It’s in the Little Things
Pairing: Jared Padalecki x Reader
Warning: Fluff, pure fluff, and mention of heartbreak
A/N: This will be the first of five pieces I am doing for Bug’s 100 follower challenge (or @1000roughdrafts if y’all didn’t know)! Again, congrats on reaching 100 and can’t wait to watch you grow even more darling! Hope you enjoy what I post in honor of your celebration! Prompt will be in bold. Of course, this is done for purely fiction purpose only. Much love and respect to the Padalecki family.
Six months.
It took six months for Jared to make a small crack at the wall around your heart. When you got the job at the Family Business Beer Company, your best friend almost had a heart attack. She was a huge fan of the show, Supernatural, and made you watch all 13 seasons. You thought it was a good show but nothing to make you go hoopla like her. Even your boss, Danneel Ackles, had asked first and foremost if you were a fan of the show. But you made it clear you were there to work, proving it when Jensen came in one day and all you did was greet him, moving back quickly to continue cleaning the counter. It was when he returned a few months later while on hiatus that you met Jared Padalecki.
He really was a gentle giant like your best friend said. After a quick ‘hello’ and handshake, you couldn’t help but admire his wide smile. Made you wish you could smile like him. All carefree and without a second thought. He would come in almost every day to hang out with your bosses, behaving childlike when he was bored. Whenever fans would come in, you would watch how he and Jensen would willingly take pictures and sign things for them, thank them for coming by and to enjoy the place. Every fan would tell you how lucky you were to work there. But luck wasn’t in your vocabulary.
Well, not at first.
“Hey, (Y/N),” Danneel said as you counted the register for the night. “We are throwing a barbecue at my place tomorrow, maybe take a boat out on the river behind the house. You are welcome to join us.”
“Umm, I think it would be best for me to catch up on some stuff I need to do since it’s an off day.”
“C’mon (Y/N), you have been working here for the past six months and have yet to attend to one of our get-togethers. Just come by for an hour or two and enjoy the company a bit.”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive! Jay and I would love to have you over. The kids have been dying to show you their rooms and…Jared will be there,” Danneel said that last part playfully.
“Would be nice to see the kids…”
Danneel sighed and patted you on the shoulder.
“Tomorrow at four, ok. Don’t forget your bathing suit either.”
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When you arrived at the Ackles home, it didn’t really surprise you how big and beautiful their home was. They immediately welcomed you into their home, JJ and the twins guiding you around as they gave you a tour. You couldn’t help but feel how homely it was, reminding you of the days back when you still lived at home with your parents. Jensen and Danneel were out on the patio cooking while you played with the kids in the living room. You enjoyed spending time with them, growing to love them very quickly. That’s when you all heard a knock at the door. JJ ran towards it, you get up to follow the child to watch her. When you reached the front door, you watch as Jared lifts little JJ in his arms and twirls her in the air, her screams of joy causing you to smile.
“You really do know how to smile.”
You shook your head quickly to stop from smiling.
“No, no, don’t stop because I noticed. It’s just, I never got to see you smile. Danneel was right, you do have a beautiful smile.”
You couldn’t help the gasp that escaped your lips, couldn’t ignore how hot your face was turning. It wasn’t just the words, it was the look in his eyes, something in them was telling you how honest he was being. You watched as he let JJ go, her running back inside as you stood there, a bit in shock still. Jared closed the door behind him and walked up to you, smiling his typical childlike smile and looked down, brushing his hair behind his ear.
“Mr. Padalecki…”
“What have I told you about calling me that?”
“Umm…Jar…Jared. I do smile.”
“Yeah, but it’s never really genuine. Danneel brags about how you and the kids get along and that she gets to see a real smile from you with them. Glad I finally got to witness it in person.”
“In…person?”
Jared then took his phone out of his pocket and fooled with it for a few seconds. He then turned the screen towards you and your eyes grew wide in shock. There, on the screen, was an image of you with the children in the back area of the brewery, Zeppelin on your back as the girls ran behind you. You could see the wide smile on your face, how much joy was there. You looked up at Jared and he locked his phone and placed it back into his pocket.
“Danneel sent it to Jensen and I got him to send it to me. Just, really loved how happy you look in it,” he whispered as he looked down to his feet. “Pretty girl like you should smile like that every second of the day.”
And that moment, you felt the small crack against the wall you built around your heart.
====================
“Wait, so Jared invited you to Vancouver?”
“Well, Danneel and the kids are going, and she knows the only traveling I’ve done is my move to Austin…”
“BUT JARED ASKED YOU RIGHT?!”
You winced at your best friend as she screamed through your headphones. You were packing a small bag for the weekend trip up to Vancouver. You had to call her to calm your nerves about the trip.
“Yeah but like I said…”
“Oh, bestie! Do you have any idea how lucky you are! Not only have you been welcomed into the Ackles family, but you are traveling to visit the set of the show AND getting a personal tour by none other than JARED FREAKING PADALECKI!”
“It’s nothing special…”
“How is it not…you do realize ever since he convinced you to exchange numbers you two have been in contact nonstop? And when he travels back home, where and who does he spend most of his time with?”
