#twice spn au

[soullessjack]

bobby telling jack that they have his back through whatever happens…okay girl.

[setaripendragon]

I Want To Be Free - Chapter 0

This AU came to me nearly ten years ago. It didn't have a plot, just a vague idea of 'horror-esque One Piece' smashing into my other favourite fandom; Supernatural. So I put it away. Then OPLA came along and drop-kicked me back into the One Piece fandom a decade later, and suddenly, the ideas for how this AU would actually go started pouring in. Idk how far I'm going to get with this, I'm still pretty stuck on a lot of 'but what would the other Straw Hats actually be' (which, if you have any ideas, drop a comment/some tags/an ask/whatever!), but I've got rough notes for another couple of chapters, I think? Also, yes, I did play around a lot with the names to make them more real-world-y -waves creative liscence- I did it because it's fun, and gives me cool opportunities to play with worldbuilding, and I felt like it.

Prologue - Seven Years Ago

It’s early, but Didi is used to rising with the sun. Early to bed, early to rise, as they say! Besides, getting up early means no one, not even her husband, sees her without her face on, and she can make herself presentable in peace.

Face on, hair done, but still in her dressing gown, she leaves the en suite and heads downstairs to get breakfast started. Always good to remind the help that you’re watching, after all, else they might run off with the silver. As she passes the nursery, noises catch her attention, and she pauses, listening intently.

Voices. That’s voices. Plural. And while she wouldn’t put it past that useless boy to start talking to himself, since he’s never missed a moment to shame their family, Stacy is still a bit too young to be talking back!

Didi flings the door open, panic and outrage fighting a war in her breast. Outrage wins when she spots that little demon hanging half in the window on the opposite side of the room. He’s already tainted her first son with his filthy common ways, so to see him so close to the ornate crib holding her second precious child is infuriating.

Thankfully, he still seems focused on Sabino, standing like an idiot in the middle of the room, entirely undignified in an appalling mismatch of pyjamas and street clothes and formal attire, his mouth gaping open at her entrance. Hopeless boy! Useless! After all they’ve done for him, all the effort they’ve put into straightening out his life, and he doesn’t even have the decency to send this demon-child running before he put his grubby little hands all over Didi’s windowsill?!

“You-!” she shrieks furiously, waking poor Stacy and setting him to wailing in alarm. How dare that awful boy distress her poor sweet baby so?! Sabino snaps his mouth shut at last, but only to replace it with the most ugly glower.

This! This is all that little demon’s influence. And he’s just hanging there, watching her without so much as a hint of deference for his betters. It puts a tremble in Didi’s hands that she tells herself is entirely rage. “Get out! Get out of my house! I’m calling the police!”

“No.”

The sun is rising over the neighbour’s roof behind the boy. It sets his face in shadow, save for an odd cat-like gleam of white for the briefest of seconds where his eyes should be. Didi jerks backwards, hits the wall, and realises what just happened. “HOW DARE YOU?!”

“I’m not leaving without Sabo. You can’t keep him,” the filthy little creature insists.

Didi laughs, sharp and mocking and furious. What a stupid little boy, trying to insist the world be the way he wants it to be, throwing this ridiculous little tantrum because someone took his favourite toy away. “Of course we can,” she sneers, lifting her chin. She can’t believe she let a little trick of the light unnerve her! “Didn’t you learn your lesson last time? He’s ours. Our son, our blood. He belongs to us, whether the ungrateful little brat likes it or not!”

“No, I don’t!”

Sabino glares up at her, hands balled into fists. Didi’s hand is in the air before the intent fully crosses her mind, fury driving her past rational thought, but before the slap can connect, the boy in the window shifts.

Sunlight spears her eyes, bright white and blinding. She redirects with a cry, flinging her arm across her face as she recoils, eyes screwed shut against the sudden assault.

An acrid scent hits her nose. She blinks rapidly, trying to see past the gleaming spots of white-yellow-orange that are drifting across her vision. What is that? It reminds her a little of that time she left her hair curler plugged in and it melted a divot into her hairdryer.

She sucks in a horrified gasp, and promptly chokes on the smoke as she recoils. The doorknob jams painfully into her hip, but that’s fine! That means she knows where it is!

She spins and grabs for it, but the stupid thing won’t turn, her hands too sweaty to get proper traction on the shiny metal. She told Sabinus they ought to have gotten handles instead of knobs!

Something thuds across the room, and Didi whirls back around to see the window is shut, the demon boy gone, and Sabino along with him. Stacy is still crying, but there’s a wall of flame licking across the carpet between them, and she can’t reach him. The spots are fading, finally, but that’s no use when the room is quickly filling with black, acrid smoke.

