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beansideMy shame knows no bounds. Seriously. So, this is apparently first in a series of fics with this pairing. Go figure.
Title: My Own Partaking
Pairing: CMM/JDM (pre-slash)
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I don't know them. I'm pretty sure they're not doing this, but it makes me happy to imagine it. No offense intended.
Bisou was barking. And whining. Rubbing bleary eyes, Jeff looked up from the script he’d been reading. “What’s the matter, sweetheart? Need to go out again?”
She looked at the front door and whined again, and Jeff sighed, coming to his feet. “Okay, baby. Give Daddy a minute to grab his shoes.”
He’d just slid on his sneakers when the bell sounded, chiming through the house. Bisou, normally one to announce visitors with a flurry of barking, whined again, and Jeff hurried back to the door.
Of all the things he’d expect to find on his doorstep, this wasn’t one of them.
Chad Michael Murray, bloody and staggering, arms full of a pathetically whining dog.
“Chad?”
“I’m sorry, I—my Joe got out on the pet sitter and some fucker hit him with a car, and I had to chase Joe and I finally caught him down the street and I remembered Jared saying you lived here, and I don’t think I can carry him home to my car, and can I borrow your phone, and call Jared to give me a lift to the ER Vet place?” Chad said, barely breathing between the syllables.
Jeff took a moment to decipher the words, and shook his head. “Jared’s in Vancouver this weekend,” he said softly, reaching up to the keyboard.
Chad’s shoulders dropped. “Fuck.”
“C’mon,” Jeff murmured. “Let’s get him in my car.” He tossed Bisou an extra couple treats, and closed the door behind him.
Chad’s eyes widened, and he nodded, stumbling under the weight of the dog.
Jeff eyed his SUV critically. “Okay, hand him here for a moment, then you get in, and I’ll pass him up to you. Otherwise, I’m afraid you’re going to jostle him.”
Chad nodded, then hesitated. “Careful. He’s scared.”
Jeff nodded. “Wouldn’t be the first time I’ve gotten bitten.” He gently cradled the dog, taking it from Chad. “There you go, I’ve got you,” he crooned. “Gonna get you help, sweetie. You’re such a good, brave boy, aren’t you?”
Between the two of them, they got the dog onto the backseat next to Chad.
“Shit!” Chad cursed. “He’s bleeding again.”
“Hang on, I’ve got a shirt in the back you can press against it.” Jeff grabbed a clean t-shirt he’d put in his gym bag, and hurried back around. “Here, press that against the cut gently.” He didn’t wait to see if Chad could follow directions, just climbed in the front seat and started the car.
This late, the traffic was light, and it wasn’t long before the signs for the expressway came into view.
“There’s a couple PetER’s in LA,” Chad started.
“I wouldn’t take a human I didn’t like to them,” Jeff snorted. “There’s a place out in Santa Clarita, not too much farther. All Creatures. I had to take my last dog there a couple times.” He eased the car onto the main road carefully before glancing back. “If that’s okay with you?”
“Oh. Yeah. That’s fine. I’ve never had to use one here,” Chad murmured, face buried in the shepherd’s ruff.
“Bear had a habit of chasing things he shouldn’t, and got his ass kicked a lot,” Jeff murmured, a fond smile touching his mouth.
“Okay,” Chad agreed, then went back to murmuring softly to the dog. After a long few minutes, the whimpers quieted, the dog settling against Chad, nearly dwarfing the young man.
Jeff sighed. He hadn’t really liked Chad much the one time Jared had introduced him. And that was before Chad and Jensen had gotten into a giant dick-waving contest. Well, Chad was doing most of the dick waving.
As near as Jeff could tell from his vantage point of right next to Jensen, Chad was cranked off over the thought of Jensen and Jared’s then-budding romance. He’d been a total ass, accusing Jensen of treating Jared like his own personal blow up doll.
Which was utter bullshit. Anyone with eyes could see how much Jensen loved Jared. It was obvious. Jensen hadn’t risen to Chad’s bait, and it had ended with Chad leveling threats of violence if Jensen were to hurt Jared.
He hadn’t spared more than a glance for Jeff, who had decided that in this case, the press was right, and Chad was just an asshole. But now, watching him in the rearview, the unshed tears bright in his eyes; Jeff had to wonder if that wasn’t just another role to play for Chad.
“We’re almost there,” he murmured, not sure whether he pitched his voice low to soothe the dog, or Chad.
Chad met his eyes in the rearview and nodded.
The parking lot was nearly deserted when they pulled in, and Jeff breathed a silent sigh of relief. The last thing Chad needed was a full waiting room.
This time, Chad handed the dog over without hesitation, lowering him into Jeff’s arms. “Why don’t I hang on to him? You’re going to have to fill out the paperwork.”
