#''Gordon couldn’t believe what he was staring at and refused to do so.'' DUDE!!! YOU CAN'T KEEP RUNNING FROM THE TRUTH!!!!

[bruhstation]

literally had to close my mouth with my both hands while reading this. this is an absolutely STELLAR read

also I can’t stop thinking about this line in particular. mfw something that used to bring me joy now just makes me feel hurt...... oh so so cruel

Universal Mishap (A Short Casa Tidmouth Fic)

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We all know that in the alternate universe, labelled “Casa Tidmouth”, fate has never been really kind to Gordon. But one day, fate decided to give back to Gordon just a little bit. However, I truly emphasize on the fact that it was only a little bit...

.

.

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It was a very rainy day on Sodor, but it was also a busy day for the workers. Many were with their engines, waiting for their passengers to come aboard, and some were waiting for their trucks to deliver. A splatter and splosh came when Gordon arrived in Knapford Station. The walls were rather damp and the rain came down hard. The hall was filled with many visitors, that the station was rather cramped.

Gordon walked down the puddle-ridden floors, making sure he didn't slip. Passing through, he stopped and took a look at Sodor's Rumours. And there he saw what he didn't want to be reminded of everyday:

SODOR NEWS NWR'S EMPLOYEES DROPPING DEAD LIKE FLIES!

Here on Sodor News, drivers in the North Western Railway have been starting to disappear with no trace. The reason for this event is unknown, however.

Many of the police have been looking for the missing drivers, as they were an important part to this railway.

“What a shame, what a shame”, said one. “I knew one of them. He was a very kind soul, and I'd say he was friends with many people. I don't know what cruel person would wanna lay a finger on him”....

Gordon stopped there as he couldn't stare at it any longer. Waking up alone was already hard enough. His heart had sunk deeper and deeper the more he read the article. He shifted his attention to the rain. The earthly smell and the calming sound reminded him of another rainy day he had with two other people, whom he cherished very much...

“Gordon, look!”

“Oh, bother. It's raining...Henry, do you have an umbrella?”

“What? Why are you asking me? I wasn't aware it was going to rain.”

“Well boo-hoo, neither did I. Edward?”

“Nope. Sorry, Gordon. Looks like we’re all gonna get damped here. Oh, here it comes!”

“Heavens sake! I just got this dried!”

“The rain isn’t that bad, Henry.”

“Huh...wait a minute....”

“Gordon? What are you...—”

“Here, get in.”

“Ah! Come on Henry!”

“Finally! Some shelter from this cursed weather!”

“Hahaha, we're all rather cramped up here! Not that I don't mind.”

“Pah! Of course. It's always an honor to be under the rain with me. After all, I was the one who came up with this clever idea.”

“Well, congratulations, Mr. Cleversome. So wonderful of you to help us ’damsels in distress' with the rain.”

“You were the one complaining about it, you hypocrite!”

“Hush, you two! That's enough. Now, let's go back home, shall we?”

He winced at the memory that was once jovial, now painful to think about. “If only you were still here with me”, he muttered under his breath. Gordon let out a heavy sigh as he turned away and continued walking down the station. “After all, I still have a student to train”, he said to himself.

But just as he was making his way down the crowd, he had a hard collision with someone. The person was just about to fall, until Gordon grabbed them.

At first, he was annoyed. He had enough to deal with this morning and didn't want to add more to his plate. He was just about to lecture them. “It’s okay, just.. please, watch where you’re going next ti....”

But his words trailed off when he saw who was in his arms.

He couldn't believe his eyes.

This person...was..rather old. His skin was wrinkled and he had an average structure. He was shorter than Gordon. His hair had been grayed out with two whiter streaks showing, and he wore a black collared shirt accompanied by a blue vest that had a number 2 imprinted on his right arm, and vibrant overalls, all with red and gold touches. His frail skin had beautiful ivory patches all over it, and most importantly, glasses, that looked similar to the ones put on his face right now. Gordon couldn't believe what he was staring at, and refused to do so. Until, the person opened his voice....

“...Gordon? What happened to you?”, he said in an concerned voice. “You look pale, and...your eyes.. You look terrible! What's the matter?”

His voice was tender and gentle, but the hints of firmness and hoarseness was enough for Gordon to tremble in realization.

To say he was shocked is an understatement. He was terrified. “I must be dreaming”, he thought, as his chest grew tighter and tighter. “This can’t be possible...”

He looked down at the man with a mix of emotions; regret, misery, shock and fear. But the image of this mysterious person only made Gordon hold him tighter. It's feels the same way when he once held one of his friends like this. He felt warm, reassured, safe... But the feeling in his body made him wake up to the reality that this person isn't his, and it made him feel bitter. It was a long moment of silence before Gordon finally spoke...

“...Edward..?”

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You know, maybe we should call this the “Let's Torture Gordon” show instead of “Casa Tidmouth”! /j

I got this idea after looking at @hkpika07 's crossover comic. I liked the idea of torturing Gordon with someone who made him feel happy, but isn't his. I'm kinda happy with how this came out lol

Okie thas it i hope ya like it!

(Casa Tidmouth! Gordon belongs to @bruhstation . The Edward in here is mine.)

[willow-salix]

This is a vaguely on prompt offering for @gumnut-logic #irrelief. It's based on the prompt of Gordon and John have something in common for @scribbles97 but also to fulfil the wish of @hodgehegposts for me to make use of my random note idea about Jeff, and for @onereyofstarlight who likes Jeff just happily existing. It will also be a little for the Pen and ink people.

Enjoy!

His hand snuck it's way across the couch cushion towards hers, but she pulled away. Frowning he looked at her, but she wasn't even looking at him, her eyes were focused on his dad, who was staring at them like one would a monkey in the zoo. 

Gordon huffed and crossed his arms, scowling. Who'd have thought it would be so hard to get a little time with his girlfriend in his own home? It wasn't like she was there all the time, not like Selene was, and he wanted to make the most of it. But every time he reached for her his dad was there with his too keen eyes and knowing smirk. It was really putting a cramp in his style. 

He hadn't actually spoken to his dad about his involvement with Peneolope, but now he was wishing he had because he wasn't sure if his dad was teasing him, judging him or both. 

It wasn't like he was trying to hide it from him, it was just that it was still quite new and they had yet to fall into that comfortable place that John and Selene were. He still felt quite awkward when there were people around, although Penny kept reminding him that they weren't doing anything wrong. 

It had been three weeks since he and his brothers had taken a hair-raising trip through the Oort cloud to bring him home and in that time there had been a lot of adjustments for everyone. 

Now that Jeff was feeling a little better he had reverted straight back to his normal behaviour, which apparently included an ability to embarrass your kids with just a look. His radar for any and all sneaky activity was in full working order. 

Penny had been there to meet him the second they had landed the Zero-XL, greeting him with a hug and a quick kiss. Had he known it would be their last private moment he'd have made more of an effort. 