Pain sears up the side of her leg, and she jerks away from the fire, only to realise it’s coming with her; the hem of her dressing-gown already alight. Flames lick eagerly up the velvet and silk, eating through to her skin in seconds.

Didi screams.

-

“Hey, boys. Think I got something for you.”

Sam sits up a little straighter in the passenger seat of the Impala, which gets Dean’s attention. He pauses his off-beat drumming on the steering wheel as he glances over, thank god. He even turns the music down, which is surprisingly considerate of him. “Yeah? What you got, Ash?”

“A fire in a nursery,” Ash deadpans.

“What? Where?!”

“East coast. Up near Boston. I’ll text you the address.”

“Alright,” Sam agrees, then lowers the phone to mouth ‘Boston’ at Dean, who nods, and takes the next turning eastward. “When did it happen?”

“Last night. Saw it in the news this morning,” Ash explains. “Checked my scanner, and sure enough, weather’s going haywire out there. There was supposed to be a storm rolling in, but instead they’re getting a nice little localised heatwave.”

Sam frowns thoughtfully. After all this time, he has everything his dad recorded about Yellow-Eyes’ patterns memorised, and that… “Doesn’t Yellow-Eyes cause storms, rather than stopping them?”

That gets Dean’s attention, but Sam is too busy thinking and listening to Ash to respond to his increasingly intense, irritated looks and gestures. “Yeah. Well, and wild fluctuations in temperature, so this could just be the opening salvo. Who knows, man?”

Dean gives up trying to get his attention, and simply floors the gas pedal. Sam shoots him a grateful look, to which Dean responds by flipping him off. Jerk. “Any survivors?”

“The dad and the kid. Mother and older brother both died in the fire.”

“Yikes.” Sam grimaces. “Well, thanks, Ash. We’ll get right on it,” he says, subdued, and Ash hangs up without so much as a goodbye. A moment later, Sam’s phone chimes with an incoming text. He rattles it off to Dean, along with the rest of the information Ash had relayed. By the end, Dean looked grim.

“Shit, this is the first time we’ve had a kid get caught in the crossfire of one of these.”

“Yeah…”

“Well, we’ll be there in a couple of hours.”

-

“This place is giving me hives,” Dean mutters under his breath as they’re shown through a gilded foyer into a lavish receiving room, where a portly man in a stuffy suit with the saddest little moustache Dean has ever seen in his life is standing stiff-backed in front of a huge bay window, bandage-wrapped hands clasped behind his back like he thinks he’s the tragic hero in a period drama.

Sam hisses at him and steps on his foot, to which Dean only rolls his eyes. He lets Sam spin the spiel about being FBI, wanting his side of the story, take his time, in his own words, blah blah blah, while Dean lets his eyes wander the room.

This house is fucking pristine. You wouldn’t know from looking at it that there’d been a fire here last night. Hell, you wouldn’t know there were supposed to be two kids under the age of sixteen here, either. There are delicate porcelain and glass figurines out on display, there’s no sign of anything that might possibly be mistaken for a toy, not a single thing out of place or wrinkled or messy at all. Hell, the carpet’s white.

“As I told your colleagues earlier today,” the man sniffs disdainfully at them, only half turned towards them in a display that makes Dean’s hackles rise instinctively. “I don’t know what happened.”

“Anything you can tell us,” Sam says patiently.

“I’ve already been over this! Can’t you people do your jobs without needing your hands held through the entire process? Get the report from the last lot of you incompetent louts, rather than harassing a grieving widower!”

“We’re from a different department,” Sam says, patiently. “We have to conduct our own investigation from the ground up, I’m afraid. If you could please answer the question, we’ll do our best to get out of your hair as soon as possible.”

The man huffs, blustery and impatient. “I woke up to my wife screaming, and our son crying. The nanny was already at the nursery when I got there, but the door was stuck. The doorknob was hot enough to burn me when I tried it.” He lifts one hand in demonstration. “Someone pulled me away – I’m not certain who – when smoke began to fill the hallway. Then the fire brigade arrived.”

“You couldn’t get into the room at all?” Dean asks, frowning a little.

“No,” the man snaps impatiently. “Like I said, the door was jammed. The fire department had to break it down to get inside. It’s going to cost a fortune to replace. It was solid mahogany.”

It takes everything Dean has not to say ‘your wife and son are dead and you’re worried about the cost of the damn door?’

“And when they did, your wife, was she still alive at the time, or…?”

“How am I supposed to know? I wasn’t standing around gawking like some common pleb. They informed me that my son was alive and being taken to hospital, so I assume not, or they would have mentioned it.”