Chad nodded slowly, rubbing his hand over his face, smearing the blood. In the harsh lights of the parking area, Jeff could see that only some of it was the dog’s. Chad’s shirt was ripped, an impressive bite mark in his shoulder along with random scratches and cuts. It looked like he’d chased Joe through more than one bush, judging by the leaves in his hair.
All Creatures was every bit as good as Jeff had remembered them being. Within five minutes of arrival, Joe was being tended to while Chad finished the paperwork. As Chad handed the front desk his credit card, the nurse motioned Jeff over.
“Once he’s done, why don’t you use exam room one and get him cleaned up a little?” She patted his arm. “It’s going to be a few minutes before he can go back, and he’s just torn all to hell.”
Jeff nodded slightly. “I have a sweatshirt in the car he can use.”
“You’re a good friend,” she cooed, patting him again.
“I’m not-“ Jeff shook his head and trudged back to the car, grabbing his gym bag.
Chad looked up from the bench he was slumped on. “Hey, I thought you’d—you don’t have to-“ he said dully.
“Come on,” Jeff said gently. “You’re a mess.” He steered Chad into the room the girl had indicated, and pointed at the sink. “Get washed up and I’ll put some stuff on your shoulder.”
Chad stumbled to the sink and started scrubbing mechanically, staring at the blood that swirled in the bottom of the steel sink.
“Shirt off,” Jeff prodded. He pulled some peroxide and antibiotic cream out of the cupboard, wondering why he was bothering. He’d done his good deed. He’d gotten the dog here alive.
He should leave. Head home and get a shower. He didn’t even like Chad. Barely knew him.
Still moving as though in a trance, Chad shrugged out of the ruined shirt, using it to mop at the bite on his shoulder. Jeff watched him for a long minute, the sluggish, shaky movements, before he plucked the bloody shirt from Chad’s hand, studying the marks across his chest. It was a nice chest, Jeff thought. Shit. Shut up, brain. “Sit,” he said, voice harsher than he planned.
Chad flinched a little, looking suddenly young and terrified, and Jeff immediately felt like an utter tool. If it were Bisou, he’d hope someone would do the same for him, right? And Chad was Jared’s buddy.
“Sit,” he repeated, gentling his voice. “Let me clean those up.”
Chad looked back vaguely and dropped into the chair. He barely moved, flinched a couple times as Jeff cleaned the bite and the myriad of scrapes and cuts. It wasn’t until Jeff was taping the gauze into place that Chad looked up, meeting his eyes. “Thank you,” he murmured. “Seriously. I don’t know what—“
Jeff shook his head. “Don’t worry about it.” He pulled out his sweatshirt, offering it to the smaller man. “It’ll be a little big, but it’s in one piece.”
Chad slid it over his head, shrugging gingerly into the sleeves. He licked his lips and Jeff felt an unwelcome stab of something in his stomach.
He’s like twelve, Jeff reminded himself sternly. Also, total asshole. Not at all your type.
What, you don’t like guys who look like they’d have stamina and are hung like a horse? the other little voice in his head muttered unhelpfully. Annoying how much that one sounded like Jensen at his snarkiest, Jeff thought. It just wasn’t fair.
It wasn’t like he didn’t get laid, Jeff thought. He got laid all the time. Regularly, even.
Just…you know, not lately.
That had to be it, he decided. Abstinence was the only good reason that Chad Michael Murray was looking even vaguely good. Even if he was kind of cute. In a scruffy, unwashed way.
Oh, for God’s sake, this was insane.
“Mr. Murray?”
The shoulder Jeff hadn’t even realized he was petting went wire-tense. Chad let out a slow breath before he turned to face the young woman in the doorway. “Yes?”
She offered her hand, smiling gently. “I’m Dr. Vimmel.”
“Is Joe—“ Chad let the word trail off as though he was afraid to finish it.
“He’ll be fine. He’s quite banged up, will probably be staying with us for a week, maybe longer, and will probably require a couple surgeries.”
Chad breathed out, leaning against Jeff in his relief. “Can I see him?”
“Of course. We’ll give you a few minutes with him, then we’ll be sedating him and moving him to observation until the surgeon arrives in the morning.” She guided them to the room, Jeff hanging back until the doctor ushered him in.
Chad went to the table immediately, contorting his body so that he could lean his head next to the dog’s, talking softly. Shaking hands stroked the bloody ruff, and Jeff felt something loosen in his chest.
No matter what else you could say about him, Chad loved his dog. That bought him a lot of slack in Jeff’s world. It might even buy him a second chance.
So, when the doctor came back in, it seemed perfectly understandable for Jeff to loop an arm around Chad’s shoulder and guide him back to the car.
They were just turning off the canyon roads when Chad finally stirred. “Um. You’ve done so much for me tonight that I hate to…do you think I could borrow your shower? Annie, my pit bull was a rescue—they used her as a bait dog for fights, and she freaks out at the smell of blood.”