Jeff had to have seen them standing together at the graduation ceremony Grandma and Selene had planned. Selene had gone all out, picking up a gown and cap and bringing it with her, although Alan had refused to wear the gown. Jeff had been front and center, beaming proudly, but his eyes had been constantly scanning his assembled family as if he still couldn't quite believe he was there. 

He'd focused on Penny standing beside him, her arm through his and his eyes had zeroed in with the precision of a heat seeking missile. Gordon froze on the spot like a rabbit in headlights. What should he do? 

A call had come through and they had all scrambled, breaking up the celebrations, leaving the ladies of the house to finish setting up the after party for when they got back. Gordon had never been more grateful for an emergency in his life. 

She'd leaned in for a kiss later that night, the party in full swing, only for him to spot Jeff watching them from the other side of the seating area. Quickly he had dodged to the side and started speaking to Brains who had no clue why he was suddenly the center of attention or why Gordon wanted to know if he'd eaten lunch. 

The next day Gordon cornered her in the kitchen, wrapping his arms around her waist, intent on indulging in a little make out session. She'd gestured over his shoulder and there was his dad, sitting at the table, a spoonful of porridge halfway to his mouth, staring. 

They'd planned a long walk around the Island, but Jeff had called a family meeting to catch up on everything he'd missed. 

Later that night, a little restless and a lot horny, he'd taken a gamble and, feeling very much like a teenager again, had snuck out of his bedroom and tiptoed his way to the guests quarters where she was staying. 

He would have made it too, if only Jeff hadn't opened his door right at that moment to let Armstrong in. Gordon glared at the cat, who flicked his tail dismissively, sauntering between his father's legs as he vanished into the dark room. 

"You OK, son? Can't you sleep either?" 

"Erm...no, I mean, I'm OK but I couldn't sleep, I was just going to get a hot chocolate."

"Kitchen's that way," Jeff pointed out helpfully, "hot chocolate sounds good. I think I'll join you."

Each and every time they had gotten close to anything and there was his dad. 

Sitting beside the pool and Jeff had sat with them. Eating breakfast meant that Jeff shared their coffee pot. Penny brought a picnic with her from her favourite London deli and Jeff was already waiting on the beach. 

They had played the waiting game, trying to outlast everyone as the rest of the house slowly trickled off to bed, but Jeff was made of stronger stuff than them and always won that battle of wills. It was impossible! 

Getting desperate, Gordon had gone to the one person he'd never thought he'd have to ask for dating advice. 

"How do you and Selene ever manage to get any alone time? You sit with us all day, you go to bed late and your room's right next door to mine so I know you only sleep."

With the experience of a man who had been dating for over a year in a house full of people, John bestowed upon his younger brother his words of wisdom. 

"You expand your horizons, little brother."

Gordon frowned, what did he mean by that? Expand his horizons? John only ever went to Selene's flat, which was very rare considering she was hardly ever off the island now, or five. Hey, now that was an idea. 

"Can I borrow your elevator?" 

"Hell no! No one boinks in my bird but me."

"Then what? Try to be a little more cryptic next time, will you?" Was that a sarcastic tone? John thought it was. 

"If you really need me to spell it out for you, then I can't help you."

"Dude, I'm trying here, help a brother out."

John's eye roll was a thing of beauty. 

"We have an entire Island and the Villa is not the only building with beds, " he explained patiently. 

Gordon actually facepalmed. It was so obvious! How could he not have thought of that? 

"You're a genius!" 

"I know," his brother answered seriously, he had the paperwork to prove it.

Gordon shook his head at that, his brother might have lightened up a lot the past year, but he was still John. 

                                 ***

Gordon met Penny at the end of the pathway later that night. It was almost two in the morning, the night was still and the crescent moon shone brightly in the clear sky above them, surrounded by glittering stars. It would have been a very romantic night to have a picnic on the beach if he hadn't been so desperate to get his hands on her. 

Grabbing her hand he towed her along, making her giggle at how eager he was. It had been a long few days and it would be nice to be able to blow off a little steam as well as spend some quality time together. 

He put his palm on the door lock of the round house, but instead of the little beep that accompanied the opening of the door, it gave an ominous bong. 

"What's wrong with this thing?" He tried again. Bong. Rejected. He pushed at the door but it remained locked. 

"What the hell?" 

His comm beeped on his wrist and the bare torso of his brother popped up. 

"Not this one."

Gordon's eyebrows rose in shock as Penelope dissolved into fresh giggles. 

"This one has good soundproofing," Selene's head popped into view, her evil grin in full display. 

"I did NOT need to hear that!" 

John vanished, leaving them both locked outside. 

"Cliff House," Gordon decided, doing an abrupt about face. 

                                    ***

From his desk chair Jeff could monitor everything that happened on his island, and tonight was no exception. 

He chuckled to himself as first his middle son and Selene had snuck out of the house and then, just over an hour later, first Penelope and then Gordon had exited their rooms and met up outside. 

He was sure that they thought they were being inconspicuous, but they forgot that he had been young once and knew all their tricks. 

It was strange to see how much his sons had grown up in the time he had been gone, especially with his youngest two. 

He knew that he was probably being a little unfair on Gordon, but it was just too funny to see the way he reacted whenever he interrupted them.

It had taken all his self control to keep a stern look in his face and not burst out laughing at the look on Gordon's face whenever Jeff leveled his disapproving gaze in his direction. 

It wasn't that he really disapproved, far from it, in fact he was very happy for his son. Penelope was a wonderful woman, one that he had always liked and thought of as family, but that meant that his protective streak extended to her as well. He needed to make sure that his son was serious about her, they didn't need their top agent to be distracted or for things to become awkward. 

All Gordon needed to do was stand up for himself and talk to him man to man, but until then he would continue to have his fun. 

[marvelmando]

tempest [p.parker x o.c.] - thirteen

notes: hey y’all it’s been a hot second i think. but im still here! hope you all enjoy :) also don’t forget, if you’d like to be notified every time i update tempest, feel free to leave a comment to be added to my taglist!

contains: some swearing, angst of course

pairing: peter parker + fem! o.c.

word count: 3.3k

previous chapter next chapter tempest masterlist

MARIN RETRACTED THE ENERGY FROM AROUND HER FACE ONCE SHE REALIZED THE AIR ON TITAN WAS BREATHABLE. The first thing that popped into her brain was, did we land on Mars? But then she remembered the lurch into hyperspace (at least, she figured that was what it was, and she refused to think of it as anything else), and dismissed the idea.

But apart from the clearly dilapidated city this had once been, Titan was the exact same color as all the pictures of Mars had led her to believe—soil the color of bricks, dust floating through the air and covering every surface it landed on in a thick blanket of clay particles. Marin sneezed.

Peter looked around in awe, then she saw his gaze land on the alien girl with the antennae, still wrapped in his webbing. He left Marin’s side to approach her, and with nothing else to do while Tony ruminated, Quill searched the terrain, and Dr. Strange hovered over a rock with green energy floating around him, Marin chose to follow Peter.