Dean makes a mental note to get the reports from the fire brigade, since apparently Mr Saddest Moustache over there was too busy having a bracing cup of tea to give a shit about his wife or sons. “Your son. Was that-” Sam glances down at his dorky little notebook like he actually needs to check. Maybe he does; the names in this family are whack. “Stacy or, uh, Sabino?”

Who the hell calls their son Stacy?

“Stacy, of course,” the man huffs.

Of course?

“Do you know if Sabino was-”

“I already said I don’t!” the man snaps.

Sam plasters an entirely fake smile across his face. “Of course. Alright, well, I’m sorry for taking up your time, Mr Outlook, we’ll just-”

“The third,” the man interrupts, bristling.

“…Excuse me?”

“I am Sabinus Stacy Godefroy Outlook the Third, and I’ll thank you to remember it!”

Dean barely manages to choke back a laugh and turn it into a small coughing fit. He has to turn away, so he doesn’t see whatever expression Sam is making, but he can hear the straining of his composure in his voice when he says, “Alright, Mr Outlook the Third, we just need to have a quick look at the scene, and then we’ll be out of your hair.”

Mr Sabinus Stacy Godefroy Outlook the Third sniffs at them. “Have the housekeeper show you up, I can’t bear to look at that room anymore,” he declares in tragic tones. Dean wonders if it’s the charred remains of his family that bother him, or the cost of replacing his fancy carpet.

-

The nursery is… Well, there definitely was a fire, but beyond the charring, it looks nothing like Sam’s expecting it to. For a start, the room’s still in tact. The ceiling is soot-stained and spotted with patches where the paint has obviously been singed, but it’s very clearly not the origin point. No, that’s on floor. There’s a small, lopsided hole in the wood under the melted remnants of the carpet, with edges that look like they’ve been seared, right in the middle of the burnt area.

If it weren’t for the pattern of said area, Sam might have wondered if there was anything supernatural about this fire at all. Except the fire very conspicuously did not spread into the area around the crib. Everything else is scorched black, melted or charred or some ugly combination of both, but there’s a wobbly semi-circle around the baby’s crib, and everything within it is untouched, if lightly speckled with soot.

Perhaps the fire was natural, but something wanted that baby to survive.

That something equally clearly didn’t care about the other occupant of the room. The child’s bed tucked into the corner next to the door is… well, it’s honestly hard to tell it was a bed. It’s a mangled lump of charred wood and melted plastic. Dean crouches down next to it and pokes at it with a pen he must have stolen from somewhere else in the house, because no way does he have anything that fancy just hanging about in his pocket.

He uses the pen to shift a stubborn little scrap of fabric that breaks apart into tinier pieces at the prodding, and frowns deeply. “Was the other kid in bed when the fire started?” he asks as he rises from his crouch.

“I would assume so,” the housekeeper says indifferently.

“I have it here that the eldest son – Sabino – he was thirteen?” Sam checks.

“That’s correct.”

Sam looks at the housekeeper, then down at the bed that could at most be four feet in length, and then back up at the housekeeper again with an expectant expression. “And this was his bed?” he presses.

“Yes,” the housekeeper says stiffly, chin kicking up, her level stare turning into something a little closer to a glare. Like she’s daring Sam to keep pressing the point.

“Exactly how tall was he, again?” Sam asks, meeting the woman stare for stare.

“I don’t see how that is at all relevant to catching the monster that killed Master Sabino,” the housekeeper retorts.

“You sure they did?” Dean interjects, making the both of them jump and turn to stare at him. Dean raises an eyebrow at the housekeeper.

“I beg your pardon?”

“I don’t see any variation in the burn pattern, no smearing, no evidence of a struggle… And believe me, lady, when someone’s on fire, they don’t sit still about it.” Dean states grimly. Sam takes another, closer look, and sure enough, there aren’t even marks that would indicate where they body had been, and there should be.

“Perhaps he was already unconscious from the smoke,” the housekeeper says coldly.

“Uh-huh.” Dean says, heavy with scepticism. “Sure.”

-

Silence swells to fill the Impala once Sam and Dean slam their respective doors shut. Dean doesn’t know about Sam, but he needs a moment to process all the gold-plated shit they’d uncovered in that ugly fucking house. “That,” he says after a moment, “is one fucked up family.”

Sam blows out a harsh breath. “Yeah.”

“Was I the only one getting the vibes that Mr Sabinus Stacy Godefroy Outlook the Third,” Dean recites in the most pompous voice he can manage and Sam snorts a laugh without much feeling behind it, “wanted his kid to be dead?”

“I can’t tell if I think they’re covering up the fact that he isn’t, or if they’re covering up the fact that he is, it just wasn’t the fire that killed him,” Sam replies, darkly amused.

