Jared turned back and rolled his eyes at Jensen. “Why does he have friends?”

Jensen shrugged, leaning back against the counter, coffee in one hand held close to his lips, another absently petting Sadie who had followed him from Jared’s bedroom door. Jared walked up to him and gave him a peck on the lips.

“Good morning,” Jared greeted, retrieving his own coffee.

“Mm,” Jensen replied.

“He wanted pancakes,” Jared explained to Jensen’s unspoken question. “He always wants pancakes, and either he doesn’t know how to make them himself, or he doesn’t have any of the ingredients at his place. Probably the latter.”

“Mmm,” Jensen replied again.

“When I told him I had company, he told me you weren’t a morning person and I’d have to talk for the first little while until you drank your coffee,” Jared supplied further and this made Jensen snort. “Although, how he knew this about you, I don’t know. I’m assuming before I moved here, he annoyed you for pancakes just as often?”

“He would not be alive were that the case,” Jensen replied slowly, then explained further. “Danny probably brought it up at some point. We were roommates for a little while.”

Jared smiled. “That makes sense.”

Jensen nodded his agreement.

“Hey, I also thought of another knock knock joke, is it too early for that?” Jared asked.

“Usually, yes, but I’ll allow it this time,” Jensen replied, taking another big gulp of his piping hot coffee.

“Alright, noted,” Jared nodded. “Knock knock.”

Long gulp of coffee. “Who’s there?”

“A broken pencil.”

Another big gulp. “A broken pencil who?”

“Never mind. It’s pointless.”

This solicited a few chuckles and an eye roll from Jensen, and a huge grin from Jared.

“Ha! Chad owes me five dollars,” Jared bragged. “I bet him I could make you smile before you finished your coffee.”

Jensen smirked as he tilted his cup for Jared to see the very visible bottom. “I finished it before the punch line.”

Jared’s jaw dropped and he stared in between the cup and Jensen before he groaned. “Alright, just don’t tell Chad that.”

“Nope, deals a deal, Padalecki,” Jensen replied, leaning in to kiss Jared quickly. “Do you mind if I get another cup?”

“Not at all,” Jared replied, and Jensen turned to refill his cup. He froze when he felt Jared’s finger graze down his back, where he knew there were a few long scars. He had many tiny scars all across his back from the final fight with Charlie, but only a few were actually long and jagged, from particularly large pieces of glass.

Jared’s hand dropped the moment he felt Jensen freeze, and Jensen wheeled around, hiding the majority of the scars again. Jared’s face showed nothing but a slight twinge of curiosity.

“Aren’t you going to ask where I got them?” Jensen inquired roughly after a long moment of silence, staring down at his coffee. He hadn’t meant it to sound as challenging as it did. Jared, however, simply grinned at him.

“Sailing accident?” Jared asked. “Oh! Or are you an ex-boxer? Or was it a back flip gone terribly awry?”

Jensen slowly smiled at him, rolling his eyes. “Yes,” he replied. “It was a boxing match on a sailboat where my signature move was a back flip that went terribly awry.”

“You sure live an exciting life,” Jared commented and Jensen smiled fondly at him.

“That’s what I’m told,” Jensen agreed, taking another big gulp of coffee.

“Dude, slow down with the caffeine,” Jared laughed as he watched Jensen nearly down his second cup in less than five minutes.

Jensen laughed. “You think this is bad! I usually have at least four to six cups of coffee before noon. I’m just getting started.”

“That is a very unhealthy addiction to coffee, Mr. Ackles,” Jared jokingly chastised.

Jensen nodded. “Oh, I’m aware. But I can’t seem to kick the habit. It’s better than heroin.”

Jared laughed boisterously. “Okay, any kind of addiction is better when compared to heroin.”

“Exactly,” Jensen grinned and was impressed at how easy it was to smile at Jared, even in the morning. In fact, Jensen thought this was probably the most he’d ever talked in the morning in years. He had never been a morning person, and preferred to go about his morning routine in grim silence as he nursed coffee. But Jared just had this sort of…presence. It was like a contagious sense of joy. Or at least contentment. Jensen was filled with a sudden wave of affection for the tall man and he smiled appreciatively at him, standing so easily close to Jensen grinning over coffee in the kitchen. He leaned in close to Jared, angling his head up towards him invitingly. Jared met him half way, and they kissed lazily for a time, until the kisses relayed a sense of intent and they became more alive as the men awoke further.

Before long, Jared’s hand had wandered down to cup the bulge in Jensen’s boxers. Jensen groaned and Jared chuckled. Before Jensen could even work out Jared’s intent, Jared had dropped to his knees and yanked down Jensen’s boxers, taking his cock into his mouth with no warning at all. Jensen let out a moan that sounded mostly surprised. But as Jared worked Jensen’s shaft with his tongue, Jensen’s moans quickly turned to that of pleasure. Jared had Jensen exploding into his mouth in no time and when Jared had swallowed down all of Jensen’s cum, Jared stood and planted a sloppy kiss on Jensen’s mouth. Jensen kissed him back fervently, and pulled away to grin at Jared.

“Wow, Henry “Too Big” Slickerman really missed out,” Jensen commented and Jared let out a huge laugh, but was cut off by Jensen kissing him again, and then winking. “Your turn.”