“Not a problem,” Jeff heard himself say. “I know the feeling. Bisou used to be just as twitchy as hell. Any sudden noise and she’d be trying to hide under the bed.”
“If it’s going to freak out your girl-“ Chad started.
Jeff favored him with a smile. Okay, that was another point in Chad’s favor. “Nah. She’ll be fine. Just ignore her if she growls at first. She can get a little pissy about people coming into her house, but she’ll get over it quickly.”
Chad slanted him a small grin. “She knows that she owns the house, huh?”
“Yeah.” Jeff shrugged a little. “She’s spoiled, but she’s my baby.”
“Shouldn’t be any other way, man.” Chad slumped back into the seat. “God, I’m going to have to find another sitter before I head back to Wilmington.”
“If you’d like, I can give you the name of the woman who takes care of Bisou. She’s this total hippie new age woman, has been running this pet-sitting business for nearly ten years.” Jeff grinned. “She’s not cheap, but she’s awesome with animals. You just have to ignore the crystals that start showing up on your end tables to ‘promote harmony.’”
Chad snorted a laugh. “If she takes care of my babies, I don’t care if she dances naked and burns sage in my bedroom.”
Jeff chuckled and pulled the car to a stop in front of his house. “Home again, home again.”
Chad slid out of his car, wobbling a little on his feet.
Adrenaline crash, Jeff thought. God knew, he’d had it happen often enough, especially this past year, running between LA and Vancouver. He gently steered Chad up the stairs, listening to the clack of Bisou’s nails on the floor, dancing happily at his return.
He opened the door and nudged Chad inside, waiting for the explosion of barks/growls that was sure to come.
For a moment, Bisou stepped back, eyes narrowed.
Then, Chad offered her his hand. “Hi, Bisou. Aren’t you a beautiful girl,” he cooed.
Bisou tilted her head for a moment, and then minced up to sniff Chad’s hand.
“Hey, sweetheart,” Jeff murmured. “This is Chad. He’s a friend.”
After a long minute, her tail wagged tentatively. “That’s my girl,” Jeff purred.
She swiped her tongue over Chad’s hand quickly and slid past, wriggling all over at Jeff’s feet as he dropped to his knees to scritch her.
“She’s beautiful,” Chad murmured, running a hand over her back.
“Thanks. Okay, let me show you the shower, and then, I’ll make some coffee. You look like you could use it.”
“Dude, seriously. You don’t have to. You’ve done so much—I really can’t repay you for this.” Chad met his eyes, face serious, open.
Jeff shrugged, feeling the heat rush to his face. “It’s okay. I’ve got her,” he murmured, gesturing at Bisou. “I figure us saps have to stick together.”
Chad’s lip quirked up a little. ‘Yeah, I guess we do.”
Jeff led him to the bathroom. “If you want to toss your jeans out, I’ve got a load of laundry going in. Get the blood off. I’ve got sweat pants you can wear until they come out.” He grabbed a clean pair off the laundry basket that he’d sat inside his bedroom door.
Chad nodded slowly. “Yeah. I—thanks.” He trudged into the bathroom, and Jeff waited, scooping up the jeans that Chad hung on the bathroom door.
He was just being nice. It had nothing to do with Chad being kind of cute. It was just helping out a friend of a friend. Nothing more.
Besides, Bisou liked him. That was a pretty good indication of the type of person someone was.
Plus, Chad had looked pathetic. And he’d always been way too much of a boy scout for his own good, Jeff mused, flipping on the coffee pot. Did he still have some of the cinnamon rolls left over? Yeah. Probably would be good to pump some sugar into the boy. He’d just toss them into the toaster oven to warm up.
The laundry was happily churning when Chad padded down to the kitchen, hair sticking up in a thousand directions at once, swimming in Jeff’s sweatpants.
He looked…really hot. Young, Jeff corrected himself. Too damned young to be thinking anything beyond feed him, pat him on the head and send him on his way. Not to mention, with all that Alpha Male bullshit he was constantly spouting, probably terrifyingly straight.
With that firmly fixed in his mind, Jeff motioned to the table and set a cup of coffee in front of him. “Cream and sugar?”
Chad nodded slowly, eyes fixed on the cinnamon rolls. “Um. Yeah.”
“Cinnamon roll?” Jeff offered.
“Thanks.” Chad stared at the plate for a moment, then glanced up. “Why are you being so nice?”
“Huh?” Never mind that he’d been asking himself that same question, Jeff thought.
“Look, I appreciate it. Really. But…I’m an asshole. We both know it. The one time we met, I basically ignored you, and gave Jensen, who I know you’re close to, a boatload of shit. How does that translate into this?” Chad asked, waving a hand.
Jeff sighed, resting his chin on his hand. Going to have to shave again, before he headed back to Dublin. At least that was a couple of weeks away. “Because. You’re Jared’s friend. And you’re a dog lover. And you needed help.”
“What do you want?” Chad’s eyes were narrowed to little slits.
