#claire plays shining soul 2

[claire-starsword]

:O

[alicerosejensen]

Please tell us you’ll do a part 2 for your head canon about Leon’s girlfriend finding out about Ada and Claire. Surely he wouldn’t just let her run off like that if he loves her.

All you need to know is that while I was writing this part, I listened to "I Love How You Lie" - Eminem feat. Rihanna. At least twenty times. Maybe more.

There is no physical violence here, but you can see a broken Lеon when his girlfriend left for TWO months without explanation. Fuck knows why Tumbler gave me some character restrictions in the last post, but out of fear I shortened some part of the text. (And this time there were no such gifts)

Tornado meets volcano.

So, a few people asked for the second part and I translated it as far as I could into English. Enjoy it if you can.

I like this text. I consider this one of my best works (I think it looks much better on the original).

If you need a translation of the third part, then let me know. Because of the fucking restriction, I'm not sure it's worth putting this whole story out.

As Cersei Lannister once said, "Love is poison. Yes, it is sweet, but it kills no worse than any other".

Because of one man, you have no desire to go out into the daylight, there is no reason to smile or laugh. The realization that for Leon you were nothing more than a beautiful doll still makes the heart bleed and quietly cry into the pillow looking for salvation in the night while everyone is sleeping.

It seems that there will be no end to this pain, and your hero turned out to be the main villain in your story, because of which you suffer. You allowed yourself to be deceived, you allowed yourself to be played with. You're the one who let a stranger become someone close. You're the one who let Leon rip out his heart, leaving a gaping wound that's slowly rotting away.

Nevertheless, you still miss his warm, slightly rough hands at night, who hugged you tightly, hugging you on cool nights. Now this whole stupid story reminds of how the moth flew into the light and eventually burned to the ground, so that only ashes remained of it. The truth is that the fire is Leon, and you are a stupid moth that has gone out. Although now, looking at the night sky, pressing your knees to your stomach, hugging yourself tightly, despite the great loss, you hope one day to start shining brighter than comets again.

Carey called last week, telling the latest news and gossip, not forgetting to mention your boyfriend who came to college looking for you, but she lied to him saying she didn't know where you were and where you disappeared. Leon hardly believed it, but he was not a man who beat the truth out of others. At least not from stupid students. But your happiness is that he did not know where your parents' house was, which means that in any case his search will not be successful.

You're very happy about it. Here you allow yourself to walk through the fields, remembering your youth and go with your father to the forest, just like in childhood jumping on the biggest stones. In the evening, the old man plays guitar to you and your mother while you and her clean up the dishes after a hearty dinner. Here at home, your wounds don't ache so much from the pain, and you look with laughter at the childhood photos taken by your mother in Calcutta, when you wrapped yourself in someone's sari trying to repeat the movements of Indian dancers. Flipping through the pages, you came across a photo with your fifth birthday, where you joyfully got dirty with a birthday cake.

And while your parents were laughing, you suddenly remembered that for some reason Leon didn't have more than one child's photo. Then, for some reason, he still said that his parents died quite early, but it was a sore subject that the two of you never touched on with him again. But he really liked to hear about your childhood adventures.

So you thought…

You so wanted to escape from the noisy city, away from Leon, and now involuntarily the soul is drawn to him. Although it doesn't make sense to dream about a summer together anymore. You had a wonderful, romantic love. You left Leon your dream of living together, but he never touched on the topic of future family with you.

It was really funny. Your father still doesn't like your first high school crush, even though you were fifteen and there was nothing between you and this guy but a chaste kiss on the cheek, this guy was forever blacklisted by your father. To make him think about Leon, who was twelve years older? Most likely, he would have tried to shoot him with his hunting rifle.

All the things, books, clothes, cosmetics, even the phone - everything is left with Leon and you will have to come back for them anyway. However, the mere thought of the collision of these sapphire eyes makes, the body goosebumps. You can lick your wounds at home, but there…all the scabs will open up again if only he touches you. If he suddenly says that Ada does not matter to him, however, by that smile and the compact in his bedside table, you realized that she would always be in the first place for him.

I wonder how long he's been looking for you? You called your friend because you wanted to clarify (and once again slash at the heart with a sharp knife of truth) whether Leon appeared in college or tried to reach you through friends, but the truth is cruel: he wasn't looking for you. Of course, it was probably stupid to worry, but you hoped that you meant something to him at least a little.

Leon has become your sweet poison.

Somehow, all thoughts returned to him alone. You are ready to fall into the abyss after him, get a hundred bullets instead of him, but it was his bullet that killed you.

Therefore, no matter how much you love him, the mind, and not the remnants of feelings, tells you a reasonable "Let him go." This is what needs to be done, and it will be the right thing to do.

Unfortunately, Leon is not the hero of Tolkien's beautiful story. He is not Beren, and you are not his Luthien. Funny comparison… But this is an analgesic balm, so you can stand firmly at the door of the apartment from which you escaped a little more than two months ago.

However, uncertainty again knocked down your legs at the very last minute, turning you into a mess with swollen red eyes, drowning in a puddle of your own tears. But to hell with it! You weren't tempted to listen to his voice or reread old messages, so why the hell are all these fucking feelings coming back out?! The cleaner handed you the keys and you exhaled with relief, hoping that you would have time to pick up all the things before Leon returned and then the need for an explanation would disappear by itself.

You will simply disappear from his life. He will cherish his love for Ada Wong or find someone who will not mind being a replacement for this irreplaceable woman.

But you cross the threshold of the house, leaving the keys on the bedside table, intending to finish it as soon as possible. This person is not capable of loving you, and by and large your days together are numbered. This is what you repeat to yourself, pulling out of the closet a large suitcase and a bag, alternately putting your things there.

Yes, you notice a few bottles of alcohol in the kitchen, a mess and your phone. Leon unlocked it, and you think that maybe he decided to check your correspondence or recent calls, but he definitely didn't find anything "criminal". Because Ada Wong didn't write to you.

Without wasting precious time, you continue packing, still taking the phone and putting it in your coat pocket. Your blouses, dresses, underwear…actually, you wouldn't mind quickly changing into more comfortable clothes than the one you took from home. But still discarding the thought of changing clothes, you zipped up suitcase, grabbing an empty bag with her free hand to put all the cosmetics there. You turn around to go to the dressing table and…freeze.

Leon.

He tricked you. He wasn't on your side. Burn it with fire, but he will not see you in tears. You won't stay with him and let him tear you to pieces. You are not the heroine of Lana Del Rey's music video…

But Leon was just silently watching your hurried movements. With those deep bruises under his eyes and a faraway look. He looked so exhausted that you wanted to go up to him and kiss him almost on a reflex level, but your brain was still saying "let him go! Save the remnants of your poor heart!"

You thought one thing, and Leon did not understand why you poured caustic poison on him in this way, running away without explaining anything. Smouldering like a coal, he was still just glad to see you alive and unharmed. And yet the sandcastle that he was building with you was now being destroyed on his hands.

The only thing Leon knows is that if he loses you, he will lose his only home.

"I can't…I'm leaving you," you whispered, still fiddling with the strap of the bag, watching the light blue eyes darken in an instant.

"What do you mean?" - Leon takes the bag out of your hands, throwing it on the bed at the same time looking strangely at the already packed suitcase. - "Baby, if you've been wanting to tell me something for a long time, then you should have done it, and not run the devil knows where without money and a phone. What was I supposed to think? Where have you been? You haven't been to college for two months!"

My God, your body is screaming again, as it did then: "Run." Although it was a lie. Leon's voice remains even, calm… and gentle. Just don't run away from him. His hand gently grabs your palm, warming it, forcing the blood to circulate through your veins. He's been so damn worried, missed you so much, that he seriously thinks he'd rather tie you to a bed and set the fucking house on fire than let you leave.

"I'm not her. But I'm not a fucking piece of cake that you can take whenever you see fit. I loved you, but I don't want to see you anymore. I don't want to talk to you and know you."

The good question is, who is going to hurt who now? Some part of you wants to cause him at least a fraction of the pain that you experienced, while Leon becomes a shadow of his former self in front of your eyes from these words. You fucking promised him! Be with him!

"I'm not Ada Wong. I'm not a mysterious spy. But I'm not your toy either, Leon. I'm the fucking person whose feelings you played with! When I loved you so much that it went beyond sanity, you loved a completely different woman!"

You're crying, turning away from him to grab the remnants of things and throw them into a fucking bag and run far, far away to start all over again. Away from Leon and his woman in red. The main thing is that he does not look at you with that sad, tired look, otherwise you will not stand it and burst into tears out loud. Do you want to yell at him when he asks one simple question, "Is it because of Ada? Is she the reason you left?"

But you turn around abruptly.

"No. The reason is you, not her. You hurt me. Not Ada. She's the part of you that you'll never let go of. "

This quote and the compact should be enough for him to understand. But it drives to lose your mind. Your love melts when you look at him and listen to his tacit consent. He would never let this woman go. And you still have some remnants of pride. "Maybe you're right." - This is what finally breaks your love. Next to him, you become quieter, smaller…Leon won another round, and you lost to him. Your heartbeat slows down, but his words finally force you not to let him touch you.

"Good" - Your lips whispered it so simply. As if it doesn't hurt at all. "I'm leaving."

"Don't!" - Almost a plea, but you jump away from Leon when he grabs you by the shoulders and pulls you to him. Despite how much you missed him, now in order to save yourself, your brain began to make a monster out of him. "I won't let you go. I love you, you know that! That should be enough!"

"But it's not enough! You love her and you will always choose her from the two of us. I'm not coming back to you anymore. I'm NOT her replacement! I won't fall into these nets anymore!

This is your end.

The last point. You don't know how to continue to believe in better days, but it's time to part. It's time to leave and forget this feeling. You resist when Leon tries to hold you to him. This is what tears apart. You just loved him. Your emotions are in a mess, you don't even realize right away that you are choking on the howl of that same beaten dog. How can you love and hate him at the same time?

That's all. Leave. Run. But you fall to your knees because you can't do anything against him! You love him so much! Whether he's a monster or a scoundrel. What should you do? It shouldn't be like that at all.

"Angel, believe me! It has not been as important as it used to be for a long time. I love you. That message doesn't mean anything!" - His hands hold you tightly by the waist, not allowing you to leave. He also loves you no less than you love him. Why didn't you just tell him what was bothering you? - "You are my love."

He's fucking lying. He wasn't even looking for you.

"Let me go!" - You scream, remembering all the nights with him without sleep, when everything was fine. You want to believe in this fucking lie, but in order to escape, you grab the very last thread, strike a fatal blow: "I don't love you anymore!"

It was painful. Leon feels a ringing in his ears and wants to loosen his grip at the last second, but for some reason he leans against the top of your head, still hoping that you are lying.

"It is not true." You both knew that. You heard only a pulse pounding and one boundless silence. You would be ashamed to look at yourself in the mirror, but Leon turns you over to face him, wiping the wet tracks of tears on his swollen cheeks with his thumbs. - "I don't believe it. Princess, if you would tell me…I was going crazy. You ran away without even explaining anything. Do you really believe that I could hurt you? I love you, not her. That's all you need to know. I will always choose you."

"I want to leave." Leon nods negatively, feeling a lump in his throat, but you want to leave him. You've already decided everything. Even for the first time, only now he continues to deprive you of strength, being your biggest weakness. Even if you feel calm right now, burying your nose in his neck, you have to do it.

"Please don't say that…"

"But it's true!"

Leon's hands close around your waist as he kisses your temple. He has found you and right now he is holding you in his arms not so that you will leave. Not so that everything that you both have been building for so long will collapse. He doesn't need tears to hurt. He needs you.

And again a single tear falls from your eyelashes. Why is he lying to your face? Why did you become his victim? But you can't order your heart and you can't lie to your soul - you want your love for him to disappear like a bird in the sky, what a pity that miracles don't happen.

You are bound by these hands and absolutely unarmed. Hell, you can't even leave as beautifully as Ada always does.

"You don't want that, I know. Please baby…We can talk about it. Look at me." - You're doing it. Idiot. You look at him when his gentle touches become rough, as long as you just don't look away. Unlikely you could have turned your head even a couple of degrees. - "It's all good."

It would be better if you died now. There is no doubt in your sincere love… he will always come back to her. Therefore, not a damn thing is all right! You're not okay! It's you who are suffering from agony, while he just needs the warmth of a young body.

This is what you shout at him, pushing him away from you, getting to your feet, grabbing a suitcase. You don't care about anything anymore! You're running away forever. Leon's reaction, however, is faster than yours, and he manages to intercept you faster than you get to the open door, throwing the damn suitcase aside.

You are probably the unluckiest girl.

A familiar record of Leon's promises that he loves you. He pinned you against the wall, hanging like a mighty rock, cutting off escape routes. At this moment, you do not have enough air, as if the breathing taps have been blocked.

"Princess…" - You smile bitterly. A princess who was banished from her own kingdom and from his heart. You turn from a princess into a prisoner. It was he who left you a deep crater instead of a heart. -"You're not her, but that's why I'm with you. I don't love you for your body. If I wanted a beautiful girl for the night, then this relationship would never have happened."

"Please go" - The request hidden from the lips responds with a dull pain inside Leon. Taking a step towards you, he bumps into an obstacle from your hands that have fallen on his chest. - "I don't want to be second place anymore."

All Leon is thinking about at this very second, while you are tearing his skin and flesh getting to his heart in shreds, which bastard drove this thought into your head?

You're the reason he's still alive. How can you want to leave him after he has allowed you to become a part of his life? He's been looking for you these fucking two months! Sometimes, in a frenzy, I rushed after every passerby thinking that it was you. You are his most beloved person, so how can you leave him?

Why has everything changed so much? Because of that stupid message from Ada and the compact, which he hadn't thought about for a long time. He just threw it away and forgot, not thinking that you can find it, but if you find it…Why didn't you just ask him about it?! He would have gotten rid of this item in front of you!

You have to stay. But you had different points of view on the situation.

He couldn't fucking sleep in a shared bed, thinking about where you were and who you were with. What if you had actually been killed in an alley somewhere? But the way your friend calmly said that he allegedly knew nothing about your whereabouts made him calm down, because he was sure that this girl was not one of those who are in the dark. So you were either with her or at least safe.

The thought of another man who could touch you the way he touched you turned him inside out. You couldn't run off to another guy to hurt him even more. That's not your style.

"You always came first." - It's true, but why the hell do you think it's a lie? How can you think that he has someone else?! What the fuck is wrong with you? - "Since came into my life. All I ever wanted was you."

Leon wants this whole two-month performance to be a fucking manipulation. God, he'll forgive you for your stupidity. He will strip you naked, hold you close and tell you that he loves you very much. The main thing is not to leave. He'll take you wherever you want, just stay with him. Don't lie to him that you don't love him!

"I don't believe you." - The end. - "You're right, my heart is full of blind love for you, but enough of this torment. My biggest mistake is to think that you loved me too. I'm tired of this pain, and if I stay here, it will kill me once. I want to be happy. But to become one of them, you don't have to be in my life! Аlthough I love the way you lie."

"Don't say that!" - Leon grabbed you, hugging you to him, which is why the familiar smell of cologne hit you in the nose, which made you want to close your eyes, enjoying it. You become a disassembled puzzle in his hands again. - "I've never lied to you! Not a single day. Princess, Ada was an important part of my life. However, what I feel for her is nothing compared to what I felt for you. Believe in it."

And that's what you want. It seems that only one step separates you from the possibility of leaving. You pressed against his shoulder-so strong, warm, safe, while his palm covered the back of your head.

So weak. Grabbed him by the back, giving a spark of hope that you will stay. Instilling in him the hope that now he will calm you down and you will put on these shackles again when he puts you on the bed and makes love sex to you.

You thought it would be easier to do.

"That's it. It's all good. I'm here with you. You're with me." - Leon's voice is shaking. If you believe him now… remember the compact in his bedside table. Push him away! Save yourself! - "I love you."

He is the one who kisses your tears from your cheeks and nose. He holds your neck, so it seems he can squeeze it until it crunches in order to end your life, but Leon just strokes the skin with his thumb.

Leon's heartbeat slows down, returning to a normal rhythm. And you are his little favorite toy, which he takes away from the door, confident that everything is in the past. Sure he convinced you. And you take six whole steps forward with him, glancing at the suitcase he threw.

Your pulse is pounding in your temples. If you stay, then only God will know how much loneliness you can endure. Leon may not be cheating on you physically, but his thoughts will always be with the woman in red. With Ada. He will always come back to her.

If you stay, you will lose yourself forever. You suddenly thought that one day you would want children, but Leon's work does not imply their presence. Then even they won't be your outlet. And one day, the best solution would be to just kill yourself. Poison, knife, rope… you will be so broken by him that you will absolutely not care.

You're leaving. Point.

Don't forget about all the happy moments that he gave you, but don't you dare let him destroy you!

If you can't leave like Ada, then do it your way. Even if it looks ugly and pathetic. You may look like a beaten dog, but you will be ALIVE.

Someday this day will be just a nightmare from which you could wake up. Just find a little strength in yourself to take the handle of the suitcase and… leave.

Then you bend down, grab the handle and lift your luggage off the floor as Leon takes a few small steps away from you, intending to remove the empty bottles and finally throw Ada's compact away. He knows that you picked up the suitcase and for ten whole seconds was sure that you just want to put things back in their places.

So scary.

Both him and you.

"Sorry." - You exhale. It's so complicated. Either God is such a masochist, or you yourself. Leon looks at you and doesn't believe you. Some strange smile appears on his lips mixed with despair.

"Sweetheart, wait."

"Goodbye Leon"

And you're really leaving him.

You run out of the apartment like the first time, leaving him alone. But you won't come back.

Your days together were numbered.

[currymanganese]

There's no bigger Claire anti

Than Christopher Storer and Josh Senior and co. themselves, because tell me why they had Neil Finn's Anytime playing in the car while Carmy and Claire talked after dropping off the liquor license in Pop??? 🥴

Now, @thoughtfulchaos773 & @bbythurs already delved into the song about death and decay that played over Carmy and Claire's sex scene in their posts here and here. However, according to Neil Finn in this video below, the song Anytime was inspired by an incident where his dog was almost hit by a car, but it thankfully survived. This song is an ode to mortality! Why do Christopher Storer and co. have not one, but TWO songs about death interwoven into scenes where Claire and Carmy are supposed to be bonding and becoming more intimately acquainted?? Also pay attention to the third verse highlighted in red below!

These are the song's lyrics -

[Verse 1]

I see a dog upon the road

Running hard to catch a cat

My car is pulling to a halt

The truck behind me doesn't know

Everything is in the balance

Of a moment I can't control

And your sympathetic strings

Are like the stirrings in my soul

[Chorus]

I could go at anytime

There's nothing safe about this life

I could go at anytime

[Verse 2]

Find the meaning of the act

Remember how it goes

Every time you take the water

And you swim against the flow

The world is all around us

The days are flying past

And fear is so contagious

But I'm not afraid to laugh

[Chorus]

I could go at anytime

There's nothing safe about this life

I could go at anytime

[Bridge]

Anytime (Come without warning)

Anytime (It could be so easy)

A walk in the park (Or maybe when I'm sleeping)

Anytime (See the clouds come over)

Rain or shine (I make you so unhappy)

Lets make it right

[Verse 3]

I feel like I'm in love

With a stranger I'll never know

Although you're still a mystery

I'm so glad I'm not alone

[Chorus]

I could go at anytime

There's nothing safe about this life

Make it so easy to fly in the night

I could go at anytime

I could go at anytime

[psychelis-new]

Personally, one of my fave cards to see is The Hermit. Because The Hermit in Rider Waite's Deck is somewhat... Solemn and inward. But The Hermit in Linestrider Deck feels more like a teacher, warm and giving. I wonder what are your opinions on this

Another card I'd like to ask about is The Hierophant. I usually find it difficult to interpret it when it come up. I feel that it is meant to teach a lesson? To impart wisdom? But at times I do feel the rigidness there that makes me uncomfortable?

I hope my questions make sense! Have a good day wherever you are!

Adding also this from your comment: "six of cups has been known to be a soulmate card, but I sometimes will feel something similar when I draw six of pentacles cuz of the imagery and the feeling I had during then."

Okay. Let's start saying that I generally tend to connect with energy first through clairs when I read for others. When it comes to reading for myself, things may be a little more intricated (ofc we're all kinda biased and may not want to read actual answers/not believe them/we may be overwhelmed/whatever else). Plus, we all know that meanings may change (as you stated) according on the depiction of a card in a deck and also on the other cards around it. Not to mention, with my Guides I have created a specific way of reading cards at this point, so it may not resonate with everyone.

The Hermit - I'm not familiar with the second deck you mentioned, but I do understand what you mean about the difference: I generally tend to ask or intuitively choose which deck to use before starting a reading, unless I decide to go for a more general one I created by myself (which allows me to not depend on an image but just on the general card and the energy). My choice indicates me already what type of "meaning/s" can be found in that card: with time, I kinda have given a "set interpretation" for cards in my different decks. The Hermit to me, in general, is a card about self introspection, meditation, going into our darkest side and trying to put a light on it. It could indicate also as "soul connection" too, on a certain level, or sb that may help you shine a light on your inside. In this way it can be read as a warm teacher too. I never see it as too solemn, despite it's about taking courage to dive in. I always see it as a kind invitation, if anything. Maybe a bit tired by the fatigue of having had to deal with it all by themselves, but this means they also are wise by now. Like... keep calm and focus on you/what's not working.