“What do you mean, covering up the fact that he isn’t? Why would they cover that up?” Dean asks, startled. He’s already pretty solidly convinced that Mr Saddest Moustache, or perhaps the late Mrs Saddest Moustache, offed the kid themself and is using the fire as a way to explain his death.

“Come on, Dean,” Sam says impatiently. When Dean doesn’t react with miraculous new understanding, he rolls his eyes. “You can’t argue that this-” He waves his hand towards the house. “-doesn’t quite fit Yellow-Eyes’ MO.”

“Fire in the nursery, dead mom, six-month old baby…”

“Except the fire didn’t start on the ceiling. There was someone else apparently in the room the whole time and it was only as the mum came in that the fire started? And the crib was untouched. If I remember your stories right, Dad had to grab me out of my crib because it was on fire just like everything else!”

“Okay, so what’s your point?”

“So what if Yellow-Eyes wasn’t the one to start the fire?” Sam asks.

Dean blinks. Stares out of the windshield as that idea slots into place. “You think this Sabo kid started the fire?” he checks, a little dubious.

“You saw how everyone in that house was acting, same as I did. You saw that bed, too. Who makes a thirteen year old sleep in a nursery with a literal baby, in a bed meant for a four year old?” Sam demands.

Turning that over in his mind, Dean starts the car and sets off for a less skin-crawling part of town. “You think the kid set his own mom on fire and then, what, ran away?”

“Well, yeah. Maybe… maybe not on purpose,” Sam hedges quietly. “If he’s… got some ability to control fire, then it would explain why it didn’t touch the baby, wouldn’t it? If it went out of control because he was scared or- or angry, but he managed to keep it away from his brother? And it would explain why no one wants to admit to it. That’s one image-conscious household, and ‘tragically dead’ is a much better look than ‘child arsonist reacting to abuse’.”

Dean has to give him that one.

-

“So get this,” Sam say, and ignores Dean’s groan as he peels his eyes open from where he fell asleep still mostly dressed with several stolen copies of police reports splayed across his chest. “This isn’t the first time around here that there’s been a weird fire followed by a heatwave in which a kid went missing,” he declares, and slaps his compiled research down on Dean’s chest.

Grumbling, Dean squints down and opens the file. On top there is a print-out of a newspaper article that reads ‘Freak Heatwave Starts Fire in Junkyard’ and is dated around three years ago. “Anyone die?” Dean asks as he leafs through the rest of it.

“Yes, as a matter of fact,” Sam says smugly. Then he falters as the reality of the answer dawns on him. “Quite a lot of people, actually. At least one of them was a suspected child trafficker, and several of the others were noted in the investigation as having ‘close ties’ to this James Blue person.”

“So more dead shitheads. Any conspicuous survivals?”

“Well, as far as I can tell, which isn’t certain because whoever did the investigation clearly didn’t care, the Junkyard was a safe haven for the homeless, but there’s no mention of any of them getting caught in the fire,” Sam explains, pulling a face. “There’s no John Does, and all the bodies have residences listed.”

“Not ironclad,” Dean mutters, but he’s clearly not expecting more. Sam pulls a face at him anyway. “What about this guy?” he asks, flicking a finger at the hospital report Sam had stuffed in at the back.

“That’s the weird thing,” Sam says.

Dean’s waking up properly now, and Sam can see the minute he actually reads the hospital report. “What the fuck? Dude loses an arm and just… fucks off outta the hospital the next day?”

“And then he drops off the radar. I can’t find any records of this guy, before or after. He just… poof.” Sam snaps his fingers. “He gave a statement saying he was in the Junkyard to look for the kid of a friend of his – that’s how he lost the arm, apparently, something fell on him and he took it rather than let it hit the kid – but that kid is marked down as having died in the fire. I checked the morgue reports.”

“No kid-sized bodies?”

“No kid-sized bodies.”

Dean stares at the file Sam put together, face screwing up in consternation. “And no sign of Armless here anywhere near the Outlook Estate,” he mutters, putting on a voice as he names the house. Sam doesn’t want to admit he finds Dean’s stubborn insistence in mocking the airs that family’s giving itself at every opportunity funny, but he really does.

“No sign of him anywhere. Check the end of his statement,” Sam adds, jerking his chin towards the file.

Dean glances up, then goes back to reading. He frowns. “What about it?”

“The bit about the kid,” Sam sighs.

Slowly, Dean’s frown turns from baffled to more serious. “He was really damn sure the kid was alive and okay when the paramedics turned up, wasn’t he?” he says slowly, looking up at Sam. Sam nods. “But everything else says he was among the dead,” Dean adds.

