Nobody Sees, Nobody Knows [Jensen Ackles + Misha Collins | Cockles | mxm]

Chapter Thirty-Seven

"Vicki," I exhale shakily. "I'll call you back, okay? I have to go." I hang up before she can reply and wheel around.

Jensen is standing about a foot away, nonchalantly chewing a stick of gum and sporting fresh, clean clothing. Which only reminds me of the sticky situation I'm still in.

You need to study your script better, I want to bite out testily.

Instead, I settle for: "You excel at shitty timing."

I know I'm being a dick, but my hair is still standing in disarray and there's stubble burn on my stomach and a rapidly-cooling mess in my pants, and Jensen, the source of it all, has a calm demeanour about him that irritates me.

"And I ain't even Sam," he wisecracks.

"We making fun of Sam now?"

Will wonders never cease: it's Jared.

"We were just talking about your reputation for bad timing," I grin. "You know, interrupting moose or whatever they call you."

"Yeah, well," Jared shrugs flippantly. "Sam's still awesome."

"He is, in other ways," I affirm ruefully. "He could get a wifi signal in hell, so that's gotta count for something."

The conversation quickly evolves into an easy, lighthearted mockery of the cast, accented by sporadic bursts of side-splitting laughter.

And being around these guys - especially the inexhaustible well of good humour that is Jared Padalecki - makes me feel like I'm back in college, decades younger and freer.

Belatedly, and smack in the throes of a daydream, I realize that Jared is no longer gesticulating wildly with his hands in narration of some outlandish story. He's asked me something.

"Huh?" I blink, startled.

"I was wondering if you'd booked a hotel room for next week's con yet, Misha."

"You're shitting me," I exhale, slapping a hand across my forehead.

"Yeah, okay," Jared rolls his yes. "Everyone's a goddamn comedian today."

Seriously? How could I forget?

"You're an ass," I groan.

"I figured you'd forget, what with everything going on," Jared sighs. "So I took the liberty of booking you a room myself."

And, yet again, Jared has swooped in to save my day. Which would bear remembering, I think, because I owe him for myriad interventions like this, and instead all I do is cuss him out. I flush, suddenly embarrassed.

"Shit-"

"Apology accepted," Jared sighs. "I'm looking forward to it. Should be fun."

He gestures towards his trailer with a sweep of his arm. "So, you guys wanna hang or what?"

Jensen throws an arm around he taller man's shoulder and winks.

"We gonna watch a movie and braid your hair? 'Cause I could get behind that."

Jared snorts.