#omg a sam cameo??

[freetobecelestial]

day 5 of starcrosseddeancas drabble event : cowboy boots

“Dean, please! We need to get going! Before the dead have all risen and walked off!”

“Cool your jets, Sammy! We’ll get there faster if you’d quit screaming every ten seconds!”

Dean looked around his room once again, though fat load of good it’d do; they weren’t there four seconds ago either.

“Dean, you’re brother is going to pop a blood vessel if we don’t leave now.”

Dean shot around to see Cas standing in the door-still just as incredibly jarring-with his most impatient face on.

“Yeah, Cas, I know, I’m almost ready, I’m just looking for one last… thing… THE DEAN CAVE!” And he took off like a bullet.

There, on the floor next to one of the boxes, were his cowboy boots.

As Dean turned around, boots in hand, Cas was just behind him inside the door, looking around.

“Dean, what is the ‘Dean Cave’?”

“Oh Cas, I’m so glad you asked.”

“GUYS, PLEASE!” Sam shouted from down the hall.

[broodingheroine]

tmagp thoughts (this will be pure nonsense I just need to write it down)

alice is so tim coded

obviously there's a connection anyone can make to the multiple statements abt urban exploration/spelunking in tma and the redcanary forum thread.... it invites the horrors (connection to danny?)

gwen is a ✨️bouchard✨️ (implication that while its a parallel universe the same ppl still exist? supports possibility of spelunking forum thread connecting to danny somehow (not actually super sold on that but seen a lot of ppl mention it so))

colin is definitely going to succumb to the horrors :/ (either first to die OR..... this universes version of an avatar?)

CHESTER AND NORRIS!!!

I'm of the firm opinion that they're jmart BUT! but but but! I do believe they're echoes of who they were, this just so happens to be Somewhere Else.

also! yes I understand that we most likely will Not get any tma characters in any meaningful way in tmagp, however I also believe that alex and jonny couldve very easily.... not...... voiced the text to speeches....... like yeah I dont think we're getting jmart as we knew them but..... come on

also also. the text to speeches got less robot sounding the longer they were reading and it really reminded me of how ppl reading statements would slowly get invested as they were reading and emote as if it were happening to them.

sam is on the archivist (or tmagp equivalent) pipeline already yikes

the turpentine line was raw as fuck. so was the canary one obviously. don't want to beat a dead horse by talking abt that bc so many others have already said it. but! the institute is deadly stay away!!

the sound engineering is god tier I love all the bleeps and bloops

colin knows smth is Watching. inadvertently feeding the eye by being paranoid? does the eye even exist the same way it did in tma?

theres definitely smth to be said abt whether or not robert smirke did his thing the way he did in tma and if anyone in the know uses the same classification or if the oiar is the only group categorizing. the fears always kind of blurred together at certain points so maybe without the human interpretation of it being 14 distinct entities it's more of an..... amalgam?

magnus institute is in a different place which is interesting. if it was built for the same reasons (outside of just research) is there another panopticon esque structure underneath? (brings us back to if smirke was doing his thing)

very curious to see if theres gonna be a leitner books equivalent.

I deeply deeply deeply desire a michaela salesa cameo at some point. he's one of my fav side characters.

sam and gwen using classic horror characters to help him try and memorize the classification categories was very cute

another thing I'm sure everyone has talked abt already but the whole world wide WEB thing and possible jmart in the computers and omg they're in the web and the oiar is part of the web and blah blah blah u get the image.

lena is intriguing to me. my guess is she's going to be a gertrude esque character who knows at least the basics of what's really happening and is trying to put a stop to it.

I havent seen anyone talk abt like...... what IS the magnus protocol. like tma was the archives in the magnus institute. the magnus archives. self explanatory from like ep 1. what the hell is the magnus protocol. is it smth fr3-d1 will run? or the text to speeches? is it tmagp's version of a ritual? using protocol to reference the updated tech from tma? is it smth the actual organization has to run in the event of Something Happening? WHAT THE PROTOCOL WHATS IT FORRRRR

I know nothing abt the ARG shit, just to note that

okay I think that's it for now..... feel free to discuss in the notes lol

[keira-draws]

do you know where would be a good place to start? :33

Omg I hope ur ready for a semi-long response, LOL! Most of the Army of Darkness comics don't really connect to each other; kinda similar to the movies, there isn't a whole lot of consistency /lh That being said, it makes it a little less intense to break into these comics! Versus like superhero comics where you have to keep up with 80+ characters storylines haha

(Although Ash has been in the Marvel comics universe canonically...he may or may not have had a hand in starting the Marvel Zombies universe...) Starting off:

Ash and the Army of Darkness #6-8

I LOVE these ones so much! I haven't read the full comic, but the writing in it is fantastic, and the art for these issues are by my favorite AOD artist! Basic plot summary: Sheila is possessed by a deadite, Ash has to save her, and the comic dives into some of Ash's childhood, showing that he's been dealing with Evil since he was a kid. VERY good!

Army of Darkness: Ash Gets Hitched

This one is my absolute favorite AOD comic! This is a direct continuation from Ash and the Army of Darkness. Basic plot is Ash stays in 1300 A.D., and is getting ready to marry Sheila before Ash accidentally summons like the first Deadite ever (dude who was used to make the necronomicon). The art in it is so so fun, and definitely has an "evil dead" type of feel to it! They manage to capture Ash being goofy and corny, without A. making it cringey, and B. making him seem like a dude-bro badass. He's just a goofy guy and I loveeee it. Plus a little cameo from a certain someone, that I won't spoil <3 Note: this one is pretty g*ry and has some definite body horror, so fair warning.

BUT LOOK HOW CUTE THEY LOOK AGH <3 Next up:

Ash Vs. The Army Of Darkness

This one is also very fun, kind of a random plotline, Ash has to save a high school from deadites, but! Very very fun art, and it takes place directly after Army of Darkness! So, you can kinda imagine AOD happening, the two comics above happening, and then this one. But, again, consistency is for losers /j Plus!! Ted Raimi as Ash's S-Mart boss, PLUS he has a three stooges mug as homage to Sam, Bruce, and Rob being inspired by them for Evil Dead. This one also has Ash pretty in-character, which is dope <3

This last one is...debatable on its decency LMAO

Vampirella/Army Of Darkness

Now, there are some really fun parts of this comic! I don't know much about Ella, but she seems pretty cool in this. There's also some really funny gags, and genuinely some of my favorite art of all AOD comics in this book! That being said, Ash is pretty out of character and a little too "womanizing" shall we put it. But story is altogether fun, and again art is fire.

LIKE OMGGGG HE'S SO CUTE IN THIS COMIC I WANT TO PUNCH HIM /POS Also! All of these are free to read with a Comixology membership on Amazon Prime. My suggestion: start a 30 day free trial, cancel, and read through these guys within the month for free of charge :)) THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS ASK THOUGH I LOVE TALKING ABT ASH AND COMICS AND FUN STUFF <3333 i hope you find something you enjoy, and pls lemme know if you do!!!

[red-archivist]

finally caught up on tmagp!

eps 11-15 thots below

ep 11:

celia? again?? jack???

"Besides, I’m sweet enough already" is such a dad joke. As in, literally a joke my own dad has made several times

Ink5oul cameo!

lollll the change to stuffy business language

ah, ink5oul you can't be stealing corpses now, behave

GWEN Thank you, Alice. ALICE I… Sure. Whatever. Don’t get used to it.

tsun tsun~

"he's one of our externals" what a way to phrase it. also tells us that the oiar/the government works with several monsters

ep 12:

omg he's actually asking her out? fair play

"I think I'm done with Magnus stuff" buddy boy, its episode 12- magnus stuff isn't done with you, i can tell you that much

"Date of Incident: 9 March 2024" ooh v recent huh

stags are the worst, jordan, ty

oh. bonzo is back. lena meant it when she said to keep an eye out

the groom's was the name gwen handed over i assume

HE RIPPED HIS HEAD APART?? jesussssss

gwen. gwendolyn. you are not okay.