“Nothing,” Jeff said. “Jesus, hasn’t anyone been nice to you?”
Mocking laughter met the question. “Nice? This is Hollywood, Morgan. Nice gets eaten alive.”
And damned if that didn’t sound familiar. Like him, a short year and a half ago, when he’d found that Sarah was screwing half of the Dodger’s bullpen. He’d been suspicious and hurting, and not willing to give anyone an inch of trust.
Then, he’d ended up on two shows with the most generous casts he’d ever met. But if he hadn’t gotten lucky…
Dammit. He didn’t want to like the little bastard.
“Sometimes, yeah. Sometimes, you get lucky. I’m guessing that things in Wilmington aren’t good?”
Chad shrugged, taking a swallow of coffee. “They want me to quit. Then they won’t have to pay my salary for the rest of the season. I’d rather they fire me, but I really can’t afford it.” His lip curled slightly. “Ever been married?”
“Nah.”
“Good for you.” Chad shrugged. “The only good thing is that after I said I wanted to be on Supernatural, I got a call from Eric. I start filming in a couple weeks, pulling a Jeff, as they said.”
“Mm. Take vitamins. All the flights’ll kick your immune system’s ass.”
Chad nodded, yawning. “Fuck, sorry.”
“Look, why don’t you crash on the couch for a little while? I’ll wake you when your jeans are dry, and run you home.”
“Yeah,” Chad murmurs. “Maybe…yeah. If you don’t mind.”
Jeff smiles slightly. “Wouldn’t have offered otherwise. I’ll be in the study, got a script my agent wants me to read.”
Chad stumbles to his feet, coming around the table, and Jeff steps back, letting him get past to go to the living room. Instead, the younger man stops in front of him, eyes downcast. “Um. Thank you. Really. I know Jare says you’re a good guy and all, but…just. Thank you.”
Impulsively, Jeff reached out, pulling the smaller man into a quick hug. “It’s okay. And Joe’ll be fine.”
For a moment, Chad tensed, and Jeff was pretty sure he was going to get slugged. Then, the tense muscles relaxed a fraction, and Chad leaned into the touch.
Jeff tightened his grip, thinking that Chad wasn’t all that different from the rescue dogs he tried to tame. “It’s okay,” he repeated, one hand sliding up to rumple Chad’s still-damp hair.
After another moment, Chad pulled back, not looking at him. “Okay. I’m going to just crash for a few. Just poke me when you’re ready to run me home.”
“Got it. I’m going to take Bisou out for a quick run, then I’ll be in the study,” Jeff murmured, letting him go, and grabbing her leash.
Somehow, he wasn’t surprised to find an empty couch and a messily scrawled note when he came back half an hour later.
Morgan Jeff,
I couldn’t sleep, so I decided to just jog home. I’ll wash the sweats and drop them off and pick up my jeans.
Thanks for everything. I mean it. If I can ever do anything for you…yeah. Not likely, I know. But still. I owe you.
Chad
Shaking his head, Jeff looked down at Bisou. “And that is that, sweetheart. But y’know, maybe Jared wasn’t as insane as I thought. He’s not all that bad, right?”
Bisou wagged her tail and licked Jeff’s hand, soulful eyes reminding him that she knew there were leftover cinnamon rolls on the table. “Okay, sweetheart. C’mon. Daddy’s got scripts to read.”
Title: My Own Partaking
Pairing: CMM/JDM (pre-slash)
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I don't know them. I'm pretty sure they're not doing this, but it makes me happy to imagine it. No offense intended.
Bisou was barking. And whining. Rubbing bleary eyes, Jeff looked up from the script he’d been reading. “What’s the matter, sweetheart? Need to go out again?”
She looked at the front door and whined again, and Jeff sighed, coming to his feet. “Okay, baby. Give Daddy a minute to grab his shoes.”
He’d just slid on his sneakers when the bell sounded, chiming through the house. Bisou, normally one to announce visitors with a flurry of barking, whined again, and Jeff hurried back to the door.
Of all the things he’d expect to find on his doorstep, this wasn’t one of them.
Chad Michael Murray, bloody and staggering, arms full of a pathetically whining dog.
“Chad?”
“I’m sorry, I—my Joe got out on the pet sitter and some fucker hit him with a car, and I had to chase Joe and I finally caught him down the street and I remembered Jared saying you lived here, and I don’t think I can carry him home to my car, and can I borrow your phone, and call Jared to give me a lift to the ER Vet place?” Chad said, barely breathing between the syllables.
Jeff took a moment to decipher the words, and shook his head. “Jared’s in Vancouver this weekend,” he said softly, reaching up to the keyboard.
Chad’s shoulders dropped. “Fuck.”
“C’mon,” Jeff murmured. “Let’s get him in my car.” He tossed Bisou an extra couple treats, and closed the door behind him.
