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When Jensen goes out for the night, he isn't actually expecting to meet someone, much less someone like Jared. He anticipated some flirting at the bar, buy a couple of drinks, then wind up going home to his condo alone. It wasn't that he was hoping for a different outcome, only that he wasn't expecting it. He wasn't the type to have one night stands, no strings attached encounters.
So, when Jared saunters up to the bar with that dimpled smile, Jensen knows he's well and fucked. From the second the other man says, "Buy you another?" in that southern drawl Jensen knows all too well from his own upbringing.
The next morning, he wakes up with the sun showering his face in mid-morning light and he rolls over with a grunt. The other side of the bed is cold, as per usual, but Jensen realizes he'd been hoping a body was there when he woke up. It comes as a shock, this disappointment, but he gets up and starts his day as if it's business as usual.
That's when he finds the wallet that doesn't belong to him under his bed. It much have gotten kicked under there and forgotten about. The worn brown leather is soft in his hands, turning it over in his palm before taking the plunge and opening it. There's Jared, smiling back up at him and seriously, who smiles for their license photo?
Jensen snorts out a laugh, writes down Jared's address and closes up the wallet again. The temptation to go through it is almost too great, but he's very big on his own privacy so he doesn't pry into other people's.
Roughly an hour later, Jensen is on Jared's doorstep with Jared's wallet in hand and it's only after he's rung the bell he thinks calling might have been a better option. He hears a high-pitched squeal shortly thereafter and for a hysterical second Jensen thinks that he's gotten himself involved with a married man. Then it registers that the voice is entirely too young to be anyone remotely old enough to be Jared's wife, but that doesn't stifle the scream threatening to escape his throat.
A moment later and the door opens. Jared is there, handsome as Jensen remembers, a doll in one hand the front door in the other. Jared's eyes go wide, jaw hanging slack in shock before he recovers. "Jensen, how did you...?" He asks, looking up the street and down the other, as if expecting the culprit who told Jensen where he lived would be hiding in the bushes.
Jensen jumps into motion, shoving the wallet toward Jared with a blurted, "Your wallet, left it at my place and I'm returning it to you." He takes a step back, unable to resist looking further into the house just as a little girl appears beside Jared in the doorway.
"Daddy, you're s'posed to be playing with me." She informs Jared, tugging at the hem on Jared's shirt. Her words hit Jensen right in the gut like he'd been sucker punched and it's hard to breathe.
Jared swallows roughly, letting his gaze linger on Jensen before giving the girl his full attention. "I know, sweetheart, but daddy's busy right now." He coos to her, kneeling down and handing her the doll. "Why don't you set up the wedding and I'll be there as soon as I can, alright?"
The girl studies his face then eyes Jensen with keen interest before nodding. "Okay, but don't take too long. The wedding's s'posed to go off widdout a hitch, 'member?" She reminds him, Jared laughing. Both her scrutinizing stare and Jared's laugh twist in Jensen's gut, though he can't place why.
"Yes, I remember. Five minutes, I promise."
"I'm counting." She replies, giving Jared's cheek a kiss before disappearing again.
Then Jared stands, his grin melting away into a polite smile as he steps out onto the porch, closing the door behind him. Jensen ignores the disappointment he feels from watching the light dissolve from Jared's face.
"Look, I--" Jared starts, inhaling sharply. "Thanks for bringing my wallet back to me, but I--"
"No, I get it." Jensen cuts him off, not wanting to hear Jared push him away. "I wasn't-- didn't come here to..." Then Jensen laughs, shaking his head. "Just returning your wallet, man. Figured you'll need it."
That seems to relax Jared somewhat, his smile growing as he nods. "Yeah, probably. Can't believe I even left it. I don't, you know, do things like that... like last night."
Jensen finds himself returning the smile, nodding in agreement. "No, I don't make a habit of it either." He starts, scratching the nape of his neck before saying, "Can't say I'm sorry it happened, though." The words left his mouth before he thought about them and he coughed awkwardly to try and break up the tension he caused.
Instead of stiffening like Jensen anticipated, Jared throws his head back in a barking laugh. "Same here," Jared replies when he recovers, glancing at the door before meeting Jensen's gaze. "but it can't happen again, and... I'd appreciate it if you didn't come back here." Jared continues, wincing at how blunt his words sound. "Not to be rude. I'm sure you're a nice guy and everything, but..."
"Your daughter." Jensen supplies for him and Jared nods. The word feels heavy on his tongue. Jared's a father with a daughter and holy shit what has he gotten himself into? "I understand. It's not a big deal." Jensen says as he waves Jared's worries off. "Like I said, returning the wallet. That's all." He ignores the vice around his gut at the words.
"Thanks," Jared replies, taking a deep breath as he puts his wallet back in his pocket. "for bringing it back and, you know, for understanding."
There's a glint in Jared's eyes, like maybe if things were different, this thing they've stumbled into could really be something. Like maybe, if Jared wasn't a father, Jensen would feel more comfortable insisting on seeing Jared again. Though, Jensen knows that getting involved with a father is sticky at best and he's not sure he's willing to dive into something like that.
Jensen's made his mind up as he gives Jared a parting smile, walking down the front steps to the street when something falls away. Pausing on the front walk, Jensen takes a deep breath and says, "Ackles," loudly without turning around to see if Jared's even still standing there.
He is and Jared stills with his hand on the doorknob. "What?"
Jensen turns around, scratching his jaw sheepishly with a slight I-don't-know-what-I'm-doing-either shrug. "Ackles. Jensen Ackles. I'm in the book, if you ever..." Then he waves his hand around in a vague gesture, not really knowing what he means by it. "So you know."
To his surprise, Jared smiles. He laughs quietly, nodding in understanding. "Okay, Jensen Ackles. I'll keep that in mind." Jared replies, amusement in his tone as he dips his head in parting. Then he opens the door, closing it behind him.
Jensen's face breaks into a wide, accomplished smile as he continues on his way. The fact that he's feeling lighter than he has in God knows how long should be concerning, but it isn't. Jensen's only known Jared for something like 21 hours and already he's affecting Jensen in such a way.
If it wasn't apparent before, it sure is now. Jensen's fucked.