Fic: Begin At The Beginning

[csi_sanders1129]

Title: Begin At The Beginning
Chapters: 2/?
Author: csi_sanders1129
Genre: AU. Drama.
Ratings: T
Word Count: ~1,700
Pairings/Characters: Cougar/Jensen, eventually. Mentions of other canon pairings.
Synopsis: Jacob Jensen’s first day at his new high school starts out on a bad note.
Comments: I get to blame cynic_fic  for this! It’s all her fault! Ugh, this is still a work on progress and I don’t know how out of control this is going to get before it’s finished, but I’ll try to update regularly. Recognizable characters aren’t mine, reviews are much loved and make me write faster, and please enjoy!

Chapter 1 | 

Jacob Jensen's second day at his new school is an entirely differently story.

He hasn't even left the house yet and he already knows that it's shaping up to be a bad day. His spare glasses are old and the prescription is just a little off of normal and they're giving him a headache but he can deal with that. Baby Katie was up all night again – she… really likes being up all night – and so Jensen really didn't get much of any sleep at all.

His sister comes home from work just as he's leaving for school – which is spectacularly good timing – and she's just as grumpy and sleep deprived as he is, but there's not really anything that can be done about it.

"See ya later, Becca," he calls as he ducks out the front door, his backpack slung over his shoulder and his headphones half covering his ears as always.

As he runs – not walks – the few blocks to the high school, Jensen quietly sings along to today's soundtrack. "Well, I'm takin' my time, I'm just movin' on. You'll forget about me after I've been gone. And I take what I find, I don't want no more, it's just outside of your front door..."

Without even really looking, he spots a certain cowboy hat amongst the crowd of students heading into the building. He tries to worm his way through the crowds of students rushing into class, but he loses Cougar in the chaos. Which, Jensen tells himself, doesn't matter, because he wasn't following the other boy. Really. Seriously.

But Cougar can't avoid him, if that's even what he's trying to do, in Biology and Jensen promptly claims the spot next to him just in case it was pure happenstance yesterday that said seat was open. "Hi. So, um, I just wanted to say thanks for helping me out yesterday, you really didn't have to…"

His rant only stops because Cougar snorts at him. Rather, at his shirt, a half-smirk on his face as he turns away shaking his head. Jensen looks down at his awesome shirt – blue today, with a picture of a pixelated orca whale with the caption: "A wizard has turned you into a whale. Is this awesome (Y/N)?"

"Thanks, man. Glad you approve." He grins, and decides that he will now make it his personal mission to amuse Cougar with his really epic t-shirts for as long as he possibly can. "So, scale of one to ten, how hard is th-"

It seems people enjoy interrupting him when he tries to break the silence in this class because now there is someone leering at him over Cougar's shoulder, arms crossed and eyebrows raised in impatience. "Ahem." The stranger says. "I believe you're in my seat."

Jensen frowns. He likes his seat by Cougar and he certainly doesn't want to give it up to the jerk he bumped into yesterday who'd called him a geek. "I… ugh, I'm sorry. I didn't..." He shuffles his books around, tries to stall for time.

"Stay, Payasito." Cougar says, as he turns to face the other boy. He says nothing, just levels the preppily dressed boy with an icy look for a long moment.

With one final incredulous huff, the intruder storms off to claim a seat in the back of the room.

"What… Wait. What just happened? Did you just stare that guy into walking away?"

"Si."

From there, in all fairness, his day does get a little better. The biology review kills any worries he might have had about the contents of the upcoming exam, and with those fears quelled, he heads off to English – more about the same book he's already read – and then to Math – which he flies through as per usual.

Before he even knows it, it's lunch, and he's got The Who playing in his ears as he's heading for the same empty and remote table he'd sat at yesterday. Following one truly amazing air drum solo, he hums out the lyrics of 'Won't Get Fooled Again'. "We'll be fighting in the streets, with our children at our feet… And the morals that they worship will be gone…" And before he gets any further than that, there's someone walking next to him.

It's Cougar, who catches his arm and silently leads him over to the table across the room where he's sitting with Pooch and some as-of-yet unnamed girl who turns out to be Jolene, his girlfriend.

"Hey. Jensen, right?" Pooch smiles, switching seats so that Cougar and the newcomer can sit together on the bench. "How's your head?"

