ladyjanelly (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
ladyjanelly) wrote2008-07-14 12:32 pm
ladyjanelly) wrote2008-07-14 12:32 pm
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Fic: The Burn j2 PG chapter 5
That firefighter fic that I haven't posted on in waaaay too long.
Jensen goes back to the dogs and they sniff his fingers and wag their tails and he guesses he still smells a little like their owner. He takes them out for a walk and then comes back to drop Girl off and wrap his knee before going on a short jog with Dog. The critter seems to appreciate the exercise and it feels good for Jensen to be totally tired for the first time in two days.
The pleasant lassitude doesn’t last for long and he calls again and gets a hold of Andrew and Matt, who are just getting off shift. Jensen has time to shower and tape up the bag of food and pat the dogs one more time before his friends are picking him up.
The three of them head to a bar where their friend Steve, an ex-firefighter himself, works. Jensen has a beer or three and loses himself in watching Matt flirt with their waitress and Andrew’s cracked sense of humor. By the time those two are starting to turn into pumpkins, the place is closing for the night. Since Jensen really isn’t ready to head home he makes some more calls and Steve gives him a ride over to another friend’s beach party.
The place is crazy when they get there but after a while the noisy drunkenness fades into a pleasant murmur of conversation, Steve’s guitar and the lulling whispers of the ocean and Jensen falls asleep for a few hours on Linda’s lounge chair.
Steve’s gone when he wakes up but Linda and her husband are grabbing their boards and heading for the dawn-lit surf and Jensen is more than happy to be dragged along. He loves the rush of the waves--the board beneath his feet and the thrill of moving so fast with only a narrow platform between him and nature’s power.
He’d never admit it but he almost enjoys the wipeout too. Being tossed and helpless and smacking into the waves. The feel of the board’s tether around his ankle guiding him up and out and to the air again. It’s like being reborn after his failure and he wishes the rest of his life was so easy to claw his way back to--that sense of control as easy to re-attain.
It’s almost noon when Linda and whats-his-name drop Jensen off at his own place. He’s sticky with salt water and itchy in places that shouldn’t have sand. The sun has left his skin feeling tight and he knows he must be red across his nose. The light lunch-time traffic near his apartment is almost hushed-sounding after the close roar of the ocean and his head feels light, free.
He turns the key in the deadbolt when he hears the whining and a thousand horrible scenarios flash through his head. Broken glass or the cleaning supplies under the sink. God, what trouble could two dogs get into in twelve hours? He gets the door open and there the dogs are. Girl has her head down and her tail tucked between her legs like she expects to be beaten. Dog is behind her and his eyebrows are bunched in doggy distress.
The smell of shit wafts from the open door way and Jensen gags. Girl flinches and a wave of guilt washes over him. His fault, not theirs. Can’t expect them to hold it forever.
He makes soothing noises and puts their leashes on. “Come on guys, it’s alright.” He ties them to the railing outside while he goes back in and opens all the windows, wipes up what he can and dumps the container of baking soda from his fridge over the rest because he just can’t deal with this before he gets some sleep.
He grabs a blanket and a cooler and a couple cold water bottles. There’s a park down the street and he takes the dogs there, finds himself a nice shady tree to settle them all under and stretches out. California has some advantages over central Texas, and the ocean breeze keeping the temperature down is certainly one of them.
Jensen's cell phone rings just as he’s thinking about drifting off. The number isn’t familiar so his cautious tone as he answers “Hello?” feels justified to him at least.
“Um, hey. It’s Jared. The guy with the fire and the dogs? Hey, I’m not bugging you at work am I? You’re not busy?”
Jensen smiles and thinks he must have really freaked the kid out the last time they talked.
“Nah, I’m just taking the dogs to the park. What’s up, man?”
He can hear Jared’s smile over the phone.
“I called my folks. You were right. I was--I was being an ass. And selfish. They’ll be here day after tomorrow to help me get out of the hospital.”
The jab of loss that Jensen feels is completely unexpected.
“You want the dogs back then?” he asks. Girl nuzzles in under his hand and he scratches her ears without thinking about it.
Jared hesitates on the other end of the line. “I don’t have anywhere to take them to yet. I hate to ask. You’ve been so great already and I know they’re a handful but…”
“Nah,” Jensen interrupts. “They’ve been great. My place is too quiet anyway.”
“Are you sure?” Jensen has to smirk because Jared sounds like he’s twelve. “I didn’t want to send them back to Texas with my parents. It felt--it felt like I was admitting I’d never get work out here before I even started.”
“Really,” Jensen says and he doesn’t know why, “it’s really okay. Your dogs are awesome.”
“You have no idea what this means to me,” Jared whispers into the phone. Jensen remembers his first days in California. His own attempts at the acting thing before it all went to shit. And yeah. He thinks he has a clue what Jared’s feeling.
“You just concentrate on getting better,” he says.
“I’ll make it up to you,” Jared promises and Jensen tries to ignore what that sleepy sexy tone does to his libido. Jared isn’t promising that, he’s just being polite and tired.
“Lemme take you out when I get outta here.” Jared’s voice is softer and drowsier with each word.
“Sure kid,” Jensen smiles and it feels almost fond. “I’ll warn you though, I’m not a cheap date.”
Jared chuckles low in his throat and Jensen squirms a little on his blanket on the grass. This is so not the time and place for phone sex. Jared’s hospital bed can’t be either.
“Get some sleep,” he says and Jared makes a noise that’s kind of affirmative and Jensen says goodbye and hangs up before he goes somewhere he shouldn’t with the conversation.
Dog rolls on his back in the grass and Girl wags her tail at Jensen.
