#when Dean gets that look on his face after learning he's named after his grandma it's because he's thinking

[scoobydoodean]

Headcanoning his full name as Dean Mary Winchester

[destieltropecollection]

Destiel Trope Collection 2021 | Day 19: Enemies to Lovers

Pile Of Quarters | @vampamber

Rating: Teen & Up Word Count: 1,752 Main Tags/Warnings: ABO, alpha Cas, omega Dean, high school AU Summary: Somebody keeps beating Dean's high score on his favorite video game at the arcade, and he will have none of that. So when the chance to have a showdown with this CAS person comes along, of course he's gonna jump at it. He just wasn't expecting the alpha to be so nice. Or so hot.

A Bag of Richards | @ms-josephine

Rating: Mature Word Count: 4,241 Main Tags/Warnings: Human AU, Enemies to lovers, Misunderstandings, Prank wars Summary: A misunderstanding leads to an all-out prank war between Castiel and his new neighbor, Dean.

Build It Up! | @verobatto

Rating: Explicit Word Count: 5,062 Main Tags/Warnings: Architect AU, Architect!Dean, Architect!Castiel, rivalry, rivals to lovers, light angst, happy ending. Summary: Architect Dean Winchester has just one goal in his life: win contracts and defeat his biggest rival, Castiel Novak. Bad thing is, Novak is the one always winning the heated competitions. Dean hates Novak with all his heart. If only that bastard wasn't so handsome ...

Dance Real Close | @maleyah-givemetomorrow

Rating: Explicit Word Count: 5,920 Main Tags/Warnings: Alternate Universe - Spies & Secret Agents, Christmas, Yule, First Kiss, First Time, Enemies to Lovers, Flirting Dean, Sassy Castiel, Fluff and Smut, Soft Boys Summary: For the umpteenth time tonight, Castiel swallows and clenches his teeth, hard enough that he might just need a dentist appointment once this horrendous evening comes to its inevitable end and he has what he came for. Good thing the company has excellent health care. He forces his gaze into a faux-thousand yard stare, a wilful attempt to get lost among the many twinkling lights and ornaments. Just off of the shoulder of the man who is his current, last and most annoying obstacle. Dean Winchester. Dressed to the nines in a suit of snowflake white, he fits in at this high-end Yule Ball as if he hasn’t done anything else in his life. Top of his class and generation, ten years Castiel’s junior, much too skilled for his own good at nigh anything from close combat to subterfuge to extraction, his competition, who is, for some unfathomable reason, flirting with Castiel on the mission.

When Duty Calls | @verobatto

Rating: Explicit Word Count: 6,654 Main Tags/Warnings: Sci Fi AU, Commander Dean Winchester, Angel/Alien Castiel, strangers to friends to lovers, space ship, working on a mission together, top!Dean/Bottom!Castiel Summary: Angels devastated Earth 30 years ago and Dean lost his mother in that battle. Now, when his father the Ambassador John Winchester dies, Dean is assigned to a very important mission to restore the Earth. Bad thing is, Angels want to redeem themselves by providing the technology to revive the planet and by doing that, they pretend to be part of the Federation. Dean accepts, despite of his hate for them, and he meets the Angel Castiel, a Commander Scientific that will work with him in one of the labs stations placed on Earth.

Vampire Hunter! Starring Castiel Krushnic | @friendofcarlotta

Rating: Teen & Up Word Count: 13,612 Main Tags/Warnings: Alternate Universe - TV show, Actor Castiel, Production Assistant Dean Winchester, First Kiss, Enemies to Lovers, Vampires, Canon-Typical Violence, Mild Gore, Inspired by Fright Night, Garth Ships It Summary: Straight out of college, Dean gets hired to work on his favorite TV show, "Fright Night." It's a dream come true until the network orders an overhaul to boost ratings, giving the show a new name (“Vampire Hunter!”) and a new star: a grumpy bastard named Castiel, who seems determined to make Dean’s life miserable. Dean just wants to hate Castiel's guts in peace, but then an offsite shoot gets them both trapped in a creepy mansion with a very real, very angry vampire. Can they overcome their differences long enough to kill the monster?

Cheers | @notfunnydean

Rating: Explicit Word Count: 23,685 Main Tags/Warnings: inspired by the movie: the proposal, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Misunderstandings, Fluff and Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Homophobia, Homophobic John Winchester, Dean Winchester Wears Panties, First Time,First Kiss, Top Castiel/Bottom Dean Winchester, Soft!Dean, Cas blackmails Dean into the relationship at first, Past Lisa Braeden/Dean Winchester, Minor Anna Milton/Dean Winchester Summary: Dean hates his boss, after they attempted to date but failed miserably. But when Castiel suddenly has to go back to Russia because his visa expired, Dean finds himself in a very awkward situation, because Castiel blackmails him to marry him. To make it worse someone from the immigration department is already hot on their trail and they have to show off their fake relationship at the ninetieth birthday of Dean’s grandma.

Elevator Music | Aketch-22 (AO3)

Rating: Explicit Word Count: 25,017 Main Tags/Warnings: Top!Cas/Bottom!Dean, Dom/Sub Overtones, Mechanic Dean Winchester, Lawyer Castiel Summary: Sam is about to become name partner at the law firm he's worked at for years. He invites Dean to the celebration, but Dean gets trapped in the elevator with Sam's pompous, dickbag, too-good looking coworker Castiel. Stuck for hours with someone he hates and a boatload of alcohol, what could possibly go wrong?

Let Your Heart Hold Fast (WIP) | @destiel-pirate-in-middleearth

Rating: Mature Word Count: 35,857 Main Tags/Warnings: Roomates/housemates, enemies to friends to lovers, slow burn, angst and hurt/comfort, college au, mutual pining, happy ending. Summary: Castiel is a simple guy with a simple plan who enters college after a lot of hard work. He's looking forward to the new beginning and endless opportunities. After surviving the worst through high school, Castiel has a good feeling about college and thinks he is gonna do fine, but, then, his life takes an uneasy turn, which leads him into meeting Dean, who doesn't remember him and has evolved into a very flirty, obnoxious man. Castiel hates Dean. For almost a month, Castiel does a great job at avoiding Dean on the college campus. Everything is going fine until the day they have their first encounter, which is close to a nightmare because, apparently, Dean decides to shove an apple frigging pie on Castiel's face, which isn’t even the single worst thing he did to him that day. Or The one where Dean and Castiel hate each other and are forced to live together.

Angels of the Sea | @envydean

Rating: Mature Word Count: 53,616 Main Tags/Warnings: Alternate Universe - Pirate, Minor Character Deaths, a little violence, non graphic scenes of corporal punishment, sexual scene of mature nature, Hurt/Comfort, Stowaways, Angst, Happy Ending, BAMF!Cas, Pirate!Cas, Stowaway!Dean, Tattoos, Magical Elements, Fluff, Enemies to Lovers Summary: The Archangel – a pirate ship run by young Captain Castiel Novak – is unknowingly boarded by two stowaways. Sam and Dean just needed to get away from their father’s killers and are found stashed away in the storage room of the ship. Raphael is adamant they are killed but Castiel’s heart is too big to dispose of them both. Lives spared, they join the crew, Dean taking up navigation and Sam to the galley and an adventure using Dean’s amulet to find a mysteriously hidden island begins.

Unmasked | @ellis-park

Rating: Explicit Word Count: 69,348 Main Tags/Warnings: Superhero AU, enemies to lovers, secret identities, graphic depictions of violence Summary: Years ago, the infamous vigilante Halo disappeared from the public eye. The new Halo, Castiel Novak, is struggling to pick up the pieces of his own life and his mentor’s tarnished legacy as a new rival, Hellfire, arrives on the scene. It would help if Cas weren’t so distracted by pushy reporter Dean Smith, who reminds him of everything he’s lost — and the life he could have if he’d let go of the mask.

angel in black | @dothwrites

Rating: Explicit Word Count: 95,325 Main Tags/Warnings: Canon-Divergent, Enemies to Lovers, Bounty Hunter!Cas, Hunter!Dean, Canon-Typical Violence, Demonic Possession, Angst with a Happy Ending Summary: Bounty hunter Castiel Novak has simple rules for how he conducts his business. Get in, get out, deliver the fugitive, and do it all with the least amount of effort possible. Never become emotionally involved. When he takes on the job of hunting down Sam and Dean Winchester in order to bring them to justice, his rules start shifting. Threatened by supernatural forces as well as his attraction to Dean, Castiel soon has to decide what he’s willing to stand for…and what he’s willing to die for.

Wicked Game | @expectingtofly

Rating: Explicit Word Count: 104,077 Main Tags/Warnings: Western AU, Canon-Typical Violence, DubCon, Top Cas/Bottom Dean, Angst, Pining, Hurt/Comfort Summary: The year is 1889 and for the past year and a half, Dean has traveled alone from town to town, drinking to ignore his guilt and gambling to make a living. Today, he’s especially down on his luck. He’s broke, was just thrown out of a saloon for cheating at poker, and has now been woken by a blue-eyed man trying to rob him. When he learns that the thief, Castiel, is just as broke as he is, they strike a tenuous deal to help each other rob a stagecoach, share the spoils, and split up. Turns out splitting up is the most difficult task. While Castiel is cold and cruel, Dean refuses to back down from a fight. The two are at odds more often than not, but their relationship only grows more complicated the longer they travel together. They may have more in common than they thought.

[of-a-chaotic-mind]

Finding Out

Summary: Reader visits The Empty to retrieve Cas and finds out who her parents were, one of which was right there with her all along.

TW/CW: Sam Winchester x Daughter!Reader. Angst (towards the end). “Orphaned” Reader taken in by the Winchesters. Mentions of Sam Winchester x Ruby.

Requested?: Yes, a lovely Anon said, “Could you do a Sam x daughter!reader where they found her as a baby but she was half demon so they took her in to try and be good and she grows up with them and stuff and then I’m season 15 instead of Cas going to the empty it’s her going (bc she’s half demon) where they find Ruby and Ruby admits to the reader that she’s her mother and Sams her father”

Word Count: 1,423

A/N: I feel like I should warn that I haven’t watched season 15 yet but I can still write her going to the empty bc I know what it is. I’ll try my best 😊 I hope it’s okay considering I didn’t really know what I was doing lol. I tried to make it somewhat fit into the timeline but it’s a little funky. Anyway, love to all!

Your POV

    Hi, I’m (Y/n). I was adopted into a pretty cool family when I was just a kid. I don’t remember much about it because I was only about three years old. I have an older brother named Jack Kline. He’s what they call a Nephilim which is a half human, half angel. Biologically, he’s the son of Lucifer but he always insists that his real dad is Castiel. Castiel is an angel. Then there’s Sam and Dean Winchester. They’re brothers but they act a lot like I think a mom and dad would to me. Sam is like my mom, he’s always helping me out with my studying, training, and making sure that I remember to eat. When I get in trouble, he’s the one giving me the stern mom look that I’ve seen Grandma Jody give him and Dean. Dean on the other hand usually acts like he’s upset but as soon as Sam turns his back, Dean is high fiving me for being hilarious or smart or whatever but telling me not to do it again because Sam didn’t like it. He also taught me a lot about working on cars because I help him fix Baby all the time. If we ever decide to drop the hunting life, which I doubt we will, I’d love for me and him to open a garage together.

    Anyway, enough about them. You probably would like to know a little more about me. Like I said, I was adopted when I was about three years old because someone left me on the doorstep of the motel that Sam and Dean were staying in then. I don’t remember who it was but I remember them telling me to wait there because the people inside would take care of me until my mommy came back to get me. I never knew where she went and because of it I grew up pretty quickly thinking that she just didn’t want a little child and would come back for a teenager, she didn’t. I became what most people would say is about sixteen or seventeen. I remember Jack doing the same thing after he was born. It surprised Sam, Dean, and Cas when I did it but they assumed it was because of who I am.  You’re probably thinking, okay so you’re a Nephilim, who are your parents? That’s just it. I don’t know who my parents are but I do know that I’m not half angel. I’m half demon. Cas realized that almost immediately. For a while, there was some debate about whether they would keep me but they finally decided that they would, but the search for my parents didn’t stop there.

    They called up an old friend who happens to be the King of Hell and asked him if he could tell who my parents were or at least the demon half of the pair but no such luck. So, as my powers started manifesting themselves, we started training. It took some time but I eventually became able to control them and sometimes I use them on hunts but not often as it attracts a lot of attention.  

    I’m dragged away from my walk down memory lane as I sense something shift around me. I open my eyes and look around but see nothing. Literally, it’s a giant void. I remember now. I came to The Empty to get Cas back. “You’re so much older than I expected. I bet you still have your dad’s eyes huh? Not exactly something you can get rid of,” I hear someone say behind me. Turning around, I am faced with a woman who looks almost exactly like me. She’s a small bit taller and has brown eyes instead of green like mine. She’s also wearing an outfit similar to mine. If it weren’t for the small subtle differences, I’d think that I’m looking in a mirror.

    “Who are you? You’re not like me from the future, are you?” I inquire.

    “That sense of humor sounds a lot like Dean’s,” she says laughing, “No, I’m not you from the future. How would you change your eye color to make that happen?”

    I tilt my head and think for a moment, she has a point. Before I can say anything else, another voice joins the conversation, with a hint of bitterness in their tone, “She’s your mother.” I recognize that voice instantly as Cas appears at my side.

    The woman in front of me smiles and looks at Cas, “Come on, Castiel. I was trying to break it to her gently,” she looks back at me, “I’m your mom. My name is Ruby.”

    I’m quiet for a moment as I process this new information, “So, if you’re my mom then you should know who my dad is right?”  

    Ruby shares a certain look with Cas that I recognize as a, “Do you want to tell her or should I?” look. Cas nods so Ruby looks back at me, “Sam is your dad.”  

    Before I can ask any more questions, a loud noise erupts from somewhere in the darkness and Cas grabs my arm, “We need to go. That’s it.”

    Ruby looks to me with a sad smile, “I love you, kiddo. Always remember that.” With that, she waves her arm and Cas and I are thrown aside. Suddenly, it's hard to tell if my eyes are open and I’m still somewhere in The Empty or my eyes are closed and I’m not. I hear someone calling my name and realize I need to open my eyes. As I do, the light is almost unbearable but squatting beside me are Sam, Dean, and Jack. I sit up and rub my eyes as I try to make sense of the information, I just learned moments before.

    I look up as someone starts gently rubbing my back. Jack is now sitting cross legged beside me and Dean is squatting down to our level but Sam and Cas are nowhere to be found. “You okay?” Dean asks quietly. Before I can answer, Sam and Cas reenter the room. I stand, as do Dean and Jack, and watch Sam carefully, wondering if Cas told him. Sam takes a deep breath before racing forward and wrapping me in a hug. I quickly return it.

    When we pull apart, Dean and Jack look very confused as Sam looks down at me with a smile and moves my hair out of my face, “I’ve had a hunch for a while that you were her daughter. There’s no denying that you look almost exactly like her but I had no idea that you’re mine too.”

    “Hang on, did I just hear you right?” Dean questions.

    Sam and I both turn to look at Dean as Cas answers, “(Y/n) is the daughter of Sam and Ruby.”

    Dean’s shocked expression is almost cartoon like as he opens and closes his mouth looking for a response like a fish looking for water. We all sit down around one of the tables in the library as Cas explains everything that Ruby told him prior to my arrival in The Empty. Apparently, after she and Sam spent their time together, she found out that she was pregnant. When she died, Crowley found me and left me for Sam and Dean to take care of because if he couldn’t just get rid of me and he had his hands too full to take care of me himself. Everyone seemed kind of shocked but processed it rather quickly. I on the other hand felt like I now had a gaping hole in my chest, like something was missing. I just found out that she’s my mom but I can’t ever see her again. I silently get up from the table and make my way to my room. Behind me, I hear Sam tell the others, “She probably needs some time alone. One of us can check on her in a little bit.” As I close my door behind me and flop down onto my bed, the hole in my chest begins to ache and tears break through the dam. I snuggle up to one of my pillows and not for the first time in my life, I wish I had my mom there to comfort me but it hurts even worse now that I have a face to put to the title. Soon, I manage to cry myself to sleep and drift off into dreams that are sure to sting when I wake up.

Masterlist

Taglist: @emiijemii​ @castiels-majestic-wings​

[octbrsaturn]

REPENT - ARVIN RUSSELL PART 2

note: I AM SO SORRY THIS TOOK FOREVER !!! i’ve been so busy the past week with moving houses and work, it’s been crazy and i’ve been ridiculously tired. also keep in mind that i’ve officially changed her name to y/n, this way it’s easier for you cuties :) THERE WILL BE A PART 3 !!! i’m not leavin y’all hanging after sticking with me for so long ;,) ily guy and all the support i’ve been given, you guys are the best!

please enjoy!

GIF DOES NOT BELONG TO ME !!!

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PART TWO

"Dean," Y/N nodded, turning back to her paper and continuing to draw. Arvin once told her that ignoring people was like putting water in a fire - it started to douse them out. It was entertaining them (talking to them, laughing at them, any attention in general) was what fanned the fire. So Y/N tried her hardest to ignore Dean. But the problem with Dean was that being ignored only pushed him to try harder for attention, whether it be good or bad.

Dean stuck his hand in through the car window and grabbed onto Y/N's chin. He roughly turned her head to look at him. "How've you been, Y/N? I've not seen you in a while. I missed you."

Y/N pulled her head away from Dean's grasp and continued to ignore him.

"She's still not very obedient," Dean's friend, Jack, said slyly. "Maybe we should teach her a lesson."

"I'm startin' to think you're right ... " Dean answered. "The thing is, Jack, that colored girls like her ... they're real pretty sometimes, but not very smart. So truly, they're only good for one thing." He gave Y/N a fake frown, making it seem like he didn't want to do what he was about to do.

Y/N could feel her heart drop into her stomach, but she still tried her hardest to ignore them.

Please hurry, Arvin, please ...

Inside the diner, Arvin was stuck talking to Sandy Roberts, one of the girls from his class. She had long, blonde hair and bright blue eyes. She was nice enough, never said anything rude, kept to herself. Arvin didn't hate the girl, he just wanted to get back to his sunshine to celebrate her passing her test.

So as Sandy spoke, Arvin didn't listen very hard. Every once in a while he'd let out an 'mhm' or a 'sure' but he didn't contribute in the conversation at all.

"And I was thinkin', maybe sometime soon, you and I could go check out a movie? Or maybe go dancin'?" Sandy asked with hopeful eyes.

Arvin's eyes, however, were trained in his car. He squinted but he couldn't make out a figure in the passenger seat. Y/N knew better than to get out, especially since this diner was still desegregated, but didn't welcome people of color all too well, so where the hell was she?

"Arvin?" Sandy asked, trying to get his attention again.

"Huh? Oh, uh, sure," Arvin didn't remember what he was agreeing to. "I've gotta go, I'll see you later, Mandy."

Before Sandy could tell him that her name wasn't actually Mandy, Arvin was out of the door. He looked in his car to make sure his eyes weren't deceiving him, and when he realized that Y/N was gone, he went into full-on panic mode.

Arvin looked around, his head whipping in every direction, trying to find anything that could help him find her. He finally decided to walk around the building, hoping that maybe she'd decided to take a walk? Even though that wasn't like her at all?

Arvin walked around the building, looking for anything to get him to her. His eyes finally landed on something that made him see red immediately.

It was Y/N - his Y/N - on the ground, scooting back into the wall as far as she could, fear dripping in her eyes. Arvin looked up to see none other than Dean Cooper standing above her. His pants were around his ankles and one of his hands were flat against the brick wall, trapping Y/N. His other hand was working on pulling down his underpants, but before he could, Arvin was already on top of him, beating the shit out of him.

"Didn't you learn all those years ago?!" Arvin screamed out, relentlessly striking Dean's face in. "Leave her alone!"

Arvin was then tackled to the ground by Jack Willows. Arvin could feel his stomach get kicked, but all he could seem to care about was Y/N. He looked up through hooded eyes to see her tear-stricken face, screaming for Dean and Jack to stop. She stood up as best as she could with shaking legs and tried to pull Jack away, but he only reared back and smacked her across the face.

When the boys had finally decided that Arvin had enough, they stood up. Dean turned to Y/N with a bloody smirk. He leaned down and kissed her cheek, despite her cries for him to leave her alone. His lips lingered near her ear as he whispered, "I'll see you around, sunshine."

As soon as the boys were out of sight, Arvin crawled over to Y/N and gently cupped her face. Her eyes were wide with fear, barely blinking. "Sunshine - sweetheart, can you hear me?" Arvin asked urgently, trying to decide what to do. He knew of a few black hospitals around the area but didn't know if he should take her. She didn't look too hurt - just a few scratches and a torn cheerleading outfit. But her eyes ... Those scared Arvin. She looked traumatized. Like she was never going to forget what just happened to her.

"Y/N, baby," Arvin gently shook Y/N's head with his hands, trying to get her to look at him. Y/N's eyes were trained on the ground, she couldn't seem to let her eyes wander away from one specific spot. Arvin continued to shake her, trying to get her to look at him.

"Please, look at me! It's me, sweetheart, it's Arvin! I'm right here, baby, I'm right here ... " He gently pulled her face into his chest and hugged her close, like he always did when she needed him to. "I'm right here ... I ain't goin' nowhere."

"I'm going to kick his fuckin' ass," Arvin told his grandmother, Emma. Y/N was now at his house, sitting with Lenora. He left her there with his step-sister so he could talk to his grandmother, but he had now decided that he'd instead go and find Dean Cooper.

"Hold on a second now," Emma stopped the boy. "I don't even know what happened. How'd she get like this?"

"Dean fuckin' Cooper and his buddy Jack is what happened. They dragged her outta my car at the diner and were about to ... to ... " Arvin couldn't even bring himself to say it. He couldn't even think about what they would've done if he wasn't so damn busy talking to Sandy Roberts. If he had waited even a minute longer, Y/N ... No. He made it in time. She wasn't hurt too badly. She would be okay.

"Well, I'll tell you this much," Emma Russell told her grandson. Her eyes were trained on Arvin's knuckles that were clenched so tight, Emma was sure that his hand would break any moment. She reached forward and grabbed onto Arvin's hands, knowing that would help him calm down a little bit. But another part of her knew that there was only one person who could truly calm him down ... and she was in his room at the moment, crying. "Goin' out right now and hurtin' those boys ain't gon' take back what they did to her."

Arvin looked up at his grandmother. Sure, she was right, but Arvin couldn't stand around and do nothing. He had to go now - when the time was right. If he waited, then he may miss his moment. "Grandma - "

"Y/N is in there right now," Emma pointed to Arvin's room, where Y/N was currently crying on Lenora's shoulder. He could still hear her gasping for air. He could hear Lenora gently telling her to breathe and that it would be okay. "And no matter how much she loves her, Lenora ain't the one that she's needin'."

Arvin looked at the ground, tears threatening to fall from his eyes.

"She needs you, Arvin," Emma steps forward and gently cupped his cheek, wiping away an early tear. She knew how much Arvin hated to cry, especially around people. The only person he'd ever cried around that wasn't family was Y/N. "So go help her."

Arvin nodded at Emma and turned, opening the door to his room. He saw Y/N crying with her head in Lenora's lap. Lenora was gently playing with her hair and shushing her as she cried. The girls looked at Arvin as he walked into the room. Lenora stood and let Arvin take her place. Arvin sat down where Lenora was but quickly scooted back, laying down and letting Y/N rest her head on his chest. His hands rubbed her back gently. He kissed her head every few minutes, letting her cry everything out.

"You're safe now," Arvin whispered. "I'm so sorry I didn't come back sooner."

Y/N only continued to cry.

"I love you, sunshine," Arvin kept talking. "I love you so much."

Y/N finally replied. "I love you, too."

Emma had already rung up William Lewis, letting him know that Y/N was going to stay the night at her house for the night. William was used to it at this point. He figured she would anyway. William trusted Emma, knowing that she was just a good of a guardian as Willard and Charlotte were parents (honestly, even better).

After Y/N had finally calmed down, she was only hiccuping against Arvin's chest. He hadn't stopped rubbing her back once, whispering sweet nothings into her ear until he felt her breathing start to slow. Y/N looked up and into Arvin's eyes. "I'm ... I'm sorry."

Arvin shot up at this, leaning on his elbows for a moment before sitting all the way up. Y/N stayed where she was, though, her legs straddling Arvin's waist. Normally, he'd be a tad flustered at the girl's position, but he was too fixated on her statement. Y/N's eyes were cast down at her lap, watching as she timidly played with Arvin's fingers - something she did a lot when she was either nervous or comfortable. Arvin guessed that maybe, at this moment, she was feeling the former.

"Why're you sorry, sweetheart?" Arvin asked, gently moving his hands to hold the girl's hips steady so she didn't fall off of his lap. He caught himself rubbing her skin softly with his thumbs as he patiently waited for her to reply. When Y/N's eyes didn't look up to his, he moved his head down a little so he could look in her eyes. "Look at me."

Y/N did so, her eyes flickering up to Arvin's. He didn't look mad, he looked concerned. Y/N sighed. "I didn't want to get out of the car, I really didn't. He threw the door open from the inside and dragged me out by my hair. I just ... I'm sorry."

Arvin shook his head almost the second she had started talking. He didn't blame her for a second - no, he blamed himself. He shouldn't have been talking to that Mandy girl. He should've kept his eyes on Y/N like he always did when he left her in the car. He would've seen Dean Cooper walking up to the car, he would've seen him drag her out by her hair, and he would've stopped him before he could do anything else.

Arvin kept one hand on her hip, the other shot up to the girl's cheek and gently cupped it. His thumb rubbed tiny streaks along her cheek. "It ain't your fault, sunshine. I've not been mad at you for a second."

Y/N nodded softly. "I can't believe ... after all these years, he's still out to get me." Her head moved forward, resting itself on Arvin's chest again. She sniffled a few times, hiccuped some more, but she didn't start crying again. "Why can't he just leave me alone?"

Arvin sighed. "I don't know, baby. There's just a lot of no-good sons of bitches out there."

Y/N smiled gently at the words Arvin used. The same words his daddy used to say to them all the time when they were kids. She tried not to believe it - she refused to believe that every person was just one-sided. Everyone had a good side and a bad side. They all had motivation for what they did, too. But now that she was older - maybe she was wrong. Maybe Dean Cooper truly was one-sided. Maybe he was just a no-good son of a bitch.

"Hey," Arvin whispered. Y/N looked back at him.

"Yes?"

"Maybe I can go get some food, and we can go see a drive-in movie like you wanted?" Arvin offered. He knew the girl wanted to get back to her day, and not dwell on everything that happened.

Y/N perked up. "That new Beatles movie s'posed to be out! I've been wantin' to see it for a while now!"

Arvin groaned. "You and them damn Beatles, sunshine." He rolled his eyes, but knew that he couldn't say no. "Fine. You go hang out with Lenora for a little while, I'm gonna go get the food. You want a burger?"

"Yes! With extra pickles and a side of cheese fries!" Y/N answered, though she already knew that Arvin knew this. He nodded, not moving the girl from his lap. He stayed sitting there, staring into her eyes. He knew that he was going to do something soon - something bad - to Dean Cooper. That guy could not get away with what he'd done to Y/N. No. She didn't deserve a second of pain in her life. She was his sunshine. She'd always been a constant positive in her life, and seeing her in trouble or hurting was something that Arvin worked every day to prevent. And this was just another prevention.

After Arvin got the food, he pulled back into the driveway to his home. He honked the horn of the car three times, and after only a moment, out came Y/N with a smile on her face. She had changed into one of Lenora's old dresses that fit her almost perfectly. The two were about the same height, so the dress went down to Y/N's knees, but Y/N was known to be a little curvier than others, so the dress was just the least little bit tight on her.

Y/N shut the door behind her and closed her eyes in glee. She took in a deep breath through her nose and let it out through her mouth happily. "I'm starved. Let's hurry up an' get there, I can't miss Paul!"

"Who?" Arvin asked, putting the car in reverse and driving them off towards the drive-in theater.

"Paul McCartney, bubba!" Y/N laughed at Arvin. "He's one of The Beatles? C'mon!"

"I'm sorry, you know I don't listen to that crap," Arvin grunted, taking out a cigarette and placing it between his lips. Not a moment later, he felt a punch on his right arm, causing him to swerve on the road a little. "Jesus, sunshine, you're gonna kill us!"

"It'd be worth it!" Y/N yelled out, crossing her arms. "The Beatles are not crap, they're amazing! You mark my words, Arvin Russell, those four are going to be remembered forever!"

Arvin scoffed. "Whatever you say, sunshine."

Around thirty minutes into the movie, Y/N glanced over at Arvin. His eyes were trained on the giant screen, but he didn't look entertained. He looked bored, honestly.

Arvin, who honestly wanted any reason to stop watching this movie, turned to Y/N. "Yeah?"