"My head's fine. Glasses, however, they weren't so lucky."

"That sucks. But, man, you shoulda seen what Cougar did to the dude that hit you. I've never seen him throw-" Pooch flinches, as if someone might have kicked him under the table. "Ow, man. What the hell?" He turns to stare at Cougar but gets only a glare in return. He shakes his head. "Nevermind, then."

Jensen doesn't quite know what to make of such a statement, given that Pooch revealed enough to give away what had happened – Cougar had taken out the guy who'd hit him before he'd followed after Jensen – and so it's only fair that his mind is wandering when Jolene tries to get his attention.

"Huh?" Is his totally coherent response.

"That… wouldn't be awesome." Pooch cuts in, and it takes Jake a moment to realize he's referring to his shirt. "Like, at all."

"I have to agree." Jolene adds. "You boys meeting up with Clay, Aisha, and Roque after school?"

"Far as I know, we are." Pooch says, and Cougar nods in the affirmative before he looks to Jensen in invitation.

"Sorry, I can't do anything afterschool. I'm babysitting my niece." He explains, and as much as he loves and adores the little baby girl, this is the first time he kind of wishes he didn't have to watch her.

Pooch shrugs and Cougar hides a frown that Jensen barley sees. "Maybe another time, then."

Jensen decides not to tell them that he'll be babysitting after-school for what is probably forever. "Yeah."

Lunch is over and the bell is ringing way too soon and after a very quick stop off at Jensen's locker – and he's going to have to stop bringing his music to lunch – he and Cougar head to the gym and make it just in time. Jensen's uniform still isn't in, so when the Coach gives the order to head outside, he's the first one out. "Track. Run. Go." He instructs and sends the gaggle of teenage boys off for the class.

Cougar and Pooch both lap probably half the class in the first ten minutes, but Jensen isn't far behind them. Another fifteen minutes and the Coach waves them all down to a walk and the two fall back to either side of him.

"So, you sure you can't come with us tonight? The rest of us Losers would like you." Pooch asks him.

"Nah, man. My sister and I, it's just us. She's works nights and I have to watch my niece." Jensen explains again, and again, he really kind of wishes he could, if only so he can hang out with Cougar some more.

"Alright, I get it. It's cool." Pooch says with a soft smile before he falls back even farther to chat with some other boys, leaving he and Cougar alone.

"So," Jensen starts, because he and silence just do not do well together. Ever. "I'm taking Spanish, you know, so I'm gonna figure out what you keep calling me sooner or later. Payasito, that's it, right? You're not like cursing at me in Spanish, are you?"

Cougar offers him that all-knowingly half-smirk thing that he does when he sees Jensen's goofy shirts. "Es posible…" He says, and then he takes off running again just because he can.

Gym is the last class of the day he has with anyone he's met. He has History next, which he finds interesting and not tremendously difficult. After that, it's off to Spanish - which he is way more invested in now than he had been when he'd picked the class. When he asks the teacher what payasito means because his friend keeps calling him by it, she smiles and laughs. "Clown," she says. "Little clown."

He's still deciding whether or not he finds that insulting or endearing when he wanders into his last class of the day, Computer Tech. It should be the most exciting part of the day and it probably will be once his mind snaps back to reality. As it stands, he's voted for endearing and he has a huge grin on his face as he claims the seat left in the front row.

Jensen floats through class with this information hazing over in his brain, so he almost misses the teacher waving for him to stay when the final bell rings. "Yeah?" He asks as he gathers up his books. "Sorry I wasn't here yesterday, I kind of missed the dodging part of dodgeball in gym yesterday and almost ended up with a concussion in my attempts to… Sorry. Rambling. Yes?"

"Just wanted to make sure you're all caught up on our curriculum, Mr. Jensen. You need any help, you let me know. I've heard good things about you from your last school." The teacher tells him, offering a wide grin even as Jake makes for the door.

"I, ugh, thanks," Jensen says, awkwardly. "I've got the material down already, so no problem there. But, ugh, I have to get home."

The teacher nods and Jensen's out of the room as fast as possible, hoping he can maybe catch Cougar before he disappears off with his friends. Alas, he finds no trace of the cowboy hat in the mad rush to escape the building, so he heads for his locker to collect his backpack and heads out.

So it wasn't as bad a day as he was initially expecting, but the ending left a lot to be desired.