“—it should dissolve soon, unless you want me to cut you out,” he was saying. With a murmured assent, Peter started cutting the girl out of his webs. “I’m Peter, by the way.” Once she was free, he stuck out a hand in greeting. The girl stared down at the proffered hand, then back to Peter’s face.

“I am Mantis.” She bowed slightly, completely ignoring Peter’s outstretched hand.

“Right,” Peter nodded back, lowering his hand awkwardly.

“I’m Marin.” She offered up a bit too harshly. Marin wasn’t used to resentment, but she didn’t like that the alien knew about her past. Did she know of it, or was she just forcing me to remember? Either way, Marin felt shifty standing next to her.

The alien—Mantis, an appropriate name for the fact she looked like a kind of insect—bowed again. Grateful the girl didn’t know Earthly customs; Marin wasn’t eager to make contact with her skin again.

Despite the unease she still felt around the alien, she was at least moved to make amends for her prematurely aggressive actions. “I’m sorry for attacking you.”

“I am also sorry for attacking you.” Even though it could’ve come across sounding slightly parroted, Marin saw the sincerity in her large, black eyes. Her antennae even drooped a bit, reminding Marin of a kicked puppy. She didn’t like the guilt that flooded her system.

“Oh yeah,” Peter said to Mantis, sounding interested. “What did you do anyway? All I saw was Marin put her hands on you and the next second she was on the ground, squirming.” Marin bristled, not liking how Peter described her… session? Was that what she could call it? Either way, Marin didn’t like that he saw how utterly incapacitated she’d become; whether it was a blow to her pride or dignity, she couldn’t tell. Or were they kind of the same thing?

“I can experience others’ emotions, sometimes the memories that are associated with the feelings.” Mantis explained, sounding rather robotic, as if English wasn’t her first language (which, in hindsight, it most definitely wasn’t. Distantly, Marin wondered how common English was in the universe, or if the translation was due to some sort of universal device.)

“No way! You’ve got empathy powers?!” Peter was growing visibly excited, vibrating slightly and bouncing on his heels. “So do I! Did you get bit by a radioactive mantis or something? Because—”

Marin lingered to the side, completely ignored. Peter seemed to either forget that this alien had attacked Marin so viciously, or disregard it. But even with this reasoning, Marin failed to convict herself. So why was she feeling so… jealous?

Nevertheless, Marin felt like an outsider, and after almost two years of getting over that fear, having it come back and hitting her like a blow to the stomach, Marin walked away. Not that either of them noticed, which was another blow, more like a slap to the cheek.

She instead approached Tony, who was in the middle of talking to Quill.

“—we’ve got one advantage: he’s coming to us. We’ll use it.” Nodding decisively, he turned and paced. “All right, I have a plan. Or at least the beginnings of one.” He announced to the team. Marin looked over her shoulder to Peter, who was raptly observing Mantis bounce up and down, slightly floating due to the lower gravitational field of the planet. Marin’s stomach twisted.

“It’s pretty simple. We draw him in, pin him down, get what we need.” Peter was starting to approach them, still glancing back at Mantis. “Definitely don’t wanna dance with this guy, we just want the gauntlet.”

“So we’ve gotta figure out a—”

Marin started to process a plan, when Tony interrupted her to chastise the buff dude.

“Are you yawning?” He looked offended. “In the middle of this, while I’m breaking it down? Huh? Did you hear what I said?”

“I stopped listening after you said ‘We need a plan’.”

“Okay, Mr. Clean is on his own page.” Tony said grumpily to no one in particular.

“See, ‘not winging it’ isn’t really what they… do.” Quill said, strangely, as if he wasn’t a part of their team.

Marin scoffed. “So what the hell do they do?”

“Kick names, take ass.” Mantis said, so assuredly that Marin had to think twice about the logistics of the statement.

Looking at Tony, she could tell that he was beginning to seriously regret coming to Titan. “All right, just get over here please.”

The six of them gathered in a loose circle, Marin standing closer to Tony than she did Quill, who was on each of her sides. Marin locked eyes with Peter for a moment, but glanced away, feeling an uncomfortable knot growing in her chest the longer she looked at him. She rubbed her chest inconspicuously as Tony tried to lay down the basic guidelines of a plan, trying to dispel the weird feeling.

“Tell him about the dance-off to save the universe.” The buff alien said, catching Marin’s attention.

“What dance-off?” Tony was bewildered, but Marin chanced a shared look with Peter, who seemed on the same wavelength as her.

“Like in Footloose, the movie?” He chuckled, and despite her sudden unease, Marin felt herself sharing a secret smile with him. Back when they saw each other almost every weekend, Peter took it upon himself to show Marin all of the cheesy 80s and 90s movies, after discovering that between training and school, she’d never gotten around to seeing them.

One night in particular, about two months after moving to the Tower, it’d snowed so bad that Peter was stuck there for the night, where they’d gotten through 16 Candles, Taxi Driver, St. Elmo’s Fire, and Footloose. By the time Footloose had come on, it was nearing four o’clock in the morning, and they’d run out of popcorn and couldn’t be hassled to microwave some more. So they’d just sat there, Peter humming along to the songs, and Marin just watching him from the other side of the expansive couch.

‘It’s catchy,’ he’d said to her once the credits started rolling, looking genuinely content but bashful at being caught singing along, ‘But it’s not the greatest movie in the world or anything.’

“Exactly like Footloose!” said Quill, pleased that someone had understood his reference. “Is it still the greatest movie in history?”

Marin grinned. “It never was.”

Peter’s eyes flickered over to her, his smile dropping into something softer, warmer. Marin felt the heat rise from her chest, crawling up her neck and flushing her cheeks. She gave him another smile before surrendering to the urge to look away before he noticed her blush.

“Don’t encourage this, all right?” Tony stepped closer to her, blocking her view of Peter. Marin rolled her eyes. “We’re getting no help from Flash Gordon here.”

Now that was a reference she didn’t understand.

“’Flash Gordon’?” Quill spoke, forcing Tony to turn so he could look at him. “By the way, that’s a compliment. Don’t forget, I’m half-human. So that 50% of me that’s stupid…” He looked to make sure Tony was following. “That’s 100% you.”

It was infallible logic to Marin, although she was pretty sure that this guy was more than fifty-percent stupid.

“Your math is… blowing my mind.”

“Excuse me?” Said Mantis, who was sounding worried. “But does your friend often do that?”

Everyone turned to see Dr. Strange, who, still glowing a sheer sheen of green light, was fidgeting at weird angles, almost looking as if he was possessed.

As Marin hurried over to get a closer look, Dr. Strange’s head was twitching at an accelerated speed.

Just as she’d approached, he’d emerged from whatever trance he’d been in with a pained shout. Marin and Tony helped to steady him on the rock he toppled on. Dr. Strange gasped for air, looking around frantically.

“Are you okay?” Marin grabbed his arm, holding him from thrashing about.

“You’re back, you’re all right.”

“Hey, what was that?” Peter asked.

