Life For Rent

Chapter 5 : Effloresce

Author's Notes :

- Effloresce : To bloom

"G?" A hand gently shook his shoulder.

Callen quickly rose from sleep as he reached for his watch on the night stand. "Time is it?" He asked, words raspy with sleep.

"Early," Jared said softly and Callen abandoned his search for his watch. "I have to go check the deliveries at the restaurant in about an hour." He gently caressed Callen's shoulder.

"How early?" Callen sat up and scrubbed a hand over his face, blankets and sheets falling down his chest to pool in his lap.

"Five." Came his response. "I wanted to see if you wanted some breakfast now or when I get back."

"When are you coming back?" Callen blinked and looked at Jared, crouched by Callen's side of the bed. The room was still dark and light was streaming in from the hallway. If possible Jared seemed even hotter with his hair dripping wet from a shower and… Callen looked down. Jared was only wearing a towel.

"I can be back here by eight. When do you have to get to work?"

"Phone?" Called asked stretching a hand out towards his cell that he could almost reach. Jared handed him the small piece of technology. Callen scrolled through messages from Sam. It seemed that their captor from yesterday had talked and all that was left was the paperwork. Sam had dragged Dom out to do the arrest and forms were waiting for Callen's signature. "I can wait until you get back." Callen told the other man.

Jared smiled. "Cool. Sorry to wake you so early, I just didn't want you to wake up and wonder where I went off to."

Callen waved off the concern. "Do you always check the deliveries?"

"Yeah. Are you gonna be okay here while I'm gone?"

"If you trust me with your stuff," Callen said with a shrug. Rule number nine: don't leave anything with anyone that you might want to keep.

"I trusted you with more last night," Jared pointed out quietly.

"Still, you barely know me," Callen argued quietly.

Jared's eyes softened as he looked a Callen. He raised his hand to gently cup Callen's cheek. "I know enough. I trust you, G. If you're going to run off with any of my stuff I can't really stop you. I'd probably be more upset that I didn't get the chance of a second date." He paused. "Unless you ran off with some of my cookware. Then I'd hunt you down to get it back."

Callen laughed softly. "I'll leave the cookware, then."

"Promises, promises," Jared said with a roll of his eyes. He leaned in and gently kissed Callen on the lips. It was chaste, short and close-mouthed, but it was probably the sweetest kiss Callen had ever received. Jared pulled back with a smile and he gently traced Callen's face with his hand before lowering it. "Feel free to use the shower. I left some towels out for you and I put your clothes in the washing machine. I'll stick them in the dryer before I leave so they'll be ready for you when you get up. You're welcome to anything in the apartment."

"Thanks," Callen responded.

"You're welcome," Jared pressed a soft kiss to Callen's forehead. "I have to get dressed and then I'll head out. I'll try to be quiet so you can get some more sleep."

"You don't have to be," Callen protested.

Jared smiled. "I'll try to be quiet," he repeated. With that he stood up, giving Callen a great view of the dark blue towel around his waist. The younger man walked away to pull some clothes out of his dresser and closet. Callen laid back down, pulling the sheets up to keep out the cold as his eyes followed Jared's movements. A second later Jared dropped the towel to pull on some boxers followed by his jeans. He toed on some leather flip-flops while tugging on a t-shirt. Callen watched as he looked around the room before walking over to grab a sweatshirt that had been hanging on the doorknob. Jared stepped into the bathroom and shut the door most of the way before turning on the light. Callen could hear him moving around in there.

He was almost asleep again by the time Jared stepped out, freshly groomed. Callen opened one eye in time to see Jared shove his wallet into his pocket before closing the bedroom behind him as he left.

Callen sighed. He'd never really done the morning after bit. To be honest, he'd never really stayed until the morning. And certainly no one had ever offered to make him breakfast. One girl had handed him an apple as he'd left and Callen had never really been sure what to make of that.

