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“Don’t get up,” Jared whispers into his skin. “Stay with me,” he pleads softly even as his fingers grip Jensen’s hip like steel clamps.
The truth of the matter is that Jensen would love to stay in bed canoodling with his boyfriend. Hell, he’d love to sit inside all day and do absolutely nothing, but he has things to do. Sure, he could have sneaked in his shopping during one of Jared’s shopping trips, but that wouldn’t have been right. Even if he could have soothed his guilty conscience enough to buy presents while he he’s working, Jensen can’t give his family gifts from the types of places that Jared shops at.
For one thing, he would barely be able to afford a deck of cards after. For another, Jensen’s family would never accept them. They are still reeling from the last time that Jensen was unemployed, still watching every dip and turn in the economy, still pinching pennies in case Jensen has to crash back home.
So a trip to the local Target it is. The store has nice stuff, and Jensen’s family will be happy with a good, cotton-poly blend sweater instead of cashmere. But for Jensen to be a respectable son, he has to get his ass out of bed to do said shopping before the actual holiday occurs.
Jared is not onboard with that plan – mostly because Jensen refuses to fool around with him when Jensen’s on the clock. It makes him feel like he’s getting paid to fuck Jared. Jensen owes the Padalecki’s too much already. He doesn’t need to owe them guilt debt.
Still, Jared is a young, healthy male. Sex is something he doesn’t like getting cut back. He looks forward to all of Jensen’s days off and usually plots out how they can stay within reach of a bed at all times.
“Why?” Jared pouts as Jensen rolls out of bed and starts picking out clothes to wear form his suitcase.
“I told you that I need to go Christmas shopping,” Jensen tells him. He knows the pouting is an act. Jared is just doing it because he looks pretty that way, and Jensen has a hard time telling him, “no.”
“Fine,” Jared declares. “Then I’m coming with.”
“What?”
“Don’t ‘what’ me. I’m not a child. I’ve been in retail stores before.”
“I know. I just… Shopping in one this time of year isn’t exactly fun.”
“As opposed to not spending precious time with my boyfriend on his day off?” Jared asks.
Guilt trips are far easier to purchase than plane trips, especially when Jensen knows that his boyfriend, who has every privilege to his name, is more than willing to drop his plans to go with him. Worse – Jared has shown remarkable patience with Jensen’s family situation.
Because Jensen? He hasn’t told his family about him and Jared yet.
He isn’t ashamed of Jared. How could he be? But Jensen knows that his family isn’t going to just jump on the Jared bandwagon. That is Jensen’s fault. He is the one who got himself discharged from the military because of his indiscreet choice of boyfriend. He is the one who came home jobless without a good explanation why, and Jared is the one that came to give him his job back.
The Ackles family is going to be suspicious of Jensen’s romance, and he can’t fault them for that. Besides, he might have a type. Dating above his social status isn’t quite a trend. It takes more than two for that.
But it is close enough for him to worry over it. Jensen isn’t a gold-digger. At least, he is pretty sure he isn’t. Then again, Jensen isn’t the epitome of self-aware either.
“Fethc me my jeans,” Jared orders from the bed, knocking Jensen out of his introspective moment.
“I’m your maid now?” Jensen asks even as he complies with the request.
“No. I just want to see you bend over,” Jared leers, “and possible drag you back into bed once when you bring me my clothes.”
“Not going to happen,” Jensen tells him as he throws Jared’s jeans at him instead of delivering them.
Jared sighs and clambers out of bed, flashing Jensen as he goes. “Want to shower together?”
The sad thing about that suggestion is that it is actually feasible. The bathroom in the hotel suite is gigantic. Jensen half thinks that the decorative touches in it were put there for the express purpose of shower sex.
“Come on, Santa,” Jared purrs as he comes up behind Jensen. “I’ve been a very good boy.”
Jensen takes a peek at the clock. An extra hour or so won’t put him too far behind schedule.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Being followed around by guards is weird. Jensen isn’t used to giving up control and trusting. Part of that has nothing to do with Jared’s safety. Roberto and Robert are perfectly capable guards. Jensen trusts them.
But Rob and Bob are following both Jared and Jensen. Target is a low threat environment. Jared doesn’t need two guards. Both of the shadows have been on the job long enough that they aren’t training.