“I went forward in time to view alternate futures,” Dr. Strange explained, sounding out-of-breath. “To see all the possible outcomes of the coming conflict.” He blinked rapidly, looking more shaken that she’d seen him. Granted, she’d only known him for a few hours, but from what Marin gathered, Dr. Strange seemed quite level-headed and not like the type to be distressed under pressure. It wasn’t as alarming as finding Tony broken down on the ship, but it was still unnerving to Marin.

“How many did you see?”

“14 million, six hundred and five.”

“How many did we win?” Marin asked. She braced herself, sensing a strong feeling of disturbed energy emanating from Dr. Strange.

The wizard took a bracing inhale. He shifted his eyes away from her, before settling heavily on Tony. “One.”

The silence was deafening in Marin’s ears. Her focus went fuzzy as she tried to calculate the sheer odds of winning this.

At some point, everyone started yelling, but Marin was still stuck on the ground, hands now empty as Dr. Strange had positioned himself in the debate, brushing off Quill’s attempts to weasel the truth from him.

She ran over the statistics in her head. There were only three Stones Thanos needed—the Soul Stone, which was at an unknown location; the Mind Stone, which was currently somewhere on Earth, if the rest of the Avengers were ever able to locate Vision; and the Time Stone, in Dr. Strange’s possession. Three more Stones and he’d be able to wipe out trillions—and one of the only things stopping it from happening was this chaotic group of powered individuals.

Marin clenched her eyes shut, letting her body curl in on itself as she desperately flipped through attack plans in her head. There was little to no water on this planet, and she’d drank all of her water back on the ship, so her hydrokinetic powers were out. All she had in her arsenal were her energy manipulation powers, and they were still uncontrolled, at best. She’d managed to control her flight abilities well enough, but she still struggled heavily with her attack powers.

The touch to her forearm startled her enough for her to activate her energy, though they relaxed at the sight of a concerned Tony Stark with his arms braced in surrender.

Once relaxed, he took the seat next to her.

“It’s gonna be okay, kid.” He said, even though he hardly sounded convinced himself. “We all… well, most of us know what we’re doing.”

Marin laughed dryly. “Yeah, and who’s that? Because all I see are a bunch of fucked-up misfits trying to fit together like pieces belonging to seven different puzzles.” Marin tugged a rough hand through her hair, now reaching inches below her shoulders and bangs grown long. “Let’s see, we’ve got: one rich guy in a fancy suit, one wizard-slash-doctor with a seriously messed-up superiority complex, an alien with feely-powers, another alien that only has enhanced strength in his arsenal, one half-wit with a mad vendetta the size of Texas, one spider-kid, and one… one mutant that can’t control the only power that she’s got a chance at defeating this guy with.” Marin was flushed by the end of her rant, panting hard. She realized that her hands were beginning to glow, so she flexed them, forcing her energy to crawl back.

“Wow,” said Tony, stoically. “You done harping?”

Marin grumbled an assent but felt the anger dissipate nonetheless.

“Good. Because… well, I’d have to agree with you about a lot of those observations. For one, Drax and Quill aren’t the brightest.” Marin rolled her eyes. So that was the buff dude’s name. “Neither is Mantis, for that matter. But they’ve got something we don’t have—experience. And I know what you’re gonna say, I’ve been doing this for years, too. But I’ve also never been to space—this Quill guy? He’s half-god. Like, his father was a planet.” At her inquisitive look, he explained with a shrug, “He likes to blabber.”

He repositioned himself so he was facing her more. “Anyway, my point is, these guys may not be as mechanically or strategically intelligent as us, but they know Thanos—they have direct experience with fighting him. Us? Me? All I’ve done is fight regular alien drones. And one demi-god, but this… we need them, Mare.”

Marin glanced up at the nickname. He didn’t use it often, sticking to her full name or ‘kid’, only sometimes ‘Tempest’. Tony had become something of a father-figure to Marin, something she’d never really had, even when her dad was alive. Tony knew this, and she thought that was why he’d pulled her under his wing. Even Peter didn’t seem as close to him anymore, seeing as he lived hours away.

“And as for you?” Tony poked her shoulder, causing a smile to creep onto her lips. “I have all the faith that you’ll do whatever you can to stop him. You’ve never been faced with a greater threat, but… I think you’re ready. Truly.”

Marin’s smile grew, settling into something private and warm. “Thanks, Tony.”

“That being said…” Tony continued, looking hesitant. “Your attacks still drain a lot of your power, and we need you to save as much as you can for when the time comes.

“The plan is, we need to get the gauntlet off of his arm. That’s our best bet. We can do that if we work together—Quill and Drax getting him to the ground, Pete, Dr. Strange and I keeping his arms apart, so we can keep his hand open to prevent him from using the Stones. Mantis will keep him calm using her empath control, and you’re gonna drain his energy to keep him weak.”

Marin’s eyes widened. “I don’t—but I’ve never—!”

“I know, but that’s why we need you to stay down until it’s time. We need as much of your energy as possible if we’re gonna win this.”

Marin searched his eyes. “Did Dr. Strange tell you any of this?”

Tony sighed, confessing, “No. He’s refusing to give us even the tiniest hints. All he’s admitting to is that we need to try and get the gauntlet off of Thanos. From there, he says that if he tells us, it won’t happen.”

“So… how…” Marin grunted frustratedly, rubbing her face with her hands. “How the hell are we supposed to win this thing?”

Tony smiled, clapping her shoulder. “Teamwork.”

Marin sighed. “Of course.”

+++

After Tony left to go discuss the plan with the others, Marin didn’t move from her seat. She figured she should’ve been doing the meditations Natasha taught her, to hone into her powers and focus on controlling them, but Marin was so frazzled, she felt that if she even attempted bringing out her powers, they would go haywire and she’d be drained even before the battle started.

This was always the hardest part of missions. Even back in the X-Men, when the only missions they went on were busting drug deals and recruiting new mutants, it was the waiting that drove Marin crazy. The not-knowing but anticipating the action. It was somehow worse, now, because she knew that the threat was far greater than petty drug dealers and mutant adolescents.

She could feel the energy bubbling inside her, fritzing her nerves. She felt jittery, her exposed skin buzzing like an active wire. She jumped up, pacing, trying to calm herself down.

As she went to turn, she bumped into a body, startling her and almost making her energy flash. “Jesus, Parker!”

“Sorry!” He jumped back, avoiding her skin. That stung, even though she knew it was probably the most logical reaction. Still, irrationally hurt by his recoil, she wrapped her arms protectively around her chest, tucking her trembling hands beneath her underarms.

Realizing his error, he automatically reached out, grabbing onto her triceps with firm, steady hands. His grip grounded her, the warmth of his skin somehow permeating both the metallic fabric of his suit and the lycra-type microparticles of hers. Almost immediately, Marin felt herself steadying.

She reflexively uncrossed her arms as she stared into Peter’s eyes, which were darkened with worry. “Mare, you all right?”

Not bothering to hide it, she exhaled, shaking her head minimally. “No, I don’t think so.”