Last night had been fantastic. Jared hadn't recoiled at his numerous scars, instead he'd gently traced each one with his fingers followed by his lips. The younger man had a few scars of his own, most of which, Callen assumed, were from surfing or cooking. Otherwise Jared had been perfect.

Callen wasn't sure how to do this. Jared obviously wanted, if nothing else, sex again. His earlier comments had implied that he perhaps wanted more and even Callen could see Jared was interested in him.

Callen fingered his phone, speed dialing Sam. After two rings his friend answered. "The world better be on fire, G," he grumbled. "Do you know what time it is, man?"

"Early," Callen responded, using Jared's answer.

"Ass crack o'clock early you mean," Sam corrected. "What's goin' on?"

"I need some advice."

"Yes, you should change your own oil," his friend answered.

"That's great, Sam. I'll remember that."

"Good. I'm hanging up now."

Callen knew Sam well enough to know that he wasn't going to hang up. "I think he wants a second date," Callen said finally.

"You think?"

"Yeah."

"So go for it," Sam paused. "You do like him right?"

"Yeah."

"Then go for it. And next time call Nate with your girly freak outs."

"I'm not having a girly freak-out."

"G, you called to see if you should sneak out while he's not awake, right?"

Callen hesitated. Jared was out and not asleep but… "More or less."

"Then that's a girly freak-out. Any more questions?"

"Yeah, man, I read this article where they wondered if man really had landed on the moo-" Callen laughed as he heard a dial tone. "I guess I'm staying," he said to the empty room. This time he did fall back asleep.

Jared tapped his foot impatiently as he waited for the delivery people. He couldn't stop a smile from stretching across his face as he pictured G still asleep in his bed, waiting for him. Or at least Jared was hoping G was waiting for him. G had definitely seemed like the type to leave in the middle of the night without a note. Hell, on a few occasions Jared had been the type to sneak out without a note. But G was different. Jared had liked him from the moment they'd started talking. And after last night… Jared definitely wanted to see more of the other man.

He shifted his weight a little bit and couldn't find it in him to wince at the small twinge of pain he felt at the movement. G, as predicted, had been on top and while Jared had spent some previous times as the receiver, it had been a while. Last night had been amazing and G had been extremely gentle, something that Jared hadn't expected from the other man. Everything about G screamed fast and in command. Yet the other man had been willing to go slow and willing to let Jared examine his body. G had more scars than pretty much any other man that Jared had slept with and some looked questionably like what Jared imagined bullet wounds would scar as. He hadn't asked though partly because he knew that G wouldn't answer and partly because he was scared of what the answer might be if the older man did.

His conversation with G about his job still rang in his ears. G had made a joke about it but last night left no doubt in Jared's mind; what G does for a living is dangerous. Jared was half afraid that G worked for the mob or something like that.

"Hey, Jared!" Paul, the meat guy, greeted.

"Paul!" Jared replied, shaking himself out of his thoughts. "Tell me you've brought me something good."

"I saved some prime fillets just for you, kid."

Jared shook his head and smiled. "I've told you a hundred times-"

"You're not a kid," Paul finished. "When you're as old as I am, Jared, everyone is a kid."

"C'mon, Paul, you're not that old," Jared protested.

Paul laughed. "Old enough. Now come look at these cuts," he beckoned.

Jared shook his head and jogged over to examine the meat, his mind already on that night's menu.

Callen heard the front door open as he spit out the remainder of his toothpaste. Jared had left a new toothbrush on the counter for him, prompting Callen to casually search through the rest of the other man's things to see if he had a pile waiting for every guy he managed to cajole into his apartment. Callen wasn't sure if he was excited or disappointed that he'd found no others. He hesitated before dropping the toothbrush into the holder next to Jared's.

"G! You up?" A voice called softly.

"Yeah," Callen replied. "Give me a second."

"No rush." He heard Jared moving about the other room.

Callen cupped some water in his hands and used it to rinse his mouth out. After spitting it out he wiped his face on the towel Jared had left him. Callen ran a hand through his hair and checked his reflection once before exiting the bathroom.

