Dance with me!verse
On Jared's prom night, a famous dancer visits their school. From that moment on, Jared's life is changed forever. Will Jared's determination to put his sister and ill mother before everything else prevent him and Jensen from having something more? When Jared opened his eyes to find Jensen smiling softly at him, he blushed, realizing just how close they actually were. Jensen’s lips were barely a breath away from his own and he could feel every soft puff of air against his skin.
NC-17, angst, h/c, hurt!Jared, protective!Jensen, dancer!Jensen, schmoop
♥
DANCE WITH ME?
“Okay, I know all of you are very excited about the senior‘s dance tonight, so we have a special guest coming as a treat. I’m sure you’ve all heard of the world-renowned dancer, Jensen Ackles.”
There was an outburst of screams from the class. Jared rolled his eyes, keeping his gaze lowered as he finished up the last of his physics homework. It was quite hard to concentrate, especially with Sandy, who was sitting next to him, practically bouncing up and down with excitement.
“Now, Mr Ackles will be choosing a dance partner, so make sure that you all look your best if you would like a dance with him.”
The class was already whispering furiously, Sandy was muttering her entire closet’s contents under her breath. Mike was yelling at the top of his lungs, “He’s bi! I read in a magazine, he’s bi! That means we have a chance!”
Sophia came bounding over squealing, “What are you going to wear? Oh god, what am I going to wear?”
Jared sighed and shut his book, “Is there no one sane in this world?”
Chris sauntered over, closely followed by Steve, “Dude, Ackles won’t know what hit him.”
Banging his head on the desk, Jared let out a frustrated groan. Had the entire class gone crazy?
Chris and Steve began comparing their outfits with Mike, furiously debating the advantages of red over blue, and every face in the classroom around Jared was flushed with excitement.
Suddenly Danneel stood up, from where she had been conversing with her cronies, she rose to her full height, and said with a haughty toss of her long golden locks, “Obviously he is going to choose me, he would be absolutely crazy not to.”
Her two best friends, nodded their heads furiously, “She is the most beautiful girl in the school anyway.”
And with that, Danneel turned her nose in the opposite direction, obviously under the mistaken impression that she looked graceful, and stormed off.
It was only a short while later that Tom stood up from where he had been talking animatedly with his football buddies. “And if he is bi, then it’s clear who he’ll choose.” He stretched with a yawn, shirt riding up to expose bulky muscles.
In the silence left in his wake, everyone slowly deflated and sank to their seats. Beside Jared, Sandy murmured sadly, “They’re probably right, who else would Mr Ackles choose? Top cheerleader or football captain... we don’t stand a chance.”
Sick and tired of everyone’s attitude, Jared stood up and addressed them, “Guys, tonight’s our dance, the dance most of you have been talking about since your freshman years, are you going to let that be ruined for you? Seriously, who cares if we get chosen as a dance partner or not? Just have fun and enjoy it.”
The class stared silently at him for a moment; then someone near the back shouted; “I’m going to wear a tux!” And then the class was back to its animated discussion of what to wear. Jared rolled his eyes again and began packing his backpack.
His friends caught up to him on his way out. Mike slapped him on the back, “Dude, what are you going to wear tonight?”
Jared shrugged the hand off his shoulder, “I’m not going.”
His five friends stared at him, “What?”
Shrugging again, Jared stared down at his shoes, “You guys know I don’t have any dressy clothes.”
Their eyes dropped to gaze at Jared’s worn shirt, the jeans that were torn at the knees and frayed at the bottom. Jared flushed, “Look, it’s no big deal. I didn’t really want to go anyway.”
Exchanging glances amongst themselves, they nodded in unison.
And then, despite Jared’s protests, he found himself being bundled into the back of Chris’s truck.
♥
♥
An hour later, Jared was wearily trying on another set of clothes that Sophia had tossed him. He had soon realized that privacy was not something his friends were aware of and was on guard for their constant barging in.
Nor did his friends have any discretion. Having two guy-friends who were gay, one guy-friend who was questionably straight, and two girl-friends who were straight, Jared found himself surrounded by wolf-whistling and blatant checking out.
After his cheeks had blushed so many times he felt they were stained red, Mike tossed him something that made the others fall into a silent hush. “What? What is it?”
But Sandy’s mouth was open, Chris was gripping Steve’s shoulder as if he would fall down otherwise and Mike’s eyes were dark. Jared took a step back from the pack of hungry wolves. “Uhm…”
That shook them out of it, and Sandy wiped her mouth with a cough, “I think we found the outfit.”