“We are just friends.”
“You might see it as just friends, but he has to want more.”
You winced again and pulling your knees up to your chest, wrapping your arms tight around them. Your best friend watched via camera your reaction and sighed.
“You can’t let the past dictate your future. You even left your hometown to get away from it all.”
“I know but it’s still hard, after everything it’s still hard,” you whispered into the mic.
“Yet when you talk about those text and phone calls, I see a crack of a smile.”
You couldn’t help the small smile that came out.
“See, plus he has been very patient with you. He doesn’t push, and he has done so much to show you really does care.”
You deviated the conversation quickly with talk of the trip, your best friend making you promise to get as many pictures as you could, before ending the video call. As you closed your laptop, you thought back on her words.
‘You can’t let the past dictate your future.’
You knew she was right. The past was the past, but you couldn’t help holding on to that fear, the fear of another heartbreak. You swore to protect your heart after picking up the pieces, building a reinforced concrete wall around it. But little by little, Jared had chipped off pieces of that wall. You did your best to cover up the cracks and missing pieces, but Jared had made his mark.
His kind words, his way of trusting you with things he wouldn’t tell anyone else. He would spend hours at the brewery, keeping you company when he was in Austin. Eventually, when you gave in to hanging out, he took you around Austin and showed you his favorite places in the city during one of his breaks. He would share his favorite books with you when he found out you loved to read and read the ones you favored. He always paid attention to the smallest details of your conversations. He even sent you flowers and your favorite cake for your birthday while he was out in Vancouver shooting.
And he never missed a day to call you. You would wake up to a good morning text and fall asleep to the sound of his voice on the other end of your cell phone. No matter how much you tried to deny it, Jared had won you over little by little. And even though you loved the butterflies in your stomach every time you heard his voice or looked into his eyes, that underlining fear would bubble right up.
====================
The flight to Vancouver was a bit stressful, it is your second time on a plane. But Danneel and the kids were the perfect distraction. When the four of you made it to Vancouver, there was a big man waiting outside. Danneel introduced him as Clif, the guys' bodyguard and best friend. He made the ride to the apartment fun by giving you a chance to sightsee during the ride. Once you at the apartment, he helped bring up the luggage to Jensen’s apartment and let you and Danneel know the guys would be home in an hour and would have the weekend off as promised. As you began to unpack in the guest room, Danneel came in with two glasses of red wine, handing one to you.
“Here is to a safe trip and fun times in Vancouver.”
The clinking of the glass made you giggle before taking a sip.
“So, what are the plans with Jared? He did beg me to hire a babysitter if Jensen and I wanted to go out so as not to ask you.”
“Not sure, he just said he would handle everything.”
“Oooh, are things moving up the ladder?”
You smiled and lightly punched Danneel on her arm, causing a laugh out of her.
“I’m not sure. We are great friends and I honestly don’t want to mess that up.”
“Hmm, well I can clearly say Jared wants more than friendship. But knowing him, he will take what he can get.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“I mean, if you make it clear you only want to be friends, he won’t cross any lines even if he wants to. He is never one to push, that’s for sure.”
You nodded as you took another sip of wine. Danneel was right, Jared never pushed for anything, more so taking his time.
“Just, remember, you aren’t the only one with feelings in the mix here. Be clear with him and trust me, he will understand.”
You nodded, sucking your lips in as Danneel smiled at you. She patted your shoulder and walked out of the guest room, leaving you to your thoughts. You wondered, how serious was Jared about wanting more? And would he really understand your hesitation?
====================
Your weekend in Vancouver was the best time. The moment the guys got home on Friday, Jared took you out to dinner. Nothing fancy, just a quick meal at a burger place he loved. You both sat there for hours, just talking and eating. Before you knew it, the place was closing for the night. You were so surprised how time flew by with just you two talking. Instead of taking you somewhere else, Jared took you back to the apartment, wishing you sweet dreams at the door. He tried to move in for a hug, but as usual, you backed away slightly. You hated yourself for doing that, but like always, Jared just smiled away and bid you goodnight, heading to the elevator to go up to his place.
That night you went to bed mentally slapping yourself for not even able to give him a hug.
Saturday was a fun day. Jared took you to bike riding in Stanley Park to enjoy a nice breakfast at a small café. Later you went to the Museum of Anthropology where you spent a couple of hours just looking and admiring. Then, he took you onto the set where all the filming happened. He showed you each set from the show and even let you take a few pictures for your best friend to send to her. He even dragged you to his trailer, which made your mouth drop from the size of it.
“This is huge for a trailer,” you gasped.
“If we have long days of shooting, we will sleep here so they got us ones that we felt comfortable in.”
For lunch, he took you to an Italian restaurant on Commercial drive. And after that straight to the aquarium. You both looked in awe at the sea animals and fishes the aquarium had. He laughed along with you as you told him the story of how every time your parents took you to the aquarium when you were small, that you would run up to one of the workers and ask where the octopus was. After the aquarium, he took you to dinner at this restaurant close to the apartment. Again, you both sat there for hours, laughing, talking and eating. It was two in the morning when you made it back to the apartment and he bid you goodnight. He never made a move to hug you, but the urge to hug him was inside you. Instead, you let him walk away and headed inside, shutting the door quietly to not wake everyone up.