Jared had apparently left the bedroom and Callen could hear him moving about the kitchen. Callen slipped his shoes on and stuck his phone and wallet back into his pockets before making his way out to the kitchen. "Hey." Jared greeted with a smile. "Did you go back to sleep?"

"For a while," Callen answered. "Your shower is great."

"Yeah, Lindsey did something with the shower head…" He trailed off with a shrug. "I have no idea what, but it works so much better now."

"She sounds handy," Callen commented, taking a seat on a bar stool on the other side of the counter from Jared.

"She definitely is," Jared agreed. "So what would you like? I can do waffles, pancakes, omelets, eggs…"

"Whatever," Callen answered.

Jared looked at him. "That's totally not an answer, G. Oh, by the way, do you have any food allergies I should know about?"

"Not that I'm aware of."

"Food dislikes? Other than parsley."

"I'll eat anything you put in front of me," Callen offered. Growing up in the system you learned early on that what they gave you to eat was what you were going to eat or you were going to go without.

"No preferences?"

"Nope."

Jared groaned. "I'll get it out of you eventually."

Callen laughed. "Okay."

"So how about an omelet then?" Jared asked, already reaching for a pan.

"Sure."

"What would you like in it."

"Whatever you're having is fine."

Jared shook his head. "You're something else, G," he said with a smile. He walked over to the fridge to grab a bunch of supplies.

"Need any help?" Callen asked.

"Can you cook?"

"If by cook you mean…microwave, then yes."

"Don't have one," Jared answered, arms full of food that he set down on the counter.

Callen looked around and sure enough there was no microwave to be found. "I hope you don't expect me to make dinner anytime soon then," he joked.

Jared looked up from where he was slicing some ham and caught Callen's eye. "Just you is good enough."

Callen held his gaze for a moment before dropping his eyes. He'd never had anyone say that to him. He spun to the side on the chair and slid off. "So is there juice?" he asked, uncomfortable.

"Fridge. Or I can make you some."

Callen, halfway to the refrigerator, turned to look at Jared. "You can make juice?"

Jared laughed. "Well I have fruit, and there's this thing called a juicer…" He gestured to a large silver and white machine in the corner on the counter.

Callen blinked. "And people do that?"

"Frequently."

"Is it better?"

"Better tasting or better for you?" Jared asked as he moved on to shredding some cheese.

"Either. Both."

"Some think it's better tasting, I don't really like it," Jared admitted. "But it is better for you."

"I think I'll stick with whatever you have in here," Callen said as he opened the fridge. 'Whatever' turned out to be orange juice and grapefruit juice. Callen grabbed the grapefruit and set it on the counter. "Glasses?"

Jared gestured with the block of cheese in his hand towards a cabinet to Callen's left. "On top."

By the time that Callen had two glasses of juice poured, Jared was mixing eggs and the frying pan was sizzling with butter. He re-took his seat so he could watch Jared cook. The younger man was absorbed in his task as he poured the egg mixture into the pan. He tilted the pan back and forth a little bit as he watched it.

"So," Jared said, turning to the side so he could easily see Callen and the stove. "What's wrong with you?" He asked bluntly.

"What?"

"I mean you're single… I hope," he frowned.

Callen smiled. "Definitely single."

"Oh, good," Jared sighed and glanced down at the pan before looking back at Callen. "So, you're single, hot, smart… There must be some hidden thing wrong with you."

Callen thought about it. "I work too much."

Jared shook his head as he expertly slipped the omelet. "That can't be it. This is LA, everyone works too much. There must be something else."

"My job is demanding?" Callen guessed. Jared leveled him with a look as he sprinkled cheese and ham into half of the omelet before flipping the other half on top of the mixture.

"Out of the millions of people in this city, I find it hard to believe that you couldn't find someone willing to put up with a demanding job," Jared said before sliding the omelet out and onto a plate and slid the plate across to Callen, adding a fork. "Want toast?"

