Your Strength

The next morning, Jared and Jensen were awakened by a loud knock on the door, which preceded the door being flung open and Mac jumping onto the bed.

“Mac!” Jensen groaned. “Get off our bed! You freak! Privacy!”

Mac laughed. “Jensen, I peeked before I came in to make sure you two weren’t going at it or anything. You were decent, so I jumped.”

“Get off,” Jensen gave her his morning death glare and Mac laughed, Jared chuckling a little along with her. “A) It’s gross that you would even peek in the first place, and B) boundaries. Mac. Get off.”

Mac groaned, playfully. “Awe, c’mon! Jared’s laughing!”

Jensen turned his death glare to Jared who tried to smooth his face into a mirror of Jensen’s anger, to no avail. His grin cracked through in an instant and Jensen groaned, throwing himself back against his pillow dramatically.

“Jared, don’t encourage her! She’ll begin to think it’s okay to do weird things like this,” Jensen grumbled.

“Look, Mac, we need to change,” Jared told her. “Unless you want to see us naked.”

“Him, no,” she groaned. “But you…”

Jensen shot up and pointed at the door. “Out.”
“So territorial,” Mac laughed, but jumped off the bed and skidded from the room before Jensen could find something to throw at her. Once she’d ran out, hooking the door behind her, Jensen fell back on his pillow again, scrubbing his eyes.

“I think that was the most I’ve ever heard you talk in the morning,” Jared commented, stretching lithely.

“Yeah, well,” Jensen sighed heavily. “Sometimes, if I’m really pissed, I get a little more vocal about it.”

“Nah,” Jared disagreed, stretching onto Jensen until Jared was practically on top of him. “No, I don’t think that was it.”

“Oh? And pray tell, what did you think my talkative disposition this fine cock-crow, contrary to my habitual nature, says, Freud?” Jensen retorted factiously.

“Wow,” Jared whistled. “That was wordy.”

“You forget my vocation,” Jensen rolled his eyes, even though he knew Jared couldn’t see.

“You’re going to miss her,” Jared said.

“Of course I’m going to miss her,” Jensen replied. “However, correlation does not necessarily equal causation.”

“Than what is the cause?” Jared asked.

Jensen was silent a moment. “You know, if you weren’t on top of me, I’d shrug.”

“But since I am on top of you?” Jensen could hear the grin in Jared’s voice.

“That was my way of telling you to get the fuck off me,” Jensen replied. “You’re not a cat. You can’t just stretch your way on top of me.”

“But it would be acceptable, were I a cat?” Jared inquired.

“Maybe not acceptable, but at least it’d be a little more comfortable for me,” Jensen groaned, pushing on Jared’s shoulder until he slid back next to him. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but you’re much larger than a cat.”

“I have actually,” Jared told him matter-of-factly. “Now, c’mon! We have to go say goodbye to your family.”

“I don’t wanna,” Jensen moaned in a childish way, which made Jared laugh.

“C’mon,” Jared kissed Jensen slowly, for a few long moments before pulling away with a grin. “We’ve got to get dressed.”

“Fine,” Jensen eventually consented. “But only because you convinced me.”

“I’m very convincing,” Jared confided. “I’ll convince you further, if you need it.”

“Oh, I do,” Jensen told him, nodding. Jared grinned and kissed him more, before finally pulling away once more.

“We really should get going,” Jared told Jensen, who frowned but nodded.

“I know,” Jensen agreed.

They got ready relatively quickly, and by the time they headed downstairs into the living room, Mac was lounging on the couch with Megan sitting at her feet, looking sleepily up at her.

“We’re friends now,” Mac told Jensen and Jared.

“More,” Megan added.

“Besties,” Mac furthered.

“Sisters, even,” Megan nodded.

“We’ll be keeping in touch,” Mac told them knowingly. “I may even move to Austen.”

“It’d be a good idea,” Megan agreed. “We make a good team.”

“We do,” Mac smiled. “We’ll be friends forever.”

“Longer than forever,” Megan said. “Eternity.”

“Agreed,” Mac solemnly nodded at Jensen and Jared. They had yet to break eye contact with their respective brothers, and eventually Jensen nodded.

“Alright,” he widened his eyes at them. “You’re the twins from The Shining, we get it.”

“That’s actually what we were going for!” Megan grinned, turning to Mac, who grinned back.

“It was all true, though,” Mac beamed down at Megan.

“I know,” Megan said, hugging Mac awkwardly from her sitting position.

“We may regret introducing them in the long run,” Jensen murmured to Jared. “They seem a little maniacal when they’re together.”

