"You have to go to dinner with them the same day Jared moves into the dorm? They couldn't give you guys a few days?" Tom asked as he took a beer from Jensen's refrigerator.

"You guys remember how it was last year. There'd never be time to do it during RA Hell Week and they're not waiting until classes start."

"They must be really pissed he came down here last weekend. Especially after he put off making you meet them by saying he wasn't going to be seeing you until now."

Jensen groaned. Maybe he didn't need Tom. Chris would help him move the body. He knew when Jared brought up the idea of taking off work and driving to Austin the previous week that Jared's parents wouldn't be happy. But Jared had sounded so lost and upset about how uncomfortable things were with his parents and Jensen had never been very good at saying no to him.

"You're not helping." Tessa slapped Tom on the arm. Damn, she'd probably be pissed and stop hanging around and making them all dinner if he killed Tom.

"It'll be fine. Jared's parents are cool. Really," Alexis insisted.

"Sure, they already like you."

"They like Mike too. So they must be really open-minded."

"Mike didn't make their son gay."

"Neither did you, and he damn well better've told them that by now." Chris rolled his eyes as he opened his own beer.

"You know he did. But that doesn't mean they don't think it."

"Yeah, well, then they're assholes."

"Thanks. That's really helpful." His friends sucked. Why did he even let them all come over here and harass him while he got ready for this dinner? His apartment wasn't big enough for this many people and they were mocking him more than they were calming him down.

"What do you want me to say? You've been freaking out about this for two weeks and nothing I've said has helped so far."

"Maybe you should all just shut up." Jensen sat on the couch and resisted stealing someone's beer. Jared's parents would probably smell the alcohol and think he drove to dinner drunk. Then they'd ask if he ever bought Jared drinks.

"I don't know why you're so freaked out. No, you're not the girl they might've expected. But after they get over that, you're a parent's wet dream. You're pre-med. You're a nerd and you study all the damn time. You'll 'ma'am' and 'sir' them the whole dinner and they'll fall in love with you. Before you know it, Jared will be hearing, 'why can't you have a responsible career plan like Jensen?'" One day Chris was going to get caught impersonating his mother and Jensen would have no sympathy.

"Your mom is the only person that says that. I'm pretty sure they're more likely to say, 'Couldn't you at least find a nice boy your own age?'"

"They'll get over that part eventually. Once they get to know you." Alexis grabbed his arm when he got up again and turned to the closet. "And if you change your shirt again, even Tessa isn't going to let you live it down. You look hot and responsible and you don't even own a shirt that makes you look like a pedophile."

"I don't know. I liked the black one," Tessa smiled. She'd picked out the black one-or no, Chris had picked out the black and tried to convince him not to change into the blue one. Tessa had suggested he try the blue one and get opinions.

"Is there a bet for how many times I change?"

"Yeah. I already lost. I said three times," Tom admitted.

~*~

After changing in and out of shirts until no one could win, Jensen ended up with the blue button down shirt. It was responsible, it didn't scream gay, and it was casual enough for the steakhouse Jared's family picked. Now he just had to find Jared and his family...and not make a complete fool of himself. His cell vibrated in his pocket.

"Jared?"

"Hey, we're going to be a little late. Could you get a table? For six I guess?"

"Um, yeah, sure."

"Sorry. My mom wanted Jeff to leave his truck here and have us all go in the van, but Jeff didn't want to leave his truck without TU tags even though I don't think they're towing right now. So then they couldn't decide if we should take all the cars. Then we finally decided to take Jeff's truck and Mom's car, and Megan wanted to ride with us even though there was no room..."

Jensen chuckled. If gathering the Padalecki clan was like gathering six Jareds, it could take a while.

"It's fine. I'll go leave my name for a table."

"Thanks. Jeff and I will be there in about ten minutes. We lost our parents at the last stop light."

At least that meant he'd have a few minutes with Jared before he had to worry about the parents. He was still waiting at the front of the restaurant when Jared and Jeff came through the door. Jared pulled him into hug and he couldn't help sinking into it for a few seconds.

"It'll be okay. Megan will change the subject if they hit on any bad ones."

"Really?" Megan liked him, but he wasn't sure she liked him that much.

"I bought that expensive purse she wanted and I'm holding it hostage. I kept the receipt just in case."

"You didn't have to do that."

"I wanted to. I know this isn't great for you." Jared didn't mention that he'd probably never have to return the favor.

Jensen didn't have time to argue because the door opened then and Megan was running inside ahead of her parents.

~*~

As Jensen shook hands with each of his parents, everything felt too formal for even Jeff to have any fun. Then there was that awkward moment when they reached the table when they couldn't figure out who was going to sit where. Finally Jared managed to sit next to Jensen and get Megan on Jensen's other side.

"So Jared tells us you're starting medical school next week. I'm sure that will be a lot of work," Jared's dad started. That wasn't so bad, but Jared could hear the implication that maybe Jensen didn't have time for him.

"Yes. I'm sure it will be, but my financial aid should be enough so that I don't have to work at the same time. I'm hoping that will help."

"I'm sure your parents must be very proud of you." His mom smiled and damn, she wasn't even meaning to, but Jared knew that hit Jensen harder than anything else they could have said. He gave Megan a pointed look as he stretched out a hand to squeeze Jensen's leg under the table.

"You know, Jared pretends he's thrilled because he landed a hot doctor before me, but it's really because he's hoping after you're a doctor, he'll never have to go see one again. Jared hates doctors. When he was little, he'd pretend he wasn't sick and then when mom would take him, he'd cry and cry." Maybe Jared should've added a clause about what Megan should change the subject to. "Either Mom or Jeff will still go in with him if he has to see a doctor because one time when he was sixteen, he was supposed to go and get his last hepatitis shot and he just didn't go."