The Hierophant - This card is tough for me as well. Again, it depends on the context and the other cards, but if I have to think about it alone... At times it's about a lesson you need to learn, other times it's about you having to find a way to be of help or share your knowledge. It can also be about rules, and traditional/spiritual marriage (something destined). It could be about letting go of the rules (especially reversed imo). Or simply, a teaching career (which again involves not just teachers but also spiritual teachers or other types of careers that may involve help/teaching something like psychology or something for the mind/soul). It could indicate as well someone else playing the teacher role for the querent, especially but not necessarily for spiritual/soul lessons. I understand the rigidness you see in this card but I don't feel it's always this strict. I read someone sees it as an invitation of having faith or someone else being in control of things (like "let them do the work"): it could be, but I tend to give these meanings to other cards personally (5 of cups, for example, especially as in the Rider Waite deck). Ofc, if The Hierophant comes out with it/them, it's a stress on any of these meanings.

Six of Cups - I got this same energy you mentioned (6oC /6oP) a couple of times with the Rider Waite deck in particular (I also got the 2 cards together), and kinda saw it as "give *back* to your inner child" or "it's time to balance things with your inner child", "protect/heal/take care of your inner child"... occasionally even as "go back to how you felt/be a child = believe in magic, believe you can get back". I see 6oC as a soulmate card especially in the acception of past life relationship/connection/soul contract or past relationship (in this lifetime, like child/teen sweethearts), but I very often relate it to children/inner child. It tells me about nostalgia or something that happened back in the days or... it may want me to focus on healing something related to my past or childhood, or that I might see someone I know from my childhood... it all according on the other card/s it's accompanied by.

Hope this helps, thanks for sending this interesting question!

[paulfwesley]

A Split Second (Part Five) [Bryce Lahela x f!MC

Pairing: Bryce Lahela x f!MC (Dr. Claire King).

Chapter Rating: T

Word Count: 2.1K.

Description: He’s awake. Is this happily ever after? TW: guns, violence, blood. Part 1. Part 2. Part 3. Part 4. 

Disclaimer: Characters, storyline, and parts of the dialogue are taken from 

Pixelberry’s Choices’ Open Heart. They fully own the characters, dialogue, backgrounds, etc. MC Claire King’s background is my own creation, based off of MC in-game’s personality.

Author’s Note: Holy shit I’m so sorry!!! School started and caught up with me but good news!! This is the FINAL part! Holy shit, I’m never writing a series ever again. Expect one-shots from here on out lmfao. Thank you for your patience and I hope you like it! 

Tagging: @commander-rahrah @jaydito-tjjd @anotherbeingsworld @shakespeareanwannabe @bitchloveskcbaseball @wisegirl9 @rookie-ramsey @mrsdrakewalkerblog @omgjasminesimone @frenchieswiftie @jamespotterthefirst @elladines @thanialis @lucy-268 @sherrylove @bloominsgsivan @lahellacute @araihc-ce @ItimeisanillusionI @gracehailey @mvalentine 

Enjoy!

He’s like this because of you.

Those words circled around and around in Claire’s brain as she stood in the doorway of Bryce’s hospital room. Her feet hovered in the space between his room and the rest of the hospital, but she couldn’t bring herself to step in. She didn’t deserve to be in there, not when she was the reason he had been shot in the first place.

Keiki had already been in to see him and was now getting herself something to eat at Claire’s urging. She had gotten there as soon as the police had cleared the hospital and didn’t leave the waiting room until Harper had confirmed that everything had gone well. That was when Claire told her to finally take care of herself, and Keiki relented.

Claire’s foot moved a bit forward, and when she didn’t gawk at the guilt, she stepped more and more into she was fully in the room. She still hadn’t reached his bedside, but after a bit of prompting from the little voice inside her head that was shrieking at her, she came to a stop next to his bed.

He looked so pale. His lips, always curled up into a smile, were stick thin, almost turning downwards into a grimace in unconscious pain. A nasal tube was stuck in his nose, and despite the terrible circumstances Claire couldn’t help but think that only Bryce could make one of those look cute.

She raised a tentative hand, her fingers brushing his forehead. His skin was cold to the touch, feeling like ice against her burning hand. Claire ran her hand through his hair, the strands tickling the space in between her fingers. She couldn’t count the amount of times she had ruffled Bryce’s hair in the past, but this time felt so close, so intimate, that her lower lip wobbled at the thought and a tear threatened at the corner of her eye.

Biting her lip, Claire touched her forehead to his. He stayed still under her, but she relished in the feeling of his eyelashes kissing hers. The longer she remained like that, the more his skin started to warm up just from the feeling of hers. After a few seconds, she pressed a soft kiss to the spot between his brows. Her lips travelled down the slope of his nose, to the spot above his cupid’s bow, to his chin. She turned her cheek when she got to his neck, the apple of her face running along the hollow of his throat until it rested against his chest, right above his beautiful heart.

Claire had laid her head against Bryce’s chest many times. She loved the sound of his heartbeat, always firm and strong and real under her ear. But now the beats were weak, though she knew they would get stronger with each passing second. Fear clenched her insides at the thought that this wonderful heart of his could have stopped today. It could have ceased entirely, and she would have lost him forever.

Her tears burned her cheeks, falling onto Bryce’s clean hospital gown. Claire squeezed her eyes shut as she hiccupped, her throat burning with despair. Her fingers tangled in the neckline of his gown, holding on for dear life. She knew it was probably unethical, but she couldn’t bring herself to care. This touch was enough to keep her calm, to remind her that Bryce was alive, he had made it out of surgery, he’d live. That he’d taken a bullet for her and still didn’t know how much she loved him. 

Bryce’s chest stuttered under her cheek, and Claire raised her head in alarm, her eyes wide. Her gaze immediately went to the monitor next to him, but it was normal. With a furrowed brow, she turned her attention back to Bryce, and was greeted with the sight of his brown ones meeting her blue ones.

Instead of the usual groggy filter covering the eyes of post-op patients, Bryce’s were wild with concern. He struggled to raise his hand off of his bed, reaching out for Claire. “Ar—are you—” he choked out, his throat bobbing uncomfortably from long disuse and the strain of breathing after having surgery on his lungs.

Claire rushed to his side, taking his hand in hers. Her heart leaped when he folded his over hers protectively. “Don’t try to talk,” she instructed.

Bryce licked his cracked lips, but instead of taking her advice he pawed the front of her scrubs. “B—blood—”

“What?” she wondered, then it clicked in her mind. Claire looked down to see that she was still in the blood-stained scrubs she had been in after Wally had shot Bryce and she had done everything she could to help him. She really should have changed before she came to see him, but the thrill of having heard that he had made it through the surgery overwhelmed every rational thought in her brain. Her only thought was that she had to get to his side. Nothing else mattered except Bryce. “Oh,” she said. She sniffled, fingering the material between her thumb and the pads of her forefinger. “I’m fine, I promise. It’s actually your blood.”

“Mine?” he questioned. Claire could see the fingers of his other hand move under the blanket to graze his side. “Right. I was shot.”

“Do… do you remember what happened?” Claire wondered. She tentatively sat down next to him on the bed, careful not to jostle him.

“Some guy…” he recounted, a faraway look in his dazed eyes. Despite the fact that Bryce didn’t seem to be all there yet, his hand maintained a tight grip on hers. “Gun… pointing at you. I didn’t see much else after that.”

Claire choked out a sob. “Why?” she wondered. That finally made Bryce’s eyes focus on her. “Why did you do push me away? That bullet was meant for me.”

“Which is why…” he groaned from the effort of speaking, but he kept going. “I did it.”

“Bryce…” Claire said, her voice impossibly soft. “You could have died.”

“It was you or me,” Bryce said matter-of-factly. “And I knew it had to be you.”

“Bryce, don’t talk like that,” she scolded, her grip tightening on him. “If you had died, I would have died.”

“You would’ve… been fine,” he insisted, his breathing laboured. “You would’ve… been alive. That was all that mattered.”

“Your life matters,” Claire said sternly. “More than mine. If something had happened to you because of me…” A lump lodged in her throat, and more tears slipped down Claire’s cheeks. “I thought I was going to lose you. I thought you were going to die.” With a shaking hand, she cupped his cheek, stroking her thumb along his cheekbone. “And I thought you were going to die without you knowing how much I love you.”

Bryce stilled under her fingertips. “What?” he whispered. “But… Ramsey—”

Claire rolled her eyes despite the fact that they were still shining with tears. “For a smart guy you’re incredibly stupid,” she said. “Bryce, you are the one that I love. I think a part of me always knew it… but just didn’t want to deal with it because I thought we were better as friends. And yeah, Doctor Ramsey had something to do with it, but at the end of the day, it was you who showed up for me, every time it really mattered.” Claire gave him a watery smile. “It’s your arms that comfort me. Your jokes that make me laugh, especially when I shouldn’t. Your stupidly adorable face that makes me want to get up in the morning every day. The thought of you is enough to make me happy.” Her lower lip wobbled. “So when I thought you were going to die, I don’t know how I would have gone on.” She leaned forward so their noses brushed. “You’re everything to me, Bryce Lahela. And I love you.”

“But…” He swallowed thickly. He couldn’t believe that these words were coming out of Claire’s mouth, and directed at him. It was so painful, he couldn’t bear to even feel a bit of it if it didn’t turn out to be wholly true. “What about… your happily ever after?”

With a vulnerable look that bared her soul to him, she said, “My only happily ever after is you.”

Softly, tentatively, Claire touched her lips to his. And it was like coming home.

She never thought she’d get to kiss him again, so she savoured the way his lips fit perfectly to hers, the taste of his mouth, the sweetness of his breath. Everything she loved about him, rolled into a perfect package.

She didn’t want to push things too hard, considering she didn’t know how much pain Bryce was in. It seemed, however, that pain wasn’t enough to stop Bryce. He raised his free hand to her chin, grasping it and tilting it to give him better access to her lips. Every kiss was like finally taking a sip of water after a hot day, every kiss was like a breath of air into his body, every kiss was life-saving.

And if Bryce played his cards right, he’d get these kisses every day for the rest of his life.

When they finally broke away, he brushed his nose against hers. “If it wasn’t clear, I love you too, Claire,” he said, the words touching her cheeks. “You’re the face that I want to come home to every day.”

She grinned, that beautiful smile that he loved. “I would hope so. You took a bullet for me.”

He laughed, though the sound was strained. “I can’t wait to use that every time we get into an argument.”

She cocked a brow. “What?”

“I mean, every time we fight, I can just say ‘I got shot for you’ so you have no choice but to agree,” he said cheekily.

Claire rolled her eyes. “You are such an opportunist.”

“And yet you still love me.”

She smiled softly, like the first glow of the sun peeking through blinds. “Yeah. I do.”

With that, Claire settled her head against Bryce’s chest, where she already heard his heartbeat starting to pick up. A beautiful song, one that she couldn’t wait to memorize. He smelled sterile, but she could already begin to pick up the scent that was so sweet, so delicious, so distinctly Bryce that it brought a smile to her face. Her hand laid on his chest, brushing the spot where he had been shot. She knew there would probably be a scar, but once she let him know that scars were sexy, he’d definitely be less insecure. And then she’d kiss it, over and over. It would be a wordless affirmation: I trust you. I want you. I love you. She’d be happy to say those words over and over, until their wedding day, the birth of their children, the day they died. But for today, she’d hold him and be thankful that he was alive, that he’d get to reach those milestones with her. She would be grateful that she owned Bryce Lahela’s heart, and that he owned hers.

Bryce wrapped his strong arms around her as she nestled into his embrace. Her breath tickled his collarbone, but instead of being bothered by it, it reminded him of the nights they shared. The calm, the crazy, the crying, but they always ended the same: with Claire resting against his heart, looking relaxed and happy and safe. It brought him a sense of comfort, a feeling that was purely home. And he knew; he knew that he could go to sleep every night, just like this. With the woman of his dreams cuddled against him, with his grip on her like he would be a fool to let her go. And he wasn’t going to. He would never let her go. He’d hold her hand for the rest of this life, and then the next, and then the next. For however long they had together. And Bryce hoped that they’d have a long, long time together. But for today, he’d hold her and be grateful that this beautiful woman had seen past what everybody sees: a playboy, a pretty boy, the boy everyone chooses second. And he’d be grateful that she was the one that chose him first.

A split second. Sometimes that was all it took to take a life. To contemplate your life. To make you realize what really matters. To wake up. To realize. To love.

So say it. With your whole chest, with every ounce of power you can put behind it, at the top of your lungs. Say it.

And you’ll end up right where you belong.

[infernodean]

Take Me To Heaven

Sam clutches Dean's body as it grows cold. Waves of sobs twist and contort his face. He stands there hoping if he holds on long enough he’ll hear his brother's breath again, but it never comes. The next sound he hears is the flap of wings and the rustle of fabric.

Instinctively, Sam reaches for his knife as he whips his head around, still supporting Dean with his other half. Standing there, he sees Castiel. Sams eyes and mouth open wide.

“Save him” Sam hears himself say first. “Save him Cas, please.” His voice shakes as his vision blurs with tears.

“I … I can’t.” Cas almost coughs out, taking a few steps forward. Sam sees tears in Cas’ eyes.

“What do you mean you can’t, Cas. Why the hell are you here? I’m begging you, you can’t do this to me.” Sam feels the anger biting at his throat. “Why did you even come back.”

“I’m not here to heal him. I’m here to take him.” Cas says, low and soft. “I’m taking him to heaven”

“What?” Sam twists his face. “But. I can’t … Cas, I can’t.” He says looking back at his brother's face. Cas follows his gaze.

“You can Sam. He said it himself. You can. You are strong, you have survived so much and come out the other side kinder and wiser. I wish … I wish he had more time here, but we don’t always get what we deserve.”

“Cas, what am I supposed to do,” Sam says as his head drops, finally letting the knife drop out of his hands.

“First, Let me help you,” Cas says as he walks forward and puts a hand on Dean's shoulder. He takes a moment for himself to look at Dean but he can’t look too long before more tears threaten to fall.

Sam and Cas take Dean's body under the arms and by the shoulders and pull him gently off the rebar nail. Blood pours out Dean's back. The slick smell of iron is strong as they lay his body on the ground.

“Sam. I am truly sorry. Neither of you deserved this end. Jack … he doesn’t want to chance fate. Not like Chuck did. He played with our lives and we all know how that ended. What I can tell you is that he’ll be with everyone you have lost. I know it seems dismal and hopeless but … his hope continues with you. Making the most of your life.” Cas says. He places a hand on Sam's shoulder. “I will always be there for you Sam. For anything. Just, send a prayer and I will be here.”

Sam looks to Cas.

“Thank you, Cas. For everything.” Sam says as they both stand.

“Of course. Anything for the Winchesters.” Cas pauses as he steps around to pull Sam into a hug. He pulls back and looks at Dean's body. “I have to go now, his soul is waiting.” Sam smiled weakly at Cas as he hears the flutter of wings. Sam looks down and lets his tears fall for a few moments before going to the car to start building a funeral pyre.

————

Dean blinks his eyes adjusting to a bright white-blue light. His vision clears and he sees the barn he was just in. Weird. He thinks. His vision falls down and he sees his own body, cold, lifeless. If he could feel the hairs on the back of his neck, they’d be standing up.

“Hello, Dean.” He hears the familiar gruff voice behind him. He turns and sees Cas. Smiling but sad. Dean stands there frozen. He stutters.

“Cas … how … I …”

“Jack. He pulled me out. It was the first thing he did when he left you and Sam. He was very persuasive to the empty. Angels will no longer go there when we die. We’ll become cosmic energy and return to Jack. Sort of a … circle of life.” Dean nods his head. Circle of life. He glances down at his corpse.

“I’m … dead.” The word rolls off his tongue like a razor blade.

“Yes, and too soon I might add. If I’d have known you’d die this soon I wouldn’t have …” Cas trails off as he looks down to his feet. A weak smile lingers there.

Dean’s brow furrows as he shakes his head.

“I still don’t … Why are you here?” Dean says, taking a tentative step closer. Seeing Cas’ face again, after what happened the last time he saw it. It’s like seeing the sunrise for the first time after a long winter.

“I’m taking your soul to heaven,” Cas says.

“But … you’re not a reaper,” Dean replies.

“Jack let this one slide. Who takes you to heaven doesn’t matter, just that you get there. I’ll be taking Sam and Claire too when their time comes. Which thankfully won’t be for some time.”

Silence crawls across them. They stare into each other's eyes.

“Cas, I… ” Dean starts but is cut off.

“I don’t think I have to remind you what happens when a soul stays on earth for too long,” Cas says as he closes the distance between them and places a hand on Dean's shoulder. He looks past Dean and Dean follows his gaze.

Sam returns to the barn, bundles of fabric in hand. He stops for a moment in front of Dean's body. He kneels next to Dean and places a hand on his shoulder. Dean and Cas see Sam's back heave and shutter as tears drop onto Dean's blood-soaked jacket.

“He’ll be ok, Dean.”

“Yeah,” Dean sighs with a small smile, “I know.” He turns back to face Cas. “Let’s go.”

————

Dean blinks again, this time the light is warm and covers his whole body. The first thing he sees is the Harvelle roadhouse. The next thing he sees is Bobby and a few seconds later, Ellen, Jo, Ash, Charlie, Pamela, Missouri and so many others all inside waiting for him.

“They’re all here.” Dean hears Cas’ voice next to him.

Dean looks at him, sun shining on his face. He notices the way his eyelids droop and the way his lips spread across his face. His throat runs dry as Cas’ last words to him before the empty took him, play in his head. Cas starts to walk forward but Dean puts out a hand, grabs Cas' trench, and swings his arm back. Cas stops in his tracks and faces Dean.

“Cas. I gotta tell you something … and don’t say I don’t have to.” He says putting his hands up in front of him. “What you said, before the empty ...”

Cas’ eyes widen. He shoves his hands in his coat pockets and looks away from Dean.

“Dean, I understand if you don't …” Cas pauses “I know I’m not human and it’s not the same.”

“Cas, shut up,” Dean says. He looks down and feels his face growing redder. Cas’ brow furrows. Dean raises his head to meet Cas’ gaze. “Seriously. Look I know I haven’t always been an open book. I know I haven’t always been good to you. But you, Cas? You’ve always been there through the good shit and the bad. And there was a whole lotta bad. The point is, I … I don’t know where I’d be without you. You changed me, Cas.” Dean's voice was shaking. He lets his arms hang at his sides, putting all energy into his words, putting everything into his words. “I … I love you, too, Cas, of course, I do. I’m sorry it took me this long to say it.”

The two stand now a foot apart, staring into each other's eyes. They've been this close before, hundreds of times, but this time, Dean finally leans in those extra few inches and their lips finally meet. It's awkward, they’re awkward at first but it only takes a few seconds for them to find their footing and kiss like they've been waiting a lifetime to do it. Dean finds purchase with his hands twisting in Cas’ trench while Cas’ hands slowly raise to the front of Dean's jacket. They pull apart still holding each other and rest their foreheads together. Dean grins.

“I'm not the only one who sucks at timing though, you gotta admit Cas” Dean chuckles as he sees Cas’ brow furrowed.

“At least I didn't wait until after I died,” Castiel replied, the soft annoyance prickling in his voice.

“Hey, it's called growth, man. I’m learning.” Dean said leaning in for another kiss. Before their lips can meet they are interrupted by a cheer from the roadhouse. Everyone inside is glued to the windows as they cheer and yell towards the two men.

Dean and Cas look at their family and back at each other. They both let out a laugh. Dean looks at all of them again, scanning the crowd. He knows Sam isn’t there. The only thing missing now.

“How long until he’s here,” Dean says.

“Not too long. Time passes differently here. It’ll be a few weeks. Until then, you should try to enjoy it here.” Cas says as he puts a hand on the small of Dean's back and starts walking him forward.

“You don’t have to tell me twice,” Dean says grinning as he swings his arm around Cas’ shoulders. The pair walk into the roadhouse and the place erupts into booze, laughing, and singing.

—

The day finally comes. They’re sitting in their kitchen, in the home Cas built for them. A small 2 bedroom cabin nestled in the woods behind the Harvelles. Dean washes some dishes as Cas stands up from his seat. He says it as softly as he can.

“I’m … I’m going to get Sam today Dean.”

Dean's head pops up. He turns around with a grin.

“That’s great. I mean.” He pauses forgetting that this is heaven. It means Sam is dying right now. “How old is he anyway?”

“87. He lived a long life, he married Eileen and had children. I’m sure he can tell you about it. We should … go for a drive.” Cas says looking outside. It’s been weeks since Dean has seen the old impala. For the most part, they didn’t really need a car here in heaven. Dean hadn’t forgotten about her but he was … busy.