"Thank you for earlier," Y/N said softly, looking down at her lap. "I-I don't think you realize just how grateful I am for you. You literally do so much for me - you always have. And I guess I just ... thank you."

Arvin felt his stomach drop. Not out of nerves, but just from how much he loved this girl sitting beside him. He couldn't even express just how much his heart felt for her - though he wanted to. "You know I'd do anything for you, Y/N."

Y/N looked back at the screen. She was definitely interested in it, but she couldn't get something off of her mind. "Hey, Arvin?"

Y/N nodded. "And I'd do anything for you, too. Just lately, it doesn't seem like I do too much for you."

"Are you kiddin' me?" Arvin almost laughed. He sat up a little in his seat and turned towards Y/N. "You do so much for me! You ever think about why I call you sunshine?"

Y/N shook her head. "I figured it was just a nickname."

"Well, it is," Arvin nodded. A part of him didn't want now to be the time to confess. But another part of him knew that another time might not come. He needed to stop letting moments like this pass him by. He needed to start living - he was going to tell this girl exactly how he felt. "But ... "

"Arvin?" Y/N asked. "Is everything okay?"

Maybe ... Maybe now wasn't the time to tell her.

Y/N reached forward and grabbed Arvin's hands. Her thumbs ran over his knuckles gently as she waited for him to be ready to talk. And just like that, Arvin's fears went away again. He felt his heartbeat rise, but not out of anxiety, it was more out of excitement. He was braver than he'd felt in a long while.

"Sunshine ... " Arvin whispered. Y/N didn't speak - she just let Arvin continue on his own time. "I call you sunshine because that's what you are."

Y/N felt a ghost of a smile fall on her lips.

Arvin continued. "You're my sunshine, Y/N. You're just ... you're just this ray of light that literally brightens my day, even when you're not with me. Just the thought of you makes me so happy. If I'm havin' a shitty day, all I have to do is think that maybe, maybe I'll get to see you later and that instantly makes my day so much better."

Y/N could already feel her eyes welling up with tears. Ever since she could remember, all she wanted was for someone to care about her this much ... it was what she aimed for at school, though it didn't get recognized as much as she hoped.

But Arvin, her best friend, was sitting right here and telling her how much he cared for her. And Y/N didn't know what to do.

She wanted to reach forward and give him the biggest kiss she could muster. She wanted to wrap her arms and legs around his body and say that he meant the world to her. She wanted to tell him that she loved him more than any friend could love someone. But she was too scared to. The last thing she wanted was to be rejected, especially by Arvin.

"Arvin ... "

"What I'm tryna say is," Arvin trailed off, glancing down at their hands that were still holding each other. "I love you, Y/N."

"Oh, Arvin, I love you too," Y/N replied, smiling softly back at Arvin.

"No, Y/N, you don't get it. I love you. As in, I think I'm in love with you," Arvin shook his head, squeezing the girl's hands harder. "No, I - I'm sure I'm in love with you."

Y/N blinked. Was this finally it? Was Arvin Russell really admitting that he loved her more than a friend?

Arvin continued. "And if you ain't feel the same, I completely get it -"

Y/N leaned forward without a second thought and smashed her lips onto his.

.

.

.

.

@art-flirt

[sidecarghost]

Spn Pride Week - Day 3 Trans

AU human!Cas is human and no supernatural. Trans man Dean talks to Cas about how his mom and dad failed at supporting him when he was four years old. Cw: transphobia (no derogatory terms just John is an ass and Mary rather keep their home life calm so she enables his bigotry and fails to be supportive of Dean)

"Dean?" Cas’s voice interrupts Dean’s reverie.

"Mmhmmm," Dean's face is nuzzled between Cas's shoulders, so making intelligent words isn't easy.

"Would you be comfortable about telling me when you found out you were a man?" Cas asks in his deep, soft voice.

Dean sighs. He wants to tell Cas everything, but some stories are just so sad. Dean isn't sure that he can share those stories and still be himself afterwards. He'd like those stories to float down a river and sink into the ocean, where no one can ever find them again. Including Dean. Especially Dean.

"I don't want to pry Dean, but if you are alright sharing that with me, then I would like to hear it and know you better," Cas's voice is gentle like a breeze, and Dean wants to roll himself up in it. The voice would shield him from anything that was attempting to impale and destroy him.

Dean is glad that his face is nuzzled into Cas's back. Maybe he can share this story as well supported as he is. He has the man he loves wrapped in his arms, and he gets to nuzzle into him like a pillow. Everything seems safe, warm, and otherworldly, if Dean was going to tell Cas unsettling things that give him nightmares then this would be the right place and right time to do it. If only he wasn't always so scared. If only he wasn't so broken.

"Always," Dean whispers into the neck of the man he loves. "I always knew, ever since my first memory." Dean exhales and inhales. Dean closes his eyes and tries to squeeze out the pictures of the past that spring up in his mind. He tries to bury the contempt of his father's face. He seeks out a gentler memory instead. Dean brings to mind one of the last conversations he ever had with his mother. "My mom knew I was a boy, and after she died it would be ten years before anyone else knew again.

***

"It came up, back when I was four years old and Sammy was still a baby. Everyone kept congratulating my mom and dad over the birth of baby Sammy, they told my parents that Sam would grow up to be a strong, handsome man. And I didn't understand. I wondered how could these strangers possibly know that Sam would grow into a strong, handsome man? Couldn't he just as easily grow into a strong, handsome woman? I asked my father why everyone thought Sam was a boy, and he told me that boys have penises and girls have vaginas. Then he laughed and said something like 'out of the mouths of babes' and ruffled my hair. I didn't understand how my dad could be so sure, but I also didn't want to ask my dad to explain, because he didn't like lengthy explanations. He had taught me that lies take a lot of words to explain, and the truth is always simple, and when I asked him to explain what he meant he struck me. Because I was guilty of talking back and giving him lip. So I knew better than to ask my dad to elaborate.

"Instead, I sought my mom out to see if she could help me understand, and I remember I was so sad that it took a lot of will power to bite back crying. I knew I shouldn't be sad, because my dad explained to me that being sad is the same thing as being lazy. If you have enough energy to cry you should have enough energy to fix whatever mess made you feel bad in the first place.

"So I put on my brave face, and I asked my mother why I had to be a girl. My mom had been rocking baby Sammy, but she looked right into my eyes with all her attention focused on me. Like my question was important and serious, and not a joke like I worried it might be from my dad's reaction. She told me that was nonsense, and that no one ever had to be a girl. My mom told me about her own mother Deanna that had been born as Dean, then learned she was a girl and changed her name. Then Deanna married Samuel, and he had been born with the name Samantha, until he let everyone know he was a boy and changed his name. My mom told me no one can look at you and know if you are a man or a woman, only you know for yourself.

"Cas, I don't know if I can ever properly explain how wonderful that story was to me. I had been ready to bawl my eyes out that I had been born wrong, but my mom told me that wasn't true at all. My dad was the one that was wrong, because everyone knew that Deanna was grandma and Samuel was grandpa. There was never any doubt. I was so happy. Maybe that was the last time I was ever truly happy. I imagined myself telling my dad that he made a mistake explaining things to me. In my head, my dad would laugh over how silly his mistake had been, and then he would ruffle my hair and tell me that he was sorry about that. He'd pull me into a hug and say he was so proud to have two sons. I would return the hug as big as I could, and then tell him we should probably wait until Sam can talk to make sure we don't make another mistake." Dean wishes that was the end of the story. The images of a lifetime ago of a happy homelife that he imagined in his head could have been reality. It all seemed so possible back then.

"Your mother sounds like a very caring person, Dean," Cas says softly.

"She was caring, but things between us were never the same again. I think she cared a little too much about keeping things peaceful and avoiding conflict. Sometimes you need to fight for something you love," Dean says wistfully. "Anyway, before I ran off to tell my dad his error, I asked my mom why dad didn't know that. Why did dad think you can look at someone and assume they are a boy or girl without ever asking them?

"My mom got really still at that question, and she looked so sad like her spirit had been dragged away and she'd never be able to reach it again. When she answered my question her voice was distant and cold, like she was just saying the words but they had no meaning. My mom told me that sometimes people fear things that aren't the same as them, and this fear leads them to hate things. She told me it was like a disease that would eat at people's thoughts and turn them the wrong way. People with that disease would judge others without ever even meeting or knowing them.

"My mom told me that John wasn't a bad man. John was just suffering from a bad disease. Sometimes the disease is incurable, because it takes a very strong will to admit when you are wrong and that you've done wrong to others. My mom told me I must never let my father find out I'm not a girl, because as long as that disease clouds his thoughts he will hate me. She told me that she would pray for John to be cured of his hatred, but in the meantime I would need to conceal who I was and act like I'm a girl. I told my mom I was afraid of my dad hating me, and my mom told me that I could pray to the angels that watched over us if I needed protection. I had never seen angels, but my mom had faith in them. I kind of understood faith meant you believe something without proof. So I told my mom that I would pray for their protection, and I would pray to them to help dad get better, too.

"I didn't tell my mom, but I also prayed that Sam would never catch John's hatred disease, because I loved my little brother so much. I didn't want Sam to hate me.

“The prayers my mom made weren't answered before her death. There was a fire in our house, and my mom didn't make it out alive. Sam was still a little baby, and I held him close and carried him to safety. My dad tried to save my mom, but he couldn't reach her. He told me that the fire was supernatural, because of the downfall of society. He told me that monsters were being sent to punish everyone, even the innocent people like our mother, because bad people failed to obey God and his plan for how we should live. I didn't care about God, his plan, or his monsters. I just missed my mother, and I wanted to weep because I'd never get to hear her voice or see her smile again. But I knew my dad would strike me if he saw me crying, because I should be fighting the monsters that did this and not be indulging myself in sadness.”

"Dean, you know your dad didn't have a disease right?" Cas asks. "He chose to be a bigot. Calling it a disease is just a way to keep him innocent of blame, but every hateful thing he ever did to your mom, Sam, and you was his choice. There was no disease or monster to blame."

"Yeah, it took me too long, but I eventually figured that out, too," Dean replies.

//this excerpt is from ongoing story on ao3 see tags for link

[pogueshomecoming]

milestones - Kiara Carrera

requested? Yes: hey! could a request a kiaraxreader imagine? something fluffy, like maybe snippet memories of they’re relationship? like when they met, first kiss, first i love you, stuff like that?  (thank you @johnbsflowr !! i got carried away, I loved this idea 😊 I’m working on your other request now also)

fill out this survey to join my taglist, here’s my masterlist, and my requests are open

warnings: mentions of a grandparent dying, but I think that’s it besides swearing.

word count: 3485

++

First Hello

You were new at the Kook academy, as everyone liked to call it. It was obvious you didn't belong. The whole first day was absolutely miserable. No one approached you, no one asked your name, or where you came from, they already knew you were an outsider.

Even though you didn't want to go back, obviously, you had to. As soon as you entered through the front doors, you saw her.

Long, curly brown hair fell past her shoulders. The top half was pinned back, a style that seemed to be popular around there. Her skin was glowing, literally, because the early morning sun was seeping through the door every time it opened. She'd been turned to the side, talking to a couple of boys, but you also catch her eye.

When you realize she's excusing herself and walking toward you, you start walking to your homeroom. However, she's faster than you and catches up.

"Hello, I'm Kiara, and you are?" As you look over at her, you realize that she's more beautiful than you thought initially. You immediately wondered if she was one of the popular girls you hadn't met yet.

"I'm Y/N."

Kiara smiles only enough for you to see small lines at the corners of her mouth. "Is today your first day?"

Your hopes of getting her to go away with short answers fall to the floor. "Yesterday, actually."

"God, I bet it was terrible, right? I took a much-needed skip day. These people are such pricks, so far up their own asses literally all the time." Kiara rolls her eyes at you, and your jaw drops slightly from shock.

When you don't say anything, she looks over at you, and suddenly she's laughing. "Tell me I'm wrong. You can't, can you?"

"U-uh, I guess n-not. I-I'm surprised-"

"That I'm not one of them? Trust me, I hate being here. I would not be here if it were my choice." She says through her giggles, and you start laughing with her.

"Amen to that."

"You can call me, Kie."

First Goodbye

The end of the school year was here. Most of your classmates were chattering about spending the summer in the Outer Banks. Including Kie, she'd been telling you for weeks now that she couldn't wait to see her three best friends every day again.

"You can ride the ferry over and hang out with us! They'd get along with you so well because I do." Kiara slings an arm around your shoulder, exiting the school building for the last time.

She had really become your best friend. It was fun to feel like you could do anything with her by your side. That mainly meant standing up to these crazy kooks, but you wouldn't have survived this year without her. As much as you hated the people here and what they stood for, you got the full kook experience. On nights you'd attend sporting events and the after parties that followed, she'd stay with you. Then that turned into an almost all of the time thing, and if she wasn't with you, then you were with her. Even your parents had become friends.

"Actually, I'll be spending the next three months out of state. My grandma isn't doing very well, so my family wants to be close when, you know, it happens." You recognize that you're responsible for instantly bringing the mood down, but you didn't mean to. It slipped, plus you were going to have to tell her eventually.

"Oh." Kie stops walking. Your cars are at separate ends of the parking lot, so this would be where you have to part ways.

"I guess that means I should tell you this now." She mumbles, and you duck your head slightly to let her eyes find yours.

"What is it?"

"My parents agreed that if I put in an effort here for one year, I could move the next. I'm registered at Kildare County High School for the fall." Kiara chews on her lips, something you learned she does when she's nervous.

And for some reason, you feel this odd pit in your stomach. This feels like it's more than losing a best friend, but you can't put your finger on it.

"Oh." Now it's your turn to be surprised.

Tears well up in your eyes, and you feel stupid because of it. It's not even from thinking about having to endure these people without her, it's just about being without her. You look up to the sky and try to blink away the water before it falls.

"I know, I should've told you sooner, but I didn't know if they'd still hold up their end of the deal. This isn't the place for me, and I know it's not for you either, but I'm going to take my chance and go." Kie reaches for your hand, and you look at her.

"No, you're right to go, I don't blame you. Just sad cause I'll miss you, that's all." You smile to lighten the mood, it had suddenly felt too serious and dramatic.

She pulled you into a hug, squeezing you tight. "Update me on your grandma, okay? I'll only be a boat ride away when you get back."

When she pulls away, her eyes are shiny too. All you can do is nod, and then you're walking in different directions with tight chests and broken hearts that you'd chalked up to teenage hormones.

You never updated her, but she never asked.

Second Hello

Another school year passed. This one not as nearly eventful as the last. You actually spent most of it at home, claiming to the deans of the school that you were still recovering from your grandmother's death. Whether that was true or not is still up for debate. She was your best friend, and you'd only became closer over her last couple of months. Some days it was fine, and the next, it felt like it had just happened again.

What mattered now was that your parents had bought a house in Figure 8. They'd sold your grandma's house and land to do so. It didn't feel like a big deal to you, but nothing had recently. The house has actually been brought to your parent's attention because Kiaras parents reached out, saying they thought it would be perfect for your family's summer house.

That part hadn't really sunk in until your move-in day. You were driving through the neighborhood behind your parents, observing all of the ridiculously huge houses. It was when you saw Kie's car parked in a driveway, only three houses down from yours that you realized what was happening. Sure, you knew you were moving to the outer banks that everyone else in your class seemed to talk about and love, but you didn't realize it was her Outer Banks too. The dots hadn't connected yet, and now that they were, all you could feel was panic.

Did Kie know you'd be here? Did her parents tell her, and she never reached out? Are you supposed to approach her or the other way around? Or are you supposed to act like you don't know her? Why was seeing someone you used to be attached at the hip with such nerve-wracking and scary?

You went with the ignore option. Pretending you don't know her is easy enough, because you weren't going to go anywhere. None of the kooks particularly liked you. Therefore you weren't getting invited anywhere, so you'd just lay low. That was the plan.

The plan came crashing down when you find yourself at a kegger on the beach. How you got here? A blonde boy doing newspaper routes in your neighborhood had caught you outside. He invited you, and your parents were standing there, so you had to say yes.

And you thought of all the ways you could get out of it, but then your dad insisted on driving you. Making an escape wasn't an option anymore, either.

So you kind of made your rounds. Walking around the perimeter of the party slowly. Some of your classmates said hi, some turned their backs. Either way, you were standing alone with the aforementioned blonde boy approached you.

"Mail girl, you're here. How do you feel about it so far?" He outstretches his hand that has a full red cup in it, but you decline.

"First, you're mail boy, I had nothing to do with the mail." You crack a small smile, and so does he. "Second, it's not my scene. I think I'll ditch soon, but thanks for the invite."

"You can call me JJ instead of mail boy, but whatever works for you. Do you want to meet my friends first? Maybe you'll want to stay." JJ points over his shoulder with his thumb.

In hindsight, this is where your brain should've reminded you of your bad luck and karma, but it failed you. So you nodded and followed JJ through the crowd.

The first two people he brings you to are a tall typical surfer boy and another who was dressed similarly but looked entirely too uncomfortable to be there.

"John B, Pope, this is..." JJ turns to you, clearly waiting for you to say your name, but it's funny to watch him stutter. "Mail, girl."

The smirk that spreads across his face makes you roll your eyes, "Actually, my name is-"

"Y/N?"

The three boys' attention is now on whoever is speaking behind you, but you know who it is already.

You turn on your heel. Your heart is already beating out of your chest. Is she going to be mad that you never reached out? Should you be angry that she didn't? Out of all the possibilities in your mind, what she actually did wasn't one of them.

Kie pretty much jumped toward you, embracing you immediately. It takes you a second, but you wrap your arms around her too. It didn't matter anymore what happened before, who didn't call who and all of that.

"I missed you." She breathes, squeezing you tighter. Your heart swells, but your brain tells you this is more. More than only best friends. It clicks with you why the pain of losing her hurt so badly. You have feelings for her.

"I missed you too." You sigh, letting yourself relax. Your feelings would be a bridge crossed at some other time, but for now, you're going to focus on catching up.

First kiss

Kie was laying against you on the sofa bed at the Chateau. It was late, the moon high in the sky. You were holding her hand and playing with her fingers. Her other arm was underneath you, hand tracing circles on your back. Neither of you were asleep, but you weren't talking either. It was comfortable.

Physical affection was something you'd both grown to love. It was always small things like sitting so close in the van that your knees touched, toying with the bracelets on her arms, or cuddling when you decided to stay over at John B's. It was a way to tell each other the things you didn't want to say out loud yet.

You shifted a little, so your chin lined up with her mouth. She tilts her head so she can look at your face, but you don't budge, you're already starting to blush.

Then, you feel a warm spot on your jawline. A small muah sound follows. Kie kissed you.

Now you're really blushing, your heart is in your ears as you look down at her. You're already so close that your noses brush. Her eyes flicker from your eyes, down to your lips, and back up again. Somehow, you'd convinced yourself that your feelings were one-sided. That Kie was a physical person anyway, but you were wrong.

She's waiting for you because her signal has been sent loud and clear. You only hesitate for a second before you close the tiny gap, pressing your lips against hers softly.

The kiss was slow and gentle, but it felt magical. It was perfect. Kie pulls away for just a second before she kisses you again, both smiling into it.

First date

Kiara told you not to make dinner plans, so you told your parents you'd be with the Pogues and made your way to the Carrera residence. She was standing outside, waiting for you with her car already running.

"Ready?" She gives your cheek a quick peck and slaps your butt as you go around to the passenger side of the car.

"I don't know how I feel about surprises." You laugh. Kie is crazy sometimes, there is no telling what she's getting you two into.

"You'll like this one, I promise."

After a few minutes, you pull up to The Wreck. The lights look like they're off on the outside, but that's normal because the restaurant is always closed on Mondays. "I just have to get something before we go. Will you come with?"

Kie gives you her best pouty face, and you can't help but give in. She retakes your hand when you meet in front of the car, leading you to the front door that she unlocks first. When you enter the dining area, your jaw drops.

Candles are lining the bar, all of the tables are pushed back except for one in the middle. Hot, fresh food is sitting on top of it with more candles in between each dish. Your favorite song is playing softly.

"Are you kidding me? This is the cutest thing anyone's ever done for me." You tug on her hand, so she spins back toward you and into your arms.

"Dance later, let's eat first. I'm going to tell our volunteer cook she can go." Kie wiggles her eyebrows and disappears behind the bar as you sit down.

"Thanks, Sarah!" You call out, laughing to yourself about figuring it out.

"How did you know?" Sarah pops out from the doorway.

"I figured neither of our parents knows, an actual employee couldn't be trusted, and the boys don't keep secrets... So that leaves you." Kiara is standing behind her now.

"Damn, I really thought I had it in the bag."

Both you and Sarah laugh before Sarah excuses herself, tell you two to have a good night.

Most of the dinner is spent talking about the boys and how you should tell them about the two of you. As far as you both knew, they didn't even know you liked girls, so there was that too. Nevertheless, you'd devised the perfect plan.

After you're finished eating, Kie picks up the speaker from the corner of the room and drags you down to the dock. There are fairy lights strung along the rails. She switches the playlist to softer music and takes you into her arms.

The night is spent dancing around, twirling and dipping each other, just having. Good time. The music is sweet, but the sound of Kie's laughter is so much better.

Making it official

It wasn't planned, it wasn't even thought out.

You were at a Kegger. Next to John B and JJ, who were talking to some Tourons that we're giving you dirty looks for being around. Kie was across the way with Sarah and Pope, but you were both looking at each other.

Neither of you were really the jealous type, but you had grown tired of coming to these things and watching each other getting hit on by various guys.

"Excuse me, boys."

You get to your feet, walking directly to Kie, only stopping to throw away your empty cup.

Sarah sees you coming first, nodding at Kie. "Hey, can we talk?"

"Pope, let's go get those tourons away from my boyfriend." Sarah pushes him to get him to start walking, and he obliges.

"Yeah, what's up?" Kiara narrows her eyes, "You okay?"

"I'm tired." You whine. All you want to do is hold her.

"Sleepy tired? We can tell them we're leaving." She brushes her hand against yours and takes a step past you, but you grab onto her side and pull her back.

"No, tired of the others not knowing. Tired of coming here and pretending to be interested in these guys. Tired of not being able to hold you whenever I want to." You jut your bottom lip out in a pout, and she smiles.

"I know, darling. We'll go tell them now if you want to? I'm ready whenever you are." Kie starts to take another step, but you shake your head. Suddenly realizing what you're doing.

"We had a plan, we can't tell them now. I was being irrational, I think I just got flustered all of a sudden. I don't know what I-"

"What do you want me to do, Y/N/N?" She asks, trying to comfort you.

"I want you to be my girlfriend." You blurt, both of your eyes immediately widening.

Kie squeals, a noise you've never heard before, and then she jumps into your arms. "Oh my god. Of course."

You laugh and let go of her. Both of you glance around for a second, she smooths out her shirt. "Totally normal, right?"

"Yeah, totally normal. Anyway, I'm going to tell them we're leaving now." Kie winks at you before she jogs over to your friends.

Telling the Pogues

Kiara held your hand as the two of you stood in front of John B, JJ, Pope, and Sarah. You'd just said it, but none of them had any reaction.

"If you're going to be mad about the no Pogue on Pogue macking, then you can fuck off cause we aren't dumbasses, and we wouldn't ruin this kind of thing." Kie crosses her arms, looking confused. Why weren't they saying anything?

"Okay, cool. So, anyone up for a boat ride?" John B stands up, looking at each person at a time.

"Excuse me? You guys knew?" Kie's tone is slightly frustrated.

JJ is the first one to laugh, and Sarah's face is bright red.

"Sarah! Come on." You groan, laughing with JJ.

"Listen, I only told Pope, so... the rest is on him."

"You told Pope and not me?" John B whips his head around to look at Sarah.

"Hey, that's not the point. None of you have comments?" You ask, still trying to hold back giggles.

"We" re happy for you." JJ comes forward with his arms outstretched. You and Kie put yourself in his embrace, and the other three follow, making it a group hug.

First I Love You

Being in your house today felt impossible and suffocating. Your parents were acting like nothing had happened, so you left.

You found yourself sitting on the dock at the Chateau, feet dangling in the water. John B wasn't home, but you were thankful no one was here to see you cry.

Watching your tears fall into the water seemed to calm you down. The ripples they made were satisfying, at least. You look closer to see a reflection standing over you, and recognize it as Kie. You hadn't even heard her walk up.

"Hi, angel." She sits down next to you, slinging an arm around your shoulder and also putting her feet in the water. "How are you holding up?"

All you can do is shrug your shoulders.

"You miss her. That's normal. Do you want to tell me about her?" Kie leans in to kiss a tear off of your cheek.

"How'd you know?" It's been a year today since your grandmother died. Thinking about it makes you feel like the wind has been knocked out of you.

"I just know." She takes both of your hands in hers and squeezes.

"She was so funny. There was rarely a moment we weren't laughing with her. But she was tired, and she hated being old, so she knew it was her time. I always admired that, that she knew it was coming and she was okay with it. Most of the time, I can feel the same way and believe that she's doing better now. And then other times, I realize I won't ever see her again. I won't get to call her and tell her all that I've accomplished, and it hurts like it's fresh again." Your lips quiver as you begin to cry harder. Kiara pulls you into her lap.

"I love you, Y/N. You're strong, and you carry her memory with you in everything you do. You've made it so far without her, and I guarantee she's so proud of that. So am I."

"You what?" You look at her, your whole body is still.

"I'm proud of you." Her brown eyes look a little lighter in the light.

"No. You love me?"

"Yeah. I do."

"I love you more." You press your forehead against hers, watching her roll her eyes before you kiss her.

++

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kiara carrera taglist: @jjfuckr , @newsiestrash123 , @millie-753 ,

[talltalesandbedtimestories]

House Edge

Title:  House Edge (COMPLETE)

Characters/Pairing: Dean Winchester x Reader, Dean Winchester, Sam Winchester

Summary: You're on a Girls Trip to Vegas and meet a certain hunter at the buffet.

Word Count:  9,100

Warnings: fluff, flirting, gambling, strip club, private dance, mild language

A/N:  My first reader insert try. I'm thinking this is sometime around Season 7. Maybe the annual pilgrimage to Vegas when Becky whammies Sam. The majority of events that unfold will probably be right before Dean gets the text from Sam to meet up with him. Thunder From Down Under probably wasn't at Vegas yet - who knows - artistic license and all that. Also, I don't have an extensive knowledge of gambling, so most of what you'll read is from what I've Googled. If something is terribly wrong, feel free to let me know. But, I tried to stay in the vague zone.

Your head pounded and sloshed from the one too many Malibu Bay Breezes you’d ingested during the “Thunder From Down Under” show that ended minutes ago. Three of the nine others in your group were still hooting and hollering at the oil slicked row of hyper muscled, surreal Australian blokes on stage. In addition to the baby oil, the men were bathing in the estrogen overload and accolades washing over them. Wads of cash, stuffed into the glittery floss substituting as underwear, stuck to aforementioned oil slicked skin.

It had been fun, there was no doubt. But the lights and the music and the rabid female reactions were hitting you all at once. Kasey pulled you by the elbow and screamed in your ear. “Wanna get a photo with Faux Fabio?” She pointed to the long-haired blond Adonis with a shoulder span the width of a football field.

You frowned. “How much is that going to run me?”

“Shannon!” Kasey called across the table, still too close to your delicate ear drums. “How much to rub up to one of ‘em?” You were glad you weren’t sharing a room with Kasey. She’d be hurling in the toilet for most of the night after the number of Tequila shots she’d downed. So far. And the night was relatively early. Especially for Vegas.

“Thirty bucks, I think.” Shannon shrugged, paying more attention to her phone.

You shook your head. Your single status and mid-level office job already had you on a strict budget for this girls’ getaway weekend. “I’m good. Besides, the more up close I get, the more disappointed I think I’ll be.” Shannon nodded with a smirk in agreement, still staring at her screen.

Kasey huffed. “Well, Linda, Stacey and Mira are already in line. I’m going to see if I can cut!” She dashed off without another word.

Women skirted and pushed past your standing frame. You tried to become one with the table in front of you. Anything to avoid being pulled into the stampede or thrown to the ground, and mercilessly stomped on by stilettos and sneakers.

Even Shannon looked a bit miffed at the onslaught as you stared at her in a half-cry for help. “My God.” She rolled her eyes.

“Where did Cathy and that bunch disappear to?” You yelled over.

“Who knows?”

You sighed. “What was next on the itinerary?”

“I think any plans are out the window. Every woman for herself.” Shannon tapped on her phone. “My little one’s running a fever. I’m going to get back to the hotel room so I can check in at home.”

You nodded. The only thing waiting for you at home was your tabby, Tyrion. Your Grandma-type neighbor down the hall, Gladys, had offered to cat sit. So there was no one, human or feline, actually waiting for you back in your one-bedroom apartment in Albuquerque.