“Your daddy is gonna be the death of me,” he says, but there is a real twinge of fear there. He doesn’t date. He doesn’t let guys take him out. He should have said no, and for the life of him he can’t figure out why he didn’t.
Jensen goes back to the dogs and they sniff his fingers and wag their tails and he guesses he still smells a little like their owner. He takes them out for a walk and then comes back to drop Girl off and wrap his knee before going on a short jog with Dog. The critter seems to appreciate the exercise and it feels good for Jensen to be totally tired for the first time in two days.
The pleasant lassitude doesn’t last for long and he calls again and gets a hold of Andrew and Matt, who are just getting off shift. Jensen has time to shower and tape up the bag of food and pat the dogs one more time before his friends are picking him up.
The three of them head to a bar where their friend Steve, an ex-firefighter himself, works. Jensen has a beer or three and loses himself in watching Matt flirt with their waitress and Andrew’s cracked sense of humor. By the time those two are starting to turn into pumpkins, the place is closing for the night. Since Jensen really isn’t ready to head home he makes some more calls and Steve gives him a ride over to another friend’s beach party.
The place is crazy when they get there but after a while the noisy drunkenness fades into a pleasant murmur of conversation, Steve’s guitar and the lulling whispers of the ocean and Jensen falls asleep for a few hours on Linda’s lounge chair.
Steve’s gone when he wakes up but Linda and her husband are grabbing their boards and heading for the dawn-lit surf and Jensen is more than happy to be dragged along. He loves the rush of the waves--the board beneath his feet and the thrill of moving so fast with only a narrow platform between him and nature’s power.
He’d never admit it but he almost enjoys the wipeout too. Being tossed and helpless and smacking into the waves. The feel of the board’s tether around his ankle guiding him up and out and to the air again. It’s like being reborn after his failure and he wishes the rest of his life was so easy to claw his way back to--that sense of control as easy to re-attain.
It’s almost noon when Linda and whats-his-name drop Jensen off at his own place. He’s sticky with salt water and itchy in places that shouldn’t have sand. The sun has left his skin feeling tight and he knows he must be red across his nose. The light lunch-time traffic near his apartment is almost hushed-sounding after the close roar of the ocean and his head feels light, free.
He turns the key in the deadbolt when he hears the whining and a thousand horrible scenarios flash through his head. Broken glass or the cleaning supplies under the sink. God, what trouble could two dogs get into in twelve hours? He gets the door open and there the dogs are. Girl has her head down and her tail tucked between her legs like she expects to be beaten. Dog is behind her and his eyebrows are bunched in doggy distress.
The smell of shit wafts from the open door way and Jensen gags. Girl flinches and a wave of guilt washes over him. His fault, not theirs. Can’t expect them to hold it forever.
He makes soothing noises and puts their leashes on. “Come on guys, it’s alright.” He ties them to the railing outside while he goes back in and opens all the windows, wipes up what he can and dumps the container of baking soda from his fridge over the rest because he just can’t deal with this before he gets some sleep.
He grabs a blanket and a cooler and a couple cold water bottles. There’s a park down the street and he takes the dogs there, finds himself a nice shady tree to settle them all under and stretches out. California has some advantages over central Texas, and the ocean breeze keeping the temperature down is certainly one of them.
Jensen's cell phone rings just as he’s thinking about drifting off. The number isn’t familiar so his cautious tone as he answers “Hello?” feels justified to him at least.
“Um, hey. It’s Jared. The guy with the fire and the dogs? Hey, I’m not bugging you at work am I? You’re not busy?”
Jensen smiles and thinks he must have really freaked the kid out the last time they talked.
“Nah, I’m just taking the dogs to the park. What’s up, man?”
He can hear Jared’s smile over the phone.
“I called my folks. You were right. I was--I was being an ass. And selfish. They’ll be here day after tomorrow to help me get out of the hospital.”
The jab of loss that Jensen feels is completely unexpected.
“You want the dogs back then?” he asks. Girl nuzzles in under his hand and he scratches her ears without thinking about it.
Jared hesitates on the other end of the line. “I don’t have anywhere to take them to yet. I hate to ask. You’ve been so great already and I know they’re a handful but…”
“Nah,” Jensen interrupts. “They’ve been great. My place is too quiet anyway.”
“Are you sure?” Jensen has to smirk because Jared sounds like he’s twelve. “I didn’t want to send them back to Texas with my parents. It felt--it felt like I was admitting I’d never get work out here before I even started.”
“Really,” Jensen says and he doesn’t know why, “it’s really okay. Your dogs are awesome.”
“You have no idea what this means to me,” Jared whispers into the phone. Jensen remembers his first days in California. His own attempts at the acting thing before it all went to shit. And yeah. He thinks he has a clue what Jared’s feeling.
“You just concentrate on getting better,” he says.
“I’ll make it up to you,” Jared promises and Jensen tries to ignore what that sleepy sexy tone does to his libido. Jared isn’t promising that, he’s just being polite and tired.
“Lemme take you out when I get outta here.” Jared’s voice is softer and drowsier with each word.
“Sure kid,” Jensen smiles and it feels almost fond. “I’ll warn you though, I’m not a cheap date.”
Jared chuckles low in his throat and Jensen squirms a little on his blanket on the grass. This is so not the time and place for phone sex. Jared’s hospital bed can’t be either.
“Get some sleep,” he says and Jared makes a noise that’s kind of affirmative and Jensen says goodbye and hangs up before he goes somewhere he shouldn’t with the conversation.
Dog rolls on his back in the grass and Girl wags her tail at Jensen.
“Your daddy is gonna be the death of me,” he says, but there is a real twinge of fear there. He doesn’t date. He doesn’t let guys take him out. He should have said no, and for the life of him he can’t figure out why he didn’t.