Jared shrugged his shoulders, secretly relieved about the casual outfit. Suits had never been appealing to him. Besides, this outfit cost so much less. It was just a sleek brown shirt and tight black jeans.
His friends put together money for the clothes, making him shift awkwardly until Mike eventually leered, “Wear that for me tonight with your hair neatly styled and that’ll be more than enough compensation.”
The others nodded, and Jared just grinned at how awesome his friends were.
♥
It was about five when Jared finally got home, giving him a few hours before he had to set out. His mother beamed when she heard the news and pulled him down into a hug. “You deserve to go, baby. You’ve worked so hard this year.”
Jared smiled and peered into the cupboard, deciding what to make for supper. The past few years had been hard: after getting into that accident, his mom had lost all function of her right side due to the brain damage inflicted upon the left side of her brain. It had fallen upon Jared to care for her and his sister. It was hard sometimes, but Jared loved them so it was a burden he'd be willing to carry a million times over.
“Jay!” There was a bounding from the stairs and he turned time to catch his little sister as she threw herself at him. Her beautiful face was flushed with excitement as he swung her round in a circle. Then he planted a kiss on her forehead and balanced her on one hip.
“Hey Megs, how was school?”
She giggled, “It was so cool, and Ms. Lily said my drawing was the best!”
“Did she?”He grinned proudly, “Wow, that’s awesome! Did you tell her it was about the story we read last night?”
“Yup, and she said it was one of her favourites when she was little and she lent me the movie so long as I bring it back tomorrow.”
Jared grinned and jiggled his sister up and down, before letting a serious look take over, “Did you do all your homework?”
“Mmm, most of it, I need your help with the math though. The numbers don’t make sense.”
“Okay, I’ll help you with that after supper and then I’ll get you sorted with the movie. Why don’t you try and get started at the table over there?”
“Won’t you watch with me?” she asked, her happiness drooping.
“I’ve got to go out tonight. Going to a dance,” he made a face at her and she grinned again.
“Ooh, can I do your hair?”
“’course you can, it’s your job, isn’t it?”
“Yup,” she nodded seriously.
“But, first let me get supper going. Get your math books, I’ll help you now.”
He carefully put her on the ground and with a last squeeze of her brother’s leg, she bounced off happily.
Turning back to the kitchen, he caught his mom smiling at him, and grinned back, trying not to grimace at the exhaustion he saw reflected in her eyes. The past few years had been especially hard for her, being so tired and ill. Money was short, even with the pension his dad had left them after his death, but Jared tried to make it last. He had a shift at the car repairs store just up the road and he worked there four days a week. It was enough to pay for his mom’s medication and his sister’s schooling, but it was hard to make ends meet sometimes. He didn’t know what he would have done if he hadn’t been given a scholarship – probably just drop out. The thought made him ill.
After fetching a drink for her, he turned back to the stove and added a few more ingredients before heading towards his sister and beginning to explain multiplication.
♥
Once he was dressed and Meg had attacked his hair, she disappeared upstairs, only to reappear with the cologne that their father had worn. She hesitated slightly, her eyes locked with his, then she began applying a tiny amount to his cheeks.
It was a mild scent, comfortingly fresh. Of strength and clean sweat and hard work, leather and horses, and grass, mixed with sun-kissed dusk and the coolness of a lake hidden in the centre of a forest. Or at least it smelled like their father and Jared associated his father with all of those things. Either way, it comforted Jared and calmed his nerves somewhat.
By the time she was done, there was a hoot from outside, announcing the arrival of his friends, so after pecking his family on their cheeks, he raced outside.
The hall was brightly lit, huge banners billowing overhead and flowers lining the walls, people wearing ridiculously fancy outfits and a huge sound system booming at the back.
Jared knew he was underdressed, but he couldn’t bring himself to care, not even when they bumped into Danneel and she turned her nose up at them. She was wearing a stunning, baby blue dress which hugged her figure tightly and only came up to her thigh. Jared secretly thought she looked like a slut, but he was a polite boy, so he just smiled and tried not to giggle at Sandy’s violent whisper of everything she wanted to do to ‘that bitch’.
“Couldn’t even afford a decent outfit… how pathetic,” a voice behind them sneered.
A flush rose on Jared’s cheeks as he turned to find an Armani-clad Tom laughing with his mates, but he ignored them and nudged his angry friends along.