He pulled her into him, folding her into his embrace. Marin, now just short enough, tucked her head under Peter’s chin, resting her cheek on the cooled metal spanning his chest. She wrapped her arms solidly around his waist. Through the suit, she could feel the steady, strong beat of his heart, and the two of them stayed silent, allowing themselves to revel in the comfort of a familiar pair of arms.

After a moment, when her breathing steadied, and she could feel Peter’s heart to quicken just slightly, they pulled away slowly.

“Better?” Peter asked, searching her eyes, tone free of any vanity that would have sounded in anyone else’s mouth.

Marin nodded, eyes roaming idly over his face. It’d been so long since she’d been this close to Peter, and she could see some of the changes in his expression, where she couldn’t see in the darkness of the ship. He had a darker smattering of freckles, his eyes creased only slightly where his skin folded when he smiled. He didn’t look old, like with wrinkles, but his face showed a new sense of maturity she hadn’t noticed before; where there was a subtle roundness in his cheeks, skin stretched tighter over bone, exposing sharper cheekbones and a stronger jaw. She noticed the muscle in his jaw clench, his thin lips moving over teeth like he was chewing on words he couldn’t bring himself to say. His hair was longer, it flowed from his head in waves like a sea of melted chocolate, curling slightly where it wrapped behind his slightly stuck-out ears. She remembered when they seemed too big for his head, but they suited him now, only a little noticeable as they framed his chiseled face.

The only thing that remained completely unchanged were his eyes. Honey brown and so expressive; she could read every emotion that flashed across them. Flecks of gold lined the darkness of the pupil, brightening the longer she looked into them.

Something rolled in her stomach as she studied him, aching like a cramp. Her chest ached like someone had taken her heart and gripped it tight, and she yearned to discover what exactly was making her feel this way. She’d never felt anything like it before—only something similar to when she remembered Lucy and James with an aching fondness, but this… this was twenty times stronger than that. It was like her soul was simultaneously being lit on fire and brushed by the frigid grip of liquid nitrogen.

She wasn’t sure what she would’ve said, but the words were squeezed out of her, “Pete, I—”

“Everyone into position!” Tony hollered, breaking Marin and Peter out of their shared trance. They reluctantly backed away from each other, only seeming to come to attention at the realization that this was it. There was no more waiting, no more anticipation.

Thanos was coming.

taglist

@dark-night-sky-99 @pushmeinablackhole @demi-starzak @-thatgirloverthere- @yourwonderbelle​  @silver-winter-wolf​

[spiritedquill]

Sonny’s Home For Boys: Chapter 3

Ch1 | Ch2 | Ch3 | Ch4 | Ch5 | Ch6 | Ch7 | Ch8 | Ch9 | Ch10 |

AO3 | FFnet

Summary: He wasn’t staying. There was no way he could stay, he had to get back to Sammy. His dad would come back and he’d go back to doing what he did best: hunting. Still… the mysterious blue-eyed boy named Castiel made it really hard to not want to stick around and never go anywhere else again.

Chapter 3: 

Dean had decided to take a stab at playing it cool with Cas. Maybe if he gave the boy space and stopped with the longing doe eyes Cas would eventually come around. Playing hard to get had worked for him before, maybe it could help him out here too.

Only problem was Cas was playing it cool right back at him. And doing a much better job of it. Dean realized that was mostly because Cas had friends to distract him and make him seem less lonely. Maybe Dean just needed to make some friends. And he knew just who the perfect candidates were.

After third hour, Dean was actually excited to get to lunch. He did, however, pause for a moment when a bulletin board caught his eye. 

“Wrestling Try-Outs: All weight classes welcome!”

“Wrestling, huh,” he murmured to himself as he considered the flier. He smiled. School sports try-outs. Now that was normal. 

“Thinking of trying out?”

Dean jumped, turning around and relaxing when he saw Robin standing there, a couple of notebooks held to her chest. 

“Uh, yeah, thinkin’ about it,” Dean told her, smiling. “Why, did you wanna come see me try out?”

Robin blushed. “Um… I mean, I’m class vice president, I uh… I should be at all the major school events…”

“Sounds like a yes to me,” Dean grinned. She bit her lip and turned to walk towards the lunch room.

“I’ll think about it,” she said as she turned her back, and Dean could hear the smile in her voice. 

He laughed softly. “I’ve still got it.”

Smiling, Dean made his way to the cafeteria and looked around. He saw Benny and the other boys from Sonny’s waving him over, and he crossed the room with an honest-to-god smile. 

“Newbie!” Benny grinned, clapping Dean on the shoulder. “Glad you decided to join us. Ash was just telling us about his process. Ya know, it’s a miracle he gets his hair to be so majestic every day. I’m jealous.”

Dean huffed out a laugh as he sat down next to Chuck, deciding to play along. “Oh yeah, I mean I’ve always wanted my hair to look like that. I just…” Dean pursed his lips and shook his head, fighting laughter. “I couldn’t pull it off like you do.”

“I’m thinking of writing one of my characters with a mullet,” Chuck chimed in. “As sort of a tribute. To the hair.”

Benny, Dean, and Chuck burst out laughing and Ash stared at them deadly. “Ya’ll are a bunch of assholes, anyone ever tell ya that?” He flipped his hair behind his shoulder. “You know you’re jealous. All business in the front… Party in the back.” To accentuate his point, he flipped his head to one side and then the other, showing off his luscious locks. The other boys erupted in howling laughter again. 

“So Dean,” Chuck said, once they could all stop giggling. “How’s your first day going?’

Dean grimaced. “Oh, it’s going just great,” he told them. “I love having the whole school stare at me everywhere I go. Like I’m some freak or something.”

“Oh, it’s nothing like that,” Ash told him, waving a hand. “Nah, they’re just not used to seeing new people. Small town and all that.”

That did make Dean feel a little better, but he still didn’t feel great when he realized that Cas had been staring too. And based on how Cas had been ignoring him, Dean guessed it wasn’t the good kind of staring. 

“So, this homecoming game,” Dean changed the subject. “Is it worth seeing?”

“Oh, there’s something worth seeing, but it ain’t the jerks throwing a ball around,” Benny said, waggling his eyebrows. Ash and Chuck looked at him blankly. His eyes widened and he shrugged, looking at them like they were crazy. “Cheerleaders. I’m talking about the cheerleaders.”

“Ohhhhhh,” they both said in realization. Dean laughed. It actually felt really good just talking to boys his age like a normal teenage boy. 

“What about the student council? They have to be there too, right?” Dean asked.

Ash looked at him. “You mean Robin? Honestly, dude, give it up.”

“Oh, I’m pretty sure she’s interested,” Dean smirked. “I told her I was trying out for the wrestling team and she said she’d come watch.”

Benny and Ash busted out laughing. “Dude!!”

Dean frowned. “What?”

“Oh my god, she only goes to those try-outs to see Cas!” Ash told him, patting him on the shoulder and giving him a sad look. “Sorry, man. She’s not interested.”

Dean began to shake his head, then his jaw dropped when he processed what Ash had said. “Wait, Cas? He’s on the wrestling team?”