GWEN Thanks, Alice. Utterly useless as always. ALICE Anytime.

okay but purposely useless. purposely joking and irritating bc if you cant take it seriously it cant hurt you- that attitude is going to bite Alice sooner rather then later

ep 13:

ooh date night (morning)

A BABY???? CELIA WHAT

"it all went downhill" > proceeds to describe being generally successful- oh sammy we got to work on this hang-up

oh alice's parents are both dead? so just her and the little brother she is always looking after and giving money to anytime he is mentioned? bet that hasn't given her a complex

oh celia, you know the cases are real you're just trying to sound him out

"is it my fault?" GWENNNNNNN 😭

"we are... managing... the bad guys" oh boy

crypto bro, betting against your own life is a crazy idea what is wrong with you?

it reminds me of the dice case, a luck/circumstances based thing where you try to beat a rigged game

oof. sam. you hit a sore point there "professional"

"Stop trying to make an impact" is alice's motto tbh

ep 14:

"i went through the same thing when i started" i knew Alice had gone snooping, you dont get that avoidant without having tried first. of course, raises the question of what scared her off?

alice stop running away from your feelings challenge level: impossible

where the hell is there a marsh near Newcastle-Under-Lyme?

ooohhh boy hello sudden tone change

snake mannnnn, mannnn full of snakkeeessss

rejection notes from an institute....

ep 15:

sam. sam this is not smoother flirting than before

The Pillowman... we are making a note in case that's important

awww Alice loves her brother so much... shame that she's pitching him in such an awkward, intrusive way

"babies... are cool..." same, Alice

the fucking harpsichord? in the bg of the case reading is making me sooooo tense. i know what's going to happen and they're just drawing it out 10/10

oh. oh no. this is not what i thought was going to happen. i thought sure okay, rich assholes hunting ppl through the woods not... making them hunt each other oh this is so much more fucked up

"none of them got far" JESUS oh its not even all of them, just him

and now he is being hunted, okay

FUCK, the gunshot

oh. why is she in the office

STOP SNIFFING YOU CREEP

mowbray... is she one of the 'externals'...

LADY MOWBRAY Catch you next time, dearie. CELIA No, you won't.

oh that's vicious, celia knows she's a threat and won't give her a single inch, her hackles are raised sky-high

ah! sudden rock music!

And we finally meet Luke, hello

TAPE RECORDER

ummmm and another new voice??

UMMM

this is... the presence alice thought was following her? the thing she and sam set loose from the institute?

well. fuck.

[ashes-in-a-jar]

The Sheridan Tapes episode 86

Omg mike LeBeau! Haha loved having that small cameo xD

Ned (badly) imitating Ren and being called Red in the transcripts - impeccable xD

Love Caldwell enjoying Shania Twain and Highlander it feels... fitting lol

So in order to last longer in the source you must either have friends who remember your identity or you yourself are strong enough to retain it when it actively tries to leave you... That poor Sarah Freeman lost years of her life but at least she managed to make it back out... It's interesting that that all happened in 1993,it feels like too much of a coincidence

Also yay finally the Sam and Ned adventure we were all waiting for!! I love their dynamic so much

[wosocharleeeeess]

did you see the vid of the doco sam posted. it looks to good im so keen for it !!

omg yes! i love the kristie cameo too. so exciting i can’t wait to watch it

[whitecriminalcastle]

Ok so I reached the end and omg WE COULD HAVE HAD IT ALLLLLLLLL

If i have to comment on how shitty mike was to Anita in that episode when he was so nice to the victims throughout it ,i knew they had to make the link but it made mike appear cruel and by then so ooc. That's all i got to say about that.

I read that nbc promised 21 and then cancelled it, wtf, they should have continued I mean i know they did but you know back then. Watching them omg, the look between Mike & Connie in Immortal when mike says he is pleased he is single really confirms for me that something was happening or something was about to happen. Add that with the party and the fact they were so happy together, practically glued together. Yeah Mike was gonna be the father of Connie's baby.

I mean tbh my head canon is that they got together shortly after For the defense because after that there is a shift in their behaviour, the looks between them. Her tossing the car keys to him a few episodes after 20x09, you don't do that unless you are really comfortable with that person. Or they slept together after innocence and she is already pregnant by the party orrrrrrrr they slept together after the party.

It would have made season 21 really interesting if they did a one night stand thing and Mike stood by her because of his dad issues he wouldn't abandon a child. Or maybe it just would have subtly alluded to that they were together.

I love Linus, I loved him in Vikings but I have alllllll the mike and mike/connie gifs saved in my likes right now. He also had a brief little cameo in The Recruit on netflix playing a senator rather funnily.

It would be so good to see them both back on L&O even for a brief arc. Alana and Linus deserve some closure for their characters tbh like Sam did.

That article is sooo cute. She was so excited for it being written into her character god dammit.

I am now trying to find kidnapped. Need.

I have also started SVU from season 1 since I did actually L&O before mike but it got better with mike obviously.

Sobs, we really could have had alllllll

He didn't think, just acted to win and then realised that he had been insensitive. Is a part of his personality, anything to win.

If they promised season 21 and then back down... that is mean, it happens a lot and it's not fair to the fans. That line is either a hint to Connie (hey! I'm available) or is a lame way to cover that they are together in front of their co-workers.

Season 21 would've been the best, they been akward in the office trying to hide Connie's pregnancy, Jack looking at them like "who do you think you are fooling?"....and then being openly-sh together. NBC stole that from us.

I've watched Vikings and the Recruit (this only to watch Linus and Nathan Fillion to be honest) too. I binged the first season of Vikings because I wanted to get to the Linus' episodes ASAP. I loved that show. I've watched Fellow Travelers too and Summer of Rockets and some of the films he has made. Mike is still my favorite character of him, although king Ecbert is a close second.

I've downloaded kidnapped from emule, it's not on any stream sevices, at least not in Spain. I've watched the 2 first episodes already, it's a good show.

I started SVU on the season Linus is in, I'm at the end of season 20 now.

Maybe season 24 is the one where we get to see them 🤞

[foxgloveinspace]

pasted from my notes app:

okay i am compiling all my thoughts in a note as i watch lmao

1. love the dog. he’s adorable

2. journey!!!! separate ways- what a good fuckin song

3. now eurythmics?! this movie has a killer soundtrack. i did a jazz routine to sweet dreams once upon a time. it was so fun lol

4. the weird white robot-y ladies are giving me hardcore like, austin powers vibes lmao

5. hahahaaaaa mr orange guy… i like his helmet

6. oooooh there’s multiple orange guys. they both have cool masks/helmets. something about being unable to see the face and yet totally understand the emotion fuuuuuucks me up

7. omg this is going to get long i’m so sorry i’m like a quarter through the movie 😅

8. very good fight scene choreo, that always makes or breaks a show for me. poor choreo is painful to watch, but this is good! i like

9. umm. I’m guessing dad is the bad guy. he’s kinda shady lmao (oooooooh it’s a dad clone. love clones. they always throw wrenches in plans)

10. lmaoooooo dad so disappointed sam only has a dog and no gf 😭

11. haha is that a daft punk cameo? not my cup of tea in terms of music but that’s pretty neat

12. OH MY GOD MICHAEL SHEEN I LOVE HIM. he plays the most insane characters- and also the sweetest (aziraphale in good omens 🥺)

13. okay ngl i keep hearing “rinzler” and thinking of the rizzler and i can’t stop laughing about it 😂

14. LMAO HE JUST BONKED THE DUDE. i love percussive maintenance, that’s how i fix my car

15. oooooh i love a good “i was a good guy before i was evil and i remember” moment. Good shit

that was really good! i honestly didn’t remember any of it from whenever i watched it but that was dope. i can definitely see how you’re so invested in the story! now i’m pumped for your fic whenever it comes out 😂🥰

Answering all of your notes.... under a readmore so this isn't too too long, haha

1). Yes!!! Marv is so cute!!

2). I love that song so much.

3). yes!! the sound track is really good, but you won't find those two songs on it haha.

4).I've never seen that movie, so I'll take your word for it, haha. They are really interesting and I am intrigued by them lore wise, sad we don't get more about them in the movie (idk if theres more in the tv show? I haven't watch it yet cause it got canceled and ended on a clif hanger, but I should).

5/6. yes!! orange guys!! I love all of their designs, except for Jarvis (Clu's assistant), I know they where going for like.... hes weird and kinda cringe, but they could have done his design way better.