“No way.” Dean smiles and runs to the front door. Cas follows behind. Dean makes it outside to the front door. The two men slide into the front seat. Dean sighs and adjusts the mirrors. He turns the key in the engine and it rumbles to life. Dean leans his head back and settles into the seat. He looks over to Cas who smiles back at him.

Some days when he looks at Cas; he swears he can see his wings or some glowing blue parts of his true form. He sees the wrinkled vessel that Cas stitched back together all those years ago. He sees the bright blue eyes and the windswept hair. Above all, when Dean looks at Cas, he sees love. He sees sacrifice, loyalty, pride. He sees the man who risked it all for him, over and over and over again.

“Have I told you today, that I love you?” Dean murmurs, as he reaches his hand over to Cas’. Cas smiles and lets out a chuckle.

“I don’t believe you have,” Cas says taking Dean's hand and stroking his thumb along the back. Cas looks out the window. “It’s almost time”.

Dean looks ahead and puts the gear into drive. He smiles as he presses the gas.

“Let’s bring my baby brother home,” Dean says as they take off down the road.

[chipper9906]

Bound To You - Chapter 15: One Last Chapter - Part 2

< - - - Previous Chapter

WARNING: SPOILERS FOR SEASON 15

Pairings: Castiel/Dean Winchester, Eileen Leahy/Sam Winchester

Rating: General Audiences

Chapter Word Count: 12,079

Overall Word Count: 128,757

Status: Multi Chapter Fic - Complete (15/15)

Chapter Preview:

Dean wasn’t listening to Rowena’s snide comments anymore. Hell, he wasn’t listening to much of anything anymore. Not the gentle whisper of the winds as it moves through the trees, nor the scratching rustle of the leaves catching against one another by said wind; or the beautiful melodies of birds as they flew over their heads, darting between the trees and over the top of the canopy.

There was only one thing that deserved his attention right now.

And that was Cas.

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The sun was beginning its descent, soon to kiss the horizon and transfer the sky’s beautiful colors of sunset to the dark of night, lit by a sprinkling of stars that would be shining over them before they knew it. Not that they would need the stars; Sam’s handiwork with the lanterns had practically created a mini version of the night sky above them, the flickering lights of the candles almost mesmerizing dotted around the tree canopy hanging over them. 

“It’s beautiful,” Jack says next to Dean, a whimsical smile stretched across his face as he cranes his neck to look up at the canopy above them.

Dean huffs a laugh, looking down at his recently polished dress shoes as they push through the thin layer of leaves that had dropped to the forest floor. “Yeah... Sam did a good job setting everything up.”

Their pace as they move up the aisle was slow and easy, just taking the time to drink in the beautiful and calm environment that surrounded them. Jack tears his gaze away from the minimal decorations, glancing up to Dean as they continue forward. “Dean... can I ask you something?”

“Course you can,” Dean answered. “Although, I would have thought as God that you know everything anyway?”

“Not everything,” Jack replies brightly, “About Cas... what made you change your mind?”

A confused frown pinched at Dean’s brow, the two coming to a stop near the end of the aisle, just before the drooping willow tree. “Changed my mind on what?”

“Wanting to be with him,” Jack said. “I never really understood before... In that, I mean... When I was born, I understood what love was... I loved my mom, and I loved Cas from the moment he laid a hand on my mother’s womb. And then, as I got to know you and Sam, I knew of the love of friendship – one powerful enough to turn into family, but...” Jack paused for a moment, trying to find the right words to describe the memories in his mind. “I saw you and Sam, and I knew that was family love, like I have for my mom, and for Cas. I saw that same love between Sam and Cas, too. And all of you and Mary. Back then, when you were... you were so angry, and in so much pain, and I knew it was because you had lost Cas. And I thought I understood that pain, because... because I felt that pain in knowing he was gone, too. I thought that we loved him the same way, but then... then I brought him back, and I saw.”

Dean swallowed nervously, shuffling on the spot at Jack’s intense gaze. “What, uh... what did you see?”

“A different type of love,” Jack said. “Cas was back, and it was like... like you were back, too. You became a completely different person, and I realized I was seeing the true Dean for the first time. The pain radiating from you became more bearable, and... in that cowboy motel was the first time I saw you smile. Cas made you happy, and you made Cas happy, too. And when I realized that you and Cas were the different type of love, I... I expected for things to change. But they never did. Until now.”

Dean’s smile turned sad at the genuine questioning in Jack’s expression. His attention was momentarily distracted by the sight of Sam trudging through the woods towards them, the ends of his suit flapping in the wind as he hurries over to them. “Let’s just say me and Cas have never done things the ‘normal’ way. I never even knew Cas felt the way he did, and me... well, I was too blind to see it myself. Cas was always my best friend, and that was as far as I could see. I didn’t let myself think about seeing Cas as something more until I knew that was something he wanted, and... I dunno. It all sort of clicked that it was something I wanted, too.”

“Hey-,” Sam reached their side just as Dean finished talking, sounding slightly out of breath from his fast-paced walk from the bunker over to them. “-We might have to make a change of plans.”

“What for?” Dean asked.

“Rowena’s still not shown up,” Sam answers. “She did accept the invite, right?”

“Yep. She even wrote on the back of the invitation saying she’d bring some bagpipes and play a ‘traditional piece’ for us.”

Sam could only blink at Dean for a few moments. “Are you... are you joking right now, or...?”

“I’m being dead serious.”

“Okay, well uh... we’re running out of time here. Eileen messaged me not too long ago, said Cas and Claire is ready to start heading up here and she’ll be up here herself any second-,”

Sam was interrupted by the sight of Eileen appearing out in the distance, weaving through the thick coverage of trees as she makes her way towards them. Dean tried his best to smother his laughter at the downright smitten look on his brother’s face at the sight of Eileen in the light gray, ankle-length dress that Claire had picked out for the both of them to be wearing, having to pull up the ends of the dress as she walks to avoid dragging it through the soil and leaves on the ground.

Eileen’s steps faltered at the sight of the extra person she initially did not recognize. It was only because of Sam and Dean’s relaxed posture around the stranger that she did not immediately suspect that something was amiss. Then, as she got closer, did she recognize the face of the boy Sam had shown her one evening on his phone; recognizing the same warm smile of the boy stuffing homemade burgers into his face as the one on the boy standing next to Dean.

“Hello!” The boy's tone held the same warmth as his smile did, along with the enthusiastic wave he gave in greeting.

“Eileen - this is Jack,” Dean gave introductions, gesturing from Eileen to Jack. “Jack, I’m assuming you already know who Eileen is?”

“Yes - but this is the first time we’re meeting face to face,” Jack replies, the kind smile on his face never once faltering. “I’m sorry, I... I don’t know sign language yet...”

“That’s okay,” Eileen assured him. “I can read lips.”

“I thought God knew everything...” Dean mumbled discreetly under his breath as if the powerful being stood next to him wouldn't be able to pick up even the quietest of whispers.

“How’s Cas and Claire doing?” Sam asked Eileen.

“Should be here in about ten minutes,” Eileen said. Her eyes ran over all three who stood in front of her, quickly realizing the problem at hand. “Um... aren’t we missing our officiant?”

“That we are,” Sam answered, his lips tightening into a straight line of concern. “I suppose if it comes down to it, I’ll have to fill in. Not much to it, right? Not like we’re doing this the usual way...”

“And let you butcher it, Samuel? I don’t think so.”

Dean would have sworn in his surprise if he wasn’t so damn thankful to hear that Scottish melody of an accent behind him. He spun around on the spot, finding Rowena stood a few meters behind him; dressed in a distractingly bright red dress that matched the ruby rose color of her lipstick, with her fiery shade of hair pulled up into a neat and classy bun atop her head.

“What time do you call this?” Dean joked, putting on his best fake pissed glare, that of which immediately cracked into a joking smile.

“I call it being fashionably late,” Rowena fired back, her eyes sliding over to Sam and Eileen next to Dean. “You clean up well, Samuel.”

Rowena’s compliment left Sam blushing the same red as Rowena’s dress. “And don’t worry dear, I’m not trying to steal your man.” She added at Eileen’s questioning glare, sending the young woman a knowing wink that had Eileen blushing alongside Sam.

“Hello again, Jack,” Rowena greeted Jack, who was still standing patiently next to Dean.

“Again?” Dean questioned, gesturing with his index finger between the two. “You two have met?”

“Aye, not long after our new Lord ascended to his throne,” Rowena answered. “We came to an agreement, so to speak. A nice little deal.”

Dean didn’t like that word. ‘Deal’. In his experience, there was no such thing as a ‘nice deal’. “What kind of deal?”

“Relax – that disgustingly shiny soul of his is still in there,” Rowena rolled her eyes at Dean’s protectiveness.

“We talked about the changes to Hell,” Jack answered for Rowena. “I wanted to make sure that the only people who go to Hell are those that actually deserve it.”

“So… what does that mean?” Sam asked.

“It means that some demons are going through some career changes,” Rowena said. “No more crossroad demons – which means no more deals. Only souls that make their way down to me, are those that have tainted themselves with their own deeds.”

“You serious?” Dean asks, barely able to believe it. “The gates to Hell are closed?”

“No,” Rowena answers. “Otherwise I wouldn’t be standing here, now would I? I may still need to send my men up here on occasion, but… not for nefarious purposes, of course. Only souls they’re allowed to rip into are those that have already been damned.”

“And… how do they like that change?” Eileen asked.

“They’ve accepted it surprisingly well,” Rowena said. “Then again, those that began speaking out were reduced to ashes, so… it’s not too surprising that they saw this option was the better one.”

“Huh… sounds like you’re running a tight shift,” Dean noted.

“That I am. Don’t exactly want to be messing up and have the Winchesters on my back, now do I?”

“Technically, only Sam for now,” Dean corrected her. “I am officially retired.”

“Oh?” Rowena said in genuine surprise, turning to the younger Winchester. “Well in that case…”

“Haha, very funny,” Sam deadpanned. “

“Right, right – I should save all the jokes for the reception,” Rowena clapped her hands joyfully, looking around the small clearing they were in. “Now, don’t we have a wedding to attend?”

* * *

Dean was gonna throw up.

Yep, that’s what that pinching feeling in his stomach was. He supposed they could be called butterflies - but only if those butterflies were armed with tiny bats and were furiously beating his insides with them.

“Am I going to have to catch you if you pass out?” Sam leaned forward from his spot as the best man to whisper into Dean’s ear, nearly getting an elbow in response from Dean, whose gaze was fixated on the aisle ahead and the – as of yet – empty expanse of forest that led up to it.

 “I could help remove your nerves, if you’d like?” Jack offered, begging to step away from next to Sam to do just that.

“No, no, no, it’s fine,” Dean assured Jack, still looking out to the forest. “The nerves are good… part of the experience… they’re good nerves.”

“Could always give you a fifth of whisky…” Rowena mumbles behind Dean, stood ready in her officiating spot. “I know that calms me down.”

“Maybe it’s best we all get drunk after the wedding, not before?” Eileen suggests, the only one currently stood on Cas’s side of the alter – the privilege bestowed upon her after being declared Cas’s maid of honor (just as Dean called, he’d like to point out)

“You may be right there, lass. Then again, maybe it’s best he doesn’t drink at all. Would be a shame if he can’t get it up on his wedding night of all nights-,”

Dean wasn’t listening to Rowena’s snide comments anymore. Hell, he wasn’t listening to much of anything anymore. Not the gentle whisper of the winds as it moves through the trees, nor the scratching rustle of the leaves catching against one another by said wind; or the beautiful melodies of birds as they flew over their heads, darting between the trees and over the top of the canopy.

There was only one thing that deserved his attention right now.

And that was Cas.

That was his best friend, his fiancée, his soon-to-be husband, who was walking towards him; elbow linked with his surrogate daughter with matching smiles on both their faces. Claire was dressed in the same cloudy gray dress as Eileen, looking as elegant as a princess from one of those Disney films Jack made them sit down and watch once. And then Cas…

Cas was stunning.

He hadn’t even been allowed to know what Cas was going to wear. He has just sort of assumed he’d be wearing a suit like he was, especially considering the fact that Cas was always wearing a suit under that bulky trench coat of his. But then again, maybe that was the reason he hadn’t; it would probably have felt like he was in his normal, day to clothes.

Cas hasn’t gone over the top or anything. In fact, what he was wearing was pretty damn simple, but Cas made it look like the finest choice of fashion there is. His dress shirt was a crisp white, standing out amongst the vibrant greens of the forest he was walking through; his pants and shoes were probably the only thing he might have kept from his usual wardrobe, their jet black color a stark contrast to his shirt. The outfit was all brought together with a pair of black suspenders, connected to the belt loops of his pants and looped around his shoulders and down his back, and in place of his usual blue tie – which, of course, was currently tied around Dean’s neck, was a emerald green bow tie that didn’t take Dean long to realize matched the color of his eyes.

Dean was content to stand here and drink him in forever. Claire’s and Cas’s pace down the aisle was leisurely, but a part of Dean wanted it to be slower – not because he wanted to prolong his bachelorhood, no, but because he wanted to take as much time to ingrain this moment into his memory. He wanted to be old and drooling in a care home, most of his memories gone but this one always shining bright in his head, always the one to bring a gummy, denture-filled smile to his aged and wrinkled face.

Claire almost barked out a laugh when she had reached the end of the aisle, only to see Dean’s eyes fixated on Cas with the most blissed-out smile she’s ever seen. “Hey, Dean?”

That at least managed to snap Dean out of it a little, some focus coming back into his eyes as he tilts his head towards Claire. “Huh?”

“You look after this dumbass, okay?” Claire asks, getting an undignified huff from Cas. “Oh, and, if you hurt him? I will kill you. Don’t think I won’t.”

“Claire!” Cas sounded genuinely horrified by the threat.

“Claire - I ever decide to go and do something so stupid? I’ll have the shotgun loaded and ready outside the door for you to use.”

“Dean!” Castiel did not appreciate Dean spurring her violent tendencies on.

Claire and Dean shared knowing smiles before Claire unlinked her elbow from Cas, leaning up on her tiptoes to plant a kiss on his freshly shaven face before taking her spot next to Eileen on Cas’s side of the makeshift alter under the willow tree.

“Wow…” Dean, the master of words and expert at flirting, finds this is the only word he can say to Cas as he steps up next to him. And yet, that one word succeeds in getting a lovely blush to spread across Cas’s face, much to his delight. “You, uh, wow – you look…”

“Thank you,” Castiel saves Dean from blubbering out anymore “uh’s” and “um’s”, letting his arm brush against Dean’s as they settle into position. “You look beautiful, Dean.”

Dean didn’t exactly ever expect to be called ‘beautiful’ in his life. And yet, with all the ‘ruggedly handsome’, ‘drop-dead gorgeous’, ‘adorably cute’ comments he’s gotten from the ladies in the past… somehow, having Cas call him beautiful is the only compliment he’s ever received to get a genuine smile in response, ducking his head to hide his bashful smile and slowly reddening cheeks.

“Ladies and Gents, witches, former angels, former demons, Gods… whatever title you’d like… I think we can all agree that this is a sight we’d never thought we’d see,” Rowena begins, spreading out her arms to gesture at all around them. “And yet, here we are — standing at Dean Winchesters wedding. And not just Dean Winchester’s wedding, but Dean Winchester’s and Castiel’s.

“Now, I must admit, I was a wee bit confused as to why you asked me to officiate this wedding. I had assumed that perhaps the past attempts on both your lives may have lost me my golden ticket. I must confess that I know little about officiating. I was never married you see, and… it’s safe to say things have changed quite a bit over the years. But I suppose having God himself here makes it easier, wouldn’t you say? After all, the officiant is simply the middleman in all of this, serving as God’s witness to the joining of the couple before them. Well… God’s right here to witness it himself — and I think it’s safe to say he has no objections.”

“Nope,” Jack says with his usual enthusiasm, looking quite pleased with his answer.

“Well then… there’s not much else for me to say,” Rowena says, placing a hand on both their shoulders. “Boys… I can’t express how thankful I am you finally ripped the band-aid off, so to speak, and told each other how you feel. Because quite frankly? Watching you two pine over each other without mentioning it was almost as insufferable as having Lucifer snap my neck.”

“We weren’t that bad…” Dean tries defending him and Cas, but the amused snort of Sam next to him kind of ruins that.

“Hard parts on you boys now,” Rowena lets her hands slip away from their shoulders. “I assume you have your own vows?”

“Yeah, we do,” Dean answers, turning his focus away from Rowena to the man he plans on spending the rest of his life with. “You want me to go first?”

“Only if you want to.”

Dean nods, breathing deeply through his nerves as he prepares himself. This wasn’t exactly a speech he wanted to mess up.

“Cas… I’m not going to lie to you, I spent way too long thinking about what to say to you. I, uh… I actually started writing it down, had it all on this little piece of paper, and I realized… I didn’t need it. I didn’t need to sit there and think about how I feel for you. If I’m unable to tell you what you deserve to hear from my heart, right on the spot, then… what’s the point? So, everything I’m about to say… I want you to know that I mean every word of it.”

Castiel smiles at him – this soft, at peace kind of smile that lets Dean know that he knows every word out of his mouth is going to be the truth.

“Cas… you know how hard it is for me to accept new people into my life. Every time I let them in, let myself care for them… they’re taken away from me. It’s a vicious cycle, and in the past, I decided the best way to break it was to remove the cycle entirely; keep myself distant from everyone who tries to become a part of my life. But you? You were like the world's largest mosquito…” Dean was glad to see that Cas found that as humorous as he did, the tender smile on his face widening briefly as a short huff of laugher escapes him. “You know, at first, it was kinda easy. Taking orders is what I did best back then. For the first time in my life, I didn’t have my dad barking orders into my ear, and I felt strangely lost without them. Then, there you were - always popping up at the most unexpected times, nearly sending me back to ‘perdition’ with the heart attacks you’d induce, reminding me that God had a job for me and giving me orders… I’m not afraid to admit that there were times I wish I’d never met you, Cas. The times where I felt like the burden of being the ‘righteous man’ were too much, the expectations you and all the other angels had for me, it… it felt like it would all be better if you never came into my life. Go back to the way things were before.

“And then… there would be the times I lost you. Coming back from purgatory without you, or when we lost you after Jack was born… that was a different form of Hell, mostly because I didn’t understand why it hurt so damn much to lose you. Out of all the friends I’ve lost over the years… losing you made me into an entirely different person – and I didn’t like that man one bit. ‘Course, I just chalked it up to you being my best friend, but… I should have known better. I know what a broken heart feels like.

“But the thing is, the first time I lost you? I lost Sammy, too. And Bobby. All that grief sort of got… mashed into one. I didn’t know what to feel, and before I knew it… there you were again. Alive, powered up once more… and then you left again.

“So, I tried to do the ‘normal life’ thing. Find some semblance of peace, but… well, we all know how that ended up. And see, I think that’s part of why I always thought I’d die bloody, out on a hunt. Because giving up hunting, living a normal life? Whenever I tried to envision it… all I’d think of is how wrong it went last time, and… it scared me to try that again. To mess up the life of someone I loved, all to find myself back hunting again, like it’s some sort of drug I can't quit. But then… then I tried something new. Instead of picturing the blank, faceless woman in my future… I let myself see you, Cas. I let myself self us, trying the whole ‘hunter retirement’ thing. I saw us working through me giving up hunting, and it worked, because you understand me, Cas. You help me work through it; help remind me what it is I’m living for now. And really – what else is there for me to say to you, Cas? I want you to be the one to help me get through every problem that comes out way. I want to be by your side, every morning you wake up, ready to be there for you just as you are for me. I want to spend the rest of my life with you – and beyond that – because I love you. God help me, I really do.

“And he says he’s not good with words…” Sam leans down to whisper to Jack, perhaps a little more misty-eyed than he thought he’d be.

Dean doesn’t focus on his brother’s snarky comments. Instead, he takes in the genuine look of disbelief on Cas’s face, which in of itself is kind of painful to know – Dean decides then and there to make sure he constantly reminds Cas of how he feels for him as often as he can, for the rest of their damn lives. It’s not until Dean reaches out and brushes his fingers against the back of Cas’s hand that he seems to snap back into himself, finding his fingers instinctively twitching towards Dean’s, wanting to intertwine them and never let go.

For a moment, Dean thought that Eileen had mixed up the timings as she leaned over to Cas, handing him what Dean knew to be a ring enclosed snugly in her closed hand, out of sight. He hadn’t actually seen the ring yet – Cas has refused to let him see it until the wedding – but judging by the way Cas took the ring from her hand without comment, it seemed likely that Cas had made this a part of his vows.

“Dean, do you remember… it was during one of your dreams. We were on a beach, lazing about in the water, and I spoke to you in many different tongues. There was one part, where I talked to you about my time as a human. Of course, you didn’t know this, as you did not understand the languages I was speaking, but… I feel the need to expand on this, for you to understand.

“When I fell for you… I didn’t understand why. I wasn’t supposed to feel such things. The only love I was supposed to hold was for my Father, and for humanity as a whole – something my brothers and sisters often forwent.  I was scared. Scared of what these feelings meant, to the disaster it would undoubtedly lead to. The only saving grace I had was that I was still an angel. These feelings, whilst powerful because it was the first time I was feeling them… they were muted. Like an itch you can’t quite scratch. Not unbearable, but… persistent enough that you’re always aware of their presence.

