Archive of Our Own ^beta

A terrible sound came from the hallway as Jensen followed Aldis and Katie into the kitchen. He halted and leaned back to check the bathroom door his boyfriend had disappeared into about fifteen minutes ago. 

“That…didn’t sound good…” Katie commented, sharing a concerned look with her husband. Aldis shrugged helplessly. Jensen hadn’t mentioned anything about Jared being sick. 

Another loud retch made them all flinch. Katie nudged Aldis, and he opened his mouth to speak, but Jensen beat him to it. 

“If y’all will excuse me,” he said, setting his beer on the counter between the kitchen and living room. “I think I’d better go check on him.” 

Jensen left the couple in the kitchen and made his way to the bathroom door directly across the hall from the guest room he’d crashed in several times whenever he and Jared were on a break. 

He knocked lightly on the door and called out, “Babe-? Ya’ alright in there?” 

His boyfriend’s weak response made him snort. “Really? ‘Cause you don’t sound so hot from out here…” Jared mumbled a retort that had more bite than expected. Jensen frowned, and he reached for the doorknob. “Alright, tough guy, I’m comin’ in. Don’t shoot.” 

Jared waited until Jensen slipped inside the bathroom and made a show of rolling his eyes from his spot perched on the edge of the bathtub. 

“Seriously, Jen? How many times have you used that one?” He scowled. 

“Aw, come on, Jay. You know you love it,” Jensen teased. He adopted a casual lean against the vanity and crossed his arms over his chest. 

The couple engaged in a staring contest until Jared closed his eyes and palmed his belly. 

Jensen sighed and dropped his arms to his sides. “Okay. Spill. What’s goin’ on?” He took a few cautious steps forward, and when Jared didn’t snap at him, he bravely settled a hand on his boyfriend’s shoulder. “Are you feelin’ sick?” 

Beneath his hand, Jared shrugged. “I dunno. I was okay when we got here, but while we were hangin’ out, I started to get hot, so I came in here to try to cool off.” 

Jensen smirked, unable to resist the bait. “You’re always hot to me, Jay.” When Jared refused to play along, Jensen sobered. “Right. Okay. I’ll be serious.” He brushed Jared’s bangs back and pressed the back of his hand to Jared’s forehead. “It doesn’t feel like you have a fever. Do you still feel hot?” 

Jared gave a small shrug. His hand was back on his stomach, and the other was clenching the tub's side. 

“Jay?” Jared didn’t speak, but he went completely still next to Jensen.  “Y’gonna be sick, babe?” 

Jared shrugged again, however, it was accompanied by his hand moving to hover in front of his mouth. 

“Okay, c’mon,” Jensen coaxed him to stand and led him to the toilet. The lid and seat were already up, so he sunk onto his heels behind Jared when his boyfriend kneeled. 

He smoothed Jared’s hair out of his face and rubbed along his spine. 

It was hardly the first time he’d done this. When they split the cost of a house during their last two years of college, he, Jared, Aldis, and Chris had thrown some pretty crazy ragers. Nine times outta ten, one of them had ended up passed out in the bathtub in only their underwear with a bucket full of sick in their lap. 

Jared gave a ragged cough that turned into a retch. Jensen grimaced but he didn’t move from his spot behind him. 

The other man leaned further over the toilet, then vomited noisily. 

“There you go,” Jensen murmured. He gently patted Jared’s back twice before resuming rubbing. “Get it all out.” 

He recalled Jared telling him the same thing when he’d been forced to lean over the guardrail on the way home from Aldis's bachelor party a couple of years ago. 

Although they’d been on a ‘break’ at the time, Jared had been the one to jump out of the car to make sure he didn’t take a nosedive into the ravine below. 

That was the problem. No matter how many times they bitched at each other or whined to their friends that they were better off apart, Jensen and Jared would always end up right back where they started. 

When Jared raised his head and reached for the flusher, Jensen leaned around him to pull off a length of T.P. He offered it to Jared but kept the other hand holding Jared’s hair just in case. 

Jared coughed, spat, blew his nose, and then flushed the toilet again. He sat back against the tub and waited for Jensen to join him, then he laid his head on Jensen’s shoulder. 

Jensen wiggled his arm around Jared’s back so he could comb his fingers through Jared’s hair.  

The two men sat quietly in the bathroom for a few minutes before Jensen broke the silence. 

“You wanna stay or go?” he asked softly. 

Jared sighed against his neck. “We should probably go. I’m still not feeling a hundred percent, and I don’t wanna get Katie or Aldis sick.” 

“Gee, thanks,” Jensen deadpanned. 

Jared sat up and fixed him with an unamused eyebrow. “If it is contagious, you’ve probably already got it, dumbass.” 

Jensen pretended to be affronted. “I’ll have you know, my immune system is in fine and fit shape because somebody put me out on the couch for the last five days…” 

“Pretty sure fucking me on the dining room table counts as close contact, Jen.” Jared met Jensen’s eyes and his lips quirked into the first vestiges of a smile. 

Jensen stood and held his hand out to help Jared up. “Tomato, tomahto, Jay.” Once Jared was standing, he pursed his lips and raised his brow. “So…you ready to blow this joint or do I need to ask Kit-Kit for a barf bag?” 

Jared pushed past Jensen with a snort. “Dude- Katie’ll kill you if she hears you refer to her dream home as a joint.” 

“Nah, she loves me.” 

“Uh-huh.” 

“She does.” 

“Whatever you say, Jen.” 

“You love me too, J-Rod.” 

“Ha. Nope.” 

“Yes.” 

“Hmm- Don’t think so.” 

Jensen caught Jared’s hand and spun him around. His eyes softened as Jensen’s thumb caressed the back of his hand. 

“You love me, Jay?” 

For once, when Jared looked into his boyfriend’s green eyes, they were serious. 

He turned his hand over to twine their fingers together. “Yeah, Jen. I do.” 

On or off, they were meant to be together.