#The votes to keep Cas are Sam and Jack

[spngirlpolls]

i am so deadly serious how are you guys not voting for a found footage style episode told through dean’s failed cooking vlogs for claire. he’s trying to teach her how to make winchester surprise. sam keeps interrupting trying to rope dean into a rougarou hunt in minnesota. sam is also concerned about the sodium content of winchester surprise. jack tries to “help” but manages to set several different dish towels on fire. cas also tries to help but keeps modifying the recipe to the point it’s inedible. rowena drops by unannounced to cause problems on purpose. she insults dean’s cooking. it’s one step too far. dean “cancels” the vlog. next clip is dean, alone, explaining that he’s making the video for claire to teach her how to cook. bc he never had anyone to teach him. he admits this is not a very good birthday present. he finishes showing how to make winchester surprise. he ends on a remark about how it’s a dish best served with people you love. offscreen you can hear sam yelling “DEAN! SO GET THIS. IT WASNT A ROUGAROU IT TURNED OUT TO BE A-” cut to black. jay gruska guitar riff.

[gaycrittercentral]

I would love to see your ideas!

AAA ok you’re the only one that asked but I wanna post em anyway myehehehhe

So!! Here’s some AUs that I have descriptions but not fics drafted up for, if there’s any y’all might like to see feel free to vote for them :> here’s some summaries:

Titanic AU where Sam and Max win a ticket to the ship instead of Jack, immediately adopt Rose, and proceed to teach her the ways of comic mischief and goblinery before almost drowning shfhshdhs

305 but the Maxlings are there and develop a psychic power each to help Sam save their dad :’D this one’s not as fleshed out, more like concepts that I enjoy thinking about

This one’s a little out of nowhere but I used to love Fatal Frame, so I have one based on Crimson Butterfly bc that game made me crazy as a teenager lmao. Sam and Max get lost in a bizarre, haunted village where Max gets possessed by a vengeful spirit and they have to resort to unusual, photography-related means to get her to fuck off

Ok ok hear me out. Instead of brothers who get mistaken for a couple, a couple who occasionally get mistaken for brothers. AKA Supernatural gets really really funny when you swap out Sam and Dean for a pair of gay animals who only know how to argue for the bit and solve every problem with cartoon shenanigans gdjdhjsgsjdhsbs (also we sub out Cas for Superball, angel of the door LMAOOOO)

‘Nother video game idea, anybody remember Beyond: Two Souls? Just me? Anyway AU based on that where Sam has been haunted by his mischievous little pal ever since they were too young to remember, leading them to be studied and used by the CIA and hurled into battles to keep the real world and the afterlife separate. Comes with about a million different endings, a la the original game!

And lastly, a 305 AU where they manage to shrink Max down and dampen his psychic energy instead of nuking him, giving Sam more time to try to turn him back to normal. Entirely based on the thought that being saved by the power of love would piss Max off lmaoooooo OOP wait not entirely I just remembered I was really inspired by this piece from @bitterartregret!! Super cute go check it out ^^

I love all of these dearly and would be honored if anybody wanted to hear about them :’) If you like more than one, then A) I’m screech and B) vote for the one you’d rather see first!! Ok here’s the poll have at it should thou wish’st to behold

(Also there’s a good chance I’ll end up posting most if not all of these eventually \_:)_/ I just think they’re fun)

[shallowseeker]

The WIP game

Rules: Make a 24-hour poll with the names of your WIPs, let it run, then work for 10 minutes for every vote the winner receives.

Thank you for tagging me @angelcasendgame

Note: I'll probably pick up writing again mid-September, if all goes well, so any excitement for past works will be taken into account? Even if it's just a single person. 💕💕💕 Thank you!

Snippets n' links below:

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For your crimes against the most high - (ao3)

(Alt 15x19 - Dean, Sam, Jack, & Michael VS Chuck)

Summary: Chuck ramps up his existential torture by taunting Dean about Castiel's role in the story, and Sam realizes that Chuck’s focus on familial sacrifice is more than an obsession—it’s where he gets his power. (The one where Chuck insists Cas was just a self-insert. Team Free Will resists.) What happens next? Lucifer ices the water-logged, Appalachian landscape where TFW 3.0 is taking shelter. Michael encourages Jack to trust him. Dean hates it. While on a supply run, Jack runs afoul of the resurrected Special Children.

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Feelings of excitement and infatuation - (ao3) - needs editing first

(AU mid-season 15; Jack n Harper road fic)

Summary: After the events of Byzantium (14x08), Jack looks for a way to break Castiel's deal with The Empty. He seeks out Harper Sayles (14x06) to leverage necromancy and divination. Unfortunately, the extended Sayles family is a hidden nexus of power, and Jack finds himself lured into a plot to harness the The Empty to rip into the fabric of the future. What happens next? Everyone's on a collision course for a multi-case disaster in New Mexico. Jack and Harper are lured into a trap by a triple threat team-up: a Bieber-looking demon (Belphegor), a Russian dragon, and a gorgon named Noah. Meanwhile, Claire and Patience are hot on the gorgon's trail, and Patience gets a vision of Jack munching on human eyeballs. The irises are green. Cas reappears, but he seems cold.

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The body of real things, events, and facts (ao3) (Sam grieves badly; Dean misremembers the confession)

Summary: In an attempt to tackle his own grief over losing Castiel, Sam rifles through the bunker footage to witness Cas’s last moments. The footage leaves him with more questions than answers. (The one where Dean's memory and the actual footage...don't match.) What happens next? Sam decides that therapy is stupid. The boys and Chuck track down Becky, who's changed her name and moved cross-country. She winds up shooting Sam.

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Be careful what you wish for (working title) - unwritten

Unwritten John Lives! Lebanon AU - When the pearl is crushed, John doesn't disappear, and after a few hiccups, the timeline settles into a mash-up of what it was before.

Some snippets with Claire floating around. This was the original idea. And the little start of it with the pearl is here.

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Behold the golden calf (working title) - unwritten

(Unwritten Jack crash-lands in season 1; John thinks he's Azazel)

Some brainstorms floating around. And music as a connection to Dean.

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Tagging 💕 @payphoneangel (sorry if you've already been tagged!!)

[kindkline]

January 24, 2023

Happy day.

Brunch with the family, and special waffles and bacon arranged into a 44 for Dean’s special day. Jack killed it with the smoothies, per usual.

Before brunch, the rest of us wanted to let Dean sleep in, and it was nice to get to hang out with Sam 1-on-1. After his morning jog, we got started on breakfast while Cas, Jack, and Eileen went to pick up the flower arrangements. We wanted to give the bunker more life and color, and I’m glad we did. The place smelt great all day, and Jack and I are going to press the flowers in a few weeks, before they start to die.

In the afternoon, after eating and lounging around, we cracked open some beers and played mafia. I spent a good chunk of time writing up the roles and laminating some playing cards turned into role cards. Gabriel helped me come up with some new roles, which definitely made the game more exciting. I knew the game would be chaotic, but I considered myself to be a pretty great mafia player, so I wasn’t worried. And, none of us thought Cas would be able to lie that well, so we never viewed him as a threat; that was our mistake, it seems. Our underestimations resulted in a resounding sweep whenever Cas and Eileen were on a team together—or when they decided to team up even while on opposing sides—and a reminder for the rest of us to never fuck with the pair of them because none of us, and I mean NONE of us, had expected them to destroy us so soundly. Gabriel and I switched off narrating the rounds, with Jack running the last round so Gabriel and I could have a chance to wreak havoc together. However, that plan went to shit when Sam and Cas decided to vote out Gabriel immediately after we killed Dean that first night. They didn’t hesitate. There was no proof and me defending Gabriel only made them agree to execute me the following night. I took out Cas, but Sam convinced Eileen to turn on me.

After a few more games, Jack and Cas went out to pick up the cake. We ordered from this new, local bakery with the best fucking pastries I have ever eaten in my entire life. Jack and Cas got side tracked and ended up getting everyone customized goodie bags (Jack did the customizing). It was sweet and we ate while watching Dean’s choice of movies.

Tombstone was a must, which ughhhh I’ve seen this movie enough times now. We watched M3GAN and I was pleasantly surprised that it didn’t suck. Sam and I got Dean to say yes to Puss in Boots, which had Jack ecstatic—which only made Dean smile more. Dean put on The Waitress for me, and I had to keep from sobbing my little eyes out—like usual whenever I watch it. A few other things were on the watch list, too. It’s funny, it’s Dean’s day, but he still picked something for everyone. He’s always been good like that. The oldest child in him, I think.

I knocked out half way through another western snuggled up with Jack, which resulted in teasing from the others. I will be aggressively blocking all of that out.

Dean is 44. We’re all alive. We’re together and we’re happy.

song of the day: the muppets - i’m gonna always love you

[waywardandwestward]

My 'Big Brother’ brain is seeping into my ‘Supernatural’ brain.

So much so, that my first thought when Cas was telling Jack that he was loved by him, and Sam, and Dean, I was like, “Wow, Castiel has a terrible read on the house. Cas thinks Jack is in Dean’s alliance with him and Sam, but Dean would cut Jack so fast. There’s no way Cas is getting that 500k.”

And then when he got eaten by the empty, all I could hear was Julie Chen saying, “By a vote of 4 to 2, Castiel, you have been evicted from the Big Brother House.”

I suspect Jack will be evicted next.

[deancasbigbang]

Title: The Incredible Sinking Novak

Author: FriendofCarlotta

Artist: CJ

Rating: Explicit

Pairings: Cas/Dean, Sam/Jess, minor Charlie/Meg, past Cas/Amelia, past Cas/OMC, past Dean/Lisa, background Benny/Andrea, background Garth/Bess

Length: 61808

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply, Panic Attacks

Tags: Modern AU, Inspired by Gilmore Girls, Kid Fic, Single Parents, Bottom Cas/Top Dean With Implied Switching, Fluff, Romantic Comedy

Posting Date: October 13, 2021

Summary: When Castiel Novak’s wife dies, he buries himself in work and lets his formidable mother take charge of his daughter Claire’s care. Two years later, he realizes Claire has become a stranger to him and takes her on a road trip so they can reconnect. They wash up in the small town of Lebanon, whose quirky residents include Charlie Bradbury, a sculptor with a vendetta against the town’s mayor; Bobby Singer, a grumpy antiques dealer; and Garth Fitzgerald, the town’s mailman, go-to babysitter and general jack-of-all-trades. But most importantly, there’s Dean Winchester, the handsome owner of the local diner and also a single father.  As time passes and Lebanon becomes home, Castiel realizes he and Claire may have another chance to be part of a family.