7. No worries!!

8. yes! the fights are good, and I think even tho Sam is like, a newbie to it, it still feels realistic? like the guy base jumps, I feel like him knowing how to fight is reasonable.

9. yeah that whole scene is so?? trippy haha. (I now, of course, only watch Rinzler doing his thing in the background when I watch this scene haha)

10. YESSSS ugh, I feel like he's more so disapointed that Sam isn't giving him much to go off of?? to Sam this is still the guy that abanonded him, but to Kevin this is his kid that he hasn't seen in so freaking long (time works differently on the grid, not to get super into it, but one year our time is 50 years grid time. So Kevin has been on the Grid for over 1k years.)

11. DAFT PUNK DOES THE WHOLE SOUNDTRACK hahaha. Sorry, they are my og masked band and I still love them so much <3 (Legit I've only been listening to sleep token and daft punk for the majority this month). So all the music in the movie? was them, and that's why they where in it! really cool to me haha.

12.YES!!! he's such a good actor, shape shiftier I swear. His design is so cool, and I like Zeus as a villain. He's so interesting and I want to know morrrre. But we'll never get it oof.

13. LMAO

14.Yes, Kevin bonking that guy is so freaking funny. I feel bad for the program, but like. i love that scene. It's such a callback to the first movie, when Kevin was a cocky little shit, and I love it so much.

15. Tron in that scene breaks my heart.

I'm so glad you enjoyed it!!!! Like, I just.... legitimately can't express how excited I am that you liked it??

and yes... my fic..... I was working on it when I got your ask.... Rinzler and Sam are interacting... and I am... LIVING. HAHA. So little has happened it feels like, and yet... 18k... whooooo boy. I wouldn't be surprised if this ends up being my longest fic ever oof.

[ziltoidcoffee]

what do you think will happen in season 6? got any thoughts and hopes?

Omg an ask! ❤️ Thank you for messaging me!

This comes at an interesting time cause of the writers strike, which i fully support. I wonder how long this one will last...

What do I hope for?

As much Terry Silver screen time as possible.

Also as much Silverusso screen time as possible....

More Lawrusso moments but nothing half hearted and rushed.

The long awaited apology or heartfelt moment from Johnny to Daniel about what he did in KK.

Kreese being unhinged. Can never get enough.

Tory and Sam friendship moments.

Less of Miguel being mopey. Ugh teenagers.

More Johnny and Miguel bonding moments. And not with Robby as an awkward third wheel. Though that could be funny.

As little sreen time as possible for Johnny's "second try" baby

Amanda having hobbies or doing something besides breaking the 4th wall

Daniel cooking scenes

What do I expect aka don't want?

Too much Johnny x Carmen baby screen time. Specifically some awful montage of Johnny trying to diaper a baby with 80s rock.

Sam and Miguel finding a reason to break up again. She goes back to Robby again...

Them killing off Terry. Especially without closure with Daniel.

OOC Johnny moments

Some ridiculous twist like Miyagi's secret son who also owns a dojo... You know fuck it. I'll take that. I want it.

Some cringe celeb cameo that makes no sense

Another stupid twist. Like Johnny's dad is Terry's dead twin brother.

Miyagi force ghost or something

[zepskies]

Aww thank you, lovely!! 🥰 They're getting a sweet start to this romance...

I don't know why, but that moment was so relatable. Poor girl 😂

Lmfao all I know is that's exactly how I'd be feeling if Dean friggin' Winchester was coming towards me like that.

We've talked about this in the last chapter, but that is so unbelievably cruel. I really feel for Jo here. I really do 💔 As much as I love swooning over Dean, I wanna slap that man so hard here. God help me 😭

As usual, Dean's thinking with his dick and nothing else. 😫 It's a shitty situation that the reader has no idea is happening, but I felt for Jo while I was writing it. 💔

Monica? Is that you? 😂

LMFAO you know what, this reader character is very much a "Monica" now that I think about it. 😂

(Btw I'm actually rewatching Friends from the beginning lol. I'm already on season 2. 🤣)

Oh... Oh! I did not put that together until now that Andrea was that Andrea lol

Oh yes!! We're doing deep cut cameos in this AU. 😂

Oh, I hope she quits that stupid sales job and opens her own bakery by the end of this series. Since she went to culinary school, it'd be perfect! She already has a whole firehouse as a customer 😆

Ugh ikr? Her career and her ultimate decision there will definitely be covered in this story. And lol yesss that whole house would be lining up!

Oh dear effing Lord! That whole "burn & ice" bit killed me! If he had done that to me, I would've just made a sound like velociraptor and died on the spot. Holy fucking crap, that was some icy hot action! 🔥🫠

LOLLL. Girl same. Let's be honest, I'd melt right along with that ice and be a fucking puddle on the floor if he did that to me. 🫠❤️‍🔥

Oh Grandpa George, you never disappoint ❤️ I probably swoon more over him than Dean in this series. Isn't that something 😂

Awww I absolutely love to hear that. 🥹🥹 George is so special to me too.

And the 70s roller rink! Omg now I have an extra reason to put Plastic Hearts on my reading list as well. 💖 Love me an 80s theme.

And I loved the getting ready scenes with Dean and the reader and that they both mirrored each other and showed their nervousness. But I hated the fact that Dean thought he had to be someone else and change for her. That's not why she picked you, you dumbass! But also, so typical of Dean to think he wouldn't be enough... 😔

Ahaha Dean's trying a little too hard, isn't he? But yes Sam coming in as the voice of reason (as usual). Dean's whole "relationship" game is weak AF at this point (a hot mess, as you rightly pointed out lmfao), so he's kind of like an early seasons Chandler, just throwing spaghetti at the wall and seeing what sticks.

Red was what? What the hell is a Malbec? Sounds like a kind of fish. That can’t be red wine.

His inner monologue is killing me 🤣

LOL it's my headcanon that canon Dean as well as an AU Dean would have no idea what the fuck wine is about. He's more of a beer or whiskey guy. Tequila if he's feeling frisky.

Although they had their initial difficulties, I'm so happy she saw how he was struggling and they ended up having such a sweet and honest date ❤️ While it was cute he tried to "impress" and "woo" her, how long could he have kept up that ruse, huh? If he wants to have a real relationship, he needs to be real and, thus, himself.

It took them a hot minute, but they got there eventually! 😅 You're so right though; keeping up that "ruse" would've just left him exhausted and her feeling like he's trying to just get into her pants. A real relationship is based on honesty and trust, like you said. And him finally being honest about "women liking the firefighter thing until they don't" -- that's kind of been the crux of his problems with dating so far.

I'm so very glad you enjoyed this chapter!!! Next time you'll see Part 2 of their date. 😘💕💕

Smoke Eater - Part 3

Pairing: Firefighter!Dean Winchester x F. Reader 

Summary: Dean Winchester is the cocky, but well-respected Lieutenant at Firehouse 25. He leads by example, but he’s also known to break a few hearts. He’s starting to crave something he’s never had, though. Something stable. Something real. 

That’s when he meets you, on a truly terrible day, trapped in a rickety old elevator.   

AN: Ready for some more ridiculous flirting? lol

🔥 Series Masterlist

Song Inspo: “Got a Hold on Me” by Christine McVie (of Fleetwood Mac) Word Count: 5,800 Tags/Warnings: Mutual pining, fluff, first encounters and first dates

Part 3: “Got a Hold on Me”

Your gaze drew a path onwards, eventually reaching the other end of the bar.

There you caught sight of red flannel over a black undershirt, familiar broad shoulders, and an even more familiar face. Your eyes widened a fraction as his met yours, gleaming with recognition…and interest.

That slow smile of his was familiar too. It made a lance of heat run down your spine. You gripped the counter, mostly to steady yourself as you let out a breath.

Lieutenant Winchester.

You couldn’t help but smile back as you met the man’s gaze across the bar.

You recognized his bearded friend, Benny, who leaned over and said something to Dean. You couldn’t hear him, of course, but maybe he was asking a question. Because Dean nodded and said something in reply before he picked up his glass of what looked like whiskey. And he smoothly got up out of his seat.

Anticipation and nerves coiled together in your lower belly. You turned to your friend, who was already sipping at her vodka cranberry.

“Dre, help me,” you pleaded.

Andréa discreetly followed the path of your gaze, and her brows raised. A smirk curved her lips.

