Runaway – Ch 18

Pairing: Jared x Reader
Tags: angsty angst, denial, jealousy, Jensen don’t pull punches y’all
WC: 2k

Masterlist

“Knock knock,” Jensen tapped against the door after he had already pushed it open, having found it unlocked when he tried the handle. 

“Oh!” Y/N/N sat up in bed abruptly, dropping her phone in surprise. “Mr. Jensen, what are you doing here?”

“Haven’t we moved past that by now?” Jensen smiled and stepped into her room, shutting the door behind him. “I gave you a trip to the hospital for your birthday, I think you’ve earned the right to drop the title,” he grimaced and stopped by the edge of her bed hesitantly, hands in his pockets to stop himself fidgeting. 

“You know I don’t blame you for that, I told you,” Y/N/N sighed, rearranging herself so she could look at Jensen properly. She patted the empty space beside her tentatively, unsure if it was weird to invite him to sit on the bed, but he took up the invitation gratefully, seemingly more relaxed when he’d settled beside her. 

“Are you feeling better?” Jensen looked up and down the bed, as if her current location gave him all the information he needed, but Y/N/N reached out and touched his arm gently to bring his attention back to her. 

“I’m fine, really,” Y/N/N smiled reassuringly. 

It had been annoying, Jensen and Jared constantly checking on her and asking her how she felt after she’d been discharged from the Emergency Room, but it was like it was hitting her for the first time right now that their nagging wasn’t coming from a place of worry about themselves, or about what she might tell people about what happened that night. It was coming from a place of care: care for her. She hadn’t truly felt cared for since her father died, and now she was faced with it again, it was like she couldn’t even recognise it for what it was. But Jensen was sitting here, on her bed, asking her how she was with a heavy, guilt ridden heart because he cared for her.

“I am so–” he began to speak but Y/N/N interrupted. 

“Jensen,” she spoke softly, but with conviction, and the use of his name without the preceding mister shocked him into silence. “I’m fine,” Y/N/N repeated, squeezing his arm gently. “Thank you for checking up on me, though. It’s really sweet of you.” 

“Anytime, kid,” Jensen smiled, letting out a heavy sigh of relief. His worry about Y/N/N now alleviated, he looked far less tired and careworn than he had just a moment ago. “In fact, you might have to get used to me dropping by more often. Turns out I’m sticking around for a little while.” 

“Why?” Y/N/N frowned curiously, unable to think of a reason he wouldn’t be going back to L.A. – come to think of it, she couldn’t think of a reason why he wasn’t already back there now. 

“Don’t sound so excited, jeez,” Jensen scoffed good humouredly, and Y/N/N rolled her eyes, prompting him to continue. “I caught wind of a story nearby. You know all that stuff going around about parents bribing their kids a place in college?” 

Y/N/N nodded slowly. 

“Well, there’s been some accusations made against the parents of a couple members of the Stanford football team,” Jensen explained, and from his expression Y/N/N could tell that that was apparently a really big deal. “They’ve managed to keep a lid on it for the minute but it won’t be long before the media gets hold of it, and I talked the Head Coach into giving me an exclusive and letting me publish the story.” He sat up a little straighter on the bed, clearly pleased with himself. 

“How did you manage that?” That didn’t sound like an easy thing to achieve from what Y/N/N knew about the media and college sports – though admittedly she knew next to nothing about the latter. 

“I may have played a little college ball back in my day,” Jensen grinned sheepishly. “They agreed to let me run the story because they think a Stanford alum reporting on it will treat them more fairly.” 

“Will you?” she asked curiously. 

“I plan on being as fair and unbiased as I can be,” Jensen assured her with a chuckle, and she laughed along too. 

“So, you’ll be around for a while then? How long?” 

“I’m not totally sure yet,” Jensen shrugged. “I’m hoping I can get an interview with each of the players involved, work up some profiles, and then I’ll stick around for however long it takes for them to do an investigation. And if the accusations look like they have some grounds there could be a tribunal at the school, and an actual trial for the parents. It could turn out to be huge.” 

“Wow,” Y/N/N swallowed, “that sounds like it could get really big.” 

“They even said I could claim time for a research assistant at the magazine if I need to,” Jensen revealed excitedly. “If anyone does go to court this could blow up for me.” 

“That sounds awesome,” Y/N/N gave Jensen a forced smile and he laughed loudly. 

“Okay kid, I get it, sports are boring. I’ll shut up now,” Jensen rolled his eyes and pulled himself up off the bed with a heavy sigh. 

“Hey, that’s not what I meant,” Y/N/N snorted, trying to pull him back down by the arm, and Jensen toppled – unbalanced – back onto the bed with a shout of laughter. 

“What’s going on in here?” 

Y/N/N and Jensen both looked up to find Jared standing in the doorway. 

“You really should lock your door, Y/N/N,” Jensen laughed. “Who knows what riffraff could just walk in?” 

“What, you mean you?” Y/N/N shot back, joking, punching Jensen lightly on the arm. 

“Aren’t you supposed to be resting, Y/N/N,” Jared asked soberly, arms crossed in front of him as he stood at the end of her bed. 

“I was resting,” Y/N/N protested, “Jensen just distracted me is all.” Jared’s brows raised in surprise, noting her use of Jensen’s name without a title. 