Jensen dropped to his knees and pulled Jared’s pajama pants down to his ankles, pleased and enticed to see he was going commando underneath. Jensen took Jared in quickly as Jared had done with him, but spent more time slowly bobbing, eliciting amazing groans of pleasure from the very tall man. He picked up the pace when he tasted the pre-cum, and hallowed his cheeks further, using his tongue to flick over the head. He felt Jared’s hands in his hair loosely as Jared finally came in his mouth. He swallowed down on the cum and stood when Jared was finished, pulling both his own boxers up and Jared’s pajamas as well. He leaned into Jared to plant a kiss on his mouth before he took a big gulp of coffee. Jared smiled at him warmly wrapping his arms around Jensen’s waist and hugging him to him.

“Knock knock,” Jared started and Jensen couldn’t help but laugh.

“You’ve got to be kidding me! What is it with you and knock knock jokes? Are they orgasm induced?” Jensen inquired, rolling his eyes but smiling.

“Maybe,” Jared allowed, thinking about this for a moment before returning to his point. “Knock knock.”

Jensen let out a heavy sigh before he replied, finally, “Who’s there?”

“Al.”

“Al who?”

“Al give you a kiss if you open this door.”

Jensen snorted but his commenting was cut off by Jared leaning in and delivering on his promise. When Jared pulled away Jensen smiled at him fondly.

“You’re dumb,” Jensen pointed out and Jared laughed.

“You just don’t recognize the true genius these kind of jokes are,” Jared told him and Jensen rolled his eyes.

“You’re right, it just me not recognizing the genius, not the complete overuse of Knock Knock jokes as a whole,” Jensen retorted. “Granted, I’ve never heard the ones you’ve told me thus far, but you have to admit that as a whole, the Knock Knock joke is fairly trite.”

“Hey,” Jared warned. “Don’t hate on the Knock Knock joke. You just have to search for the real gems.”

Jensen rolled his eyes. “Okay, Jared, whatever you say.”

Jared grinned. “Alright, so what do you have planned for today…because, I mean, that is if you want to, we could hang out. I don’t really have anything going until shooting for the movie starts. Although, I did promise Harley and Sadie I’d take them to the dog park, but that can wait until tomorrow.”

“Are you asking me to hang out with you?” Jensen asked, amused.

“Yes,” Jared said, and Jensen grinned.

“I’d hate for poor Harley and Sadie to miss out on the dog park because of me,” Jensen began. “Why don’t I just tag along to that?”

“You wouldn’t mind going to the dog park with me?” Jared asked, looking both happy and doubtful. “Because, seriously, we could do literally anything. You don’t have to feel like you need to go to the dog park with me.”

Jensen laughed. “No, I mean it! I would love to go to the dog park. I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this, but I do actually love dogs. Plus, I haven’t been to a dog park in…well, probably years. In fact, I don’t think I’ve been to a regular park in years.”

“Dude, that’s such a weird thing to not have done in so long,” Jared commented. “Alright, well, if you really don’t mind. Harley and Sadie will love you forever for this.”

“You know, I doubt that they’ll actually know that I had anything to do with it,” Jensen pointed out.

“Oh, they’ll know,” Jared said, grinning. “They’ll know.”

They got dressed and herded the dogs into Jared’s car. Jared drove a stupid distance to get to his favorite dog park, almost an hour drive. Jensen and Jared talked, relaxed, for the drive, holding hands off and on.

“How is it that you already have a favorite dog park when you haven’t lived here for all that long?” Jensen asked.

“I had Chad stake them out for me a month in advance,” Jared revealed. “It was a full recon mission. I had him take pictures of almost every dog park in a 50-mile radius of our apartment building.”

“Alright, so I guess that’s why we’re friends with Chad,” Jensen replied and Jared nodded.

“Yeah, I mean, he’s a pain in the ass, but he’s a pretty good friend when you need him to be,” Jared agreed. “I mean, what other idiot could I convince to scout out dog parks for me?”

“No other idiot,” Jensen said. “Chad is the only idiot you’d ever be able to convince to do that.”

Jared laughed, and Jensen smiled at him. When they arrived at the dog park, it was fairly vacant—reasonably so, considering it was noon on a Wednesday. Jensen and Jared found a bench in a particularly green area of grass. They both threw the few toys they had brought for Harley and Sadie, chatting idly. Jensen couldn’t help but feel as though this were…too good. He, of course, was going to take it completely for granted while he could, but nevertheless, a small part of him dreaded the moment the other shoe was going to drop.

“Knock knock,” Jared started and Jensen laughed preemptively.

“Who’s there?” he humored.

“Cows go.”

Jensen rolled his eyes. “Cows go moo.”

“You stole my punch line!” Jared looked at him, astonished.

Jensen laughed, rolling his eyes again. “Dude, that’s, like, the most cliché knock knock joke ever.”

“I have worse ones,” Jared confided.

“That’s not something to brag about,” Jensen commented.

“Yet, brag I do,” Jared replied, laughing. They sat in silence for a little while, and eventually, Jared grabbed Jensen’s hand. “I’m glad you’re hanging out with me still.”

“I’m glad too,” Jensen replied truthfully, squeezing his hand a little bit and scooting closer. “This is…nice. Whatever this is.”

“Most normal people would call this dating,” Jared replied, laughing.

Jensen nudged Jared with his shoulder, giving him a faux scathing look. “Oh, shut up,” he retorted, then seriously. “Okay, fine. Dating you is nice.”

“I’m glad you like it,” Jared laughed. “I’m pretty fond of dating you too.”

“I’m glad,” Jensen chuckled. The moment passed and they began talking casually again. Jensen still somewhat felt a sense of foreboding at the seeming easiness of being with Jared in this capacity. Jared squeezed his hand and brought him back to the present, where Jensen felt an easy smile spread across his lips. He’d treasure the happiness while it lasted.