“Oh, babe. You need to help yourself,” she replied.

“I haven’t done that in a while,” you admitted. Your dating life had been sorely lacking, between the demands of your job and taking care of things at home. “I’m gonna say something demented.”

Andréa huffed in amusement.

“So? That’s half the fun,” she said. A smile curved her lips. “I think I’m going to go play some pool.”

And with that, your friend abandoned you. She slid off her seat and patted your ass on her way over to one of the pool tables. You watched her go with narrowed eyes and pursed lips. 

“There you go, hun,” said Jo. She slid your drink in front of you. It came in a deep round glass on a stem, with a straw on the side.

“Thanks,” you replied.

You opened the straw and took a small sip to steady yourself, as you saw Dean coming out of the corner of your eye.

You even pretended not to notice the handsome man sliding into the seat next to you. His elbows rested on the counter next to yours, and you finally glanced over at him.

“Can I help you, sir?” you asked. A coquettish smile played at your lips, but you even surprised yourself with your smooth delivery. Inside, you had butterflies.

You didn’t notice the way Jo’s gaze lingered on you and Dean, a frown marring her features. Though she soon moved on to another patron.

And Dean’s attention was solely on you. He gave you a handsome smile, full of charm. You gave him expectant brows. 

“Well, we’ll see. I’ve got a question for you,” he said.

You indulged him with a nod. “Okay. What’s your question, Lieutenant?”  

“Why Girl Scout cookies?” he asked, speaking of the baked goods you’d brought by the firehouse yesterday. “I mean, we’ve gotten cakes, muffins, Krispy Kreme donuts. But I gotta say, we’ve never gotten some bakery-style Trefoils.”

Your smile brightened a bit.

“Who doesn’t like ‘em?” you asked. “I mean, you can walk by their table and be all coy and pretend you’re not going to buy anything, but then you walk away with half a dozen boxes of Thin Mints.”

Dean chuckled, and you enjoyed the way it crinkled the corners of his eyes.

“Or is that just me?” you added, and once again sipped at your drink. 

Meanwhile, Andréa felt a hot gaze on her as she set up the cue balls on the pool table. She allowed it with a subtle smile. If it was the same one she’d crossed paths with earlier when she walked in with you, then she didn’t mind.

She was, however, getting impatient.

“Mind if I join you?”

The pleasant drawl of the man’s voice licked up her spine. When she glanced over her shoulder, her smile widened a fraction. Finally.

“For a game?” she asked. She straightened, brushing a smooth wave of dark hair off her shoulder.

And she turned to meet the bearded man standing casually behind her, resting his glass on the edge of the pool table. The gray of his rolled up, buttoned-down shirt brought out the vivid blue of his eyes. But even though he was tall and broad, he didn’t seem intimidating.

“To start with,” he said. His lips quirked at a smile. “But first, I think it’d be a damn shame if I didn’t ask for your name.”

Andréa’s head tipped to one side as she considered him. She picked up the second pool stick and handed it to him.

“Are you going to ask?” she replied. Her fingers curled around her own stick as she leaned a hip against the table. 

It made him smile. Those eyes of his considered her dress, an earthy green that brought out the hazel in her eyes, warm against her tan skin. But he lingered on her face, full lips and long, dark lashes.

“What’s your name, beautiful?” he asked.

“Andréa,” she answered, and gestured to the pyramid of cue balls. “I’ll even let you go first, if I get your name.”

His smile deepened, and he leaned over beside her to line up his shot. He glanced over and found the challenge in her eyes was more than welcome.

“I’m Benny,” he said. He took the shot without looking at his target, breaking the pyramid and scattering cue balls across the table.

Back at the bar, your drink and your conversation were both bringing a pleasant buzz to your brain. You nodded along with the music when “Got a Hold on Me” by Christine McVie replaced Boston.

“You’re liftin’ me up,” she sang through the speakers. “Never let me down…and I smile whenever you’re around.”

Dean glanced at you with a small grin, shaking his head.

You couldn’t help but smile back. “What?”

“Nothin’,” he said. “I just didn’t expect to see someone like you here.”

Your brows furrowed. “Someone like me?”

He caught the look on your face, and his turned apologetic.

“Nah, I just mean…this doesn’t seem like your usual vibe,” he said.

You weren’t quite sure how to take that, but you eventually shrugged.

“To be honest, I don’t go out all that much,” you replied. “I like it here though. Good music, good drinks—”

“And good company, I hope,” Dean added in. You allowed that with a smile.

All the while, Christine kept singing.

“I’ve been down. I’ve been used. Now I know, I know, I know, I just can’t lose…”

“So did you guys like the cookies? Or did the Girl Scout thing put you off,” you teased. Dean’s lips quirked.

“Sweetheart, those delectables were gone by end of shift. I’m talking that afternoon. They were easily some of the best cookies I’ve ever tasted…I’m serious,” he said, when you became a bit bashful, and maybe disbelieving.

“I’m tellin’ you, if you had your own bakery, I’d be lining up every damn day,” he said. He then sent you a playfully suspicious look. “Matter of fact, you didn’t just buy those, did you?”

Your smiled warmed as you considered your half-empty glass. Your fingers traced the rim.

“Well, don’t laugh but…I actually went to culinary school,” you said. Dean’s brows rose high at the confession.

“Why would I laugh about that? That’s awesome!” he said. “Why didn’t you become a chef or something?”

Your gaze drifted downwards. “Well…let’s just say, life got in the way.”

His face dimmed a little at that. But you noticed, and you tried to perk up.

“So yes, sir. I baked all five dozen of those cookies with my own two hands,” you said more cheerfully. You raised waving fingers. “I’ve got the burns to prove it.”

You’d actually made a rookie move, trying to move one of the trays before it had sufficiently cooled down. It was bad enough that you had to apply some aloe last night.

Dean made a show of furrowing his brows, with playful concern.    

“Let me see,” he said. He straightened in his seat, acting more “Lieutenant Winchester” as he took your hands and examined your palms and fingers. You blushed, and you bit your lip against a smile as his larger hands handled yours with care.

He did notice the redness on your fingertips, and part of your right palm. He glanced up at you.

“Do they hurt?” he asked.

You blinked at the genuine note in his question.

“Oh, not really,” you said. But you smiled at the fractional raise of his brows. “Well, maybe they still sting a bit, but it’s nothing. I had worse in school, believe me.”

Dean hummed as he considered your hands. Your face heated up further as you tried to get a read on what he was thinking. Was he about to do the cheesy thing and kiss it better? (Though you probably wouldn’t mind, even if he did.)

Instead, Dean reached into his own glass and grabbed an ice cube. After shaking off some excess water droplets, he moved the ice against the pads of your fingers, then down the fading red mark on your palm.

“That feel better?” he asked.

If possible, your blush intensified as your insides warmed and melted like hot butter. It was a sweet, and seemingly earnest gesture that plucked at your heartstrings.

And that was how Dean Winchester got your number before “Got a Hold on Me” ended.

Andréa was still chatting away at the bar with Benny by the time you decided to call it a night. She understood why you wanted to get home, to check on your grandfather.

You saw a bit of disappointment in Dean’s eyes when you said you needed to go, but he graciously offered to walk you to your car. It was pretty late, after all, and you had more than one reason to agree as he stepped out with you into the night.

You didn’t know if it was the evening chill, or his presence burning beside you that made a small shiver run through you. But once the two of you reached your car, you hesitated and looked up at Dean. You realized that you were reluctant to end this, whatever it was.

He quirked a smile down at you and tucked a wily strand of hair behind your ear.

“It was good to see you,” he said.

“Likewise, Lieutenant,” you replied, with a teasing gleam in your eyes. His were drawn to your face, lowering to your lips.

“Can I see you again?” he asked.

Again, your face warmed. “I think I’d be okay with that.”

His smile grew with his huff of amusement.

“Okay, how about I pick you up tomorrow night?” he offered. “That’s, uh…if you don’t got any plans.”

Your heart was hammering in your chest. Play it cool, for the love of God. Just say yes.

You didn’t usually agree to let a man pick you up on the first date, but something about Dean felt intrinsically trustworthy. Maybe it was the fact that he’d already saved you once this week.

“Sure,” you agreed, sounding more casual than you felt. “What did you have in mind?”

Dean considered that with a thoughtful look.