Excerpt: When Claire and Castiel reach the town square, they find at least twenty people gathered in front of the gazebo. At the center of the crowd stands an older man in a knitted sweater, his white hair in a state of advanced disarray.    “What I mean to say is, it’s obscene!” he says, gesturing emphatically in the direction of the gazebo. “It shouldn’t be allowed!”   Castiel briefly considers that perhaps he should steer Claire away from whatever commotion is going on, especially if it really does meet the definition of “obscene.” But Claire says, “Oh! Let’s go see what’s happening!” and drags him along, and Castiel is admittedly curious too. The fact that he’s spotted Dean and Jack at the outskirts of the crowd, and that Dean is trying and clearly failing to hold back a grin, has nothing at all to do with his decision to investigate further.   “What’s going on?” Castiel asks when they arrive next to Dean.   “Oh, hey, Cas and Claire!” Dean looks genuinely happy to see them again, and Castiel’s heart flutters in his chest like an overexcited hummingbird. “You’re just in time for the most interesting thing to happen all week.”   “Somebody put a statue of a naked lady in the gazebo, and Donatello doesn’t like it,” Jack explains solemnly.   “Why not?” Claire asks.   “That’s a very good question,” Dean says, matching Jack’s solemn tone. To Castiel, he adds, “Donatello is our mayor. He’s kind of grumpy, but he really likes being mayor, so we haven’t had the heart to vote him out.”   A tall, skinny man shuffles up to Castiel’s other side. “This is the third time the statue’s turned up someplace around town. Donatello keeps getting rid of it, and it keeps showing up again,” he says. “It’s quite the mystery.” The man holds out his hand to shake. “Garth’s the name. Are you new in town?”   “Castiel, and I’m just passing through. This is my daughter Claire,” Castiel says, shaking hands. “So nobody knows where the statue came from?”   “Oh no,” Dean says. “We all know. We just don’t tell Donatello, because it’s more fun that way.”   At the center of the gazebo, the man Castiel assumes to be Donatello is now engaged in a spirited argument with Sam, who is throwing around phrases such as “artistic freedom” and “the slippery slope of censorship.”   A woman with bobbed red hair and a Star Wars t-shirt walks up behind them, greeting Dean with a one-armed hug. “How long have Donatello and Sam been going at it?”    Dean screws up his face into a thoughtful grimace. “They’ve gotten around to ‘think of the property values, Sam’ but they’re not at ‘freedom of expression is guaranteed by the Constitution, Donatello’ yet.”   “Oh goodie.” The woman rubs her hands gleefully. “Still got a few minutes till Sam gives up and storms off.”

DCBB 2021 Posting Schedule

[featherthiefdean]

Jack becomes enthralled with the idea of Christmas cards when Garth sends one to the bunker. He begs his family to make one immediately before they miss their chance. Sam and Eileen are pretty neutral to the idea to start with but every time Dean complains they get a little more into it. Cas is in charge of luring Dean to the library where an ugly sweater Eileen picked up from a local thrift store is unceremoniously shoved over his head and a family photo is quickly taken. And that is how the Winchester-Leahy-Kline Christmas/Hanukkah card is born.

Jack is a little sad that they have to wait a whole year to take another family photo. Cas brings up the fact that Jesus was actually born in the spring so technically they are a bit early to celebrating Christmas. Dean, being the pushover he is, tells him maybe they can make another card then. Jack pulls out a calendar to write down when they should send out the next card. That is when trouble began. Arguments soon arise over the fact that they already did a Christmas card so they should pick another holiday. Dean votes Halloween which Sam loathes. Cas brings up a holiday nobody has ever heard of but was "probably a lot of fun 3000 years ago". Eileen pitches St. Patrick's Day because she thinks it's hilarious. Jack scrambles to write down all the holidays on the calendar and soon its full of every obscure holiday they could think of.

And they make a family card for Every. Single. One.

Jack being Jack sends the cards to every hunter he and his family knows. Pretty soon Donna is sending a reply card to every one they receive (much to Claire and Jody's dismay). Dean rolls his eyes when Ketch asks him to forward his next one to a different address. Jack asks Cas if writing "Hell" in the address line of Rowena's would suffice.

Pretty soon it becomes a hunter tradition to share cards for every holiday. It started off with excuses like "they want to see Dean's stupid grimace in their Arbor Day card" or "I bet Jesse 5 bucks that Garth's kids outweigh him now" or "Last time, Charlie's had a glitter bomb and I want my revenge". Now, exchanging cards it just something hunters do- no excuses necessary. Some hunters send their cards to bunker where Sam reroutes them. Others have them sent to their house or establish a PO Box to pick them up when they're on the road. The hunters who move around a lot keep Sam informed of where they'll be headed to next. He keeps track of everyone's whereabouts and when hunters find themselves needing back-up they are more likely to ask for help. After all, another hunter is only a few hours away based on the last card they sent. Before too long, a network is created and they are losing less and less people. The community comes a little closer together with every card and the loneliness that used to suffocate this job is slowly fading away.

Jack keeps every card because they are his family and he learned from Dean just how treasured family pictures can be.

[i-make-fun-of-spn-characters]

i actually did think you didn't like sam and cas for the longest time, but it's more than your bias for dean is evident. it took awhile to see through that and understand you are coming at sam and cas out of love and in a fun way and just happen to like dean more. there are a lot of other blogs that make digs at characters (esp sam and cas) in a NOT fun way, but pretend they "love all of TFW" and that's on me for lumping you in with them.

.

You know Anon, back when I used to post absolutely NOTHING except for memes, and also had a Sam banner and icon, someone asked me who my favorite character was, and I made it a poll because I was curious how good of a job I was doing keeping my content even. Lo and behold—they chose in order by vote percentage:

Sam

Cas

Dean

Jack

Then as the poll has stayed up ever since, I think Dean and Cas have traded places in the voting (but by now everyone knows Dean is my favorite). But a very large percentage of people did not know Dean was my favorite starting out. I was surprised, because I do indeed love Dean very VERY much. It isn't that I don't like Sam and Cas—but to me, Dean is possibly one of the greatest characters of all time. I could not possibly put into words how much I enjoy his character and all of the reasons why he's touched my heart. There is just no one out there quite like him in my mind. I think my bias for Dean has come through more in recent times—especially since the finale, because I miss him very much and his shitty death gutted (DON'T) me.

I think watching the show, when you look at the story only through one characters' lens, it's very easy to resent the others for not being perfect friends/family/brothers. I have even seen someone voice the sentiment before, "To some degree, to love Sam is to hate Dean, and to hate Dean is to love Sam" (paraphrasing). The thing is, when you genuinely look at your favorite (whether that's Dean or Sam or Cas) and look at their motivations and feelings and actions, it's clear that they love each other very much. That's an unavoidable fact in my mind. Both the best and worst things they've done have been at least partially motivated by the love they have for one another. I cannot, ultimately, dislike Sam or Cas knowing how much Dean loves them. To hate them would be to hate a part of Dean that is innate to who he is—his love for his family—and the choices and sacrifices he has made due to that love. It would be to say that there is something broken inside him that makes him unable to make the right choices about who should and should not be in his life. It would be to say that the foundation of the show, at the center of which is Dean's heart and how people around him are pulled inside of its orbit, is something tainted and unworthy.

It would also be to say that Dean's mistakes are okay and theirs are not, because you will find countless parallel events and threads tying their different actions together in ways that are different but also are often very much the same, if you get their motivations.

I think, for every stan out there of any main character... it would be a good idea to watch through the show trying to see it through a lens besides that of your favorite. I did this with Sam, and I am currently doing a rewatch where one of the goals is to focus on Cas's point of view more. Nothing can give you greater compassion and understanding than trying to step inside someone else's shoes, and having done this is one of the primary reasons I can't bring myself to follow many SPN accounts I have come across on Tumblr, because resentment runs rampant in many places, over characters or ships, and I don't care for that negativity. It's also the primary reason I started this blog to begin with. I wanted to carve out a positive space, where I didn't completely refuse to engage with the characters flaws (god knows fandom won't shut up about them anyway), but a place where I pointed out their flaws only to say those flaws are okay, don't make any one of them more unworthy of love than any of the others. Those flaws (at least—the ones I agree exist... there's a lot of flaws attributed to Sam, Dean, and Cas that I don't agree with at all) are what makes them human (err... or angel, respectively). I am not interested in Mary Sues (and I am definitely not interested in fans who sand down characters into Mary Sues to escape any semblance of their favorite being "problematic"). Just show me why they make the choices they do, even when those choices are broken, and I'm compassionate and I'm fascinated. I dare anyone to do better than the characters did with the cards they were dealt—with the lives they lived.

I can't say I've had the same experience on Tumblr as you with blogs pretending to like Sam and Cas while having a clear bias for Dean... I've tended to see quite a lot more of the opposite or worse. There are, after all, several blogs dedicated to absolutely nothing except trying to spread outright hate for Dean, and there was a time not long ago that you could not even go in the Dean tag without seeing countless ugly posts spewing vitriol about him (that has faded significantly since the show ended). But I think we're all bound to be most wise to the bias against our favorites (hell—I have picked up on someone's dislike of Dean from a gif blog before... and it was later confirmed that I was right). This is also part of what feeds the culture of anti-ism in the fanbase. People watched these characters for 12-15 years, and they latched onto one of them, and they know that character, and in many cases find identity and comfort with that character, and they see that character accused of terrible things that really aren't accurate at all, and the kind of innate human response to that is to want to do the opposite—hate their favorite because they hate yours. I think it's clear that that isn't what we're really supposed to get out of SPN. I don't think the intended narrative is that Dean hates Cas or Sam or that Sam hates Dean or that any one of them is unworthy of love and acceptance or is perfect or is too flawed. People can choose the narratives they want, but I'll continue vehemently disagreeing with them and making fun of them with the tag #don't feed the stans after midnight.

[supersapphical]

Angel's Trumpet

For the autumn floralnatural celebration hosted by @floral-cas

I always felt like we should have seen Sam mentoring younger hunters more so here's 3,000 words of Sam and Kaia talking out their issues.

Characters/Pairings: Kaia Nieves & Sam Winchester, Kaia Nieves/Claire Novak

Summary: Kaia finds the bunker unbearably stuffy so she's started going on a lot of walks. Sam joins her during one of her nighttime excursions and they bond over their shared experiences.

Content Warning: Discussion of past drug abuse

Read on AO3 or under the cut

Fall has only just begun but the chill has come earlier than usual this year to Lebanon, Kansas. The night is cool and crisp and the sky is clear, the moon nearly full and the stars shining brighter than Kaia has ever seen them. If there's one benefit to living in the middle of nowhere, she supposes it must be seeing a sky like this. She didn't even know the moon could shine so brightly that she would be able to wander around at night without a flashlight.

Kaia's walking the grounds outside the bunker, tense but trying hard to relax. She knows that the grounds are warded almost as much as the bunker itself so nothing should be able to reach her here but her brain can't stop supplying her with a long list of everything the warding would do fuck all against. Bears, wolves, rabid racoons. Ticks carrying Lyme's disease. Serial killers.

"Hey, hey, Kaia?"

Kaia turns at the shout and sees Sam Winchester walking towards her, his ridiculously long legs easily closing the space between them.

"We were wondering where you got to," Sam says. "We're about to start the next movie. Cas and Jack want to watch Singing in the Rain but Claire and Dean want to watch Jennifer's Body. We were hoping you would be the tie breaker."

"Why can't you be the tie breaker?" Kaia asks.

"Uh," Sam looks a little sheepish. "Because I'm very busy finding you?"

Kaia snorts, "How long do you think it will take them to notice that you slipped out without voting?"

"Hopefully longer than it takes me to convince you to come back and be the deciding vote," Sam smiles. It's a little strange to see him like this. They'd met several times before but only under the worst of circumstances. Now he's here, hair shining with moonlight and face illuminated by stars, smiling softly while avoiding a silly family argument. Things are so much different now since the Winchesters defeated Chuck.

"Sorry, I'm not really ready to come back in yet," Kaia says. "You'll have to be the tie breaker. Or cause more problems by insisting on a completely different movie."