Holding your breath, you pushed yourself into the crowd, moving against the current towards the exit instead of the line for photos. The quadruple threat of your old college pals was screaming in line about which stripper had the tightest ass.

It wasn’t that you didn’t want to have a good time or ogle good looking men. Far from it. But gambling was more your scene anyway. You had a pretty good teacher with your last boyfriend when it came to Blackjack. You breathed a sigh of relief when you shimmied out of the entertainment venue and stepped foot onto the busy carpet of the Excaliber’s casino floor. Your phone read 9:10 pm. There was still plenty of time to lose your shirt.

You’d popped a few aspirin and downed a whole bottle of water in the sitting area of the women’s bathroom, hoping to fend off a killer hangover in the morning. A quick reapplication of lipstick and you were ready to scope out a good table.

After about an hour, you’d split, hit, and stood with the best of them at one table. There’d been one experienced player, Ron, that looked like he’d planted roots in the seat next to you. He got to talking, as the old timers usually did, and you’d learned he was born and raised in Reno. You had a nice little chat with Ron and Stevie, the female dealer, and fended off a few men who sat on the other side and hit on you more than the cards they were dealt.

“That is not a bad takeaway, there.” Ron nodded when you decided to cash out.

“Thanks. Pleasure, Ron. You take care.”

“You too, pretty lady. Remember what I said about Roulette. You should try it once.”

The betting chips clinked in your plastic souvenir cup. “I might.”

He tipped you a two-finger salute. You wandered, your stomach empty. The buffet to end all buffets calling your name.

“Fuck it.” After turning most of your chips into cash at the counter, leaving one $50 chip in your jean pocket, you headed for the International food amalgamation that guaranteed intense heartburn and bloating in the morning.

Fluorescent lights and sneeze shields presented you with choices beyond comprehension. You grabbed a large plate and planned your method of attack. One of your pink manicured nails tapped on the bottom of the china. “Ease into it.” You decided to go with the Mediterranean spread first. Before you knew it, there were helpings of General Tso’s chicken, pizza, potstickers, mashed potatoes and French fries, along with some bratwurst and sauerkraut. The grumbling from your tummy may have been a warning when you sat down at the table for two, alone, on the cafeteria style floor. The waitress gave you a tired smile when she dropped off your iced tea.

You shoveled some sauce drenched chicken into your mouth and took in the scene. People floating around, getting up for seconds or thirds, talking about how much money they lost or won, what shows they should try to see while they were in Vegas. You chewed and stared at the formidable back of a man at the table directly ahead of you. He’d give Faux Fabio a run for his money. He had fluffy, long brown hair. His animated storytelling hands got your attention. You heard a deep chuckle and slurp from his table sharer, out of your view because of the mountain man. “Alright,” the man stated, “Going to give the Poker Room another go. Coming?”

“Nah.” The very deep voice replied. “I’ve still gotta hit the dessert line.” 

You watched the man rise from his seat, floored by how tall he was. And, when he turned, you saw how very cute he was. You’d have paid thirty bucks to snap a picture with this man. He gave you a sweet little smile when he walked past. You couldn’t help but look over your shoulder and take in the rest of him as he left. Smacking your lips and shaking your head, you turned back to your plate to resume the dent made in the food. Your eyes darted up to look at the man left alone at the table. You were pretty sure your mouth gaped open at the sight of him, staring at you. He wiped at his face with a napkin.

Oh my. If the man that left appeared sweet and cute with just a smile, this one was a boatload of sexy and trouble with that smirk. You could tell by the way he took his time inventorying you with care, chewing slow the whole time. One side of his lip curled up in another grin variation. He nodded at you in greeting from across both tables. You smiled back and then pretended to stare at your food. He tossed the napkin on his plate and stood up. You peeked up and noted he was layered in a couple shirts and broken in jeans, like his partner. Not quite as tall; but, still very tall in your estimation. You wondered what he’d look like in a g-string and bathed in baby oil.

And, oh boy. He was walking straight over to your table. Yep, he was very tall, by the way you had to tilt your head backwards when he strolled up. He smacked his lips, disrupting the beaming smile before he spoke. “That was my little brother you were checking out. Want me to give you his number?”

You had to lean back in your seat a bit more. “Um. No, that’s okay.” Geez, he was pretty. Holy Facial Symmetry Batman! 

He nodded, then smiled again. “Want to give me your number?”

You had to chuckle at the bravado. “Does that work for you a lot?”

He shrugged. “Works enough.”

“I don’t doubt it.” You decided to play along. “How long are you in Vegas?”

His brows rose up. “Just tonight.”

You tisked. “Not enough of a time commitment for what I’d want to do.”

He chuckled this time. “Is that so?”

You nodded.

He pointed to your plate. “Can I get you anything? I’m heading back up.”

“I think this should tide me over for a while. But, thanks.”

His jaw clenched. “Can I join you when I get back?”

What the hell. “Sure.” You smiled.

*

“Man, you almost kept up with me.” Dean sighed and rubbed his tummy after his third dessert plate.

“Hardly.” You were only working on your second serving of what might be considered actual food. A half hour had passed, you sitting with this veritable stranger. Talking about nothing of much importance, but having a grand time flirting, enjoying his rough and rugged demeanor and the boyish charm. One of your palms hit the tabletop. “I’m tapping out.”

“Not much for sweets?” He leaned in and studied you. Stunning green eyes twinkled with mischief. He batted the kind of lashes you could only get with a thick coating of mascara. “Or are you already sweet enough?”

“Is this like an Ocean’s Eleven thing?”

His smile dropped, waiting for you to elaborate. “Come again?”

“Am I like some unwitting part of a huge con job going down in the money room right now?”

He chuckled. “I’m not following, sweetheart.”

“Why are you sitting here with me?”

“Are you kidding?” He leaned way back in his chair, teetering on the back two legs. An arm swept out from his side in your direction. “Have you seen yourself?”

You pursed your lips. “Please.”

He raised a hand. “I’m not going to try and convince you. But I may take advantage. Commandeer more of your time, since you think you don’t deserve mine.”

“So you are a con man.”

He shook his head. That smile could only belong to the most skilled grifter. “If I was a good con man, I’d have more than a hundred dollars to my name after half a day in this ‘It’s a Small World’ casino.”

“It is a bit Disneyfied, isn’t it?”

A shrug. “Well, it’s cleaner than the ones near the motel Sam and I are staying at, so that’s a plus.”

The plate of food in front of you looked less and less appetizing as the seconds passed. Pushing it away, you really wanted to dig into the dessert that was Dean. But you’d only had two one-night stands in your life. Neither one was spectacular and left you full of regret that you’d had them to begin with. But this man. Oh, you had a feeling this man would love you and leave you with a million other regrets and create an addiction you’d never be able to fulfill again. What was that saying? Better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all. This man was surging all kinds of wants in your head. If you got a taste, you knew you were done for.

His voice rumbled like a storm cloud and pulled you out of your thoughts. “What’s up for the rest of your night?”

You grinned, wanting to tease out this time with him for as long as possible. Skirt on the edge of a pond of possibilities and drown in those sometimes sea green colored eyes. “I told you there’s not enough time if you’re leaving tonight.”

“Pretty good at completing a task quickly and efficiently.” He licked his lips. “I mean, taking my time, yeah, that’s always ideal. But, if we’re pressed for time, sweetheart, I won’t disappoint.” His brow twitched up.

You sighed, sounding a little too loud and desperate for your liking. “Does a guarantee come with that claim?”

“How much of a gambler are you?” He deflected the question with another.

“I enjoy it.”

“I might be worth taking a chance on, then.”

“Hm. I met a nice old man while playing black jack tonight. He talked about odds and luck and the house edge and why he loves cards, black jack especially. It works his brain and he can play for hours and not lose his shirt.”

Dean smiled. “So, what kind of hand am I? Soft or hard?”

You grinned at the innuendo, trying to keep your train of thought on its track.  You leaned across the table. He mirrored your action, meeting you halfway. His hands clasped together on the surface, forearms firm and locked. The closest stare you’d shared. 

Both thumbs lifted up in his grip and he nodded a fraction with his chin. “Well, what’s the verdict?” You could smell apples, cinnamon, and vanilla on his breath; courtesy of his indulgence in pie ala mode and his slightly parted mouth. He came into full focus now. Freckles dotting the tops of his cheeks and sprinkled across his nose. Lips that were perfect, puffy and pronounced. Sharp edges and soft curves. He watched you inventory him as he did the same, eyes scanning, crinkles emerging around them when he smiled and you thought he found something he especially liked about your visage. The gamblers and diners dropped away from your periphery. The piped in music and frantic sounds locked away in a vacuum, muffled and mumbling like the adults in those Peanuts cartoons you loved to watch when you were little.  

“Neither. You are in no way a safe bet. You’ve got a major house edge.” Your answer came out lower than intended. The slight mix of surprise and disappointment on his face at the answer made you clear your throat. You continued. “So, why gamble in the first place? Cause there’s always the slightest chance you’ll get lucky and hit it big. Flip a coin and see where it’ll land.”

The smile returned and he shot stick-straight in his seat. “I’ve got plenty of coins.” He began to rifle through a jacket pocket. “Two out of three?” You held back a giggle at his eagerness.

“I’ve got one right here.” You dug the chip out of your jean pocket. The plastic disc twirled between your fingers. “Wanna see where it lands?”

His eyes widened. “Big spender. What’re we betting?”

It was your turn to lean back. “Depends. How lucky do you feel?”

He chuckled. “Stakes? And, then I’ll let you know.”

You swallowed. “Well, Ron, the old man, was explaining that Roulette has the best House Edge for the casino. Over five percent in their favor that a player loses. Think you can be my lucky charm and push those odds in my favor?”

He nodded. “What we talkin’? Street or split bet?”

The man knew his games. You smiled. “Straight up.”

His head tilted back. “Whoa. That’s a helluva lot of luck.” A finger pointed back and forth between the both of you. “I help you hit the jackpot and…”

You grinned. “You hit the jackpot. Call the shots for the rest of the night. We go wherever. Do whatever.”

His lips curled into an “O” as he tried to hold back his own grin. He nodded in thought. “If you lose?”

You shrugged. “Buy me a drink at the nearest bar, share some more stories, then we shake hands and say it was nice meeting the other.”

He raised his hands. “Well, I will take those odds. Let’s go find us a wheel.” His tall frame bolted out of his seat, beaming a smile at you.

Your heart sped up. There was no way he was winning this bet. But he seemed up for spending a little more time with you regardless. And that said something. You reached into your purse to drop a tip on the table but he’d already beat you to it.

“Lead the way, sweetheart.”

You nodded and wandered from the restaurant to the massive casino floor. He towered next to your side, the elbow of his jacket brushing against the sheer material covering your biceps. He smelled amazing. When you stopped in the middle of the floor to get your bearings and looked up to ask what direction you both should head, you found him gazing at your cleavage in the strappy surplice top. The look on his face shot straight to your core.

His eyebrows shot up at the realization he’d been caught ogling. “What’s wrong?”

A flush of warmth flooded your face. “We’re using your luck here. You pick the table.”

“Lot of pressure.” He mumbled.

“Lot at stake.” You countered.

“Alright.” He nodded to the right. You followed him, weaving through the crowd, now having the chance to notice his bowlegs and how very wide his shoulder span was. He was wearing entirely too many layers to your liking. But, you got to bathe in the wake of his scent and imagine how very pert that ass was under that denim. He halted without warning and you put the brakes on your stride, inches before careening into his back. His fingers pointed three tables over. “That one.” He looked over his right shoulder and grinned, finding your body and face quite close. “Step right up.”

You took the lead again and inhaled and exhaled deep, taking the one empty seat at the Roulette table. The wheel was currently in motion, the ball spinning, holding the breath of every gambler with a stake on the result. You heard the clicking of the ball along the slots as the rotation slowed, deciding on its destination.

Dean slid his standing frame along your right. He was warm, solid. He tipped down to whisper in your ear. “Sure you wanna go for a straight bet? Making me think you don’t even want a little fun time with me. We could lower the stakes. I’d be more than happy to let you call the shots for the rest of the night.” The offer dripped out of his voice with a deep intensity, low and tempting.

You would not meet his eyes again, already picturing the sexy smirk on his face. He would distract you, make you cave. “Nope.” You responded. “All in. Go big or go home.” You pulled out the chip from your pocket as the winning number was called. A mixture of whoops and grumbles emerged from the dealer’s announcement. Chips were swept over and around the table.

He sighed and rose up, waiting for the table to be cleared and for the dealer to tell everyone to place their bets. “Okay. What number?”

Your mind reeled with the possibilities. “When’s your birthday?” You asked.

“Seriously?” He chuckled.

“Yep.” Your eyes wandered over the red and black numbers on the green felt board. The all clear was called and chips scattered in place with both hurried and tentative fingers of various betters.

“January 24th.”

“So, we could go with 1 or 24. Red or black?”

Your body startled with the pressure of his hand at the small of your back. “Black.”

“24 it is then.” You gulped and placed the chip with care over the number. It rested there alone, a single play amid a multitude of others.

His fingers tapped against your skin in anticipation. “Well, it was fun while it lasted.” He joked. “Maybe as a parting gift you’ll give me your number.”

You smiled, focusing on the slight swirl of his fingers now, imagining what they could do to other parts of your body.

“No more bets.” The dealer called and waved a hand over the table. The wheel spun in one direction. The ball clicked and whirled in its lane in the other.

You thought about what Blackjack Ron had said earlier. Roulette, straight bet odds were 35 to 1. You could view that bet as a drowning man’s last ditch effort to keep their head above the water’s surface. Hold out for that raft to save them, give them a second chance to get things right. Or, you could view it as something as simple as hope. Hope that great things sometimes happen when you take a risk. You should try it once. That’s what Ron had said. 

You closed your eyes as the wheel slowed and the ball eased in its race for the finish line. You replayed that little mantra, the pep talk you’d give yourself every once in a while in your bathroom mirror. Failure is always a possibility when you try. But so is success.

The dealer announced the winning number. 

Dean’s fingers froze. “Holy fucking shit!” He bellowed.

Your eyes jolted open. The dealer placed a tiny marker on “24 Black.” Your mouth dropped open and watched the chips stack up in front of you.

“Holy fucking shit!” Dean repeated. “How much is that?”

You blinked, then repeated the calculation out loud you had figured out when you threw out the dare. “One thousand, seven hundred, and fifty dollars.”

“Wow!” You looked up and assessed his face. He was floored and amazed, like a kid that was just told he had free reign in a toy store. “That’s… that’s some luck.”

“All you.” You grinned.

The compliment took him aback. There was the slightest hint of blush on those cheeks.

You motioned to the winnings. “Okay, grab some and let’s cash out. Half of this is yours.”

Even more amazement. “That wasn’t part of the deal.”

“I’m feeling generous.” You packed the chips into your purse. He stuffed some into his pockets. When you rose up, a jolt of adrenaline pushed you into a new territory of action. One filled with courage. You took your time and slithered close to his standing frame. Let parts of your body sweep along his. His brows rose higher than you’d seen so far that night. “Looks like you’re calling the shots now, Dean. We go wherever. Do whatever.”

A delicious lick of his lips followed your statement. His eyes dazzled with thoughts. “Let’s get out of here.”

*

You’d walked with him along the strip for what felt like forever. He’d gotten you a cup of frozen yogurt for part of the adventure. The warm air and pulse of Vegas fed your lingering alcohol buzz. Dean was just as intoxicating. He talked in cryptic paragraphs about him and his brother’s nomadic lifestyle. You laughed at his dirty jokes, both basking in the artificial glow surrounding you and the high of winning. But you, most importantly, let go of the decision making. 

A turn off the busy, fluorescent lit thoroughfare landed you in a much more adult amusement area of the city. And, you had an inkling, heading in the direction of Dean’s motel. You’d finished the last bit of your treat and tossed the empty cup and spoon into a nearby trash can when he stopped to read the flashing sign of a venue. 

His rapt stare forced you to look up and see what he was focusing on. The amber neon depicted the figure of a voluptuous female with flowing hair, one leg wrapped around a bright white pole. You read the name of the establishment out loud. “Sapphire Gentlemen’s Club?”

He turned to you and grinned. “Been in one of these before?”

You felt your brow scrunch together. “Well, no.”

He walked over to the glass door covered in dark film. “Well, let’s go, then.”

“Really? This is what you want to do?”

“At this moment? Yes.” He opened the door and ushered you in. “My lady.”

You chuckled and shook your head. “Are you trying to test my comfort level or something?” The question breezed by his frame as you passed.

“Something like that.” He smiled.

You really didn’t know what to expect when you walked in. A bouncer looking dude waved you in after a quick survey. Dean’s hand was on your back again, as it had been off and on throughout the evening, leading you towards the dim section of tables and booths. It was packed with, from what you could see, a majority of male patrons with the occasional token female. The tables wrapped around a few circular stages with catwalks emerging from blue velvet curtains. A dozen or so topless females danced for the pleasure of their audiences. The bass of the music rumbled through your skin.

“Here.” Dean leaned in, pushing you to a free high top right by one of the stages. Enough light spilled onto the area that you spotted the kid in a toy store look on his face again when he took his seat.

You sat across, tearing your gaze from him to the ladies wrapped around poles, bronzed and oiled similar to the male counterparts you’d been hooting at earlier that evening.

“Thought you could see how the other half lives, after that Australian review.” Dean brought up the exact same thought, only he shivered in distaste. A wave of his hand requested the attention of one of the waitresses who thankfully, for you, wore a bit more than the dancers.

“Hello, lovelies. I’m Cherie. What can I get you?” She purred over to Dean and gave you a sweet smile, dropping napkins in front of your spots. Her bare glittery shoulders and cocoa skin made you crave chocolate for a second.

Dean’s lips quirked up in a smile. You realized he’d been giving your reaction more attention than the female with big onyx eyes and raven, wavy hair.  “I’ll have a bourbon. Top Shelf. Neat. What are you having, sweetheart?”

You shrugged, continuing the little game you’d started since he won the bet.

He nodded. “Same for this pretty little lady.” The waitress nodded, about to walk off, when Dean asked, “Oh, what’s it cost for a private show in the back?”

The waitress raised a pencil lined eyebrow. “Depends on who you want the show with.”

“Are you available?” Dean grinned.

She giggled. “I might be.”

“Well, if you are, let me know what it’d be for the both of us?”

“Will do, sweetie.” Cherie bounced off with a pronounced sway of her ample hips.

 Your mouth popped open. “What?”

“Whatever I want.” He reminded you with a lick of his lips. He leaned his forearms on the table. “You ever, ah…”

An awkward giggle erupted from your throat. “No.”

He shrugged and smiled. “Thought about it?”

“Maybe.”

That made Dean’s grin grow wider. “Well, it’s only a dance. You technically aren’t supposed to touch the ladies. Sometimes, though, you get lucky. And, the way my luck is going tonight… got to give it a shot.” His fingers brushed over the top of your hand. “Get something etched in my memory for repeat viewings later.”

The touch of his fingers, light and gentle, ticklish and thrilling, hit an itch you couldn’t quite scratch. You emitted something between a laugh and a sigh. “You’re going to blow all your winnings tonight on booze and boobs.”

“Worth it. I’m getting to spend it with a beautiful partner in crime.”

You sat with him and watched the show. A country tune blasted through the sound system. The ladies all sashayed back to the curtains, flinging them back with a dramatic flair. They disappeared only to be replaced by cowboy hat and boot wearing dancers. Daisy dukes rode so high up that half of their ass cheeks bulged out. Holsters, hung loose from their waists, held fake pistols that, when pulled out for use, were done so with the most phallic inducing reminders. And all had the perkiest, perfect breasts you’d ever seen.

His fingers tangled into yours about midway through the performance. “Thank God I’m a country boy.” He tipped his head about to the twang. “So, Albuquerque, huh?”

You attempted to track the conversation and not the feel of his warm skin tingling yours. The pads of his fingers were rough and worn, gritty but not harsh. You imagined what kind of work he did to get them that way. “Yeah. Moved there after college. Got a job at a big research company. Glorified office assistant, so just the mundane business stuff that helps keep everyone employed on the books, bills paid.”

“Research?” His smile softened, listening to you.

“Sustainable energy, nuclear weapons.”

His bottom lip jutted out as he nodded. “Like it?”

“More days than not.” Your eyes widened as one of the dancers provocatively licked the barrel of her toy gun. You couldn’t help but laugh in embarrassment. “Geez, I’ve never done that with a firearm.”

Dean chuckled. “What have you done with a firearm?”

“I’ve got a license to carry. My dad taught me how to shoot when I was around thirteen. He was a big time game hunter. Back in Colorado.” You didn’t bother to go into what happened to your parents. You wanted to keep the tone of the night light and fun.

“What do you carry?” Genuine interest spread over his face now.

“Walther PPQ. But I left it back home.” You smiled, realizing he was not put off and probably carried as well. “Are you packing?”

“Oh, I’m packing,” He grinned, “but my gun’s back at the motel. Not a good idea to mix Vegas nightlife and bullets, I’ve learned.” That sounded like a perfect lead-in for a story. But he only added. “M1911.”

You nodded then asked, “Country boy, huh?”

“Yep, Kansas.”

“We could have hit Stoney’s then.”

“You would have tried to get me to dance.” He nodded to the stage. “More fun to watch.”

Cherie returned, interrupting the flow of conversation with two tumblers of bourbon. After placing the glasses on the table and eyeing the way Dean gripped your hand, she leaned in close to his ear and whispered. You struggled to make it out, giving up when it proved pointless. His lids lifted a fraction. “Well, that sounds positively delightful, Cherie.” He added with a sexy swagger. “Think you can get yourself one of those cowgirl outfits?”

She nodded. “See what I can do. Jimmy’ll come by for you two in about a half hour then.” Another nearby table called her away.

Dean grabbed his glass and raised it for a toast. “To Vegas.”

You shook your head and clinked your glass with his, mumbling. “To Vegas.”

*

The sparkling beaded fringe curtaining the doorway was a nice touch. You pushed through the strands and took in where you’d be with Dean for the next twenty minutes, along with Cherie, who was on her way. It was enough privacy for an intimate dance. Safe enough, you imagined, that if one of the women had to call for an assist from a handsy client, someone could be there in a flash without impediment. Burly Jimmy, about a foot taller than Dean, seemed to be the bouncer/bodyguard for the ladies and waited outside in the hallway.

“Really playing up the Sapphire theme, huh?” You asked Dean for his thoughts on the decor. There were two blue velvet, plush armchairs in opposite corners of the tiny eight by eight space. Two of the walls were floor to ceiling glass and a tinted overhead light washed everything in shades of midnight blue.

“Fancy.” He teased. “One of the deluxe rooms.”

The two bourbons you had milked at the table for the last half hour had sizzled your senses with a warm euphoria. Almost like you were watching yourself in some sort of out of body experience. Had it really only been a few hours since you’d seen your girlfriends? You glanced at your watch and confirmed in the spin of your head it was a little after midnight. Your brain and body were wired and alert due to the proximity of this man pushing all your buttons tonight. It was raw, racy, a revelation in facets of sexiness you’d never had the honor of being in the presence of. Until tonight.

He’d teased with playful touches; flirted with that outlaw mouth; melted you with heated stares; worn you down with roguish charm; and hinted at some heavy shit  that made you wonder how broken he might be under all that attractive armor. The alcohol had let his guard down a few times.

“Hey.” Dean snapped his fingers and brought you back. “You still with me, beautiful? I think we need to cut you off.”

You clicked your tongue and shot him with your finger gun. “Might be right, partner.”

He chuckled. “Yeah. Think so.” He rubbed his hands together and spotted a touchscreen in the wall. “Huh, even get to pick the music. Real fancy.” He pointed to one of the chairs. “Get comfy.” He tapped some buttons. You slid into the cushion, trying not to imagine the amount of bodily fluids embedded in the fabric. It did smell nice and clean, almost antiseptic, so that settled one of your racing thoughts. Your stare lingered over at Dean, a pensive look on his face as he decided on the tracks. It had to be illegal for someone to be that handsome without even trying. “Damn, it’s hot in here.” He pulled off his jacket and one layer of flannel, draping them over the back of the empty chair. His simple black t-shirt strained over his shoulders, biceps, chest. The alcohol had to be part of the reason he looked so perfect. No way, you kept thinking, no one’s that perfect.

The beads parted and Cherie strolled into the room. She had certainly done what she could to honor Dean’s request. She wore the same white vinyl hot pants and matching color stripper pumps that comprised her waitress attire. But she’d gone full on country bumpkin with a plaid flannel tied in a knot under her push up bra, and a cowboy hat.

“Did you pick your tunes, Cowboy?” She flirted at Dean.

“Yep.” The wide, cheesy grin spread over his face.

“Have a seat, time’s a wastin’.” She was working the southern accent, too. Dean hopped onto the other seat cushion and wiggled his ass into position. He also wiggled his eyebrows like a cartoon villain at you. You giggled. 

Cherie tapped the screen. You were unsurprised by the country music that filled the room at a respectable volume. “Jimmy explain all the rules?” She asked and began to gyrate her hips to the song.

You nodded and replied, your eyes bouncing from Cherie to Dean, “You get to touch us, we don’t touch you. Stay in our seats. If we aren’t sure if we can, ask first.”

Cherie twirled and stopped to smile down at you. “I bet you were top of your class, hun.”

Your cheeks heated up at the flirting. This woman was obviously younger than you by at least a decade and was calling you hun. Dean’s jaw clenched at your reaction.

“So, what brings the two of you to Vegas?” Cherie turned around, giving you a full face of her curvy hips and tiny waist. The white pants almost glowed in the light and you could hear the slight squeak of material. Her moves were smooth, fluid, second nature.

Dean was getting a full face of the cleavage peeking out of her shirt as she bent down to give him a nice view. “Romantic getaway for my girl, here.” His eyes drifted over to you, past Cherie’s elbow, with a smirk.

Oh, this is how we’re playing it now, you thought. You had to admit the idea of you being his girl was absolute heaven.

“Aw, how sweet. How long you two been together?” She rose up, her hands gripping the back of her neck, elbows jutting out like wings. She twirled to look at you. She backed into Dean’s lap and began to circle and skirt her ass along his thighs. Cherie blocked his beautiful face with pink flannel. The only Dean reaction visible were his fingers latching onto the armrests like a vice.

You stifled a giggle. “Five years.” You threw out the first number you could think of.

“A lot of man to be working with for five years.” She smiled.

You couldn’t argue with that.

“Alright if I put my hands on him, darlin’?”

You heard Dean moan. How could you deny him? And, how fun that she was asking you for permission and not bothering with his approval. “Of course.” You swallowed at the intimate turn things were taking.

She lifted up, turned again. Her hands landed on Dean’s knees. “Let’s let your pretty lady see how much you’re enjoying this.” She cooed and spun him in the - surprise - rotating chair. You got an eyeful at this angle of that chiseled face and the wide eyes from his own surprise at the movement. He glanced over at you, turning serious in a second. It was like someone had turned the temperature on to sauna level in the room. 

Cherie’s actions focused Dean’s attention back to her. Her fingers and long nails drifted and scraped along the surface of his hands, forearms, biceps. Her palms came to rest on his shoulders. She climbed on top with grace, wedging her knees into the cushion by his hips, clamping his bowlegs shut with the force of her muscular calves. Her heels poked out from the chair like weapons. That ass settled on his knees. Her cleavage inched closer to his face as he settled and reclined into the headrest. 

“How does he feel?” You realized you had asked the question out loud.

Dean turned to you, languid and lush, blissed out and smiling in a lustful stupor.

“Warm. Strong. All sorts of good.” She smiled at you. “Lucky lady.”

If only, you thought.

Dean licked his lips at you, delved his gaze into Cherie’s cleavage, then met the dancer’s stare. “If you think I feel good, you should give my girl a test drive.” He unclenched his grip on the armrest for a few seconds, maybe trying to get some circulation back in his fingers. “In fact, I’d love it if you’d tell me how good my baby feels.”

Holy shit. Your panties dampened at his confession.

Cherie grinned. “Well, that’s up to your baby. Woman always gets the final say.”

“Ain’t that the truth.” Dean chuckled. “I’ve gotta run everything by her, or else I’d get spanked. Can I tell you a secret, Cherie?” Dean husked out the question. Cherie nodded in interest, grinding on him now. Dean cocked a brow at the action. “Sometimes I get in trouble on purpose, just so she can spank me.”

You couldn’t help but giggle at that; the thrill and imagery of Dean naked, leaned over your lap with a bright red ass after some serious punishment from your hand.

“Sounds like you’re a handful.” Cherie snuggled down deeper, and dry humped him. “Feel like a nice handful, too.” She was humming along to the country tune. Just another day at the office for Cherie.

It felt all sorts of wrong and right at the same time, watching this lap dance. This teasing, edging. Who the hell has the House Edge in this scenario?