Callen shook his head. "This is plenty."

Jared shook his head again. "I'll make you some toast." He poured the remaining egg mixture into the pan and went about gathering some bread.

"What about you?" Callen asked as he sectioned off a small piece of the omelet with his fork. "What's your hidden flaw?"

Jared sighed as he shook the pan. "I don't even know, G. The guys-they hate me."

Callen certainly couldn't imagine that. "Really?" He asked dryly, stabbing the piece of omelet.

"Yup. I mean I work a lot of nights, and most can't put up with that and the ones who could…" He drifted off and a pained look crossed his face. "Well, let's just say I'm better off without them." He flipped the omelet. "So you've never thought about settling down?"

Callen almost laughed at the idea. He didn't even have a place to live, add that to the fact that he's shot at almost everyday on the job and settling down was the farthest thing from his mind. "Nope. You?" He raised the fork to his mouth and took a bite.

"Yeah," he sighed wistfully. Jared added cheese and ham to the second omelet before popping some toast into the toaster over. "Someday. I'd love a dog."

"Then get a dog," Callen suggested. "What's stopping you? And this is really good, by the way." He motioned to his plate.

Jared gestured with his free hand to the apartment. "Thanks. I'd get one but this space is too small for a dog. Dogs need yards to run and poop in, not city apartments."

"Did you have one growing up?" Callen's third foster home had had a dog. A friendly German Sheppard who loved to play catch and chase squirrels.

"Yeah. Two, actually. A Golden Retriever and a small Yorkie for my mom."

Callen tried to imagine those two dogs together but the best he could picture was a kitten snuggling up to a lion, so yeah, not even in the same genus. "That must have been interesting," he commented.

Jared slid his omelet onto a plate and set the plate down at a place setting next to Callen. He turned away to grab their toast piling six pieces onto another plate and plopping that down in front of Callen before grabbing some butter and a knife as well. He then came over and sat on the stool closest to Callen and began to cut up his omelet.

It felt very domestic to Callen, who couldn't remember the last time anyone made him breakfast, much less a date. So he concentrated on eating his omelet while trying to appear nonchalant and relaxed. He didn't really know Jared well enough to know if he was buying it but Callen thought he probably was.

Callen was halfway through his second piece of toast and way past finished with his omelet when his phone rang. Eric's name flashed across the screen. He gave an apologetic smile towards Jared as he stepped away from the counter to take the call.

"Callen," he answered.

"Hey, G. We've got a case."

"I'll be there in fifteen." Callen ended the call and walked back towards Jared. The younger man turned in his seat so he was facing Callen and Callen stood between his legs. Jared had a couple inches on him in height, but when he was seated he was almost a head taller. "Hey, so, that was work. I've gotta go, uh, thanks for breakfast." Callen shifted weight a little bit, uneasy about how to continue. Conversation had flowed pretty comfortably throughout breakfast, Jared was surprisingly easy to talk to, something Callen would have to remember.

"G," Jared said softly. "Will you come back?" He reached out to grab Callen's hand.

Callen paused. "Yeah."

"When?"

"I'm not sure. Work is unpredictable."

Jared nodded. "Okay. I work Wednesday through Sun-"

"Sunday," Callen finished. "Three to twelve. I remember."

Jared looked impressed. "Good memory. You have my cell, so call whenever you're free. I usually don't do much on my days off. Sometimes I'll go down south for a couple days to surf, but that's it."

"Okay."

"And, G?"

"Yeah?"

Jared pulled him forward and their lips met. It was only a little bit awkward with the height differences created by the chair but Callen didn't really mind. He leaned into the kiss, gently pushing his tongue into Jared's mouth when the other man opened it. After a minute he regrettably pulled back as his phone rang again. He caught Sam's name on the screen.

"You're in high demand," Jared mumbled against his mouth.

"Just today," Callen assured him.

"Now why don't I believe that?"

Callen smiled softly. "Thanks for breakfast."

"No problem."