“Tell you what, let me take you to dinner. Somewhere nice,” he said. His hand raised to thumb at your warm cheek. He couldn’t see your blush, but you were sure he could feel it.

“I like dinner,” you admitted. Though you immediately wanted to slap yourself. Idiot!

Dean just laughed, and your blush turned to one of embarrassment.

“All right. Something we can agree on,” he said in amusement. “I’ll see you tomorrow then. Get home safe, okay, sweetheart?”

You nodded, though you paused, looking up at the indecision on his face. His gaze roamed your face, once again falling to your lips. Nervousness trilled down your spine, though you didn’t know why.

Maybe you were just a coward, but you didn’t wait for him to decide. You just gave him one last smile before you turned from him, unlocking your car with a press of a button on your keys.

“Well, goodnight,” you told him. “See you tomorrow.”

He nodded, stepping back from you. “See you soon.”

Well, it was tomorrow. And you were trying not to freak the hell out.

“That’s it,” Andréa said. “That’s the one.”

You had her on FaceTime, with your phone propped up on your dresser as you raided your closet.

Your hair was pinned up, your makeup done, and now, she’d helped you find the right outfit—a dress in vibrant emerald green that hugged your curves and fell to about mid-thigh. You smoothed out the straps and twisted to see yourself in the mirror.

“Why’re you frowning. This is perfect!” Andréa said.

“I just…” You sighed, once again trying to tug up the neckline. It was a bit lower than you preferred, but if you remembered right, your friend had encouraged this purchase a while back.

“It isn’t too much, is it?” you asked.

“Not for a first date with a smokin’ hot firefighter, mind the pun,” Andréa teased. “You’re a knockout, babe. He won’t be able to pick up his tongue off the floor…but I’m sure you can find a place for him to put it.”

You spluttered laughing, even after you made a scandalized sound. “You’re ridiculous.”

Still, you knew you could always count on Andréa to hype you up. You appreciated that about her; she was confident without being petty or prideful. And while she never begrudged you for your more cautious approach to things, she did try to get you out of your comfortable shell when you needed it. This, apparently, was one of those times.

You chose a pair of black suede heels Dean hadn’t seen before, along with a few spritzes of perfume in strategic locations on your body.

“Okay, Dean’s supposed to get here at 8:00. Until then, regale me with more about your night with Captain Benjamin Lafitte,” you said, drawing out each word of the man’s name with a suggestive flourish.

Andréa gave a dreamy sigh. She smiled as she sat back against her headboard in bed.

“He was just so…” she trailed, like she was sorting through a collection of memories, savoring each one, all while trying to find a way to distill it all into a simple sentence. She had an artist’s mind, and so tended to romanticize. But you enjoyed the way she spun her stories.

“Earthy, and real, while still being charming,” she said. “I’m pretty sure he let me win the pool game. Which ordinarily would annoy the shit out of me, but when he offered to buy me another drink, I couldn’t say no, and…we talked until the bar closed.”

“Wow.” Your eyes widened as you made the finishing touches on your clipped up hair.

“Right? I’ve never had an experience like that with a perfect stranger,” she said. “I think…I think it was like, one of those connections you hear about, see on TV but never think it happens in real life. I’ll tell you, when we walked into the bar, his eyes were the first thing I saw. And they were the last thing I remember from that night, after he kissed me goodnight…well, more like made out against my car, but you get the idea.”

She smiled as her face became lost in thought. Meanwhile, you tried not to be envious that she’d had more courage than you.

“Are you going to see him again soon?” you asked. Andréa seemed to come back down to Earth at the question, meeting your gaze.

“I think so,” she said. “We’re trying to plan something for next week. He’s also a construction contractor.”

You nodded. “Yeah, Dean was telling me that a lot of them have part-time jobs when they’re not on shift.”

“Does he do anything on the side?” she asked.

“If I remember right, he said he fixes cars sometimes, but I’m not sure if he’s a certified mechanic,” you replied.

“Well, maybe he can spruce up your old-ass Toyota Camry. How long have you had that thing?” she asked.  

You scoffed. “Since college. And it was old then, since I got it used…I think I’ve racked up about 200,000 miles on it.”

Andréa grimaced. “Oh God. You really need a new car, before that thing breaks down on you.”

“That’s what I keep tellin’ her,” said Grandpa George. He appeared in the doorway with a mug of tea. He waved at Andréa on your phone screen. “Hey there, sweetheart.”

“Hey, George. What’re your plans this evening? Go-karting or roller blading?” she teased with a grin.

George matched it with a hearty laugh. Andréa was his favorite.

“Well, I think I’ll start at the roller disco and see where my heart takes me,” he replied. Though he had fond stars in his eyes, and you smiled, knowing what memory he was about to recall.

“Ah, my wife and I met at one of those cheesy-ass places in the ‘70s,” he said. “She was a regular there, had the knee-high socks, the shiny skirt, her long hair whipping around like a rope… I remember she skated past me and knocked me clean onto my ass. I watched her skate away, that little skirt swishing. I think I was half in love right there.”

Your heart twinged, both for yourself and for him, as you could see the sting of melancholy in his eyes. Your grandmother had passed away a few years ago, but it was still deeply painful for both of you.

George shook his head, as if clearing the ghosts of memory from his mind. He looked over at you with a fond smile.

“Well, don’t you look beautiful?” he said. And he reached out for your hand, playfully raising it above your head and twirling you around as you smiled. “Reminds me of when your grandma helped you get ready for the senior prom.”

You snorted at that. “You mean when she almost glued my eyes shut, trying to get those fake lashes on?”

You’d rather pluck out your own eyes than have to ever again go through the “de-gluing process,” as she’d called it.

“It’s a shame we don’t have any pictures of you that night,” George considered. A knowing smile crossed his face. “You looked adorable.”

“I looked like I had a wonky eye,” you retorted. “Why do you think I burned all the evidence?”

Andréa tried not to, but she chortled at your expense. You shot her a narrowed look.

“Careful,” she teased. “Don’t strain yourself, Wonky. You’ve got a better night than prom ahead of you.”

“Speaking of, when’s that boy supposed to pick you up?” George asked.

You let out a breath, slightly nervous as you checked the time on your phone.

“In about ten minutes.”

“Okay, for the third time,” Sam said, trying his best to be patient. He sat on Dean’s bed while the man stood in front of the bathroom mirror. He was debating the age-old question: tie, or no tie?

“Red wine goes with red meat. White wine goes with chicken and fish,” Sam reminded him. “If you get red, you want to order a bottle of merlot. It’s full bodied without being dry as hell.”

“Yeah, merlot with meat. Got it,” Dean nodded. “What’s white again?”

“Everything else,” Sam said, once again. “If you order white, I’d say go with a pinot grigio. It’s light, can be dry or can be fruity. It all depends on personal preference, but I really like—”

“Well, I’m probably getting steak, so no to pinot,” Dean said. He finally decided on no tie, just a black suit jacket over the dark blue shirt, with a couple of buttons left open at the top.

Sam sighed and gestured at his brother. “And what if she wants fish? What if she hates red wine?”

Dean frowned. “Right. Okay. Pinot or merlot, got it.”

“Always ask to try it first,” Sam added. “Or here’s a thought. You could just be yourself. Order a beer and let her get whatever she wants.”

His frown deepening, Dean shook his head and left his bathroom. He crossed his bedroom to find his shoes—the nice black ones he only wore for weddings and funerals.

“Nah. This girl’s classy, Sam. Can’t half-ass this,” he said. A bit of unease coiled in his stomach, but he tried his best to ignore it.

He couldn’t remember the last time he got nervous to meet a girl…maybe because he hadn’t gone out on an actual “dinner and conversation” date in a while.

Or at least, he didn’t think he could count his dates as real ones.

“You’ll be fine,” Sam said. He could see plainly what his brother didn’t want to admit, only because they knew each other so well.

Dean glanced over at Sam and flickered at a smile. He grabbed his keys, his wallet, and didn’t think he was missing anything…

“Dean,” Sam said. He nodded over at the bundle on the dresser. Dean reached for it and shot his brother a wink.

“Hold the fort, Sammy.”

His car rumbled to a stop in front of your house just a few minutes late. Dean took a moment to admire the nice-looking beige house with its dark trim, old but still in good condition. And he wondered if you had roommates, or if you lived alone. Maybe you even owned this place. 