♥
♥
When they finally made it inside, Jared was exhausted. He grabbed a glass of punch from the table, and made his way to the side of the room as he waited for the teachers to finish their speeches.
When the music started again, Jared danced for a bit with his friends, laughing and spinning Sandy around, but then the music became slower and he headed back to the side as everyone found partners and began slow dancing. It was romantic, and he grinned at the sight of his friends with various partners.
A few people asked him to dance, but he politely turned them down, preferring to sit down against the wall with a relaxed sigh.
Unfortunately, his peace didn’t last long, as someone shouted, “He’s here!” and everybody started frantically primping themselves up. Jared watched in amusement as everyone in his grade (teacher body included) was converted into a five year old fangirl before his very eyes.
The big oak doors suddenly swung open and a hush fell over the room as a man stepped in. Sure, Jared was man enough to admit that this guy was pretty damn gorgeous, with a muscular physique enhanced by dark jeans, a black jacket and a white shirt beneath it, but the way everyone was batting their eyelashes at him was a bit much.
Jared’s friends were culprits as well. Sandy was fanning her face and Mike was swaying his hips a bit too much. Jared smirked to himself, wishing he had brought a camera; he would have had enough blackmail material to last a lifetime. Even Mrs. Winter, the prim and proper English teacher was falling over herself trying to welcome Mr Ackles, and that was rather sickening.
Mr Ackles stood motionless in the doorway, his eyes roaming over the group of desperate teenagers, until a flushed Mr Tarrison motioned for him to head for the stage and microphone.
“Okay everyone, the moment you’ve all been waiting for has arrived, Mr Ackles has come all this way just for you, and it is time for him to choose his dance partner.”
Mr Ackles accepted the microphone and cleared his throat, “Good evening, everyone. Thank you for inviting me here, I hope you are all enjoying your big night.” He paused, his eyes darting over the crowd.
Jared watched as everyone straightened up, trying to make themselves stand out. Tom was stretching his back, displaying his six-pack and bulging muscles. Danneel, who was right in front of Jared, thrust her hip out and bent slightly forwards so that Mr Ackles had a full view of her ample bosom.
Jared saw Mr Ackles’ gaze fall on her and he let his eyes slip shut. There was a long silence and Jared just sat there, then suddenly Mr Ackles husky voice came on, “That… that young man over there.”
Okay, so he had chosen Tom, maybe the rumours were true and he was bisexual.
The hall was whispering furiously, but Jared didn’t even bother to open his eyes. It was only when a warm hand covered his knee that he jerked, looking up into the greenest eyes he had ever seen.
“Dance with me?” Mr Ackles asked simply, hand outstretched towards Jared.
Jared stared at him, his mouth slightly open. He looked around, at his grinning friends and at the steaming Danneel. Then he looked back at Mr Ackles, who was smiling slightly, eyes crinkling at the corners.
“Uh…”
“Hold out your right hand.”
Jared did and Mr Ackles grabbed it, warm fingers sliding around it, pulling him up to stand, inches away from each other. Mr Ackles nodded towards the DJ, and the music began. “What’s your name?” Mr Ackles whispered softly in his ear as he tugged him closer.
“Jared, my friends call me Jay.” Jared murmured numbly, still unsure as to what had just happened.
Mr Ackles entwined their fingers in one hand and placed his other at Jared’s waist. “Can I call you Jay?”
Jared nodded, “If you want to. Uhm, Mr Ackles.”
Mr Ackles started to move with the music, leading Jared easily. “Call me Jensen,” he breathed against Jared’s neck.
He shivered, unable to believe he was slow dancing with Mr Ackles, the world famous dancer, and not only that, but Jensen had also asked to call him by his first name!
Jensen pulled him even closer, pressing their chests flush against one another and whispered softly, “Are you cold?”
Jared shook his head, his cheek brushing against Jensen’s, “No… It’s just... this is my first time dancing like this with someone.”
Pulling away slightly, looking straight at him, Jensen shook his head is surprise, “Really? But you move so well.”
Jared flushed and ducked his head, which ended up being him hiding his face against Jensen’s neck as he mumbled, “You just lead really well.”
With a smile that Jared could feel against his neck, Jensen whispered, green eyes twinkling, “And if you can follow my lead, it means we’re compatible.”
Jared’s brain hit a roadblock at that thought and he mumbled intelligently, “Uhm...”
Jensen twirled them around, guiding them through the crowd to the centre of the floor; while Jared just relaxed, trusting himself to Jensen’s capable hands and trying to ignore the people around them.