Dean’s hands clenched tighter around the velvet. “Don’t wanna come in my pants, Sweet Cherie. Isn’t that one of the rules?” He panted.

She laughed. “Oh, I’d break a couple for you two.” She slowed the torture and peeled off him with a groan that almost matched Dean’s. “We going for that test drive, baby?” Her hungry eyes scanned your seated frame.

“Um…” You began. Dean’s breathing regulated and he circled the seat back to face you. He grinned at you, peeking over the curve of Cherie’s hips, ready for the show.

“It’s okay. Anyplace you don’t want me touching, just streetlight. Only if you want to indulge your man.” She raised a brow. “But you might like it, too.”

“Oh, God, I hope so.” Dean mumbled.

Cherie did the same with your chair as she had with Dean’s. You tilted, looking at yourself beyond Dean in the mirror. How very deer in the headlights you appeared. Cherie was a veritable tigress, running the entire show.

She leaned down, inches from your face. Her fingers wiggled and she cupped your jaw. “I won’t bite.” Her sweet breath laced with peppermint washed over you. “So warm. Don’t be nervous.” Her soft voice lulled you into a safe space. “Your big strong man over there wouldn’t let anything happen to you. Would you, Cowboy?”

“Absolutely, fucking not.” Dean’s voice shot straight to your core again. You caught him licking his lips. He nodded, entranced at the vision of Cherie guiding her hand down the slope of your neck, then cupping the curve of one breast. Your breath hitched as she squeezed and her long nails dipped into the cleavage. “How’s she feel?” Another lick.

“Hm, so soft.” An eyebrow arched when she skirted over your covered nipple. “And excited. Still green, sweetie?” You nodded. Cherie tipped off the cowboy hat, sliding it over the crown of your head.

Dean rumbled out a low moan. You thought you heard him curse under his breath and whisper something close to “Ride ‘em, cowgirl.”

The arousal created by this beautiful woman was dizzying and the heat from Dean’s stare was making it hard to breathe. Sweat broke out on your forehead. Your stomach churned. “Oh.” Something else was threatening to escape as a sour bile hit the base of your throat. “Oh, no.” You mumbled. “Red, red. I need to get to a bathroom.”

Cherie hopped off and grabbed you by the wrist. “Jimmy! Need a trash can, stat.”

Dean jumped up from his seat. You spotted alarm on his face and got a quick glimpse of a decent bulge in his jeans before you groaned again at the somersaults your insides were doing. A hand clamped over your mouth as you forced down the gag and swallowed. It wasn’t going to be long before the entire floor would be covered with a Vegas buffet.

The saving grace that was Jimmy parted the curtains and slid a small desk trash can over in your general direction. Dean fell to his knees and held it in front of you. Cherie tossed off the cowboy hat you were wearing and held your hair back.

A deep inhale of the artificial lemon smell covering the trash can liner was what finally had you retching.

*

You emerged from the women’s bathroom fifteen minutes later after the whole fiasco had commenced. Cherie had been nice enough to bring you a disposable toothbrush and some toothpaste from backstage. You’d cleaned yourself up as best you could. But you were exhausted, humiliated, and planned to call yourself a cab. You were certain Dean had called it a night, leaving your sorry ass to figure things out.

How surprised, then, your face must have looked to see him leaning against the wall, Cherie’s cowboy hat twirling in his hands. He was back in his flannel and jacket, staring out onto the stage. The hint of movement by your slow trudges catching his attention, he turned and gave you a soft smile. “Hey there. How’re you doing?”

You shrugged. “I’m so sorry.” Your scratchy voice skipped over the apology.

He walked over to you. “I pushed my luck… and yours… a bit too far. I’m sorry.” He grinned and placed the hat on your head. “Cherie said you could have it. A parting gift for the both of us.”

A smile broke out on your face.

“You look really cute, Cowgirl.”

“You stayed?” You questioned.

Dean’s face contorted in confusion. “Not like I was going to just skip out on you over some upchuck. Trust me, beautiful, I’ve seen way worse.” He flicked the hat so it rose up an inch higher on your head. “So, calling us a cab or walking you back to your hotel so you can sleep this off? You are going to have one hell of a hangover in the morning.”

You tummy seesawed at the thought of a lot of walking right then. “Cab.”

He nodded and headed for the exit. “Let’s go flag one down.”

“But…”

Dean stopped, wavering in his stride and waited.

“I don’t want to say goodnight yet.”

He smiled, then sighed. “Well, I got a text about an hour ago that little brother is going off on a granola munching hike in the desert by himself.” He scratched the back of his head. “So, if you want to hang out in my seedy motel room for a couple hours, it’s free.”

You grinned, queasy but happy.

*

He’d found a country station on the motel’s radio alarm clock when you’d arrived earlier and forced you to down a bottle of water and pop a couple aspirin. The both of you were now on your third round of War. The conversation had gotten deeper as the battle continued. But there were still the light, fun and flirty moments that made spending this time with him feel even more special. 

You sat cross legged on the blanket Dean had pulled out of his duffel to spare your ass from sitting on the dingy motel room carpet. He sat across from you, back against the foot of his bed, leaning an elbow on one propped up knee, the other leg splayed out on the blanket. You didn’t think his bowlegs could manage a cross legged position and grinned to yourself at the thought.

It was 2:00 am. He showed no signs of fading, but you were struggling. Dean kept glancing at his phone but never faltered to toss down his cards in time with yours.

“Hopefully he’s okay.” You offered. The tinge of pain crept in. You knew you had to say goodbye and call it a night. It was obvious he was worried. His brother had not returned his texts and was still roaming around, somewhere. “I should go. It’s getting really late and you look ready to form a search party.” You tossed your hand of playing cards onto the blanket and attempted a slow rise to your feet. You placed a hand on the cowboy hat to keep it from falling off your head. At least, for now, your stomach had settled. The pounding in your head had lessened.

“I’m surprised your gal pals haven’t been ringing you non-stop.” Dean’s head tilted up and stared.

“I’m the last thing they’re thinking of tonight.” You hadn’t given them much thought either since the first time you’d looked at Dean hours ago. God, it felt like a lifetime ago at this point.

 “You should stay a little longer and at least see who wins. We’re all tied up.”

“We’ll just have to call it a draw.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” He hopped up much quicker than you.

“Where’d I put my bag?” Your eyes found it on the little table by the kitchenette as soon as you’d asked the question. You hobbled over, letting the blood flow into your legs proper again.

As you rummaged through the contents, you heard the volume of the radio go up.

You turned and saw Dean sitting on the edge of the bed, tapping his thighs.

You giggled. “You like this song?”

“Ah, it’s pop-country. But ladies like it, right?”

You shrugged and dropped into the chair beside the table. “Where I’m from, ladies get weak in the knees for Luke.”

Dean grinned that grin you’d seen countless times that night and wished you could see for every night after. He stood up and swaggered over with purpose, in only that black t-shirt, jeans and sock clad feet. He mouthed the words to the song on his approach. Your eyes were locked on those luscious lips and how well he knew the lyrics.

Gonna stomp my boots in the Georgia mud ***

Gonna watch you make me fall in love

Dean pulled the hat off your head and slid it in the perfect sweet spot on his head. The slight tilt was sexy as hell.

Shake it for the birds, shake it for the bees

Shake it for the catfish swimmin' down deep in the creek

For the crickets and the critters and the squirrels

Shake it to the moon, shake it for me girl

Aw, country girl, shake it for me

He teased and smiled, sticking his fingers into the belt loops of his jeans and swirling his hips. You giggled at his awkward and heartfelt attempt at this show and the blush creeping over the apples of his cheeks.

You rose up and joined him, wanting to relieve him from the embarrassment. And, hell, you finally wanted to dance with him. You sidled up into his space, slotted one leg between his bow legs and circled your hips in time to his. That rhythm being something he easily adjusted to and was happy to continue. You looked up into those green eyes, wrapped your hands around his neck and felt his warm, safe hands glide up and down your back. The lyrics came to you easily and you lip synced along with him. It was corny, cheesy, unexpected, and sexy as hell. 

Pony-tail and a pretty smile

Rope me in from a country mile

So come on over here and get in my arms

Spin me around this big ole barn

Tangle me up like grandma's yarn

Yeah, yeah, yeah

The brim of his cowboy hat bopped your nose during a particularly forceful pretend belting of words by Dean. “Sorry.” He spoke aloud and chuckled.

“It’s okay.” You whispered, out of breath from everything he was doing to you. “I’m so glad I took a chance on you, Dean.” 

That one statement pulled you both out of the playful and flirty exploration of each other and the boundaries you’d tested. His focus on your face turned serious. And, even though the uptempo song stomped on in the background, his motions halted. His eyes drank you in, every inch of your face. His fingers danced along your jaw, curled around your neck, angling you up to him. To finally kiss you through the rest of Luke Bryan’s crooning.

Now dance, like a dandelion

In the wind on the hill underneath the pines

Yeah, move like the river flows

Feel the kick drum down deep in your toes

All I wanna do is get to holdin' you

And get to knowin' you

And get to showin' you

And get to lovin' you

'Fore the night is through

Baby, you know what to do

You’d died and gone to heaven; were positive of that fact. No man had ever had lips so soft, a mouth so determined, and knew exactly what to do with the precise amount of pressure and tongue.

As Bryan faded out, you heard the chirping of a phone. Dean broke the kiss and leaned his forehead into yours. You felt the brim of his hat on the top of your head. “Sweetheart…” The moan was a mixture of want and something else.

You sighed and knew. “Your brother.” You motioned over to the bed where his phone was. “You should go.”

He leaned down and kissed you again, placed the cowboy hat back on your head and sprinted to the phone. You did the same, found the contact of a Vegas cab company you’d put in at the start of your trip and dialed. You spoke to the weary dispatcher and repeated the name of the motel, watching Dean reply back to the text as he sat on the bed and slipped into his shoes.

“Not too far. Should only be about five minutes.” You nodded. “You can go. I’ll wait outside.”

He rubbed his thighs. “No way. You’ll wait in here with me.”

“Dean, I…”

He cut you off. “You surprised the hell out of me tonight, beautiful. You were up for everything I threw at ya.” He smiled. A genuine, heart tugging smile.

“The night could have taken a much different turn if I could have held my liquor better.”

He shrugged. “But it was still one helluva night. And, I’m glad you took the chance on me, too.” He offered his phone. “Put your number in.” You smiled and did as asked, then handed it back. He shot you a text. “There. Now, you have mine.” He pulled a business card out of his wallet. “And, here. Don’t ask questions, but if for some reason that phone stops working... call this number and say you need to get in touch with Dean Winchester.”

You read the card. “FBI Director, Mike Kayser?”

Dean raised both eyebrows.

“Okay.” You slipped the card and phone in your purse. Headlights flooded through the motel curtains. “Well, that’s my ride, I think.”

Dean stood up and opened the door, walking out into the early morning with you. The yellow cab idled in the parking lot. He waved at the driver, then turned you in his arms and stared at you hard. “You send me a text when you get into your room.”

You chuckled. “You’ll be roaming the desert like Jim Morrison by then.”

“Please.” That soft smile again.

“Okay.”

He grabbed your face with two warm palms, angled you in just the right way so he  could dip down and kiss you under your cowboy hat, soft and slow. He whispered in your ear. “I wish I could be your safe bet.”

You gave him one more peck, then walked to the cab. When you opened the back door, you turned and called out. “What would be the fun in that? Flip a coin and see where it lands every once in a while, right?”

He gave you a two finger salute and smiled that Dean Winchester grin. As the driver nodded at your destination and turned out of the lot, you watched him, standing, waiting for you to disappear from view. You held onto that grin. Closed your eyes. Committed it to memory. And hoped you’d see it again.

THE END

***Luke Bryan - Country Girl (Shake It For Me)

MASTERLIST

[deans-baby-momma]

Falling To Temptation-Part 3

A/N: Sorry this is late guys! I didn’t get to get on my computer last night. Also, if any of you lovely folks want to get creative and make an aesthetic for this story, I’d be much obliged and give you credit. 

Later that night, you used the saved conversation and the images sent by your brother-in-law as aids to get yourself off. You stared at the picture of him holding his dick in his hand and fantasized about how it felt inside you; how that cock stretched and filled your pussy full. How his grunts and whispered filth turned you on to the point that you had squirted not once, but twice.

 Envisioning your brother-in-law hovering over you and how it felt to have him inside you, made your clit quiver and swell as you circled it with your finger before reaching further and sliding a finger inside your entrance. You quickly added another finger to simulate the feeling of him again. When two didn’t work, you added a third and fourth and before you knew it you were fucking yourself on all four of your digits.

As you felt the orgasm begin to build your mind went back to the text conversation you’d had with him. ‘You want me. Want me to load that pussy with my cum, put a baby in there.’ You knew it was wrong, but what he said was true. The idea of getting pregnant and carrying his child was something you had only thought was a well-kept secret of yours. But apparently he could read you, better than anyone else, because he had caught on pretty quickly when he began saying it while ramming into you. 

You couldn’t help but yell his name as you came on your fingers. Withdrawing them from your body, you notice the lamp light reflected off the slick and, with your other hand, you grabbed your phone and snapped a picture.

This is what you do to me. 

It took a few minutes for him to respond.

Him: Goddamn baby! You soaked those fingers. Wait, did you use all four? Fuck, was that pussy squeezing them like it did my dick? 

All four and not near enough but I made do. Now I can sleep peacefully. Good night lover.

Him: Good night? Sleep? Fucking hell woman. I got a boner the size of Texas and you’re going to sleep?!

Think of what could happen when you return while you jerk off and then get some sleep yourself. See you in a few days. You threw in a couple of kissy face emoticons for the hell of it before plugging your phone in, sliding between the sheets and closing your eyes.

*************************************************************************************************************

The slam of the door that led to the garage signals the return of your family. It has been 8 days since they left on a case a few states over. To say you had missed each and every one of them was a no-brainer. It was lonely in this big old bunker, only a 8 month old to keep you company. 

You watched as each one of them trudged in and set their respective bags down. Dean, like clockwork, headed straight for the minibar in the corner of the room. Sam walked into the library and sat at the first long table, pulling out his laptop and flipping the lid open. Mary quickly found you and her granddaughter, taking the little girl from your arms. 

“Hi sweetie,” she coos to Mavelin. “Did you miss Grandma? I sure missed you, pretty girl.” 

The last ones to enter the Bunker was Castiel and Adam, your step-brother-in-law. Adam had come to live with the Winchesters after they had freed him from his possession by the archangel Michael. Since his mom had been murdered years ago, and actually Adam too but that’s a whole other story, the youngest Winchester had no family and Sam and Dean took him in with minor hesitation.

The biggest obstacle had been when Mary had returned. To find out that her precious John had fathered another son, none of you were sure how she would react. But once the two met and Mary learned of Adam’s upbringing and not knowing his father until after the patriarch was gone, she explained that it wasn’t like John had cheated on her. She had been dead after all.  She took to Adam like he was her own and the seven of you (if you included your daughter) lived in the underground habitat that the boys had inherited. 

You watched each one of them, not letting your eyes linger on a single person for too long. But as your eyes swept past your husband’s brother he winked at you, causing your face to blush. He knew damn good and well what he does to you. How dare him to chance any of your other Bunker-mates catch on.

“So who’s hungry?” you ask, trying to keep your voice from giving away just how affected you were by a single wink. “I’m making spaghetti and meatballs.”

A chorus of I am’s bounces around the room. Castiel cocks his head and says, “Will it taste like molecules?” earning a laugh from everyone.

*************************************************************************************************************

You watched your husband take care of the little girl you two had created together. He was such a good father, always willing to help out with her when he was home; the whole family was, actually. 

When you found out you were pregnant, nerves took over. Not only had you and he never talked about having children but it was only 4 weeks after you had vowed your life and devotion to him.  

It was too soon to be starting a family, right? How would that affect your relationship? You’d only been married for a month! Was he going to be happy, upset, shocked? Needless to say, he had surprised you by being overjoyed and ecstatic at the prospect of watching your grow his offspring. 

“Hey,” you whispered as you approached him rocking Mavelin. “I’m going to take a bath. Join me when she goes down?”

Your husband takes his eyes off his daughter and looks up at you, an eyebrow raised in question. Leaning down to whisper in his ear, “I want to show you how much I missed you.”

*************************************************************************************************************

The water in the tub is the exact temperature you need to relax your overly tense muscles as you descend into it. 

Your family has been back from the hunt for two days, and with no other cases on the horizon, you are beyond stressed trying to stave off the memories of your tryst with your brother-in-law.

He isn’t helping matters either. Every time you two are in the same room, he will throw a wink your way or his eyes roam your body from head to toe and you can tell he was reminiscing exactly what was under your clothing, especially when he licks his lips and wiggles his eyebrows at you. Thankfully no one else has caught the lewd actions. Yet.

You hear the bathroom door open, and expecting your husband, you speak. 

“It’s about time,” you say without moving.  “I thought I was going to be left by myself in this big ole tub.”

You lament the choice of neglecting to add bubbles when you hear his voice. 

“Damn baby. You’re being brazen!”

Your hands shoot under the clear water’s surface to cover your private areas.

“What are you doing in here?“  you seethe. 

"Came to take a leak,” he answers. “Didn’t know I was going to get a show, though.” He steps to the edge of the tub, his eyes glued to your wet skin. “Why’re you covering up Y/N? You know I have a very intimate relationship with your perfect body.”

“Get out!” You grit out. “Before he catches you.”

Instead of obeying your demand, your brother-in-law kneels beside the porcelain cask, dipping a finger into the water and swirling it. Your eyes watch his movements, cautiously. 

“I think-” he runs his finger up your arm. “that turns you on. Knowing that he could show up any minute and find me looking at you, touching you.” His finger rounds your shoulder and trails down your chest, to where your left arm is across your breasts.  He pulls at your arm until he succeeds and you release your hold. The water level comes just up over the swell of your boobs. 

“What would he think if he saw me do this?” He finger swirls around your areola before he pinches the nipple between it and his thumb. 

You can’t help the sharp breath as he does, or the slick that pools in your core. He knows your boobs are sensitive and a little nipple play turns you on.

Before you can respond, you both hear the door knob jiggle. In the blink of an eye, the man beside you disappears into a shower stall, completely hidden from view.

The door opens and your husband walks in. He smiles as he sees your naked frame in the water and quickly disrobes to join you.

@lostinaseaoffictionalbliss​ @squirrelnotsam​ @sandlee44​  @internationalmusicteacher​ @kricketc29​ @natura1phenomenon​ @blacktithe7​ @spnbaby-67​ @travelingriversideblues-x​  @keymology​ @tftumblin​ @markofdean79​ @thevelvetseries​ @deanwanddamons​ @winchester-fantasies @akshi8278 @michellethetvaddict@larajadeschmidt13​

[shirtlesssammy]

6x01: Exile on Main St.

Then:

The Apocalypse that didn’t stick

Now:

One year later, Dean’s living his apple pie life. 

We get a glimpse into that life: Cut with memories of Dean’s former life, we see Dean make breakfast for Ben, work construction, share brewskies with neighbors, show Ben the ropes of car maintenance, and check the perimeter of his home (because that’s what war veterans do when they have severe and unchecked PTSD.) He’s got a very soft life, but he still keeps a shotgun and holy water under his bed. 

He’s out having a beer with his neighbor, and his neighbor wants all the details of his life before suburbia. Dean gives a cover story of “Pest control.” 

The waitress gives Dean her number (and who can blame a girl for trying?), but Dean’s taken and he tears the number up. Later, when leaving the bar, Dean hears a scream in the distance. With a flashlight in hand, he goes to investigate. 

It’s pigeons! No, wait, there are claw marks and blood on the wall.

Later, he’s scanning the police dispatches and on the phone with the cops. Lisa walks in and Dean covers by saying he’s setting up a poker game. At 11:30pm.

Dean checks the perimeter before going to bed.

While driving the next day, he sees claw marks on a telephone pole. He pulls over and finds shredded sheets in someone’s backyard. He heads for the garden shed, gun drawn. It also has claw marks, and something is inside.

It’s Dean’s #1 Nemesis, a Yorkie!

The dog takes off, and Dean’s neighbor sees Dean with a gun. His cover this time: “Possums kill.” Good one, Dean! Dean then sees sulfur on the shed floor. 

He rushes home to load up on supplies. Lisa walks into the garage, and Dean acts like he’s just grabbing a hammer. She asks about the dog, and then asks if he’s hunting something. He admits to his OCD about this situation, asks her to go to the movies with Ben, and he’ll do one final check in the area. He’s definitely downplaying what he thinks is happening. 

After Lisa leaves, he starts looking through his dad’s journal, but stops when the lights start to flicker and he hears a noise. He turns to see Azazel right beside him. Azazel mocks Dean and tells him that God brought Cas back, why not him? “Add a little spice to all that sugar.” Wow, never paid attention to that line before. Dean shoots him but it does nothing. Azazel puts Dean in a choke hold. “You can’t outrun your past,” he tells Dean. And just before he passes out, Sam (!) comes behind Azazel and stabs him with a syringe of something. 

Dean comes to in a derelict building and Sam, or something looking like Sam is with him. 

Sam tells Dean that he was poisoned and what he’s been seeing isn’t real. He’s real though. Of course! He goes through the silver/holy water/salt routine and passes with flying colors. 

Dean hugs his brother. He doesn’t quite believe it though. Sam has no clue how he’s back. “Was it God, or Cas?” Dean wonders. Yes. 

Cas isn’t answering Sam’s prayers. 

Sam then admits to being back about a year. EEESH. Something seems off about our Moose. Ahem. He tells Dean that he deserves a regular life (YOU BOTH DO.) and that he’s been hunting this whole time with --family. Dean meets Gwen, Parker Lewis Christian, and Mark...Campbell. They’re all distant cousins of Mary’s. And then the real surprise walks in: Samual Campbell, Mary’s long dead father. 

Every now and again, I have to stop and take a moment to think about the fact that Walter Skinner is Sam and Dean’s grandfather and my little fandom mind just explodes. It’s like that time that Sam Beckett dated Murphy Brown. I swear. 

Dean needs a moment too, because multiple unexplained resurrections in one day is A LOT. 

Dean is 100% freaked out by all the revelations. Sam adds one more to the pile. A few days prior, he was attacked by a djinn and they think the same djinn is after Dean. Oh, and djinn totally blend into all of humankind now - visible markings are now optional. Samuel happens to know a cure for djinn poison. “Stick around and I’ll show you tricks your daddy never dreamed of!” Samuel promises chirpily. Aaaaand suddenly I gain a greater understanding of the kind of bullshit posturing Mary put up with from the men in her life. Dean realizes that djinn gunning for him means that Lisa and Ben are also in the crosshairs. He and Sam race back to Lisa’s house. 

Outside the house, Campbell cousin #??? sits dead in his car. The door to the house stands open and nobody answers Dean’s calls. Dean’s busy ascending to the ninth plane of freaked out when Lisa returns. Dean gives her a MEGA hug and then orders everyone to pack their bags for a little trip. Lisa is shocked to see Not-At-All-Dead Sam. Welcome to the supernatural, Lisa!

Bobby answers his door with a soft “damn it” because he knows that Dean’s presence means things have gone cockeyed.

Bobby shoos them upstairs where they have “plenty of Reader’s Digests” on hand to entertain them. JUST LIKE THAT I am transported to my grandma’s farmhouse and the stacks of Reader’s Digests we’d go through during our visits. Thanks for being so goddamn old, Bobby!

Bobby and Sam greet each other casually and Dean realizes that those two yahoos have been keeping the truth of Sam’s resurrection from him for...A YEAR. A yeAr. 

Bobby explains that he was thrilled that Dean escaped the life and tried to do whatever he could to let Dean keep that. (Crying noise crying noise) Dean reveals that his apple pie life was anything but...he drank too much, had nightmares, and researched lore like crazy to find a way to spring Sam from the cage. 

Lisa heads downstairs and Dean tells her he’s headed back to the house with Sam to hunt the djinn that attacked him. He apologizes to Lisa for bringing monsters back into her life. “You can’t outrun your past,” he says and she immediately sees through the lines. 

“You’re saying goodbye,” Lisa surmises. 

Readers of this blog know that I am TEAM LISA, which means that I love her very much and wish her every happiness in life. She stands up for what she wants. “You're always so amazing with Ben. You know what I wanted more than anything was a guy that Ben could look up to...like a dad. So, you're saying it's all bad, Dean? 'Cause it was the best year of my life.” Oof.

Sam and Dean return to Campbell headquarters and the Campbells are just a tiny sea of smug assholes. They needle Dean about his time away from hunting. Dean takes this needling EXTREMELY WELL, and offers himself up as bait for the hunt. 

At Lisa’s house, the Campbells scoff and smirk at their various belongings. A magazine! A framed photograph! What frivolity! Such decadence! Sam discovers golf clubs though, and even I have to take a moment to drink in the image of Dean on a golf course. 

Samuel approaches Dean (who is very much on guard at this point) and tells him that Dean reminds him of Mary. She wanted a normal life too. Excuse me while I cry in your FACES. Samuel also drops that the supernatural world has been going bonkers lately. It’s keeping hunters busier than ever. If Dean joined the hunt again he could really make a difference.

Dean heads outside for a status check with Campbell cousin #?!? and learns that there are three djinn lurking in the distance. They won’t approach until Sam and Dean are alone, so Dean orders the Campbells to clear out. 

Sam uses the wait to ask Dean how he’s doing.

Dean’s NOT GREAT but he still asks Sam how Hell was and if he wants to talk. Great idea! Keep the conversation light and nontraumatic for both of you! Sam pushes away those concerns - he’s FINE. Just then, Dean happens to glance out the window and sees djinn attacking his neighbors. Dean rushes the antidote over to Sid and his wife, but two djinn grab ahold of him, smash the antidote, and start to poison him. Dean falls to their thrall.

Sam beats the stuffing out of another djinn with a golf club only to find himself confronted with the other two who’d attacked Dean. 

Meanwhile, Dean’s busy trying to sort out reality from djinn-soaked fiction. He sees the djinn confronting Sam in the house next door and outside he spots Lisa and Ben. Azazel suddenly appears to spice up the pot. 

Dean “wakes up” in Ben’s room. Lisa gets drawn to the ceiling to suffer Azazel’s favorite kill while Ben drinks his blood. The room explodes in fire. 

Dean continues to do VERY POORLY while Sam works to fight off the last two djinn. Samuel arrives and kills a djinn. He shoos Sam off to help Dean and he and another Campbell capture (but don’t kill) the last djinn. We’ll see her again near the end of the season!

Later, Dean tells Sam that he’s going to head back to collect Lisa and Ben. Sam’s doubtful about this plan. He tells Dean that he’ll put them in danger if he stays with them. Besides, Sam wants Dean hunting by his side again. Dean “cares” about helping the victims and Sam “wouldn’t even think to try.” This makes ZERO sense to Dean, but Sam insists that it’s true. Dean shakes it off and hands Sam the keys to the Impala. “She should be hunting. Take her.” Sam turns it down. OUCH.

Sam heads out to hunt with his band of merry Campbells, and Dean is FINE with it.

I’m Still Hallucinating These Quotes:

Did you almost shoot a Yorkie?

Careful's my middle name

If you're here, something's wrong

You can't outrun your past

The guy that basically just saved the world shows up at your door? You expect him to have a couple of issues

Want to read more? Check out our Recap Archive! 

[athingthatwantsvirginia]

Out of Nora Ephron

PART SEVENTEEN OF THE DO YOU SEE HER FACE? SERIES

Pairing: Jess Mariano x Original Character (Ella Stevens)

Warnings: mentions of parent death and family issues, one mention of vomit, we’ve made it to the swan episode my dudes, plentiful pop culture references

Word Count: 5.2K

Summary: In which Jess gets beaked in the eye and miscommunications follow.

Despite the chilly breeze, red blossoms lined the streets of Stars Hollow. Town square was fragrant and sweet, and Ella would have been lying if she said it didn’t lift her spirits. Though she wasn’t one to go all out for holidays, she wore heart-shaped earrings and a pinkish color on her lips. Valentine’s was not especially important in Stars Hollow, considering how many other times per year there was a celebration, but it received an adequate amount of fanfare. Her skin was perfumed with a gardenia spray her aunt had given her, and there was a slight skip in her step. It made her feel almost silly, to be excited for such a holiday. And she knew Jess wouldn’t care about it. She wasn’t expecting anything. But it was nice to for once not be lonely on Valentine’s.

She waltzed into the diner, trying to hide the smile which played on her lips. Miss Patty was seated at the table by the door, and called to Ella before she even had a chance to hang up her coat and bag. Glancing behind the counter, she found both Luke and Jess to be working reasonably well together, and decided they could spend a couple more minutes without her help. After school, she’d stayed behind to help her art teacher hang some of her works for the open gallery they were having on Friday night. Late was late, no matter by how long. And she’d told Jess to explain it to Luke. The diner was rarely busy at three in the afternoon on a Wednesday anyway. She wasn’t sweating it as she might have in the past.