Benny smirked at him. “Oh yeah. Best one they’ve got.”

Dean felt his face heat up a bit. “Oh. Well, uh, maybe once Robin sees me out there it’ll change her mind.”

“Yeah alright, lover boy,” Ash scoffed. “Keep tellin’ yourself that.”

The boys went back to talking about cheerleaders but Dean’s thoughts wandered elsewhere. He had already been considering trying out for the wrestling team, but now that he knew Cas would be there? Well, this could be his chance to finally have a proper conversation with the boy. Screw playing it cool. He at least wanted to thank him for stopping Gordon from beating the shit out of him. Sure, he could’ve handled him, but he would’ve ended up with more than a bruised rib. 

Yeah, it was decided. He was definitely trying out for the team. 

...

Despite Dean’s plan to get Cas to talk to him, he knew it had to keep his distance until try-outs. He didn’t want to push too hard or he was afraid he might ruin everything. 

So he decided to keep trying for normal, and he actually found himself enjoying hanging out with the boys from Sonny’s. He’d never really had any real friends before, at least not outside of the hunting world. Sure he loved Bobby and some of the others like family, but no one ever talked about anything normal. Sure Dean loved hunting with his dad, but maybe he only thought that because he’d never seen what anything normal looked like. Maybe… maybe his dad was wrong to keep him from that. 

Dean shook his head, clearing that thought right out. No. His dad was a hero and he did his best. He truly believed that. Still… until his dad came back for him, what he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him, right? 

Pushing thoughts of his dad away, Dean found his way to his last class. He was late because the office screwed up his schedule somehow, and this was the only class with an opening. “Sorry I’m late…” Dean trailed off, noticing Cas sitting in the back of the room. He gulped and looked at the teacher. “Last minute schedule change,” he finished. 

The teacher nodded and gestured to an empty seat in the back of the room… right next to Cas. Oh great, he thought. How the hell am I gonna play it cool when he’s sitting right next to me?

Cas was relieved to have made it to his last class mostly without incident. He hadn’t seen Dean since lunch which made ignoring him a little easier. And he had his last class with Balthazar so that was a plus. They didn’t get to sit next to each other thanks to the seating chart, but it was still comforting to have him close.  

Cas was marking and organizing his notebook to get ready for some hardcore note-taking when he heard a deep voice from the front of the classroom. His eyes widened and he looked up. Ignoring Dean just got a hell of a lot harder. 

“Howdy,” Dean greeted him in a low voice, offering an uncomfortable smile and taking a seat next to Cas. 

“Hello, Dean,” Cas said politely. He wasn’t one to be completely rude. Not when Dean was speaking directly to him. Still, that didn’t mean he had to keep up a conversation. If they talked Cas was worried his feelings would spiral out of control and he couldn’t risk that. 

“Looks like we’re lab partners,” Dean pointed out the obvious, setting his bag on the floor and looking over at Cas. 

“It looks that way, yes,” Cas nodded. 

“I’m, uh… not too bad at chemistry,” Dean told him, lips quirking up in a half smile. “So you don’t have to worry.”

“Shh!”

They glanced at the teacher and apologized quietly, lowering their voices to a whisper. 

Cas finally looked at him, and his throat felt so thick he didn’t think he could speak. “I…” he cleared his throat and forced himself to make eye contact. “Dean, you don’t have to…”

“What?” Dean frowned. What had he done wrong this time? “I just figure if we’re gonna see each other at school… Well, it’s kinda hard to avoid me completely. We live in the same house for crying out loud.”

“Dean, I’m not--”

Dean’s temper flared. He’d had enough of this. Cas could ignore him and freeze him out and refuse to talk at Sonny’s but lying to Dean’s face? Hell no. 

“Cut the crap, Cas,” Dean snapped, trying to breathe so he didn’t lose it completely. He was trying to keep his voice at a whisper but it was growing difficult. The teacher was glaring at him from his desk. They had been told to work quietly together on the lab sheet but neither of them could focus on that. “I know you’ve been avoiding me this whole week. I’m not an idiot.” 

Cas sighed, looking away again, ashamed. “You’re right. I’m sorry. It’s just…”

“What? What is it, Cas? ‘Cuz I don’t know what the hell I did wrong.” Dean shifted uncomfortably but didn’t look away from Cas. He was begging him to tell him what he did so he could fix it. He didn’t understand. 

“You didn’t do anything wrong, Dean,” Cas said after what felt like a lifetime, so quiet that Dean wasn’t even sure he heard him correctly. “I just don’t want anyone else to get hurt because of me.”

Dean eyed him carefully. He figured he was talking about Gordon. And Dean could see where Cas was coming from, but he wasn’t going to leave it at that. “Well I can take care of myself so you don’t have to worry about me,” he said, and Cas looked at him. Maybe Dean had a point...

“Dean, I...” Cas stopped himself. He couldn’t. He couldn’t get close to Dean and he couldn’t let Dean get close to him. It couldn’t possibly end any way but bad. 

Dean sighed, looking away. “Fine. I get it. I’ll ask for a different lab partner.”

“No,” Cas blurted out before he could stop himself, looking at Dean with wide eyes. Shit. “I mean…” Dean frowned at him, confused.  

“Cas, don’t do me any favors,” he bit out, a little too harshly. 

“I’m awful at chemistry,” Cas told him, offering a weak smile. “I could… I could use a partner who knows what they’re doing.” 

Cas was kicking himself. He couldn’t make up his damn mind. He knew he needed to push Dean away, but every time Dean obliged and let him be, he couldn’t seem to let him go. What the hell was wrong with him?

Dean couldn’t figure out what Cas was doing. “Man, I don’t know what you want from me,” he said, shaking his head. “If you want me gone, say go.” 

Castiel’s head was spinning. But above all the thoughts threatening to eat him alive, the one that spoke the loudest was that said he didn’t want Dean to go. Maybe it was wrong and maybe he was selfish but he didn’t. “I… I don’t want you to go,” Cas said quietly. 

Dean stared at him tentatively, waiting for the other shoe to drop but it didn’t. He offered a half smile. “I don’t think Mr. Tightass would switch things up anyways,” he told Cas, laughing and trying to lighten the air a bit. He nodded subtly to the teacher and slid his finger across his throat, making a face, and Cas laughed. 

They didn’t talk much for the rest of class, mostly because the teacher was glaring at Dean and watching him like a hawk the whole time. But they were both relieved to have cleared some of the tension between them. Maybe they could actually be friends. At the very least they could stop acting like the other didn’t exist. It was exhausting. 

After class was over, Cas said goodbye to Dean and met up with Balthazar, who was being unusually quiet. 

“What’s up with you, Bal?” Cas wondered, nudging his arm as they headed towards Charlie’s house. “You’re brooding again.”

“I’m not brooding,” Balthazar murmured, smiling at Cas. “Just thinking.”

Cas quirked his eyebrow. “I didn’t know you could think.”