“And the one dissenting voice disappears the very next day,” Sam concludes.

Dean groans and drops the file into his lap to scrub his hands over his face. “So we’ve got a firestarter who hates child abusers but spares the homeless and kidnaps children but leaves the baby, and a mysterious badass who disappears after drawing attention to all this… Is this all starting to feel a bit… Neverland to you?”

“What, like some sort of fae spirit collecting lost and abused children and murdering people on the way out with its prize?” Sam asks.

“Well, yeah,” Dean agrees ruefully. “I can’t think of anything else that fits this mess,” he complains, whapping the file with the back of his hand. “Stealing children could be a Lamia, even killing men on the way out, but that doesn’t explain the mom.”

“And Lamias don’t like fire,” Sam adds.

Dean nods distractedly. “What do we know besides demons that can start fires like this?” he asks, baffled.

“Uh… witches?” Sam guesses. “Or… maybe psychics.”

“What, you mean like you?” Dean asks sharply.

Sam nods. “You said it yourself, Dean. The one thing we know can start fires is Yellow-Eyes, and… look at what Max did. It’s not too farfetched to think that if someone got fire powers, they might go all vigilante about it.”

“Except this is three years ago,” Dean reminds him, gesturing to the file. “Your whole Shining shtick didn’t start until last year, remember?”

“Oh, I remember,” Sam snaps, a little bitter at the reminder.

Dean gives him the hairy eyeball, but doesn’t press the point, to Sam’s relief. “Alright, I suppose we better go see if we can find anything left at the Junkyard, and then maybe try and shake some more information out of this first kid’s family. I thought I saw something about a grandfather in there…” Dean muses as he shoves the mess of paperwork aside and gets up with a spine-cracking stretch before heading for the bathroom.

“Yeah, but he’s actual FBI. I’m thinking we don’t want to go poking that dragon,” Sam calls ruefully through the door Dean left open. Dean grunts through his toothpaste. “We’d have more luck with the foster sister, I think.”

“Oh, yeah?”

“Yeah. Patricia Makino. She owns a bar down by the docks.”

-

“Welcome to Party’s Bar! Can I get you two anything?”

The woman behind the bar looks like she could have stepped right out of Dean’s favourite magazine, if with considerably more clothes on. Pretty, dark haired, Asian, and somehow managing to look like she just stepped out of an idyllic ranch in the middle of nowhere. She even has a cute patterned kerchief tied over her hair. “Two beers and the name of the pretty lady serving them to us?” Dean asks with his most charming grin.

“Don’t you know it’s not polite to ask for someone’s name without offering your own first?” the woman fires back, unimpressed and gently chiding, even as she goes to pour them a couple of beers.

“I’m Sam, the idiot’s my brother Dean,” Sam offers.

“Makino,” she replies. So this is the woman they’re looking for. Probably. When Dean saw the name of the bar, he’d assumed she preferred to go by Patty, but apparently not.

“Nice to meet you,” Sam says politely. Dean toasts the woman with his beer to echo the sentiment, and Sam rolls his eyes and gives Makino a commiserating look. “Brothers, am I right?” he asks, long-suffering.

Makino huffs a laugh. “They are a handful.”

“Spoken like an older sibling,” Dean says knowingly. “Don’t let this one fool you, he’s got pretty manners, but he’s really a troublemaker.”

“Oh, I know one like that, too,” she agrees, smiling more warmly. “He’s always forgetting that I’m the one who taught him those manners, so I can see right through them.”

Sam snorts, grinning with easy amusement. “Well, that wouldn’t work for Dean. He’d have to have manners before he could teach them to anyone else.”

“Hey,” Dean protests, pointing accusingly at Sam. “I raised you best as I knew how, gave you the clothes off my back and the food from my plate, and this is how you thank me? By dissing me in front of a pretty lady?”

Makino laughs when Sam splutters indignantly. Excellent. She’s relaxing into their easy banter, which should make it easier to get some answers out of her. “Little brothers are naturally skilled at cock-blocking, I’ve found,” she tells him.

“And here I thought that was just Sam,” Dean grouses, to another indignant yelp. “Your little brother is just as good at picking exactly the wrong moment, then?”

“Oh, yes. Entirely by accident, of course, but still…” She sighs dramatically, but there’s a fond, wistful smile on her face that suggests she’s not as mad about it as she’s pretending to be. “It didn’t help that he thought my date was just the coolest person ever and always wanted all of his attention for himself.”

Dean snorts. “Sounds like he’s quite a bit younger than you, huh? I don’t think Sam ever thought any of my dates were cool.”

“Yeah, but that’s because you have bad taste, not because of my age,” Sam mutters.