He wasn’t sure, as he could only see one car in the driveway (your car, he recognized). He knew he’d need about two or three other roommates to be able to afford this two-story house. 

He straightened his collar and blew out a breath. Get it together, asshole. You’re going on a date, not running into a burning building.

Funny, he’d probably be less nervous with the latter.

You’re not nervous, he reminded himself. You like her, that’s all…yeah.

Rolling his eyes at himself, Dean turned off the car and grabbed his key out of the ignition on his way out. He walked up the red brick path up to the porch and knocked on your door.

His pulse picked up a bit when he heard a pair of heels approaching the door. Soon enough, it opened, and Dean was greeted with a sight. Namely your face, and a smile spreading across it.

Beautiful, he couldn’t help but think, as his gaze dipped to take in the rest of you. He liked the color of your pretty green dress, the soft and classy makeup, the goddamn sexy heels, and the way your hair was pinned up. (Even though it looked so soft, he wanted to see it loose.)

He liked it all, especially that you seemed happy to see him.

“Hey there,” you said, a little breathy, like you’d been hastening down the stairs.

Dean gave you a smile, along with the small bouquet of flowers he’d been hiding behind his back.

“Hey, sweetheart,” he said. His smile deepened when you uttered a gasp at the modest bundle of red tulips. “Feel like I should’a gone with something more impressive to match you. You look beautiful.”

You glanced up at him with a sweet smile, but you took the flowers and shook your head.

“No, these are gorgeous. I…can’t remember the last time someone gave me flowers,” you admitted.

It was a bit old-fashioned, but one of Dean’s earliest memories as a kid was seeing his dad come home, late from work as he so often was. But he’d stopped along the way at his mom’s favorite flower shop. He brought her red tulips rather than red roses.

Dean didn’t know why. Maybe that was her favorite flower, or maybe the roses were all out. In his memory though, his mom’s upset faded whenever she saw those flowers.    

“Thank you,” you said warmly, taking Dean out of his thoughts. He flashed you a smile touched with slight embarrassment. He drew a hand through his short hair at the back of his head.

“Well, uh, are you ready?” he asked.

You nodded. “Yep! Just need to grab my purse and put these in some water.”

You welcomed him inside the house while he waited for you to find a vase. Dean took the opportunity to look around from where he stood in the hall. It looked big on the outside, but inside, it looked like a cozy family home. He took in the wood furniture, a paisley couch in the living room, family pictures on the wall and in a China cabinet rather than actual fine China.

It didn’t exactly scream high-powered saleswoman, but maybe you’d inherited it from your family. Or you were going to have it fixed up before you sold it, like some Property Brothers-type action. Or he was reading too much into it entirely, and should just focus on the fact that you’d agreed to go out with him to begin with.

Dean perked up when you returned with your purse on your shoulder and the tulips in a vase, which you set down on the living room coffee table for now. You greeted him again with smile.

“I’ll find a better place for those later, just didn’t want to keep you waiting,” you said.

“You’re good,” he said. He offered you his hand, along with a grin. “I hope you’re hungry though. I know how much you like dinner.”

You giggled, ducking your head in embarrassment. You followed him out the front door.

“If we can forget about that tipsy foot-in-mouth moment, that’d be great,” you said. Dean shook his head.

“Sorry, my mind’s like a steel trap,” he teased, even as he led you down the few steps of your porch in your heels.

“Oh, really?” Your brow raised. “Okay, I’ll remember you said that.”

Dean smirked. “Uh oh. Why do I feel like that one’s gonna bite me in the ass someday?”

“We’ll see,” you replied in amusement. “Future dinners might be on the line here.”

Your eyes widened when you finally saw his car parked behind yours in the driveway. Big and black and sleek and Chevrolet.

“Wow. That’s your car?”

Dean shot you a grin that was somehow proud without being smug.

“You like her?” he asked. He unlocked the car and even opened the passenger side door for you.

Wow again. A rare gentleman. You smiled and obliged him by climbing in.

“I think I do,” you said. Dean got in on his side after closing your door. The doors creaked and the engine rumbled when he turned the ignition. He looked over at you in a way that made your insides both flutter and melt. Anticipation and warmth.

“Think she likes you too,” he said.

Shit, what did Sam say? Dean stared down the wine menu, which may as well have been a Chinese grocery list, for all he knew.

Red was what? What the hell is a Malbec? Sounds like a kind of fish. That can’t be red wine.

He discreetly raised his gaze above the menu. You were sitting there, pretty much perfect while you looked over the appetizer menu. This was an Italian restaurant. A nice one, and a cut above Dean’s usual dining spots. Neither of you had eaten here before, but you looked vastly more comfortable than he felt. 

“What sounds better to you, clams or bruschetta?” you asked. Your eyes flicked up to his thoughtfully. “You don’t strike me as a clammy kinda guy.”

A smile tugged at his lips. There was a “clam” joke in there somewhere, but he wasn’t sure you’d appreciate it.

“Bruschetta is the toast with little tomatoes, right?” he asked.

“Yep,” you nodded, but then your head tilted as you looked down at the menu again. “Or we could do meatballs. Comes with two—a ball each.”

You bit your lip over a smile, tinged with embarrassment, like you didn't realize what you were saying until you said it.

Dean smirked. Maybe your sense of humor was more in line with his than he expected.

“Well, I don’t typically go for balls, meaty or otherwise. But whatever you want, sweetheart,” he teased. Truth be told, he loved Italian meatballs, but right now, he liked your snort of amusement even more.   

By the time the server, Liam, came to the table, you seemed to know what you wanted, while Dean was still looking over the wine list like it was Calculus homework. 

“Would you like something to drink?” Liam asked.

Dean paused, unsure of how to respond. He glanced at you on reflex. You were waiting for him to say something, he knew. He just wasn’t sure what he could say that didn’t make him look like an idiot.

“I’ll have a glass of this Cabernet Sauvignon,” you replied to the server, and pointed out the name of the wine on the list. He nodded and wrote that down, then turned to Dean next.

“And for you, sir?” Liam asked.

Again, Dean had a conundrum.

He decided to play it safe. “I’ll have the same.”

You eyed him a moment, before you turned back to Liam.

“Can we try it first? See if we like it,” you said.

“Certainly,” he nodded. “Do you want to start with an appetizer?”

“Yes. The meatballs, please,” you replied, glancing at Dean with secret amusement. His lips hinted at a smirk.

When the server left to put in the order, you rested your elbows on the table and folded your hands under your chin.

“Something tells me you’re not big on wine,” you said.

Dean’s smile became more self-deprecating as he tapped a finger on the table.

“That obvious, huh? …Well, can’t say I didn’t try.”

“Dean Winchester.” Your head tilted as you considered him. “Are you trying to impress me?”

“Trying, maybe. Doubt I’m succeeding,” he admitted with a short laugh.

You let out a small sigh, but you didn’t look disappointed.

“I just want to get to know you,” you said. “You don’t have to woo me or anything.”

His brow rose in a subtle challenge. “What if you deserve a bit of wooing?”

You glanced down then, with a pretty blush beginning to dust your cheeks. He could still spot it in the dim lamplight, and it made him smile.

“I get what you’re saying,” he inclined his head. “I just have a feeling the guys you go out with know how to order a bottle of wine, at least.”

You met his gaze at that. Your brows drew together, and it wasn’t until that that you realized what Dean seemed to be thinking. Like you were somehow better than him, or out of his league. While that was incredibly flattering (and downright surprising), it just wasn’t true, you felt.

You’d been nervous as hell up until this point, convinced that this man’s interest was half because he’d saved you. Because really, between the cut of that jaw, that smile, and those eyes, he could have anyone. And yet, he’d noticed you.

So now, you gained enough courage to reach across the table and rest your hand over his. It earned his attention.

“Look, Dean,” you said. “You don’t know anything about the kind of guys I go out with, so why don’t you just try to get to know me, instead of being whatever you think I want?”

There was a challenge in your eyes, but your smile softened it, along with your hand in his. Dean curled his fingers around your hand, and he nodded.

“That’s fair,” he said. His thumb drew across the back of your hand as he considered what you’d said. He realized he wasn’t being fair…

“See, women tend to like the firefighter thing, until they don’t,” he said. 