Sam laughs, "Fine. But at least let me walk with you a bit before you throw me back to the lions?"

"Yeah, alright," she shrugs and keeps walking. He walks beside her and she notices he's very careful to keep his steps smaller than normal so he stays by her side as they walk. She's not sure if he's just used to doing that because everyone is shorter than him or if he's actually trying to spend time with her for some reason.

"So….." Sam starts.

Kaia doesn't like the sound of that.

"Beautiful night tonight, isn't it?" Sam asks.

"Yeah, sure," she shrugs and wonders if she can get through whatever this whole conversation will be with only a shrug and an unenthusiastic agreement.

"You take a lot of walks, do you like walking?"

"I guess," she replies guardedly. "We spend a lot of time in the car. It's nice to walk when I can."

"Oh, yeah," Sam nods. "I know you and Claire are living the hunters on the road life right now but you know you guys can crash here whenever? We can set you up with your own room and everything. We have plenty."

"We've got a room at Jody's," Kaia shrugs.

"Yeah, yeah," Sam nods. "But sometimes Sioux Falls is gonna be too far away to drive back to and you'll want somewhere else to crash that already has some of your things in it."

"I guess," she shrugs again. "You should talk to Claire about it. She's the one who's been planning the hunts. I'm mostly along for the ride."

"You're blowing me off," Sam says and Kaia almost laughs. Claire did warn her that Sam was the one most likely to call her on her bullshit.

"Yeah, I am," she agrees.

"Because you don't like staying here," Sam says firmly and when she gives him a look he says, "I've noticed."

"I kind of hate it in there," she says. "It's so confining, it's hard to breathe. There's no windows to open, it's all just stale, recycled air. It makes me feel like I'm trapped in a rehab center again."

Sam nods.

"Don't tell Claire," she says quickly. She knows how important this visit is to her. Claire didn't say so (because she's Claire) but she had dropped all their leads on potential cases and driven 12 hours straight after Dean had called her up and casually invited them to stay for the weekend so they could have a family movie night together. Then when they finally got here and Cas had said so earnestly that he was glad they could make it, Claire had shrugged and said whatever, we were in the area anyway.

"I feel that way about the bunker, too, sometimes," Sam says. "It was a bit of a hard adjustment moving here for me. I, uh, well, I wasn't in a real rehab but I had to….detox for a while. In this room that wasn't a great place to be trapped in. It was more of a dungeon really. Some places in the bunker really remind me of that."

Kaia whispers quietly, "You went through detox? Like drug detox?"

"Yeah, kinda," Sam gazes up at the stars. "It wasn't….it was supernatural. The drug I'd been taking. There's not exactly a rehab anywhere equipped to deal with something like that so I just had to get through it."

"You went through withdrawal?" She asks. "Without anything to help?"

"Yeah, it was a nightmare," he tears his eyes away from the sky and looks back at her. "Literally. I hallucinated all kinds of scary stuff while getting myself clean."

Kaia turns this information over in her mind. It wasn't anything she had heard about from Claire and Claire told her basically everything. "Does everybody...I mean, do they all know?"

"Cas and Dean, sure," Sam sighs. "They lived through it with me. I've talked to Eileen a bit about it. But mostly, I don't really talk about it. It was a long time ago, I was a different person back then."

"Am I ever going to feel that way?" Kaia asks in an embarrassingly small voice.

"I don't know," he says and she appreciates his honesty. "I think everybody probably feels differently about their former addictions. I feel embarrassed about it, ashamed at all the lying I did. About how sure I was that I wasn't hurting anyone and then I ended up hurting people. But so much has changed for me since those days. It feels like a different lifetime. I guess it kind of was a different lifetime."

It's quiet between them for a moment, only their own footsteps and an owl hooting in the distance. A fragrant flowery scent reaches towards them in the night.

Kaia breathes deep, "What's that smell?"

"Honeysuckle," Sam says.

"Oh, it's nice," she replies. "Did you plant it?"

"It's an invasive species," Sam explains. "It just popped up here. We'd have trouble getting rid of it even if we tried."

"Oh," Kaia says.

"It's for happiness," Sam says. They're starting their second loop around the bunker grounds and she's getting concerned that he might stay out here as long as she does.

"Happiness?" She asks.

"Yeah, their meaning, they symbolize happiness," Sam explains. "Sometimes devotion or everlasting bonds. Because they're so hard to kill."

"Flowers have meanings?" Kaia tries not to sound too rude but it comes out as something of a sneer.

"My girlfriend," he takes a deep breath. "I had a girlfriend who was big into that stuff, the flower meanings."

"Eileen?" Kaia asks even though she knows that can't be right.

"No, no, an old girlfriend," Sam says. "Jess. She, uh, died. But we were together for a few years. She was an artist and she liked to incorporate a lot of flowers into her art. She had a big book of flower symbolism."

"And you still remember that stuff?" she asks.

"Some of it, yeah," Sam shrugs. "Some of its useful. Certain flowers are important in spellwork and knowing their symbolism can help with putting together the spell. It's fascinating how sometimes mainstream knowledge picks up on the supernatural elements of something without realizing it."

"Like what?" Kaia asks.

"Oh, well, like roses, for instance," he says. "To most people they symbolize love and romance. They're also a primary ingredient in some love spells."

"There are love spells, like real actual love spells?" Kaia asks with interest.

"Yeah, I mean, they never really work out the way the people who cast them want them to," Sam says. "There's always a catch with witchcraft."

"Always?" Kaia asks.

"Almost always," Sam amends.

"So….so there are some things that magic can fix?" Kaia asks hesitantly.

"Sort of...witchcraft, you know, it's complicated. There are so many different types of witchcraft," he explains. "Countless different types, actually, from all different cultures all over the world. But a basic principle of witchcraft seems to stay the same throughout it all and that's that magic has to cost you something."

"Cost something...like what?"

"Why are you so interested in witchcraft all of a sudden?" Sam asks instead of answering.

"It just...sure would be nice to have some of my problems magically solved," Kaia mumbles.

"Like your sleep issues?" he asks but it's less of a question and more of a statement.

"How did you…?" she asks.

"I heard you up late last night," he says. "I don't sleep so well at night sometimes, too, especially when Eileen is off working a case on her own."

"Why didn't you go with her to work the case?" Kaia asks.

Sam sighs and says, "She likes to work alone sometimes. She never had a real hunting partner like I do with Dean so she's more used to going solo. She feels like I'm...overprotective, sometimes. So she'll head out on a case by herself when she feels like she needs some space to do her own thing."

Kaia isn't sure what to say to that. By the time she reached adulthood, she was on her own, completely disconnected from her roots. She can't imagine choosing to be alone.

"I know you have Claire with you, so what was keeping you up this time?" Sam is pretending to look ahead while they walk but she can see him side-eying her as she thinks over her answer.

"My dreams are strange now," she says.

"Well, it has to be better than uncontrollably dreamwalking into a realm where you could get killed," Sam says.

"Everything…it's all just gone," Kaia says, taking a moment to stare at the sky and remind herself that that isn't true. This universe is still whole, brimming with matter. "It's so empty out there now. I think…I think sometimes I'm still dreamwalking and I just don't have any place to go so it's all just…cold and empty. I've been seeing that other world, the Bad Place, for my whole life and now it's all just gone. It was terrible and I hated going there but I never wanted it...destroyed. Everyone in that world, they didn't deserve that. And now...now when I sleep, I dreamwalk and it's like I'm walking through the space where the world used to be and it's just this awful void."

"I'm sorry," Sam mutters.

"And then there's the dreams, too," Kaia says. It's all spilling out of her, now that she's started. "I still dream of the Bad Place sometimes but they're just dreams. They're like memories or nightmares or maybe both. I'm still being chased, I'm still fighting for my life, I still wake up in a cold sweat with my heart racing. Except it's not even real anymore. Then I have to wake up and remember that everything I just saw doesn't exist now because some asshole just…unwrote it from existence. I used to think...when I was a kid, you know, and I didn't understand anything about dreamwalking, I felt like my mind was poisoning me at night. And then...then I learned it was some ability or whatever and I thought maybe I could learn to control it. But now it's just...it's just a mess again, like there's something so broken inside me and there's no fixing it because it's all gone now."

They keep walking, side by side in the night and Kaia takes a few deep breaths in and out, trying very hard to get herself under control again.

"Are you...going to any meetings?" Sam asks cautiously.

Kaia snorts.

"You don't have to always go to the same meeting, you know, you can find one any place you go," he says. "Just might be something to think about. There would be people there who you could talk to, people who would know what you were going through and it might help you keep yourself in check."

"How could anyone know what I was going through?" Kaia asks, bitterly.

"I mean, not...not exactly what you're going through but maybe…." Sam trails off and then shakes his head. "Maybe we should start our own group. For people who have a history of drug problems and used to have weird mind abilities that don't work right anymore."

He says it in a neutral way, like she's free to either interpret it as a joke or take him seriously.

"That's not the worst idea," Kaia says. "If I've learned anything about hunting so far, it's that hunters should definitely have a support group."

Sam chuckles a little but she can tell he's mulling the idea over. He starts making his way towards the bunker entrance and she follows him.

"Ready to head back in?" He asks and she nods.

"You know, you're not poison," he pats her on the shoulder. "I used to feel that way about myself, too, that there was just...just something inside of me. Something evil and it was corrupting me and it meant I could never be clean. It wasn't true. It's what we do that matters. It's what we mean."

"So now people have symbolism, too?" Kaia jokes because now that they're standing in the floodlights at the front of the bunker, it's as if the comfort of night has left and with it, her courage to speak to Sam about anything real.

Sam just smiles and opens the door.

"Did you guys get lost?" Dean complains when they walk back in. "You took too long, we decided without you."

"You four actually came to a decision? Were we gone for a whole year?" Sam teases.

"No, less than half an hour," Cas says evenly.

"We decided on The Haunting!" Jack says happily.

"That wasn't either of the options I left you with," Sam raises an eyebrow.

"Yeah, but The Haunting is a classic," Dean insists. "The 1963 version, anyway. Not the terrible 90's remake."

"It wasn't that terrible," Claire interjects. "I mean, Catherine Zeta Jones."

Dean nods in agreement and Claire turns towards Kaia, "You were out there a while. Your nose got all red!"

Claire bops Kaia on the nose and in retaliation, Kaia sticks her freezing cold hands up Claire's shirt. Claire squeals loudly and jumps away. She recovers quickly and shoots a murderous glare at her. Kaia is certain that she's more mad about Kaia making her make that sound in front of the guys than she is about the cold hands up her shirt.

"Hey Kaia, can I show you something real quick?" Sam asks her.

This causes an eruption of complaints from everyone else but Kaia follows Sam out of the room anyway. He leads her to a room she's pretty sure is his even though it's strangely devoid of personal touches other than the weapons displayed around it. Reaching under his bed, he pulls out a battered cardboard box and digs deep into its contents.

"Ah! Here it is," he pulls out a sketchbook and starts flipping through it. He reaches the page he was evidently searching for because he tears it out of the book and hands it to her.

It's a still life of some flowering plant with large, flat leaves and pendulous blossoms with crimped, delicate looking petals. She takes the drawing from him but stares at him for some kind of explanation.

"I used to sketch sometimes," Sam shrugs awkwardly. "I...uh...I took a class in college, I wanted...I wanted to see how Jess saw the world."