The song was one Jared had never heard before, but he loved it. His eyes fluttered closed and he
sank further into Jensen’s arms, losing himself to the moment.
‘The smell of your skin
The taste of your kiss
The way you whisper in the dark
Your hair all around me
Baby you surround me
You touch every place in my heart
Oh, it feels like the first time, every time
I want to spend the whole night in your eyes
Every time our eyes meet
This feeling inside me
Is almost more than I can take
Baby when you touch me
I can feel how much you love me
And it just blows me away
I've never been this close to anyone or anything
I can hear your thoughts
I can see your dreams’
When Jared opened his eyes to find Jensen smiling softly at him, he blushed, realizing just how close they actually were. Jensen’s lips were barely a breath away from his own and he could feel every soft puff of air against his skin.
The song ended with:
‘I want to spend the rest of my life
With you by my side
Forever and ever’
and Jared reluctantly took a step away from Jensen’s warmth and out of the strong arms. There was applause around them and Jared blushed further, realizing they had been dancing alone in the middle of the circle.
Mr Tarrison cleared his throat from the stage, “That was wonderful, everyone. The next song will start shortly and you are welcome to remain with your partners or find another one.”
“Thank you,” Jared murmured softly to Jensen, starting to turn away, knowing that Mr Ackles would probably want to dance with someone better. But he’d barely gone a few steps when a hand gently caught his arm. He turned to see Jensen smiling slightly, “Come on, I didn’t think I was that bad. You want to get rid of me already?”
Jared stared, “You mean… you want to dance with me again?”
From somewhere nearby, Jared heard Danneel huff loudly, but Jensen just grinned, “Well, if you’ll have me?”
Frowning in confusion, Jensen took Jensen’s hand again, wondering if he was dreaming. There was no other explanation as to why a famous dancer would want to dance with him.
But he was pulled back into the man’s arms, Jensen’s arm around his waist and his other hand gently cupping the back of Jared’s head. As the slightly more upbeat song came on, they began to move. It was easy, Jared just let his body follow Jensen’s movements and go with the flow
It was surprising just how much fun it was, spinning around and being dragged back against Jensen’s solid chest. When the song came to an end, Jensen grinned mischievously and dipped Jared backwards, so low that his hair was almost brushing the ground.
Laughing, the younger man grabbed hold of Jensen shirt to ensure that he didn’t fall and, when Jensen pulled him back up, his hand stayed there, clenched in the material over Jensen’s chest.
♥
♥
Throughout the night, Jensen didn’t release him once; he just kept him for dance after dance, until eventually Jared forgot that they were in the middle of a crowded school hall and that everyone was around them. They talked about anything and everything, from favourite pranks they played in school to their favourite books, and Jared could not believe just how much he was enjoying Jensen’s company. The man was funny, amazingly modest, and impossibly genuine about everything.
The night could have gone on forever and Jared wouldn’t have noticed.
And, when the air was beginning to get stuffy, Jared was barely aware of being tugged outside to the deserted stone quad. Students weren’t usually allowed out there but with Jensen, no one even thought of reprimanding him. The music was still loud from where they were and Jensen pulled him flush against him, Jared’s nose buried against the soft skin of Jensen’s neck and Jensen’s arms firmly around him as they slowly swayed to the music.
When the song ended, they pulled back, arms still encircling each other and Jared smiled at Jensen, wanting to thank him for the dances, but Jensen was just gazing down at him.
Beginning to ask whether everything was okay, Jared opened his mouth, but cut off when Jensen pulled him closer and leaned forward to brush his lips over Jared’s, making the younger man gasp in surprise. Jensen’s arm slid further around him, looping around the small of his back while the other came up to tangle in Jared’s hair, cupping and angling his head while he deepened the kiss.
Still frozen in shock, Jared gazed wide-eyed at the man, and Jensen pulled back slightly, his warm breath ghosting over Jared’s cheek. “Is this okay?” he murmured softly, ducking down to nuzzle at Jared’s jaw.
It was a dream. It had to be, Jared told himself.
And that was the end of his resistance.
Fisting the material of Jensen’s shirt, he yanked the other man back against him and pressed their lips together, extracting a growl from the dancer. Jensen’s arms tightened around him and he took hold of the kiss, his tongue gently prying Jared’s mouth open and plunging inside, tasting him in a way no one had ever done before.