“And then… I became human. In a way, I was thankful for the overwhelming feels of shame, of guilt for being the cause of my brothers and sisters being cast from Heaven; all these new feelings such as hunger and cold, and exhaustion and… every annoying thing that comes with being human, I suppose. But the thought of seeing you again? I didn’t know it was possible to feel so filled with anticipation and… and dread. Because if the way I felt for you was as strong as it was whilst I had my grace… how would I cope with it, as nothing more than a human? All these new…. desires. Temptations.

“When I regained my grace once more, it was… I thought it’d be a relief, I suppose. No longer having to feel the full brunt of my emotions. But a part of me missed that human aspect. Even when all I could do was stand by your side as nothing more than a friend… it was a privilege to feel the way I did for you. Still, it did make it easier. I was able to focus more, an extra sense of logic I felt I had lost as a human driven mostly by emotions. Sometimes… I’d think about what it would like to become human again. To give up my grace and just… live my own life, as Metatron once suggested I do.

“At the time, I realized I didn’t want to go through that again. Not because I would be mortal, susceptible to minor illnesses – and major – having to deal with that repeating cycle of hunger and thirst, keeping up with hygiene – all the things I wouldn’t have to think twice about as an angel. No, I would be perfectly fine with all those things. What I didn’t want to deal with again was the longing. The pain of being so utterly in love with you, and knowing I could never have you in that way. Being the ‘friend’ you took to bars, having to watch you walk out with yet another partner on your arm… No matter what, I wanted to be a part of your life – but at least being an angel helped take away some of the pain of knowing you would never love me that same way.

“But then… then here we are. Here we are, with you telling me things I only briefly dreamed about in my times as a human, and now… Now I look forward to being human. I get to experience the full, deeply seated, encompassing love that I have for you, because now I know I get to share that love with you. I get to spend the rest of my life, however short or long it might be, with you – and not just as your friend. I get to be more than that – I get to have what I always wanted, but never thought I could have.”

Cas brought his closed fist up in between them, uncurling his fingers to reveal a gleaming silver ring sat in his hand. The metal was oddly sleek, almost too perfect. Dean felt like he had seen that metal before, but he couldn’t quite pin it…

“I hope you don’t mind, but I ‘took a page from your book’, so to speak. This ring, like the one you made for me, is made of a metal that once belonged to a weapon. My weapon, to be specific.”

Dean’s eyes widened at the realization of what Cas had given up, wide eyes darting between Cas and the ring he held in his hand. “You… you melted down your angel blade?”

“The only one I have,” Castiel confirmed. “The one I always kept hidden up my sleeve, ready for any battle I ran into. I wanted to make this ring out of my weapon as a reminder to you. I want you to remember that everything about my prior life – my brothers and sisters, my Father; the billions of years I spent as a Soldier of God, watching over Earth in many forms, flying past the planets of the various galaxies my father had created… none of it compares to the honor of knowing you, Dean. I was, am, and always will be ready to give all that up in a heartbeat, if it means I end up right here with you. So, on the days that you wonder why I married you – and I know you will think that from time to time, as much as it pains me for you to think that – I want you to take a look at this ring on your finger and remember that ‘Castiel, angel of the Lord’ is who I used to be. But being ‘Castiel Winchester?’ That is who I am proudest to be.”

Everyone at the ceremony – even Rowena­ – couldn’t help but look upon the two soon-to-be newlyweds with warm smiles and melted hearts. Dean was smiling so wide that he was sure to have a sore face the next day – but this seemed worth it. Cas held Dean’s left hand in his, fingers never as steady as he smoothly slides the silver ring onto Dean’s ring finger. Dean felt a nudge by his shoulder, looking over to see Sam holding his custom-made ring for Cas. Dean takes it, shooting his brother a thankful smile before taking Cas’s hand in his, just as Cas had for him, and sliding the ring onto Cas’s ring finger.

“Since we’ve done the vows and the ring’s the wrong way round, I’m just going to skip the whole ‘If anyone objects’ part, because this wedding is enough drama in of itself. So… now for the fun part,” Rowena declared once the rings were in place, her voice barely catching their attention – which was focused on the rings they both now wore. “Do you, Dean Winchester, take Castiel as your – not so lawfully – wedded husband, to be your partner in life; to share your love through the bad and the good, until death do you part?”

“I do,” Dean says like he’s never been so certain of something in his life. “Not even after death, Cas. Always.”

“And do you, Castiel, take Dean Winchester as your lawfully wedded husband, to love and to cherish him through the joys and the sorrow, through sickness and through health, until death do you part?”

“I do,” Castiel announces, unable to resist the temptation to reach a hand forward for Dean, the small smile on his face widening as Dean’s fingers instinctively entwine with his – feeling the cold metal of Dean’s ring against his skin.

“Then by the power vested in me by… definitely not the state of Kansas, but by the power of this God standing a few feet away from me, I pronounce you spouses in love and in life. Now go on, kiss him!”

Dean didn’t know if Rowena was talking specifically to him or to Cas on that last part, but it didn’t matter in the end; they both found themselves leaving forward at the same time, dipping down and tilting his head as Cas’s lips meet his. The sounds of their friends and family clapping and cheering was nothing more than muted background noise. His senses were focused entirely on Cas; of his lips that had become chapped and dry in the breeze, but no less addictingly soft; the sugary and fruity taste of his lips – likely some sort of jelly Cas had eaten with his breakfast this morning; the soapy, pine tree smell of hair – something that seemed to linger even after he had lost his grace. Not that Dean was complaining – next to a freshly baked apple pie, it was probably the best thing he had ever smelled.

The sun had all but disappeared now, nothing more than a sliver of gold peeking over the horizon. Most of the sky had shifted to that blue that was so dark it might as well be black, only held back by the last swirls of reds, oranges, and pinks of the steadily fading sunset. The loss of the sun also meant the loss of the day’s pleasant warmth, the once relieving and cooling breeze raising goosebumps across everyone’s skin.

“Uh, guys… I don’t think we worked out the whole ‘timing’ thing too well…” Sam leaned across to pop the blissful bubble Dean and Cas were wrapped up in. “We should probably get going to the bunker before we’re stumbling back in the dark.”

* * *

Dean and Cas didn’t return at first.

Dean sent Sammy and the others back, instructing him to ‘get the party started without them’. It wasn’t like they were going to take too long – they’d probably be right behind them. Besides, it gave Sam some time to get their guests settled, start serving out food, and… well, like he said: get the party started.

“Will your first act as a married man be to murder your husband in the middle of woods, in the middle of night, in the middle of nowhere, where no one will hear you commit such a heinous crime?” Castiel asked, taking a seat on a fallen tree, and glancing up to Dean.

“Damn – you figured out my master plan,” Dean joked with him, dropping down on the tree with a heavy sigh. “I was doing everything in my power to bring you back, just to have the pleasure of taking your life by my own hands.”

“How cruel of you,” Castiel mumbled, craning his head back to take a look at the canopy of stars above them, only just starting to become visible as the sky continues to darken. “Why did you want to stay behind?”

“I don’t know… guess I thought it’d be nice to enjoy a moment of peace first. ‘Calm before the storm’ and all that.”

“…What storm?”

“Going back to the bunker,” Dean answered, keeping his line of sight aimed towards the sky. “Don’t get me wrong, I can’t wait to see everyone and get to celebrate a good thing for once. But… just a moment before, with just us, would be nice. I feel like it hasn’t been just us in…”

“I know,” Castiel agrees softly, leaning into Dean’s side and resting his head against Dean’s shoulder. “With all the running around getting things ready for the wedding, we’ve barely managed to actually see each other.”

“Hmm. No better way to build up to a marriage than to separate yourself from your partner through a stressful time, then throw them back together again for the rest of their lives.”

Castiel hums in agreement, taking advantage of the heat radiating from Dean to keep away the chill of the night. “Sounds about right to the way humans like to do things.”

“Yep. And you’re a human now, too. Welcome to a life of dumb decisions, Cas.”

Castiel chuckled warmly, letting his eyes scan across the forming constellations appearing in the night sky. “I think it’s more likely that I’ll get to watch you make the dumb decisions.”

“We haven’t even been married for ten minutes and you’re already insulting me.”

“Yes – but I’d like to point out that I intend to stand by you through every dumb decision you will inevitably make.”

Dean and Cas fell silent for a few moments, content to sit in each other’s company and gaze upon the stars overhead. Dean couldn’t help but think back to that night – or at least, the fake one in his dream - where they were sat like this on top of Baby. That night had been the beginning of their relationship, but this night? This night was the beginning of the rest of their lives.

“Now that you’re human, do you still think I’m prettier than the stars?” Dean couldn’t help but ask, tearing his eyes away from the sky above down to Cas.

“I don’t have to be an angel to see how brightly your soul shines, Dean.” Castiel’s voice rumbled through Dean’s chest from where Cas was leaning on him. “I can see it shining through when you smile, and through your eyes when you see your family.”

Dean reached an arm around to wrap Cas up, pulling him tighter into his side. “You know you don’t have to keep up with the sappy shit, right? You got me.”

“That’s no reason for me to stop,” Castiel refuted.

Dean signed in content, letting himself enjoy one last minute of relative peace before nudging at Cas to get up, standing from the log and holding out a hand for Cas to take.

“C’mon – let’s get back to the madhouse.”

* * *

Sam was partly right about the ‘stumbling home in the dark’ thing. Okay, he was completely right; Dean and Cas spent half the walk back to the bunker giggling at one another as they tripped over every loose branch, patch of thorns, sneaky exposed roots, and tree stumps hiding under the leaves.

The first thing they noticed upon returning to the bunker was that the door had been left open. Not too strange, since there was a chance Sam, Eileen, Rowena, Jack, and Claire hadn’t long since returned and decided to leave the door cracked open for their return. But on the other hand, this was still supposed to be a secret bunker that kept out most supernatural beings that weren’t welcome - and keeping the friggen door opened was kind of ruining the whole point of that.

They didn’t have much time to mull over Sam’s unusual stupidity on the subject of safety as, upon pushing the door open further and stepping through the doorway together, they were both showered in a spray of rainbow-colored confetti. Sam had set up an honest to God bucket trap atop the door.

“And here’s Mr. and Mr. Winchester!” Came Sam’s delighted shout, bringing out a joyous cheer from the small crowd that had gathered below, clapping at the two of them up on the balcony frozen in the small pile of colored paper pieces that were laid by their feet.

Their guest list wasn’t particularly long since, well… there weren’t many friends of theirs left alive to attend their wedding. It was of comfort though, knowing that all those that aren’t with them anymore were, undoubtedly, watching the festivities from up above. And besides, there was no doubt in Dean's mind that they'd be greeted to some over-the-top celebration once they finally cross the pearly gates for good.

The first guests to greet them as they stepped off the stairs was probably the most enthusiastic of the night; Dean had barely looked up from his feet before both he and Cas were wrapped up in the mother of all bear hugs – or should he say wolf hugs – by a grinning, looked-like-he-was-seconds-away-from-crying-of-happiness, Garth.

“You know you’re gonna get a hug from me on your big night, Dean!” Garth crowed in his ear at near-deafening volume

“And I’m too high on wedding happiness right now to reject it,” Dean answered back, unable to even hug Garth back due to his arms being pinned between them.

“Oh, I nearly forgot introductions! Cas, you haven’t even met my family yet…” Garth unbound them from their hug so quickly that both Dean and Cas nearly fell over. Garth stepped to the side, calling over the rest of his family who had been patiently watching them nearby.

Betty had both her twins practically attached to her legs, one of the twins (Dean had no idea who was who considering the last time he saw them was in diapers), with a thumb firmly planted in his mouth in a way that endearingly reminded him of how Sam used to do the exact same thing whenever he was nervous as a kid. The other little girl (Gertrude! Dean remembered that one) was holding onto her mother's hand, looking around the strangers -and equally strange home- with a mixture of nervousness and childlike curiosity.

“Castiel, this is my lovely wife, Betty,” Garth introduced his wife.

“I'd shake your hand, but they’re rather full right now,” Betty said, gesturing to her literal hand full of kids. “And… I don’t know if that ring you’re wearing is silver…”

“And these here are my beautiful children,” Garth proclaimed, voice filled with clear pride as he looked down at his kids. “Gertrude, you wanna say hi to another one of Daddy’s friends?”

“Hello,” Gertrude said politely, waving a small hand to Castiel.

“And this little rascal is Sam,” Garth said, crouching down and tousling the hair of the little boy with his thumb in his mouth. The younger Sam popped his thumb out his mouth long enough to give Dean and Cas a little wave before promptly sticking his thumb back in his mouth.

“And this-,” Is as far as Garth got before the other twin – who had been staring up at Cas with wide eyes – peeled himself off of his mother and shuffled over to Cas, reaching out with his hands and a high-pitched command of “Up!”

Dean was expecting for Cas to panic a little at that. He had never actually seen Cas interact with children before – unless you counted Jack, though it’s safe to say Jack was just a tad bit more mature than the children in front of him. To his surprise though, Cas immediately bent down and scooped the young child up into his arms, responding to the kid’s high-pitched giggle of delight with a toothy smile of his own.

“This… is Castiel,” Garth finished his prior sentence. Castiel’s head snapped over to Garth in complete shock, looking genuinely taken aback at what he had just heard.

“Oh… is he…?”

“Named after you? How many other Castiel’s do you know?” Garth said with a grin, wrapping one arm around his wife, and the other around his daughter.

“I think little Cas likes you,” Dean told his husband, fighting back a laugh when the curious child pats at Castiel’s cheeks with his chubby hands.

“It’s very nice to meet you,” Castiel said to the child who probably couldn’t understand what he just said. He caught little Cas’s explorative hands in his free one, sending him into another fit of giggles at the giant hands that covered his own.

“Here, I’ll take him from ya,” Garth said, holding out his arms for his son. Young Castiel brightened at the sight of his father, grabbing hold of his dad with an excited squeal of “Da-Da!” Garth held his son by his side, giving the two newly-weds a happy smile. “I’ll stop taking up all your time – let you talk to the others. I expect to see you on the dance floor later though, Dean!”

“You think I wouldn’t take the opportunity to embarrass my husband in front of everyone?” Dean said, ignoring the narrow-eyed glare Cas sent his way.

The next guests they greeted were the only other guests at this little reception of theirs, having gathered in a small group off to the side. Donna was the first to spot them making their way over, breaking out into a friendly grin that she always seemed to have. “Can you believe it, eh? Dean Winchester? Married?”

“I can hardly believe it myself,” Dean responded, pretty much stepping into the hug that Donna initiated the second he was within arms-reach.

“And I don’t think we’ve ever actually met!” Donna directed towards Castiel once she pulled herself away from Dean, sticking out a hand for Castiel to shake. “Donna Hanscum – nice to meet ya.”

Castiel took her hand, giving it a friendly shake with his best smile. “I’m surprised we never crossed paths. I suppose we’ve both led busy lives.”

“Didn’t use to be,” Donna joked. “I used to think being the sheriff would be the most stressed I’d ever be… then came along these two idiot brothers and turned my life upside down.”

“Uh… should I apologize?” Dean said.

“Of course not!” Donna proclaimed, giving Dean an enthusiastic slap to the arm with the back of her hand. “Now I know about all the spooky things out there that I never knew about! Good to feel like I can actually make a difference.”

“It seems you’re either born into the hunter life, or dragged into it by the Winchesters,” Came the voice of Jody, stepping up next to Donna with a glass of some fancy champagne in hand that Sam had splurged a little too much on.

“And it’s a damn good thing we did,” Dean argues. “With me and Sammy retiring, I can think of no other duo to take over the title of America’s best hunters.”

“That’s something I never thought I’d hear, either…” Jody said. “You really dropping out for good?”

“Unless there’s some other major catastrophe, then… yeah. This is it,” Dean tells them. “I could never ignore the end of the world, no matter how ‘retired’ I am, but… I know you guys will take care of things with us gone.”

“We’ll certainly try,” Jody said softly, placing her drink down on the map table to wrap them both up in a hug that Dean could only describe as ‘motherly’.

“I’m so proud of you boys…” She utters softly to them, squeezing them tighter as she speaks. “After all the crap you’ve been put through… you deserve this.”

“Thank you,” Castiel says sincerely, giving Jody one last squeeze before separating. A mother’s touch wasn’t one he had really experienced…

“You seen how well they’ve been getting along?” Jody asked, gesturing with a tilt of her head to the teens behind her. “I suppose it’s good they’re getting along well with… God?”

Dean’s eyes shifted over Jody’s shoulder, seeing exactly what Jody was talking about. Claire, Kaia, Alex, and Patience were huddled in the corner of the room, talking excitedly to Jack – who looked rather pleased to be the center of attention.

“Time to be embarrassing Dad’s,” Dean told Cas, shooting Jody and Donna one last smile before making their way over to the teens, who were likely getting themselves into all sorts of trouble.

“Can you please try not to convince our new God to perform any party tricks that might set the bunker on fire?” Dean asked as they got within ear-shot.

“I think I’m good enough at my powers not to do that now,” Jack replied, raising up his hand as if to show Dean something. “I’ve been practicing with-,”

“No God powers in the bunker!” Dean held out a hand to stop him, only feeling slightly bad for the pout that instantaneously appeared on Jack’s face.

“Dude, did you just tell God what to do?” Claire asked.

“Hell yeah I did,” Dean said proudly.

“You can show us later,” Castiel leans forward to whisper to Jack, giving him a wink as the pout on Jack’s face changes into a pleased smile.

“Guess we know who wears the pants in this family…” Alex mumbles to Patience, who hides her snort of laugher in the glass of coke she had brought up to her mouth.

“I might be getting older, but I’m not that deaf yet,” Dean said, glaring at the group of teens in front of him.

“Chill Grandpa,” Claire’s insult only intensified the glare tenfold. “I just wanted to get to know Jack a little better. I mean, he’s basically my brother.”

“Um… not really,” Cas said awkwardly. “In a way, I suppose you could consider him a cousin, but-,”

“Nope. He’s my brother. I’ve decided it,” Claire interrupted Cas, throwing an arm around Jack’s shoulder with a teasing grin. “Apparently you guys never taught him about pranks? That’s just a crime. He didn’t even know what the bucket prank that Sam set up was!”

“I didn’t know that a knowledge of pranks is a necessary part of life,” Castiel said. “Although, having live through many of Gabriel’s pranks, I can’t say I’m particularly fond of them.”

“Yeah, and we kinda decided that teaching a kid with powers pranks would probably end in disaster,” Dean said.

“You had cruel, cruel parents, Jack,” Claire told a rather befuddled-looking Jack, steering him away from them and towards the library, with Alex, Patience, and Kaia in tow. “C’mon – you’ve got many things to learn…”

Dean and Cas watched them go with an odd sense of contentment that Claire and Jack were getting along so well… and complete and utter dread that they were getting along so well. Dean turned to Cas once the group disappeared into the hallway – most likely to use Jack’s powers to change all of the alcohol in the bunker into water or some ironic shit like that – sharing an amused look with his new husband.

“Should I go fetch the fire extinguisher?”

* * *

The library had been converted into a temporary dining room for the reception. The long wooden table had a pristine white cloth draped over it, along with a few candles in silver holders being placed along the middle. Sam had dragged out a few chairs from storage, given them a quick dusting and varnishing to breathe new life into them, and situated them along the table.

They had been eating for around twenty minutes at this point, nearly everyone having finished their meal. Dean was watching Garth attempt to clean the mess of blood from the twin’s face (from the raw steaks they had served for Garth and his family), when Sam stood from his chair and clinked a knife to his glass, damn near shattering the thin glass with his strong hits.

The small conversations people had fallen into tapered off, the room falling into an expectant silence as all eyes turned to Sam. Sam cleared his throat, placing the knife back down on the table but keeping the glass of champagne in his hand as he addressed the room with his best man’s speech.

“Hey, so, uh… I just wanna say thank you to everyone for being here. I know that you’re all here because you want to support these two guys here on what will be one of the most important days of their lives, and having you all here will be part of why this night will be so memorable. So-,” Sam paused, raising his drink in the air. “-Cheers to all of you,”

“Cheers!” Rang around the table as everyone lifted their glasses into the air, before taking a swig of their drink.

“And, of course, cheers to the couple in question,” Sam said, turning to face both his brother and Cas. “I know I like to tease you guys a lot, since… it’s kind of a part of being the annoying little brother, I suppose. But I don’t think I have the words to say just how happy I am for you two. And Cas – I can’t thank you enough. Not only for how you’ve been there for both of us, through thick-and-thin, one apocalypse after the other, but for just how happy you make my brother. I’ve never seen Dean look so at peace than when he’s with you, and as much as my role as Dean’s brother is to annoy the hell out of him, it’s also to make sure that you’re happy. Now that you’ve got Cas? I don’t have to worry about that.”

Sam raised his glass once more, this time in their direction, fighting back tears at the misty-eyed looks he got from both Dean and Cas. “To Dean and Castiel Winchester!”