"Oh, I'm sorry," she says and tries to hand it back to him.

"No, no, keep it," he says. "I'm guessing you can't really keep plants alive at the moment with the way you and Claire are living. But you should keep it, as a reminder. It's, um, Angel's Trumpet. Jess loved them, she kept one as an ornamental flower in our old place. They're very beautiful but also toxic. They can cause hallucinations and psychosis."

Kaia stares down at the drawing of the innocuous seeming flower again and then looks back up at him.

"They also symbolize vivacity and vibrancy," he shrugs.

"This was something that was important to your girlfriend, I can't take this," Kaia says, trying once again to hand it back.

"Nah, you should keep it," Sam says. "I used to look at this stuff from my life with Jess all the time. I used to go over it and over it, trying to remember exactly the way things were with her. The way I was with her. But I don't really need that anymore. Take the picture and put it some place you'll see it a lot. Remember how humans decided this poisonous flower means vivacity and vibrancy."

"Okay," she says softly, unsure of what else to say to him. "Thanks."

Kaia slips out into the hall, picture clenched tight in her hand, so tight she has to remind herself to loosen her grip so she doesn't wrinkle it badly. She ducks into the room where she and Claire had dumped their bags and pulls out the journal Claire had given her when they first started hunting together. Claire said keeping a journal was a hunting tradition, so if Kaia was going to be tagging along, she should have her own. She carefully places the drawing in the front of the journal, admiring for a minute how well Sam used to draw.

Kaia puts the journal back in her bag and finds her way back to the family room (formerly known as the Dean Cave, according to Jack).

"Finally," Dean groans. "Can we get this movie started already? I can't believe we've only gotten through one movie so far. This never happens when it's my night to pick the movies."

"Yeah, but no one except you has a good time on those nights," Sam says.

"I like the movies Dean picks," Jack says mildly.

"See, Sammy? Things run a lot smoother when I'm allowed to make all the decisions," Dean says, clapping Jack on the shoulder.

"What you're describing is a dictatorship, Dean," Sam rolls his eyes.

"Okay, movie time," Claire interrupts even though Dean's mouth is open with a half formed retort.

Kaia and Claire curl up together on the same recliner and Cas shoots them a soft smile. He doesn't say anything (probably rightly assuming it would provoke a snarky response from Claire) but Kaia sees the look he gives them and they lock eyes for a moment and Kaia returns the smile.

When Cas sits down on the sofa so close to Dean that they're practically on top of each other and Dean puts his arm around Cas, Kaia smiles at them and catches Cas's eye again. His smile is softer than ever.

The movie starts playing, a black and white MGM lion fills the screen and then cuts to a creepy, looming mansion. A man's voice fills the room, "An evil old house, the kind some people call haunted, is like an undiscovered country just waiting to be explored."

"Oh come on," Sam complains. "This doesn't have a cheesy narrator through the whole thing, does it?"

"No talking during the movie, Sammy," Dean warns. "Or I'll stick nair in your shampoo again."

Everyone laughs.

[dean-and-sam-says]

Supernatural family plays “Among Us”

Everyone sits in the library to play- Sam has triple checked the strength of their wifi (with Charlie’s help) to make sure that none of them will be losing connection any time soon, and since there’s enough of them- they play in a private server. They also stick to the Skeldmap.

Dean is Blue, Sam is Cyan, Castiel is Yellow, Mary is Pink, Charlie is Orange, Crowley (who plays begrudgingly but is 100% into it and won’t admit it) is Black, Jack is White, Rowena is Purple, Claire is Green, and Chuck (who wasn’t invited but insists on playing so they let him anyway since they need 10) is Red. (Also why aren’t there more colors on tumblr mobile smh)

They don’t use the chat box in voting because they’re all in the same room so there’s kinda no need.

Jack, Claire, and Dean call literally everyone “sus” whether they are or not, they’re just way to suspicious of everyone else.

Sam is always the first to finish his tasks. He’s also okay with being the first one everyone kills because being a ghost is more efficient since you can go through the walls. Dean never finishes his tasks because he’s too busy trying to figure out who the impostor is stating “you’ll thank me later when we win” and never ends up figuring it out first.

Rowena has the bests arguments and could convince anyone she’s not the impostor, even if she was, and makes convincing cases that someone else is. She’s never caught ever.

Charlie and Mary are the worst imposters because they’ll either accidentally vent in front of someone else and can’t catch up to kill the witness or end up being seen killing someone else. Dean often teases Mary because she’s “a badass hunter but can’t make decent kills in a video game”. Mary argues that they’re two very different things. Charlie usually gets carried away trying to be really sneaky, but has won a few games by sabotaging the o2.

Castiel has accidentally thrown a few games because, next to Sam, he’s one of the first to be killed and will get offended that he was killed so he’ll verbally accuse whoever did it- giving away the whole game. He’s also definitely said “how do I vent like dean just did”.

Dean is actually a pretty good impostor, he makes kills in drive by fashion and lets someone else report it.

Crowley self reports 80% of the time, he’s also a pretty good impostor. He mostly lies in wait in the vents by electrical.

Jack and Claire team up even though no one is supposed to talk to communicate outside of voting. Jack also caught Claire as the imposter but instead of ratting her out he helped her kill everyone else. They had been sitting next to each other at the time and Sam had to split them up after figuring out that’s what they were doing.

Chuck has only been impostor once, and is usually voted off quick since he can’t ever come up with a good alibi even if he’s innocent. He almost won the round where he was impostor but accidentally vented in front of Castiel and Mary, he was able to kill Cas but Mary called the emergency meeting.

They literally all say “where” one after the other, except the actual adults (ie Rowena, Crowley, and Mary) despite being in the same room.

The most epic chase was when Sam was impostor. He accidentally vented in the lower engine but everyone came from the hall above so he ran and of course everyone followed. Knowing he was caught, he stopped in storage and turned around and murdered someone at random, which ended up being Dean, as a final act of chaos before being voted off.

Charlie likes to hide in comms in the upper left hand corner and then kill whoever comes in.

They tried to play a different map once but got horribly lost, except dean who took advantage when he was the impostor and killed everyone.

Dean, Crowley, and Chuck favor the light sabotage. Sam, Mary, Jack, and Castiel favor the o2 sabotage. Charlie and Rowena favor the reactor sabotage. Claire hardly ever uses the sabotages and usually ends up just relying on killing everyone.

Longest impostor streak was three rounds in a row and it’s held by Castiel. No one suspected him a single one of those rounds.

Also Castiel is that one that gets away with it by not talking and just keeping to himself. He’s lowkey proud of that.

Crowley picks on Dean and convinces everyone else that Dean is the impostor, even though he hardly ever actually is. Everyone votes Crowley next but he’s hardly ever the impostor either- he just does it to mess with Dean.

Sam gets a guilty pleasure out of haunting whoever killed him. He usually starts the “ghost cult”. Provided he’s done with his tasks of course.

Claire started a “f in the chat” for Castiel the first time he was a victim.

They arrange weekly “Among Us” game nights on Fridays.

Dean has said “that guy is sus” on more than one occasion when working a case.

Jack decided everyone should were tee-shirts that matches with their preferred colors. Dean and Sam and Castiel made sure that happened.

Update!! I forgot hats!!

Dean wears the cowboy hat until he finds the sheriff hat- he says it helps him figure out who the impostor is (it doesn’t)

Sam has the angel halo - he likes to say it proves his innocence so he can just finish his damn tasks before he gets killed

Castiel doesn’t use hats but one time dean got on his phone and changed it to the party hat. Cas hasn’t changed it back

Mary has the mini crew mate and the matching pet bc most people associate those as “children” and she has two kids :”) hush she thinks it’s cute so leave it alone

Jack used the cowboy hat until the Halloween update and now he uses the pirate hat

Charlie loves the plant one and the knight one oh and the fedora one

Rowena didn’t use a hat (except the flower one) until the Halloween update and now she uses the witch hat.

Crowley likes the fedora- plus it matches the black color well- fancy too. He’s also prone to uses the horns.

Claire goes for the knight hat. That one and the plague doctor ones are her favorites. Also the cherry is a classic too.

Chuck often uses the flamingo bc he finds it freaking hilarious for some unknown reason.

[queervampirenerd]

People always talk about Jack like a baby but imagine people treating baby!Jack like an adult. Like Jack has turned himself into a toddler and dean wants to keep showing him violent movies which (obviously) Cas, Sam and eileen object to so dean calls Claire for another vote and she screams at him through the phone for ten minutes about how Jack is three and he cannot show him The Lost Boys

[mattzerella-sticks]

Supernatural Crack🩹tober

Day 23 - Bunker Prom

           “Okay… now Cas, put your arms around Dean.”

           Dean grumbles, accepting Cas’s hold while laying both his hands atop Cas’s. Smiling when Jack gives the cue, waiting until his phone lowers once more. “Are you done?” he asks, “Because I am.”

           “Oh, Dean,” Cas huffs, breath ghosting across his ears, “let him be. He’s enjoying himself.”

           “What about me, huh? When can I enjoy myself?”

           “How many proms have you been to?” he asks, “And how many has Jack?”

           Sighing, Dean bites his tongue as Jack repositions them on the stairs. This time stepping behind Cas so he can do what he did moments earlier. Chest pressed against his back, midnight blue of Cas’s tux eclipsing his forest green.

           Jack never knew what prom was, until he scrolled through Instagram one morning and saw millions of posts from strangers he followed all talking about the same subject. “What’s prom?” he asked, entering the kitchen.

           Dean couldn’t answer, not enough coffee in his system. And Cas was half-asleep on his back, lulled into that state by gentle movements of Dean’s cooking and how he softly hummed while working. Leaving Sam as the only person capable. “It’s a dance,” he says, “for teenagers.”

           “Can I go?”

           “To prom?” Sam barked a short laugh, too awkward for any actual amusement. “Sorry, Jack… prom is something that teenagers who attend high school get to do.”

           He glanced at the younger boy, watching him deflate. “Oh…”

           His heart panged in sympathy, egging him forward despite the lack of caffeine. Offering any kind of consolation. “Prom’s not that big a deal anyway,” he said, “crappy music, crappy decorations in a crappy gymnasium, a bunch of crappy people you barely gave a crap about – no booze. Hell, we could throw a better prom here in the Bunker.”

           Which, when his mind caught up with his words, shows why Dean is better after drinking coffee.

           Jack glowed, vibrating. “That’s a wonderful idea!” he said, bounding out of the room, “I’ll do research and – and make orders. A Bunker prom!”

           Silence reigned for a few moments. Dean restarting as burnt pancake batter wafted past his nose, hurriedly flipping his latest piece in an attempt at saving it. “Shit,” Dean huffed, “we’re not really doing a Prom, are we?”

           “I mean,” Sam winced, “you did say –“

           “I didn’t say –“

           “You said,” Cas interrupted, pinching at his nipple. “We could throw a better prom. Which means we are… for Jack.” Grip tightening across his stomach, Cas nestled further. “Worry about that later, though. You’re not as comfortable when you’re worked up.”

           That was a week ago. In such a short time, Jack planned for everything. Decorated the war room in the chosen theme – Under the Stars. Fake shapes hanging from the ceiling on invisible strings and taped on every available surface. Map table covered by an ugly tablecloth where a punch bowl and bowls upon bowls of snacks sat. At least Jack let him spike the punch for this evening. He’d need to be less than sober knowing Sam was tonight’s DJ. If it weren’t podcasts, his music will have him sleeping on the dance floor.

