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It's not like Jeff hadn't noticed the kid. Wasn't really possible to miss that face, that ass, but it hadn't seemed worthwhile to do more than notice and look away. They shook hands at the cast party after the Pilot wrapped filming in LA, and Jeff thought that Jensen was way too serious for his own good, this kid who was old enough to be his brother, more than his son.
Jeff didn't figure there was any way the network would be bringing him back to play John in the present day, if the show even got picked up, so he went back home and never even thought about the green eyes that had sparkled when Jensen talked about preparing for his role.
Of course, the show did get picked up, and they did want him back, but months went by before he had the opportunity to do more than glimpse Jensen across the filming lot. Jeff's ass belonged to the second unit, shooting with Loretta, the two of them joking about passing in the halls of the Grey's set.
He got to work with the other kid, Jared, before he saw Jensen again. Production had him up in Vancouver to shoot the phone booth scene, and Jeff expected to be acting against a PA reading Sam's lines. Jared surprised him by showing up on set to do it himself, slouching in a chair looking exhausted from a night shoot the day before.
Jared grabbed him before he got back in the car to his hotel. "Jen would have come along, too, but he has an appointment this morning. He says hey, though."
Jeff nodded. "Thanks, man." And he wondered why it mattered to him.
~~~
He'd had the script for "Shadow" for weeks, had been looking forward to really interacting with his "boys" for the first time, when the grueling schedule of shooting two shows in two cities reached up and smacked him in the head. He hadn't done anything more than sit in bed all day on the Grey's set, but he felt drained when he got in the car to the airport.
His throat felt scratchy when he got on the plane, and when he awoke from his in-flight nap it was worse--pain in his throat when he greeted the driver who waited for him. He'd been nervous, despite himself, about acting with Jared and Jensen, trying to create familial chemistry with the pair who'd been working together all season, but by the time he stepped onto the soundstage where they were working he was too tired for nerves.
A PA brought him in, and he shook hands with the boys. Jared smiled widely and clapped him athletically on the shoulder. "Dad! Finally!"
Jensen flashed a grin at his co-star and then turned his serious green eyes on Jeff, reaching out a hand to shake. "Dude, you look like shit."
"Sorry, we can't all be pretty boys," Jeff rasped, unable to completely hide the grimace from the pain in his throat.
"Yeah, right." Jensen looked like he wanted to say more, but the PA ushered Jeff off to make-up. He sat in the chair running over lines in his head while the nice ladies made him look older and wishing he'd thought to bring cough drops.
"Hey." Jensen's voice beside Jeff started him out of his ruminations. "I don't know if you're into tea, but it really helps on the throat."
Jeff nodded and reached out to take the large cup, surprised that Mr. Teen Idol of the small screen would bother to fetch him tea. He took a sip, shaking his head briefly at the sweetness, and swallowed, knowing it would help his throat. "Jesus Christ, you squeeze a whole honey bear in here?"
"You sounded like you could use it."
Jeff took another sip, feeling the honey soothe his raw throat. "Thanks. Seriously, you didn't have to do this."
Jensen shrugged, well-shaped shoulders moving under his shirts. "We try to take care of each other around here. Have to work together, after all."
"Well, I appreciate it."
Jensen ducked his head, and Jeff wondered if he'd imagined a slight blush hidden under the layer of sprayed-on make-up.
They spent the rest of the day filming John's reunion with his boys, covering the hugs and conversation from angle after angle. Jeff thought that if he'd been more on his game he would have taken better advantage of having the two of them in his arms. Copped a feel, something.
As it was, Jeff concentrated more on how warm it felt to have arms around him. Jensen's especially--Dean clutching onto John's jacket and not letting go for take after take.
He headed straight to his hotel after filming, picked up some Nyquil, and sacked out. If he drifted off to sleep imagining a particular pair of arms around him, it didn't mean anything, really.
Jeff felt better the next day, for the fight scene, and by the time he filmed his good-bye to the boys his sore throat was all but gone. As soon as they could peel the fake wounds off him, he was back in the car, on the road to the airport.
~~~
The next episode he did was second unit again, filming with little Dean and Sam. He didn't cross paths with Jensen--or Jared--even once, and it didn't matter. At all.
~~~
The last three episodes, the run-up to the season finale, and Jeff was glad as hell that he wasn't sick this time because the boys were in fine form. Giddy from months of working long days together, they played off each other like kids, bringing Jeff into their games whenever they got the chance.
Now that he had the opportunity to observe them more, he thought their personalities had been rubbing off on each other. Jensen was goofing around more, looser than he'd seemed, while Jared had become more serious about acting, putting more depth into his line readings.
And Jensen with his camera--Jeff wanted to say that it was a pain in the ass. Kid pulling it out the minute the director called cut, playing with his damned toy. But he looked so happy with that overpriced chunk of plastic pressed to his face, and Jeff didn't have it in him to be irritated with anything that made Jensen smile like that--wide grin showing off his cheekbones, crinkles radiating out from the corners of his bright green eyes.
Jeff watched and smiled at the sight despite himself, but he knew that he was screwed. He'd worked with enough pretty young rising starts to know that he should save himself the heartbreak. Plus, so far as he knew, Jensen was 100% straight. In any case, Jeff figured that with his luck John would be killed off soon, and out of sight would be out of mind.
~~~
A couple of weeks later, itchy yellow contacts in his eyes, Jeff stalked toward Jensen, Demon-John pinning Dean to the wall. Jeff channeled the attraction he felt into lust, let it move through his body to portray the demon. When he took another step, impossibly closer, he felt it--that heat reflecting back at him. He met Jensen's gaze and saw it there, too--lust, tempered by confusion, burning in those too-pretty eyes.
Jeff grinned, letting his delight show on the demon's face. He could be patient. He would wait.