Chad’s eyes widened, and he nodded, stumbling under the weight of the dog.
Jeff eyed his SUV critically. “Okay, hand him here for a moment, then you get in, and I’ll pass him up to you. Otherwise, I’m afraid you’re going to jostle him.”
Chad nodded, then hesitated. “Careful. He’s scared.”
Jeff nodded. “Wouldn’t be the first time I’ve gotten bitten.” He gently cradled the dog, taking it from Chad. “There you go, I’ve got you,” he crooned. “Gonna get you help, sweetie. You’re such a good, brave boy, aren’t you?”
Between the two of them, they got the dog onto the backseat next to Chad.
“Shit!” Chad cursed. “He’s bleeding again.”
“Hang on, I’ve got a shirt in the back you can press against it.” Jeff grabbed a clean t-shirt he’d put in his gym bag, and hurried back around. “Here, press that against the cut gently.” He didn’t wait to see if Chad could follow directions, just climbed in the front seat and started the car.
This late, the traffic was light, and it wasn’t long before the signs for the expressway came into view.
“There’s a couple PetER’s in LA,” Chad started.
“I wouldn’t take a human I didn’t like to them,” Jeff snorted. “There’s a place out in Santa Clarita, not too much farther. All Creatures. I had to take my last dog there a couple times.” He eased the car onto the main road carefully before glancing back. “If that’s okay with you?”
“Oh. Yeah. That’s fine. I’ve never had to use one here,” Chad murmured, face buried in the shepherd’s ruff.
“Bear had a habit of chasing things he shouldn’t, and got his ass kicked a lot,” Jeff murmured, a fond smile touching his mouth.
“Okay,” Chad agreed, then went back to murmuring softly to the dog. After a long few minutes, the whimpers quieted, the dog settling against Chad, nearly dwarfing the young man.
Jeff sighed. He hadn’t really liked Chad much the one time Jared had introduced him. And that was before Chad and Jensen had gotten into a giant dick-waving contest. Well, Chad was doing most of the dick waving.
As near as Jeff could tell from his vantage point of right next to Jensen, Chad was cranked off over the thought of Jensen and Jared’s then-budding romance. He’d been a total ass, accusing Jensen of treating Jared like his own personal blow up doll.
Which was utter bullshit. Anyone with eyes could see how much Jensen loved Jared. It was obvious. Jensen hadn’t risen to Chad’s bait, and it had ended with Chad leveling threats of violence if Jensen were to hurt Jared.
He hadn’t spared more than a glance for Jeff, who had decided that in this case, the press was right, and Chad was just an asshole. But now, watching him in the rearview, the unshed tears bright in his eyes; Jeff had to wonder if that wasn’t just another role to play for Chad.
“We’re almost there,” he murmured, not sure whether he pitched his voice low to soothe the dog, or Chad.
Chad met his eyes in the rearview and nodded.
The parking lot was nearly deserted when they pulled in, and Jeff breathed a silent sigh of relief. The last thing Chad needed was a full waiting room.
This time, Chad handed the dog over without hesitation, lowering him into Jeff’s arms. “Why don’t I hang on to him? You’re going to have to fill out the paperwork.”
Chad nodded slowly, rubbing his hand over his face, smearing the blood. In the harsh lights of the parking area, Jeff could see that only some of it was the dog’s. Chad’s shirt was ripped, an impressive bite mark in his shoulder along with random scratches and cuts. It looked like he’d chased Joe through more than one bush, judging by the leaves in his hair.
All Creatures was every bit as good as Jeff had remembered them being. Within five minutes of arrival, Joe was being tended to while Chad finished the paperwork. As Chad handed the front desk his credit card, the nurse motioned Jeff over.
“Once he’s done, why don’t you use exam room one and get him cleaned up a little?” She patted his arm. “It’s going to be a few minutes before he can go back, and he’s just torn all to hell.”
Jeff nodded slightly. “I have a sweatshirt in the car he can use.”
“You’re a good friend,” she cooed, patting him again.
“I’m not-“ Jeff shook his head and trudged back to the car, grabbing his gym bag.
Chad looked up from the bench he was slumped on. “Hey, I thought you’d—you don’t have to-“ he said dully.
“Come on,” Jeff said gently. “You’re a mess.” He steered Chad into the room the girl had indicated, and pointed at the sink. “Get washed up and I’ll put some stuff on your shoulder.”
Chad stumbled to the sink and started scrubbing mechanically, staring at the blood that swirled in the bottom of the steel sink.
“Shirt off,” Jeff prodded. He pulled some peroxide and antibiotic cream out of the cupboard, wondering why he was bothering. He’d done his good deed. He’d gotten the dog here alive.
He should leave. Head home and get a shower. He didn’t even like Chad. Barely knew him.