           If he ever made it that far.

           “Jack,” Dean whines, “Can Cas and I go dance now?”

           “Almost!” he promises, motioning them down the Bunker’s front staircase. Guiding them towards Sam, the taller man in a simple black tuxedo like Jack’s, hair pulled up tight in a bun. Texting while the laptop blared music. “Before we do, we’re going to read out the winners of our Prom King and Queen!”

           “Really?” Dean asks, “We’re doing this? There’s only four of us, and last I checked –“

           “And, this year’s Bunker Prom King is…” Jack pauses the music, digging behind the podium for a plastic crown. “Castiel!”

           Castiel bows his head, accepting his title. “Thank you, Jack. I’m honored that you’d vote me King.”

           Dean stares at the crown, lost in one of the plastic jewels. Mind spinning, thinking. Ignoring Jack as he moves on to announce the winner of Prom Queen, choice narrowed by one. Except Jack would never choose himself. And Sam sat there without any worry, practically excited. Meaning…

           “Dean!”

           He snaps his gaze over, finding Jack waiting with a smaller crown on his head. “You won Prom Queen!” he tells Dean, “isn’t that exciting?”

           “I… you…” Dean stumbles over a heavy tongue, still processing the chain of events as Jack crowns him. And while Cas carries him back a few feet onto a makeshift dance floor, the first song starting up. Dancing around him because Dean’s feet haven’t gotten the memo. “Me?” he finally says, whispers, “I’m queen?”

           “If you want,” Cas says, “I told Jack it’d be perfectly fine if we have two Prom Kings but he said this is how it’s done, given his research.”

           “He told you about this?”

           “Would’ve told you, too, but you were busy ironing everyone’s outfits for tonight.”

           “Yeah, well… not my fault the rental place gave us wrinkly suits.” He shuffles along with the melody, forehead pressed on Cas’s. “Y’know, this is my second time being Prom royalty?”

           “Second?”

           “One year I won Prom King,” he tells Cas, “but they had to give it to some other guy because I wasn’t there. Had already left by then… dragged off onto the next town. Only found out about it because I rolled through there for another case years later, and the prom queen told me over some drinks. Said she was disappointed, because after the dance she was looking for a private audience with the king.”

           Cas smiles, dropping a soft kiss on the corner of Dean’s lip. “Is that also tradition?”

           “It can be our tradition?”

           “I’d like that…”

           Dean does, too. And their kiss. What he doesn’t like is when Jack steps in, keeping them at arms-length. “For the Holy Spirit,” he says, “don’t let me catch you two like that again.” He leaves them for the punch bowl, uncaring that they’ve stopped dancing.

           “The Holy Spirit,” Dean parrots, “where the hell did he get his research?”

(Day 22 - Merchesters)

[percywinchester27]

A lot like ‘Us’ (Part-5)

Word count: 5.5K

Pairing: Sam X Reader AU

Warnings: None

Series Summary: Y/N Y/L/N is eager and honestly, still in awe that she managed to get herself an acceptance from Stanford Law School. On the face of it, her life seems as put together, mysterious and independent as one might hope for. On the insides, she carries the burden of past that haunts her till date. Seemingly, she’d left it all behind; that is until she sets foot in the class of the Law School’s youngest, most promising professor.

A/N: The story employs two different timelines. The present timeline for the story takes place in 2014. Please let me know what you guys think :)

Beta: @deanssweetheart23​​​ I love you, babe <3

A lot like ‘Us’ masterlist

“Y/N! Y/N, open the door!”

You hurriedly stepped out of the bathroom in a t-shirt and a towel wrapped around your waist.

Kevin was standing in front of the bathroom, not even a little concerned about the state of your dressing. 

“We’re taking bets about whether it will rain this week or not,” he announced. “You have to cast your vote.”

You looked around the room. Meg’s door was locked from the outside which meant she wasn’t here.

“Who let you in?”

“I have a key to your apartment,” he said matter of factly. “So does Cas.”

“Vaguely concerning, but I’ll allow it, since you’re not trying to rob me. Only tempting me with the vices of gambling.”

Kevin looked delighted at the retort. “Aha! So you do have a cutting edge humour. I’m winning 5 bucks over that from Jack.”

You rolled your eyes and walked into your bedroom, finding your drawstring pants and pulling them on.

“If it makes you feel any better, you now have a key to our apartment also as well as Cas’s.” Kevin jerked his head towards the kitchen counter where a new pair of brass keys shone in the light. “On this floor, we all like to keep the keys handy in case of emergencies.”

He plopped down on the sofa. “So about the rain…”

It looked like he really had broken into your apartment to ask for your bet.

“It’s September. It’s never going to rain,” you said.

“And you’re sure about that?”

You narrowed your eyes. “Should I be checking the weather forecast? And how much are we playing for?”

“You can check the forecast,” he said sagely, “It’s allowed. I have to warn you though that basing your vote off it has proven disadvantageous in the past. And we’re not playing for money.”

“Do I get to know who sided with what?”

“Not till you’ve put your bet in.”

“Dang it!”

He wiggled his eyebrows making you laugh. “Okay. I’m sure. I’ll go with what I said. It’ll not rain.”

“Oh, and Y/N-” he smiled evilly- “You should know that if it rains, you’re going to have to get wet in it! You have Pam, Cas and Jack siding with you so far.”

A shiver ran down your spine at the thought of drenching in the rain. “It’s not going to rain, so I’m safe. What happens if I get it right?”

“The losing party has to be a company to judgy Judy and sun bath all of Sunday. Lotion will be provided.”

“This is ridiculous,” you laughed.

He stopped at the door. “Only when you lose.”

You spent the weekend catching up on your reading and familiarising yourself with the syllabus. When that was done, you set to work on your assignments… and when that was done, too, there were always job applications. Sustenance was unfortunately a necessity.

Come Sunday evening, Meg dragged you to the downstairs to the get together. It surprised you just how much everyone liked having you around, especially since you contributed absolutely nothing to the conversations. Pam pulled an accurate impression of the undergrads on the second floor and everyone laughed. 

It was a homely feeling.

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

Sam was already ready and going through the papers on his desk when you entered the lecture hall. He did not look up from them as the class slowly filled up. You didn’t necessarily make it a point to sit with Madison but somehow for most Civil Procedure classes she happened to sit next to you. You liked her well enough, however those girls who came with her said such awful things sometimes that it made you wish you were anywhere but around them.

Today Madison came in before any of the girls and took her seat next to you. 

“Hi,” she said, drawing her laptop out.

“Hey!” You smiled at her.

“Thanks for sitting besides me,” Madison said. “Having you around makes me feel so calm, and helps me concentrate.”

“Really?” You asked, surprised.

“Yeah,” she said, then smiled apologetically. “You know how the girls are… they’re always so jittery and gossiping. But you… you just have such a steady energy around you.”

Strange. To you, it didn’t feel like you had energy at all.

“You know what I mean, right?” Madison said. “I feel like I can tell you anything, share things with you and you won’t judge me or tell on me. I feel like you wouldn’t turn me away if I ever asked for your help. You are just such a nice person.”

“Madison…” you said, touched. 

She shook her head. “You can just call me Maddie, if you like.”

She wasn’t necessarily right about you being a ‘nice person,’ but you certainly wouldn’t judge her… you of all people after everything you had done. And when it came to helping out another, it was just the decent thing to do, especially for someone you called a friend. It didn’t make you a nice person. It just made Madison’s other friends not so good at friendship.

“Alright then, Maddie,” you smiled. “We shall sit next to each other for as long as you want.”

Madison beamed. Not her usual girly laugh, instead a smile that reached her eyes in all their seriousness. You wondered what sorrow she’d had to live through. 

“Maddie!” Rebecca came up from behind and sat next to Madison. “I missed you over the weekend. Oh, we’re sitting with Y/N again?”

“Yes,” said Madison too sweetly. “She’s my friend. Try not to steal her answers though, Becca.”

Behind her Lacey giggled.

You had to cover your face, too, to hide the grin.

Sam called the class to attention, smiling at everyone. It was breathtaking and painful in equal parts.

“Before we begin,” he said, “It’s been brought to my attention that I’m the only one who hasn’t set you guys an assignment. We can’t have that happening now, can we?”

There were a few groans, and Sam gave everyone a teasing look. “It’s not something that’ll take up a lot of your time. I’m not setting you an essay, just a 500 word brief. Before we get into that, I need to know you guys better. Everyone who has a pre-law please raise your hands. About fifteen to twenty percent of the class raised their hands. 

“Impressive,” Sam said. “Sociology, political science or any other law allied field?”

Majority of the remaining class raised their hands.

“And how many of you guys have worked in any capacity in law fields? Have actual experience?”

About ten to twelve people raised their hands. Slowly, you put your arm up as well.

At the edge of your vision you sensed Rebecca glaring at your hand. 

Sam sweeped his gaze over the class. Maybe he hadn’t expected you to be one of the crowd, because for a split second the startlement was clear on his face. He blinked twice, then looked away.

Split second of eye contact was enough to make you weak in your knees. Bring back a flood of memories, of having looked so deeply in those very eyes. 

He paused, cleared his throat and said, “I suppose this will be somewhat easier for those of you who have a pre-law background. For your assignment, you have to pick the most dicey, interesting or unusual Civil suit or petition you can find, and describe in brief how the written content and consequent presentation saved or screwed over the case. Go crazy with the type of case, as long as it’s civil and filed in the states. The law library has a complete and updated archive of all judgements and petitions in public domain for your reference.”

Giving you a stink eye, Rebecca raised her hand.

“Yes… Miss Staten, is it?”

“Yes, Rebecca Staten,” she said, practically gloating. “Do you specialise in Civil cases? And if so, can we pick one of yours?”

Sam’s eyebrows twitched a little and he brushed at the hair near his ear. To anyone else it would have meant nothing, barely noticeable. You knew better. It was discomfort. He was uncomfortable with the question. Seeing him, you felt an instinctive spark of annoyance towards Rebecca, which was absolutely ridiculous. It wasn’t your place to feel anything on Sam’s behalf. Not anymore.

“I don’t specialise in Civil… I do predominantly take them up, but that’s certainly not it. In fact, my most distinctive case isn’t even a Civil one,” he said. “Rest assured, if you want to make the most of the assignment, none of my cases would be of any help.”

“Makes me wonder…” Madison whispered next to you.

“You have until Wednesday to hand it in. It does not have to be technical, so it shouldn’t take much time,” he announced. “Back to the class now. We’re working on Trial components and rules…”

After the classes for the day ended, Madison caught up with you.

“Where are you headed?” She asked.

“The library.”

“Oh, excellent, I was heading there, too,” she said happily.

“Where are the others?” It made you feel like a wretched person, but you didn’t think you could take anymore of those girls.

Madison wiped her brow. “They wanted to head out to San Francisco for the night.”

“But it’s a Monday,” you spoke unthinkingly.

She gave you a look which made it clear that she shared your opinion.

“I thought you’d want to research Mr. Winchester's assignment. Do you mind if I join?”

The thought of working with someone for once was actually pleasant, “Of course I don’t. It’ll be fun, Maddie.”

She smiled at your use of her nickname. “Alright then.”