“What do you mean?” you asked.

“Well, after a little while, it’s like the shine wears off,” Dean admitted. “Between the long, sometimes inconsistent hours, the weight of the job… It’s either too much, or not enough, you know?”

As much as that disheartened you to hear, you kind of understood what he was saying. First responders led challenging lives, and you could imagine how hard it would be to maintain relationships—from family and friends to lovers. And when he met your eyes, you had a feeling you knew what he was really saying underneath.

It’s not enough…or he’s not enough?

You frowned and squeezed his hand.

“That must make it hard to find a real connection with someone,” you said.

Dean read the look in your eyes: sympathetic, but not pitying. He appreciated that, and you right now. But he was also getting a bit embarrassed. Good job, Mr. Overshare.

He let go of your hand just to lean back in his seat and card his fingers through his hair. He blew out a breath.

“Sorry. Don’t know why I’m saying all this crap,” he said with a chuckle.

You smiled and crossed your arms on the table. “It’s not crap.”

He gave you a wry smile.

This Dean is not what I expected, you thought. He was all panty-dropping smiles and one-liners, until he wasn’t. Behold, the softie underneath.

Liam soon returned with two glasses with a sample of the wine you’d requested. Dean took his glass, but waited a moment to watch you bring yours up to your face. You inhaled first before you took an experimental sip. You smiled and hummed at the taste. It led Dean to sip his as well.

He immediately made a face at the bitter, strong taste that razed across his tastebuds. He was used to the burn of alcohol, but this was just gross.

That’s when he caught that look on your face—a small smile as you gauged his reaction.

“Refreshing,” Dean quipped. And dry as hell.

“You want a beer instead?” you asked.

“Definitely,” Dean nodded, looking up at Liam. “Heineken, if you please.”

“That I can do.” The other man quirked a smile. “And for you, miss?”

You tapped on the rim of your wine glass. “A glass of this please. Thank you.”

“Absolutely,” Liam replied. “I’ll bring those shortly.”

Dean watched you with a smile. You caught him at it and smiled back questioningly.

“What?” you asked.

He shook his head. “Nothin’.”

He liked the way you carried yourself. Smart and classy, without being a snob. Confident and sexy at times, while shy and freakin’ adorable at others…

Damn, Dean thought. He liked you. He did.

And he didn’t want to admit it, but that kind of scared him.

AN: Hohoo, so believe it or not, this is just part 1 of the first date! The rest is to come in the next chapter. But how did you like this so far?

Next Time:

You watched him curiously as he shrugged out of his jacket. He wrapped it around your shoulders, like this was some kind of Hallmark moment.

Heh. Can’t believe Meg had it right, he thought, as he caught your blush.

“Thanks,” you said softly.

“Can’t let you catch cold in this little dress,” Dean reasoned.

He gently tugged you in closer by the ends of his jacket. Once again, his gaze was drawn to your face, your eyes, and finally your lips. You still held both ice cream cones between you two, but he could be careful enough to sample something else.

He started to lean in…

Keep Reading: PART 4

Dean Winchester Masterlist

Main Masterlist

Series Tag List (Part 1):

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[thatmexisaurusrex]

omg you're so right, HOW DID THEY NOT EVEN CAMEO???????? That and the fact that we didn't get any like cute younger Sam flashbacks either, like we could have had it all 😭

Just Sam and Bucky, asking Carol why she didn't tell them she moved to Louisiana.

[hopalongfairywren]

Sam Bucket Lore liveblogging

FUCK WE'RE LIVE

lore is starting in nine minutes ok. I can wait.

quackity inspires him omg. cc!Quackity really did raise the dsmp to new levels. It was already great but he made it fucking cinematic

tina shoutout! Everyone say thank you to cc!tina she is the reason

Sam bucket. I will never get tired of cc!sam saying saaam buuucket

wait its not over till its over... Huh. Damnit their goes my friday night

c!george cameo? They really are shoehorning in every lore deficient person into these finales huh.

creepy music ooh. I love the music its not spooky month yet but i feel like the music makes it come early.

jumpscares? Fuck. The things I do for minecraft lore

Bad, minecraft is fucking terrifying

Oh thank god the timeline is saved

STARTING

oh god it has a "disturbing content warning" and its crackling like a found footage thingy. Well dsmp fandom if I don't see a shit ton of halloween/horror projects after this imma be mad

recap! with creepy music!

god damn it im already on edge

c!sam thank you for having more reason than the average horror protagonist

YESS. WAIT KNIGHTS OF HOPE? WILL THEY JOIN? AU MATERIAL?

talk to foolish? At the same time as perhaps... the knights of hope... so interconecting lore and plotlines that compliment each other?

No one would come. Nobody trusts c!sam or c!bad because of their actions. Jesus christ. That's my angsty interpretation but it's probably everyone just going; "Well ghosts are real, you can revive the dead, their was a parasitic red egg that tried to kill us, but that..? That's ridiculous lol. Go take your meds."

c!sam is fucking terrified and trying to reassure himself that maybe this isn't real. I wouldn't exactly call it gaslighting (can we not water down the term gaslighting is actively malicious-)

Oh. He brought up being stuck in the egg. Get him c!Sam.

Past lorestream being mentioned in canon? consistency for lore/characters/timeline? Can this stream kiss me pls?

FUUUCK

why does the music sound like fnaf phone ringing stuff

aaand they split up. theyre totally dead

sam bucket

ok but imagine from an in universe perspective how terrifying this is. I'll make a detailed post later

fuck the worst thing is when its to dark you can't see the threat

is he gonna do the horror classic of sneaking into the monster?

YEP

EGG AINT GONE YET EGG MAINS STAY WINNING

jesus christ they took notes from classic horror movies didn't they

Oh god the og eggpire. This makes the current eggpire's actions even more horrifying. They knew they were wrong. they did it anyways.

And yet more proof that the dsmp has been inhabited long before c!dream and will be long after!

Sam bucket

Francis? FRAN?

Callahan? Dream? Slime? Who knows who started this take ur pick!

Oh god I was right. The eggpire people would have had a few momments of lucidity. Scp Slowburn sloth nightmarefuel shit right their

Oh he wanted his dog. Oh. :(

SAM BUCKET WAS WARNING THEM? OH? OH? (pls tell me this is the truth no sudden attack no jumpscare let sam bucket be good)

ok now i feel bad for what im gonna do with sam bucket in pitdd :(

Wait is this a trick? Oh fuck. FUCK.

Is he sacrificing himself or Bad?

Oh HIMSELF?

Now I REALLY feel bad for what I'm gonna do with sam bucket lore in pitdd. Ah well I wrote it back when sam bucket was new and its important

HE PULLED A SKEPPY REFRENCE WTF

OK that ending. I DID NOT SUSPECT THAT ENDING

So many questions. Is Sam bucket good? did he trick c!bad? Did he somehow escape after destroying the egg? did he kill c!bad after this or get him posessed? This doesn't end until cc!sam gets raided so I guess we have to find out....

Oh god back to the scary part no more whismical music

THE EGG IS FROM THE FUCKING NETHER?

Ok this left more questions then answers why did sam bucket show up outside after he blocked himself off. The implication of the Egg being from the nether. If this is the end I'll be confused.

oh wow this is late i forgot to publish it woops

[koreanbibliophilegirl]

@greenbeany I thought the thread was getting a lil long haha

Maybe Ranboo as a [Point Blanc] student?? Like. [Point Blanc] could be just a school for rich kids not rich troublemakers. Ranboo's parents, after learning what almost happened, sends him(them??) to a normal comprehensive school in Britain and it just happens to be Tommy's school.

Homeroom teacher(Sam? Ponk? Grian cameo?): Class, we have a new student today. Ranboo, would you introduce yourself?

Ranboo: Uhh h-hi. My name is Ranboo Beloved-

Tommy, snapping his head up and bolting up, knocking his chair over: RANBOOB?!?!?!?!

Ranboo, who will now be known as Ranboob by the entire school until Tommy declares he is the only one allowed to call Ranboo that and threatens the other kids: TOMMY?!?!?!?!

Allium duo: *spiderman meme*

Tubbo: *silently snaps a photo*

So basically Ranboo was one of the kids at [Point Blanc] and he and Tommy were friends there. Tubbo of course knows about Tommy's "job", and Ranboo learned when Tommy was saving the kids there, so yeah they all become friends through the mutual secret.