“Hi, Patty,” she said, leaning down to let the woman kiss her cheek. Ella didn’t even mind the red kiss-mark she knew would be standing out on her freckled skin. Fiddling with her necklace, she sat down across from Miss Patty.

Patty smiled widely at the girl. “Hello, darling, how are you? How’s that man of yours?”

Blushing, Ella stole a glance at Jess, who was ringing up a customer. She wanted to roll her eyes at herself. “Fine. Everything’s fine. What about you? You’ve gotta have some fish on a hook for tonight? That’s what my grandma used to say.”

“You truly learned from the best,” Patty laughed, gesturing with her arm, draped in dark red fabric. “Oh, I do. José and I have some reservations. And then I’ll have him for dessert.”

Hiding her face in her hands, Ella chuckled. If they were in the dance studio, she wouldn’t have felt so naked. But the diner? There was some strange instinct in her to keep a semblance of professionalism, even though most of the townspeople had bore witness to her vomiting down her front at the summer carnival when she was three. Old habits die hard.

Raising her head to Miss Patty again, she wished her cheeks would cool. “Well, I hope you have a nice night. But, I’m off to sweep those chimneys now. Just let me know if you need me to fill in at all for the spring recitals.”

Patty nodded, offering the girl one last smile, and Ella made to leave. “You make sure Jess treats you tonight. All the keepers do.”

Saying nothing else, Ella smiled back and was still giggling when she went behind the counter. Tying her apron around her hips, she greeted Luke and Jess with a nod of her head. Immediately, Luke furrowed his brows at her.

“What’s got you so happy?” he asked.

She snorted a laugh. “I don’t know. What’s with your Fred Mertz impression?”

“Who?” Luke looked to her blankly.

“I Love Lucy,” Jess chimed in, refilling mugs of coffee.

Ella smirked at Jess, knowing about his odd love of old black-and-white TV. Then, she turned back to her boss. “Don’t you have a lady friend? I figured you’d be at least a little more chipper.”

Luke grimaced. “Don’t call Nicole my lady friend.”

She raised her hands in mock surrender. “Fine. White flag. Continue with the curmudgeonry.”

Only rolling his eyes, Luke stepped around her to go take some orders. Sometimes he wondered how he didn’t see the relationship between Ella and his nephew brewing earlier. When Ella came back out from the back, her hands freshly washed, Jess laced an arm around her waist and pressed a chaste kiss to her forehead. Then, he licked his thumb and wiped Miss Patty’s red lipstick off her cheek.

Ella scrunched up her nose and groaned playfully. “More Jess spit.”

Jess smirked. “Would you rather Luke ream you for not looking work-appropriate?”

Scoffing, she turned and leaned back against the counter so she could face him. “Wow, my hero,” she deadpanned.

“I got you something,” he said, his smile turning more genuine.

“For a Hallmark holiday?” she asked, confusion painting her face, though a smirk threatened to cross her lips.

He rolled his eyes. “You’d be surprised, Daria. The lake after work?”

“You have no concept of weather. It’s gonna be freezing,” she said.

“I like to live dangerously. Haven’t you heard?”

“Whatever, James Dean. Sounds like a plan. I got you something too.”

.   .   .

Sitting cross-legged, Ella shivered. She certainly appreciated the poetic return to the spot where they’d decided to try going out, but it was still a Connecticut February. Their breath came out in whitish clouds. Icy breezes blew by them, smelling clean and fresh and cold. She heard geese fly overhead, and almost laughed. Shouldn’t they be south? The light had long since waned to blue darkness, but the moonlight reflected off the water and onto their faces. Ella’s mind wandered to the schools of fish below, the imagined mermaids. The taste of apple pastries, from a basket made by Miss Patty, filled her mouth, and smiled. Jess’s voice brought her back to her current reality, when they sat shoulder-to-shoulder, fingers entwined.

“Where’d you go, Stevens?” he asked, watching her blink the fantasy from her eyes.

Clearing her throat, she looked over at him and sniffed. “The past. Back when we weren’t developing hypothermia.”

He rolled his eyes. “What a talent for exaggeration.”

She snorted a laugh, then reached over to rummage through her shoulder bag. “Alright, jackass, let’s end the suspense, shall we?”

Smirking, he watched as she turned back around, a book in her hands. It was hardly a surprise, but his expression turned fond as he took it from her. He recognized the cover: Desolation Angels by Jack Kerouac.

“I can’t believe you don’t have this one,” she said, gesturing to the book. “Given that your Jack Kerouac fetish pretty much equals my Stevie Nicks fetish. I think you should look inside.”

“Oh, should I?” he teased, eyebrows raised.

“I have a hunch that you should.”

Chuckling, he opened up the cover, and found a chunk of her messy cursive, dark ink against the weathered yellow page.

Something else for my James Dean to sulk with.

And below, he found a few poems, which he recognized as Dickinson from the many long dashes. He furrowed his brows slightly, and tilted his head at her in askance.

“From Final Harvest. They’re the ones you put notes beside, conceding that I was right about Emily Dickinson,” she explained, smile wide.

Jess scoffed. “A gentle reminder of your superior tastes?”

She shook her head. “No, just the ones that make me think of you now.”

His heart started to beat faster against his ribs, and he swallowed down the feelings which rose in his throat. Before she could notice his scarlet blush in the dim light, he put a hand to her cheek and kissed her softly.

“Thank you,” he whispered when he pulled away.

“You’re welcome, Jess,” she replied, tucking a strand of hair which had fallen from her low bun behind her ear. A tiny smile on her face, she fiddled with one of her heart earrings.

He cleared his throat in the comfortable silence, reaching a hand in the inside pocket of his jacket. Averting his gaze, he handed her a modest set of charcoals, bought from the arts store three days earlier. In spite of himself, he felt nerves build up within him. He didn’t see his gift standing up to hers at all.

A wide grin blossomed on her face, taking them from him gently, as though they were fragile. “Jess, this is fucking awesome! I’ve never had charcoals before!”

He shrugged humbly, a small smirk on his face. “I just figured...those might smudge a little better than your regular pencils. Or...not smudge? Shade? I don’t really know the names but-”

Placing a cold hand on the back of his neck, she effectively cut him off. She bit back a laugh; it was still rare to see him flustered. “Jess. I love them. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

Kissing, they smiled against each other’s lips, and pulled away laughing.

Ella smiled down at the charcoals again. “I can make my drawings even scarier now.”

“That’s the goal, huh?” he asked.

“Always.”

“Will I get to see some horror movie stuff at the gallery walk on Friday or did the school censor you?” he asked.

She shook her head. “No, they let me have my artistic freedom.”

“Good. I can’t wait to see.”

“Don’t get your hopes up, Mariano.”

“Too late,” he smirked, kissing her again. Just as the kiss deepened, a shiver rolled through her and she pulled away, eager to make out in the comfort of her own bedroom.

“C’mon, let’s go someplace above freezing. Look at us, right out of a Nora Ephron movie,” Ella teased as she stood up, holding a hand out to him.

He rolled his eyes, scoffing self-consciously as he grabbed her hand. “I never should’ve let that slip.”

“Can’t turn back now, Mariano.”

.   .   .

The key on her necklace was cold against her flushed skin. Fluorescent lights flickered above her, as she watched family and friends crowded around the works in the hallway. All of a sudden, she wished she could be serving coffee at the diner, comfortable in her apron. Instead, she stood before three of her paintings, and two of her drawings. They weren’t anything to write home about, and she was acutely aware of it. Her palms were sweating, and she was lost in her own thoughts when the art teacher, Ms. Menken, came up next to her. She was a tall, kind woman with black spiral curls and large brown eyes. Ella had been in her class all four years of high school, sometimes ate lunch in her room, and spent every spare moment she had working on her projects. It was her hiding place, her safe space, during school hours. She was never as comfortable at school as she was in the diner, not even in the art room, but it was a haven of sorts.

“Have they shown up yet?” Ms. Menken asked, dressed in all paisley and jewel tones. She looked like she would fit in much better in San Francisco.

Ella shook her head, leaning back against the white cinderblock wall. “No. I mean...my dad and Fiona...who knows? She said she wanted to ‘support me.’ And Adam could probably take it or leave it. My boyfriend should be here soon, though.”

Ms. Menken nodded, a doubtful glint in her eye. “Right. Mr. Mariano.”

Sighing, Ella ran a hand through her hair. “He’s a good person.”

A few more suspicious words were exchanged before Ms. Menken went on her way, Ella insisting she go mingle with the students whose families had already arrived. Jess was hardly a superstar among the Stars Hollow High faculty and staff, even the cooler members. Again, she stood alone, biting at her nails and looking over her shoulder at the artworks. Her favorite was a painting of a ghost, adorned with hydrangeas. It was the only one she’d wanted to put up, but Ms. Menken had encouraged her to flesh out the display a bit. By her watch’s time, it was half past seven when her father, Fiona, and Adam walked through the big swinging door. She couldn’t hide the look of surprise on her face. The show was set to be over at eight, and there was still no sign of Jess.

He’d seemed so excited to come, promised he’d show by half past six, during his break from the diner. She’d stood. She’d waited for Jess. And soon she felt silly, angry at herself for wanting him to see it. To be proud of her. Ella sighed as her family approached. At least they had come. Maybe they would feel like enough, no matter how much Jess was the only person she truly wanted there.

“Ellie,” her father said, nodding slightly. He pulled her in for a rigid hug, which she reciprocated coldly.

Fiona’s hug was far more affectionate, longer, with an added kiss on the cheek. It made Ella want to grimace, but she managed a smile at the woman, her new stepmother who was always trying so hard. Over the course of the last month, Ella had been attempting to make an effort with her, no matter how unpleasant it was.

Adam had already wandered off down the hall, to take a look at the array of amateur art. He squinted at the abstract pieces through his thick glasses, analytical as ever. With Noah off to get a degree in history, and Ella probably bound for something humble in the humanities, Adam was the only Stevens sibling destined to make any real money. He was the one with the mathematical brain and boundless potential; he could end up as anything from an accountant to a rocket scientist.

“Thanks for coming, guys,” she said, swallowing down the storm of emotions raging on the sight of their arrival.

“We wouldn’t miss it, Ella,” Fiona said, beaming. The woman stepped back to view the paintings and drawings hanging on the wall. Each had her trademark mixture of flora and horror, and Ella could practically see Fiona fighting off her look of appall. She was the kind of woman who never wanted to watch sad movies, never spoke on taboo subjects, never faced a state of balanced reality.

Her father stood quietly, his hands in his pockets, saying nothing. But the look in his eyes was telling. Ella knew it hadn’t been his idea to come. But she thought she saw the tiniest bit of pride on his face. In all her life, she thought she’d never known exactly what her father was thinking. And probably never would.

Five minutes of awkward conversation passed slowly, Ella’s eyes flitting to the door every so often. Eventually, Jess blew in, hands shoved in the pockets of his jeans and his gaze trained on the floor. A relieved smile crossed Ella’s face, but it fell instantly when he approached and lifted his head to her. His left eye was bruised deep purples and blues, scabbed at the edges.

“Hi,” he said flatly as he came closer to her, gaze roaming over her work. “Jesus, Stevens, these are...amazing.”

“Young man,” Ella’s father began, dark brows furrowing, “what exactly happened with your face?”

“It looks terrible,” Fiona observed, disgust flashing across her features.

Jess shrugged, nonchalant, and only went back to the art. Had her parents not been there, he would’ve been able to express what he felt. How seeing her paintings, alive with color, and her drawings, dark with the pain she felt, brightened up his shitty day so instantly. But there were too many eyes on him, his tongue tied with sheepishness. And he certainly didn’t want to talk about what had happened to his eye.

Ella huffed out a breath in exasperation, waiting for an answer, but it never came. Her father took a step forward, a face she recognized. And the last thing she wanted was for him to make a scene at the show. Everyone already talked about her dead mother, she didn’t need them to know about her hothead father too. She didn’t care what they thought, but she certainly didn’t want to be the subject of their speculation. Instead, she put herself between her father and her boyfriend. She flashed a plastic smile at her father and Fiona, dragging Jess down the hall and into the art room by the sleeve of his jean jacket.

“An accident at the diner today. Nothing major!” she called, hoping they bought it. “Back in one second!”

Luckily, there was no one else in the art room. Only the eyes of the figures painted across the walls, papers lining every available surface. She pulled him in by the first table, where she usually sat and worked. Dried paint covered all inches of the light, worn wood.

“What the hell?” she demanded, arms crossed over her black floral dress. The one she’d put on special. Still casual enough for school, but dressy nonetheless. And she’d worn her good red lipstick. No matter how nervous she was about showing off her work, she’d still had some sort of foolish excitement swelling inside her.

Jess sighed heavily. “I don’t wanna talk about it.”

“Oh, you don’t?” she asked, eyebrows raised angrily.

He refused to look her in the eye. “No, I don’t. Look, I’ve already had a lousy day-”

“Really? So have I. I’ve been waiting. You said you’d be here by six-thirty,” she interrupted.

Running a hand over his mouth, Jess shook his head softly. “Elle, I’m sorry. Something came up. But can’t I just go back out there? I didn’t get to-”

“No.”

“No?”

“Jess,” she said, dropping her eyes to her boots, “my dad isn’t gonna get off your back with your eye like that. He’s gonna end up screaming, you’ll end up screaming back, and I don’t think either of us wants to give all the other families free dinner theater.”

Jaw set tightly, he crossed his own arms, mirroring her defensive stance. “You want me to go?”

“Unless you tell me what happened.”

“Didn’t realize you needed to know every detail of my day, Nancy Drew,” he snapped.

She shook her head. “Jesus, Jess. That looks like it hurts. Now’s not the time for that Holden Caulfield bullshit. I’m your girlfriend. Just tell me.”

He was silent, eyes narrowed in frustration.

“Fine. Fuck it. Just go,” she yelled, gesturing in annoyance. Her cheeks were flushed red, and a crease formed between her brows. Fire burned in her hazel eyes. “I was waiting for you, Jess.”

And with that, she stormed out the door. Jess stood with his hands in his pockets, face drawn in shame and dejection.

.   .   .

Instead of biting her thumbnail, an attempt to ward off old habits, she chewed at the eraser of her pencil. Jess was on dish duty, but there was a lull in the customers around mid-morning and she knew he would reappear in the front soon enough. Saturday was danish day, but they were all gone by ten. Rory and Lorelai had just popped in with armfulls of shopping bags. Ella sketched mindlessly as she made conversation with the two of them, pointedly ignoring most of the business around her. Even Luke, not known for his emotional intelligence, could sense the tension in the air. Her page was covered with vampire bats and women with bites on their necks. She’d caught a midnight showing of The Lost Boys the night before.

“So, Bender’s not talking?” Lorelai asked, commiserating.

Sighing through her nose angrily, Ella nodded. “Apparently, I’m just not worthy of such information from Mr. Hyde.”

“Well, maybe it’s finally time for our Thelma and Louise bit?” Rory offered, sipping from her steaming mug.

Ella tried to smile weakly. “I wish. But I’m working a double today.”

Lorelai faked a gag. “My condolences.”

“Damn the man,” Ella said, shaking her head tiredly.

Soon, Rory and Lorelai were back to their conversation of weekend plans and left with final sympathetic looks at her. Ella went on drawing, but eventually the tip of her pencil broke off with the intensity of her work. Sighing heavily, she tossed the pencil behind her and snapped the sketchbook shut.

“Careful, Mickey Mantle. You’ll take someone’s eye out,” Jess snapped as he came around behind her, grabbing his book and sitting on his stool.

She groaned under her breath. “Shove it, jackass.”

“Eloquent.”

Rolling her eyes, Ella crossed her arms over her chest and turned to face him. “Right back at ya. What a chatty fucking Kathy.”

At that moment, Luke stepped in, having overheard snippets of the interaction warily as he helped a customer check out. His breathing was huffy as he spoke to them, hands on his hips.

“Alright, Ella, on break. Now.”

Chewing on her bottom lip, she unlaced her apron and threw it over the hook in the doorway of the kitchen. “Okay. Fine. Maybe talk some sense into Jake LaMotta, formerly known as your nephew!”

“LaMotta?” Luke asked, but Ella was already donning her coat and bag.

Jess rolled his eyes, not looking up from his book. “Raging Bull.”

Luke muttered something under his breath, then grabbed Jess by the collar and pulled him into the stock room. “Alright, Petey the Dog, when did you get in a fight with Dean?”

.   .   .

Water sloshed against the sides of the boat as Jess and Luke floated along Larson’s Lake. Lying in wait for the swan which had beaked him in the eye a night earlier, Jess held a ladle tight in his hand. The air smelled sickly sweet with the early-blooming flowers. The last couple days had gotten above freezing, and the flowers were making a premature appearance. A cold front would roll in soon enough, and the flora would die all over again. In the back of his mind, Jess thought it would be something Ella would read a poem about, draw a picture of.

“So, how’d Jake react to your eye last night?” Luke asked, breaking the silence.

Jess sighed. “Not great, Doctor Phil.”

“Guess it wasn’t so good before, anyway.”

“She told him some accident happened at the diner. I don’t know.” Jess shrugged, gaze roaming over the greenish water.

Nodding, Luke still didn’t look away from his nephew. “You know shutting her out isn’t gonna help, right?”

Jess said nothing, a scowl twisting his features.

But still, Luke went on. “Keeping things from her is pointless. It’s only gonna drive her away.”

“Didn’t wanna talk.”

Luke frowned at Jess’s flat tone of voice. “Look, when you’re with Ella, it’s all the way. And I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but she can hold a grudge like it’s her job.”

Snorting bitterly, Jess still didn’t look over.

“With this girl, it’s all or nothing, do or die. Hiding things will get you nowhere,” Luke continued. “And she doesn’t need you. She picked you.”

Jess scoffed in exasperation. “God knows why.”

“She knows. That’s all that matters,” Luke said. “If you really want her, you’ll swallow your pride.”

.   .   .

She had to admit, the charcoals were wonderful, no matter how pissed she was at Jess. Shadowy figures covered the pages of her sketchbook, black smudges littering her small desk. Lavender candles perfumed her air, and she shut out the rest of the world, Lou Reed crooning through the speakers of her record player. Her hair was damp from a shower after her shift, fragrant with shampoo. The rest of the day was only marginally better than the beginning. When she got back from break, Jess hadn’t been there, hadn’t shown up by the time she got let off. Luke wouldn’t say much, but she wasn’t surprised. Though she tried not to let her mind wander into dramatic territory, there was still fear coursing through her. Anything was possible. Maybe Jess would pick up and leave again? It had been their first big disagreement, and though it wasn’t nearly as bad as a car accident, Jess still had a loose canon history. And Ella had a history of being left in the afterboom, not just by Jess.

At first, she thought the branches of the oak tree were blowing up against her window in the late winter wind. But, as the small dinks continued to sound, she sighed, wiped her hands free of the charcoal on a wet washcloth on the desk, and got up to see what it was. It wouldn’t have been the only time a bird had come up and started pecking against the window, begging to come in. She’d only obliged once as a child before learning her lesson. Instead, she found Jess, sullenly mysterious as always as he threw pebbles from the gravel driveway against her window pane.

Biting back a chuckle, she opened the window and leaned out. “Y’know this is a one-story house. Doesn’t quite have the same Shakespearean effect as it would if I lived in an upstairs.”

He shrugged, a weak smirk on his lips. “I tried.”

A long moment passed, a crease between Ella’s brows. Wind whistled past them and she saw Jess hunch his shoulders to shield against it. With a final sigh, she stepped back from the window and called to him. “Alright, Romeo. If you’re coming in, come in.”

Nodding, he hoisted himself up and through the window. She could feel the scar on his hand when he grabbed her own for support.

“You really think I’m a Romeo?” he asked breathlessly, stalling as he shut the window.

She crossed her arms, let a little smile form. “In all reality, you’re a Mercutio, but I’ll give you Romeo tonight for the pebbles on the window bit.”

“Well, I appreciate that.”

“Don’t mention it.”

He sighed heavily, standing near the window with hands in his pockets. Eyebrows raised expectantly and arms crossed, Ella waited.

“Alright, I’ll tell you what happened,” he said, avoiding her gaze, “but only if you promise not to laugh.”

She nodded gravely, confused but not letting it show. “Sure. I promise. Cross my heart.”

Sighing again, he finally looked at her. She could see his bruise had yellowed slightly, but was still mostly just dark and angry. Jess ran a hand over his mouth once before he spoke, hesitant. “I was throwing a football with a buddy and he-”

“Jess, I’m gonna stop you right there,” she said, putting a hand up. “I thought you were gonna tell me the truth?”

“That is the truth!” he insisted, suddenly defensive.

Ella scoffed. “No, it’s not. You’d never play football. I doubt you’ve spent more than two minutes with a football in your hands your whole life. And there’s no one in Stars Hollow you’d throw a football with, and certainly no one who you’d call a ‘buddy.’”

His shoulders sagged in defeat, and he shook his head. He heard Luke’s voice in his head. Swallowing dryly, he rubbed at his mouth again.

“Alright, fine, you know Larson’s dock?”

“Yeah?”

“Well, I was walking by there on my way to the art show and...I got attacked by a swan.”

She tilted her head, eyebrows knitting together. “What?”

“It hangs out there, and it saw me walking by, minding my own business and it just...beaked me! Right in the eye!” he exclaimed finally, exasperated, as though choking out the words pained him. Embarrassment crept hotly up his neck and face.

There was a long moment of silence, Ella processing the words in her head. Once, then twice, she opened her mouth to speak. She chewed on her bottom lip. Then, she took a couple slow steps toward him and wrapped her arms around his neck. Initially, he didn’t react. But, soon, his own arms laced around her waist and they held each other in a tight embrace for what felt like several minutes. His words were muffled into her shoulder when he finally spoke, and Ella couldn’t quite make them out.

She pulled away from him, hands placed gently on his shoulders. “What’s that?”

“When you saw my eye, you were the only one who didn’t immediately assume I got in a fight with Dean.” He let his gaze linger on her for a long moment, watching a wide smirk bloom on her face.

Ella shrugged. “Well, when I think Jess Mariano, I’m much more likely to think ‘lover’ than ‘fighter.’”

“You are?”

“I am,” she replied, nodding, a smile still present.

“Hey, you promised no laughing,” he told her pointedly, seeing her amused expression.

“I’m not! I’m smiling. I never promised no smiling.”

He narrowed his eyes playfully but said nothing more.

“Thank you for telling me.”

“You’re welcome,” he said, sheepish once again. “I’m really sorry for being late to the art show. I didn’t know what to do about my eye and I knew your dad might come. And I know you were so excited and I was so excited to see your name up there-”

“It’s okay, honey,” she said, shaking her head to dismiss his worry.

Tension released from his muscles, and a smirk crossed his lips. “You’re the ‘honey’ here, Stevens.”

Again, she shook her head. “Not tonight. This thing of ours is a two-way street.”

Ella brought a hand to the side of his face, careful to avoid the bruising, and he leaned into it. A crease of concern formed between her eyebrows once again.

“Must hurt like hell, Mariano,” she muttered, assessing the injury up close for the first time.

“Yeah,” he sighed, giving a teasing pout.

“Bet I could make it feel better,” she said quietly.

“Oh yeah?” he asked, eyebrows shooting up.

Ella nodded, then brought him closer to place a gingerly kiss on his purpled skin. He could barely feel it, her soft lips light as a feather. Then, she went on to kiss his forehead, his cheeks, his chin, everywhere but his mouth.

“Think you’re missing a spot,” he told her, wicked smirk returning.

“Ah, of course,” she said, then kissed him on the lips deeply.

His hands went to her hips, and she felt herself grow light headed with pleasure, sparks of joy making her entire being buzz. Each time she kissed Jess, a real kiss, she could feel it everywhere. And before meeting him, she’d thought ‘weak in the knees’ was an exaggeration. Not so. A  rustle of activity in the house, voices, a TV turning on in the living room, her brother’s door shutting, brought her back to the present moment. They separated and Jess couldn’t help the look of disappointment on his face. Ella chuckled, then went to tug on her boots.

“To be continued,” she assured him. “For now, let's go to the apartment. Rent some Empire Records perhaps?”

Jess nodded, his heart returning to a normal speed. On the way over, he’d felt nauseous with nerves. The sight of her smile was finally calming his body and his mind down. “Only if you do the dance moves with them.”

She rolled her eyes, picking up her coat from where she’d tossed over the back of her desk chair earlier. “You’re already hurt. And you and I both know my moves could be lethal.”

“I’m willing to risk it.”

[coffee-obsessed-writer]

You’re Mine, Pt. 3

Jensen x Reader x Danneel

Warnings: Porn with Barely-There Plot, slight Dom!Jensen, 18+ ONLY (Please adhere to this kiddies), hallway smut, threesome smut, female oral giving and receiving, mild language, poly relationship

A/N: PART ONE stemmed from a dream I had and with encouragement from friends turned it into a fic. First time I ever attempted something like this, so please be gentle with me. The second part was written as a request to continue the story.

Chapter Summary: Once their relationship is exposed, one of the trio decides to take a job far away without dealing with the fallout of the exposure. The timing of which is right before a new situation complicates the new family dynamic even more. 

WC: 7.9K

*Banner made by me. I do not own any of the images.

Tags are open for the series, SPN (Sam and/or Dean) and SPN RPF 

Late July in Texas brought on a bout of heat so oppressive, that stepping outside only happened when it was extremely necessary. Not even a swim in the pool or a day at the lake could take the sting out of the day’s sun that would beat down relentlessly. 

It had been a little more than two months since you officially had moved in with Jensen and Danneel and became a part of the Ackles’ family. Things were a little awkward at first, learning how and where you fit into their day to day lives, but after a couple of weeks the three of you, plus the kids found an easy-going rapport that eventually morphed into a new day to day routine. 

The kids never even questioned who you were or why you were living there. Jensen and Danneel had sat down with them and explained that you were now part of their family and they accepted it without a second thought. Spending time with them and getting to know them had been the highlight of the summer so far, and made you really think long and hard about what Jensen had suggested the night they asked you to move in. But with his schedule, and Danneel taking the kids on a whirlwind trip with her mom, the timing hadn’t been right. 

It had been three weeks since Jensen had left for Vancouver, and three days since Danneel left with the kids, and you found yourself rattling around the big old house alone. Keeping yourself busy during most days with work, the nights were starting to get a little lonely, and it simply cemented in your head and heart how much you really had come to love and miss all of them. You thought of calling or texting but also didn’t want to appear clingy or desperate for their attention.

Instead, after the sun went down, you threw on your bathing suit and ventured down to the pool for a nighttime swim to rid yourself of the excess energy built up from not having your new family around.

The moment you dove into the water and felt the crisp coolness flow over your body, you couldn’t help but smile. Surfacing, and brushing the hair back from your face, you closed your eyes and dipped your head back, letting your body rise and float around the pool. A noise off in the distance grabbed your attention, but you didn’t think much of it. Could be neighbors, or someone out on the lake. Instead, you opened your eyes and looked up to a clear night sky full of stars as you slowly waved your arms up and down to propel yourself around the pool. 

More noise, this time way closer, forced you from your floating position to standing up in the pool, then looking around trying to find the source. From up the hill towards the house, you heard music playing and the backdoor open then close. Curious as to who could be in the house, your heart started racing at the idea of one of the Ackles’ friends, namely Misha, having stopped by unannounced.

“That’s dumb,” you whispered to yourself, “he’s in Vancouver with Jensen… but who--”

“Hey there, gorgeous.” 

Jensen. You’d know that voice anywhere. 

You whirled around in the pool and saw him standing near the edge of the deep end. He was in a dark blue polo, with khaki shorts, and a baseball cap, and looking better than you’d ever seen him, despite having had to shave off his beard. 

“What are you doing here?” you asked, unable to stop the wide smile that grew on your lips. “You’re not even supposed to be in the country, let alone the state of Texas.”

“We had a break for a couple of days, thought I would come home and surprise you guys,” he said, crouching by the pool’s edge. 

“Well, it's just me here. Danneel and the kids--”

“Yeah, she told me and then I realized once I was at the airport this was the week they were gone. They’re with grandma somewhere… Boston? I think?”

“That’s one of the stops. I think they were heading up to Maine, next. Going to take them on a cruise up to Nova Scotia, see some whales.”

“How come you didn’t go?” he asked, tilting his head, following your movement through the pool with soft, engaging eyes. 

“Work,” you shrugged and reached the edge to where he was knelt down. “Told Danneel I’d keep the house in order, make sure the kids’ fish and hamsters were fed.”

“You passed up whale watching in Nova Scotia to feed some hairy rats?”Jensen laughed and shook his head. “You’re too much.”

“Not just that, I do have work. Got three new clients this month.”