The Robert Crown law library was smaller and very modern in comparison to the Green library. It was all white walls, beige minimalist furniture and compactly placed bookshelves next to rows of computers. The appearance didn’t fool you in the least. You knew from having read and well, from having heard about it so many times from Sam that it was extensively stocked with information on thousands and millions of suits, petitions, litigations and what not. It had every possible book that you would want to refer to while building a case, by-laws, constitutional laws and so many other rules and regulations. 

The two of you picked adjacent computers and began sifting through the cases. The sorting system itself boggled your mind, let alone the data within. Soon you were lost in a sea of cases, just reading through them instead of researching for the assignment. 

“Well, I’ll be damned,” muttered Madison besides you.

“Mmmm?” You asked absentmindedly.

When she didn’t reply, you looked over. Madison was staring intently at the screen.

“You know when Mr. Winchester was talking to Becca earlier?” She asked, without taking her eyes off the screen.

“Yeah?” You remembered vividly.

“He mentioned how his most distinctive case wasn’t a Civil one?” Her voice was low. “I got curious and looked it up.”

You didn’t even know what to say.

“Turns out he was downplaying it. This looks like a huge deal.”

Despite everything, you gave your swivel chair a push and moved next to Madison.

“What’s it about?” You asked, curiosity getting the better of you.

“It’s complicated and over two years old. Looks like it’s a matter of twin homicides in conjunction with multiple matters of abuse and a custody battle. It says he was working with Simpsons and associates in LA back then.”

“LA?” 

“Yeah.” She added guiltily, “I pulled out his public profile in accordance with his registration with the Bar Council. It has his whole bio-data.”

You knew you shouldn’t look. God, you knew it and you looked anyway.

“Stanford… Yale… and there’s a small town in Kansas where he was registered for a year. Then one year in NY, Four in LA, and two at Griswold Acton.”

New York… So he did go there. The thought pierced you like a shard. 

“I think... I think I’m gonna go back now,” you said quietly.

Madison looked at the watch. “Shit! It’s already past 7! Yeah, we should hurry.”

“Hey, Y/N,” Madison said, as you walked along the curb, “The weekend after this one, I’m throwing a party at this bar a few blocks away. And I really want you to come.”

“Is it your birthday?” You asked, feeling awful that you were asking after being invited.

“Yes, the next day. I’m doing this the night before so we’ll be together when the clock hits 12. You’ll come, right?”

You hesitated.

“It’ll be fun, really. I know the girls can be a bit too much sometimes, but there’ll be other people.”

That was even worse.

“It would mean a lot to me,” she insisted.

“Okay,” you acquiesced. “Only if you let me get you a present.”

She looked like she wanted to protest, but then gave in. “Okay.” She threw her arms around you. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

You wandered back to the apartment, racking your brain about what to put in the assignment. Nothing came to you.

Weird dreams interrupted your sleep that night, homicides and custody disputes. You kept yelling that the child was yours and like in the old 70’s movies, the judge banged the gavel calling for order.... Then, the scene shifted. You were trapped, your hands and shoulders bound. There was glass around you. Shards of glass, blood and icy water, numbing your senses, dulling your pain as it soaked your hair and drenched you to the bone. You wanted to scream for help, but cold also made you sleepy. You wanted to ask the judge… tell him to hand you the child, but there was no judge… just cold and hammering rain.

You woke up chilly. Drenched in sweat, but still very cold. It was just a dream… not reality. Just a dream. You rolled over and sleep found you again.

“You look like you came back from the dead,” Meredith said first thing next morning. 

You ignored her and took your seat in the row ahead of her. Unfortunately, that put you right next to Brad. 

Sam was on time as usual. He ran through his papers as the tech set up his laptop.

“He’s alright, really,” Brad said, making conversation. “Girls seem to swoon on him because he is the youngest faculty member and all. But he’s just average as a teacher.”

“I think he is fantastic,” you said, jutting your chin out, voice unnecessarily sharp.

Brad raised an eyebrow. “I thought you weren’t like the other girls.”

“If by other girls you mean the ones that worked hard to get into Stanford and know how to appreciate a good teacher, then I’m exactly like the other girls.”

“Ooohhh, feisty,” he murmured under his breath. Sam called the class to attention and you chose to ignore Brad completely for the rest of the lecture, then made sure that you sat by yourself for the rest of the day.

The deadline for the assignment was tomorrow and you had no clue what you were handing in. That did not help with the anxiety.

On your way to the library, you dropped by at the Student’s employment office- without much hope- to check on that application anyway.

The girl at the desk ran through your profile once again as you gave her your name.

“Y/N,” she said in a monotone of someone who was bored out of their mind. “I actually have a hit for you here. I should warn you, it's a tough gig-”

“Tell me!” You interrupted before she had even finished the sentence. 

She peered at you over her spectacles. “The odd hours librarian’s post at the Law library. You had an upper hand over the other applicants because you are a law student and live close by. You also have experience as a librarian before.”

“Yes, I want it!”

“Chillax, woman,” said the girl. “It’s an odd hours job. That means the night shift on three days and alternate weekends. It’s an 8 hour shift and 5 shifts per week. Twenty an hour.”

“Done.” You thought back to last night. It wasn’t like you were getting any good sleep anyway. Might as well make money out of it. 

The girl shrugged. “It’s yours then. You start this weekend. I’ll hook you up with the other librarian peeps. They’ll let you know about your shift.”

You thanked her and happily walked back towards the Law building. At least one thing seemed to have worked in your favour. One minute you were walking ahead, next you were on the floor, all your things knocked out of your hands. 

“I’m so sorry.”

You looked up into stunning hazel eyes. They were as familiar even now as if you had looked into them every day of your life.

Sam froze, having just realised that he had walked into you.

Up close he looked tired and definitely a lot thinner.

“Oh, God. Y/N!” Madison, who happened to walk by, reached out to help you to your feet.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

Numbly, you nodded. 

Sam methodically picked up your books and wallet, stacked them in a pile and handed it to you.

“Are you hurt?” He asked, quietly, eyes trained on the books in your hand.

You shook your head.

He acknowledged it with a jerk of chin and left without another word.

“What an ass!” Brad muttered coming up from behind. “First he knocked her down and then didn’t even apologise. I don’t get why y’all idealise him so much.”

“Oh, shut up,” Lacey said. “Y/N was the one who walked into him without looking. Ruined his perfectly good suit with her chapstick smear. And he did apologise!”

You excused yourself as quickly as you could, still feeling the tingle on your skin where his fingers had lightly brushed yours, senses still filled with the smell of his cologne. Even after all these years it was still the same. 

You had bought that cologne for him. He still used the same one.

Tears pressed your eyes as you entered the vine covered gates of the apartment. 

At the lift, you ran into Cas.

He looked pleasantly surprised at the sight of you, which was weird because you both did stay on the same floor.

“You look… are you okay?” His voice was coloured with concern.

You had to stop running into people when you were upset. Had to.

“No, no, I’m fine,” you tried to assure him. “I was heading home.”

“Yes, home,” Cas sighed, absentmindedly. “I miss having a roommate sometimes. Conversation is what makes it home.”

You had reached your door.

“Hey,” you said, making an impulse decision. “Do you maybe wanna come in for a mug of coffee or something?”

He looked startled again. “Yeah, I would love that.”

Meg wasn’t home. You weren’t surprised. 

“Please make yourself at home,” you waved towards the sofa. “I’ll be right back.”

You quickly dumped your bag and books on your bed, swapped the shoes for your comfortable slippers, tied your hair in a bun at the top of your head and made a beeline for the kitchen.

Cas was in the balcony, looking at the front yard. 

“You guys have a fantastic view from here,” he said morosely. You felt bad for him. His was the only flat on the floor that didn’t have the yard facing balcony.

“Why didn’t you ask Pam to sublet you this one after the last tenant moved out?”

He shrugged. “I don’t spend much time at the apartment anyway with the night shifts and emergencies at the hospital. Besides, mine’s a small one and I don’t have a roommate, so it's easy to clean after.”

“Is it too much work at the hospital?” You asked sympathetically, then realised how dumb the question was. It was a hospital. Of course there was too much work.

“Sometimes,” he answered truthfully. “The ER duty is dreadful because a lot of times you just can’t save a life. OPD days are so much better.”

You nodded thoughtfully.

“What about you? How’s law school treating you?”

You told him about how everyone was just so different from you. They had social circles and Monday night outs and were worried about internships for status as opposed to just wanting a job or actually learning. You told him about how there always seemed to be an ulterior motive to everything that they said or did.

It sounded like a rant even to your own ears, but God it felt good to unload. Cas was probably bored out of his mind. You let it all out anyway.

“And then- then they judge people based on their appearance. Just because I wear a sweater all the time doesn’t make me drab. I’m just really sensitive to cold. Just because a professor is young and good looking, doesn’t by default make him a bad teacher.”

You had to stop to take a breath, and were immediately possessed by a sense of embarrassment. Why were you putting this on a very tired Cas?

Cas, however, looked deep in thought. “Hmmm…” he said. “Correct me if I’m wrong. You don’t have any immediate family, do you?”

You shook your head. “I have no family left.”

Cas didn’t ask you the why or how come.

“Maybe that’s why,” he said, face resting on his palms. “You don’t live for anyone but yourself. You don’t have to put on a show like them.”

“What do you mean?”

“It means that you are being motivated by a desire to learn, to become a better person and to help the world become a better place. Most people are motivated by power, or money or just wanting to create an impression. No wonder you don’t fit in, Y/N. You stand out.”

You stared at him, stunned.

“Oh, don’t look at me like that.” Cas put his hands up. “I mean it. Besides, you have us. I can tell for a fact that people here really like you. So who cares about the rich ass kids? They’re the reason lawyers got a bad rep.”

You giggled.

Then you remembered the coffee pot. “Oh, damn!”

Cas chuckled as you went to grab the pot and fix two coffees.

“What’re you thinking about the weekend?” Cas called from the balcony, “I think we’re on the losing side.”

“It’s September. It’s not raining.”

“That’s what I said last week. It rained.”

“Oh, no!”

Cas took a mug from your hands. “Thank you.”

He took a sip. “The forecast is never useful. Wish we could sue them for it.”

You put your mug down.

“CAS! You are a genius!”

“What?”

You rushed to your room to grab your computer, then settled on a chair, quickly typing the words out.

“I knew it!” You shouted in vindication. “I remembered reading about it.”

“Errr….” Cas hovered over you utterly confused. You turned the laptop so he could see.

“Look! In 1988 a woman did sue Chicago’s famous newsman over a wrong weather forecast!”

“Are you serious?” He put the mug down and sat next to you, reading the article.

You pointed at it excitedly. “See that’s what it says.”

“They dismissed her, right?”

You grinned at him. “She settled outside for a sum of half a million.”

“Well, I’ll be damned,” Cas whistled.

“Oh, this is perfect for the assignment! Thanks, Cas.”

“My pleasure,” he said, somewhat bemused.

He read over your shoulder as you wrote the brief extract, pointing out how it was a trend setter of it’s kind when it came to dragging news media to the court. The woman had missed a flight which was cancelled as a precaution to the bad forecast and viola! It never rained. 

“This look good?”

“It’s perfect!” Cas said.

You dropped the file into the mailbox, then paused when it came to actually typing a mail, fingers trembling.

This was Sam you were writing to. He used to be your Sam.