“More than ten years,” Makino confirms as though she couldn’t hear him, though her smirk tells a different story. That matches up to what Dean knows about her and the first missing kid from the files. It’s also not the reaction of a woman who’s beloved younger brother died three years ago.

They can’t seem to get her to talk about that, though. She’s quite happy to tell story after story about her little brother in between serving the other customers that wander through at irregular intervals, but it’s as though he’s just in the back room and could be scampering out to cause more trouble at any moment. She makes absolutely no mention of the junkyard fire, the armless man, or the kid’s disappearance.

Dean eventually gets frustrated enough to bring up – in the sparsest detail he can manage – saving his own little brother from a fire when they were younger. Makino barely reacts, but she does react. There’s the tiniest little flinch at the mention of the fire.

“Sorry,” Dean says, feigning a grimace. “Bit grim, isn’t it? I guess that fire that’s been in the news lately stirred up old memories.”

“Ah, yes. The Outlook place,” Makino agrees. “Tragic, that.”

She doesn’t actually sound very sincere. “You knew them?” Sam asks curiously.

“Oh, not personally,” Makino says, a little too quickly. “People like them are a dime a dozen around here- Well, not around here,” she laughs, waving a hand around at the bar, and Dean has to admit, this is definitely the sort of place that Sabinus Stacy Godefroy Outlook the Third would turn his pointy little nose up at. “But there’s a lot of old blood over in High Town that like to give themselves airs.”

“Rich people,” Dean mutters in disgust, and Makino grimaces in agreement.

“Whether or not the lady deserved it, I can’t believe the kid was all that bad,” Sam interjects, giving Dean a faintly chiding look.

At that, Makino sobers. “No,” she says softly, and then shakes herself. “Although, you’d be surprised how absolutely awful some of those kids can be. When your parents can just buy your way out of any sort of trouble you make so that the consequences never touch you,I suppose it’s easy to start thinking the harm you do doesn’t matter.”

“That sounds personal,” Dean says.

Makino gives him a dry look. “When you’ve seen your little brother put in life-threatening danger multiple times because of those stuck-up pricks, you tend to hold a grudge.”

“Life-threatening danger?” Sam asks, all alarmed concern and puppy-eyes. “What happened?”

“Which time?” Makino asks pointedly.

“That Sabino kid wasn’t one of them, though, was he?” Dean asks instead of trying to get her to elaborate. They might be able to talk her around to the junkyard fire, but he can’t think of a reason to bring it up without seeming suspiciously well informed or suspiciously invested in someone else’s misfortune.

“No,” Makino relents with a sigh. “No, Sabo was a good kid. Always so generous despite what his parents tried to teach him. He deserves- sorry, deserved better than the Outlooks.”

Dean does his very best not to react to that, but there’s a whole world of implications in the fact that victim number two knew victim number one’s older sister. “You knew him?” Sam prompts curiously, and then tacks on a hasty, “I’m sorry for your loss.”

“I did. He was friends with my brother.”

Dean catches Sam’s eye at that. “It doesn’t worry you?” Dean asks, throwing subtlety out the window. She’s obviously hiding something, given her complete non-reactions to the very striking parallels, and they’re not going to get it out of her by dancing around the issue. Makino cocks her head at him inquiringly. “That both Luffy and Sabino disappeared the exact same way?”

It’s a mistake. Dean can see that the moment the words leave his mouth. Makino’s body language closes off entirely. “I don’t recall mentioning my little brother’s name,” she tells him coldly.

“We’re looking into the disappearances,” Sam hastens to explain. “Like Dean said, something similar happened to me when I was a kid, so we thought it might be the same- same person that-”

“That’s very noble of you,” Makino says, entirely insincere. “But I don’t like talking about those events. I think it’d be best if you left now.”

Dean raises an eyebrow. “You don’t want the monster that stole your brother to be stopped? Even after it stole another child just two days ago?” he asks judgementally.

“Hey! My daughter asked you to leave!”

Dean jumps back with a curse as a walking stick smacks down against the edge of the bar mere inches away from where his hand was resting. The guy wielding it raises it in the air again and waves it at him aggressively, apparently undaunted by the fact that Dean has a good foot on him and is at least sixty years younger.

“Mr Wu, you’ll dent the bar…” Makino complains fondly.

“Out! Get out!” Mr Wu gripes, wagging his stick at them, and then devolving into what Dean can only assume is a vitriolic blue streak. He can’t be sure because it’s entirely in Chinese. He backs up, as does Sam, and they end up being driven right out of the door by the old man and having the door slammed in their faces.

“So, the foster family definitely knows what’s going on,” Sam concludes.

“Definitely.”

“…Stake-out?”

“Stake-out.”