“Probably,” Jared nodded, but grinned at Jensen. “No matter what, though, they’ll probably do amazing things. Maybe amazingly terrifying. But amazing nonetheless.”

Jensen rolled his eyes, but grinned at their sisters, sitting and talking quietly to themselves now as Donna came in, lugging a huge bag on one shoulder.

“Oh, mom, let me get that,” Jensen told her, taking it from her shoulder.

“Thank you, sweetheart,” she smiled at him, then turned to Mac. “Are you ready, dear? Where’s Joshy?”

“Right here,” he replied, walking in behind her. “And let’s not start this whole ‘Joshy’ thing again. God, spend one weekend with you, Jen, and that’s a thing again.”

“Hey, not my fault it’s so damn catchy,” Jensen smiled.

“Yeah, but then again, so is Jenny,” Josh pointed out.

“Fair point,” Jensen nodded. “Alright, I’ll stop if you do.”

“Agreed,” Josh smiled, then gave Jensen a quick hug. “Anyway, man, annoying nicknames or not, it was good seeing you. You need to visit me more often!”

“Hey, that’s not a one-way street, bro,” Jensen replied. “Come out to L.A.”

“Nah,” Josh laughed. “Too sunny.”

“Says the Texas boy,” Jensen snorted.

“True,” Josh nodded. “Could be, I just don’t like the traffic.”

“No one does,” Jared pointed out.

“Have to be insane to,” Josh agreed. “Hey, and it was great to meet you too, man!”

Jared and Josh did a quick bro-hug that made Jensen roll his eyes, but smile. Josh turned to Donna. “Mom, is dad coming down?”

Jensen frowned, and turned to his mom before she could reply. “Here, mom, I’m going to take this out to the car.”

“I’ll follow you out,” Mac said, hauling her bag onto her shoulder.

“Mac, I can grab that for you,” Jared offered, and Mac hesitated before relenting.

“Alright, but let me preemptively apologize for the weight,” Mac warned, and when Jared grabbed it, Jensen noted the barely perceptible strain.

“It’s not so bad,” Jared grinned at Mac.

“Alright, maybe for a giant like you,” Mac allowed with a scowl, staying inside the house with her mother.

Jensen and Jared went out first, followed by Josh while the girls waited for Alan.

“This thing is fucking heavy,” Jared groaned softly as they got to the car, and Josh laughed.

“Yeah, Mac has a habit of bringing every pair of shoe she owns,” he provided.

“Yet, she only wears her boots or the sneakers,” Jensen laughed a little.

They all threw the bags into the trunk and turned just as Donna, Mac, and Alan all came out the front door.

“Alright, seems like we’re just about off,” Donna said, taking Jensen in her arms again. “You need to call more often.”

“I know,” Jensen agreed, but made no promises he knew he probably wouldn’t keep.

Donna pulled away and gave him a knowing look. “If you don’t call, at the very least, answer when I do.”

“I will, mom,” Jensen agreed, this time definitive.

“Good,” Donna nodded, smiling. “Good boy.” She turned to Jared and enveloped him into a long hug too. “Be good to my boy,” Donna said good-naturedly and Jensen fought the urge to roll his eyes at his mother, but knew she’d call him out on the disrespect were he to.

“I will,” Jared promised.

“I know,” Donna smiled.

Jensen and Josh hugged one more time, and Josh and his mother got into the car. Mac ran to Jensen and held him for a few long moments.

“Maybe instead of moving to Austen with Megan, I’ll move to L.A. with you,” she murmured to him as they embraced.

“Finish school first,” Jensen told her. “Then, absolutely. And I’ll fly you out, soon. I promise.”

“Really?” Mac grinned.

“Yeah, of course,” Jensen smiled. “After all the craziness for the movie settles down.”

“I love you,” Mac told him earnestly.

“I know,” Jensen ruffled her hair. “You too, Mac and Cheese.”

Mac hugged Jared for a moment after she and her brother finally parted, then slipped into the car a little sadly. Only left was Alan. Jensen looked at his father, offered one curt nod, and then waved at the rest of his family one last time before turning to walk back into the house. Jared offered his hand to Alan, which Alan shook once, with finality, before turning and getting into their car. Jared waved to them once more, and went to join Jensen in the house.

“I think it’s great that you’re flying Mac out,” Jared commented as he joined Jensen inside the door.

“Well, I kind of forgot how much I miss her,” Jensen admitted.

“I missed Megan too,” Jared agreed, then laughed. “Although, she paid more attention to being friends with Mac than she did on me, this weekend.”

Jensen laughed, then rubbed his eyes tiredly. “This weekend was…nice. Fucking tiring, but nice.”

