Life For Rent

Chapter 8 : Hypaethral

Author's Notes :

- hypaethral : open to the sky
- Spoilers for the Season One episode 'Keepin' it Real' (S1E06).

"Hey," Jared greeted as he opened the door.

Callen stepped in and shrugged out of his jacket. "Thanks for letting me come over."

"You're always welcome, G." Jared said with a smile, taking Callen's jacket from him and hanging it up. "Want something to eat?"

"You're always feeding me." Callen remarked, following the other man into the kitchen.

"It's what I do." Jared offered with a crooked smile. He opened the fridge door wide so Callen could see in. "There's pasta salad, pork chops, some vegetables… I have more meat in the freezer."

"Any ice cream?" Callen asked.

Jared offered him a pensive look but shut the fridge door and nodded. "Vanilla or chocolate?"

"Vanilla."

Jared laughed as he reached for it while Callen got two bowls. "I'd never have taken you for a vanilla man, G." He pulled the carton out and shut the door. He walked over to the bowls that Callen had laid out and set the ice cream down. Jared opened a drawer, pulling out an ice cream scoop. "How many scoops?"

"Three?"

"Three it is." He went about dishing up the ice cream. Callen grabbed them two spoons, holding them as he waited for Jared to finish. "Vanilla is my favorite, also." Jared said, sliding a bowl towards Callen. "Lindsey likes chocolate."

"Oh. Cool." And it was, Callen thought, that Jared would keep ice cream that his best friend liked, in the freezer, just for her.

"Want anything to go on it?" Jared put the remaining ice cream back into the freezer.

"I'm good." Callen said, pushing a spoon into the white mounds in his bowl. He set Jared's spoon next to his bowl.

Jared grabbed the his ice cream and the spoon, holding the bowl in one hand as he ate it. He leaned back against the counter and studied Callen with an unreadable look on his face. "So what's up, G?" He asked finally.

Callen swallowed the ice cream in his mouth. "Hard day at work."

"Analyzing information?" Jared asked softly, referring to what Callen had told him his job entailed.

Callen shook his head. "No, just… I…" He tapered off.

"You seem a bit rattled." Jared said quietly.

Callen supposed he was. Agent Giordano had brought up some bad memories of a not-so-distant ex. And, if he were honest with himself, Callen was still feeling a little bit raw from his admission while interrogating Walder. He wasn't sure what had possessed him to share so much of his past, especially with someone he didn't know. "I just had some bad memories brought up." Callen offered softly. He poked at his ice cream with his spoon. Callen felt Jared shift closer to him, until their sides were lightly coming.

"Well," Jared said gently. "I'm glad you came here."

Callen looked up and met his eyes. "Me too."

Rule number five: never need anyone other than yourself.

Jared could feel G's body slightly moving as he breathed. Jared wormed a hand into G's, squeezing lightly and receiving a soft squeeze in reply. Though no one said anything, Jared thought tonight had been an important milestone between the two of them. G had needed something--some comfort, some company, whatever--and he had come to Jared for it. Jared had never dated anyone as… delicate… as G before. He almost laughed at the term. G had more muscles than Jared could ever hope to have, he'd obviously been through some kind of war, as evidenced by all the scars on his body and was over-all a confident guy.

But Jared knew another part of him, a side not so obvious. He knew that there probably hadn't been many people in G's life who had cared for his injuries, no matter how small. He knew that G probably hadn't had many people make him dinner. He knew that G probably hadn't had many people that cared for him, period.

"Jared?"

"Hmm?"

He could hear G inhaling deeply. "I work for NCIS."

Jared paused. "What's that?"

G let out a soft, sweet laugh. "Naval Criminal Investigative Services."

"So you work for the military?"

"Yeah."

Jared felt some tension leave his body. "Oh, thank God."

G laughed. "What?"

"I thought you worked for the mob or something. Some kind of assassin/hit-man." It sounded ridiculous even to Jared's ears and he couldn't believe he had once thought that of G.

"Oh." G squeezed his hand. "Nope. But I do sorta work for a more covert branch of NCIS, so I'd appreciate it if you didn't…"

"My lips are sealed." Jared offered.