“Ugh.”

-

An entire week of surveillance and everything they can dig up about the family reveals absolutely nothing. Wu Paiji is, by all accounts, a pillar of the community. A grouchy old stickler, according to basically everyone that knows him, who runs the local community centre and has been fostering children for the last fifty years.

Patricia Makino was fostered at age seven, and five years later, gained a little brother when a baby was abandoned on the community centre’s front steps. She started working at what was then The Old Dog straight out of high school, and was left it when the previous owner passed only a couple of years later. Absolutely no one they speak to in the area has a single bad word to say about her.

In fact, several of them immediately turn hostile the moment they realise Sam and Dean are the ones that got kicked out of Party’s Bar. It ends in a couple of fights that only make their reputation around there worse. One woman, with a cloud of aggressively frizzy red hair and a build like she bench-presses trucks for a living, very nearly breaks Dean’s skull when she takes a swipe at him with an honest-to-god metal pipe.

When they get arrested for stalking and informed that Ms. Makino has agreed not to file for a restraining order if they get the hell out of town, they reluctantly go. Every other trail they tried to chase has gone cold. Neither the Outlooks nor Luffy’s foster family will speak to them. None of the official records have anything helpful to say. They don’t even have a clue what kind of creature could have done this.

It sticks in Sam’s craw, leaving the job unfinished, but there’s a hunt out in Ohio, and he knows that’s where they’re needed more. He does make a note to keep an eye on any fires that happen in that area, though. Just in case.

[autisticandroids]

au fics part one: true aus

alright i'm a little late to the current round of @spnficrecfest. on account of I Hauve Covid. that's also why i missed the long fic / short fic round, and i will go back and do that at some point, but not yet. anyway. two fic rec lists for this round. one for true aus, and one for canon-a-little-to-the-left aus.

i'm actually not a huge fan of true aus, especially not for spn, but there are a few really fabulous ones out there. these are some of those.

in order of wordcount.

sparks fly by anandroidinatutu, 1k

cas and meg as teenagers in court ordered group therapy >:3.

it's a wonderful life by ghostyouknow, 3k, chose not to warn

weird and amazing megstiel fic. a pwp with worldbuilding, somehow. the omegaverse zombie apocalypse. this is a serious favorite for me, i've read it many times. just top tier megstiel fic.

25¢ pocket guardian angels by hopelessheathen, 13k

oh my god, this fic. this fic. this is a VERY weird one in the best ways. like it's just a traditional destiel romance but also it's like. wondrous. fantastical. a joyous read. i would also personally recommend the podfic by gravelly, it's lovely.

with sure certainty by andimeantittosting, 16k

extremely cute destiel regency au. that's it.

embryonic diapause anthology by wayward_demonbard, 30k

a series of four distinct destiel aus centered around the concept of embryonic diapause. all of them are weird, creative, and angsty. some of the more unique fics i've come across.

issues by everandanon, 63k

the thing about me is i love mess and i love drama. and that means i love issues. it's just a plain old mundane au, but it's all miscommunication and character drama in the most fun ways. and i love cas.

a beginner's guide to communing with the dead by suspiciousflashlight, 77k, chose not to warn

i know i've been trying not to rec fics that are too popular, but there comes a point where you've reread a fic twice to remind yourself that you like fanfiction where you have to be honest and rec it. dean is a magic cop and cas is a creature he summons, illegally. they fight crime.

the dean winchester beat sheet by saltyfeathers, 144k

hey man, it's beat sheet. you didn't think i was gonna not recommend beat sheet, did you? if you haven't read beat sheet, you should read beat sheet. come on now.

[holylulusworld]

I know this has been asked before but I swear I can never find the links of the post of you answering other people. But I just need all of your plus size/ chubby reader 😽🫶 . I love your stories so much and I can’t wait for more, I was just curious to all the other ones you have because I’m never able to find any 🤧🤧.

Hi lovely! I try to list all chubby/curvy/plus-sized reader stories here (any fandom):

MARVEL

(including oder CEvans / SebStan characters)

Steve Rogers:

The assistant masterlist (CEvans characters)

Big girls don’t cry masterlist (AU)

A fresh start masterlist

The captain at a sex shop (also short reader)

Weakling (a/b/o)

Ransom Drysdale:

Once (1) & its sequels Twice, Thrice, Four times & Five times (a/b/o)

His maid

Trust fund prick

Lee Bodecker:

Snuggle Time

Red-Handed

Bucky Barnes:

You are beautiful masterlist

Burned Muffins & its sequels Burned Cookies & Burned Pancakes It's more implied in the 1st chapter that she's plus-sized in this one)

Best night of your life & its sequel Best night of your life (2) (AU)