“To Dean and Castiel Winchester!” Everyone parroted.

Dean had been expecting for Sam to sit back down after his speech, or perhaps even walk over to wrap them both up in hugs. To his surprise, Sam remained standing, shooting him much too of a mischievous grin for Dean’s liking.

“One last thing,” Sam added. “Dean… I thought that tonight, I’d try and turn the cards on you and give you a surprise of my own. For months, I was stumped on what gift to get you. I felt like, as both your brother and best man, it had to be something meaningful. That’s when I remembered a little story Cas told me.

“For those of you that don’t know it, Cas had to spend some time up in Dean’s head. What I didn’t know was that every night, Dean was spending time with Cas in his dreams. Dean has a kind of special marking on his arm, in the form of a handprint. Specifically, Cas’s handprint. During one of these dreams, Dean told Cas that he wished Cas had a mark, too. Something of his to wear on Cas’s skin. And that’s when the plan came to my mind. But, for the plan to work, it all fell down onto one requirement – Dean needed to be an asshole.”

The glare Dean sent his brother’s way didn’t quite have the heat to it that he wanted, considering his cheeks quickly reddened at the knowing laughter that spread across the table.

“Thankfully, Dean completed that requirement pretty quickly,” Sam said with a playful grin. “Do you remember, Dean, a few months ago, when I told you I was trying a new hobby? I had gotten everything set up, too; the canvas, the paints, the easel, everything. You waltzed right into my room, asked me what I was doing, and as soon as I began explaining that I wanted to take up painting… you stuck your hand straight into the paints and planted your paint-covered hand onto the canvas.

“You left the room laughing that day, and it had never been harder for me to be mock angry with you, when in reality I wanted to cheer and celebrate a mission well done. I went to Cas immediately after and told him my idea. Cas fell in love with it, and… here we are.”

Dean turned his suspicious glare towards Cas, who could only shrug in false innocence at the accusation being pointed towards him.

“A few days ago, I told you I was taking Cas to the tattoo shop to get a devil’s trap tattooed on,” Sam said. “That was partly true – he did get the devil’s trap, don’t worry, Dean. What we didn’t tell you was that we got another piece commissioned, too. Cas? You wanna show him?”

Dean tore his eyes away from Sam’s barely contained glee, turning to Cas with eyebrows raised in anticipation. He watched as Cas began meticulously rolling up the sleeve of his left arm, pushing the shirt up further and further until Dean could see-

A handprint. Right there on his shoulder, the exact same place where Castiel’s handprint was on his shoulder, was a very detailed, very realistic looking scar of a handprint. And not just any handprint – his handprint.

“There’s been a reason I’ve been wearing long-sleeved shirts,” Castiel told him. “You did say you wanted your own ‘Property of Dean Winchester’ sign.”

“You…” Was all Dean could get out before his body took over, standing up from his chair and reaching out a hand to place it over the handprint. Castiel winced at the contact, since the tattoo was still fresh and raw, but didn’t shy away from Dean’s touch. Dean could only marvel at the way his hand perfectly fit over the mark, proving that it truly was his handprint. “You didn’t have to do this, Cas…”

“I know,” Castiel replies, a warm smile tugging at the corner of his lips. “But I wanted to.”

Dean turned to his brother, shuffling past a few chairs to pull him into his arms with a few choked words. “Good job, brother,”

“Glad you like it,” Sam replied, thumping him on his back before pulling away from the hug. “Was kinda worried you’d figure out what was going on when you left the handprint on the canvas.”

“Nah, you didn’t have to worry about that,” Dean said. “I was too caught up on a job well done of ticking you off.”

* * *

It’s approaching sunrise by the time the last of the guests had left. The library had been converted once again shortly after dinner at Garth’s demands to create a dance floor – which everyone quickly agreed to on account of the booze flowing through their veins. Dean and Cas were all but content to watch everyone make a fool of themselves on the dance floor, smiles wide with pride as Claire manages to drag Jack onto the dance floor to join her and Kaia.

There was one stipulation Dean had, though; he refused to have his first dance with Cas in front of everyone else. Not because he’s scared of how everyone will judge him for his dancing skills (okay, maybe a little of that), but because… he wanted that moment to be between just him, and Cas.

Cas looked exhausted, and Dean couldn’t blame him one bit. If he was in the same boat as he was, then he didn’t get a wink of sleep last night, either. His hair was all ruffled from one too many drunken affectionate rubs from Sam, his bowtie undone and hanging loose around his neck, staring out into the dimly lit library from his seat with half-asleep eyes.

He looked just as stunning as when he walked up the aisle.

“Hey, angel,” Dean says as he stands in front of him, holding out a hand for him to take. “Care for a dance?”

Despite how tired Cas looked, his eyes still lit up at Dean’s request. Dean smiled tenderly at him as Cas’s hand fit snuggling into his own, leading him towards the center of the room. Their hands remained clasped, hanging loosely to their sides as the two swayed on the spot. It probably looked ridiculous considering there was no music playing, but neither of them cared much. They didn’t need the music.

Dean let his eyelids fall closed as Cas’s head rested against his, brushing his thumb against the cool metal ring wrapped around Cas’s ring finger. “Step three, Cas,” Dean whispered against his lips, squeezing Cas’s hand in his.

“Step three,” Castiel repeated gently. “So… what’s next?”

Dean opened his eyes back up, looking to Cas with a small smile before leaning down to place a soft kiss on his lips. “We’ve got the whole rest of our lives to figure out ‘what’s next’, Cas. Whatever that may be… wherever you go, I’ll follow.”

* * *

As it turns out, life does go by fast when you’re not fighting for it every damn day.

One of the benefits to living in the bunker was the lack of bills. Not having to pay rent, or mortgage, or electricity, gas, water, heating, Internet, and more bills than he’s probably aware of meant that, between the two, their savings account built up surprisingly quick. Dean had more money on his account than he had ever had on his life, and before long, another little (by which he means huge) idea popped into his head.

He didn’t bring up the idea to Cas until about a year after they were married. Mostly due to one huge piece of news from Sam that Eileen was pregnant.

Well, the news didn’t technically come from Sam. Dean had overheard them talking about it one night, trying to find a way to bring up to him and Cas that Sam was planning to go back to Stanford to finish up his law degree. Made sense; having a well-paying job with a steady income was a better way to go about raising a kid in the bunker.

So, on the day Sam and Eileen finally gathered up the courage to announce the pregnancy and upcoming move, he and Cas were able to one-up them by showing them the deeds to a little property up in Oregon.

The house was fixer-upper for sure and led to many an argument between them. But that was okay. They had gotten pretty good at recovering from arguments after all this time. No matter how big of a falling out, it was typically the very next day that one of them would have cooled off and be bringing some kind of peace offering (typically a slice of pie from that fantastic family-run bakery for Dean, and a jar of this organic, way too expensive but it makes him happy, honey for Cas).

Besides, Dean could see the true beauty the house held the first time he saw the listing. It was practically crumbling apart, its wooden sidings rotting with what was once likely a beautiful blue paint now discolored and peeling away. But the house itself was set upon a beautiful lake within a patch of woods, not too far away from the nearby town that they were “in the middle of nowhere”, but enough so that they were away from prying eyes of the stereotypical American neighborhood.

There was even a little wooden dock practically on their backyard, where the two of them sat many a time, enjoying the warm summer evenings. Miracle especially liked the dock for diving into the water – typically whilst Dean was fishing, scaring any nearby fish away and pretty much ruining any chance of him getting a catch.

They had just finished the last restorations on the home when Eileen and Sam welcomed their son into the world. Dean thought he'd be pretty good at keeping it together, but the damn kid looked so much like Sammy did when he was a baby that he had to Dean Jr over to Cas when his vision became too filled with tears to see.

Getting to watch that kid grow was one of the best parts of the summers. It was their tradition; every summer vacation, Sam and Eileen would drop Dean Jr off at theirs to spend the entirety of the summer. Being the ‘cool uncle’ meant that the kid wanted to do everything that Dean did, leading to many evenings out at the garage shop, keeping the kid up much too late into the night as he teaches him everything he knows.

Life was good. Better than good, actually. Especially when, if you asked twenty years old Dean where he thought he’d be twenty years on, his answer would be “as a pile of ashes for the past twenty years.”

And he had genuinely believed that. Every day waking up in the hunter's life, he had wondered if it would be his last. Could you blame him? Too many risks, too many opportunities for something to go wrong.

It was funny that, as he got older, his view on death changed.

Back then, on that terrible day, left skewered like a kebab, the concept of death scared him. And it wasn’t like that was particularly a new thing. Sure, he had long since accepted that he was going to die young and bloody, but that didn’t make the idea or the lights going out forever terrifying.

He had actually realized that day that he wasn’t ready to accept it. After all that had happened, it had felt like something in their lives had changed. Dying that way... it didn’t seem fair. He felt like he deserved a chance to live the life he never got to, that he had so many years ahead of him to look forward to, and it was all just... taken away from him.

Now, nearly forty years after that day... he sees death differently. He’s lived that life, and lived it well. He's tired, both in body and mind, and whilst the first half of his life was filled with pain, misery, and the occasionally good moments, the last half of his life and been filled with nothing but happiness; of family and love.

He could still vividly remember the day they had to put Miracle down. She had been slowing down for a while, the gray in her muzzle spreading more and more, her eyes getting cloudier and cloudier. Even though he knew she was at that point where her life was more pain than happiness, that she would be going someplace much better... it was hard to let go. He supposed he wasn’t exactly mourning on her behalf, for her loss, but for the way her loss would impact their life.

It had been that evening, as Cas tearfully began collecting her bed and chew toys to put away in storage, that Dean truly began to take notice of the gray that had begun sneaking through his hair. They were getting older, there was no doubt about that. He had had the thought, perhaps a little morbid, about which one of them would go first.

Dean had bet on himself for that one. For one, Cas was technically younger than him, physically. Two, Jimmy took care of his body much better than Dean had. Sure, hunting keeps you physically fit, but all those fights, and being thrown against walls, tend to take their toll on the human body. Perhaps the drink would catch up to him, all those years drowning his liver in toxins. Hell, maybe he'd even clog an artery after countless takeouts and greasy diner foods.

He lost the bet.

It had happened on one of their daily morning walks.

It had been a beautiful day, all things considered. The November frost that covered the fallen leaves had only just begun to melt under the early morning sunrise, making their already slow walk all that much slower.

The walks had become more and more difficult the past few months. For the both of them, in fact. His wrinkled hands seem to shake atop his cane with every step – something he never thought he’d say in his youth; he had a damn cane – and every step they took was cautious and calculated, considering the fact that one wrong step, one small fall, would more than likely result in something being broken.

But it was Cas who seemed to be struggling that little bit more. It was Cas who had a harder time catching his breath, sucking in deep lungful’s of air like he couldn’t quite get enough. It was Cas who, just as they were stepping off the small sandy shore of the lake and rounding towards home, suddenly collapsed to his knees onto the cold ground as he held onto Dean.

And that’s when Dean knew it was time.

It was his heart, believe it or not. Not an angel blade through the chest, or a Vamp’s teeth sinking into his throat, or a Were’s claws ripping him open. His heart was simply too old. Too tired. It was failing – and it was the best type of death either of them could have asked for.

Cas passes away peacefully one late evening that same November, propped up in a comfortable hospital bed, surrounded by those who love him. There’s no fear in his eyes as goes, no overwhelming panic that has him tugging out the cannula in his nose, no pain – the drugs the doctors had pumping into him through his IV line made sure of that. He just smiles up at them with tired eyes as a frazzled, gray-haired Sam Winchester keeps a hand on his best friends’ arm, the other wrapped around a similarly frail-looking Eileen and their not so young son, anymore.

And then, just before he goes… Castiel’s gaze fixates on one person. He only has eyes for his husband by his side, staring into emerald green eyes that remained as young as the Dean Winchester he fell in love with. Dean’s brittle fingers were intertwined with Cas’s as he struggled through his last breaths, squeezing Cas’s hand as tightly as his old bones would let him.

“It’s okay, Cas. We did it. We made it…” Dean rasps down to him, leaning forward to place one last shaky kiss on his husband's head as Castiel’s eyes begin to droop, the machine by his head blaring and beeping numbers that Dean ignores. “Don’t worry, angel. I’ll be right behind you.”

Dean follows him no more than two weeks later.

Castiel had only just begun settling into Heaven when Dean arrived.

Dean had woken up from his ‘endless sleep’, a smile of relief playing across his face as he took in the familiar sights around him. He was home. Right there in front of him stood the house they had made with blood, sweat, and tears. Every little detail that made it theirs; from the small scratches in the wood where Miracle had been digging at the ground below to the tiny crack in the attic window where Dean Jr had ‘wanted to test how high he could throw a football’.

He didn’t even bother knocking on the door. He already knew where Cas was.

Walking around the side of the house, towards the lake, is where he spotted Cas. Cas was waiting, stood at the end of the dock with a damn fishing rod in hand, looking as young as he was when he was brought back to life. Dean would like to think that he kept a respectable pace as he moved towards Cas, but in reality, he knows he all but sprinted to him.

The second he was within reach, he knocked the stupid damn fishing pole out of Cas’s hands and threw his arms around him, grateful for the way his trick knee no longer ached with the movement. Cas dropped the fishing pole without a second thought, returning the tight hold Dean had on him with a bemused chuckle. “Dean, it’s only been two weeks.”

“That’s two weeks too long,” Dean replies, meaning it full-heartedly. “Told you I’d follow you, didn’t I?”

“Your mother stopped by,” Castiel tells him as he pulls away from Dean’s embrace. “They have a big surprise party waiting for you at the roadhouse.”

“I think you kinda ruined the surprise there, Cas,” Dean said, taking a seat on the edge of the dock and let his feet dangle over the water, holding out a hand for Cas to join him.

“I think I’ve had enough surprises for one lifetime,” Castiel said, accepting Dean’s offer and dropping down next to him. “I would have thought you’d want to visit them straight away?”

Dean smiled at that, looking away from the stillness of the lake to his husband. “We’ve got a lot of time for that, Cas. Besides, I wanna start enjoying Step Four.”

Dean wrapped an arm around Cas, tugging him towards him until Cas was leaning against his side, resting his head on Dean’s shoulder. Castiel closed his eyes in content, letting the warmth of Heaven’s sun wash over his face whilst the warmth of Dean soaked into his side. “What’s Step Four?”

“Kinda obvious, isn’t it?” Dean asked. “Enjoy the rest of eternity with you.”

[dgrayland]

★D.GRAY MAN ★ ANIME & MANGA RECCOMENDATIONS

So, you all knows how much I love D.Gray-Man (forever and ever and ever) but when you get at the point where you pretty much watched and rewatched the entire series - original & hallow and all - as well as read and re-read the manga you’re gonna need a breather to process all the emotions but yet still can’t seem to let go. Yet at the same time, ya need a breather with something familiar yet something new. Yule gotchu, fam (＾＾)ｂI’ve compiled a few recommendations that might match your tastes. 

The few below would probably have elements from DGM that you might like and find intriguing and probably fill up the time until Hoshino reveal more to us. 

Here we go!

GLOSSARY 

01. Claymore

02. 07 Ghost 

03. Pandora Hearts

№ 1 — CLAYMORE 

RECOMMEND : Both Anime & Manga ★★★★★ 

This is an oldie but a real goodie. I think it was way back when I was in middle school when I first watched Claymore but recently I rewatched it and it’s still very good. The action scenes were top notch and each battle is very interesting to watch especially when they really go at it. 

The story takes place in medieval-esque time in a world that’s overrun by demons known as Youma who can disguise themselves wearing human skin. They’re difficult to get rid of and when a town found themselves infested, they have no choice but to contact and Organization in order to dispatch a Claymore warrior in order to deal with the monster. In this story, we follow a Claymore named Claire, one of the Silver-Eyed Witches as she is accompanied by her human companion Raki. 

The Organization is definitely the Order’s equivalent, Youma’s as Akumas and Claymore/Silver-Eyed Witches as Exorcists. 

Those who love D.Gray-Man would definitely find something to like in Claymore as they hit similar themes although Claymore is definitely a bit more darker and gory in nature so beware of that (A bit of warning on assault too. I think two scenes but it didn’t get far.) There’s definitely body horror and blood and guts but it’s mostly keep out of eyesight in the anime but the same can’t be said for the manga. 

The story is really intriguing and really led you to wanting to know more and wanting to know how it ends. The soundtrack is also absolutely fitting and gets you hype up with the scenes. There’s 26 episodes for the anime and the manga is complete with 156 chapters (give or take) Though I haven’t finished the manga yet so no spoiling me (;´д｀) Not that I don’t know the ending...what?! Sometimes I can’t help myself! 

I have so many things I want to rave about this anime but I’m gonna keep my lips shut and let you experience it by yourselves. (・ω<)

Not enough? Let these few gifs convince you! 

№ 2 — 07 GHOST 

RECOMMEND : Both Anime & Manga ★★★★

Same with the above, I was probably in middle school when I first stumbled on this anime. After completing Claymore for the second time, I instantly remembered and rewatched it. This focuses more on emotional point similar to D.Gray-Man where characters have their own arcs and lessons to go through. 

07 Ghost takes place in a fantasy realm with cultural influence from Germany, magic in forms of Zaiphon and even have Sky Pirates! Yes Sky Pirates! The story however follows Teito Klein, a battle skalve (slave) for the Empire but one day he starts to remember his past and flees from the Empire falling into the church grounds where the 7 Ghost are worshipped. And soon he have to deal with Kors and Wars who temps humans to grant their wishes before taking their souls and run into the 7 Ghosts as he tries to uncover his hidden memories of the past. 

I think out of the three recommendation, 07 Ghost hits most of the same notes as D.Gray-Man though I do prefer DGM in terms of story telling and everything but 07 Ghost is an interesting emotional journey of its own. In this series, the Church mirrors the Order though DGM order is much darker in terms of ambitions, Wars and Kors mirroring Akumas and the Clerics and 7 Ghosts can stand in the place of the exorcists. Allen and Teito have similar notes as well but I won’t say much more because it’d be spoilers but a clue would be in terms of identity, they’re not all they seem. Lastly, 07 Ghost have a beautiful melody called Raggs Requiem that would be Lacrimosa Lala’s song equivalent. 

The anime guarantees a good time having hit the same comedic and emotional points and for all those shonen-ai shippers, this is the series for you (o'ｕ≦o) though I have yet to see if the couples end up together (I’m still reading the manga. Gomennasai m(；∇；)m ) so no guarantees on that. For the first time viewers, you’re gonna need tissues for the anime. It’s not a long anime with 25 episodes that focuses on the church before Teito leaves for the journey but it’s a worthwhile experience. 

As for the manga...I was a bit disappointed by a couple of scenes as it moves at a fast pace and didn’t have as much of an emotional impact on the readers as covered by the anime but the story is fascinating and the characters have many layers and the deeper you go, the more you see their motivations aren’t surface level. The manga isn’t long spanning exactly 100 chapters (if you count the extra) and there’s enough mystery and emotional backstory as well as action to go around. I’m actually disappointed that they didn’t continue the anime as the story after Teito left the Church was very interesting especially when it comes to the identity of Teito Klein as well as the true identities and past of the 07 Ghost : (1) Zehel, (2) Fest, (3) Profe, (4) Relikt, (5) Vetrag, (6) Ea and (6) Lankarte as follows - 

Not to mention we have a younger less cynical perverted version of Cross, a less eccentric but still highly eccentric Komuii-like character as well as a cute mascot, Burupya! How could you say no to such a cute face?

№ 3 — PANDORA HEARTS 

RECOMMEND : Both Anime & Manga ★★★★★

OKAY, YOU KNOW WHERE I’M GOING WITH THIS. THOSE THAT KNOW WILL KNOW AND I KNOW THAT MOST OF YOU KNOW! This...This is probably the only anime and manga that can compete against DGM emotionally and story-plotting wise. They both will eff-ed you up emotionally, bawling into tissues as well as leave you screaming at books and screens at what will happen next. 

Oh gosh, I hope I do it justice. 

Pandora Hearts takes place in a fictional England in Victorian Era times in the age of noble houses and Dukedoms. On the very day that a boy Oz Vessalius is about to have his Coming to Age ceremony, he fell down and discovers a pocket watch upon a that plays a mysterious melody. Strange things happens and he was thrown into the world of Abyss - a twist on Lewis Caroll’s Wonderland filled of broken things, the Will of the Abyss and beings called Chains. There he meets a Chain and form a contract with her bringing him back to his own world but an Organisation have tracked him down and now he have to cooperate with them as he unravels the mystery about himself, the Chains, the Abyss and the dark secret that loomed behind the noble houses that affects their pasts, present and future. 

There’s so much I want to say and yet can’t say about this series because the amount of spoilers. It would be something that haunt you for a long time and once you get invested, you can’t quite get out. 

There’s similarities between characters such as Oz with Allen and I dare say Komuii and Sheril with Xerxes but both series have a strong character cast that you would fall in love with each of them and layered story where nothing is as it seems including characters. The Chains can stand as either Innocence or Akumas in a sense but it isn’t a typical monster hunting story, it’s rather focused on unravelling the mystery one string at a time. There are heavy elements on horror and a bit of warning of blood and a bit of bodily harm so take note of that.