Also consider:

Purpled 🤝 Enderwalkboo

Having Purple Eyes

Idk who Dr. Grief/Greif or Ms. Stellenbosch would be, maybe Hannahxxrose as the headmaster who cloned herself AND Punz the school dean? Instead of messing w the chromosomes.

BoomerNA as the head security guard

Eryn Cyberonix as one of the other [PB] kids

Aimsey too

Anyway

Jack Manifold aka Wolf(maybe his code name is Thunder?? Yknow cuz of the old username. OMG Niki as Arson): Oh God, I can't deal with kids...

Niki(ik Ben wasn't at Point Blanc in the books but let's say Niki is bc I like Niki): Thunder, we are literally only 3 years older than them.

(I'm thinking benchtrio and the rest at 16 and Niki and Jack at 19, idk how long SAS training takes but I don't think they could be 18. Also Aimsey is benchtrio's age just because)

[mean-scarlet-deceiver]

Edwards exploit?

Man, what is there to say about this one that hasn’t already been said?

I mean, one day some jamoke is gonna make a video saying that they don’t actually like this episode and that it’s lame, and a big user is going to foolishly give it exposure via bitching about it on Twitter, and the fandom will go up in flames (like, more so than the usual blowup). But me? Nah, even I’m not that contrarian.

Besides, I love it. It makes me happy, though perhaps for odd little bits that aren’t meant in any way to be the focus of the episode. Stuff like

Duck and BoCo’s angry faces

the shot of Edward with Bill and Ben

the shot right before the storm breaks out where Edward goes under the bridge—the curvature of the track there is absurd, but screw realism, it makes the train look so sinuous and pleasing

the sheer blackness of the night in the final scene or two with the brilliant white lights

Also the shot of the train on its way again during the “and he listened happily to Edward’s steady beat, as he forged slowly but surely ahead” line, it’s just such a thoroughly pleasing little bit—I keep meaning to make a good gif of it some day because visually those two seconds are definitely among some of the most comforting in film history. Why must Edward be so friend-shaped. I’m asking really.

Caption 1: seriously, this one bit of track curves right-left-right-left three times, WHY

Caption 2: "Okay, David, catch me at my good angle! 😇"

Yes, everyone who’s been in the fandom for six months probably already knows the “inaccuracies” in the adaptation, but I’m not too hung up on them. Like it’s very cool that we have so many Trainz adaptations and Exploit!models where people literally destroy their overpriced 2Ps for the accuracy?? and I’m grateful and I’m satisfied with this fan content supplementing the episode. Besides, when I was a kid we only had select episodes from S1-3 on VHS, and man, stuff like Thomas’s bent front and Edward’s siderods taken off—that was honestly pretty metal for us. The Flying Kipper crash was obviously more serious, but as far as, like, “special effects” went? It was these two episodes that brought the macabre fascination, due to the visible damage. I can remember parents commenting on those two details too, in fact I think they brought it to our attention. Like wtf, they broke the toys! Wild! (Then we got into some Season 4 stuff and were spoiled for these more innocent days, lol. Peter Sam’s and Thomas’s head-on collisions took the damage portrayed on screen to a whole new level.)

Also, as I’ve mentioned before, while there are several sentences in the original text that I wish the adaptation retained (Edward being so thrilled when he gets the train moving that his wheels start to slip all over again, omg—my boy!), there are also a couple of cuts I agree with actually. I prefer the happy quietude of some of the moments in the end of the adaptation to the “cheers to the echo” of RWS.

Bertie’s little bit at the beginning is pleasant enough but also unnecessary, especially when you consider that this obligatory-cameo-to-meet-a-quota-of-Bertie-appearances-this-season replaces this immortal RWS opener:

Edward scolded the twins severely, but told Gordon it served him right. Gordon was furious.

Like, I am in no way excusing Gordon, but I do think this exchange is interesting context for the following scene. As in I don’t think Gordon really believes what he’s saying; when he’s piqued he sees everything in the most negative light; when he’s in a good mood all the sudden it’s “my dear Edward” and all that. Gordon said it himself to Sir Handel—he has a lot of feeeeeeeelings. Nobody understands that. ;)

Another small detail in this notorious scene that I think gets overlooked is Duck saying “You’re all jealous!” For one thing, I think he means they’re jealous that Edward got this job; the comment implies one of those standard tiresome arguments in the preceding week about who would get the enthusiasts’ train and then who should get the enthusiasts’ train. And I dunno, the thought amuses me. Perhaps because a few hours later in the storm Edward is audibly thinking that the whole gig was entirely overrated. (I feel like next time this sort of thing came up Edward would’ve been all like, “BoCo, do you want it? We don’t want a repeat of last time.” And BoCo’s all *affectionate eyeroll* “No one goes to the island of Sodor for a diesel-hauled railtour, Edward.”)

Now, for all I’ve overanalyzed the effect of the opening “station scene” and how the changes affect how people read the character dynamics, I must still give the TV adaptation major props—their changes make this scene far more interesting and just generally watchable. I mean, though I do enjoy the realistic sidings of the RWS illustration, the TVS blocking of the "action" here is iconic:

Plus omg, the drama of it all, everyone talking about Edward while he’s just struggling to get that train started is a fascinating hook. (Certainly the writers of the show never got over this dynamic!) And, I have to admit, although it changes the characterizations a little, it’s not any huge stretch to have Gordon, Henry, and James be that shameless. It doesn’t distort the reality of RWS canon the way that Season 5 and beyond… *waves hand helplessly in the general direction of the mess*

However, and I wondered this even as a kid before I’d read any RWS, but in that scene why doesn’t Duck give the train a push to start? He’s Thomas and Percy’s successor at this point, so isn’t it part of his job? Always bugged me a bit, but then again these days I am amused to rationalize this and to imagine that Duck considers preventing the big three from bullying others to be among his duties, and in fact sometimes he gets so into it that he forgets some of the more bread-and-butter things. Yes, his old mates on the Great Western might be appalled at his new priorities, but then they didn’t have Gordon Henry and James to deal with, now did they??

Right, so like half of this post is now about the station scene... but honestly that’s fair. It’s worth saying again: The adaptation did a really good job with that. They take some pretty below-average obligatory set-the-stage RWS dialogue and somehow turn it into quite a memorable little scene. *tips hat respectfully*

[liamgallaghermpreg]

not the vampire from 1x20 cameo lol omg sam looks so BABEY in that flashback too

dean really stole that dog from some unsuspecting family huh skshskskdn I love that he’s the parent who got super attached to the dog anyway I can’t believe this is opening up with a domestic montage with a song that has a line about “nagging wives” and such, this is insane lmao they are MARRIED??????

also the gratuitous shirtless sam scene lmao they said y’all better watch walker

anyway. despite my dislike of the season i’m glad that it as a whole acted as a curtain call because it really does feel right for it to be just them at the end also im not ready for dean to die lmao I am gonna cry

[ily-books]

what the fuck @ marvel twt??? why does everyone hate peggy carter?? give the woman a fucking break!! she was in captain america, what if, and a tv show and EVERYONE HATES HER?? FOR BEING IN THE MOM TRAILER?? like omg. it was barely a cameo and now y'all are all convinced that she's going to be in the movie and immediately she is hated for it???

no im not saying that it was ok to shoot steve, but are you going to hate her for ONE act of jealousy?? give me a fucking break, i can list problematic things about male marvel characters and they AREN'T being hated by marvel twt for it. tHoR wAs In sO MaNy MoViEs, wHy iS hE gEtTiNg aNoThEr MoViE i haven't heard anyone say that. no one. why r y'all saying this about peggy??

no im not saying that her ending in endgame made sense, steve should have stayed put and not stayed back in time. she had made her peace with his death, she got over him. steve should have done the same. how is that reason to hate her??

her show was so good. it told sexism to fuck itself. HER EXISTENCE tells sexism to fuck itself. captain carter tells sexism to fuck itself. she is NOT taking sam's place. he is still captain america in his universe (and i LOVE THAT FOR HIM.) captain carter is the "captain america" figure in her universe. they are BOTH phenomenal and neither of them should be hated. please stop pitting discriminated peoples against each other.