You did it nevertheless. You typed his id and the thumbnail of his profile appeared. He wore a tan turtleneck and was smiling at the person holding the camera. Who could it have been?

“Is that the young professor you were talking about?” Cas asked offhandedly. 

“Mhmm.”

“I can see why he gets that sort of attention,” Cas chuckled.

You saw it, too.

Sighing internally, you hit the send button.

Cas high-fived you. “There are very few things in life as satisfying as a last minute submission,” he said, then looked at the watch. “I better go now, I’ve got an early morning shift.”

“Oh, wait for a bit,” you said, rushing to the kitchen counter, and pulling out a jar of cookies. “Here, have one. I got a job today, as a librarian. My Gran used to say that one should always offer sweets while  breaking a good news.”

“Oh, congratulations!” Cas took a bite of the crumbly choco-chip cookie and moaned. “Oh, these are wonderful!”

You thrust the entire jar in his hand. “Here, take them all. I just like baking them…. not much of an eater.”

“You made these?” His voice was incredulous and you blushed. 

“My Gran used to run a small bakery from our house. I grew up watching her do what she loved the most. The smell of baking comforts me… and let’s just say I needed to be comforted lately.”

“Well, these are excellent!” He didn’t even resist for the sake of formality and took the jar.

You walked him to the door. “Hey, Cas. Thank you for tonight.”

It had been the first time since you had moved to the city that you actually felt like you had talked because you wanted to, shared what you really felt. It was the first time you had truly rejoiced that the bubble was gone and you could be happy in the company of another person.

Cas didn’t ask why you had thanked him. Oddly, he understood.

He placed a hand on your shoulder, where it lay heavy and comforting. “I had a great evening. If you ever want to share anything or you know bake too many cookies, I should tell you that I live right next door.”

You giggled. Cas tightened his grip on your shoulder for a moment and let go. He waved at you once more before closing his door. 

Later, as you lay in bed, you thought through the day and just how your emotions were all over the place. One minute you were distraught and the next, excited. The way that Brad annoyed you, no one ever had except for that one idiot in high school. You were used to having people rely on you. Even when you worked as a paralegal all through last year, your boss had been happy with your work, your colleagues were polite… but no one had remotely elicited any sort of reaction from you. It had been the same through all those years of pre-law. It hadn’t ever bothered you that you weren’t a part of the group. In fact, now that you looked back on the years, everything seemed so hazy, like you were looking at your memories through a heavily fogged glass.

In fact, that one year spent with Sam was clearer than the seven years spent after. You could recall every moment lived with him as if it was merely yesterday. And yet things that had happened a month back felt like they had happened ages ago. 

Deep down, you knew the reason for it. With Sam you had been happy… happier than you had ever been before. It was the last time you had been happy, too. So did that mean you were beginning to be happy again now? 

Re-learning it one step at a time?

You rolled, mulling the thought over in your head and fell asleep dreamlessly after a very long time.

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

“Oh, the sweet release of Friday!” Madison moaned. “I can’t wait to fall into bed. Isn’t that right, Y/N?”

“I actually have plans for tonight,” you told her, “So I’m not expecting to see the bed anytime soon.”

“Oh, you wouldn’t show up to Brad’s party, but you have plans tonight?” Lacey wiggled her eyebrows. “Is there a special someone?”

It was Jack. You were going bowling with Jack and whoever else was free. You had protested the plan by explaining how awful you were at bowling. It had only delighted Jack more. Apparently, he sucked, too, but he really wanted to impress the girl who worked at the bowling alley. If he came off looking better than you, maybe, just maybe he’d have a chance with her. It seemed like a very very unlikely event, but you didn’t have the heart of telling him that. In fact, to your surprise you found yourself really excited for the evening.

“Just a friend.” You shrugged.

Lacey looked like she was about to press her point when Madison interrupted her.

“Oh, did any of you hear from Mr. Winchester? Regarding the assignment?” 

You threw her a grateful look for changing the topic.

Madison had received a reply on Wednesday evening with a positive critique and so had Rebecca along with a few more people. 

It was all Rebecca needed to go on and on about the assignment, and how Mr. Winchester loved her work and remembered her name. You were a little disappointed that you never received a critique… but were you even expecting a reply from Sam? You had accepted that he was going to ignore you.

Sam did not mention the assignment at all. He made a few timed jokes about how everyone hated the last class on a Friday including him and he’d make it a point to let everyone off fifteen minutes early. The lecture was as captivating as usual. He spoke with such passion for law that even the most monotonous topics became suddenly interesting. You wouldn’t have cared if he had even extended the class, but he kept his promise and ended it about ten minutes early.

“Before you all leave for a much deserved weekend,” he said, “I want to congratulate you all on an assignment well done. Most of you had the most interesting topics picked out for the note. It certainly made for entertaining reads. I was hoping at least someone would bring up the several instances when Red bull got sued and I wasn’t disappointed. Four of you did. I’m sorry I couldn’t reply back to all of the emails, but there was a particular one that I’d like to bring to your attention. A 1988 lawsuit turned to a petition after a woman sued Chicago’s famous newsman Gary Holster over the wrong forecast.”

You could barely believe your ears.

“Mary Johnson was flying from Domestic Chicago to LAX along with 122 other passengers. And after predictions of a heavy storm, the flight was cancelled. Of course. it barely even rained. As a result, Miss Johnson lost a prospective job and the opportunity at a better life. What started as a snowflake of a suit, snowballed into a petition with over 76 plaintiffs after a newspaper published her story tagging it as ridiculous. The other passengers reached out to her, expanding into a full-fledged writ.”

He paused and took a deep breath. “All of you should take a look at the case as well as Ms. Y/L/N’s note. It was a particularly smart choice to pick this case because I had asked for weird and unusual… and the exact oddity of the case was what made it a national sensation in the late 80’s.”

Sam looked up, with precision, straight into your eyes. “Good job, Ms. Y/L/N.”

Your heart fluttered in your chest. The corner of your eyes stung.

Behind you Lacey muttered, “Oh, look, yours isn’t the only name he remembers, Ms. Staten.”

“Have a great weekend!” Sam wished before leaving the room. The class immediately broke into a babble and some people turned to spot you in the crowd. A few of them even came up to you to congratulate on an assignment well done. You promised to forward the assignment to the class group so everyone could see it. As it turned, out a couple of people stayed in the building next to yours. 

While leaving, you did notice Rebecca staring at you with ill concealed dislike and something close to suspicion.

“Y/N!” Jack was waiting for you in the front yard, which was officially nicknamed the meadow. He was sitting next to Judgy Judy with a satchel slung across his body.

“Hey, I’m going to run upstairs and drop my bag.” 

He sprang up from the parapet and eased your bag off your shoulder. “Don’t bother. We can just drop it off at Pam’s. Watch.”

He slid the shutter to her ground floor flat window and with extreme expertise pushed your big inside from in between to bars.

“Genius!” You lauded.

Jack grinned, “Pam is home and sleeping. By the time we get back, she’ll be up, ready to handover the bag.”

“Truly epic.”

“You guys don’t have too much fun without me!” Kevin yelled from his balcony where he was sitting with Cas. He looked bummed.

“What’s up with him?” 

Jack waved at Kevin and said loudly enough for him to hear, “Nothing. Kev’s just pissed that the weather is clear.”

Kevin cursed. “That dumb reported said it was going to rain. I’m gonna sue her!”

Next to him, Cas gave you a pointed look and winked. You couldn’t help the grin that spread across your face.

Jack offered you his arm and you took it, feeling a strange happiness settle within you. Hand in hand you walked out. For the first time in years you didn’t know what to expect of tomorrow or even the next moment. The feeling was worth living for.

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

A/N 2: Heads up! There’s still sometime before we find out what exactly went down between these two, but in the present timeline, it’s mostly just uphill from now. 

I had a very, very hard day, today. Hoping it will be uphill for me, too, from now on :)

PLEASE let me know what you think of this story?

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[the-gray-ghosty]

TFW 2.0 playing Among Us

Dean is green, (dark green), Cas is cyan, Sam is black or orange, and Jack is yellow or pink.

Dean as imposter kills as much as he can, he risks by killing more in the open and doesn't vent as much. He is good at shifting the blame during meetings and getting others voted off.

Dean as crewmate is bad at doing his tasks, for he just follows whoever he thinks is the imposter and pays close attention to everyone else.

Sam as imposter is calculating, and kills spread out. He is master of venting, and his poker face keeps him from being caught. (Most of the time).

Sam as crewmate focuses on getting his tasks done and helps Jack with his tasks also.

Cas is not as good at being imposter, he does not like to vent and often gets caught at the scene of the murder. Cas is good at being crewmate, and helps Jack do his tasks. (And he helps Jack kill if Jack is the imposter)

When Sam and Dean are the imposters, they win almost every time. When Jack is the imposter with either Cas or Sam they don't win often, but Jack loves venting around the map.

When Jack plays among us with Claire, and they are the imposters together, they are devious and often win. The key is killing Sam or Dean first since they are the best at finding out who the imposters are.

[canyouimaginethatstory]

What He Deserved (Lucifer X Reader) REQUESTED

AUTHOR NOTE:  This was requested by @oopstheregoesmysoul13​ Summary: While bonding with Jack, you also start to notice feelings for a certain blue-eyed archangel. Will he return them?

You come from an alternate world where you were under the rule of the archangel Micheal. It was a world in complete ruin. You had managed to survive by hiding most of your adult life. Then you ran into to a group run by a woman named Marry Winchester and a young boy named Jack. They were building up a group that was dead set on taking down the archangel ruler. You learned soon that Jack was actually a nephilim. A being that was half-angel and half-human. He was also the son of the archangel Lucifer from their world. Jack was sweet and caring. He had this innocence about him that no one in your world had. You were soon welcomed into the group as you learned to use different weapons and was filled in on the plan to take down Micheal. You didn’t think it would work but it was worth a shot.

As time went on you bonded with Jack. You could almost say you looked at him like a son. You two were doing training and supply management together. One day the angel warding went down and Mary and a few others went to check it out. Turns out it was Mary’s son Dean but tragedy had struck and her other son Sam had died before they reached the group. Your heart broke for Jack. He seemed to be very attached to Sam being as how hard he was taking it. “He can’t be dead!” Jack said becoming more upset.

“Hey Jack,” you said gently rubbing his back. The young boy turned to you and hugged you tight, “it’s ok Jack. It’s ok sweetheart,”. You softly patted his back trying to comfort him the best you could. You all soon headed to the camp area. Jack didn’t really leave your side and you were ok with that. Mary was trying to talk Dean into not going back to get Sam’s body when a bell sounded indicating something was happening. Mary, Jack, and Dean watched in shock as a tall guy with long brown hair and blood-soaked clothes appeared. Dean ran over to him and hugged him. “Who is that Jack?” you asked. He smiled.

“That’s Sam,” he said. Just then another guy came walking into the camp. He had shaggy blond hair and he was smirking a little. You even noticed his shining blue eyes. Everyone gathered around as the man approached them. He smiled at Jack. You could see a look of pride on his face. 

“Hello son,” he said. Soon there was a lot of shouting from Dean. He didn’t want Jack talking with who you now knew was Lucifer from their world. It got so bad Jack got upset and fluttered off.

“Where’d it go, dad!” Dean shouted at Lucifer.