The anime is 25 episodes long and serves as a good enough introductory to the series but the manga is where the story truly shines. The soundtrack however is wicked epic and worth listening to. Yuki Kajiura lends her talents creating haunting melodies that would haunt your mind and tug at your hear strings. The manga spans around 104 chapters and good news! It’s completed so no need to sit in agony for so long (gawd knows I have. I had to wait for years. I still have to finish up the manga thoughᕕ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)ᕗ Yes, yes, I am a bit slow when it comes to mangas) But I think most of you are pretty acquainted with this. How I know? Well....when this happens. 

One last thing I need to mention - the art for Pandora Hearts is extremely beautiful and you will find yourself staring at a single page for more than a few seconds just to take in all the details. That’s it. 

CONCLUSIONS

That’s pretty much what I’ve been able to gather over the last couple of months. I hope the recommendations are helpful in some way. Even if it’s not, it’s fun to write about for a bit. I definitely know there’s more series to recommend and would love to hear if there are suggestions. I’ve heard about Demon Slayer being one of them but haven’t started on it yet. Anyways....

Happy watching and reading! 

[profoundnet]

Profound Member Post - January 2020

Header by @cryptomoon​ and is available on merch from her redbubble store. You can use all those fancy emojis (and more!) on our Discord server!

The Masterpost is open for all creations by ProfoundBond members which are posted in their entirety during that month.

This months round up is extra special as PB celebrated its 2 year anniversary with a creation birthday bash. You will find submissions for this monumental occasion marked with a 🎂 emoji! Happy Birthday PB and thank you to everyone who makes this server, and our corner of the fandom so great!

MEMBER CONTRIBUTIONS FOR JANUARY 2020!

Featuring works by @nox-lee​, @nickelkeep​, @maleyah-givemetomorrow​, @banshee1013​, ArielAquarial, @castielslostwings​, @butterflydreaming-writes-fic​, @goldenraeofsun​, @jemariel​, @surlybobbies​, @blueeyesandpie​, @rauko-creates​, @foxymoley​, @maggiemaybe160​, and, @andimeantittosting​!

Masterpost below the cut.

noxlee - @nox-lee​ - noxlee - (Pillowfort)

Soft (E, 1.7k)

15x10 coda. Dean discovers that his new "normal" extends to his sex life as well. 

Tags: coda, established relationship, mediocre sex

 nickelkeep - @nickelkeep​ - nickelkeep

Tupelo Honey (E, 5.5k) 🎂

When one of his co-workers fall through on a photo shoot, Dean steps up to help out and cover it. Who knew that there was a such thing as a beekeeper's society? And who knew that a gorgeous blue-eyed man would be a beekeeper?

Tags: AU - Modern, Photographer!Dean, Beekeeper!Cas, Nude Photoshoot, Pinups, Cas acts like Endverse!Cas, Semi-Public Sex

Time Alone  (T, 1.9k) 🎂

Dean wants some alone time with Cas. The best way to do that? Find a case and tell Sam and Jack to stay behind.

Tags: Canonverse, Casefic, Salt and Burn, Established Relationship, Secret Relationship, Impala Kisses. 

‘Til I Found Salvation (M, 14k)

Finding your soulmate isn't hard when almost everyone has multiple soulmates; four, five even upwards of seven. It's rare to have only three soul marks and people who only have two? Sucks to be them. And the poor sons of bitches who only have one? They're the unluckiest of all. Dean Winchester knows a thing or two about being unlucky.

Tags: Canonverse, Canon Divergent, Soulmate Marks, Angst with a Happy Ending, Temp. MCD, Whump, Hurt/Comfort

Something to Talk About (T, 5.6k)

Charlie pointed up at her ear. "You don't hear that?"

"Hear what?" Dean closed his eyes and rested for a moment. He realized that music played in the background and started searching for the source immediately. "Wait, is that... Is that Zeppelin playing?

"Bunker, play 'Houses of the Holy,'" Charlie replied, a smirk on her face.

The first few haunting notes of the Zeppelin classic started playing, and Dean's head whipped around in surprise. "Where's that coming from? Did you buy one of those damned Alexa Despacito things for the bunker?"

Tags: Canonverse, AU - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Charlie & Sam ship Destiel, Home Automation, Domesticity in the Bunker, Pranks and Practical Jokes

Balance to the Force (E, 7.5k)

When needing their privacy in open areas, Charlie and Dean have no problem switching to an uncommon language - Sindarin, from Lord of the Rings. But when they start speaking it at Nerd Convention, does Dean bite off more than he can chew?

Tags: AU - Modern Setting, AU - ComicCons, Gratuitous Nerdiness, Polygot!Cas, Language/Accent Kink, Strangers to Lovers

Space Oddity (SFW) 🎂

Art for @maggiemaybe160​‘s fic Space Oddity

Maleyah - @maleyah-givemetomorrow​ - Maleyah

Where the Corporeal and Poetry Meet (E, 3.6k)

Part one of a series of ficlets exploring a season 9 divergence, where Cas is brought back to the Bunker and explores his humanity with Dean. "Straddling him as they make out, Dean whispers the suggestion that night. He binds Castiel’s hands with his own tie, which spikes Castiel’s breathing. He’s sure that if he still possessed his grace, his eyes would light up the dimly lit room in pale blue. His eventual orgasm knocks the breath out of him and it takes a long time to come back down into the safe circle of Dean’s arms.

They take it from there."

Tags: Human!Cas, Light Bondage, Light Dom/sub, Soft Dom!Dean, Soft sub!Cas, Poetry, Idiots in Love, Domestic Fluff

Where Kinks and Breakfast Meet (M, 3k)

Part two of a season 9 divergence series where Cas gets brought back to the Bunker and explores his humanity with Dean. "But he still wants to engage Cas. Fully. He’s only unwilling to put Cas at a similar risk, despite Cas’ persistent reassurances that his drop was related to the realisation that hit him mid-play. They do further research together. Into shibari. Into bondage. Into subspace. Drops. Both on the Dom and sub’s end. So he realises he suffered one in the wake of their moment and that he went about handling it the wrong way. A few days ago, Dean found a promising list, which he insisted they fill in to avoid a repeat performance. With everything they have been up to, Dean has faith (who knew?) they are compatible, but he wants clarity. He smiles at the feelings that loosens up inside his chest and huffs, rolling his eyes at himself."

Tags: Human!Cas, Kink Negotiation, Domestic Fluff, Soft Dom!Dean, Soft sub!Cas, switching implied, Sam Winchester Ships Castiel/Dean Winchester

Banshee1013 - @banshee1013​ - Banshee1013

Texas Sun (M, 4k) 🎂

Ever since Cas and Dean tied the knot, they have been driving Sam *insane* with their inappropriately located and utterly spontaneous make-out suggestions. So when he finds them looking at filming locations for the movie "Tombstone" in Arizona, he suggests they take some time (and give him a break!) and road-trip it. Dean plans the route and takes the long way 'round through Texas - all the more time to spend with his angel, and show him some sights along the way.

Tags: Fluff, Road Trips, Sam Winchester is Not Amused, Honeymoon, Grinding, Canon Related, Established Relationship

ArielAquariel - ArielAquariel

Your hand in mine, we walk the miles (E, 11.5k)

With the big day finally there, Dean is more than ready to walk down that aisle and marry Cas.

Tags: Wedding Fluff, Honeymoon, Established Relationship, Alternate Universe, Castiel is Claire Novak's Parent, Fluff, Domestic Fluff

castielslostwings - @castielslostwings​ - castielslostwings

Slide Away (E, 51k)

Since meeting and falling in love in front of the camera a decade ago, movie star Dean Winchester and his husband, celebrity photographer Castiel, have been the media’s darlings. From the outside, it truly appears as if the couple has it all: fame, fortune, fans and most of all, a profound and unshakeable bond that sees them through all the highs and lows. Behind the scenes, everything is not as it seems. Beyond carefully-curated sets of photos and filters, Dean and Castiel have been falling apart for years. Their marriage is essentially over, the latest victim in Hollywood’s merciless grinder. As a last-ditch effort to punch out some positive PR before news of their split breaks, the boys agree to do one last PR stunt—a recreation of the photos that made the world fall in love with them (while they were falling for each other). Will this plan drive their relationship over the edge permanently? Or will Dean and Castiel finally realize that their fans aren’t the only ones who have been fooled by all the smoke and mirrors? Misunderstandings, miscommunication, and mistrust are only the beginning. But if our heroes can push past those mistakes, perhaps they can learn that it's never too late to start all over again.

Tags: Miscommunication, Misunderstanding, Fake Relationship, Idiots back to lovers, Movie Star Dean, Photographer Castiel, Accidental sex tape, divorce, mutual pining, angst with a happy ending. 

looks_clear (chrysalisdreams) - @butterflydreaming-writes-fic​ - looks_clear (chrysalisdreams)

White Light // Black Water (T, 7k)

In 2019, the Baozhu, a pearl that granted the desire of Dean’s heart, changed the timeline from a particular moment in 2003. Dean is hunting alone when events set in motion before that year catch up to him.

Tags: Drowning, Temporary Character Death, Car Accidents, Baby Gets Hurt, Time Travel, Episode Related, Episode S8e12: As Time Goes By, Episode S14e300: Lebanon, Kale!Sam, Alternate Angel Lore

goldenraeofsun - @goldenraeofsun​ - goldenraeofsun

Dean Winchester and the Patron Saint of Blind Dates (T, 18k)

Dean Winchester's friends are a bunch of traitors. So he had a bad breakup two years ago and hasn't gotten back on the horse. Their intervention - a series of blind dates - can't be the solution. But if this'll get his friends to stop, Dean can choke down over-priced spaghetti, make forced conversation, and drink whatever random cocktail the weirdo behind the bar makes for him next. At least Cas has Dean's back. One word from Dean, and he'll make excuses for Dean to bail like a super awkward knight in shining armor.

Tags: Human AU, Bartender Cas, Dean has self-worth issues, minor angst, Benny & Dean friendship, minor Sam/Ruby

jemariel - @jemariel​ - jemariel

Spit-Polish and Shine (E, 1.5k)  🎂

You know how Dean Winchester doesn't wear shorts? Well. Sometimes he does. Unredeemed filthy porn on a car. Prompted by a PB botstat.

Tags:  Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Sex on a Car, Exhibitionism, Masturbation, Anal Sex, Established Relationship, Sam Winchester is Scarred For Life

surlybobbies - @surlybobbies​ - surlybobbies

I Like the Sound of That (T, 1k)

In mid-December, Gabe hangs a sprig of mistletoe in Cas’s foyer. Cas, resisting the temptation to strangle his brother, snaps a picture and sends it to Dean. Take it down or leave it up? Idk dude. U trying to catch someone under there? Cas hedges. I don’t want to kiss anyone who’d only do it because of a plant. Fair enough. Just leave it up tho. U’ll break an ankle climbing up ur rickety ladder. Dw u don’t have to kiss me Cas puts his phone down and doesn’t reply. He indulges in two glasses of wine and valiantly tries to avoid thinking about kissing Dean.

Tags: friends to lovers, christmas fic, fluff, mistletoe, au

Lucky Enough (T, 2.5k)

Dean opened his mouth, ready to argue, but then closed it just as suddenly, deflating. He sighed and ran a hand over his face. “Cas, I don’t mean to be a dick.” “Then stop being one,” Cas said simply, adjusting the blankets around Dean a little more securely. There was a pause. Dean blinked. “You’re supposed to say that I wasn’t being a dick in the first place.” “I dislike lying to you.” Dean scowled. “Why am I your friend?” “Because I spend my holidays looking after you when you’re sick,” Cas said matter-of-factly, reaching out to touch Dean’s forehead. [Dean's sick over the New Year's Eve holiday, but it's fine because Cas has got a bed to share.]

Tags: holiday fic, bed sharing, hurt/comfort, friends to lovers, new year's kiss, cuddling

blueeyesandpie - @blueeyesandpie​ - blueeyesandpie

Beginnings (SFW) 🎂

The door to Dean's room in the Bunker, with Cas's tie on the doorknob

Tags: the bunker, pb100, we all know what's happening in there

In the California Sun (SFW)

A commissioned painting for Slide Away of Dean and Cas standing in a pool.

Tags: slide away, commissions, the tension amirite

Commission for Slide Away (SFW)

A commission for Slide Away of Cas running into Dean's arms along a corridor lined with photos of their rekindled romance.

Tags: commission, yay they happy

The Kiss Cam (E, 8k) 🎂

Dean's excited about the tickets he got for the OSU/UofM football match, but his boyfriend Crowley seems intent on ruining the day (and possibly his life) for him. When the kiss cam settles on them and Crowley pushes Dean away, a blue-eyed man they'd met in line is more than happy to fill the void. Loosely based on the headline/prompt "Woman Kisses Man Next to Her on Kiss Cam After Date Snubs Her."

Tags: manipulative crowley, non-explicit dean/crowley, minor sabriel, strangers to lovers, angst and fluff and e-rated shenanigans, NOT a sports story, pb birthday bash, collaboration

Say It Straight (T, 1.7k) 🎂

Something went wrong in that milk run to Kentucky, but neither Dean nor Cas want to explain what happened. When the truth does come out, it isn't at all what Sam expected...though really, why should he be surprised? 

Tags: PoV: Sam Winchester, Sam ships it, Idiots to Lovers, Canonverse, drinking to cope, PB Bot Prompts, first time, no spoilers past season 13

rauko-creates - @rauko-creates​ - FeaRauko

Sing Love (T, 2.7k)

Castiel comes back from a grocery run with Sam and overhears Dean singing in the shower. ***or*** That one where Castiel finds out that Dean might love him too.

Tags: canonverse, singing, idiots in love, first kiss, fluff, some angst, love confessions

foxymoley - @foxymoley​ - foxymoley

Hell’s Companion (G, 350 words)

This is for saltnhalo's birthday!

It's hard to write for someone so talented but I scoured PB for any prompts she had shown an interest in and apparently she 'needed this'! Lol So here we are!

Prompt by Sky: You’ve heard of witch!cas and familiar!dean now consider this upgrade to demon!cas and hellhound!dean - hellhounds, of course, having a secret human form in this au.

Tags: Castiel/Dean Winchester, Demon Castiel, Hellhound Dean, non-explicit/implied torture of random unnamed demon, mention of Boy King Sam

Roll for Dragons (T, 2.8k) 🎂

Dean is offered up as a sacrifice by his corrupt hometown. Written for jdragon as part of the Profoundbond birthday bash.

Tags: Castiel/Dean Winchester, Charlie Bradbury, Jo Harvelle, Dragons, Alternate Universe - Historical

Mithril (G, 1k) 🎂

Dean makes an interesting discovery in a bunker storeroom so he and Sam perform some experiments.

Tags: Established Castiel/Dean Winchester, Sam Winchester, Weapons, The Lord of the Rings References, Men of Letters, Bunker, Soft!Dean

MaggieMaybe160 - @maggiemaybe160​ - MaggieMaybe160

Birthday Wishes (M, 3.5k)

Dean recalls his past birthdays before going out to celebrate his 41st.

Tags: Graphic Violence Warning. Heavy Angst. Anti-John Winchester.

Broken (M, 700 words)

Dean snaps out of a dreamlike state and found he's made a huge mistake and it's Zachariah's fault. All part of a plan to get him to say yes to Michael.

Tags: Graphic Violence Warning. Major Character Death Warning. Heavy Angst.

Demon Deals and Prayers to Angels (T, 4.5k) 🎂

Dean makes a deal with a demon so he can go back in time and change the future.

Tags: Major Character Death Warning. Heavy Angst.

Sleep Oddity (T, 1.5k) 🎂

Based on a prompt: "I just want to go home," said the astronaut. "So come home," said Ground Control. "So come home," said a voice from the stars.

Tags: Major Character Death Warning

Falling (T, 2k) 🎂  

Cas remembers all of the times that Heaven was against he and Dean getting together, and the repeated times he didn't care.

Tags: Graphic Violence Warning. Happy Ending. 

Memories on Display (T, 2k) 🎂

Cas is in shock after a battle and is going through memories to try to cope with loss.

Tags: Major Character Death. Grief.

andimeantittosting - @andimeantittosting​ - andimeantittosting

On a Breath of Snow (G, 4.5k)

Once, Castiel, Duke of Rexford, gave up the love of his life in the name of duty and honour. He has dedicated his life to raising his son Jack. Now, a fierce snowstorm brings Dean, Viscount Winchester back into his life on Christmas Eve. And as North Cove Castle's fires burn warm and festive, so do Dean and Castiel’s feelings of hope.

Tags: Regency AU, Getting back together, Christmas, Alternate history

[claire-starsword]

this jerkass refused to drop the final reward for this rank fourteen freaking times. every herb in that screenshot is his garbage default reward. why is it even herbs. WE'RE ON ADVANCED MODE YOU ASSHOLE

he dropped the other rewards i wanted first try btw, violence works <3

[shabba-zams]

INSPIRED BY ELAINE

I think it's time, we confronted the situation in front of us

And I think it's time we talk it out and forget all the fuss

And it is not me.. There just isn't an us no more like Bible class

Our time is up, like sand falling thru an hour glass, in an hour class

You always say you have no clue but surely eNCA, know more

You mad at me, the silent treatment and you call it normal

You're bad for me, I was ur biggest fan - u such a baddie

You're bad to me, I'm your only fan, love it when u call me daddy

I'm sad for you, you hid your "Onlyfans" from me, you dirty

I'm thirsty, right now you looking all sexy, girly, flirty, all nerdy

You're needy, greedy, full of pity, always eating, mouth fully meaty, too demanding, nasty lazy, bitch u crazy

I'm giving, forgiving, plain loving, still thirsty but dripping in sauce

You're tripping, I flick my wrist then flick the bean (BDSM)

You're dribbing, my dick be crippling

You be stroking my penis, asking what my pin is

Bust a nut, wipe a continent from your chest

Yeah, that's what pain is

And then I knew you're not the One

Coz you were never the only one

I don't give out many chances, you get just the one

Party on campus, ur too antisocial, never my plus one

Plus size model, thick mama, BBW, voloptuous, ur curvatious

Luv ur onion booty, it makes me cry & it's more than 1 layer

Yeah im full of games, bstill no player

Dinner for 2, right b4 I eat u up, say my prayer

Bad dream, devils hour, I wake, u staring like, Heya! That's creepy

Okay lemme be real with u, it ain't your fault

I just couldn't be real around you, I couldn't be myself

I was losing myself tryinna please U

My face was your chair, no please U.. I can't breathe

I need air, u don't care, I pull ur hair, that's not fair

Face clean, no make up, take teddy bear, then make up sex

We're role playing, you're now Claire, Blair or Nonhle

Shared my, heart and love with u

I ain't mad at u, we don't c I2I

U & I was both invested, we tested

All that loud in the air, sippin wine we wasted

Danced all night then rested

My place or yours instead

Always kept you interested, kept me well fed

It's lessons learned not time wasted

Why you making me choose between you & the booze

I know you hate how I'm hung like a moose

Getting your creative juices flowing, like your muse

Misuse my tongue, amuse ur lower lips, abuse your sleep

Team nocturnal, feeling your intestine with my external

Loving you all night and day, feels eternal

I'm sorry but I'm not ready for anal

But that pussy imma turn into a canal

You dislike my love/hate relationship with social media

I bring a home cooked meal but all you do is take away

I mean it's healthier and bonus it makes financial sense

Lemme keep my 2 cents, common sense ain't common

That's nonsense, why you so tense? We don't make sense

I still sense your anger from when I tried to fvck ur friend

Then my close friend who's my best friends girlfriend

Yeah, I fvcked up, I own up, let's roll up

That's not tea in my cup, let's go up

Talk at the roof top, "nigga just grow up"

You're yelling, screaming, bout to blow up

I'm cocky, saying shit like I was your glow up

"Hol'up, nigga please just shut the fvck up

You always say you coming but never show up"

"You're right, I'm sorry I left you sick to go drink

I felt like I was drowning until my sorrows' lungs were filled with H2O

Made it up 2 u tho, made you cum 6 times..no? 7 I think, who's counting

You a liability, I'm an asset... I mean it's just accounting

You lack reliability, for your mistakes ur never accounting

You hate my ability to feel everything and still be wholesome

Coz you just wanna feel good all the time

But my feelings be fluctuating, I just won't be faking

Stop tolerating the neglect Im getting

Get liquid with it

Happiness is the yin and sadness is the yang

Sometimes I drink gin, only when I'm with my gang

There's a burn hole on my jean, maybe a ciggie, or dank

But now I get bank, I want no skank that smoke skunk

Has that sank? Yeah I know, I'm a think tank, tick

Talk all you want, but keep it short like tik-tok

Tic toc, times up, take tsek.. tic tac 4 your bad breath

2 these beats I bring death, yeah I take life, no bring back

Break dance & break back, ahead of you like 3 laps

Brick dance coz my money grows while I nap nap

Hahaha gimme 3 claps coz my puns still slap

I'm real black, I'm bout to snap at all this crap

These niggaz decided to call rap

Lame rappers, listen up, sit down and don't talk back

Don't turn no other cheek, clap back or get ur wolf pack

Crack back, don't fight niggaz that look lyk they fap-fap

Or smoke crack crack, with eyes doing a criss cross

Came across many rappers that steal rap lines or rap names like Rick Ross to get their point across

Gamble with your life & hit crap

Lost your wife on my Whatsapp, there's that!

