mercy | jared padalecki

vii. shut up, toaster

    Laurel was rushing to Jensen's trailer. She had just found a funny video on her phone, while all cuddled up in bed, and immediately wanted to share it with him. And she knew that she could have just sent him the link, but she wanted to see his face when he watched the video, so she could laugh at him. So instead of rushing through set looking nice, like the few people who were still left out and about, she was in a pair of leggings and a Detroit tigers t-shirt, along with a baseball cap that had her high school's name on it, white high-top converse on her feet. Her dog - Toaster - was on her leash and following closely behind her owner. No one seemed to pay the brunette any attention as she rushed to her best friend's trailer.

    She quickly opened the door once she got there, both her and Toaster rushing in. The first thing she heard was the shower, making her realize that Jensen was in the shower. She let out a loud sigh, then turned to sit down on the couch. A loud shriek came from her as she jumped about a foot in the air, not expecting to see someone on the couch, staring at her with wide eyes. A hand when to her chest as Toaster wiggled her way to beneath her other hand, making her remember she's here and everything is okay, that there's no reason to panic.

    "Jesus Christ!" she mumbled, her heart racing. "You scared me."

    "I scared you?" he replied, the first words she had ever heard him speak in person. "You came busting in here without so much as a knock!"

    "You could have been like, 'Hey, Laurel, I'm in here! Don't freak.' It's not difficult to say," she stated, tugging on the ponytail that was shoved through the hole in the back of the cap on her head.

    "Okay, I will admit I could have done that. But I was kind of in shock."

    "Yeah, sorry about that," she laughed, smiling at him. "Let's start this over."

    "Sounds good," he agreed, chuckling a little and standing up so that he could shake her hand.

     "Hello," she said, holding out her hand, "I'm Laurel James."

     "Hi, Laurel," he said, smiling and shaking her hand. "I'm Jared Padalecki."

     "Nice to finally meet you," she said.

     He nodded as they both sat down on the couch, on opposite ends. Toaster plopped her butt down on the ground and placed her head in her owner's lap. Laurel grinned, stroking her head and becoming more and more grounded in the world again, since surprises could trigger her into a panic attack. When the Golden Retriever let out a low whine, Laurel rolled her eyes.

     "Shush, Toaster. I'm okay," she whispered, not quietly enough though.

    Jared was giving a weird look, glancing at the toaster in the kitchen area and then back at her. She actually let out a small laugh, unhooking Toaster's leash.

    "I wasn't talking to the toaster. I meant my dog, Jared. Her name is Toaster."

    He laughed, "I thought you were crazy for a moment there. But now that that's cleared up, I'm good."

     "Cool cool," she said, smiling. "So, what are you doing here?"

     "We're supposed to have a guys night, without Misha, but he's taking forever. What about you?"

     She grinned, "I can show you, too! Ha, this is great. Watch this video."

     She then scooted down the couch so she could be next to him. He watched her in amazement as she unlocked her iPhone and then hit play on the video. To his amusement, it was the video of the pandas sneezing that had gone viral years before. But she was watching it avidly, laughing and grinning at the sound the pandas made. Then she looked up at him, startled by the fact that he was watching her instead of the video.

    "What?" she asked.
   
    "Nothing," he said, shaking his head. "Nothing at all. You just... amuse me."

    "What are you kids up to?" Jensen asked, walking out of the bathroom, dressed in jeans and a simple t-shirt.

    Laurel grinned, jumping up and rushing over to him, "Watch this!"

    This time, she watched his face as he watched the video. He chuckled when the baby panda sneezed, making her grin. Then she took her phone back, locking the screen and sliding it into the waistband of her leggings. Jensen then wrapped her up into a hug, pressing a kiss to her forehead quickly. She grinned, hugging him back.

     "So," she said as soon as they pulled apart, "what is your actual plan for tonight?"

     Jared grinned, "We're going out to get a burger and some beer."

     The two men shared a look, Jensen glancing at her out of the corner of his eye. She missed their silent conversation, including the nod Jared sent to Jensen, as she was looking down at her dog that was licking her hand. She was brought back to focus when Jensen spoke to her.

     "Do you wanna join us?" he asked.

    She thought for a second, "I could eat some food. And drink some beer. It's been awhile. Just don't let me get too drunk. And we have to grab my purse on the way."

    "I've got you," Jared said, standing up. "I'll pay for you, don't stress."

    She laughed, rehooking Toaster's leash, "Thank you. But I still need to run to my trailer for my purse. I won't turn down the free food, though."

     And so the three of them made their way out of Jensen's trailer, Toaster with them. The two men stood outside the trailer, waiting on her. Jared glanced at Jensen when she came back out with her purse and still had Toaster, but Jensen didn't seem to be worried, so he shrugged and went with it. Their driver was waiting for them, smiling at Laurel as she climbed into the car with them, Toaster on all of their laps. She didn't mind being pressed up against either of them, reveling in the heat that it provided.

    "To manly men's night, without Misha!" she said, as the got off set, a smile on her face.

alice's note

laurel seems kinds childish in this, but she's really not. she was just tired, but was excited about the video and getting food she didn't have to cook. and i'm about to become a recluse and watch criminal minds for awhile.

[ 12.6.16 ]
[ edited | 12.19.18 ]