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Everything about the wedding was amazing. As was the honeymoon. But when Avery came home and had to start working again, that one-bedroom apartment in Columbia didn't seem to get the job done anymore.
Jensen hadn't appreciated it much either while he was at home. She seemed to be working herself to death in their room with papers scattered around everywhere, in their room, and all over the apartment. It was clear what she needed.
An office.
And Avery couldn't argue with that. If she had one, her mess would be confined to that room and that room only. Plus it could be her own little room she could escape to. As much as she loved Jensen, and she did so much, she liked having some alone time.
So they decided to upscale. Just a little. Or, that's what Avery thought. A nice little two-bedroom house or something so they could convert the second bedroom into an office. However, that is not what Jensen was thinking.
“How about this for a house?” He showed a listing to Avery on his laptop—he didn't use it often but started to use it a lot more while searching for houses.
Avery glanced away from her work—an art piece this time, not “real” work. “Jensen, that's—” She set her iPad down and scrolled through the pictures. There were a lot of white walls which she loathed, but since they were buying, that meant she could do whatever she wanted to them. What mostly intrigued her were the black tiles, black kitchen countertops, and the black accents everywhere.
“It was made in the 80s and it's just outside the city,” Jensen said excitedly. “It's also a blank slate, which I chose purposefully because I know you'll find some way to make it unique.”
Avery glanced at Jensen as she looked at the different amenities the house had. Four bedrooms, four and a half baths, a working washer and dryer, a small backyard, and a full kitchen. It was a lot more than what she was looking for, but she could see the potential. So could Jensen. Plus, they could afford it. Well, Jensen could.
“Okay.” She turned the laptop back to him. “But you know what this means right?” Jensen cocked an eyebrow. “Shopping.” She smirked.
Closing on the house went fine, as did moving what little furniture they had inside. Besides the exterior and the black accents around the house, it barely had any character.
Avery made a list of what they needed to give it a little facelift at midnight since she couldn't sleep. Half of it was half-asleep scribbles.
- Go to furniture store
- Just look around, see what catches the eye
- Maybe go to thrift store if furniture store doesn't work out
- Get paints
- Dark colors
- Cool
- Bright colors
- Warmer
- GET DECOR
- Posters
- Framed prints
- Get frames
- Fake plants?
- I'm not watering real ones
- Vases
- Pottery
- Essentials
- Utensils
- Boring stuff
Nearly everything was crossed off within the next few weeks, except for actually painting the house and a few more furniture pieces Avery wanted to get. However, Jensen had to leave for another convention that she couldn't join.
Avery could get it done by herself, she knew that, but she did enlist the help of Elle and Mercer for painting. It was a weekend where she intentionally didn't give her students any homework so she wouldn't have to grade it.
“Damn, it looks like I've been transported to the 50s.” Elle laughed softly as she draped herself onto the couch. It was black and a half-moon shape.
Avery cocked an eyebrow at her. “Didn't I tell you that's the goal?” She crossed her arms. “Retrofuturism, but make it… not as bright.”
Mercer helped Avery put some tarps down, especially if there was furniture nearby. The color Avery chose as the base was a deep, muted blue so it almost looked black.
Painting went relatively as planned, with splatters happening occasionally but otherwise no hiccups. They even ate together when they finished the first floor.
“Damn, how did you even get stuff like that?” Elle asked, looking at the new appliances in the kitchen.
Avery chuckled softly as she brought the food to the counters—she and Jensen already painted the cabinets a deep green color. “Looked it up. Lots of companies make modern appliances that look like old ones.”
“I can't believe this is your house, ” Mercer said with a small laugh, taking a bite from his sandwich. “Or, more that you're doing this. By yourself.”
Avery shrugged. It wasn't really by herself but she was the one who chose most of the furniture and colors that were going into the house. All Jensen really wanted was a nice, comfortable, and durable bed. Oh, and a grill.
The next day, the base paint was done everywhere. Avery couldn't wait to start painting the bright colors on top but every time she even looked at one of the smaller paint brushes, her hands started to hurt. So she'd wait till next weekend.
“That's my girl.” Jensen greeted on the phone, his eyes as adoring as ever. “I see your painting is done.” His eyes flitted behind Avery for a moment.
Avery glanced behind her at the wall. “Yeah, and I cannot handle picking up a brush right now. So the rest has gotta wait.”
Jensen smiled softly and nodded in understanding. “Take your time, the house already looks good.”
“Aw, you're just saying that.” Avery teased as she took a bite of toast. “How're the fans?” She asked. Lately, there's been an uptick in questions about her. As if they ever really went away but they were more noticeable after they got married.
Jensen shrugged. “Haven't been to a panel yet, so I'll let ya know.”
Right, he was in California. Must've been very early in the morning.
“Yeah, sorry.” Avery chuckled.
Jensen shook his head. “No need to be sorry. I was just about to have some breakfast too. We could have a little e-date.” He teased.
“Do not call it that!” Avery laughed.
“Oh, now I will call it that every time.” Jensen winked. He sat up on the bed, putting on his headphones before he began to leave his room.
Avery broke off a piece from her toast and ate it. “So what're you thinking about getting?” She asked. It looked like he was leaving the hotel altogether.
“There's this good bagel place nearby,” Jensen glanced down at his phone, “They make really good breakfast sandwiches.”