She pole dance in my DM's, she excels

She got a flat tummy till she exhales, but sex sells

She call me Haploid, like sex cells

She's cold like may weather, F Lloyd!

I'm a Record breaker, planet shaker, Constant risk taker

Ask the chain breaker how I stay shining 

He'll answer, I stay grinding, on God!

I'm not a smile faker, just a soul snatcher in the fast lane

Wubba lubba dub dub, Rick and Morty

Life and death drive, ask Freud or Boyd

Leading a wild life like Varty, bitter sweet like chutney

I'm bored, so we party in my bed, my bad, honey!

Ass-ass-ass, she clap ass 3 times before 4(play)

Nurse-nurse-nurse, I slap ass tats when we role playin

Looking all photogenic, oops a nip slip on tape

Phat ass on my iOS, like real life

Ass flat on android, that's what they look like

No steroids, my dick big don't nje just

She look at my shoe size and run away at 1st chance

I'm an asteroid not space dust, she came fast

Then I came too, at last, she said out loud

I'm heartless at first glance, til I made her soul dance

Think fast, mouth 2 mouth ur low lips, I'm a medic

Nudes is explicit, is you a nymph or manic?

Nymphomaniac please don't panic

Your style so sick, bout to start a pandemic

We'll playback with your jeans off, relay... ground rules

No replay or pause only gonna press play once

No safewords, whatever works works, word!

Girl you a baddie, and a Pedi, go spoil yourself

Get a mani &a pedi

Dick in mouth, still out spoken, can't put words in mouth

U said I'm a keeper

Silver spoon in her mouth but I still feed her

Feel her up then fill her up, I eat her up

I feed her jollof right before I pipe her, I like her

Never gonna wife her, don't really love her

She's rude like something' crawled up her...

Foul mouth like up yours!

I know around your feelings I should tip toe

It's unfortunate coz I don't tip Joe's (askies jo)

Like excuse me waiter where should I dip those fries, french

Kiss hoes toes, mxwa, Zulu man with a foot fetish, tip toe

Articulate the truth, use tactics lyk rotten tomatoes on bad movies

I'm not perfect, I pose a threat even if a picture's moving

I'm booming, you're blooming... I'm nice nice, ur gloomy

I'm grooming u, like your cult leader

Avid reader, your soul feeder, I'm no people pleaser

I need a lady thats rooted in love and still rooting for me

Unconditional love lyk the kind that died on the cross 4 me

Is that you? No? Then miss me Miss, think I'm gonn miss ya!

Coz now it's

A goodbye to you, I'm thru witchu, it's true I confess

Wish you nothing but the best

Somebody to love you, put you first for the rest of

All the days to come, to you I

Remain a good friend, no benefits just perks

Straight facts, ex lover with strange quirks... You

Are

The

One... Who will be the godmother to my heir

So if I die, you'll raise HIM or raise HER

Erase Her memory of me if it's too painful to hold on to

Make sure he's playful, careful  and joyful too

U'll be a good mom, ur delightful unlyk most step mothers

You're a good teacher that's patient but always on time

You'll know what to do if ever my daughter runs late

Scratch that, you'll be a great mother, that's fate

Becoz you're a leader, not deceitful like some bad fathers

[princess-of-france]

MARGOT What pair of reverend hypocrites were here! Didst ever hear such sacrilegious dross?

CATHERINE From the town highwayman I did, but not From fathers of our holy mother church. By my faith,—

MARGOT Which they have none.

CATHERINE Ay, faithlessly, These ministers besmirch the very weeds God graces them to wear, concealing up With rich brocade their base irreverence. Would I might shred that fabricated piety With mine own teeth! And do they thus presume Themselves baptizèd as their ancestors In holy wisdom? Is this England’s church? Is this how angels operate sur terre,   Conniving means by which an anointed king Should plunge his helpless kingdom into war, His loyal countrymen up to the ears In bloodshed, on sly promises of wealth? O, scorpions of sanctity! To pay For vicious cruelty from unhallowed coffers! To purchase death, patron annihilation, And all to block the commonwealth a law Would faintly curb the gluttony of their lives! Bon dieu, c’était une hunte!

MARGOT Mayhap his Majesty favors their fraud.

CATHERINE May God forbid it! ‘Twould be worser still, If he should sway more to the part of knaves As here complotted so degenerately In crystal comprehension their vice. Nay, Margot, I’ll not think it, for to know The hubris pricking on such hungry schemes And still accede to their ignominy, Simply to break his fast upon a battle, Would prove this gross Plantagenet so great A tyrant, so devout a harbinger Of death, as he would stymie every language For words commensurate to his depravity. No proper king could be so without grace.

MARGOT Indeed he could, and likely is, for what’s A man if not a king of rage? And what’s a king, But yet a man who may rage anywhere? This sovereign’s late aggressions blistering Our coast, from Aquitaine to Brittany, Attest his appetite for cruel abuse, Since violence sans purpose is butchery— Unless thou thinkst he rightly weighs his own Just claim, through Edward’s bitter lineage, Unto the throne of France.

CATHERINE He has no claim And shall not war with France; it is insured.

(Henry V, Part 2; Act I, scene i)

CATHERINE Didst thou Not call me Catherine?

KING HENRY V Ay, perforce I did, But only once, and many names beside.

CATHERINE How did it taste, that name upon your tongue?

KING HENRY V Like velvet wine. A Burgundy, perhaps.

CATHERINE Wouldst thou drink it again?

KING HENRY V Until I’m drunk.

CATHERINE It may give thee great pounding in thy head.

KING HENRY V Good. ‘Tis the mark of purest alcohol.

CATHERINE Mayhap the wine shall not agree with that Stout soldier’s stomach thou didst lately boast.

KING HENRY V Then argue with it will my stomach straight, Yet purge it not, nor wish I’d not imbibed.

CATHERINE And if the wine grows bitter?

KING HENRY V Drink I still. For bitterness infects us all, at times, But loving patience runs it off its track.

CATHERINE What if the wine grows discontent with waiting For some infrequent jest to spark a fire In th’ barren ice castle of a woman’s duty?

KING HENRY V The duty of a queen is to her crown, So, must she rule by him that plays the king. It is her royal right and his great need,  Or else two kingdoms fall to cold neglect.

CATHERINE Suppose the wine doth take a latent shine To some poor drinker whose lips be not thine.

KING HENRY V I do not know.

CATHERINE Nor I. I know nothing. This wine’s vintage hath not been tasted before. Then who can say what foul effect it may Engender in our blood? And what fair words Can reassure what must be kept in cruel  Obscurity, until this virgin bottle  Gurgles forth the unseen, satin prize? If thou shouldst cease to love me,—

KING HENRY V Never, Catherine.

CATHERINE Two words, too much; I prithee speak no more, Lest perjury becomes thy poltergeist And haunts thee past the brink of love forsworn. ‘Tis time, methinks, to put our vows to bed, For Time alone shall prove their verity Or our capriciousness. Come thou, sweet King, I shall believe thy rhetoric tonight; Perchance tomorrow too. Yet I do call On thy soul’s tenderness and beg thee, lord, Bestow what education thou hast gleaned With patience humbler than a shriven monk, For schoolgirls know, as scholars oft forget, That earthly wisdom hath a painful cost. Then learn me gently, learn me skillfully, Whilst I do strive to learn thy gentle skill. A herald’s work is never done, yet mine Concludes with this last, final embassy, Which thou must break thy pattern and accept Or lose to stubborn pride thy willing wife: Love me, Henry, with every breath thou hast. Leave fortunes to the future, wars to the past. Come crown thy unmade monarch; she is thine And I am yours and you forever mine.

        [Enter ALICE, two years later. She rocks a whimpering baby in her arms.]

ALICE O for a Muse of fire, that would ascend The brightest heaven of invention, A kingdom for a stage, princes to act And monarchs to behold the swelling scene! Then should the warlike Harry, like himself, Assume the port of Mars, and at his heels, Leashed in like hounds, should famine, sword and fire Crouch for employment. 

        [Enter the QUEEN, dressed all in black.]

ALICE Mais pardon. Est-ce le moment?

         [The QUEEN nods. The Queen nods. Carefully, ALICE hands her the child. They exit. Enter a funeral procession. The court of England is dressed in mourning black. A blue-and-red silk sheet covers the marble casket of King Henry V. Enter the DANCER.]

DANCER But pardon, gentles all, The flat, unraisèd spirits that have dared On this unworthy scaffold to bring forth So great an object. Can this cockpit hold The vasty fields of France? Or may we cram Within this wooden O the very casques That did affright the air at Agincourt? O, pardon! Since a crooked figure may Attest in little place a million, And let us, ciphers to this great account, On your imaginary forces work.

        [Enter QUEEN CATHERINE, aloft, holding her infant son. ALICE, EXETER, BEDFORD, and GLOUCESTER look up her.]

DANCER, cont. Suppose within the girdle of these walls Are now confined two mighty monarchies, Whose high uprearèd and abutting fronts The perilous narrow ocean parts asunder.

        [The DUKE OF BEDFORD takes the king’s crown from off his brother’s casket. He sets the crown on a pillow, held by the DUKE OF GLOUCESTER. Exit GLOUCESTER.]

DANCER, cont. Piece out our imperfections with your thoughts. Into a thousand parts divide on man, And make imaginary puissance.

        [Enter, to one side, KING HENRY V. He looks up at his wife and child.]

DANCER, cont. Think, when we talk of horses, that you see them Printing their proud hoofs i’ the receiving earth, For ‘tis your thoughts that now must deck our kings.

        [Enter GLOUCESTER, with the crown. He approaches the QUEEN.]

DANCER, cont. Carry them here and there, jumping o’er times, Turning the accomplishment of many years Into an hourglass. 

        [Exit HENRY V for the last time. GLOUCESTER kneels before his monarch and holds up the crown, nestled in the blood-red velvet cushion.]

DANCER, cont. For the which supply, Admit me Chorus to this history, Who, prologue-like, your humble patience pray Gently to hear, kindly to judge our play.

        [Below, the English and French court sinks to its knees. All hail KING HENRY VI. CATHERINE holds her son and looks out into the darkness. Into the future. Lights out.]

(Henry V, Part 2; Act V, scene iv)

To my beautiful friends,

Started from the bottom and now we’re here. And I’m emotional.

It has been the greatest honor and a joy to share the Gentle Herald Project with you all over the past three months. Thank you so much for giving me the space and support to introduce 2H5 to Tumblr. This project means the world to me and so does our wonderful Shakespeare community. Till the next French campaign, mes amis!

Oh yes, and HAPPY 598th BIRTHDAY, KING HENRY VI! ♥

xx Claire

@harry-leroy @suits-of-woe @skeleton-richard @lizbennett2013 @henriadical @aquitainequeen @dedraconesilet @stripedroseandsketchpads @sleepinelysium​ @ardenrosegarden

[regardezmoica]

The 63rd BFI London Film Festival programme

As always, the BFI is throwing THE FESTIVAL with some of the most expected films in the line-up. NOT TO MISS :)

OPENING & CLOSING NIGHT GALAS

THE PERSONAL HISTORY OF DAVID COPPERFIELD - OPENING

Directed by Armando Iannucci (The Death of Stalin) 

Starring Dev Patel as David Copperfield, Tilda Swinton, Hugh Laurie, Peter Capaldi, Ben Whishaw, Paul Whitehouse and Gwendoline Christie

European Premiere

THE IRISHMAN - CLOSING 

Directed by Martin Scorsese (Silence, The Departed)

Starring Academy Award® winners Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci

International Premiere

HEADLINE GALAS

KNIVES OUT - American Express Gala 

Directed by Rian Johnson

Starring Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Jamie Lee Curtis, Toni Colette, Katherine Langford and Christopher Plummer

European Premiere

THE AERONAUTS - The Mayor of London’s Gala

Directed by Tom Harber (Wild Rose)

Starring Academy Award® winner Eddie Redmayne and Academy Award® nominee Felicity Jones

A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD - BFI Patrons’ Gala 

Directed by Marielle Heller ( Can You Ever Forgive Me? )

Starring Academy Award® winner Tom Hanks, Matthew Rhys.

GREED - Headline Gala

Directed by Michael Winterbottom (The Trip, The Wedding Guest)

Starring Steve Coogan as Richard ‘Greedy’ McCreadie, Isla Fisher, Shirley Henderson and David Mitchell

European Premiere

HOPE GAP - Headline Gala 

Directed by William Nicholson (screenwriter of Les Miserables, Gladiator, Shadowlands) 

Starring Annette Bening and Bill Nighy

JOJO RABBIT - Headline Gala 

Directed by Taika Waititi (Boy, Hunt for the wilderpeople, Thor Ragnarok)

Starring Taika Waititi, Scarlett Johansson, Thomasin McKenzie (Leave no trace), Sam Rockwell, Rebel Wilson and Stephen Merchant.

European Premiere

THE KING - American Airlines Gala

Directed by David Michôd (Animal Kingdom, The Rover) 

Starring Timothée Chalamet, Joel Edgerton, Lily-Rose Depp, Ben Mendelsohn, Robert Pattinson

UK Premiere

LE MANS’ 66 - Headline Gala 

Directed by James Mangold (Logan)

Starring Matt Damon and Christian Bale

UK Premiere 

MARRIAGE STORY - The May Fair Hotel Gala 

Directed by Noah Baumbach (While We’re Young, Frances Ha)

Starring Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson

FESTIVAL AND STRAND GALAS

EMA - Festival Gala 

Directed by Pablo Larraín (Jackie) 

Starring Gael García Bernal, Mariana Di Girolamo

ABOMINABLE - Family Gala

Directed by Jill Culton and Todd Wilderman for Dreamworks

UK Premiere

BACURAU - Thrill Gala

Directed by Kleber Mendonça Filho (Neighbouring Sounds) and Juliano Dornelles

Winner of the Cannes Jury Prize 2019

THE DUDE IN ME - Laugh Gala

Directed by Hyo-jin Kang

JUDY & PUNCH - Dare Gala

Directed by Mirrah Foulkes

Starring Mia Wasikowska 

THE LIGHTHOUSE - Cult Gala

Directed by Robert Eggers (the Sutherland Award-winning director of The Witch)

Starring Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe

OFFICIAL SECRETS - Debate Gala

Directed by Gavin Hood’s (Eye in the Sky) 

Starring Keira Knightley, Matt Smith, Ralph Fiennes, Matthew Goode and Rhys Ifans.

THE PEANUT BUTTER FALCON -  Love Gala  

In association with Malta Tourism Authority

Directed by Michael Schwartz and Tyler Nilson

UK Premiere 

THE TWO POPES -  Journey Gala

Directed by Fernando Meirelles (City of God, The Constant Gardener)

Starring Anthony Hopkins and Jonathan Pryce 

WESTERN STARS -  Create Gala

Co-directed by Thom Zimny and Bruce Springsteen

European Premiere 

SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS

Eleven Special Presentations shine the spotlight on new work from major directors.

BAD EDUCATION  in association with Empire - Directed by Cory Finley (Thoroughbreds) and starring Hugh Jackman and Allison Janney 

BLACKBIRD - Directed by Roger Michell (Enduring Love, Le Week-End, Notting Hill) 

BOMBAY ROSE Directed by debut director and screenwriter Gitanjali Rao

THE CAVE - Directed by Oscar-nominated Feras Fayyad’s (Last Men in Aleppo) 

FIRST LOVE - Directed by Takashi Mike 

GÖSTA - TV series directed by Swedish writer-director Lukas Moodysson

KRABI, 2562. -  Experimenta Special Presentation - Directed by two award-winning directors Anocha Suwichakornpong and Ben Rivers

LOVE, LIFE AND LAUGHTER - Archive Special Presentation - starring Betty Balfour 

OUR LADIES - Directed by Michael Caton-Jones (The Jackal, Basic Instinct 2)

PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE -  BFI Flare Special Presentation in association with Sight & Sound - Directed by Céline Sciamma and starring Adele Haenel

ROCKS - Directed by Sarah Gavro (Brick Lane, Suffragette) - Starring Bukky Bakray, Kosar Ali and Shaneigha-Monik Greyson 

OFFICIAL COMPETITION

FANNY LYE DELIVER’D, Thomas Clay’s intoxicating 17th Century drama with Maxine Peake in the title role

HONEY BOY, Alma Har’el’s artful and soul-baring examination of the lingering effects of emotional abuse, written by Shia LaBeouf, who stars alongside Lucas Hedges

LINGUA FRANCA, a beautifully performed character study of a Filipino transwoman and undocumented immigrant in Brooklyn, from writer/director Isabel Sandoval, who also takes on the lead role

LA LLORONA, Guatemalan director Jayro Bustamante’s taut genre-bending thriller about an elderly general haunted by a spectre of the past during his trial for genocide

MOFFIE, Oliver Hermanus’ haunting examination of the violent persecution of gay men under Apartheid

MONOS, a hallucinogenic, intoxicating thriller by Alejandro Landes about child soldiers high in the mountains of South America

THE OTHER LAMB, Małgorzata Szumowska’s beguiling, genre-tinged English-language debut examining life in an otherworldly cult

THE PERFECT CANDIDATE, Haifaa Al Mansour’s inspiring drama about a young doctor who becomes an electoral candidate to challenge Saudi Arabia’s strict social codes

ROSE PLAYS JULIE, an immersive and gripping drama from directing duo Christine Molloy and Joe Lawlor about a young woman seeking her biological mother

SAINT MAUD, the debut feature from director Rose Glass, in which a mysterious nurse becomes dangerously obsessed with saving the soul of her dying patient.

FIRST FEATURE COMPETITION – SUTHERLAND AWARD

ATLANTICS (Dir. Mati Diop). A hypnotic, genre-shifting portrait of a girl’s awakening. 

BABYTEETH (Dir. Shannon Murphy). A feverish Australian drama featuring a superb performance by breakout star Eliza Scanlen as Milla, a seriously ill teenage girl who falls madly in love with a young drug dealer. 

CALM WITH HORSES (Dir. Nick Rowland). Cosmo Jarvis gives a visceral performance in Rowland’s gripping feature debut as Douglas, the hired muscle for a crime family in rural Ireland. A

HOUSE OF HUMMINGBIRD (Dir. Bora Kim). Announcing a bright new voice in South Korean cinema, Kim brings both humour and elegance to her autobiographical debut in this absorbing coming-of-age drama about teenager Eunhee and her dysfunctional Seoul family circa 1994.

INSTINCT (Dir. Halina Reijn). Carice van Houten plays respected clinical psychologist Nicoline, who after starting a new job at a penal institution finds herself flirting with danger in her sessions with inmate Idris. 

THE LAST BLACK MAN IN SAN FRANCISCO (Dir. Joe Talbot). Jimmie dreams of reclaiming the beautiful late 19th-century home his grandfather built, before hard times and changing demographics forced his family out. 

MAKE UP (Dir. Claire Oakley). A riveting psycho-sexual drama in which teenager Ruth travels to a seaside holiday park to stay with her boyfriend Tom, and one day finds evidence he might be cheating on her. 

RELATIVITY (Dir. Mariko Minoguchi). It is love at first sight when Nora and Aaron first meet on a rainy day in an underground station, but Aaron’s fate takes a dramatic turn and changes Nora’s life in an instant. 

SCALES (Dir. Shahad Ameen). A visually resplendent tale set in a small Gulf fishing village, where the population live in thrall to the otherworldly creatures of the sea. 

The BFI London Film Festival will celebrate international cinema from the 2nd to the 13th of October.

An advice, don’t miss it ;)

[the-anime-idiot]

Okay, so I practically made up the structure of this story, and I won’t fic it because I can’t and won’t. I’ll be using the 1998 version as a reference and overall guide because for some reason I haven’t seen the 1961 version. (I promise I will when I can!) Also, this won’t have any Claire/Jack romance because ew and Claire’s gf/wife Kaia would come in the second “movie” when Jack and Claire are grown up, like in The Parent Trap 2.

Starting with how the breakup went and the camp our two protagonists went to, as well as their fight that got them in the secluded cabin.

Another time the world is saved, or just a hunt gone really wrong. Both Cas and Dean do something so stupid they have a full on argument. There’s books swept off tables and choice words said. Dean is the one that storms off, saying he’s going to take a drive. This time Sam knows he’s not coming back anytime soon. Cas takes Jack because somehow he was brought up in the argument. Jack flies them both to London so they can relax and Jack can learn Enochian and anything else he wants. Dean drives to Sioux Falls and picks up Claire, and they both go on a huge hunting trip across the states until they reach California, where they stop and make a small living. (At this point, most monsters are kept under control and the Men of Letters is running steadily.)

