Title: "Surfacing" Pairing: Chad Michael Murray/Jared Padalecki Rating: PG Disclaimer: Never happened. Summary: There are easier ways of making up after a fight. Notes: Written for the 2008 Fluff & Fold challenge. My prompt was here. It's not quite domestic, but I hope it fits the parameters. When Jared finally fought his way to consciousness, the first thing he was aware of was the unbelievable throbbing in his skull. Felt sort of like he had the world's worst tequila hangover, only amplified by, like, a thousand. Like maybe a herd of rhinoceroses were dancing the rumba on top of his head in tap shoes. His body felt like one gigantic mass of bruises, and every time he took a breath, sharp pain shot up his entire side. Whatever it was that had happened to him, he'd clearly come out on the losing end of it. "Dude, I gotta tell you, there are better and easier ways of getting hot nurses to give you sponge baths." "Hmmm?" Slowly – very slowly – Jared cracked one eye open, then the other. Chad was sitting beside his bed, looking about as bad as Jared felt. His eyes were bloodshot, his clothes wrinkled and slept in, and his hair was in the sort of crazy spikes that he only got when he'd been pulling at it. Chad looked like he'd been on a three-day bender in Mexico, and had barely made it back alive. "You're, uh. Here." Not that Jared remembered where here was, exactly, but he was pretty sure Chad wasn't supposed to be here. Not after... "Where else would I be?" Chad asked, sounding puzzled. "On a beach drinking mai tais while my boy's hurt?" Hurt? Huh? Fuzzy memories started to struggle to the surface of Jared's foggy brain. A cold and rainy night, an unfamiliar stretch of road, a slick patch, losing control of his rental. "What happened?" he finally asked. "They think you hit something in the road that careened you into a tree." Chad slid his hand over Jared's, the touch gentle, warm, quietly reassuring. "Concussion, cracked ribs from the airbag, fractured your ankle. Various bruises everywhere, and you've got a nasty gash on your thigh that almost bled out." "That's it, huh?" Jared thought maybe he managed a smile, but the joke felt flat to his own ears. No wonder he felt like roadkill – he very nearly had been. "How long've I been here?" "Two days, roughly," Chad shrugged. "Good thing you've got a hard head." "Yeah. Guess so." Chad squeezed Jared's fingers. "You're gonna be okay, man." There was an odd note in Chad's voice that Jared had never heard before, and one he wasn't sure he ever wanted to hear again. Chad was always a bedrock of strength. Vulnerability didn't suit him. "Okay." Jared managed another weak smile, and tried to squeeze back on Chad's fingers. "You been here the whole time?" "Jensen and your mom've spelled me, but yeah. This chair and I are real close now. We're thinking of making it official." "Thought you were..." "Dude, don't. It's not important." Chad scooted closer and leaned in. "When you get better, we can have a knockdown about it." Jared shook his head slightly, and even that small movement hurt like hell. No way he was up for a fight, especially over something so ridiculous. "I'd rather not." "Yeah, me neither." Chad smiled softly, and brushed a light kiss across Jared's lips. "Get some rest." "Okay." Jared obediently closed his eyes, but didn't let go of his grip on Chad's hand. "Gonna be here?" "Damn right I am," he heard Chad reply, sounding like himself again, and the thought made Jared smile until sleep claimed him. If you enjoyed this fic, please leave feedback here. Thanks!