"I forgot. It wasn't on purpose."

"You had leave school early to do it." Megan smirked and turned to Jensen again. "They tried taking him all the way there and waiting in the waiting room when he was seventeen, but then he hid in the bathroom when he was supposed to be seeing the doctor."

"Megan, stop trying to embarrass your brother. Neither of us had to go with him to get his cast off in the spring."

"That's because Jensen knew when he was supposed to get it off and he didn't want to tell Jensen why he wasn't going. If he could've gotten the thing off his arm all by himself, he would've."

Jared groaned but at least Jensen was relaxing a little. Maybe he'd still let Megan have the purse.

~*~

"I should return the purse," Jared teased as he climbed in Jeff's truck after Megan.

"You can't! The deal was that I'd change the subject if they asked questions that made Jensen uncomfortable. You never said what I could change the subject to."

"Yeah, but did you have to come up with something that made me look stupid every time?"

"No, but come on. No matter what I came up with, Jensen just gave you that look like it just made him more in love with you. Then Mom saw how he was looking at you and she couldn't give him a hard time anymore. You know she'll go home and tell Dad that maybe they should give Jensen a chance because he's so obviously in love with you. I don't get it, but he obviously thinks you're about ten times as amazing as sliced bread." Megan sighed and looked off into the distance. "I want someone to look at me that way!"

"You can have the purse if you don't let anyone look at you like that for at least three years." Really, he'd prefer five or six years, but Megan would really call him out for being a hypocrite.

"What? I can't promise that! I can't control it if some guy falls in love with me. It's not my fault I'm that amazing. How about if I promise to not look at anyone else that way for at least three years? Like any of these stupid boys in high school deserve it."

"That's probably even better," Jared admitted. Besides, he hated to return things. He would've just ended up giving the purse to one of the other girls.

~*~

"I can't pretend this is what I'd want for you, but you're eighteen and you can make your own decisions." Jared wasn't sure his dad actually meant it, but he still said it. Maybe that was as much as Jared could expect from his dad for now.

"I know, but this is what I want. I think, if you just give him a chance, you'll see he's the best thing for me." Jared's dad nodded and pulled him into a hug.

"He treats you well, doesn't he?" his mom asked, smiling just a little.

"Yeah. He really does."

"Well, as long as that doesn't change. We just want you to be happy, Sweetie."

"I am. I'm really happy," Jared assured her as she hugged him and kissed his cheek.

"Good, but try to make it home a few more weekends? I know you have Jensen and this job. But we miss you."

"I know, Mom. I'll try."

Jared had his hand on his cell phone even as his parents walked back to their cars. He only had one night to spend with Jensen before he had to be up at seven-thirty for his first staff meeting.

"Your parents are gone?"

"Yeah. Finally."

"I'll be there in a few minutes."

Jensen was at the door only a couple minutes later, still dressed in the same blue shirt he'd worn to dinner, but now it was untucked with a few buttons undone.

"I owe you really awesome sex?" Jared asked as he pulled Jensen into the dorm. It was weird how quiet everything was with only the RAs in the dorm. He'd managed to get Jensen's old room on the sixth floor and he'd already helped Allie move into Kristen's old room on the floor below while Mike declared his room on the seventh floor "The Penthouse Suite." Of course it would be even weirder next week when the rooms he still thought of as his and girls' rooms were filled with new residents.

"You owe me mind-blowing sex. I think your dad was gathering information for a background check."

"I know. I'm sorry. I don't think he's really going to run a background check, if that helps."

"Not really. But Megan helped. Did you still give her the purse? Because if you didn't, I'll have to buy her one."

"Yeah, but I'm getting revenge on her next boyfriend."

Jensen smiled as he pushed open the door to Jared's room and pushed him onto the bed.

"You're not going to stop liking me after I'm a doctor, are you?"

"I should've returned the purse," Jared groaned.

"I'm just checking. Why do you hate doctors anyway? Or do you just hate getting shots? I can hold your hand next time you have to get one." Jensen smiled and ran a hand over Jared's chest.

"I hate you."

"Sorry. I'll be nice." Jensen curled against him and kissed his chest. "But why? Just curious."

"I don't hate doctors. I hate having to see the doctor. It's just weird. Some random old person makes you take off your clothes and then they poke at you and write things down and half the time they don't tell you what's really wrong. If someone is touching me and getting me naked, it should be because I want them to."

"Dude, this isn't some trauma from a sleazy doctor you had when you were little, is it?" Jensen actually looked ready to go hunt someone down and kick some ass.

"No! Seriously, I don't need to show you on a doll where the bad man touched me. It's just weird overall. And awkward because they ask you all these questions when they're poking at your stomach like it's normal. And the questions are always embarrassing and weird. Like they'll ask what your crap looks like or something and then just nod like it's a normal question. This summer, mom made me go because I just had a sore throat or something for too long and for some stupid reason, they had to ask about my sex life. At least my mom had to take Megan somewhere, but Jeff was cracking up the whole way home." Jared shrugged and looked away.

"I'll try to go with you next time instead if you want. I mean, I already know the sex stuff anyway," Jensen offered. Jared searched his eyes for mirth, but found none.

"Yeah. Okay. But I need you to finish medical school before I'm old enough to need a prostate exam. Some random person is not doing that."

"I'll try to remember that." Jensen chuckled and leaned in for a kiss. "Now, maybe I could get some practice?"

~*~

Read Part 2 of 45 of Second Verse (Not Quite Same As The First) by Aleia