Sam has tried for many years to get Dean and Cas back together, but they are really pissed at each other and the hate only grew after the years. About a year into their “divorce” and Sam practically giving up due to his new duties, Cas calls about a summer camp Jack could go to in the states. Something about terrible camps in England and the photography business (What?). Sam realises holy shit they could get back via parent trap and recommends a small camp in wherever that accepts and doesn’t discriminate genders. (This will be relevant later)

Sam then calls Dean to recommend the same camp, so Claire can have time to make friends or whatever and Dean can work on his auto shop some more (taking after Bobby, of course).

Cut to about a week later when both Claire and Jack go to this camp. They both play poker, and eventually challenge each other to a poker game. Jack loses because Claire has practised more and their shenanigans build up. After Claire’s entire cabin almost burns down, Claire and Jack are sent into a secluded cabin where they have to make up. (This is where the gender thing comes in, because most camps would never allow them to be in the same woods tbh)

In the cabin, Claire shoves her stuff under the bed and doesn’t talk. Jack pins up some pictures of Cas, and one ripped up photo of Dean, who looks very happy.

After a painstaking week of glaring at each other and planning each other’s death, Claire storms up to Jack, preparing to cuss him out for doing some things. It was an excuse on her part to make Jack comply and get a look at his weird photos. As they are arguing, Claire notices that the photos are of Cas and Jack. She stops and asks Jack about them. Jack replies that Cas is his father, well, one of them. He didn’t want to talk about Dean. Claire then spots the photo that looked ripped in half and asks about it. Jack breaks and tells her it‘s his other father, but after a big fight they ripped their one favourite photo and secretly took each other’s side. Claire explains that Dean is her father and Cas was her other, but after that very same fight Dean took her in. She hurriedly grabs a photo from her little box under her bed. She brings it to Jack. It’s a photo of Cas, who is beaming, looking at the ripped side of the photo. They put two and two together (quite literally) and temporarily tape their two halves together.

They still had to act pissed at each other during the day, but after hours they devised a plan to get Dean and Cas back together. Claire happily cuts off her hair, saying it was too long for hunting anyway. Jack hesitantly lets Claire pierce his left ear, insisting it would complete the look. Then, with some makeup and choice clothes, they finally had a good disguise to fool people long enough to get each other to opposite ends of the world.

When Claire gets to London, she storms up to Cas (who was on a call) and, after the call, just stares at him. He flips out, because “holy shit this is my vessel’s child” and demands to know how and why the hell is she here and where is Jack. Claire explains how Jack is in Cali and they want Cas and Dean to get together. Also Sam basically set this up, and they had 3 days before Jack got to Cali (Claire drove to the camp, and Dean had some hunters escort her just in case) so they better make a quick plan to exchange children and (hopefully) make up their little fight. Cas, with the help of Sam and Claire, makes a plan to meet each other in a cool resort in California.

Jack took a direct route home, keeping in mind how to text Dean like Claire. [Dean and Claire both unimanimously agreed to not call each other. Dean can sometimes hears Cas in Claire, and Claire finds it easier to text anyway.] After about a day, Dean texted Claire Jack that they should meet up at a resort in a few day’s time. Just because why not. Jack texted back the a-okay, just like Claire had instructed him. Sam called Jack, who answered. They talked for a bit about their lives since the “divorce” and then how the plan was going to go.

A few days later, everyone arrives at the resort, Dean being slightly late so Claire and Jack can exchange phones and then Claire can pretend she drove all the way. Dean meets with Claire first, curious about her new look, which she explains as “trying to look like Jody a bit, to remind her of family and not leaving anyone behind.” (Sneaky plotsposition by Claire)

Claire, Jack and Sam arrange a dinner so that Dean and Cas can meet again. It’s a little spot by the sea. Cas comes first, early as always. Dean is escorted to his table, confused as to why Claire isn’t there when —

Cas smiles, wearing his same old trench. He looked as handsome as ever. Dean wore his fed suit, expecting this to be a daddy/daughter dinner.

Dean and Cas have a romantic and kind of awkward dinner. Cas explains everything and the two of them eventually make up. The trio of trouble watches this from a separate room in the restaurant, all sighing in joy when Dean and Cas look to be back together.

Dean and Cas go for a walk on a nearby deserted pier and the trio who set this up go back to the resort hotel to relax and celebrate. Dean and Cas come back to the resort with eyes shining. (They kissed!) Everyone stays at the resort for a couple more days. They retake that old picture, now with Claire and Jack. Dean and Cas officially get married (thank you California for your legal marriage laws) and go on a honeymoon to a nice spot in Mexico that cute hunter couple from the Chitters episode recommended. Dean, Cas, Claire and Jack live a happy domesticated life in California while Sam runs a basically perfected Men of Letters. Sam always checks up on the happy family, bringing cool gifts from hunts on birthdays and anniversaries.

Fin

Wow. That took ages. Thank you anyone who decided to listen. Maybe I should actually make a movie script for this. Also, thank you to the kind soul who gave me idea for how Jack and Claire would switch. I honestly could not have thought of a way besides “they stole each other’s IDs and somehow didn’t get caught by anyone.” Happy Pride Month, y’all, and have a nice day!

[nagseolotl]

[KR] 04/12/2019 - KR-TEST Patch Notes Summary: Season 4 Episode 1

Source: http://heroes.nexon.com/news/update/view?postno=908

[Battles and Story] [Season 4 Episode 1] - New 4-player RAID battle: [Siege of Rocheste]     : Accessible from [Caesar Citadel] area of [To Taratha] map.   : Raid Boss: [Heath Knight Caesar]     : The battle is limited to 1 successful battle per day. (10 for Test Server, 12 if you have VVIP/PC Café Buff) [Heath Knight Caesar] Known Stats:   : Critical: 195     : Crit Resistance: 145     : Counterforce Resistance: 55 - Story will become available with the official server update.

- Added new Lv 100 Solo Battle [Crimson Ship Graveyard]             : Accessible from [Red Moon Mist/Energy] area of [To Taratha] map.  : The battle is limited to 2 successful battles per day.  : The battle will reward the player with various materials necessary for progression, including [New Era materials].  : New [Daily Bonus] is applied every day: you can acquire additional [New Era material] upon completing the battle with a specific [Adventure Companion] of [Succubus], [Iset], [Lugh Lamhfada], [Keaghan], [Gremlin Quartet] types. Furthermore, when either of Comrades ([Succubus], [Arcana], [Neamhain]) is assisting the player, the character gains +10% Movement Speed and Enhanced Stamina Recovery. Note: The stat gain for having Comrades will be equally applicable to all future Comrades that will be released in the future. 

[Map] - New departure area [To Taratha] -New expedition lobby area, similar to Colhen and Rocheste. [Story Quests] - The following Support Story Quests have been discontinued:    : [Looming Conflict]    : [Unified Front] - New Support Story Quests have been added, featuring Lv 95 Equipment and Accessories, Enhancement Jumping Stones and Resurrection Stones.    : [Traveler’s Raid Battle Support]    : [Traveler’s Further Raid Battle Support]    : [Traveler’s Astera Raid Battle Support]    : [Traveler’s Further Astera Raid Battle Support]  Note: The above four stories can be played through by new characters and characters that have already finished the [Looming Conflict] and [Unified Front] quests.

[Battle Balance Changes] 

 - The following RAID battles are changed to General Battles followed by adjustment of BOSS monsters’ patterns. Their rewards and bonus target rewards will also be changed. These battles will become limited to 5 successful battles per day.    

: [Ben Chenner Entrance]: Regina (Garden of Tears, Corrupted Queen)     : [Ben Chenner Slopes]: Lord Glas Ghaibhleann (Temple of the Fallen Moon, Light and Shadow)   : [Ben Chenner Trailhead]: Braha (Island Ruins, Twists in Time)     : [Ben Chenner Summit]: Lugh Lamhfada (God of Light, Shining Lugh)   : [Lochlann Plains]: Infected Yohaad (Agony and Despair, Under the Surface)    : [Berbhe Downtown]: Abomination (Denizen of the Abyss)  - Players can no longer obtain [Equal Opportunist] title from battle against Braha. [Equal Opportunist] title can now be obtained from the [Ancient Title Destiny Box]. - The following areas will have the balance of General Battles and BOSS monsters adjusted. Their bonus target rewards will also be changed.     : [Ben Chenner Entrance]     : [Ben Chenner Trailhead]   : [Ben Chenner Summit]     : [Lochlann Plains]     : [Berbhe Downtown]  - The following BOSS monsters will undergo balance adjustment:   : [Dullahan] (Absence of the Soul)   : [Aes Sidhe] (Price of Failure)     : [Arcana] (Iron Grip)     : [Rupacitus] (Distorted Truth)     : [Inquisitor Claire] (Surprise Attack)     : [Enraged Elchulus] (Devil’s Tower)     : [Macha] (Crimson Stigma)     : [Agares] (Grave of Madness)     : [Lugh Lamhfada] (Brilliant Lugh)     : [Succubus Selren] (Eweca’s Succubus)     : [Marject] (Underground Laboratory) 

[Battle Loot Changes]  - Players can no longer obtain Exquisite-grade Legendary Shards/Chunks as a loot. - Modified the loot table of the following Battles:    1) [Garden of Tears], [Corrupted Queen], [Temple of the Fallen Moon], [Light and Shadow], [Island Ruins], [Twists in Time], [Shining Lugh], [God of Light], [Agony and Despair], [Under the Surface], [Denizen of the Abyss].           : From the above battles, players can obtain 6 kinds of Legendary Shards as a loot, but is no longer able to obtain Rank 7 Enchant Scrolls and Damascus Steel. 2) [Ben Chenner Entrance], [Ben Chenner Trailhead], [Ben Chenner Summit], [Lochlann Plains], [Berbhe Downtown battle quests].             : From the above battles, players can no longer obtain 6 kinds of Legendary Shards and Awakening Stones: Reduced Cooldown 5 sec, Reduce SP Cost 70, Reduce Stamina Cost 5, Increase Damage 10%, Increase Knockdown Chance 10%, Reduced Cooldown 22 sec. 3) [Absense of the Soul], [Price of Failure], [Iron Grip], [Distorted Truth].              : From the above battles, players can obtain 6 kinds of Legendary Chunks, Rank 7 Enchant Scrolls, but is no longer able to obtain Rank 6 Enchant Scrolls. 4) [Donegal], [Aidan] General battles.               : From the above battles, players can no longer obtain 6 kinds of Legendary Chunks as a loot. 5) [Astera], [Rocheste Outskirts].   : From the above battles, players can obtain Rank 6 enchant scrolls as a loot.   : [The Dead] and [Subdued] Enchant Scrolls can drop as loot from Surprise Attack, Devil’s Tower and Crimson Stigma battles;   : [Sealed] and [Truth] Enchant Scrolls can drop as a loot from Grave of Madness, Brilliant Lugh and Eweca’s Succubus battles;     : [Wish] Enchant Scroll can only be obtained from Underground Laboratory battle;    : [Meaningful] Enchant Scroll can only be obtained from Not To Forget battle. Note: items that weren’t mentioned above are still available for collecting as a loot from aforementioned battles as before; 

- Fixed an issue when screenshots weren’t taken properly after [Redeemers] battle. - Fixed an issue when the player joins a party while being in a story area, he would be stuck in that area.    : You won’t be able to receive party invitations during all cutscenes.

[eddycurrents]

For the week of 3 June 2019

Quick Bits:

Batman #72 essentially gives a bit of recontextualization for what has been going on during the series, giving a summation of events, in this third part of “The Fall and the Fallen” from Tom King, Mikel Janín, Jorge Fornés, Jordie Bellaire, and Clayton Cowles. It’s all right, with some glorious artwork as always, but it kind of feels like we’re treading water here.

| Published by DC Comics

Bettie Page: Unbound #1 builds on what’s come before and the magic of her unicursal hexagram pendant, but you needn’t have read anything previously as this first issue does a good job of weaving in the relevant information to inform this adventure. I quite like what David Avallone, Julius Ohta, Ellie Wright, Sheelagh D, and Taylor Esposito have been doing long term with Bettie Page and this is another fun start to the next chapter, blending Lovecraftian horror with a jaunt through pastiches of Dynamite’s current properties.

| Published by Dynamite

Birthright #36 returns from the trade break with the start of the next stage in dealing with the weakening walls between realms and what terrible things may happen as magic keeps building up on the threshold of our world. The artwork from Andrei Bressan and Adriano Lucas remains absolutely stellar as they, Joshua Williamson, and Pat Brosseau continue one of the best fantasy adventure series that strangely keeps flying under the radar.

| Published by Image / Skybound

Black Cat #1 is a highly entertaining debut, leaning hard into history and heists, with three tales spotlighting the Black Cat and the Black Fox. Jed MacKay pens two of the tales, one in the present illustrated by Travel Foreman, one in the past by Mike Dowling, both coloured and lettered respectively by Brian Reber and Ferran Delgado, that play stylistically off one another as they build up the respective crews and show them in action. There’s also a very cute two-page heist with cats by Nao Fuji.

| Published by Marvel

Buffy the Vampire Slayer #5 begins a long dark night for Xander’s soul as he’s struggling with overcoming the demon trying to take control as a vampire. Great bits building what he means to Buffy and Willow. David López takes over line art duties here, and it’s definitely a change, darker and scratchier than what’s come before, but it suits the raw emotion of the story.

| Published by BOOM! Studios

Captain Marvel #6 begins a tie-in to War of the Realms with Carol and Natasha trying to find Doctor Strange in South America. It’s a fun start to this story from Kelly Thompson, Annapaola Martello, Tamra Bonvillain, and Clayton Cowles with a Freaky Friday twist as they try to stop Enchantress.

| Published by Marvel

Criminal #5 begins “Cruel Summer”, which Ed Brubaker promises to possibly be the longest arc yet, kicking off an investigation into a woman running from an abusive affair. Brubaker, Sean Phillips, and Jacob Phillips give us an intriguing start to this arc through a sad sack private investigator in Dan Farraday 

| Published by Image

DCeased #2 continues the destruction of the DC Universe through a “not zombie” zombie plague. Tom Taylor, Trevor Hairsine, Stefano Gaudiano, Rain Beredo, and Saida Temofonte are telling a great horror story here, with some big casualties wiped off the board pretty quickly.

| Published by DC Comics

Deadpool #13 is another War of the Realms tie-in, dropping Deadpool into Australia to tackle Ulik and his trolls. It’s a decent start from Skottie Young, Nic Klein, and Jeff Eckleberry with some funny Wade/Blind Al moments and Wade trying to convince the Australian heroes of his worth as an Avenger.

| Published by Marvel

Deathstroke #44 is part one of “RIP”, with Priest, Fernando Pasarin, Ryan Winn, Jeromy Cox, and Willie Schubert kicking it off with Slade’s funeral. Some interesting bits of possibility as to who might pick up the Deathstroke mantle.

| Published by DC Comics

Descendent #2 continues this conspiracy-laden thriller from Stephanie Phillips, Evgeniy Bornyakov, Lauren Affe, and Troy Peteri. This one’s a bit heavy on the shadowy organization being shadowy and light on explanation, but there are still some entertaining character moments.

| Published by AfterShock

Eclipse #16 brings this series from Zack Kaplan, Giovanni Timpano, Flavio Dispenza, and Troy Peteri to a close. I find it kind of funny that the reason for the solar activity and underlying state of the world aren’t answered, but that’s been part of the through line of this final arc, focusing more on the characters and the heart that keeps people going.

| Published by Image / Top Cow

Fallen World #2 continues this wonderful exploration of the new state of 4002 AD by Dan Abnett, Adam Pollina, Ulises Arreola, and Jeff Powell. The threat of Father-possessed Bloodshot in horrifying and the future is looking pretty bleak. Also, I think this is some of the best artwork I have ever seen from Adam Pollina. He’s really giving it his all for this series and it shines through on the page.

| Published by Valiant

Giant Days #51 deals with the fallout of McGraw’s loss as we head towards the end of the series. The shift in behaviour for Esther to more responsibility and adult attitudes also seems to be a sign that John Allison is giving us that the end is near.

| Published by Boom Entertainment / BOOM! Box

The Green Lantern #8 is one of the weirdest Green Lantern/Green Arrow team-ups you’re going to come across. With awesome demons from Liam Sharp.

| Published by DC Comics

Guardians of the Galaxy Annual #1 gives us a trio of tales and a framing story, focusing on the other heroes who were sucked into oblivion in the first issue, and where some of them have ended up now. Great work from all of the creators involved and hope to see them usher more stories of the characters.

| Published by Marvel

Incredible Hulk: Last Call #1 is another of the 80th Anniversary specials, this time reuniting the classic Hulk team of Peter David and Dale Keown for this one-shot. It’s an interesting tale of Bruce wanting to kill himself and an old co-worker of Betty’s trying to talk him out of it.

| Published by Marvel

Justice League #25 concludes “The Sixth Dimension” from Scott Snyder, Jorge Jimenez, Alejandro Sánchez, and Tom Napolitano. Gorgeous art as always, and an interesting bit of the League being more than the sum of their parts to choose a different way. There’s also a prelude for the “Year of the Villain” even from James Tynion IV, Javier Fernandez, Hi-Fi, and Napolitano and it’s a little grim. While they were gone, the world has been doomed.

| Published by DC Comics

Meet the Skrulls #5 brings this excellent series to a close, with hints of something even bigger than a Skrull invasion lurking within the Marvel Universe. Robbie Thompson, Niko Henrichon, Laurent Grossat, and Travis Lanham have provided a taut thriller through this series, but also shown that the tightest bonds in the field are really with your family.

| Published by Marvel

Savage Avengers #2 continues slowly bringing together the team in the Savage Land, along with revealing the long time Conan villain pulling the strings. It’s bloody, violent, and great. Mike Deodato Jr. and Frank Martin are making this look gorgeous.

| Published by Marvel

Stronghold #4 goes in some very interesting directions as Michael and Claire escape from the Stronghold’s clutches and go searching for the Apostate. Some absolutely marvellous artwork from Ryan Kelly and Dee Cunniffe, with some great repeated variations on layouts as Michael cycles through different lifetimes.

| Published by AfterShock

Uncanny X-Men #19 catches us up with what’s been going on with Emma Frost since her X-Men: Black story across Astonishing X-Men and the beginning of this series, and, well, it’s also bleak. And there’s more death. Also a reminder that the Vanisher’s name is Telford Porter. TELFORD PORTER.

| Published by Marvel

War of the Realms #5 is kind of a mess of pieces, I don’t recommend anyone trying to reconcile appearances and locations in this book with any of the tie-ins, but on its own, it’s one hell of a gathering storm for the finale. Russell Dauterman and Matthew Wilson are unparalleled here with the artwork. It’s drop dead gorgeous.

| Published by Marvel

Witchblade #14 slips back to the present to deal with what happens after Alex and co. get ported off to the future. I love how Caitlin Kittredge, Roberta Ingranata, Bryan Valenza, and Troy Peteri are presenting this, rather than just leaving us confused in the future.

| Published by Image / Top Cow

Young Justice #6 concludes “Seven Crises” with some answers, kind of, but not any particularly satisfying ones, more just a bunch of hand waving. Which is not to say this isn’t good, Brian Michael Bendis, John Timms, Gabe Eltaeb, and Wes Abbott deliver a very entertaining excursion into Gemworld, with some funny moments and great action. It’s just that the questions about how and why any of this is happening or who these versions of the characters are and out of which continuity remain.

| Published by DC Comics / Wonder Comics

Other Highlights: Age of X-Man: Prisoner X #4, Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III #2, Beasts of Burden: Presence of Others #2, Black Hammer ‘45 #4, Dead Man Logan #8, Domino: Hotshots #4, The Dreaming #10, Elvira: The Shape of Elvira #3, Female Furies #5, Hashtag Danger #2, Hotel Dare, Jim Henson’s Beneath the Dark Crystal #10, Jughead: The Hunger vs. Vampironica #2, Marvel Action: Avengers #5, Marvel Team-Up #3, Noble #18, Old Man Quill #6, Paper Girls #29, Red Sonja #5, Ronin Island #4, Section Zero #3, Shadow Roads #8, Sharkey: The Bounty Hunter #4, Six Million Dollar Man #4, Spider-Gwen: Ghost Spider #9, Star Wars: Age of Rebellion - Luke Skywalker #1, Star Wars Adventures #22, Thumbs #1, Tony Stark: Iron Man #12, Vampirella: Roses for the Dead #4, Volition #6, War of the Realms: Journey into Mystery #4, War of the Realms: New Agents of Atlas #3

Recommended Collections: Avengers - Volume 3: War of the Vampires, Captain Ginger - Volume 1, Cemetery Beach, Cloak & Dagger: Agony & Ecstasy, Die - Volume 1: Fantasy Heartbreaker, The Dreaming - Volume 1: Pathways & Emanations, Hack/Slash Omnibus - Volume 6, Impossible Incorporated, Maxwell’s Demons - Volume 1, Mind MGMT Omnibus - Volume 2, Mirror: The Nest, Solo: A Star Wars Story, Star Wars Adventures: Destroyer Down, The Thrilling Adventure Hour - Volume 2: Residence Evil

d. emerson eddy is all thumbs.