Chuckling softly, Balthazar shook his head. “Haha, Cassandra.” He paused. “I saw you were talking to Dean.”

Cas frowned. “Yeah… So?”

“He’s…” Balthazar trailed off. He was really trying to control the amount of jealousy in his tone. “Did you see him flirting with Robin earlier?”

“I…” The word got caught in Cas’s throat. Of course he’d noticed. But Dean wouldn’t… well, Cas realized, he didn’t really know what Dean would or wouldn’t do. He didn’t actually know him. But the way he talked to Cas, it sure didn’t seem like he was playing him. 

And besides, so what if Dean flirted with Robin? Cas didn’t even like Dean like that.

Balthazar was watching him closely and bit his lip.

“Don’t worry, Cassie, sucker’s got nothing on you,” he said, clapping his shoulder. “You’re still Robin’s number one man.”

Cas shrugged his arm off.

“Come on Bal, you know I don’t like her like that.”

“Yeah. I know.”

“What are you chumps over there chit-chatting about?”

Balthazar and Cas looked up to see Charlie waving at them from her front porch up ahead. They smiled and closed the distance between them and the steps, following her inside. “Nothing important,” Cas answered her question. “How did your first day go?”

“Physics teacher gave us a pop quiz,” Charlie groaned, grabbing a water and two cream sodas from the fridge. “On the first day!” 

Balthazar winced. “Damn.” He accepted the cream soda gratefully as the three of them sat down at the kitchen table. “And I thought our chem teacher was bad.”

Charlie laughed and handed Cas the water bottle. “Alright, Cassie, turn me into a math wizard.”

Cas quirked an eyebrow. “I’m not a miracle worker. But I can make sure you pass with at least a C.”

“Rude,” Charlie pouted and Balthazar almost fell out of his chair laughing.

“Nice!”

Cas smiled, looking between them. “Alright, let’s focus, guys.”

They studied for about an hour before Charlie had had enough. “How the hell is this even math?” she muttered. “I’m good at math, but this bullshit isn’t math.” 

Cas laughed. “You’ll get it, Charlie. I promise.”

“Professor Cassie, can I be excused?” Balthazar chimed in, putting Charlie’s reading glasses on and making his voice all nasally. 

“Kinky,” Charlie coughed into her fist, and Cas glared at her. 

“I hate you both,” he grumbled.

“Nope, you love us,” Balthazar said cheerily, pushing the glasses up on his nose. “I think this is a good look for me, no?”

“Maybe if they weren’t two sizes too small for your big head,” Charlie laughed, snatching her glasses back. “I need these to tell the difference between Sine and Cosine.”

“SOH-CAH-TOA,” Balthazar said, carefully pronouncing each part. He grinned. “I remembered, Cassie. You’re such a good teacher.”

Cas rolled his eyes, laughing. “You two are impossible. Class dismissed.”

“Freedom!” Balthazar exclaimed, standing up with a fist in the air. He was enjoying Cas’s laughter a little too much. 

“Except for you,” Cas continued, pointing at Balthazar and holding back spurts of giggles. “Detention for you, Mr. Hart.”

“Double kinky,” Charlie coughed. She hit her fist against her chest and cleared her throat. “Agh, sorry. I’ve just got this nasty cough. I must be coming down with something.”

“Bullshit,” Balthazar laughed, flipping her off. 

Cas erupted into giggles, holding his stomach and grinning so hard his face hurt. Balthazar and Charlie followed suit until none of them could breathe they were laughing so hard. Every time they calmed down for a minute or two, one of them would start giggling again and it would start all over. 

“Alright, alright,” Cas said finally, taking deep breaths and trying to calm down. His face was flushed and he still couldn’t stop smiling. “I should probably get going before dinner time.”

“Need me to walk you?” Balthazar asked, standing up.

“No, that’s alright,” Cas said lightly. “I can handle myself.”

Balthazar smirked. “I know you can, Cas.”

“Love you, Cassie,” Charlie said, standing and giving him a hug. Balthazar did the same.

“Love you guys,” he said, stuffing his books in his bag. “See you tomorrow.”

With that, Cas grabbed his backpack and headed out the door. It was about 5 p.m. so he figured Sonny and the other boys would be having dinner any minute. He knew he had to be there, but he wasn’t looking forward to seeing Dean and having to pretend he didn’t notice him. 

“Dinner’s on the table,” Sonny told Cas as he opened the door for him, gesturing inside with a smile. “How was school?”

Cas shrugged. “It was only the first day.”

Sonny nodded, chuckling softly. “Fair point. Well get some food in ya.”

Cas followed Sonny to the kitchen and took a seat between Chuck and Ash at the table. He saw Dean eyeing him in his peripheral but he didn’t look up. 

“What do you guys think of that new history teacher?” Chuck asked the table. “He’s kinda scary if ya ask me.”

“Mr. Donovan?” Benny scoffed. “Nah, he’s the best. He let us leave early after the assignment was done. The guy loves me.”

“Since when are you a teacher’s pet?” Ash blurted out, laughing. “This guy really must be crazy if you’re his shining pupil.”

“Oh shut up,” Benny waved him off, glaring. “You’re just mad because your favorite lunch lady moved to Wisconsin or something.”

“She gave me extra macaroni!” Ash defended. “I’m tellin’ you man, it was the hair. Chicks dig it.” 

“Alright, chief,” Benny chuckled, digging into his dinner. 

“That chem teacher is kind of a hardass,” Dean chimed in, and Ash groaned.

“God, he is! And there’s an odd number in the class, so guess who’s stuck with him as a lab partner? This guy.”

“Damn, that’s rough,” Dean said, smirking. “I’m just glad he’ll be more focused on you than me.”

“Lucky son of a bitch,” Ash grumbled. 

The chatter died down as the boys ate, and at some point Dean realized that Cas had snuck away from the table. How had he not seen him?

Dean finished his food before the other boys and headed upstairs. He didn’t want to push it, but he figured he’d give Cas the chance to say something. He knew it was kind of a long shot, though. 

He plopped down on his bed and lied down on his back, staring up at the wooden ceiling. They were so quiet, he could hear Cas breathing from where he was lying on his own bed. 

Cas could feel the weight of Dean’s presence heavy on his heart, and he tried to focus on the book he was reading. That was extremely difficult, though, when Dean was right there and it was just the two of them. This was exactly why he’d been avoiding one-on-one interaction with Dean. It was too easy for him to fall into it and get comfortable, to let Dean in. He had to make a constant effort to keep himself from giving in. 

He was grateful when he heard the other boys bounding down the hall and into the room. At least when they weren’t alone, he didn’t have to feel so bad for ignoring Dean.

...

The rest of the week went pretty much the same. Cas ignored Dean when they were at Sonny’s, and he made polite conversation at best when they were at school. Things were not going how Dean had planned at all. At least Benny and the others were treating him like one of the guys. That did make him feel a little better. 

Still, he wasn’t quite ready to give up on becoming friends with Cas. He had chem lab, so that was something. He had to be able to find some way to make nice when they sat right next together for a whole hour every single day. And if not, he had wrestling try-outs as his backup plan.