Still moving as though in a trance, Chad shrugged out of the ruined shirt, using it to mop at the bite on his shoulder. Jeff watched him for a long minute, the sluggish, shaky movements, before he plucked the bloody shirt from Chad’s hand, studying the marks across his chest. It was a nice chest, Jeff thought. Shit. Shut up, brain. “Sit,” he said, voice harsher than he planned.
Chad flinched a little, looking suddenly young and terrified, and Jeff immediately felt like an utter tool. If it were Bisou, he’d hope someone would do the same for him, right? And Chad was Jared’s buddy.
“Sit,” he repeated, gentling his voice. “Let me clean those up.”
Chad looked back vaguely and dropped into the chair. He barely moved, flinched a couple times as Jeff cleaned the bite and the myriad of scrapes and cuts. It wasn’t until Jeff was taping the gauze into place that Chad looked up, meeting his eyes. “Thank you,” he murmured. “Seriously. I don’t know what—“
Jeff shook his head. “Don’t worry about it.” He pulled out his sweatshirt, offering it to the smaller man. “It’ll be a little big, but it’s in one piece.”
Chad slid it over his head, shrugging gingerly into the sleeves. He licked his lips and Jeff felt an unwelcome stab of something in his stomach.
He’s like twelve, Jeff reminded himself sternly. Also, total asshole. Not at all your type.
What, you don’t like guys who look like they’d have stamina and are hung like a horse? the other little voice in his head muttered unhelpfully. Annoying how much that one sounded like Jensen at his snarkiest, Jeff thought. It just wasn’t fair.
It wasn’t like he didn’t get laid, Jeff thought. He got laid all the time. Regularly, even.
Just…you know, not lately.
That had to be it, he decided. Abstinence was the only good reason that Chad Michael Murray was looking even vaguely good. Even if he was kind of cute. In a scruffy, unwashed way.
Oh, for God’s sake, this was insane.
“Mr. Murray?”
The shoulder Jeff hadn’t even realized he was petting went wire-tense. Chad let out a slow breath before he turned to face the young woman in the doorway. “Yes?”
She offered her hand, smiling gently. “I’m Dr. Vimmel.”
“Is Joe—“ Chad let the word trail off as though he was afraid to finish it.
“He’ll be fine. He’s quite banged up, will probably be staying with us for a week, maybe longer, and will probably require a couple surgeries.”
Chad breathed out, leaning against Jeff in his relief. “Can I see him?”
“Of course. We’ll give you a few minutes with him, then we’ll be sedating him and moving him to observation until the surgeon arrives in the morning.” She guided them to the room, Jeff hanging back until the doctor ushered him in.
Chad went to the table immediately, contorting his body so that he could lean his head next to the dog’s, talking softly. Shaking hands stroked the bloody ruff, and Jeff felt something loosen in his chest.
No matter what else you could say about him, Chad loved his dog. That bought him a lot of slack in Jeff’s world. It might even buy him a second chance.
So, when the doctor came back in, it seemed perfectly understandable for Jeff to loop an arm around Chad’s shoulder and guide him back to the car.
They were just turning off the canyon roads when Chad finally stirred. “Um. You’ve done so much for me tonight that I hate to…do you think I could borrow your shower? Annie, my pit bull was a rescue—they used her as a bait dog for fights, and she freaks out at the smell of blood.”
“Not a problem,” Jeff heard himself say. “I know the feeling. Bisou used to be just as twitchy as hell. Any sudden noise and she’d be trying to hide under the bed.”
“If it’s going to freak out your girl-“ Chad started.
Jeff favored him with a smile. Okay, that was another point in Chad’s favor. “Nah. She’ll be fine. Just ignore her if she growls at first. She can get a little pissy about people coming into her house, but she’ll get over it quickly.”
Chad slanted him a small grin. “She knows that she owns the house, huh?”
“Yeah.” Jeff shrugged a little. “She’s spoiled, but she’s my baby.”
“Shouldn’t be any other way, man.” Chad slumped back into the seat. “God, I’m going to have to find another sitter before I head back to Wilmington.”
“If you’d like, I can give you the name of the woman who takes care of Bisou. She’s this total hippie new age woman, has been running this pet-sitting business for nearly ten years.” Jeff grinned. “She’s not cheap, but she’s awesome with animals. You just have to ignore the crystals that start showing up on your end tables to ‘promote harmony.’”
Chad snorted a laugh. “If she takes care of my babies, I don’t care if she dances naked and burns sage in my bedroom.”
Jeff chuckled and pulled the car to a stop in front of his house. “Home again, home again.”
Chad slid out of his car, wobbling a little on his feet.
Adrenaline crash, Jeff thought. God knew, he’d had it happen often enough, especially this past year, running between LA and Vancouver. He gently steered Chad up the stairs, listening to the clack of Bisou’s nails on the floor, dancing happily at his return.
He opened the door and nudged Chad inside, waiting for the explosion of barks/growls that was sure to come.
For a moment, Bisou stepped back, eyes narrowed.