“You know you don’t have to work, right? We can support you--”

“Not this again,” you groaned and pushed off the side of the pool, lazily swimming backward away from him. “I want to work. I enjoy working, Jensen. I won’t have you guys supporting me.”

“That’s what families do for each other, Y/N.”

“You know what else families do?”

He chuckled and shook his head. “Can’t imagine. What?”

You bit down on your lip and eyed him seductively. “They join their girlfriends in the pool for a late-night swim.”

Jensen stood up quickly from his crouched position. You laughed at his expression as he threw his hat to the ground before pulling his polo off, kicking off his shoes and removing his shorts, leaving him only in his boxers. He promptly dove into the pool with a big splash, and then swam underwater until he reached where you were, breaching the surface and immediately grabbing your waist.

His mouth crashed to yours hard, nearly knocking you back. Your arms went around his neck as you kissed him back with rolling tongues and hungry lips. The feeling of having him against you again was euphoric, and you realized then how desperately you had missed him. Jensen walked you back towards the edge of the pool, never taking his mouth off of yours. He growled lowly the deeper you kissed him, and when your back finally bumped against the side, you felt his hands slid up your back and pull the strings that held your bikini top on.

You couldn’t help but giggle as you saw the simple black top floating away from you in the pool. 

“Guess this is a skinny dip and not just a late-night swim, hm?”

“Mhm,” he mumbled, moving his mouth down your neck, then lifting you out of the water just enough to take your nipple in his mouth. 

The sensation of the cool water and his tongue made you instantly wet and needy. You pawed at the boxers under the water, then at your own bathing suit bottom, of which Jensen helped free you from.

“Jesus…” he moaned as you grabbed his cock and began to stroke it beneath the water. 

Below the surface, Jensen’s hand went to your pussy to see how ready you were to take him. There was no waiting, no foreplay. He wanted you, and he wanted you now. You knew by the look in his eyes, one you had seen plenty of times since first meeting him. He was a man possessed--needy and hungry--and you were his sustenance. 

Standing in the shallow end of the pool, you felt him slip up inside you. The sound that fell from your lips, a composure of a soft moan followed by a sharp inhale of his name, made him smile; but not a sweet smile. Jensen leered at you, his tongue slowly trailing across his bottom lip as he watched you respond to the sensation with each roll of his hips. One hand dig firmly into your hip so he wouldn’t lose his grip on you, the other ran up your body, covering your breasts then went up to your neck. He pulled you close to him, as his fingers gently closed around your throat. 

“Miss me?” he growled in question, biting his lip, trying to control the speed he moved into you.

“Yesss,” you mewed as your eyes rolled back, along with your head as you lost yourself in him. 

The sounds of splashing water and crickets were all that could be heard in the backyard. Having to remain relatively quiet in the house was normal, but no one was home now. You wanted to cry out, screaming his name and all the things you wanted him to do to you. Jensen was always so intuned to you whenever you were having sex, he could tell what you wanted just by your expression when your eyes finally met. But to have the freedom to be vocal, that was a turn on all in itself. 

“Tell me,” he snarled, his nostrils flaring, as his lips pulled into a devilish grin. “Tell me what you want.” He slowed his hips to a snail’s pace, barely twitching inside you now until you told him what to do.

You licked your lips with satisfaction and leaned your mouth closer to his ear. “Mark me. Make me yours. I want your teeth on my neck, then I want you to make me squirm. No one can do that to me as you can,” you purred, then ran your tongue along the outside of his ear.

Jensen raised his brow in question, but quickly obliged your request, landing his teeth to the place just where your neck curved to your shoulder. The sensation of his mouth and tongue on your flesh caused the first ripple of release to explode warmly in your core. Something about the way he did that, the idea he was marking you as his, could make you cum in its own rite. Despite the way he was biting and sucking along your neck, hungry to make you happy, you were able to hold off from climax; for now. 

A moment later, he was lifting you out of the pool, moving your ass on the edge and pushing you backward. Jensen pushed your knees apart and buried his head between your thighs as his hands wrapped around your hips, pinning you down. His tongue split your folds and licked up to your clit, taking the pulsating nub in his mouth and sucking hard. He lavished you roughly with his mouth and when his fingers found your entrance, thrusting up into you, screamed his name. 

“Fuucck, Jensen! Shit…!!” Panting, short hot breaths, your hands went to his head, gripping his wet hair on each side and holding on for dear life. “Fuck… Jen--I’m gonna cum… pleeasseee… baby, let me cum…”

You could feel his lips snarl into a smile against your clit before he slowly lifted his head to meet your eyes. “Whatever you want.” He used his fingers to fuck you harder, then brought his tongue back through your folds. “Fuck you taste good,” he growled and drank you in. 

With one more thrust up into you, you could feel your release coating his hands and mouth, but he refused to back away. Your whole body was humming with intensity, every nerve ending on fire from the release he just brought you to. But Jensen didn’t stop, and with each passing second he continued to lick and suck on your most sensitive place, the more you began to squirm beneath him. 

“Jesus... Ok! Ok! I give... You got me squirming!” you cried out with a giggle, letting go of his head and bringing your hands to your own mouth, biting down on your fingers as he continued on. “Jensen… please… I can’t--”

He lifted his head for a second. “You can, and you will. I’m not done.” The tenor and command in his voice caused your head to roll back, and your body to relax again. You loved that most of all. Being his, meant doing what he said; taking your licks like a good girl, and never wanting to disappoint him. 

“But,” he continued, picking up his head, and taking your hands, pulling you up to sitting, “you’re cold and I’m starving.” He pulled you back into the pool and wrapped his arms around the small of your back. His hands cupped your ass then lifted you up, so you could wrap your legs around his waist. 

“But you just ate,” you teased coyly, and Jensen rolled his eyes. 

“Yeah well, that was an appetizer. Now I need real food. Then, later… once we get home I plan on taking you upstairs and finding all-new, better ways to make you squirm.” He raised one eyebrow, a gesture that could mean a number of things, but right then it was simply looking for your compliance. “Understand?” he asked with his eyes narrowed on you and dark with lust.

“Yes, Jensen,” you said softly, then ghosted his lips with yours. “But do you really wanna wait until later? I mean…” you reached down and slowly began to stroke him. “Doesn’t seem fair to make you wait.”

Jensen laughed and shook his head. “You’re a damn junkie.”

You shrugged one shoulder. “And who’s fault is that?”

His entire expression changed. In one quick movement, he had you back against the pool’s wall, his dick finding your entrance and thrusting up into you. Jensen buried his face between your breasts, grunting and cursing as he fucked into you again, and again. Picking up the pace with each thrust upwards, the friction again your overstimulated clit, still very much throbbing from his earlier tongue lashing, brought you to a second orgasm just as he spilled his release inside of you. 

“God DAMN,” he grunted, lifting his face from your cleavage, “What the fuck is it that you do to me?” His bottom lip hung agape, as he pushed a lock of wet hair behind your ear. He pulled your mouth to his and kissed you fiercely. 

“I don’t know,” you whispered between his kisses. 

When he finally pulled back, the earlier lustful need was replaced by something softer. “Well, whatever it is, I’m glad it’s mine.”

“Always…” you paused to smile, and just take in how he was looking at you under the light of the moon that hung low in the Texas sky. “Now, you said something about when we get home… where are we going?”

“Oh, that. Well when I landed, I called and made some dinner plans for us.”

“You wanna go out? I can cook something for you here,” you said, slightly nervous at the prospect of going out just the two of you. 

“No,” he replied, a soft smile finding its way to his lips. “I want to take you out. I want to show you off to the world--”

“Jensen…” 

“What?”

“Come on, that’s--that’s not a great idea. You have to know that,” you stammered, shaking your head in the disbelief he would even suggest it.

“You’ve lived here for two months, Y/N. This is our life. Sometimes it’s Danneel and I that will be going out and sometimes it’s all of us. Hell, you and her have your nights out. Why can’t we?”

“That’s different. People see us out together and just assume we’re close friends.”

“I couldn’t care less about what people think we are. I want to take my girlfriend out. So, let’s get out of the pool, dry off, get dressed and go eat.” The last word came out sharply, something Jensen did unknowingly when he was trying to make a point. “Okay?”

“Okay,” you replied, returning the warm embrace he pulled you into and trying not to internally shudder at the thought of what could happen. 

An hour later, you were dressed in a simple yellow sundress that hung to mid-thigh, with thin straps, and a deep neckline, white wedge sandals and your hair pinned up off your neck. After one last check in the mirror, you headed down to the kitchen where you found Jensen waiting. He had changed into light blue jeans and a dark green cotton polo, his brown boots, and an FBBC baseball cap. The sight of him always sort of knocked you over and made you reflect on how gorgeous of a man he was, but that night he looked particularly good and you were mildly excited about going out now.

“Well damn,” he whistled when you walked into the room. “Maybe we’ll stay in after all.” You could feel his eyes lustfully wash over you. 

“Now who’s the junkie?” you teased and dropped your purse on the counter as you pulled out your cell. “I need a picture though, I promised Dee I would send her one. She misses you.”

“Well the feeling is mutual,” he smiled and came up from behind you as you raised the camera to take a picture of you together. 

After snapping a few pictures, you selected your favorite and texted it to Danneel. 

<<Wish you were here, beautiful. This man and I miss you something fierce.

“Hey, add me to that...” he pouted as he watched you craft the text over your shoulder. “I want the picture, too.”

You rested your head back on his shoulder and laughed. “Really?”

“Yes, really. Why do you find it so hard to believe that I want to have pictures of you? Or be seen in public with you? I thought we were passed all this.”

“We are… I just--” you shrugged, and went back to sending the text to Danneel, and to him. “Never mind. Come on, let’s go eat.”

“No, no,” he said, grabbing your wrist as you started walking away. “Not until I’m sure you get it. Tonight, you’re with me. We’re not going out as friends, and if people talk, fuck ‘em. I got nothing to hide.”

“Okay,” you whispered. “I trust you.”

“Good. Now, let’s eat. Got myself an appetite after that evening swim,” he winked and folded your hand into his.

 The Culinary Dropout restaurant in Austin had a table waiting for you and brought you promptly back to it upon arriving. Jensen pulled out the chair for you, then took the seat across from you and took off his cap, setting it aside. 

“Ever been here before?” he asked, picking up a menu and looking at the beer list. 

“No, not yet. Danneel and I tried a place last week that was great, but I can’t for the life of me remember the name.”

“Couldn’t have been that good then,” he chuckled.

“Well, she was being very distracting,” you shrugged nonchalantly. 

“Yeah, she has a habit of doing that, doesn’t she?”

“Boy, does she.”

You noticed Jensen lower his menu, and you did the same to meet his gaze. “So, this is all working, isn’t it?”

You snorted a laugh. “Our little modern-day family experiment?”

“That’s one way to say it, yeah. I mean, two months in and things are okay--better than okay. At least I think so.”

“I have no complaints,” you said softly, casting your eyes back down to your menu.

Jensen went to say something, but the phone buzzing from his pocket stopped him. He fished it out and looked at the notification, a wide smile across his face before turning the phone and showing it to you.

Two texts from Danneel: 

>>Kiddos and I miss you! [Attached a picture of Danneel and all three kids on the cruise ship]

>>Enjoy your time at home with Y/N, baby. You two need some quality alone time. Love you! xo

“I guess things really are good, huh?” he said tucking the phone away. 

“Too good,” you mumbled, half kidding, half nervous that you were just tempting fate. 

A few minutes later, the waitress arrived at your table, introduced herself with a polite smile and immediately admitted to knowing who Jensen was; big fan, and all that. Once she got the gushing over with, he happily signed a blank ticket for her, and she proceeded to take your orders. She left to put it in with the kitchen and that’s when Jensen reached across the table and took your hand. 

“You alright?” he asked, lightly rubbing the back of your hand with his thumb. “You look nervous.”

“I don’t want to be. But I guess I am a little. This is new for me, Jensen. Being so open about being with you. It’s been such a closely guarded secret for me, I think I just need to get used to it.”

“I know. That’s part of why I was insisted on coming out. It’s important to me that you be more a part of things.”

“What, things?”

“Everything. You’re already part of the home with Dee and the kids. I want you to be with me more. Come with me when I travel sometimes. Visit Vancouver, get to know my friends there.”

“You--really?” you breathed, knowing you shouldn’t be surprised, but still felt blindsided about being so exposed to his world. “Aren’t you scared of backlash? What we have here isn’t exactly conventional. I know you both say, fuck it, but, come on… no need to throw it everyone’s face.”

“That’s not why I want you with me, Y/N. I want you with me because I love you and I still feel like there’s so much I don’t know about you.”

“Hence Dee’s comment about quality alone time?” you teased. 

Jensen considered that for a moment and shrugged with his expression. “Yeah, pretty much. So, if you’re done being all skeptical, can you please relax and enjoy this?”

“Yes, Jensen,” you replied sweetly and squeezed his hand. You were on the verge of asking him some innocuous get-to-know-you kind of question when fate took its queue and walked over in the form of a fan.

“Um, excuse me, Jensen! Hi! I’m so, so sorry to interrupt your guy’s dinner, but I am a huge fan, and I was wondering if I could take a quick picture with you!?”

Jensen smiled up at her, and you slowly retracted your hand from him, but not before his fan noticed and then looked at you. You watched as the realization dawned on her face that you were not, in fact, Danneel. The woman’s expression went through several stages of understanding before she turned back to Jensen, with an awkward smile. 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to intrude…” 

“You’re not, darlin’, I’m happy to take a picture. Got your camera?”

She pulled it from her back pocket and opened the camera app, but you could feel the side-eyed glances she was throwing your way. 

“Want me to take it for you?” you offered.

“S-Sure, thanks,” she replied hesitantly and handed you the phone. 

You took a few pictures, making sure she ended up with a few good ones. She thanked him again, threw you one more suspicious glance and quickly walked away as if she had just stolen something and needed a quick getaway.

When she was gone, the waitress came back with your drinks and the appetizer Jensen ordered. Alone again, you looked to him as he sipped on his pint of beer. When he saw the bewilderment on your face, he chuckled.

“Something wrong?”

“Did you notice how she looked at me?”

He shook his head. “No, how?”

“Suspiciously. The second she realized I wasn’t Danneel, her whole demeanor changed. You seriously didn’t notice?”

“No,” he said. “I didn’t. Because--”

“I know, you don’t care. You and Dee have made that abundantly clear,” you laughed and sipped at your glass of wine. “I just don’t want to see anything you’ve worked so hard to create, fall apart because of a lifestyle choice you made.”

“If a lifestyle choice brings down my career, I didn’t have a very solid one, to begin with.”

You gave him a ‘really’ look and rolled your eyes. “Fine. I will lay off and just enjoy the night out. I am pretty hungry and that looks amazing…” you said, pointing at the plate in front of you. 

 Once the meals were finished, Jensen escorted you from the restaurant and as you casually strolled down the sidewalk hand in hand, you could feel that passersby were watching you. Jensen must have felt it too, because he picked up the pace a little and ushered you towards the car, opening your door for you, allowing you to quickly slipped inside. 

Just as he joined you and started the engine, the small group of photographers that had been behind you, pointed their cameras at the car and began clicking away.

“You were saying?” you mumbled then passed him a look of ‘I told you so’.

“So they took pictures, so what? Here, I’ll give ‘em something to focus on,” he smirked, wrapped an arm around your shoulders and pulled you in, kissing you with a heated purpose. Immediately parting your lips with his tongue and caressing your cheek with his hand. When he finally pulled back, you were light-headed and swimming in the feeling of the wine and his lips. 

“Can we go home now, please?” you pleaded softly, placing your hand on his knee and sliding it up to his thigh. “It’s so much nicer there. Quiet, private… no need for clothes…”

“Well, when you put it that way…” Jensen shrugged, put the car in gear and sped off past the small hoard and off towards home.

  By the time coffee was ready the next morning, the pictures were already circulating online. It didn’t take more than a few hours for them to make the tabloid rounds, hitting TMZ and other similar sites by sunrise the following day. The captions varied from ‘SUPERNATURAL’ Star Jensen Ackles Caught Cheating! To Jensen Ackles Caught With an Escort! Some were worse than others, but all of them together felt overwhelming and caused a deep worry about how life would be from that point on.

“We need to warn Danneel,” you said as Jensen passed you a cup of coffee with a rather dismissive gaze making you question what he was thinking. “What? You don’t think she deserves to know? On a trip with the kids… anyone could approach her, and say--”

“She knows,” he said calmly, as he sipped at his own mug. “I called her last night after you fell asleep.”

“Oh, okay. Good. Is she alright? I mean… some of those articles were brutal. Hell, are you okay?”

Jensen placed down his mug and gently took your cheeks between his hands. “I’m fine, Y/N. Dee is fine. Let them say whatever they want, okay?” He left his fingers to glide from your cheeks, down your neck on either side and out to your shoulders, giving them a gentle squeeze. “I promise we’ll handle it. For now, though, let’s just enjoy a few days of alone time before everyone’s home then I have to leave. Can you do that with me?”

You felt your nerves calm a little and nodded. “Yes, Jensen. I can do that for you.”

“Good girl,” he hummed, narrowing his eyes in contemplation. “I got an idea. Why don’t we have a lazy day in? We’ll make a bunch of food, watch a whole lot of movies. Just stay in and lay low. Sound good?”

“Music to my ears,” you said, a wide smile of relief accompanying your reply. “As long as I stay in my pajamas all day.”

“I’d prefer if you were in nothing, but that’ll do,” he said and nodded towards your current choice of a tank top and boy shorts. 

“Do you ever not think about sex?”

“Who said anything about sex? I’m not allowed to appreciate something this beautiful when I see it?” he asked, allowing his eyes to slowly linger along the curves of your body, as his tongue absently darted out over his bottom lip. 

You shook your head, climbed off the kitchen stool and picked up your mug as you strolled towards the family room. “Come on, I have a few ideas of what we can watch. Then maybe you’ll get me how you want me in the end.”

For the rest of the day, neither you nor Jensen picked up your phones solely in an effort to avoid the never-ending stream of notifications. By the time evening rolled around, you had gone through two of the movies from the Conjuring Universe, one old western, and half of Pulp Fiction before you and Jensen had fallen asleep on the couch. 

Over the next two days, you enjoyed the quiet time you had with him and having the entire house to yourselves while you did. By the end of the week, the rest of the family returned home from a leisurely vacation through New England and Eastern Canada. The kids went on and on about their adventures while you and Jensen listened as they talked over each other excitedly. They exhausted themselves just from the recap and all easily went off to bed. You offered to get them all ready and tucked in, so Jensen and Danneel could have some time to themselves to reconnect with each other after an extended absence. 

A few hours later, you were seated out on the porch, with a book open on your lap as you sipped on a glass of wine. The air was surprisingly cold despite the consistent, overwhelming heat during the days. That night there was a breeze coming in off the water that was strong enough to delicately lift a few strands of hair every now and again, as you read half-heartedly, not really seeing the words on the page.

The sound of someone stepping into the room brought your attention away from the book. Jensen was in his boxer briefs and black V-neck t-shirt, his hair soft and wildly unkempt. He wore a half-smile, but his eyes were tired and something in his expression looked as if he was deeply contemplative. He found his way to the lounge where you were sitting and took the book from your hand. Gently, Jensen placed it on the floor without a word, he laid down beside you and placed his head in your lap. 

You wanted to ask him what was wrong, but Jensen had never been the type to shy away from a conversation, or need to be begged to talk. He was quiet for a reason, and you wanted to be the soft place he could fall when he needed time to reflect on whatever was mulling around in his head. Slowly, you raked your fingers through his hair, lightly dragging your nails down his neck towards his shoulder, then back up through. He closed his eyes and hummed lightly with each pass along his neck. He turned his head around to look up, his half-smile growing into a genuine, thoughtful one. 

“I’m glad you’re here,” he rasped, then turned his head back and wrapped an arm around your legs. You thought you felt him tighten his grip, ever so slightly, but a moment later when Danneel came into the room, he let go completely and sat up.

“Hey,” she smiled, and walked to the lounge, bending to kiss your cheek softly. “How’s the book?” she asked and motioned towards the book on the floor. “Enjoying it?”

“Yeah, it’s great. I’m nearly done.”

“The end is just so, so good. You have to let me know when you finish.” She was making small talk, and though you were just going with the flow, it felt forced and awkward. Coupled with how Jensen came into the room, you had a feeling that things were about to drastically change.

“Ok, so what’s going on with you two? You’re both being weird.”

You watched as they exchanged an uncomfortable glance. Jensen’s brow furrowed slightly when his silent question went unanswered by her and cast his eyes to the ground as he leaned back on the small lounge, resting his arm along the back.

“We’re fine, honey. Promise. Just… I have news. I should have told you two, together, but I told Jensen first. I’m sorry, I hope you’re not upset.”

“No, why would I be? He’s your husband, of course, he should know things first.”

“He’s ours,” she said and winked, but let her expression fall when she saw how unamused Jensen was. “Ok, good. I’m glad you’re so understanding… it makes the next part a bit easier.”

“Well now you’re scaring me a little,” you chuckled nervously, and drew your knees up under your butt, and leaned back. You felt Jensen’s fingertips brush against your shoulder and felt comforted by his touch.

“Sorry, it’s nothing bad. It’s actually pretty amazing news. I got offered a part in a feature film!”

“What?! That’s awesome! I’m so happy for you!” you replied excitedly, a wave of relief washing over you. Of all the things you thought she could possibly say, landing a role in a film was the furthest from your mind. “What’s the movie? Where do you have to go? When?”

“Yeah, I’ve heard all this. I’m going to bed,” Jensen said abruptly and stood up. “You ladies talk, I need some shut-eye.” He turned and left then. No kiss goodnight, not even a glance in either of your directions. With the way he left, you were fairly certain he wouldn’t be sharing the big bed tonight; chances were better, that later you’d find him curled up in the guest room.

Once he had disappeared back inside, Danneel took over his seat, slumping down with a sigh. “He’s mad at me for leaving.” She was matter-of-fact about it, which was not her usual reaction to any sort of disagreement with Jensen. They were by no means a perfect couple, and in all the time you’d known them, they’ve had their fair share of arguments. This felt… different. 

Shit, not again… you thought and tried to steel yourself for what else was to come.

“What’s the big deal? You’ve gone off to work since the kids have been born.”

“It’s not that…”

“Then what? Where do you have to go?”

“Greece. For three months,” she replied, the excitement in her voice bleeding through in the simple response.

“That’s incredible! So, what’s the problem? That you’re half a world away for three months?”

“Partially,” she breathed and shrugged. “I couldn’t get much more out of him. He’s pissed and he’ll talk to me about it eventually I suppose.”

“But, why?” There was something she was holding back, you knew her well enough that you could feel it radiating off of her.

“Maybe because it's like you said… three months in Greece, I can’t take the kids, he hates the director--”

“What? Come on...” you laughed, dismissing her fears with a wave of your hand. “Jensen doesn’t hate anyone.”

“Oh, he hates Maurice. Mostly because I used to sleep with him, and he’s way older.”

“Seriously? Come on, Dee. Jensen doesn’t care about some guy you slept with a million years ago.”

She seemed reflective for a moment, her honey-brown eyes lost somewhere in memory. When she came back to the present, a cool, steely gaze was living in the lines of her expression.

“How was he while we were gone?”

“Other than missing everyone, he seemed fine. Why?”

“No reason,” she scoffed, but then raised and dropped her brows quickly in annoyance. 

You also noticed the slight roll of her eyes, which bothered you as well. For the first time since being with them and witnessing a disturbance in the usual domestic bliss, you felt yourself take sides… and it wasn’t hers.

“Who knows with him, really. He’s been different with me lately. Maybe it’s just work or the stress of the last season. I don’t know,” she said and leaned her head on your shoulder and hooked her arm through yours. “Nothing we’ll figure out tonight though. I’m beat. Can we talk about the details of the job in the morning? I’m really going to need your help if I’m going to make this job work.”

“Sure, whatever you want,” you replied, though really, you wanted to throw a million questions at her, including how she felt about the exposure of their unique family dynamic. Instead, you stayed quiet for the time being and rolled with the punches.

“You’re the best, you know that?” Danneel leaned in and kissed your cheek. Keeping her hand on yours, she stood from the lounge and tried to pull you up with her. “I am absolutely exhausted and am ready to go crash. Care to join me?” 

“Yeah, but you go ahead. I’ll be along in a minute,” you replied with a sweet smile that faded quickly once she was out of sight. Feeling like there was another shift coming, you took a moment to take a few deep breaths, retrieve the book off the floor and slowly stand from the lounge. There was something off in both her and Jensen and your mind began to go crazy wondering what was said between them. 

Later, when she was softly snoring, you were still awake, laying on your back and staring at the ceiling. The bed felt empty without Jensen in it, and you couldn’t stop thinking about how Danneel reacted when you said Jensen had been fine while she was gone. There was always that nagging concern in the back of your mind that this family you had joined would somehow crumble before it even began. It was just fear talking, something you knew, but still had a hard time letting go of. 

There was so much to discuss with both of them--both Danneel’s new job and the fallout from the reporters capturing you and Jensen together at the restaurant and subsequent rumors after--but at that moment, you couldn’t care less about any of it. Your thoughts were firmly on Jensen.

You got up from the bed, threw on your light cotton robe, and tip-toed through the house, systematically checking on the kids fast asleep in their beds as you went. Upon reaching the guest room door, you thought you could hear the ambient lull of the television; the glow under the door confirming your suspicion. Quietly, you opened the door and expected to find him passed out, remote in hand. To your surprise, Jensen was sitting up, watching golf with heavy lids and fighting to stay awake.

“Hey,” he mumbled, sitting up a little straighter as you came into the room. “You alright?”

“I’m fine. I came to check on you.”

A contented little smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth before he flipped the covers back and patted the place beside him on the bed. You crawled in and curled up into him as he covered you back up and wrapped an arm around your shoulder. You snaked your arm around his chest and buried your face into his side, drawing in a long, deep breath of his scent. 

“I’m alright,” he said, but you were sure he was lying. “Just a long day.”

“That’s why you're here, and not in our bed, right?”

He didn’t speak, and you didn’t have to look up to know he was giving you a certain kind of look. 

“Thought you and Dee could use the time to talk, that’s all.”

“About her new job?”

“Among other things,” he replied, then pointed the remote at the television and turned off the tournament. 

“You didn’t have to shut it off.”

“I’d rather look at you then middle-aged men in ugly pants.”

You chuckled and slowly lifted the hem of his shirt, to leave a warm, longing kiss on his skin. “Can’t say that I hate that…” you purred, continuing to trail kisses down his abdomen, towards the top of his boxers. 

“Baby…” Jensen breathed and was clearly fighting the urge to forcibly move your head towards his rapidly growing erection. “You don’t have too…”

“Shhh. Close your eyes,” you whispered, slipping your fingers delicately between the waistband and his flesh. “Let me take care of you, Jensen. Let me help you sleep.”

Jensen didn’t say another word. Instead, he laced his fingers through your hair, grabbing a fistful to lift up your gaze, as the loose strands feel to frame your face and cast the impish smile you wore into the shadows. His intense, yet tired eyes bore into you, making you crave him even more. You held his stare but continued to work his boxers down far enough, for his dick to be free of restraint.

Trying to move your head to take him in, he held you up for a brief moment, then slowly released his grip. He watched you as you pressed your lips to the silky tip, already slick with anticipation, and then ran your tongue down his shaft. Having him watch you as you licked, sucked and worked his cock over was an instant turn on. Knowing you had that kind of power over him--despite him being in charge when it came to acts such as this--made you wet and needy. The worst part was, Jensen knew it. 

Just before he was ready to cum, he pulled your head up and without saying a word, told you what he wanted from you. Sitting up, you untied the robe and tossed it aside; leaving yourself completely nude and ready for whatever he wanted. He pushed off the boxers the rest of the way but leaned back against the headboard and watched as you climbed onto his lap. He barely needed to touch you, much less run his hand up your slit, to feel how badly you wanted him. Positioning yourself over him, you were going to let him slide up and fill you slowly in an attempt to make him squirm. 

“Why do I fall apart the very second you touch me,” you breathed, already drunk on the idea of feeling him inside you. 

“Because, you like how I put you back together again,” he rasped in reply, his desire for you showing in his dark and lustful green eyes.

Jensen, being the impatient man he was, grabbed your hips and slammed you down onto him. Biting back the scream that wanted to erupt, you gripped his shoulders as his head bent into your breasts to muffle his own sounds. He didn’t last long, nor did you. Heavy breaths and needy whispers were exchanged closely, intimately until both of your bodies were shaking with pleasure. When it was finished, you laid down beside him and curled up into the crook of his shoulder. He murmured something unintelligible as his eyes flutter closed and you watched the man you loved finally fall asleep.