Which means that Jensen is basically being humored by the Padaleckis. His paycheck is being issued for the sake of his pride. Somewhere along the way, Jensen went from being the protector to the protected, and nobody told him or the accountant in charge of payroll about it.
There is the chance that Jensen is just being paranoid, so he decides to test his theory.
When Jared gets distracted by a housewares display of ceramic geese and golden eggs, Jensen takes off towards electronics without saying a word. Sure enough, Rob is ‘covertly’ watching him from the digital camera aisle moments later. Bob and Jared are nowhere to be seen, possibly still deciding if Jared wants the matching throw pillows that go with the geese.
Jensen has a bodyguard. Fuck.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“You’re upset,” Jared observes as he unpacks his collection of middle American knickknacks. Jensen gave up counting the number of things that Jared purchased at Target around goose number six. There is an art project involved. Jensen knows that look, and he knows better than to ask.
“Not exactly the present I was expecting,” Jensen says tightly.
Jared frowns down at the little, shiny silver egg in his hand. “You need to be safe. Rob is good at his job.”
“Yeah, I get that. But Jared…”
“No, Jensen. I’m not letting you continue to throw yourself into danger because you’re stubborn. I know that this is maybe moving faster than you thought it would be, but you aren’t the same man you were a year ago, okay?”
“Jared,” Jensen tries, “I barely have a year of college under my belt. We’ve been seeing each other for how long now, and my parents don’t even know. I’m…”
“I’m your boyfriend, and I think it’s time that you told your parents because there are some changes that you’re going to have to make,” Jared interrupts.
“I know. I know I need to tell them. I love you, and I want them to love you too. I’m sorry I’m such a chicken shit bastard about it,” Jensen grovels almost instantly.
Jared glances up from the discount Scottie dog wine cork he bought. “I’m not upset about that.”
“You’re not?” Jensen asks. Jared probably should be.
Jared shrugs and puts the wine cork down next to the deer themed cake plate. “I was trying to get you in the sack for ages before my parents figured it out. I’m not one to judge. Besides, I’m not exactly hopeful about your family liking me. I think they’ve got a little bit of an anti-rich boy thing going on.”
There is a part of Jensen that wants to defend his family, but he has some of those worries himself. “Then what is it?”
Jared frowns and looks away. “I didn’t want to tell you about this. It’s, it’s almost Christmas. I want you to have a happy holiday with your parents, and…”
“Jared, what’s wrong?”
“There was a threat called into the Dallas office,” Jared admits.
“Who?” Jensen asks tightly. It isn’t on Jared’s life, he’d have heard about it. But normally all of the guards are put on alert when any member of the family is threatened.
Jared turns watery eyes on him, but the look he gives is one that clearly says, “You’re a moron.”
“Me?” Jensen asks stupidly. That is, that is ridiculous. Sure he and Jared are pretty much together constantly, but he makes certain that there are no public displays of affection. Jensen knows how gossip magazines operate, and neither he nor Jared wanted to spoil their romance with publicity.
“Reporters aren’t the only ones a guy needs to worry about,” Jared tells him. “Some of Dad’s less than ethical business rivals are saying that you’re getting groomed for the business. They’ve seen your school work, figure that you’re going to marry into the family and start making waves. Cinderella stories and star-crossed lovers beating the odds aren’t just great for selling movie tickets.”
“They’re great for getting emotional investors to trust you,” Jensen fills in for him. “But I just finished my freshman year, Jared. I’m no threat.”
“You’re on an advanced track, and you’ve gotten exposure to some very high profile connections,” Jared tells him. “Jensen, baby, I hate to tell you this, but it’s time you gave up on the bodyguard thing.”
“I’m not… I need the money,” Jensen says numbly.
Jared makes a sound of disgust in the back of his throat. “Then take an internship with one of my Dad’s businesses or sell my mom’s old couture clothes on eBay or something. I’m not saying that I want you to become my sugar baby.”
“No?” Jensen asks, tiny lilt to his voice.
“Well, I wouldn’t mind if you were,” Jared allows with a slight blush coming to his cheeks. “It might be nice, you might like it.”
Jensen grins a little and moves across the room to steal a kiss. He isn’t exactly happy about the situation, but he knew it was coming. He could fight about things, but he is going to be going home in a few days for Christmas, and he’ll have enough stress explaining the situation to his family.
For now, he has the rest of the day to have sex with his boyfriend. Sorting out bodyguards, jobs and paychecks can wait until the next year.