Avery hummed and nodded at Jensen. “Damn, you should take one home for me.” She sighed. She loved a good bagel sandwich. Half the time, before work, she'd quickly whip one up and eat it on her way to class.
Jensen laughed softly, “I wish I could. But these are best warm.” Avery knew that but, damn, it didn't help her much.
As Jensen ordered, Avery started to unpack a lot of the stuff meant for their bedroom. Clothes and everything were already in a nice retro-looking dresser, the bed frame was a lighter green to contrast against the dark walls, and there were a few wall decorations up in places Avery knew she wasn't gonna paint extra.
For today, she began nailing a few records—framed—on the walls. Some of her favorites, some of Jensen's favorites, as well as a few of the records Jensen worked on.
“I really wish you'd come with me next time.” Jensen eventually said once back in the safety of his hotel room. He ran a hand through his hair. “Y'know just… I like taking you places.”
Avery set a frame down and nodded. “I know, honey.” She smiled a little.
Money was no problem to Jensen. He paid for nearly everything in their new house, their wedding, honeymoon, everything. He loved spending it on her and Avery, well, she wouldn't exactly complain about that. She just grew up much different than Jensen.
Even without her parents not accepting her, life was still hard. Sometimes she wasn't sure if she would be able to eat three meals a day, seven days a week. And during college, she learned to be a little scrappy. She couldn't buy all the clothes she wanted or all the makeup so she could pay for bills and ingredients to make food. It was hard. So, yeah, Avery was glad for the comfort.
She was designing their house. She would've never dreamed she would be able to do this. She had practice in college but it was nothing compared to the real thing. An entire house, one that she'd hopefully live in for quite a while.
“I love you, Jay.” Avery got closer to her phone and rested her hands on the dresser she set it on. “And I do miss you when you leave but…” She glanced around the room, her eyes gleaming. “I'm also so excited for you to come home. Maybe even to a finished house?” She suggested with a smirk.
Along with the convention in California, Jensen had to get a few things worked out there too. He had suggested it was something to do with an upcoming role. So, he wouldn't be back for another week.
Jensen chuckled as he ate his sandwich. “Damn, that would be nice. But I also don't want you pushing yourself.” He pointed out. “If you need help, ask for it. Sometimes you suck at that.”
Avery rolled her eyes, knowing he was right. When it came to projects, she liked proving to herself she could do it by herself. Although, so far, the house has been a collaborative effort between her, Jensen, and a few friends. So, she was working on that whole ‘I don't need help’ thing.
“I really hate when you call me out.” She sighed. “And love you for it.”
Jensen smirked, “That's what I'm here for.” He wiped his mouth as he finished up his meal. “Y'know, making sure you don't work yourself to death and also making sure you're alright.” He winked, “Something about ‘in sickness and health, till death do us part’ kinda thing.”
Avery let out a huff, a smile creeping onto her lips. “I love you.” Her voice softened.
“Hm,” Adoration shone in Jensen's eyes. “Love you too.” He blew a kiss at the camera—at her. Avery laughed quietly, brushing her hair away from her face. “Alright, sweetheart, I'll see you later. Bye.” He waved.
“Bye, honey.” She waved right before he hung up. She took a breath and set her phone down, biting her lip.
While the house was full of things, it felt empty without him to fill it with light. His light. Avery breathed deeply and set her plate in the dishwasher. She needed to hang the last of those wall decorations up.
A week later, Jensen came home a little earlier than he originally told Avery. She was still at work as it was a Friday, exactly as he planned. Walking into the house… it was like walking into a completely different house than the one he left. Maybe even like walking back in time. He hoped Avery didn't splurge on an experimental time machine…
The lines of brighter greens and blues contrasted nicely against the deep blue walls. It looked professional. They certainly had a unique home. And Jensen loved it. Mostly because it was Avery's labor of love to some extent.
He unpacked all his things and went downstairs. He had a plan. And he was going to execute that plan to the best of his ability.
Avery came home and set her bag by the door, her shoulders slumping as the weight was finally off. But she noticed the lights were already on and there was a wonderful smell coming from the kitchen—oregano, garlic, bread, tomatoes.
Pizza.
She walked into the kitchen to see Jensen just taking out a pan from the oven. A smile crept onto his lips as she made her way next to him, gently touching his shoulder.
“Hey.” She said softly, not trying to scare him.
Jensen jumped slightly. “Hey! You came home just in time.” He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and kissed her. “Wanted to be a little romantic since the house is done but…” he trailed off.
Avery didn't fail to notice the few candles on the island. She chuckled and kissed him again. “It's perfect, honey. Promise.”
“Mmm, you sure?” Jensen asked with a smirk.
Avery nudged him a little. “I'm very sure.” She then looked at the pizza, leaning into his arm. “So what's on it?”
“All your favorites.” Jensen pressed a kiss to Avery's temple. He was always like this after being away from her so long, incredibly loving and affectionate and touchy. “Pepperoni, sausage, a little bit of bacon, mozzarella cheese, and red sauce.”
She smiled, glancing at Jensen. It was really nice to be known, to have things be known about her. For the longest time, she had intentionally not shared things about herself but now she didn't have to do that.
Avery waved her hand just above the pizza. “It seems cool enough to cut into now.” She directed Jensen to grab the pizza cutter. “Shall we, Mr. Cairo-Ackles?”
“We shall, Mrs. Cairo-Ackles.” Jensen laughed.
Marriage certainly was the start of the rest of their life together, but this—their house—seemed to really solidify it.