The talk Jensen wanted you to have with Danneel never did happen; nor did she ever bring up the incident with the reporters or articles. Instead, over coffee the following morning you talked with her about how things would be while she was gone; wanting to be sure you were okay with it all but never really diving into anything deeper. Jensen and Danneel never seemed to completely reconcile from whatever was spoken between them the night before, and when Jensen left for Vancouver again later that evening, their goodbye was strained and awkward. Despite how they left things, the three of you carried on for the next few weeks as if nothing had changed, when clearly so much already had.

Since the articles started to pop up, speculating about who you were and why Jensen was with you that night, you had lost the three new clients signed up in July. Your clientele continued to dwindle until there were only two regular clients left; one for personal training, and one for massage. Any time you tried to approach the topic with Danneel, she would wave you off, acting as if it was no big deal. She would mumble something about it all blowing over, but the idea began to weigh on you that SHE was the one waiting for it all to blow over so she could pretend it never happened. 

The day finally came for Danneel to leave, and everyone was quiet and rather sulky through her last day at the house. There was no big send-off, no big goodbye; which was just what she wanted. She said goodnight to the children on a Monday evening and was quietly gone by the time the sun rose on Tuesday. Jensen was home for the day after she left wanting to be there for the kids in case they started to miss their mom. His presence was enough to divert their attention away from her leaving, and onto more fun things until they were tucked in and sleeping. 

The real chaos of the household change didn’t come for another week. With both parents gone, the kids pushed their boundaries, and if not for the help of their nanny, Rita, you may have lost your mind. They missed their mom, missed their dad, and while they loved you, it just wasn’t the same. Fatigue was setting in along with the frustration of the day to day schedule for both them and the house, and you didn’t understand how Danneel did it all on a regular basis. 

It was a Friday, and Jensen thought he may be home the next day, depending on the filming schedule. Wanting to be sure to have some of his favorite things in the house, you left the children with Rita and headed out to Target with a list and a solid plan to get everything you wanted to get. By the time you drove the ten minutes across town and parked the car, you felt physically drained and slightly nauseous. Chalking it up to the relentless heat, you made your way through the store, gathering everything you wanted for both Jensen and the children, and maybe a few intimate items for yourself. You had missed him terribly and thought maybe some treats for the bedroom would make him happy upon his return the next day. 

As you were walking through the aisles, the slight bit of nausea bowled you over causing you to ditch the cart and run for the nearest bathroom. Once there, the remnants of lunch came up quickly, leaving you on the bathroom floor and reeling from the sudden burst of sickness. As you got up, flushed and made your way to the sinks, you tried to think what it could have been that sent you running for the bathroom. Lunch was a simple salad with grilled chicken, the breakfast was also very light and everyone seemed fine from it. 

You retrieved your cart and started making your way towards the cashiers, still trying to understand where the sudden burst of nausea came from. None of the kids had been sick, it couldn’t have been the food, maybe it was the heat… Then it hit you; the thought made you stop cold in the middle of the main walkway of the Target. You turned around and walked back a few paces, leaving the cart where it was, you turned and started looking through the aisles by the pharmacy. There, under the pharmacy’s window hung the pregnancy tests. 

Swallowing thickly, you picked up the first one you saw and the moment your fingers touched the box, you knew… Though he hadn’t been around too much in the last month, there was that night in the pool when he had surprised you by coming home early… and several more times over those few days where it was a free for all and no thought was given to any sort of protection. The wave of nausea struck again, but this time it was from the absolute certainty, that if you were to take that test you held in your hand, there would be two lines in the window, not just one.

You’re Mine Tags: @billionsofpeoplebutyoupickedme @pandaxo79 @deans-baby-momma @daskleinevolk @muchamusedaboutnothing @sandlee44 @sorenmarie87 @keymology @his-paradox @winchesterxfamilybusiness @karikatz12481 @81mysteriouslyme @lessons-of-red @destielhoneybee @tftumblin @stoneyggirl @innerpaperexpertcloud @girl-with-a-fandom-fettish @squirrel-moose-winchester @fictionalabyss @deanwinchesterswitch @jbbarnesgirl @the-is13 @ladywinchester1967 @whereismyangel-damnitdeanshare @maddiepants @pretty-fortune @breereadsthings @sasbb23

SPN RPF: @closetspngirl @screechingartisancashbailiff @hobby27 @whiskeyandapplepie @teaspoin  @kazosa @wings-of-a-raven @adoptdontshoppets @negans-wife @katehuntington

[strawbwrry]

know it all ❥ h.ys

word count：4.k

warnings：slight swearing, time traveling, soulmates, and a few tears

↳ happy yunseong day!

now this is in no way a secret to anyone, but i do adore yunseong, and i wanted to do something special for 100 followers (currently 132, love you guys :D) and something special for yunseongs birthday, so this is where it went! now before anything i’d really like to say i truly do hope for the best for him, his future looks bright and i am eagerly awaiting for whatever happens in his career and his life, and will 100000% support him in all his endeavors. i hope he is having a good birthday, and just would like so say i really appreciate him. also hey woolim let us see him and the rest of the boys we miss them!!! to end my small rant (cause trust me i could go on for ages, and as the great @choi-yeonjunz said to me the first day we talked “im head over heels for yunseong) all i have to say is, happy birthday yunseong ♡

song rec：dayfly ❥ dean

❥❥❥❥

know it all

hwang yunseong

❥❥❥❥

I had seen him before, but he was new here. No matter how many times I tried to convince myself of that, I knew very well I had seen him before. Something about him didn’t feel normal.

How did I know him? I wasn’t so sure.

❥❥❥❥

Yunseong was attractive, seemed nice, and was on the quiet side. You’d always find him near his friends. But something was, off. I’d talked to him just once, and it was an apology after running into him and spilling some of my water on his shirt. In total honesty, before I had realized I had spoken to him, our conversation had ended.

Now usually I would’ve brushed off this unsettling feeling and continued on with my life. No matter how hard I tried to move past it, desperately tried to ignore it, I was drawn to him. When I’d see him enter the coffee shop I couldn’t help but stare. I’m sure he’d caught me more than a few times, but I couldn’t care less.

I couldn’t help it.

The day everything would change was, to be excruciatingly honest, the most mundane of them all. I got dressed, finished my classes for the day, and headed off to work. I checked in, and began on my daily tasks. As I began to clean the tables right before we closed up, I realized one thing : Yunseong hadn’t come in today. For the past few months every single day, and at the exact same time, down to the second, Yunseong walked in and ordered a drink.

He never missed a day.

My co-worker walked up to me and handed me a cookie and pointed at the table and we sat. Serim took a bite from her cookie before giving me a wide grin. “Did the boy you like not come in today?” I rolled my eyes and groaned as I opened up the packaging, “Oh shut up! I do not like him Serim.” She laughed and patted my arm, “Whatever you say Y/N.” A chill ran up my spine as a loud screech was heard outside. My eyes bolted to Serim before I tried to look out of the large window.

“Y/N, what was that?” I peered through the window all I saw was darkness. I vaguely saw dark figures, one moved continuously till I felt it look in my direction. I couldn’t see was looked back at me, but it’s eyes stung into my chest. Everything about its gaze hurt. Whatever was staring at me wasn’t human, or in the very least, wasn’t fully human. All of a sudden there was a knock on the door, when I turned to look at the person there, it was Yunseong.

His face remained stoic and calm as always, his hair tousled, but nothing out of the ordinary. It wasn’t till I noticed a figure behind him, that I felt my eyes widen, it was a tall man with seemingly no distinct features what so ever, his large hand landed onto Yunseong’s right shoulder. His lips quirked up into a lopsided grin, his eyes looked straight into mine, as he turned around in an instant, I had fallen to the floor. My vision went black for just a second, my breathing became erratic, and when I looked back there stood Yunseong alone. I turned around trying to find Serim to no avail. “Serim!” My shaky voice yelled out, as my arms pulled my body away from the door slowly. My video on blurred, and I felt a throat getting tighter and tighter by the second.

“Serim?” I felt my eyes began to sting. I pulled myself up and felt a sudden pain in my side, which dropped me right back to the floor.

I heard knocks once again coming from the door, my head instantly looked up to find Yunseong there, but his demeanor had drastically shifted. His once stoic face had turned into one of anxiousness and his hand pounded against the door violently, he looked terrified. He point behind me and as I turned around I came face to face, with who I could only describe as the tallest person to ever exist. I quickly scrambled up and ran to the door, my hands fumbled clumsily until it was open, I quickly shut the door behind me and watched as the man disappeared once again. I looked into Yunseong’s eyes to find a certain sense of relief, but deep behind that was something else. A secret, a fear, that I knew was there.

“It didn’t happen.” My face clearly contorted in confusion. What did he mean it didn’t happen? I struggled to regain my breath and vision as I stood across from him. My chest heaved tiredly.

Up. Down. Up. Down.

As my breath began to settle I looked up at him, “What do you mean ‘it’ didn’t happen?”

He let out a deep sigh, then proceeded to look around him. He anxiously rubbed the back of his neck with the palm of his hand before turning back to make eye contact with me. His eyes boring into mine which only made me more nervous.

“I’m not sure how to tell you this, but you were supposed to be dead 5 minutes ago.”

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That was a rough night. Yunseong and I had agreed to meet at the park the next day to talk, I really wasn’t ready for what I was about to learn, what I was about to see, or what I was about to feel.

❥❥❥❥

We sat besides each other awkwardly. To anyone else it would’ve looked like the most awkward first date to ever have taken place. What was really happening though, was something no one would really understand. Hell if I understood what was going on.

My eyes wandered to him before I nervously breathed in and sighed. “What did you mean when you said I was going to die last night, and who were those people with you?”

He seemed taken aback at the mention of people. “You could see them?”

“Was I not supposed to be able to see them?” He smiled timidly before straightening his face out and looking back at me. “Y/N you’re something special.”

I stayed silent. How should I respond to that? Should ask why? I wasn’t sure.

I stayed sat beside him quietly, my hands feeling as if they were going to sweat, but to be frank I wasn’t sure if they would. He sighed heavily, wiping his hands over his knees and laughing quietly. I turned to face him, quite honestly startled by his sudden laugh. It was cute, but I was confused. I laughed softly too, I had just realized I had flinched at the sound of his sudden laugh. An array of giggles escaped us before we began to quiet down.

“I’m not sure where to start, is there anything you want to know?” I sucked in a breath of air and lightly played around with my fingers wondering where to start as well. “Is there anything significant you think I should know?”

He purses his lips tightly, racking his head for a little bit. “Lee Sujin, your grandma.”

“What about my grandma?” My jaw clenched tightly, I’m wasn’t so sure if I wanted to know this. “Your grandma had a younger brother right?” I nodded quietly, my head turning to his direction as I did so. “Was his name Lee Eunsang?”

I swallowed dryly, and nodded my head nervously, “That was his name. My grandma used to talk about him all the time. But he died in 1969.” He nodded, “He wasn’t supposed to.”

“What do you mean?”

“Everybody has a certain time at which they’re supposed to die. The vast majority of people die the date and time they’re supposed to, but others die too soon, or too completely miss their time and seemingly live forever.” I squinted my eyes trying to process the information. I bit my lips back lightly, nodded very gently at his words, trying my hardest to understand them,

“So he died too early?”

He nodded, “My job is to correct each early or missed death in multiple universes, your great uncle just happens to be next on my list.”

“Can I go with you?” I pursed my lips, anxiously waiting for a response.

“Why do you want to go Y/N?” His head cocked to the side curiously, a little bit of a smile popping onto his face.

“I’d love to meet him, plus I’d love to see if you’re lying or not.” A small grin fully etched itself onto his face at my words, his hand outstretching itself till it was right by mine. He looked forward, his eyes closing for a few seconds, before he opened them again. They looked different now. A certain new quality had appeared within them. It felt comforting, almost even familiar in an odd sense.

“Y/N, take my hand and close your eyes. No matter what keep them closed, until I tell you to open them.“

My heart began to thump erratically, I felt a certain sense of nervousness overcome me in totality. I swallowed nervously but asked one final question, “What happens if I open my eyes?”

He pursed his lips for just a second, and then let out a shaky breath, “Something bad would happen. Something very bad.”

His hand began shaking slightly, his fingers gently curling inwards, “Do you still want to go?”

I nodded softly, then lifted my hand to place it in his. His grip on my hand tightened just a bit before loosening once again, “Close your eyes.”

I closed my eyes, the bright sun, green trees, blue sky, and the fountain that formerly resided in my field of vision now gone. His once regular quiet breathing became heavier, and sounded more labored. The grip of his hand adjusted, gently locking his fingers with mine, as his grip tightened, in an instant I could no longer saw any hint of light.

Darkness, a totally unexplainable lack of light, it was odd in every way possible. Yet it was familiar, I’d felt this before, I was sure of it in every way possible. A sudden image flashed before me, it was a picture of me with someone, someone who couldn’t be seen, was blurred out, seemingly wasn’t supposed to be there in that picture with me.

It stayed there motionless, until it began moving. The person next to me began to poke my cheek, even pinching it later on. As the video began fading from my sight I saw lips land onto my forehead.

I felt my heart flutter as I watched intently. I could feel the kiss being gently pressed to my forehead, and where my cheek had been gently poked and pinched. It was gentle and soft, but still prompted a shy smile on my face. I didn’t know who the person was, but deep down I could feel an unknown fondness for them, I couldn’t help it. As the video faded from my view I belt my heart ache at the sudden disappearance of the person in the video.

My chest tightened as I felt Yunseong squeeze my hand, his small pinky began adjusting slightly. “Almost.” I felt a sudden wave of reassurance wash over me at his voice, I’d never felt this way. I’d never felt so utterly comfortable with someone.

But I didn’t know him.

I had known about his existence for just a few months, talked to him for much less than two hours, but felt the strongest sense of infatuation with him. The strongest feeling of attachment. The darkness began to fade, and a sudden light appeared, “Y/N you can open your eyes now.”

When my eyelids parted, instantly I knew, we weren’t in 2019 anymore.

It was the summer of 1969.

❥❥❥❥

Everything was so different. The cars. The people. The clothing.

“Yunseong, holy crap is that my grandma?” My eyes widened at the sight of a certain teenager, my age, walking hand in hand with a male. “Wait no way, that’s my grandpa!” I quickly turned around, crouching down, and raising up to my hands to my eye sockets covering my eyes.

He chuckled, his hand reaching out to help me stand up again, “Bingo.” I placed my hand onto his and let him pull me up. His head turned away, as my eyes were drawn to his side profile, I unknowingly smiled, my heart felt content, here holding his hand.

For once everything felt right.

❥❥❥❥

Everything changes with perspective

What’s going on in Yunseong’s mind?

❥❥❥❥

Her eyes widened significantly and she turned to me for just a second, “Yunseong, holy crap is that my grandma?” Her hand landed over her mouth in shock and her eyes scanned over the teenager stood not far from us.

“Wait no way, that’s my grandpa!” I chuckled softly, she crouched to the floor and covered her eyes with her hands trying to process the sight just a few feet away. When she turned to look back at me my hand instinctively shot out to help her up, “Bingo.”

He hand landed onto mine and for the few second it was there I felt complete.

She’d never be mine, but that wouldn’t stop me from coming back to her.

I turned away, my heart heavy, but feeling content. “Y/N, your great uncle should be in the park over there. Come on, let’s go.”

The walk was quiet, not a single word uttered between the both of us. The day was nice, the sky clear and blue, a gentle wind blowing past us, the sun beaming warming our skin. Her hand grabbed my wrist stopping us both. Her head quickly turned to look back at me, “Yunseong, is that him?” I smiled softly at her excitement and nodded softly, “Hey Eunsang! Is that the girlfriend you’ve been telling me about?”

He blushed and rolled his eyes, “Hyung! You’re embarrassing me!” I laughed before turning to look down at Y/N, her eyes wide and face reading shock. My hand intertwined with hers, before I looked back up, “Yunseong hyung, who is she? Is that your girlfriend?” Y/N’s face went red, her hand tightened around mine, but before I said anything,

“My name is Y/N, and yes.”

My face heated up slightly, as I felt her hand tighten around mine. Eunsang’s girlfriend smiled widely, “Care to join us for a bit?”

I turned to look at her and she smiled softly, her eyes wandering into mine, boring holes into my soul as she hopefully stared at me. “We’d love too!”

❥❥❥❥

"How did you like being with them?” Her smile was wide, and hands remained warm, she looked so happy. So genuinely excited, I couldn’t help to smile back at her. “I understand what my grandma meant when she talked about him.”

“What did she say about him?” We stopped in front of a gorgeous rose bush. She let go of my hand, and faced me in front of the rose bush, her eyelashes fluttered prettily, her eyes reading me in a way I couldn’t pinpoint. “Mischievous personified. She told how much he enjoyed seeing others happy. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a better descriptive of someone.” Her head dropped down, a fond smile growing onto her face, “She would’ve loved to see him one last time before she passed.”

Without a thought my hand lifted to brush her hair away from her face, my eyes drawn naturally to hers. It felt so natural. Her eyes softened slightly before she turned to admire the roses, “Tell me Yunseong, what other things exist that we don’t know about.” I smiled sadly at her, I was so helplessly entranced by her in every way, it was so obvious.

“Which ones do you want to know?”

“Well I know about time traveling, since we just did it, and the fact that multiple universes exist, so just anything that’d be a shock to most people.”

“I know in your universe it’s a big debate on if soulmates exist, but they do exist. Other is probably, people you see, aren’t always people, they can be some misshapen monster put into the wrong universe.”

Her eyes shot back to mine, “Like the people next to you from last night?” I nodded, “I was shocked when you could see them because you’re not supposed to be able to see them. No normal person should be able to see them. I’m positive you saw some kind of video or picture when we were coming over here.”

“I did.” My hunch was right. Nobody is every that quiet, there’s always some sort of panicking or nervous whispering. She was silent. She wasn’t normal and I’m sure of it, I’m just not sure in what way she’s different. “What was it of?”

A shy smile painted itself over her face and her eyes filled with a certain sense of happiness I’d never be able to understand. “It was incredibly mundane and unimportant, but it seemed so life changing and real to me. The main thing was, I guess when a person kissed my forehead.”

“Who was this somebody?” Her face contorted slightly in confusion, “I’m not really sure, I couldn’t see their face.”

“If you’re okay with answering, what about it seemed so important to you?” Her bashful smile returned, her eyes turning to mine for a bit before turning away once again, “I don’t know who the person was, but at that moment I felt like I needed them. Like I wasn’t complete with out them. I could feel the kiss, but I couldn’t pinpoint what about felt so special and important to me. It just was.”

I smiled sadly, “It must’ve been a vision of your soulmate.” My hand reaches out and gently poked her cheek, I smiled fondly at the girl who stood in front of me, each time she died I always came back, even if I knew I shouldn’t. My heart broke each time but I couldn’t help it. I loved her.

“Yunseong do you have a soulmate?”

I smiled,“I do, but because I technically don’t exist, my soulmate has another soulmate.” I looked down at the roses and smiled, their vibrant reds truly shining as the setting sun covered them in a golden light. It was a scene that could really only be described as unreal, “What do you mean you don’t exist?”

“I was born in between universes, so while I am here and real, I’ll never really exist anywhere. I’ll spend all of my seemingly endless life fixing the universe’s anomalies, until the day my body gives out. But then I’ll be reborn like this once again.” I paused, my throat tightening slightly, “The majority of us don’t have soulmates. I’m one of the few who does. I’ll never be able to be with them though, so what does it matter at this point.”

“Do you know them?” I turned to look at Y/N, her eyes glazed with a childlike sense of curiosity, I smiled wholeheartedly before turning away to watch the sun set, my smile instantly falling, “I’ve seen her die, and be reborn multiple times. Each and every time it happens I can’t help but hope she’ll be one of us. It’s selfish I know, but it’s been centuries in your years, over again watching them fall in love with another man. It’s futile. But I’ll always adore her no matter who she’s been reborn as.”

Her hand landed gently on my arm, lightly grabbing in the long sleeve shirt that hung loosely on my arm, tears brimming at her eyes. A wave of emotions washed over me in which I could only name a few, my hands lifted up to her face and I gently swiped her tears with my thumbs, watching as she sniffled. My hand gently pinched at the soft skin of her cheeks, smiling as a timid smile painted her face. She gently took my hand in both of hers and held it tightly. “Doesn’t it hurt?”

“I can’t do anything about it. All I can do is watch and hope she’s happy with who ever she lands as a soulmate. It hurts so damn much. She’ll never know how much I truly love her, but it’s alright. I’ll die one day, maybe I’ll be among the majority of us who are lucky enough to not have soulmates.” Her lips pursed as her eyes locked on mine. Once again, her eyes stared into mine trying to find something, something I’d never know of. Her hands still firmly held onto mine. “Would you ever tell your soulmate that?”

Words were caught at my throat, I had so much to say, yet no way to say it. Should I tell her? I sighed heavily and and gently leaned in to place a loving kiss to her forehead, using my free hand to gently cup her face, my thumb stroking her cheekbone,

“I just did.”

❥❥❥❥

We had just arrived once again in 2019, I was hesitant to leave. Y/N stayed silent, and while she hadn’t said anything to me following my three-worded confession, she refused to let go of my hand. The sky was dark, the only illumination present in anyway being the uninviting street lights that were scattered across the sidewalks.

I walked Y/N to her doorstep and watched her head up to the door. Each step she took to her door felt agonizingly long, I’d never see her again after this, and she knew it. Her hands reached the doorknob and I watched as she unlocked her door. My eyes watched intently as she began to walk inside her house. In an instant she dropped her keys and turned back to me, she walked quickly and rested her head against my shoulder, her hands wrapped around my waist. To say I was shocked was an understatement, I felt my body relax against hers as my arm pulled her closer. My head rested against hers and we stood there quietly,

“Yunseong don’t leave. Please don’t leave.” My heart broke at the shakiness of her words, her warm forehead pressed against the side of my neck sending goosebumps up my spine. “You know I can’t stay.” Her arms tightened around my body as I began to pull away. “Why can’t you stay?”

“I don’t belong here.” She shook her head gently, before pulling her upper body away from mine and looking me in the eyes, “Whenever I look into your eyes I see something different, I can see your fears, I can see your thoughts, and I can see your memories. You’re real in every way. When I look at you I see Hwang Yunseong. Whether you exist or not, I love you. Whether you knew it or not I always have.”

“And whether you accept it or not I’m not letting go.”

A smile grew on my face as I bashfully looked away from her trying to hide a smile. A sudden stinging in my eyes startled me, I chuckled softly at myself, soon joined by Y/N. Just like the first time we had truly talked, for a moment it was just a fit of giggles. Her gleaming smile so gorgeous, I couldn’t help but stare. When the laughs ceased I felt a tear roll down my cheek, something that hadn’t happened in quite a long time. “Why are you crying Yunseong?”

“I never thought I’d be able to have a moment like this with you. I just love you. Much more than you’d ever know.”

“I love you too Yunseong.”

❥❥❥❥

This was the moment that’d change our lives. This was the moment I felt complete, after what felt like an eternity of endless searching, endless watching happy couples together, I finally felt like I was complete.

She’d never understand how much I love her. She never will. Your not just fond of someone for hundreds of years. Sure I’m a know it all, but I really didn’t know how she felt.

And I’m glad I didn’t.

❥❥❥❥

[womanoflettersinthebunker]

Sam came out into the clearing where Gabriel and Johnny were training only to find Gabriel standing there alone, staring at his watch. 

She looked around, still not seeing her son. “Gabriel...where is Johnny?” she asked. 

Gabriel glanced at her, holding one finger up and then his watch beeped and with a flush of air, sound of wings, and rush of electricity through the air Johnny suddenly reappeared, falling to the ground and rolling a few times before he came to a stop. 

Sam went to his side, helping him to sit up. “You’re teleporting already?” she asked, reaching out to brush the dirt off of his shirt. 

“Kinda.” Johnny said, wiping at his forehead. “We were trying to teleport but I was also trying to,” he looked and pointed at a sigil that was drawn in the ground. “To see how long I could keep powering that, I was just a few feet away. Gabriel was counting how long I can keep it up.”

“And what’s the prognosis?” Sam asked, looking at Gabriel. “How long did he manage?”

Gabriel held up his notepad. “Ten seconds.”

“Felt like a lot longer.” Johnny mumbled, getting up and brushing his jeans. 

“The fact that you’re doing this on day two, means that you’re learning really fast.” Sam told him. “Don’t get ahead of yourself, you’re doing great.”

“But I want to be doing more.” Johnny said softly, moving closer so that he could lean against her and put his head on her shoulders. “How am I going to be able to rescue grandma if I can’t even do this?”

“Because you don’t just jump the gun twenty steps in front, you need to take smaller steps and get used to everything.” Sam told him. She wrapped her arm around his shoulders and rubbed at his arm with her thumb. “Trust me, you’re doing great.”

When he didn’t look convinced Sam sighed and pulled him down a bit more so that his head was on her lap. She gently stroked at his head, running her fingers through his hair. 

“Just relax.” she told him. “Because you’re trying to push yourself too hard, you’re being too hard on yourself. So please, just relax.”

Johnny stared up at her. “But I want to be helpful. I want to be better than this.”

“And you’re going to be, but you need time to get there.” Sam said. “But right now, you’re going to relax and stop thinking about all of this.”

Johnny slowly nodded, closing his eyes as she stroked over his face and hair. Sam looked up when Gabriel sat next to her, showing his note. 

“Kid pushes himself too hard. I keep telling him to stop and take breaks but he’s insistent.” he wrote to her. 

She glanced down at her son, smiling when she saw that he had fallen asleep in her lap. “Did you tell him that he’ll be drained like this?”

“Yes, he’s stubborn.” Gabriel wrote. “Said that he doesn’t care.”

“Sounds like a Winchester to me.” Sam said with a smile, resting her hand in his hair. “What else are you guys going to work on?”

“Ideally, his wings and using them to teleport to farther places.” Gabriel wrote. “But realistically, I think I’m going to stick to him using his grace to attack and defend.”

“Why the difference?”

Gabriel looked thoughtful for a moment before he started to write. “Well if he’s in the middle of the realm and suddenly loses all feeling in his wings, he’ll be falling damn knows where so I’d like to be there to catch him. Or at the very least be able to heal him.”

“Thank you.” Sam said with a smile. “So, what do you think about him? Not just as a student but...technically, as a nephew.”

Gabriel looked at the kid who was sleeping on her lap, a soft and fond look on his face. He chewed on the inside of his cheek before he started to write on his notepad. 

“He’s a good kid, he’s definitely your kid and I mean that in the best way possible.” he wrote. “He loves you a lot, loves Dean a lot. He wants to be good.” he smiled once more. “He’s just really good and I don’t know if I can say this, but I’m really proud of him and who he is.”

“You can say it, you’re family.” Sam told him. “I know that we all want to ignore it,” she swallowed hard. “Especially me. But...we all know who the angelic part came from. And...he was your brother.” she looked down at Johnny once more. “So you’re his uncle. You’re family.”

Gabriel smiled at that, she ignored the tears in his eyes as he slowly wrote out his next message. 

“Haven’t been a part of a family in a very long time.” he wrote. “Last...group that I was a part of was the one that handed me over to the demons.”

“Is that who you were with after the whole Elysian Hotel?” Sam asked him, watching him nod. “Who were they?”

Gabriel hesitated but then turned to a new page on the notepad, slowly writing his message out before he handed it to her. 

“A group of Nordic gods that I was with when I left heaven. The main one even helped me with the vessel thing, we look exactly the same because of that. I worked with them until I left and after Elysian, I hid with them again. Until they turned on me and handed me over to Asmodeus, the yellow eyed demon in a white suit you saw.”

Sam slowly read what he wrote, taking a deep breath before she handed the notepad back to him. 

“So Asmodeus is the last, I guess general, of hell. Of the yellow eyed demons.” she said. “The Nordics, who were they?”

Gabriel wrote a simple name, turning to show her, “Loki.”

“Loki?” she repeated. “The god of mischief?”

Gabriel nodded, quickly scribbling a few more words. “And his sons as well.”

“Do you think they’re going to come after you again?” she asked. 

Gabriel swallowed hard and then wrote. “I don’t know. I think Asmodeus will, he only has so much of my grace left to use. But Loki and his sons?” he hesitated and then continued. “They won’t but I want to go and get them.”

“You want revenge.” Sam said quietly. “For them betraying you to the demons.”

Gabriel just nodded, looking away. 

“All I can say is that if you want revenge, you’re going to want to wait.” she told him. “Wait for your grace to power back up. Wait for your powers to come back. You don't want to go into something like that, especially against a pagan, at half or less power.”

Gabriel looked down at his hand, attempting to summon his grace only for a few sparks of grace to appear before dying out. He nodded at that, setting his hand down onto the grass between them. 

“And when you decide to go and get your revenge.” Sam continued. “We’ll be there to help you.”