“It was,” Jared agreed, stepping to Jensen and wrapping his arms around his waist. “I’m glad we did it. I’m glad your family—well, most of your family—likes me.”

“Me too,” Jensen nodded. “And ditto in regards to your family.”

Jared chuckled and kissed Jensen for a few long moments, but broke apart as they heard footsteps coming down the stairs. The next wave of departures was to ensue. Jensen went into the kitchen to start on breakfast, and before he even knew what happened, it was close to ten in the morning and Jared’s parents were leaving, along with Gen and Felicia.

They all stood at the cars once more to bid farewell to one another. Mama Padalecki tackled Jensen with a hug first, giving him two huge kisses on both cheeks before pulling back and grinning at him.

“It was just so lovely to meet you, Jensen,” she told him zealously. “And I expect you to keep in touch.”

Jensen laughed a little. “I will, Mama Padalecki.”

She grinned at him and then turned to her son, enveloping him in a similar bone-crushing hug. “You keep in touch, too. And I expect updates about the premiers! Tell me how Rome. You know how I love Rome.”

“Of course, mom,” Jared laughed.

“And you hang on to this one,” Mama Padalecki winked at Jared. “He’s a keeper.”

“I know,” Jared grinned, leaning over to peck Jensen’s on the cheek, where he was suddenly red.

Megan hugged Jared for a long time before pulling back and looking him straight in the eye. “Bring me to the premiere.”

“Again, Megan,” Jared laughed, exasperated. “It depends. But we’ll see, alright?”

“Don’t parent talk me, Jare-Bear,” Megan narrowed her eyes. “Just…keep me in mind.”

“I will,” he told her, kissing her on top of the head before pushing her a little towards the car.

“Bye, Jensen,” Megan gave Jensen’s hand a quick squeeze before getting into the car.

“You’re a blast, as always,” Jeff told Jared as they hugged too.

“Love you,” Jared told him, to which Jeff nodded. He offered Jensen a quick hug too, and then was off in his own car.

Jerry sauntered over to Jared and hugged Jared and Jensen in one go, both receiving huge pats on the back the entire time.

“See you later, boys,” he smiled at them, and just like that, they were off.

Felicia and Gen approached.

“We didn’t want to intrude on the family goodbyes, but we’re off too, now,” Felicia told them.

“Alright, guys,” Jensen smiled at them. “Thanks for coming!”

“Of course,” Gen grinned. “Anytime I can get this one away from work for a little while, I will!”

“I love my job,” Felicia shrugged. “What can I say?”

“I know, honey,” Gen smiled.

“We’ll see you guys back in L.A.,” Jared grinned. “Probably pretty soon.”

“Yeah, no doubt,” Felicia agreed.

“Have a safe flight,” Jensen concluded, hugging and kissing each on the cheek.

They were off. The remaining four trickled out in pairs, first Misha and Chad, without much event, other than Chad faking tears. Jensen reminded Chad that’d he’d see Jared at the bar in just a few days. Finally, Danny and Chris lugged their bags out to the car and Jensen and Jared grinned at them.

“You lost me five bucks, you know,” Jared told Danny confidentially.

“I can’t believe you boys bet on the love lives of friends,” Danny said, faux-venomously.

“Of course we do,” Jensen laughed. “I make good money off it.”

“I’m sure you do,” Chris snorted.

“But really, guys,” Jensen smiled. “I mean…I’m pretty fond of you both. So don’t mess this up.”

Danny scoffed. “Wow, Jen, no pressure.”

“Jensen means, I’m sure,” Jared replied, nudging Jensen with his elbow. “He’s glad you two make each other happy…and doesn’t want either of you hurt.”
“Yeah,” Jensen agreed. “Sure.”

“Let’s just agree here and now that Chris and I will deal with this as we see fit,” Danny told them both fiercely and Jensen couldn’t help but grin.

“Sure thing, Danny,” he responded, then hugged them both. “Safe flight.”

“Thanks,” they said in tandem, which made Jensen stifle a laugh. Chris and Danny hugged Jared and then departed as well.

“We’re alone now,” Jared sighed. “I can’t say I’m not relieved. I love our friends and family, and all, but…”

“Chaotic,” Jensen agreed. “It was kind of chaotic.”

“Not that I don’t love me some chaos,” Jared grinned, hugging Jensen to him.

“Oh, yeah,” Jensen nodded against Jared’s shoulder. “You know, me too. Love chaos. I thrive in chaos.”

“Now do we go back to having sex everywhere?” Jared asked, pulling back with a glint in his eye that made Jensen partially hard immediately.

“Oh yeah,” Jensen nodded. “Starting with the lake.”