Jared whimpered when Jensen nipped at his bottom lip, but Jensen’s tongue soothed the sting and left Jared’ desperate for more. The hand that wasn’t fisted in Jensen’s shirt came up to cup the other man’s cheek, softly caressing the strong jaw-line and powerful cheekbones, slipping further back through his hair, making Jensen release a soft, happy sound.
“Wow,” Jared gasped, dropping his flushed face against Jensen’s shoulder as he tried to catch his breath. “That was...”
Jensen’s fingers stroked through the younger man’s hair, and he murmured, “Yeah…”
Lifting up to see the expression of Jensen’s face, Jared let out a soft whisper, “Jensen... I...”
Jensen’s fingers ran lightly over Jared’s kissed-out lips, silencing him as he asked, “Be mine?”
Jared had no idea what Jensen was asking, but he answered, “Always,” as he pressed a kiss to the pad of Jensen’s finger.
There was a rap on the glass door behind them, which made Jared jump and spin around. He flushed at the sight of Mrs. Winter standing there. “It’s time for the crowning of king and queen, would you mind coming inside?”
Jared nodded, glancing over at Jensen. The older man just smiled tenderly at him, running his fingers over Jared’s, before leading him inside, to the back of the hall, where he settled down, tugging Jared down to sit beside him and pulling him close. One of Jensen’s arms slid around his shoulders, not tightly but definitely possessively.
Winners were called up for random awards, and it went on for over half an hour. By then Jared was so sleepy, his head was lolling on Jensen’s chest. But from the way Jensen’s arm was wrapped tightly around him, he didn’t seem to mind being used as a pillow.
When it was finally nearing the end, prizes were awarded. Seeing as though Jensen couldn’t get a prize, Jared was named as the best male dancer, and Jensen reluctantly let him slip out of his arms, his forehead lined with an annoyed scowl, which had Jared grinning back.
He made his way onstage, feeling calmer than he could have thought possible, having reminded himself that this was all a dream, so there was no way he could screw up. He accepted the tiny badge gratefully and awaited the rest of the winners.
To Jared’s delight, Sandy won the 'most original dancer' award, and squealed as she came to stand beside him, pulling him in for a big hug and whispering, “I see someone’s been busy.”
Jared blushed as he glanced over at Jensen, who was frowning at Sandy. When Jared realized it was because he had his arm around her, he grinned brightly. This was an amazing dream if he had a famous dancer jealous of his best friend just for hugging him.
When he made his way back to where the older man was sitting, Jensen glared at him. Jared just smiled innocently back at him, nudging the dancer’s legs apart and planting himself between them, pulling Jensen’s arms around him so his back was pressed against Jensen’s chest. Jensen let out a satisfied sigh and breathed out against his neck.
When the final teacher gave his speech, Jared stood up, pulling Jensen up after him. Jared’s insides began knotting nervously, knowing the dream was sure to end soon.
Jensen led him outside and pulled him close for a deep kiss, hands roaming down Jared’s sides and back to his ass, drawing them flush together and making Jared moan softly at the contact. Beginning to kiss down Jared’s jaw, Jensen scraped his teeth lightly over the smooth skin, before sealing his teeth over a spot where Jared’s neck met his shoulder and sucking on the delicate skin, biting it softly.
When he pulled away, Jensen stared at Jared for a long while before reaching out to tuck some unruly bangs behind his ear, fingers lingering at Jared’s neck.
Before Jared could even begin to think of what to say, Jensen leaned forwards to whisper, “How long until your graduation?”
“It’s Monday next week”
Jensen smiled at him, eyes crinkling at the edges, “I’ll be there.” He tugged Jared in for a quick kiss, and then pulled away.
A few moments later Jared was standing alone in the moonlight.
♥
Jared woke to find himself staring up at his white ceiling, dressed in his pyjamas and wondering whether it was possible to record dreams and play them on repeat forever.
He desperately wanted to slip back into the dream, but his little sister was bouncing around getting ready for school, waiting for him to make breakfast.
Sitting up with a groan, he tried to wipe the sleep from his eyes and swallowed thickly. His mouth was dry and had that disgusting morning taste, so he staggered over to the bathroom to freshen up. After brushing his teeth, he glanced up at the mirror to try and sort out his unruly hair.
It was then that he saw it. A small round bruise staining the skin of his neck, in plain view of everyone.
Jared stared at it, mouth slightly open. The words, “I’ll be there,” echoed in his head, and he grinned broadly at his reflection.
♥