He refused to acknowledge the nagging feeling that begged the question, why was he so interested? Why did he care so much if Cas liked him? These weren’t questions he knew how to answer. Not yet, at least. All he knew was that he wanted to get close to Cas. The rest he would figure out later. 

It was Friday and Cas couldn’t wait for class to get out. For the first time in almost a year, he was having a movie night with Balthazar and Charlie. Normally he would regret letting Charlie pick the movie because he never understood what was happening, but this time he really couldn’t care less what they watched. He just missed hanging out with his best friends. 

As soon as class was dismissed, Cas jumped out of his seat and practically skipped to meet Balthazar at the door. The taller boy laughed and slung an arm over Cas’s shoulder as they walked. 

“I’ve never seen you so excited to be confused about Star Trek,” Balthazar teased, and Cas just grinned.

“Movie nights have always been my favorite, Bal. Especially when we haven’t had one since last winter.”

Balthazar returned the smile ten-fold. He couldn’t help it. Despite his teasing, he had been looking forward to tonight for a solid week now. Movie night with Cas was everything. It reminded him of before things got so damn complicated. 

“I just think you have a thing for Captain Kirk,” Balthazar said, waggling his eyebrows. “Personally I prefer Mr. Spock, but I can see the appeal.”

Cas’s face flushed. “I-- I do not! I just think he’s a hero is all.”

Balthazar snorted. “Whatever you say, Cassie.”

Cas huffed and shoved him lightly, but he was smiling. 

God, Balthazar had missed that smile. He hadn’t seen it much since… Well, since before.

Quickly shaking that train of thought, Balthazar smiled fondly at Cas. He couldn’t help the swell of hope in his chest at Cas’s excitement for movie night. Yeah, Charlie was there too, but movie night had been a thing for Cas and Balthazar since they were kids. It usually ended with the two of them sitting way too close on the couch until Cas was basically curled up in Balthazar’s lap. He knew Cas just liked being comfortable, but to Balthazar it was so much more than that.

“You ok, Bal?” Cas asked, breaking him from his reverie. Balthazar looked at him and saw a smirk forming on his face. “Thinking about those Vulcan ears?”

Balthazar made a face at him. “Hey, don’t be disrespecting my man Spock. How many times has he saved Kirk’s ass?”

Cas laughed. “Don’t act like you even watch the show,” he said. “You just like those skin-tight suits.”

“Yeah, well, I’m not the only one,” Balthazar said, throwing a smirk his way. 

Cas shrugged. “It’s not my fault the cast is full of people who look good in spandex.”

Balthazar was suddenly struck with an image of Cas in one of those silly uniforms, and he almost choked. Cas frowned. 

“Are you okay?” he asked, oblivious. “You’re not getting sick are you?”

Balthazar shook his head, clearing his throat. “No, uh… I don’t think so. Just… allergies.”

Cas gave him an odd look but accepted his answer. 

A few minutes later and they were on Charlie’s front porch. She opened the door and, before they could step inside, wrapped them both in a surprisingly tight hug. 

“I love movie night,” she said with a happy sigh. “Especially when you chumps make the mistake of letting me pick.” She pulled back and grinned at them. “I made popcorn!”

“Regretting your decision to let her pick?” Balthazar whispered to Cas as they followed Charlie inside. 

“Starting to,” Cas whispered back.

“You guys suck at whispering,” Charlie said without looking back at them. “And you know it’s my turn.”

“Only teasing, dearest,” Balthazar shot back. “We love you in all your geeky glory.”

“Damn right you do,” Charlie said matter-of-factly, the satisfied grin evident in her voice. 

“Aw, don’t you love me too?” Balthazar whined. 

“You know I do, babe,” Charlie said, winking at him.

“Should I give you guys a minute?” Cas teased, and his friends snorted out a laugh in unison as the three of them sat down in the living room.

“Never in a million years,” Charlie said, giggling. 

“Ouch,” Balthazar said, turning to her and putting his hand on his heart. “Hurtful.”

She gave him a look. “Bal, you’re gay.”

“Yeah, well, you’re gay,” Balthazar shot back, and Charlie punched his shoulder. 

“We’re both gay, you idiot,” she laughed. 

Cas smiled at the two of them, though he shifted uncomfortably. Being around his friends, he felt more comfortable being himself, accepting himself. But he still had a hard time saying it. He didn’t know how Charlie and Balthazar were so brave. 

“We’re all pretty gay,” he chimed in quietly. They looked over at him and he smiled hesitantly. 

“Damn right, Cassie,” Balthazar grinned, wrapping his arm around him. “We’re all pretty gay,” he repeated, squeezing Cas’s shoulder. 

Cas settled into Balthazar’s side and pulled a blanket over his legs, sighing softly. He didn’t know what he would do without his best friends around to remind him that he was loved exactly the way he was. That he wasn’t some sort of freak of nature or abomination. They were the only people in the world he could truly rely on and trust no matter what. And that had been enough until…

His thoughts strayed to Dean, and he couldn’t help but wonder if Dean would accept him if he knew. Would he still want to be his friend, or would he think he was disgusting? Cas thought he knew the answer, but honestly the risk was a little too terrifying to Cas. He felt silly for thinking it, but he didn’t want to lose Dean. Not that he even had Dean, but still. He couldn’t bear the thought of Dean looking at him like his father had looked at him when he’d found out…

Disappointed. Disgusted. 

The thought of it was too much.

But Balthazar and Charlie, they didn’t care. They loved him and they wanted him to be himself. They wanted him to be happy. And he loved them for that.

As Charlie started the movie, Balthazar didn’t dare move a muscle. Cas was bundled up against his side, a warm and comforting weight. He was afraid if he moved then Cas would too, and he didn’t want to lose the closeness. This happened at almost every one of their movie nights, and it had been so long that Balthazar had almost forgotten how fantastic it felt. Holding Cas close, protecting him, loving him, He wanted to stay like that forever. 

After a while, though, he felt an itch on his nose. Dammit. He resisted for as long as he could, but he had to reach up and scratch it. When he did, he half expected Cas to sit up. But then Cas snuggled in closer and Balthazar couldn’t even breathe. How the hell was he supposed to breathe when Cas let out that little happy sigh and put his hand on Balthazar’s belly and his head on his chest and...

How the hell was he supposed to even think of anything else but that?

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t quench the hope building up in his chest. Though some part of him knew Cas was never going to see him in the way he wanted, it was moments like this when he wondered if Cas could really be so completely oblivious. Did Cas really have no idea the effect he had on him? Did he really not see the way Balthazar looked at him when he couldn’t help himself? Was Balthazar crazy for thinking that maybe Cas could love him back? 

His head was spinning far too fast to find the answers. For now, he thought, he would just hold Cas for as long as he was allowed. It wasn’t as if he had the strength to move away even if he wanted to

And he most definitely, decidedly, did not want to. 

@gggghik @brangaene @sold-my-soul-for-spn