The Charade
Part Twelve
Summary: Two journalists strike a bargain with Misha Collins and Jensen Ackles to get the article they need, and end up getting more than they bargained for. Pairings: Misha x OFC, Jensen x OFC Word Count: 1722 Warnings: Language ... I think that’s it? A/N: Heading into the home stretch with this! Collab with the amazing Ashley aka @d-s-winchester!
Masterlist
Thanksgiving was quickly approaching, but everyone had their own plans for the holiday. Most of the cast and crew would be going home to their families, while Boden and Adeline would be going back home to meet with Kelly regarding the final draft of their Supernatural article. It was disappointing not to be spending the holiday together, but with any luck, the couples would be able to spend their first Christmas in each other’s company.
Before everyone went their separate ways, Bo and Addy hosted a Thanksgiving dinner at their apartment. It was the usual foursome, plus Jared. He was a ton of fun, and everyone was happy to have him on board with the relationships.
“You girls out did yourselves!” Jared exclaimed when he saw all the food they had prepared. “I wasn't expecting an entire Thanksgiving spread.”
Misha smiled proudly. “What can we say, our girls can cook.”
“Yes they can,” Jensen echoed, kissing Boden on the cheek.
“I should have come around sooner,” Jared teased.
The girls made sure everyone had their drink of choice, then they all sat down to the meal together. Before picking up his fork and helping himself to some of the delicious food, Jared stood and raised his glass.
“I just wanna say that I'm very grateful to be here. We’re friends, and I let something stupid come between us. Bo and Addy, I see now that you girls are here for the right reasons. I'll keep this short, but just know, I've got your backs. So … here’s to friends, old and new.”
Everyone raised their glasses in unison and echoed Jared’s sentiments. After that, it was quiet for a bit while everyone got down to eating.
“What do you ladies have planned for the break?” Jared asked.
The girls exchanged a nervous look before Boden answered. “We are heading to meet with our editor for the final copy of the article.”
Addy nodded, and took a sip of her wine. “We’ll see what she thinks. We kept all of the personal stuff out, which I think we would have done even if we hadn't started actually dating Jensen and Misha, but Kelly was looking for something juicy.”
“We got the article in the first place,” Boden sighed, “you’d think that would be enough.”
“Yeah, but you know Kelly,” Addy commented.
Jensen frowned. “Hope I'm not being insensitive, but maybe after this you girls should consider looking for a new job.”
Addy shrugged. “We’ve talked about it before, but writing for Exclusive is a big deal. Plus, our article is in the front page more often than not - way more. We can't really pass up the opportunity.”
“But, we have been discussing some other options.” Boden shrugged, too. “We’ll get through this article, and go from there.”
“Enough work talk!” Misha declared. “Tonight’s for fun. It’s the first time the five of us have been able to hang out, let’s live it up. I've got enough alcohol to even intoxicate the Samsquatch over there!”
That was enough to get the whole group laughing. They finished off dinner and kept the drinks flowing. No one was going anywhere by the time they all passed out in the wee hours of the morning; Misha in Addy’s bed, Jensen in Bo’s, and Jared curled up on the couch.
The day before Thanksgiving Boden and Adeline were once again walking into Kelly’s office. The article was finished and she wanted to go over some of the parts before sending it to print. They hadn’t included any of the personal information in the article and both girls were mentally preparing themselves for the backlash they would receive from their boss for that. The personal stuff was the kind of content Exclusive prided themselves on and if Kelly didn’t have enough of what she was looking for there was no doubt that the article would probably get scrapped.
“Good afternoon, ladies!” Kelly smiled as they walked into her office, “I just want to say that you have put together one hell of an article. It’s exactly what our readers are looking for! I will say, though, that the lack of personal information here is a little bit jarring. It’s what we’re known for and this article is well...lacking.”
“We understand that,” Adeline said, “but now that Boden and I are in relationships with Misha and Jensen we wanted to keep the private things….private. Just because we don’t want our personal lives in the spotlight. We were hoping you would understand that.”
Kelly seemed to consider the two girls for a few moments before giving a curt nod.
“Very well. I don’t want my two best writers feeling uncomfortable. The personal stuff will stay on the cutting room floor, then.”