Then, Chad offered her his hand. “Hi, Bisou. Aren’t you a beautiful girl,” he cooed.
Bisou tilted her head for a moment, and then minced up to sniff Chad’s hand.
“Hey, sweetheart,” Jeff murmured. “This is Chad. He’s a friend.”
After a long minute, her tail wagged tentatively. “That’s my girl,” Jeff purred.
She swiped her tongue over Chad’s hand quickly and slid past, wriggling all over at Jeff’s feet as he dropped to his knees to scritch her.
“She’s beautiful,” Chad murmured, running a hand over her back.
“Thanks. Okay, let me show you the shower, and then, I’ll make some coffee. You look like you could use it.”
“Dude, seriously. You don’t have to. You’ve done so much—I really can’t repay you for this.” Chad met his eyes, face serious, open.
Jeff shrugged, feeling the heat rush to his face. “It’s okay. I’ve got her,” he murmured, gesturing at Bisou. “I figure us saps have to stick together.”
Chad’s lip quirked up a little. ‘Yeah, I guess we do.”
Jeff led him to the bathroom. “If you want to toss your jeans out, I’ve got a load of laundry going in. Get the blood off. I’ve got sweat pants you can wear until they come out.” He grabbed a clean pair off the laundry basket that he’d sat inside his bedroom door.
Chad nodded slowly. “Yeah. I—thanks.” He trudged into the bathroom, and Jeff waited, scooping up the jeans that Chad hung on the bathroom door.
He was just being nice. It had nothing to do with Chad being kind of cute. It was just helping out a friend of a friend. Nothing more.
Besides, Bisou liked him. That was a pretty good indication of the type of person someone was.
Plus, Chad had looked pathetic. And he’d always been way too much of a boy scout for his own good, Jeff mused, flipping on the coffee pot. Did he still have some of the cinnamon rolls left over? Yeah. Probably would be good to pump some sugar into the boy. He’d just toss them into the toaster oven to warm up.
The laundry was happily churning when Chad padded down to the kitchen, hair sticking up in a thousand directions at once, swimming in Jeff’s sweatpants.
He looked…really hot. Young, Jeff corrected himself. Too damned young to be thinking anything beyond feed him, pat him on the head and send him on his way. Not to mention, with all that Alpha Male bullshit he was constantly spouting, probably terrifyingly straight.
With that firmly fixed in his mind, Jeff motioned to the table and set a cup of coffee in front of him. “Cream and sugar?”
Chad nodded slowly, eyes fixed on the cinnamon rolls. “Um. Yeah.”
“Cinnamon roll?” Jeff offered.
“Thanks.” Chad stared at the plate for a moment, then glanced up. “Why are you being so nice?”
“Huh?” Never mind that he’d been asking himself that same question, Jeff thought.
“Look, I appreciate it. Really. But…I’m an asshole. We both know it. The one time we met, I basically ignored you, and gave Jensen, who I know you’re close to, a boatload of shit. How does that translate into this?” Chad asked, waving a hand.
Jeff sighed, resting his chin on his hand. Going to have to shave again, before he headed back to Dublin. At least that was a couple of weeks away. “Because. You’re Jared’s friend. And you’re a dog lover. And you needed help.”
“What do you want?” Chad’s eyes were narrowed to little slits.
“Nothing,” Jeff said. “Jesus, hasn’t anyone been nice to you?”
Mocking laughter met the question. “Nice? This is Hollywood, Morgan. Nice gets eaten alive.”
And damned if that didn’t sound familiar. Like him, a short year and a half ago, when he’d found that Sarah was screwing half of the Dodger’s bullpen. He’d been suspicious and hurting, and not willing to give anyone an inch of trust.
Then, he’d ended up on two shows with the most generous casts he’d ever met. But if he hadn’t gotten lucky…
Dammit. He didn’t want to like the little bastard.
“Sometimes, yeah. Sometimes, you get lucky. I’m guessing that things in Wilmington aren’t good?”
Chad shrugged, taking a swallow of coffee. “They want me to quit. Then they won’t have to pay my salary for the rest of the season. I’d rather they fire me, but I really can’t afford it.” His lip curled slightly. “Ever been married?”
“Nah.”
“Good for you.” Chad shrugged. “The only good thing is that after I said I wanted to be on Supernatural, I got a call from Eric. I start filming in a couple weeks, pulling a Jeff, as they said.”
“Mm. Take vitamins. All the flights’ll kick your immune system’s ass.”
Chad nodded, yawning. “Fuck, sorry.”
“Look, why don’t you crash on the couch for a little while? I’ll wake you when your jeans are dry, and run you home.”
“Yeah,” Chad murmurs. “Maybe…yeah. If you don’t mind.”
Jeff smiles slightly. “Wouldn’t have offered otherwise. I’ll be in the study, got a script my agent wants me to read.”