“Actually, I think he fluttered away because you were trying to get his uncle to kill his father,” you stated matter of factly, “I’ll go track him down,”. You didn’t notice Lucifer watching as you headed off. He had never had anyone stand up for him before or take his side. You found Jack sitting behind a big tree. “You ok Jack?” you asked.

“I don’t like it when there’s a bunch of yelling,” he said.

“I know Jack,” you said sitting beside him and pulled him into a loving hug.

“Do you think I should talk to my father?” he asked.

“Jack,” you said, “I think everyone deserves to know where they come from. No matter who your parents are. If you wanna know about your father than I support you in that,”.

“Thanks, Y/N,” you said, “I love my mother, but you feel like a mother to me too,” You smiled.

“That means a lot to me, Jack,” you said giving him another hug.

“We should head back,” he said as you both stood up. He held onto you tight and zapped into a little shed area. Once you gained your balance you noticed Castiel and Lucifer standing by the doorway. They had been talking but stopped when you two appeared. You looked and Jack and gently patted his arm.

“I’ll be by the weapons if you need me,” you said. You offered a smile to the two angels as you walked passed. You could hear a bit of shouting from Dean. You couldn’t understand why Dean was so dead set on Jack not knowing his real father. Despite him being the devil or whatever. Soon the boys came over to the weapons stand with Lucifer. That’s when you noticed he had cuffs on.

“You can keep an eye on him until we come up with a plan,” Dean said and walked away. You rolled your eyes. As you prepared the weapons you could feel the archangel’s gaze on you but it didn’t bother you.

“So, you’re close with my son?” he finally asked.

“I am,” you said. Just because everyone else was rude to him didn’t mean you were gonna be.

“What’s he like?” he asked. You looked over at the angel. You could tell by the look on his face that he just wanted to know his kid.

“He’s sweet. Cares,” you started, “wants to protect the ones he loves,” you went on and Lucifer listened to every word. It wasn’t scary or intimidating to speak with the archangel. You found it easy. Lucifer was feeling the same way. Usually, any human annoyed him but he found himself wanting to talk with you more. So you two did talk. Small things at first. Then the angel told you the story of how he fell. You listened intently. The pain and sorrow on the angel’s face as he told his story broke your heart. You were tearing up listening. When he finished you both sat there in silence for a moment. “Lucifer I am so sorry,” you finally said, “that you had to go through that. And just so you know I don’t think you fell,”. He looked at you. A small hint of tears in his eyes, “you were pushed,”.

“Ok,” Dean said, “we’re gonna head on foot to Dayton,”. Soon you all were walking. Gabriel went ahead to look for any signs of angels. As the group walked Lucifer and Jack talked. You were getting so annoyed with Dean. Why couldn’t he just let Jack talk to his father? Soon the group met with Castiel who had gone ahead a while ago to look for Gabriel.

“Any sign him?” Dean asked. Castiel shook his head no then suddenly Gabriel came bursting through some trees.

“Angels!” he shouted. Before you all knew it a group of angels appeared. You all drew your weapons. Just as they were about to smite you they all turned into puffs of smoke. You all turned to face Lucifer as the cuffs melted off his wrists. You listened as he explained to the group how he knew the cuffs wouldn’t actually hold him in this world and then pointed out to Jack that he was being a team player. Later that night The boys, Cas, Jack, and Mary went on a rescue mission for that world’s Charlie and their world Ketch. Everyone else stayed behind to defend the camp in case Micheal’s angels showed up. You were standing a few feet away from the angelic brothers as they talked. With each harsh word Gabriel spoke you could see the pain building in Lucifer’s face. It made your heartache seeing tears in the angel’s eyes. Once Gabriel was far enough you walked over to Lucifer. “That wasn’t true,” you said. The archangel looked a little taken back.

“What?” he asked.

“What you’re brother said,” you explained, “you can change and you can love and care. Why no one else can see it I don’t know,”. You went to walk away, “oh, and since no one else said it earlier. Thank you. For saving our lives,”. Lucifer just stood there. He wasn’t really sure how to respond. Later that night when the boys returned Bobby filled them on the vote the hunters had and that everyone voted on going to their world with them. You couldn’t wait to leave. It had to be better than this place. Plus part of you had known there was another reason you wanted to leave as you snuck a glance at Lucifer. By the next morning, the group had a bus up and running. To Gabriel’s surprise, Dean was going to let Lucifer drive. As you were helping people board the bus you noticed Jack walking off. “Where’s he going?” you asked Sam as you both hurried off after him. You and sam listened to Jack explain about how he wanted to defeat Micheal. A bit of pride built in you as Lucifer was to trying to make Jack see that wasn’t the best idea. As Lucifer headed back to the bus with Jack you could tell Sam wasn’t happy that Lucifer was able to change Jack’s mind.

“Mom,” Jack called looking back at you. You smiled, “will you sit with me on the bus?”. 

“Sure Jack,” you said heading back. The drive to the portal was uneventful. Lucifer would keep glancing back to you and Jack. The way Jack seemed so calm and happy talking to you. The archangel couldn’t help but notice his growing attraction to you. But he knew it was foolish to let himself thank maybe you felt the same way. You soon arrived at the portal and people started getting out of the bus. As everyone made their way to the portal explosions were heard as something big hit the ground a few times killing a few hunters in the process. You and the group watched as Micheal appeared from the settling smoke. His wings folding back and fading away.

“Gentlemen,” he said. Your heart sunk a little as Lucifer headed toward him, “Lu, you don’t really wanna try this again do you?”. Lucifer’s eyes turned red and he shot a blast of power at Micheal. It pushed him back but Micheal shot back and within two hits Lucifer was down. You couldn’t stop yourself as you ran to him kneeling down.

“Are you ok?” you asked. He looked up at you shocked. Like he couldn’t fathom you actually checking to see if he was ok. He nodded. You heard Gabriel shouting at the boys to go while he fended off Micheal. You helped Lucifer up and headed for the portal. Sam stopped you.

“Not him,” he said.

“Come on Sam,” Lucifer said, “I'm hurt,”.

“Sam either he goes or I stay,” you told him.

"Y/N,” he started but you cut him off.

“My terms Sam,” you said. Sam rolled his eyes.

“Fine,” he said and you all went through the portal just as Micheal stabbed Gabriel. Over time the hunters from your world got used to being in the bunker. Some even stayed in the bunker. The place almost had enough rooms. You were in the kitchen with Jack. He looked lost in thought.

“You ok Jack?” you asked.

“I’ve been considering something,” he said.

“What's that?” you asked.

“I think I want to get to know my father,” he said,” he’s been trying hard to show others he can be a team player,”. It was true. Lucifer had been helping. Sometimes he did complain or get really snarky but he helped.

“If that’s something you wanna do I’ll support you,” you said.

“Do you think I should?” he asked, “do you think he’s evil?”. You smiled and softly laid your hands on his.

“I think your father has done bad things,” you started, “but I can understand why and I do think with a little more time and trust he can continue to redeem himself,”.

“Why do you think that?” he asked.

“Has anyone ever told you how your father fell from grace?” you asked. Jack shook his head.

“Go to your father and ask him to tell you,” you said, “and take it from there,”. Jack nodded and headed to the other room where Lucifer was. He had heard everything you and jack said. A little while later you were cleaning up from preparing dinner. You turned around and were startled by Lucifer standing behind you.

“Thank you for telling our son to talk to me,” before you could even register that he had said our son or say anything his lips were on yours as he gently pulled you to him. To the archangel’s relief, you wrapped your arms around him too and kissed back. When he knew you needed air he ended the kiss. You locked eyes with the angel.

“You’re welcome,” you said as he rested his head against yours.

MASTER LIST: Here

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[almaasi]

reaction post typed while watching SPN 15x15 “Gimme Shelter”

fact: Cas is the best

--

02:35pm

well now i have africa by toto in my head

i am TIRED

i just went out to vote and i used up all my spoons

but i’m already a day late with this soooooo... i will use a fork

-

does it occur to sam and dean that by killing both god and the darkness it might not save the world but end it

-

i think this sloppy food is meant to look unappealing, but to me, a person who is both hungry and hasn’t eaten anything but mushed banana and burned green beans and assorted other mush and quinoa for over a year, it looks fucking delicious

-

i like pastor guy

i was informed it’s the same actor as played dr. sexy

i’m hoping that’s at least referenced

(edit: it was not. but i ain’t even mad, i really enjoyed this character and i think the actor would’ve been more limited if he’d been stuck with the dr. sexy character. he did a really moving job here)

-

02:45

dean trying to wordlessly signal to his husband that he needs to do the babysitting today

-

02:48

jack has a teddy <3

-

whY AND HOW DOES CAS HAVE A PHOTO OF HIMSELF AS A COWBOY

DID DEAN DEMAND THEY STOP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD AND PULL OUT HIS PHONE FOR A PHOTOSHOOT

AND PRINT PHOTOS

FOR REASONS

-

i like zack the crossroad demon

what a nerd

giving me crowley vibes but more good omens crowley than spn crowley

(edit: i wonder if zack is coming back another time? was that thread left open? he got in the car with the girl at the end but THEN WHAT)

-

cas: “no. no we’re gonna stay. we can help.”

THAT WAS SOFT 

<3

-

“vALERIe”

AND THE MASK

jumpscared me 

jesus

-

03:03pm

jack: “i have more dads than most”

sounds like his parents are in some kind of queerpoly relationship....

HMM

.........actually you know what, i think that was the point, i think it was meant to sound queer and when the girl doesn’t react negatively to that it shows what kind of church it is

wait wait i’m sorry

not church

faith based community

(i like that, actually)

-

connor confirmed gay

eyy it’s a good faith based community

but also sad the gay guy dies first :/

-

“a saint is a sinner who keeps trying”

10/10

-

???????????????

THE

GAS THING

IS BEHIND THE NUMBER PLATE

?????????????

FIFTEEN SEASONS AND OVER A DECADE ON TUMBLR AND I NEVER KNEW THAT

WHAT THE FUCK

-

i really don’t think they’re gonna kill amara by the end of this show

i still think amara, rowena, and billie make up some kind of holy trifecta and they outlive everyone else

-

i appreciate the narrative importance of not lying in this circle, because that’s why folks are dying

jack and cas don’t even know that

but cas wouldn’t even lie about his name

i love this

-

cas: “and i became a father, and in that i rediscovered my faith”

;~;

-

enjoying the reflection of cas and jack being completely honest, and sam and dean lying to amara on purpose

-

i attended a zoom torah class earlier this week and it was about the concept of adam being nonbinary, as in one androgynous being was split into masculine and feminine

that’s what amara talking about her and chuck being twins reminded me of

-

cas heals valerie’s hand while the pastor watches and i’m crying and i don’t even know why

cas is so good

i love cas so much

-

this is gonna give a bunch of these characters weird ptsd

they have injury trauma but no injury and nobody’s gonna believe them

-

03:37pm

cas: “in case i don’t make it back, there’s something you--”

me: OH????

cas: “--and sam need to know”

me: oh.

:/

-

10/10

i really liked this one

cas and jack’s story especially. my heart was warmed by it, and i’m so RELIEVED by their honesty. it really stood out to me that jack decided to open up to cas, and cas, i assume, tells dean at the end of the episode. 

i am really really hoping this is the snowball rolling down the hill towards actual genuine growth for all of them, wherein they don’t keep things from each other the way they have been doing for way too long.

maybe the one thing chuck never counted on is the winchesters not lying to each other.

<3