She smiled at him when he looked at her in surprise. “Like I said, we’re not about to throw you out onto the street. And we’re not going to throw you to the wolves, or Pagans in this case.”

She couldn’t really read the expression on his face then but slowly he reached for her hand, entwining their fingers together hesitantly and squeezing. 

“Thank you.” he mouthed. 

Sam just smiled, squeezing his hand back. She looked back down at Johnny and let out a deep breath, she could see Gabriel just staring at her but when she looked back at him he looked away, but didn’t pull his hand away from hers.

[copiouscouples]

Under the Bleachers - Chapter 1

The Presentation

October 1991

Rio strolled into class three minutes late. Not the most studious of pupils, class attendance wasn’t high on his list of priorities. Yet he always found time for 3rd period biology. Slinging his backpack on the table, he grabbed his lab report out of it and handed it to Elizabeth Marks in all her voluptuous glory. His eyes took a quick full body scan, resting more than a few moments on her ample breasts. He rubbed his hands against his jeans to resist the urge to full on grope her in public.

“Wow. This looks really good,” Beth remarked, clearly impressed.

He didn’t know why but her compliment rankled him. “What? Since I’m from the Eastside I can’t read or something?”

A flush of pink crept up her neck and face. “No,” she stuttered. “You just don’t seem like you care about school that’s all. I thought I’d have to do most of the work.”

“Well, we’re partners, aren’t we? I wouldn’t leave you hanging like that.”

Beth smiled. “Here’s my half of the report. Do you want to look over it?”

Rio’s eyes scanned the beautifully handwritten copy. Beth was an honor roll student. He didn’t have to worry that she’d do her part. Not like he cared about his grades anyway. He only came to school because it was good for business.

“I trust you, boo.”

Beth took his paper and hers and paper clipped them together and handed them to Mr. Bell as he passed by. “Miss Marks, Mr. Sanchez,” the older man nodded, a wicked gleam in his eyes almost as if he knew that making Beth his lab partner was a guaranteed way of getting him to class. Guess there was a reason Mr. Bell had been named Teacher of the Year after all.

“OK, class, settle down. I’ve got a fun surprise for you. It’s blood type test day!”

Beth raised her hand.

“Yes, Miss Marks?”

“Mr. Bell, we’re learning about plant cells… How does this tie into what we’re learning?”

The older man nodded. “Yes, you are quite correct. We are completely off topic. Fun fact: I learned early on in teaching that if I let my students know when the blood type test was coming - there were a lot of mysterious illnesses and absences on that day. This experiment is better as a surprise attack. That way you don’t have time to psych yourselves out.”

As Mr. Bell went on about the experiment and how it was to be performed, Rio noticed that Beth had gone as pale as a sheet.

“You aiiright?”

“Yeah, it’s just I’m not a big fan of needles. I saw this experiment on the syllabus and was hoping to just skip that day.”

“Don’t worry mama, I’ve got you. I’ll make sure you don’t feel a thing,” Rio promised as he began opening the test kit.

“It’s a sharp needle. I don’t see how that’s possible.”

“Gimme your hand,” Rio insisted.

Beth looked at him suspiciously as if she didn’t quite believe that he could make this experience painless.

“C’mon, I know a trick. I promise it won’t hurt.” Rio was prepared to grab her hand but to his surprise she thrust her hand towards him.

Eyes squeezed shut tightly, she murmured, “Just hurry up and get it over with.”

“Is that what you have to say to Dean?” Rio couldn’t stop himself from joking.

The pink flush returned, but her eyes remained shut. “Are you gonna do it or not?”

“More quotes from the boudoir of Elizabeth Marks.” He really didn’t know when to quit.

Beth opened her eyes and attempted to snatch her hand away. Rio held fast to her hand and Beth’s eyes closed again. Placing both of his hands around her left hand, he rubbed vigorously back and forth. Bringing her index finger close to his mouth, he breathed on it before quickly pricked her with the sterilized needle. He put some gauze and a bandaid on top.

“Oh, that wasn’t so bad. Where’d you learn how to do that?” Beth asked, slightly in awe.

“I do a lot of heroin,” Rio replied.

“Hardy har. Even I know you don’t shoot drugs up your finger.”

“My grandma has diabetes. She taught me the trick.”

Beth’s gaze visibly softened making Rio completely uncomfortable. He didn’t like being looked at like that like he was a good guy or something. He didn’t need her spreading the word he was soft. That wouldn’t be a good look in his line of work.

“Oh, well it worked,” Beth said, smiling, holding up her finger. “I barely felt a thing. It’s your turn.”

Gingerly taking his much larger hand, Elizabeth began the same process of warming his hand up. Rio sat mesmerized as she worked. Her warm breath on his finger had him tingling from head to toe. This was likely the most physical contact he would ever have with her.

After they finished the experiment, Mr. Bell began his lecture on blood types. Rio sat back and listened, eyes half-closed. Beth took copious notes. She’d even offered to let him borrow a pen and paper, but he’d turned her down. He wasn’t gonna need any of this stuff. It wasn’t like he was college-bound.

“So my dad died a few years back,” Mr. Bell began. “It was pretty tragic really. We called the ambulance and the paramedics were asking what his blood type was. Unfortunately, we couldn’t remember in time for him to get a blood transfusion. As he was dying, he kept saying “be positive”, but it’s so hard without him.”

Rio rolled his eyes as Mr. Bell faked tearing up but couldn’t help but notice the way Beth’s laugh tinkled in the air. Dang, she was cheesy, he thought smiling to himself.

When the bell rang, Rio grabbed his bag to head out the door. “Rio, wait…” Beth said, putting her hand on his arm. “Can I ask you something?”

Rio shrugged. “Shoot.”

Beth bit her lip and looked sheepishly at the ground. “The thing is um…”

Rio drummed his fingers against the table. “I don’t got all day. I’ve got places to go, people to see.”

Beth grabbed a notebook out of her backpack and quickly scribbled something down. “This is my address,” she said, handing him the scrap of paper. “Can you meet me after school? I need to ask you a favor but it’s not really something I can talk about here at school.”

“I’ll think about it,” Rio replied as he walked out the door, throwing the piece of paper away in the garbage can in the hallway. He already knew where she lived.

==========================================================

“Oh my gosh, Beth! What are you thinking?” Ruby gasped, practically hyperventilating on Beth’s couch. “You know what he does, right? Who he is? He’s a…he’s a gangster.”

Beth paced the living room floor. She bit her lip knowing she was potentially making the biggest mistake of her life. But what could she do? She was between a rock and a hard place.

“Yes, I know, but I couldn’t think of anything else. I mean, I asked Dean if he could maybe borrow some money from his dad, but that didn’t really go that well.”

“What happened?”

Beth recalled uncomfortably how Dean had not so subtly hinted that if she finally did the deed with him he’d be happy to get the money for her. “I don’t want to talk about it,” she said, waving Ruby off.

“Let me guess. He’d get you the money if you slept with him?” Ruby replied, her voice dripping with disgust. “When are you going to tell him to kick rocks? I don’t get how you can stay with him.”

“He’s actually pretty sweet most of the time. He’s harmless really. He’s popular and comes from a good family. We want a lot of the same things in life.”

“Except you don’t want to sleep with him. What did you say making out with him was like? Oh yeah, kissing a drooling dog.”

Beth tried to shrug off her friend’s accusations. She wasn’t quite sure why she hadn’t slept with Dean yet. They’d been together for over a year. She just wasn’t…ready. And she’d never admit it to Ruby but it did really bother her that he pestered her so much about it.

“You are one to talk Ruby Johnson, Queen of the Virgins. How many times are you going to turn that poor trombone player from marching band down? Stan What’s-His-Name?”

Ruby was prepared to spit back a retort when both girls noticed a tall, skinny teenager in black, baggy jeans and a hoodie leaning against the open front door.

“How…how long have you been standing there?” Beth stuttered, feeling her face go beet red.

“Long enough to know that Dean has some mad make out skills,” Rio quipped.

===========================================================

Rio sat at Beth’s dining room table, his chin pressed into his right hand, the knuckles covering his mouth as he attempted to hide the grin on his face. This was as amusing as hell. He would have never guessed in a million years when he woke up this morning that he’d be listening to Elizabeth Marks, his go to fantasy when he didn’t have a certain magazine to peruse, giving him a presentation on why she would make a good drug dealer.

“Why you should let me be a part of your business you ask? Well, one, I’m a go-getter, hard-working, organized…” she said as she pointed to a glittery poster that listed all her talking points. “Two, I’m an honor roll student and a volunteer for the Boys and Girls Club. I’m the last person anyone would suspect and that way I could help you sell to a greater audience.” This time she smacked point two labeled UNEXPECTED “And finally, I’m loyal. I won’t rat you out.”

Beth stood staring at him expectantly, smiling awkwardly. Her friend, Ruth or whatever her name was, hadn’t moved from the couch in the past fifteen minutes and looked like she had suffered a mild stroke.

Rio clapped slowly. “Miss Marks, I give you an A for effort and an A+ for style. Love the bubble letters. Well, if there’s nothing else, I’m gonna head out,” he said as he rose slowly from the table.

“Well? Are you going to let me work with you?”

Rio rubbed the bit of scruff he’d been growing the past couple of months. “Nah, I don’t think that’s a good idea. Thanks for the offer though,” he replied before turning to leave.

Clambering after him, Beth called out, “Why not?”

Sighing and slightly annoyed that Beth couldn’t connect the dots herself, he turned back and asked, “Why does this matter so much to you?”

“Because I need some money.”

“Ask your parents for it. Get a job at the mall,” Rio barked, more than annoyed by now.

“I could but I was hoping to get the money quick.

“Why?”

“I wanted to get a special birthday gift for Dean. There’s this watch I saw at Macy’s that I think he’ll really like. His birthday’s coming up in two weeks and if I got a job at the mall I wouldn’t get paid in time to get him the gift.”

“Cut the B.S. Elizabeth. You’re not offering to drug deal just to buy your boyfriend a nice watch. Why do you want in?”

Beth stood still, not responding. Shaking his head, Rio turned and opened the front door.

“Because our rent is due and we’ll get evicted if we don’t pay in 10 days! There! Are you happy?”

Knowing he was making possibly the most foolish decision of his life, he looked over his shoulder and replied, “Meet me under the bleachers at 6:30 a.m. tomorrow. Don’t be late.”

[sorenmarie87]

No chick flicks though

Pairing : Jo x Reader x Dean

Word count : 1,584

Written for : @archiveofourown73 ‘s Hearts Desire challenge.

Prompt : Having Children.

A/N: Here it is the last and final part of this fic.  Thank you for sticking around and seeing this through to the end <3  Shout out to the lovely @fictionalabyss for reading this over and helping me when I was stuck and to the lovely @coffee-obsessed-writer for helping me name the girls :)

If you want a good idea of what the triplets look like, take a look at the story aesthetic :)  Yes that’s how I picture Sammie, William and Amethyst.  

And then there were three Masterlist

The news that you were pregnant shocked no one.  Estelle was nursing a beer as a grin formed on her face.  “See Dean, I told you it would happen.”

“I was expecting one kid, not three.”  His hand was resting on your baby bump and Jo was standing beside him with a huge grin.  “We need to talk about names.”

“We have plenty of time.  Wait, actually if it’s a boy, I’d like to name him William.”

“After Jo’s dad?”  You felt her squeeze your hand and you nodded.

“William Henry.”  Jo quietly added as she looked over at Dean.  “After your grandfather.”

“William Henry Winchester does have a nice ring to it.”  You could tell Dean was smiling even if you couldn’t see his face.   “What about girl names?”  

“Amethyst.  After my mom.”

“You don’t have to do that, sweetheart.”  Rue kissed your forehead before taking a seat next to your mom.  

“I want to though.  Amethyst Marie Winchester, what you guys think?”  You asked and one of the babies kicked your stomach as if they agreed.  

“I think she likes it.”  Jo watched Dean’s hand move slightly.  “Oh! I know, what about Samantha?”

“Samantha Jo Winchester.”  

“After the two most important people in my life.”  Jo blushed as she felt your gaze on her.  You wiggled your eyebrows and then chuckled.  “The third is knocked up and having our babies.”

“Nice save.”

--

“It’s so weird watching Dean with kids.  I mean, he’s always been good with them.”  Sam was sitting in the chair next to your bed while Jo was out in the waiting room talking to your parents, and Dean was taking a nap on a cot the nurses brought in.  “Y/N, thank you for giving him some slice of normal.  I know that it wasn’t easy getting him to agree, but watching him with all three of them?  It sort of gives me hope.”

“Really?”

“One day, I’d like my own shot at a normal life.  You don’t get too many chances at that when you’re a hunter.”

You gently squeezed his hand and smiled.  “I’m sure someone will come along and sweep you off of your feet.”

“That’s the dream right?”  You watched your room door open and the nurse popped her head in and asked if you were feeling okay and if you needed anything.  You shook your head, and she turned towards Sam asking him the same question.  The blush that formed on her face while she was talking to Sam made you quietly giggle.  It wasn’t until she left the room that you said anything.

“You should ask her out.”

“What?”

“That cute nurse, you know the one who just asked if you needed anything.”

“No.”

“Why not, she was making eyes at you Sam.”

“Not doing it.”

“Chicken.”

“What if you’re wrong, and she was trying to chat you up?”

“I have a girlfriend, whatever this is with Dean, and three children.  Trust me, she wasn’t flirting with the lady that just had children.  She was watching you Samsquatch.”

“If I pay you, can we stop talking about this?”

“Not until you ask her out.”

“Here I thought Dean was stubborn.”

“I promise I’ll stop bothering you.”

“I know you won’t.”

--

Something shifted between the three of you after the babies were born.  

Jo and Dean were cuddling on the couch watching a movie as you were trying to sooth Amethyst.  “There, there baby girl, it’ll be fine.  Everything will be alright.  Mommy’s got you.  Mama loves you and so does Daddy.”  She blinked as you carefully took a seat in the rocking chair.  “There’s something your daddy doesn’t know though, even though we had our differences and he was kind of an asshole in the beginning, I love him like I do your mama.  I never thought it’d be possible to care for two people in the same manner but here I am.”  You were softly singing a lullaby to her when the nursery door cracked open  and Dean poked his head in.

“Everything okay in here?”  You watched as he checked on Samantha and William before squatting next to you.  He gently smoothed down a patch of hair on Amee’s head that was always poking up.  

“Someone was just being fussy.”

“Y/N, can I tell you something?”

“Hmm?”  You hummed as continued rocking.

“I love you too, I hope you know that.”

“How-”

“Did you forget that we have the baby monitor from bedroom in the front room?”

“Yes...obviously I did.  You heard all of that huh?”

“Jo did too.  She was joking that Amee’s first word was going to be asshole.”

“I hope to god that's not her first word.”

--

"What, all I told them was that if they didn't stop picking on Amee and Sammie, grandma would come down here and shove a shotgun up their ass."

"William."  

"That's my boy."

“Dean, you’re not helping.”  You sighed but William took his seat at the dining room table and pulled his homework out of his bookbag.  “Look buddy, I know you were just standing up for your sisters, but threatening a kid with Grandma Ellen is just cruel.”

“I know, she’s the nicest mean person I know.”  

"You should've told him that grandma would curse him if he didn't stop."

"Grandma Estelle is a white witch, she doesn't curse people William!"  Amme pulled the messenger bag she carried over her head her and glared at him.  

"What about Rue?"

"Grandma Rue, she's an enigma."  

"She wouldn't curse people.."  

"I don't know about that actually."

"Is that why Grandpa isn't around anymore?  Rue cursed him into staying away."  

You bit your lower lip and looked back at Dean who gently squeezed your shoulder.  "Guys, do your homework."

You heard three voices yell out a less than enthusiastic okay as Dean guided you into another room.  "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."  

"What's wrong?"  You heard Jo appear in the doorway behind the two of you.  Dean pulled you into his lap as he took a seat on the couch.  You rested your head on his shoulder as Jo pulled the ottoman in front of you and took a seat.  “What happened??”

“They brought up Y/N’s dad and how Rue might’ve cursed him away.”

“They didn’t mean anything by that, babe.”  Jo rested her hand on your thigh and she felt Dean take ahold of if.  “I mean, you don’t even know who he is right?”

“There were no pictures and my mom never talked about him.”

“Did she do something though?  I mean no one gets that worked up over a comment..”

“I have no idea.  Anytime you bring him up around her, there’s this weird energy that fills the room and Rue storms out.  There was one time though, I couldn’t sleep so I was gonna get a cup of warm milk and I heard my mom and Rue talking.  She kept bringing it up how my mom was better off without that hunter bastard in our life.  That’s the only major fight I know they’ve had.”

“Was that the night Estelle called the bar and asked if you could stay for a few weeks?”

“I think so.”

“How’d you learn to hunt then?”  You shared a smile with Jo who squeezed your hand.

“That’d be my doing.  Mom nearly shit herself when I taught her how to use a gun.”

“Oh my god, I remember that!  She whipped your ass so hard and then confiscated your dad’s gun.”

“That sounds like something Ellen would do.”  Jo chuckled as Dean brought Jo’s hand up to his lips and kissed the back of her hand.  “You know it makes sense how easy you were able to pick up on what the three of us were teaching you back then.”

“You know the old phrase if you don’t use it, you lose it?  I have a feeling that’s why I was good at research but not field work.”  You smiled gently at Dean who was trying his hardest not to laugh.  “Something you want to share with the class Winchester?”

“Nah.”  You rolled your eyes and watched as Dean put a finger to his lips shushing you in the process.  There were three tiny heads poking in the doorway.

“Mommy, I’m… No we’re sorry for saying all that stuff about Grandma Rue.”  You removed yourself from Dean’s lap as Amethyst took a step forward and you held out your arms.  

“You don’t have to apologize for telling your brother and sister the truth.  I never had a father but I was blessed with three mothers who loved me so much that it didn’t matter.”

“Daddy won’t leave us will he?”  Sammie quietly asked as she took a seat in between you and Dean.  

“I love you guys too much to just up and leave.”  You watched the emotions play out on his face but when he tickled Sammie’s side, you smiled and laughed.  William took a seat next to Jo on the ottoman.  “I’m pretty sure both of your moms would hunt me down and drag me back here.”

“Damn right we would.”  Jo and you replied in unison.

“Daddy, can we watch a movie together since we finished our homework?”

“No chick flicks though.”  You and Jo laughed at William’s declaration, he was definitely Dean’s son.  “Can we order pizza?”

“One pizza and family night coming up!  Go change into some comfy clothes and we’ll get everything else ready.”

--

Forever Tags - @lovetusk @coffee-obsessed-writer@justballoonfishthings@kazosa @mirajanefairytailmage@clockworkmorningglory @lefthologramdeer@wings-of-a-raven@holyfuckloueh @docharleythegeekqueen @ellen-reincarnated1967@idreamofplaid @buckyscrystalqueen @ilovetaquitosmmmm@babykalika2001@sandlee44 @disneymarina @super-fan-of-all-things@n3rdybird

[frederator-studios]

Bird Banfe: The Frederator Interview

You might be surprised, talking to people in the animation industry, at how rare it is to encounter a still-kicking passion for cartoons. Bird Banfe is, to borrow Drake’s term, a real one. A recent SCAD Grad with mad Storyboarding skills, a deep investment in Scooby Doo and a penchant for pink, Bird's enthusiasm for her craft emanates from her, an enlightened power not unlike those of the magical girls she grew up idolizing. Hearing Costume Quest’s Production Coordinator speak with conviction, knowledge and love for the shows that shaped her, and those she now helps shape, it’s abundantly clear that her passion is an unstoppable force, and when it comes to Bird’s dreams, my sense is that it’s never been a question of ‘whether’—simply one of ‘when’.

How did you break into the animation industry?

I got the chance to intern at Nickelodeon during my last year at SCAD, on Spongebob. Totally by accident!

Cool! How does one “accidentally” become a Nicktern?

The Dean of our school was PO’d because Nick representatives were visiting campus, but it was finals and nobody knew, so people weren’t showing up. My friend who worked in the animation building called me up and was like, “Hey, there are Nick people here doing general interviews. Come do one!”

So you bailed on whatever you were doing and went?

Yeah! I had like 30 minutes to throw on an outfit, a little makeup. I thought it went awful. Which is how you can expect an interview to go, with no preparation and barely any clue what it’s for. I didn’t hear anything for a couple months, so I figured, eh, good learning experience. Then on the last day of school, I got a call at like 9pm from an unknown number, and didn’t pick up. They left a voicemail - and it was my interviewer! She said she had something to tell me. I was like, “What?! It’s been two months! This could still be a thing?!”

And on the last day of school!

The last day of school - period. I was driving home to New Jersey the next day. No job lined up, flipping out. We got in touch, I waited a bit more, then I got a call from the Spongebob team. From a Skype interview with them, I got the job.

What were your responsibilities on Spongebob?

The same as a PA. Handling files for artists, organizing things, picking up tasks to help the production along. On Spongebob specifically, I did a lot of archiving backgrounds. The show has these beautiful, physical painted backgrounds. Handling those was probably the coolest part of the job. It got really weird sometimes. It’d be like, “Here is the interior of Patrick’s mouth and it’s really gross.” And I’d have to search around to label it, because they go into Patrick’s mouth in like 3 different episodes.

Wow, so you became the in-house expert on Patrick Star mouth shots.

It was a lot of fun! I learned a lot about how animation works. In art school, they don't teach you anything about production. I didn't know what to expect, or really what was expected of me! I'm good at organizing, I know Photoshop, and I work really hard. Those things carried me through the internship.

Backing way up - when did you know you wanted to work in animation?

A lot later than most people would say. I wasn’t drawing on the walls when I was two. I was drawing! But about as much as any kid would. I wanted to be a Veterinarian for most of my life. In sophomore year of high school though, I realized I have a lot of story ideas, and original characters - all the stuff that kids who really like anime would have. And I knew I’d go insane if I didn’t have a creative job. That decided it for me. Not, “I really want to do this!” more, “I can’t imagine a world where I’m satisfied with a different career”.

So as a junior and senior, you geared yourself toward animation?

Yeah - my Uncle was working in visual effects, mainly for superhero movies, so I knew someone ‘who does that’. I knew it was an option, not an intangible dream. I was in art classes throughout high school, because they were fun. But then I started going to an art studio after school to take animation, painting, and life drawing classes - the last of which was a big shock to me.

Oh, wow - you did all the right things!

When you know people who do it, they’ll tell you! “Go take your life drawing classes—there are no other kids in high school drawing naked people, you’ve gotta do it”. I got advice from a lot of people and followed it the best I could. I applied to a bunch of art schools for animation, though none in California. Not even CalArts - wasn’t even a blip on the radar (off my surprise) It was too far for my family! We picked Savannah, and I’m really glad. I had a great time at SCAD.

What did you like best about animation at SCAD?

It was a good fit for my personality. I was very much the go-getter in college - you know, a try-hard. And the school has a ton of great resources if you want to put in the work. SCAD is set up in a way where if you take advantage of everything that’s there, and are willing to work, you'll prosper.

Going into animation, did you have a focus in mind? 

I knew from my animation classes in high school on that I wanted to storyboard. I figured that out quickly, mostly because my teacher steered me toward it. He was like, “You’re good at this. You need to keep doing it.” I was like “Okay, will do.” (laughs) I think every role in animation is interesting, and I’m not too picky. I’m sorta glad somebody made that decision for me!

Are you now looking for avenues into storyboarding from production?

Definitely, but I’ve loved my time in production. I can’t see myself doing it forever, but, remember I said I was a big go-getter in college? I pushed myself really hard. I don’t want to say I burned out, but... I wanted time for myself. To learn how to be an adult, do things like cook for myself. Working in production has given me time to breathe and figure out what I value in the industry. 

For example - I was accustomed to that air of, “Oh, you want to be on a show with clout, a show that people know”. I realized on Spongebob how little that really means. Tell anybody in the industry you’re on Spongebob and they’ll go, “That’s cool” and maybe mention their friend on the show. It wasn’t ‘celebrity status’, you know? Maybe to my Grandma, but not to people here. I’ve come to see it’s much more important to find a team that really works with you, and Costume Quest was that team for me.

Did being part of a great team help you shelve the art anxieties?

Oh yeah. When I first started in production, part of me was like, “You need to get into art, now. You need to be doing this, this, and THIS you should have done yesterday!” Tons of pressure. But on Costume Quest, I realized, “These are really great people. I like being around them, I like coming to work every day. I don't want to leave.” So I decided I'd do everything I could with this show and this team. And that’s been very fulfilling. Not in a way that I expected—but in a way where I’ve learned about what I need in a workplace.

What’s your Big Goal in animation, if you have one now?

I always feel embarrassed saying this, because I'm just starting out. But I have lofty goals of being a Creator. I just want to make something that’s important to young girls growing up. Thinking about the things that were important to me as a little girl, I want to foster that.

What kinds of Things?

Magical girl shows (laughs). Sailor Moon, Tokyo Mew Mew, Cardcaptor Sakura. The very ridiculous, very pink, frilly stories, where the message is usually “Love is the most powerful thing in the universe”. But I think those stories are really important! Empathy is important to teach people, and cartoons do that, today more so than ever. Plus, kindness is actually what kids want: when we tested our show, we got feedback that the kids didn’t like it when our characters were mean. When I was growing up, there weren’t as many US shows that talked about interpersonal dynamics, or hit on the empathy theme: “people are different from you, that’s why they behave differently.” That’s probably why anime was so fundamental to me then. Spongebob wasn’t talking about things that felt important to me at that age, but Naruto was. I’ve always been attracted to stories about people learning what it means to grow up and make the world a better place, and where the characters are fun to watch doing that. Costume Quest definitely is that, to me. I just really like all the characters.

Who are your favorite of the characters? Which ones do you identify with?

I definitely identify with Wren the most—which is not something I should admit to. Very much the stubborn, rough-and-tumble personality. I look at her and go, “Yup, that’s me as a kid.” My favorite character is Rudy, which is really weird. It’s that crazy YouTube-popstar personality - the one associated with “YouTube celebrity” which I just find hilarious. And I love Reynold. I like the dynamic between him and Wren the best.

Do you have a favorite episode of Costume Quest?

My favorites are always the Reynold ones, because they have so much heart. You really feel for the kid. He goes through a lot, and he cares a lot; there’s just no way you can’t. I’ll say “Scout’s Honor”. Of all the episodes we’ve done, that’s probably the one that puts a smile on my face the most. The board artists and writers packed a lot of funny stuff in there, and I love singing along with it.

What have you liked best about working on Costume Quest?

The people, first of all. And it’s just a good show. I live for those moments where I can watch something then go to my friend later and be like, “Remember that part?” and crack up about it. Costume Quest is a lot of that for me.

Anything you’d like future fans of the show to know?

Keep an eye out for a little clown doll. We got a haunted doll last summer, off eBay. His name is Little Richie and he moves around the office. It's so funny. It was actually Julian (interviewed here!) who decided to start hiding him in some of the backgrounds. So he’s now a fun little Easter egg - or a continuity error,  depending on the sense of humor of whoever you ask. It’s been so fun having him crop up all over the office. In the freezer, behind a plant. Suspended from the ceiling.

What are your favorite cartoons?

I love love love loved Scooby Doo as a kid. I still do. I love those ridiculous straight-to-video WWE crossovers. They are my guilty pleasure in every sense of the word. So bonkers. There’s John Cena standing next to Daphne. It's great. I was Scooby for Halloween for 5 years. I was obsessed, but not for any reason that I can parse today as an adult. I think I just like dogs. I really liked Chowder. That show, especially that style, stood out to me when I was deciding to pursue animation. Same with Flapjack, a similar vein of style and humor. And with both, it’s these lead characters who are just sweet kids, nothing but nice. Courage the Cowardly Dog I loved, even though I was the most easily scared kid in the world. You might think, “Oh, Scooby-Doo, Courage the Cowardly Dog, you must like scary things.” Not at all. I was deeply afraid. I just loved dogs that much. PowerPuff Girls was huge for me. These days, I have to keep up with every episode drop of Steven Universe or risk getting it spoiled. Star Versus and OK KO! are great too, and Ducktales I really enjoy putting on.

What are you working on now? Do you feel pretty motivated to go do your personal work after the work-day? 

My portfolio. And it’s hard. It’s really hard. It took time, but I’ve come to terms with that. You can’t burn yourself out. You have to put body first and figure out the balance you need in life, in order to be happy. I’m also the type that works a lot better in an office setting. So I’m prone to coming into the office at a weird time, if I actually want to get something done. At home, I never get anything done. Unless it’s Sunday. Sunday is my work day. Saturday’s my sleep day.

Bird is now Production Coordinator on Final Space. Follow her on Twitter. Costume Quest will premiere in 2019 on Amazon Prime Video - keep an eye out!

Thank you for the interview Bird! And for helping make Costume Quest the extraordinary show that it is <3

- Cooper ❀