Chad stumbles to his feet, coming around the table, and Jeff steps back, letting him get past to go to the living room. Instead, the younger man stops in front of him, eyes downcast. “Um. Thank you. Really. I know Jare says you’re a good guy and all, but…just. Thank you.”
Impulsively, Jeff reached out, pulling the smaller man into a quick hug. “It’s okay. And Joe’ll be fine.”
For a moment, Chad tensed, and Jeff was pretty sure he was going to get slugged. Then, the tense muscles relaxed a fraction, and Chad leaned into the touch.
Jeff tightened his grip, thinking that Chad wasn’t all that different from the rescue dogs he tried to tame. “It’s okay,” he repeated, one hand sliding up to rumple Chad’s still-damp hair.
After another moment, Chad pulled back, not looking at him. “Okay. I’m going to just crash for a few. Just poke me when you’re ready to run me home.”
“Got it. I’m going to take Bisou out for a quick run, then I’ll be in the study,” Jeff murmured, letting him go, and grabbing her leash.
Somehow, he wasn’t surprised to find an empty couch and a messily scrawled note when he came back half an hour later.
I couldn’t sleep, so I decided to just jog home. I’ll wash the sweats and drop them off and pick up my jeans.
Thanks for everything. I mean it. If I can ever do anything for you…yeah. Not likely, I know. But still. I owe you.
Chad
Shaking his head, Jeff looked down at Bisou. “And that is that, sweetheart. But y’know, maybe Jared wasn’t as insane as I thought. He’s not all that bad, right?”
Bisou wagged her tail and licked Jeff’s hand, soulful eyes reminding him that she knew there were leftover cinnamon rolls on the table. “Okay, sweetheart. C’mon. Daddy’s got scripts to read.”
Tags:
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Date: 2006-10-24 07:31 pm (UTC)\o/
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Date: 2006-10-24 07:45 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-10-24 07:56 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-10-24 08:01 pm (UTC)Either way - wheeeeee!
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Date: 2006-10-24 08:22 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-10-24 09:57 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-10-25 02:08 pm (UTC)Thanks!
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Date: 2006-10-25 12:16 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-10-25 02:10 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-10-25 11:30 am (UTC)I know of CMM because of the CWRPSfloating around, and of course, JDM is JDM *G* but how do you do this to me?
I'm totally in LOVE with this *points at story above*
and why haven't I friended you before?
Also, are you writing more of these two? (love your JDM voice)
:D
*shakes head, in awe* you've got POWERS, woman :D
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Date: 2006-10-25 02:28 pm (UTC)I'm glad it worked for you! And yeah, I'm writing more of the little buggers.
And honestly, I don't know how I haven't friended you, either! *grin* Go figure.
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Date: 2006-10-25 01:10 pm (UTC)Read this out of curiousity to see how the hell you were going to make this pairing work, and now I can't wait to see where it goes from here. It's a lovely start.
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Date: 2006-10-25 02:11 pm (UTC)*grin* I'm glad it worked for you. Near as I could tell, Jared and a love of animals was all they had in common, so I worked with that.
Thank you!
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Date: 2006-10-26 12:36 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-10-25 10:46 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-10-26 12:39 pm (UTC)I should have more up today, actually. Chatty little buggers. *grin* Thanks!
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Date: 2006-10-26 01:33 am (UTC)"Okay, baby. Give Daddy a minute to grab his shoes."
grabbed me, and I'm so glad I read this. I don't think I've ever seen Chad written this vulnerable and while I know little of CMM (mostly via CWRPS), I love how you've written him.
I ♥ sappy dog lovers Jeff and Chad. So looking forward to more.
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Date: 2006-10-26 12:35 pm (UTC)Which is a response I totally sympathise with, since I couldn't stand the little bastard for a long time. *grin*
But I'm glad you gave it a go, and enjoyed it! Thank you!
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Date: 2006-11-14 04:27 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-14 07:27 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-12-18 12:49 pm (UTC)Holy schnikies, it's 5 o'clock in the morning. I need to go to bed, but I'm totally coming back first thing tomorrow. Today. Yeah. *runs away*
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Date: 2007-04-22 03:59 pm (UTC)I'll be reading all of it in the coming days *tucks in with a cup of green tea and bright, shiny eyes*.
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Date: 2007-08-07 03:13 pm (UTC)I never ever read anything Chad`centric, and have yet to read anything with Jess as the main, but the effin' man is gorgeous.
So, your an awesome writer and I thought I would give this a go... and now I have to go read the others! LOL!
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Date: 2008-01-10 05:16 pm (UTC)Interesting characters and real sweet story.
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Date: 2009-03-04 03:45 pm (UTC)You made me like CMM!
You bastard!
I kid, sort of. I was most comfy in the fanon cliche of Douchebag!Chad, and then you made him all sweet and vulnerable and he rescues pitbulls!!
Gah, I know exactly how Jeff feels--Must. Resist. But Can't.