Sunday was barbecue day with the Ackles and Jared. A few other folks from the show were there as well. Jared introduced you to everyone and suck to your side, knowing how nervous you got meeting new people. But you had fun, doing your best to be friendly and joke along with everyone. The food was delicious, and, in the end, you and Jared got stuck with cleaning the dishes as everyone relaxed after the meal. It was almost sunset when Jared asked you if you would go with him to the roof. You said yes and you both snuck out of the apartment like children, taking the elevator up to the top floor to then reach the door to the rooftop. Once you were both up there, you sat down on the cement roofing to watch the sunset, admiring the beauty in silence.
Once the sun had set, and the night sky began to shine with stars, Jared spoke up.
“(Y/N), I want to tell you something, something I can’t hold back anymore.”
You took in a breath, not able to look at him as your heart began to beat fast.
“I… ever since I met you, life has seemed better, brighter even. Getting to know you this past year, it’s been the greatest moments of my life. And, you make me feel like... like I can hope for a better future, a future I can share with someone.”
“Jared…”
“I just want you to know, no matter what, I won’t force you into accepting my feelings. I just want you to know that I’ve fallen in love with you.”
You kept quiet for a few minutes, processing what he just said.
“(Y/N)? Are you okay?”
You pulled your knees up to your chest, wrapping your arms around them, going into your cocoon.
“(Y/N), if it’s too much, we can just be frie…”
“Did Danneel ever tell you why I moved to Austin?”
“No, she never wanted to say.”
You took in a shuddering breath before you started.
“I was engaged to be married before my move. Was with him for almost eight years when he proposed. Wedding plans were made, and I even bought my dress. I was madly in love with him and trusted him with my heart. I thought everything was right in life. But the night before our wedding, he ran off with someone else, leaving a note behind how he was only settling with me because he felt too comfortable. That I was safe.”
You heard Jared gasp, making you continue.
“I was safe, and he was never in love with me. He fell out of love years ago but only tolerated because he didn’t want to hurt me. But after he proposed, he met someone else and felt like he was doing wrong by marrying me since he fell for her. But he didn’t know how to tell me he wanted to end things. So, when it was the day before our wedding, he panicked and ran. His letter was his way of letting me down easy.”
“How could he…?”
“Oh, that’s not it. Two weeks after our wedding got called off, his parents were throwing him and that girl a wedding. They had only known each other for a couple of months and felt so sure of her that he married her. He married her, the girl that he loved, not tolerated. I spent eight years with that man and all I had to show was a canceled wedding and an invitation thrown in my face.”
“He sent you an invite?”
You could hear the anger in Jared’s voice.
“Not only an invite, but he was also asking me to be his fiancée’s maid of honor. That I could help out planning it all since I knew everything about putting up a wedding.”
“That ass…”
“Yeah, and since my hometown is on the small side, I was on the rumor mill for weeks afterward. The girl that lost her man to some random. So, I moved, went to Austin since it was far and quiet. Once Danneel gave me the job, she asked me why I moved there, and I spilled, thinking she should know at least the truth so she wouldn’t think I was some fangirl.”
“I am so sorry about what happened, (Y/N),” Jared whispered. “I understand why you wouldn’t want to get involved with someone. Don’t worry, we can act like this never happened and stay friends.”
“But that’s the thing, Jared, I don’t want to be just friends.”
You turned to face Jared, your eyes were watery with tears.
“I have always had trust issues ever since, putting up a wall so as not to get hurt again. It sucks but I felt it was the best way to protect myself, to not feel the pain I felt. Learning how to trust someone is the hardest thing I’d ever have to do, but with you… you’ve made it so easy.”
Jared’s eyes grew wide as he looked into yours. You reached out and grabbed hold of his hand, tightly.
“Ever since that day you showed me that picture Danneel sent you, you have been chipping away at my wall. And no matter how many times I tried to repair it, you would come right back and remove more. Every little thing you did, each precious moment chipped away at that wall. You showed me that maybe, I can throw myself out there again, to trust again. I know it won’t be easy, but I have to try. And if it’s with you, then maybe the jump won’t be so bad.”
Jared grabbed both your hands and looked you dead in the eye, his shining so bright with love.
“You can jump because I will be there to catch you. I know it will take me a bit to prove myself to you, but I promise my love for you is real and I will do everything in my power to never hurt you to that capacity. Yeah, it’s a bit fast to say this, but I can’t see myself spending my life with anyone else but you. I hope one day you will come to see that truth.”
At his words, you smiled brightly, feeling the wall crumble down to reveal your heart. You knew the risks of putting yourself out there, but something inside you made it clear, this time, you would fall in the arms of the right person. You leaned in and placed a soft kiss on his lips, chaste and sweet which he responded to. Once you pulled away, you pulled your hands out of his and wrapped them around him in a hug, molding your body into his. He wrapped his arms around you, his face pressing into the crook of your neck.
“I love you, (Y/N),” he whispered into your skin.
“And I love you, Jared.”
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