Boden and Adeline thanked her profusely and she gave them a tight lipped smile before dismissing them from her office. As they headed back out to the elevator they were none the wiser to the edits that Kelly was making to their piece. The magazine would be hitting stands the following week and with the office being closed the next few days due to the holiday the changes needed to be made and they needed to be made fast.
As much as the girls enjoyed being home for Thanksgiving they were looking forward to being back in Vancouver with Jensen and Misha. The short hiatus was a little longer for the two men than it was for the women and that gave them a few days to spend some quality time together before they would be seeing their boyfriends again.
When Misha and Jensen arrived back at their apartment after the hiatus they were anxious to see Adeline and Boden again. They’d been in constant communication but it wasn’t the same as being around them. Once he was unpacked Misha went to get the mail and as he sorted through it he found the latest issue of Exclusive. He smiled to himself when he saw the title of the article on the cover with Adeline and Boden’s names underneath. He was silently thanking Charlotte for not changing her address on the subscription because now both he and Jensen had a chance to read the article before they met up with the girls for dinner.
He flipped through the pages, looking for the article, as he shut the door behind him. When he finally found the article he settled himself on the couch and started reading. By the time he’d finished he wasn’t entirely sure what he was feeling. He was both hurt and confused when he called Jensen into the room. He handed the magazine, already opened up to the article, over to Jensen.
“Oh, it’s finished! How was it?”
“Just read it.”
Jensen could hear the betrayal in his friend’s voice and was immediately concerned about what the article could have said. As he sat and read though, he completely understood why Misha looked as upset as he did. All of the personal things they’d shared with Adeline and Boden were right there in black and white. The things that they’d promised wouldn’t be appearing were right there in front of him, printed in a magazine that was available worldwide. As if that wasn’t bad enough it was pointed out multiple times throughout the article that both Adeline and Boden had only been with them as a means to get the article -- that even calling off the arrangement had been a ruse.
“I don’t believe this,” Jensen said dropping the magazine on the table.
“Yeah, me either.”
“No, I mean I don’t believe it. There’s no way that’s true. We know how it all started we were part of it, but the other stuff. There’s no way. That’s a lie.”
“I don’t know,” Misha sighed, “it makes sense because of how this all started.”
“Why do you have so little faith in them?” Jensen asked and Misha shrugged, “Let’s just give them a chance to explain themselves at dinner tonight and take it from there.”
Misha agreed that would be a good idea and they went on with their day, both a little on edge.
By the time Adeline and Boden reached Misha and Jensen’s apartment they were giddy with excitement. It had been less than a week but they missed their boyfriends terribly and were excited to finally be spending time with them again. Their excitement changed to apprehension when Jensen opened the door looking slightly annoyed.
“Everything ok?” Boden asked when she went to kiss him and he turned away.
“Not really, no.”
“Whats going on?” Adeline asked, noticing that Misha hadn’t moved from where he was sitting on the couch.
Misha didn’t say a word. He just picked up the magazine from the coffee table and handed it to her. Confused, Adeline opened it up to their article. Boden stood next to her friend, reading over her shoulder. When they reached the end of the article both girls were at a loss for words.
“We didn’t write this,” Adeline said, dumbfounded, “well, we wrote most of it but the personal stuff...this isn’t a ruse. What the fuck?”
“You sure about that?” Misha asked.
“Of course!” Boden protested, “We wouldn’t do that to you. We had no idea those things were added.”
“It had to be Kelly.” Addy pointed out and Boden nodded.
Boden skimmed the article again, nervously biting her lip. The look on her face had Jensen doubting everything he’d said to Misha earlier.
“Are you positive? Cause you’re looking a little guilty, Bo.” Jensen said, crossing his arms over his chest.
“I want to believe you guys, I really do, but I’m sorry I don’t,” Misha sighed, “the whole thing makes us look like a pair of idiots. Our credibility is shot.”
“Misha --”
“I’m sorry, Addy, but this -- me and you -- is done. It’s probably best that you leave.”
Misha stood from the couch then and walked out to the balcony, not bothering to look back. Adeline’s eyes filled with tears, unable to comprehend what just happened.
“You should probably go too, Bo. If I can’t fully trust you on this it’s probably best that we end things too.”
Jensen turned his back on them then, heading into his bedroom, leaving the two heartbroken girls standing alone in the living room.
