That's When We Uncover [Jensen Ackles + Misha Collins | Cockles | mxm]

Chapter Thirty-Six

The day unfolds in a whirl of solo and combined panels, Q&A sessions, photos, and singing. During a brief break, I spot Misha laughing with Jared and a few of the teamsters, and make my way over to them.

Fuck, look at his ass, I groan inwardly. Is it getting more beautiful or am I just getting gayer?

As I reach the group, I catch the tail end of some story involving Jared and the stunt crew and one of the golf carts on set. Amidst peals of laughter, I crowd next to Misha, my hand smoothing down the length of his spine and my smile taking on a softness reserved only for him. My hands settle absently on those delectable hipbones of Misha's while he chatters on, unfazed.

When Daniela comes to fetch Jared and I, I give Misha a parting smack on the ass and follow the two to my next panel. A group of girls see the gesture and erupt into a fit of rabid squeals and giggles, whipping out their phones with lightening reflexes. I catch fragments of breathy whines lamenting I just want to live my life and when your OTP is canon af but not officially and can I please live?

I know I resolved to respect Misha's personal space in front of the fans, but it's no big deal that they witnessed this, because my hand has always been more or less surgically attached to his ass during cons anyway and he's never called me out on it. He simply stares ahead with a tight-lipped smile and resumes his dialogue.

I send the girls a knowing wink and they hit the ground.

Jared and I walk side-by-side behind Daniela, our procession flanked by handlers and bodyguards. I lean closer to Jared's ear, keeping my voice hushed.

"Hey, have you talked to Misha lately?"

"Sure," Jared frowns, puzzled. "Back there, just now-"

"No, I mean really talked to him. Has he opened up to you at all?"

Jared scratches the back of his neck in thought.

"Not really," he muses as we round a corner in the network of hotel corridors. "I mean, he usually just brushes me off, says he's been busy. Something about family issues, but apparently nothing pressing or unusual. He wouldn't really say much."

***

Like all Creation conventions, this one is a hit. We take the panels by storm, leaving the stage to wild applause. Jared is a ball of energy as usual, much to the audience's delight. But this kind of interaction has never been my forté; I usually just try to ride Jared or Misha's coattails as best as I can.

I see my baby again at the end of the day, standing backstage and talking to a handful of girls, as is custom at every convention. Fans like to interact with him after the event, share their stories and the impact he's had on their lives, gush over what an accomplished little nugget he is, et cetera. At least two of them are crying, which isn't unusual, but Misha's facial expression is. There's sympathy, sure, but also...anger, I think.

Resolving to ask him about it later, I head back to the hotel with Jared and the others in Clif's car. We stand around in the corridor outside our rooms talking about the panels we've shared.

I'm still a little bummed out that I didn't have any with Misha. But it's probably for the best, because if I did share any with him, the cast and crew would be mocking me right now, laughing about how I was drooling and tripping all over myself around him on stage.