“Well, how about you get back to resting, and I get Jensen out of your hair?” 

Y/N/N’s laughter died a little. Something about Jared’s tone brooked no arguments. 

“Thanks, Mr. Padalecki,” she smiled softly, and Jensen let Jared pull him off the bed. 

“Anytime, Miss Y/N,” Jared inclined his head in acknowledgement of her thanks and led Jensen out of the room. “Get some more rest, I’ll save you a seat at dinner, darlin’,” he stopped at the door, wanting to see her smile at him before he left, still needing the reassurance that she didn’t hate him after this weekend. 

“As you wish,” Y/N/N grinned brightly at the mention of dinner, nestling herself back under her covers just as he’d instructed, and he smiled back in approval, nodding at her once more before closing the door behind him and ensuring it locked on his way out.

“What was all that about?” Jared rounded on Jensen accusingly as they moved back along the hallway, his jaw set hard in annoyance, which had Jensen baffled. 

“What was what about?”

“You two, in there,” Jared jerked his thumb behind him. 

“It wasn’t about anything,” Jensen shrugged, brushing Jared off. “I told you, I just wanted to check on her.” 

“She should be resting,” Jared reprimanded his friend harshly but Jensen only rolled his eyes. 

“She’s fine, man. She told me she’s fine, I’m sure she’s told you she’s fine, we should listen to her.” 

“What we did isn’t fine,” Jared hissed, rounding on Jensen angrily in the hall, chest heaving. Jensen bumped his back up against the wall in surprise. 

“I know,” he agreed, leveling Jared with a serious expression. “I’m not saying it was.” 

“We almost killed her,” Jared whispered harshly, boxing him in. 

“And she’s fine,” Jensen reiterated with heavy emphasis. “I’m not sayin’ we take her out partying again next weekend, but I am saying she’s gonna be perfectly okay, and she’s forgiven us for making the mistakes we made.” 

“I–”

“I know they were awful,” Jensen cut across Jared’s protest, already knowing what he would say, “but they’re in the past. And we’re all older and wiser now. She’s ready to move on, and so am I, why can’t you?”

Jared fell back as if Jensen had slapped him, his face stunned. 

“You know why,” Jared whispered. Jensen’s face fell. He had a feeling he knew why even better than Jared did, himself. 

“Y/N/N isn’t Meredith, Jare,” Jensen answered softly. 

“But I’m making the same fucking mistakes I did before, and if she winds up hurt because I–” 

“Because you what?” Jensen interrupted. “Because you care about her? Because you let her get close to you?” 

“Everyone I care about winds up getting hurt,” Jared said bitterly, the taste of the truth weighing heavily on his tongue. 

“It doesn’t have to be like that,” Jensen sighed heavily. “Y/N/N isn’t Meredith, she’s her own person, and you need to stop being scared of her, because honestly, I think she could be really good for you, if you let her in.” 

“What are you talking about?” Jared looked at his best friend in confusion. 

“I know you like her.” 

“Of course I like her,” Jared scoffed. “I wouldn’t have let her stay with me if I didn’t; I wouldn’t have brought her to Napa.”

“You know that’s not what I mean,” Jensen said pointedly, meeting Jared’s eye with a knowing gaze before his friend cleared his throat awkwardly and looked away. 

“She’s thirteen years younger than me,” Jared pointed out and Jensen rolled his eyes. 

“Yeah,” he snorted derisively, “and she’s already more mature than you are.” 

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” 

“That she likes you too, but she’s not in blatant denial about how she feels and is actually trying to do something about it. Have you honestly not noticed how she flirts with you?” Jensen asked upon seeing the astonished look on Jared’s face. 

“She’s like that with everyone, she’s just friendly,” Jared argued but Jensen wasn’t going to let him out of this that easily. 

“That’s bullshit, you two were flirting so much at her birthday dinner, a waitress asked me if my date had stood me up. I was the third wheel that whole night man.” 

“Then what the hell were you doing on her bed when I walked in on you two just now? And she’s callin’ you Jensen, now, that’s a bit familiar by her standards, isn’t it?” Jared accused hotly and Jensen couldn’t believe what he was hearing. A laugh burst from his chest, unbidden. 

“We’re friends, sue me,” Jensen rolled his eyes. “But she’s not into me like that, and I’m not fallin’ for her, either. That’s always been you.” 

“I’m not falling for her,” Jared denied, shaking his head incredulously, and Jensen laughed again. 

“Dude, you’ve been free falling since that first time she cooked us dinner at your place. It’s so fucking obvious, do you seriously not see it?” 

“I think I know how I feel, thanks,” Jared snapped. 

“Whatever, man,” Jensen shook his head, not wanting to fight about this. “But she does like you, so don’t do something stupid to upset her while you try to remember where you put your balls.” 

Jensen dodged around Jared and walked off down the hall, leaving Jared standing by his bedroom door, utterly flabbergasted. 

“Oh, by the way,” he turned around as he reached the stairs and called back to Jared. “I was gonna tell you, I’m staying in Napa. I’ve got a story picking up at Stanford and it’s easier to be close by. So anytime you want to get your head out of your ass, I’ll be around.” 

And with that, Jensen wheeled away and made his way back down the stairs, and out of sight.