Makeup Chair (SPN RPF)

[Sawyer]

This is from the point of view of Andrea Manchur, first assistant makeup artist for episode 2.16 "Roadkill" (because Jared sounded sooo sick in that episode and I had to do something about it). It's very short.

-

“You look tired,” I say before I can stop myself. Usually, one might offer that sort of comment when the receiver actually looks more than tired – usually, “tired” is a polite adjective synonymous with “like crap”. Dull, unkempt, and out of sorts; weary and hopelessly unprepared for a long day.

Jared Padalecki doesn’t look as such, though. He really, honestly looks tired. His radiance, openness, and professionalism certainly haven’t diminished.

“More work for you then,” he teases with a wink, familiar and friendly, but his eyes are sunken in with deep crescent-shaped bruises framing the bottoms, and his hair is flat on one side and a rat’s nest on the other. His voice sounds deeper, possibly just husky from having recently woken up, and his syllables are drawn out and soft around the edges.

Jared sits in the tall black makeup chair, which brings him down to my eye level. I take out my brush and he closes his eyes so I can start applying his basecoat. “No sleep last night?”

“Not really,” he admits. “We were out shooting late in the rain yesterday. The whole episode takes place at night, so, uh,” he pauses, turning away to cough, painful and hard and rattling. “Sorry.”

“Aww, poor thing. You okay?” I turn back to my table to grab the concealer, and upon turning back I notice that the rims of his eyes have become rosy to match the flush on his nose. Jared’s one of those people with weaker skin in the middle of his face; thinner, more sensitive, and more prone to turning pink if the temperature’s even a little too warm or too cold. It’s a difference you notice after making a career out of doing people’s makeup, and I’m often the one to reapply a green-tinted primer when his nose turns red on set.

“I’m good, yeah.” He smiles, genuine and honest, and I can hear his Texan accent peeking out through the cracks in his statement. Tired is right. “Think I might be getting a cold. But I took some Sudafed this morning.”

“Ooh, watch out,” I warn half-heartedly. “That stuff always makes me so dizzy.” Like all the shitty parts of being drunk with none of the good to balance it out.

“Yeah,” Jared says, looking about as sheepish as someone can look with their eyes closed. “I couldn’t breathe this morning so I doubled the dose just in case. So far so good?”

“You don’t sound too bad,” I agree. Before I begin smoothing on the primer, I brush back his bangs and check his forehead. “No fever.”

“Yeah well I’m — I’m hoping it doesn’t go that far.” Sometimes during a conversation, especially at interviews and panels, I’ve noticed, Jared will stammer a little, like his thoughts are going ten times faster than his mouth ever can. “With it being mid-season and… uh… hh! H-hold on.”

I’d only just started rubbing the primer on his nose, and he plucks a tissue from my table (I usually use them for blotting) and twists around in the chair, hovering it above his face.

“Huhh’TSSHuh!” He sniffles into the tissue afterward, checking it to make sure he didn’t wipe off any makeup. “God, sorry. Uh. It’s a little sensitive.”

“Understatement,” Jensen adds, appearing in the doorway and then coolly marching into the room and clapping his co-star on the shoulder. “You should have seen him last night.”

“That bad, huh?” I speculate.

“I think he’s exaggerating,” Jared says defensively.

“He’s not telling you everything,” Jensen counters, then turns to his co-star. “How you holding up?”

Jared clears his throat. “Took some meds, feel alright to shoot today. Might need another dose in a couple of hours, though,” he adds, sniffling. He brings a hand up to rub at his nose, but hesitates at the last second and drops it in realization.

“Ah-ah-ah,” I scold. “Don’t you dare ruin my masterpiece!”

“Hah!” Jared barks out a quick laugh, and then pitifully rubs his throat. “Yeah. No promises.”

I brush some foundation over his cheeks then clap my hands together. “You’re all set.”

“My turn,” Jensen announces, then replaces Jared in the chair in front of me. Before I begin, he grins and says, “Look alive, Padalecki!”

And we both trust Jared to do his best.

[SpookyScarySkeleton]

Continue it's so cute<3

[sadie22233]

Aww this was awesome! I love the POV -- well done :-)

[Bgrace27]

i like continue please?

[Zwee]

Ahhhh, Sen Beret, it's SOOO cute, I'm dying! I just have SO SO much love for early Sam/Jared. So much. I love him now too of course-- he's perfect, who am I kidding?-- but in those early seasons with his adorable haircut and his sweetness and caringness and sensitivity (IN BOTH SENSES OF THE WORD THANKS TO THIS LITTLE STORY FROM HEAVEN) and jeeeeez, you're killing me here!!

Yeahhh... Speaking of sensitivity... Such a good word. For that. For his nose. Rrrr... I've noticed that, though, his nose totally gets all pink when it's cold out, it's SO CUTE. And I loooove the makeup artist POV, and she's just like, "Aww, poor thing!" And offering sympathy and telling him to be careful with Sudafed and how she knows about the green-tinted primer to combat redness and YOU THINK OF EVERYTHING YOU ARE SUCH A GOOD WRITER.

Dear lord that sneeze. There was one, ONE sneeze, and it was just so cute I couldn't handle it. I was completely satisfied with the one.

What if you wrote a PREQUEL? With him the night before sneezing at EVERYTHING. Ahhh, I'd die. No pressure. You're perfect.

[kendisima]

I love this more please?

[Introvertedme]

Awww this is SO good! Please continue?! your writing is fabulous!!!! You make them seem so realistic!

[Hedgehog]

Wow, you have an amazing talent for details. I could *see* every moment of this conversation. And the description appears so realistic. Very nice little story. Thank you!