There was a long pause before G lifted their joint hands and rested them on his bare stomach. Jared turned his head, but it was too dark to make out G's facial expressions. "I--recently we questioned a suspect about the death of one of the guys in his unit," G began quietly. "He wasn't talking; he was too nervous, too scared. So I told him something about me to get him to open up." Jared waited. He wasn't going to push G to talk. "I was in foster care." G's hand started squeezing Jared's and Jared squeezed back. "While there… one of the other foster kids was beaten to death by our foster dad. He was drunk and I… I didn't do anything to help him."

"You were just a kid, G." Jared said gently. "There wasn't anything you could have done."

"It doesn't feel that way."

"Nothing ever does in hindsight. You know that if you had stepped in he probably would have killed you too."

G half laughed, half sobbed. "That doesn't exactly make me feel better, Jared."

Jared's hand tightened. "You're a survivor, G, and sometimes that's harder."

G's other hand came up to rest on top of their joint hands. "Thanks." He whispered into the dark.

"No problem."

There was a long pause, then, "Wanna make out?"

Jared laughed and rolled over onto G. "Most definitely." He said, leaning down.

Jared sent him off the next morning with a tray full of cinnamon rolls and a thermos of coffee. On one hand, Callen wasn't sure he wanted to bring the breakfast pastries into work--fielding the questions they might bring--, on the other, he wasn't sure he could eat them all before he got there and then what would he do with the them? His dilemma was solved when he pulled up and found only Nate's car there.

Callen grabbed the tray and his thermos and carried it all inside. Nate was sitting at the table, his feet up, comic book in hand. Callen gently set down the cinnamon rolls, earning a glance from Nate.

"Where are those from?" He asked curiously, pulling his feet down and setting his book aside. Callen pushed the tray a little closer and Nate grabbed a cinnamon roll. He bit into it and moaned. "These are good… and still warm." He sighed happily, chewing.

Callen shrugged and reached for one himself, taking a seat near Nate. "My friend made them."

"Well," Nate said, swallowing. "My compliments to your friend. He? She? Should consider marketing these."

"He." Callen offered. "And he's a chef."

"Any place I've heard of?" Nate asked, taking another bite.

"Le Bon Choix?"

"The dating restaurant?" Nate asked, looking surprised. Callen nodded. "I love their food."

"I'll pass that along." Callen said easily. "I'm sure he'll be happy to hear that."

Nate nodded and finished his cinnamon roll. There was an uneasy silence between them and Callen felt Nate studying him. "How ya doin', G?" He asked softly.

"Been worse." Callen admitted.

"Doin' okay after…" He made a gesture that Callen assumed meant the interrogation.

"Yeah, I'm doin' okay."

Nate stared at him before nodding slowly. "Well, if you ever want to talk, my door is always open."

"You have a door?" Callen joked, trying to lighten the mood.

Nate gave him one last serious look before smiling. "Somewhere around here I should, who knows, though?"

"Well, I'll keep that in mind then."

"Good."

"Hey! Who brought the cinnamon rolls?" Sam asked, taking the seat across from Callen. He selected a large roll and took a giant bite out of it.

"Callen did." Nate offered.

Sam swallowed, "You baked these, G?"

Callen raised an eyebrow towards his friend. "You think I baked these?"

Sam laughed, "You're right. You don't even have a closet, much less an oven. So where'd you get them?"

"A friend." Callen said with a look.

"A friend?" Sam seemed to think for a second before realization came over his face. "Ah, a friend, got it."

"Got what?" Kensi asked, taking a seat next to Sam. "Ooo, cinnamon rolls!" Callen pushed the tray towards her.

"You drinking that coffee, G?" Sam asked, reaching for Callen's thermos.

"Yes." Callen said, snatching his coffee out of Sam's reach. "Get your own damn coffee." He said with a laugh.

"Don't you love me anymore?" Sam asked, before taking another large bite of his cinnamon roll.

"Not if it comes down to you or coffee."

"I see how it is, G, I see how it is." He swallowed. "Well tell your friend," Callen rolled his eyes, "Thanks for the grub."

"I copy that." Nate said.

"Me, too." Kensi offered, chewing.

Callen smiled softly. "I will."