Actions

Work Header

Because compromising is what grownups do

Chapter Text

Jensen and Jared have been at this for hours already, and the files have been sorted into three stacks by now.

There’s a “definitely not” batch that is the smallest. The pile labeled “maybe” is only slightly bigger.

Their problem is the stack of files for the “short list”. It’s huge.

They just cannot agree on anyone.

Jared wants an infant but Jensen won’t accept a child younger than a year or two.
Jensen wants like a boy but Jared is determined to get a girl.

So, they’ve been arguing since the early hours of the morning. It’s the late afternoon and they still haven’t decided yet.

“Tell me again why you don’t want a cute little baby?” Jared asks and without leaving Jensen even so much as a second to respond, he goes on listing reasons in favor of such a young child. “Jensen, newborns are so adorable and cute and don’t you wanna be there for all the amazing things the child’s gonna learn?”

“Children usually don’t start walking or talking before they’re at least a year old and do you even realize how exhausting it is to live with an infant?” Jensen repeats the same list of reasons for what felt like the millionth time. “They cry. A lot. And they don’t let you get enough sleep at night. Jared, our lives are busy and exhausting as they are, there’s no need for us to lose the little bit of sleep we actually do get, too.”

Jared’s pouting and giving him that look. Again.

“No, Jared. I’m not gonna give in just ‘cause you’re playing puppy eyes again.”

So maybe that is a very hard thing to do, but Jensen will not adopt a newborn just because Jared thinks it would be adorable. Yeah, it will suck to have missed out on the first year of their child, but Jensen means what he said when talking about stress and losing sleep.

Eventually Jared sighs and nods. Thank God.

Jared is looking through the short list again and sorting out all the children who are younger than a year. They all go into the “definitely not” pile which grows a few inches finally.

With a contemplative sigh, Jensen turns toward the still biggest pile of files again.

“Well, that almost didn’t make any difference,” he states ironically.

“If we had kept only the children younger than a year it would’ve been smaller by now.” Jared is trying his luck one more time but gets shut down by a glare that would’ve made John Winchester proud.

“Just sayin’,” Jared mumbles in response and begins to sort the files that are left into two more stacks.

“What are you doing?”

“Uh, those here,” he’s pointing to one of the piles, “are only boys and the other one are only girls. Have you noticed how few girls there are? Definitely the easier pile to choose from.”

“We’re not getting a girl, Jared.”

Jared immediately gains his pout back, which has Jensen rolling his eyes once again.

“Because you’d only spoil her rotten.”

“No, I won’t!”

“Of course you will. I see how you treat Megan and if it wasn’t your sister but your own child you’d be even worse.”

Jensen has tried reasoning with Jared before. Persuading him that an older child would be the better choice had been pretty easy. Telling Jared though that Jensen doesn’t want a girl as their first child when they were able to choose is more difficult than telling him that there is no candy whatsoever in the house left. This is going to become a long argument.

“But I’d be a parent then. I only spoil Meg ‘cause I’m not responsible for her upbringing. Well, not as much as our parents at least. Plus, Megan’s too old to be damaged by spoiling.”

“Uh huh, you keep telling yourself that while I pick out a boy.” Jensen is reaching for the “boy pile”, but before he could pick up the file that lies on top, Jared grabs his hand and keeps it, causing Jensen to look up at him again, left eyebrow raised.

“I will be a good father. I won’t raise a tyrant princess who’s going to become the next Naomi Campbell or, even worse, Paris Hilton.” Jared is looking almost pleading and Jensen sighs.

“Jared, I know you won’t be a bad dad and I know you’d rather gnaw off your arm than let our child become an obnoxious and annoying starlet whose only fame comes from their name but I also know that once you see the little girl you’ll be all over her and trying to fulfill every wish you imagine seeing in her eyes. That’s just who you are and I love you for it,” Jared’s face brightens in happy anticipation, “but,” the smile falters, “if you’re the daddy who spoils her it would leave me with the part of the evil daddy who begrudges all her fun and I don’t wanna be that.” Jared’s eyes widen as Jensen’s words sink in.

Just as Jared opens his mouth to say something, his cell phone rings and he curses before flipping it open.

“Yes?”

Jensen shoots Jared a curious look but Jared’s not giving him an explanatory sign that would tell him who he’s talking to. Only the occasional “uh huh” or “really?” gives him the idea that it’s not the bad kind of call. Also there’s the fact that Jared’s eyes gleam and he’s smiling happily. Jensen’s really curious by now but Jared’s still talking, or rather listening and just throwing in a “yes” or “that sounds great” once in a while. A good five minutes later Jensen went to the kitchen to get some water and when he gets back to the living room, Jared’s just asking, “Can you fax it right now?” before thanking whoever called with “Awesome!” and closing the phone.

He turns toward Jensen and his grin is almost blinding.

“So, uhm, how set are we on only adopting one child?”

“Uh, I don’t know. Why’d you ask?”

“’Cause that was the agency I talked to and they got a pair of twins who’ll be a year old next week.”

“Twins?”

“Pair of twins. Boy and girl. Her name is Christina, the brother’s Cole.”

“Christina and Cole?”

“Uh huh!”

Jared’s nodding and grinning like crazy while Jensen’s still thinking about it.

“Come on, Jensen. It’s the perfect compromise! A boy and a girl, no newborns and we could get them in two or three weeks already.”

Jensen looks at Jared like he’s gone crazy when their fax machine beeps. Jared almost runs to get the arriving file as soon as possible. When he gets back to the living room he’s stopped grinning but is still smiling like the happiest person on earth. It’s when Jensen decides that two kids maybe are a good idea.

Then Jared hands him the two pages and Jensen looks at it. There’s a picture of them and that’s when he’s sure that adopting two kids is a damn good idea.

When he looks back up at Jared, he’s probably mirroring the stupidly happy smile on his partner’s face.