Fratboys forever? masterlist (AU)

Chubby Bee 🐝 (AU)

The mobster’s cook & its sequels The mobster’s girl, The mobster’s wife (AU)

Tony Stark:

Obsession Stark Style

Fake Diamond

Multichars:

The Fitness Pack masterlist  (Steve Rogers; Sam Wilson; Bucky Barnes, Thor Odinson - they all got a separate story - no poly)

Stucky:

Clingy Love (a/b/o)

Chris Evans:

The heat is on masterlist (a/b/o)

___

SPN

Dean Winchester:

The new neighbor (a/b/o)

Broken Word Masterlist (AU)

His meaty mouse masterlist (AU)

911 for love Masterlist (Cop AU)

The Italian touch Masterlist

Foody Queen & its sequel His Foody Queen (AU)

Auction of love (AU/a/b/o)

Granny is the best (AU/a/b/o)

No friend of mine

Low

He’s my man

Ashamed

Sexy Suits

Family bonds

The back-up plan

Sharing Showers

The talk

Breaking your heart was never my intention

The DUFF (AU) it's implied that she's chubby - hence the title duff

Alone, together & its sequel Together, again (AU)

Sam Winchester:

Cocky matchmaker (Sam Winchester)

Soulless Instinct (Soulless!Sam Winchester - a/b/o)

John Winchester:

The Roommate masterlist (AU John Winchester)

Others:

Beautiful Mine (Cain - a/b/o)

Sam/Reader/Dean:

Our Girl Masterlist (AU / poly - no Wincest)

Never be your sexy girl (poly - no Wincest)

Jensen Ackles:

The back-up plan

___

DC

Sex you up (Henry Cavill)

___

THE BOYS

Dumbass stalker masterlist (Soldier Boy)

___

TWD

Negan:

You belong to me

Physical Education (AU)

His favorite (Negan - a/b/o)

[sinner-sunflower]

SPN Sinister AU

You guys know the Sinister movies? With the entity that takes children, possesses them, and makes them kill their family?

I just got an idea for that but with the Winchesters.

It could be them settling down for a while in this house where a family was killed. It was abandoned and no one was there for miles so John thought it would be a good temp base for a few months.

They've been following a trail of a creature who is killing families and abducting a child from each family. John decides to take this hunt because he thinks it might be a demon and related to Mary's death. They've finally caught up to the killings to this no name town in the middle of bumfuck, USA. He enrols Sam and Dean to school and takes a part time job as a mechanic for the time being.

While left alone at the house, Sam finds a box of films in the attic, each with their own seemingly innocent titles.

Logically, he knows he should tell Dean or his dad about this, but next thing he knows, he's putting it in the projector and watching the first film.

It's disturbing and terrifying but he couldn't turn it off. He almost vomited twice before it finished.

He's not stupid. This has got to be related to the thing his dad is hunting. He needs to show this to Dad. He can save people with this.

.

Dean and Dad came home, the box stayed in the attic. (And he keeps watching the rest of the tapes)

Sam gets nightmares and constant night terrors. Dean is beyond worried and John has a bad feeling.

Sam gets moody. He snaps at Dad but that's normal, but then he also snaps at Dean. He says stuff to Dean like the urge to hurt the annoying squirrel in the backyard. Dean sticks to him like glue because he has a sinking feeling.

Sam won't eat, drink, sleep. He scribbles concerning signs and symbols on the walls and looks a little too long at their arsenal.

They still haven't got a clue on what this creature is but there's not doubt in their minds that it's what's messing with Sam.

It gets so bad that John decided to abandon this hunt and let someone else take care of it for the safety of his son.

They leave first thing in the morning.

Settling down on one of Rufus' many cabins across the country, Sam begins to show signs of health again.

Dean is beyond relieved and John is just tired.

One night, he's in his room, head in hands and documents all over the desk. Dean and Sam are in the living room watching a movie. He was taking a sip of his coffee when his phone rang.

Bobby.

He picks up to a frantic Bobby and the roar of an engine.

"It's Bughuul! Babylonian pagan ancient deity, like really ancient! It consumes souls of children!"

"Figured as much Bobby. Took the boys outta there as soon as I found out."

"You don't understand, John! That's the problem. You moved!"

"What?"

"The patterns! Each of the families experienced shit in the previous victims' homes but the killings only happened when they moved! I'm almost there but you didn't save them John! You moved up the timeline!"

Suddenly John felt a wave of dizziness. He looks at his coffee and finds a strange liquid in it. He shoots up, staggering out of the room to where his sons were.

He finds Dean passed out on the floor, movie still playing, but no Sam?

He falls to the ground and sees his youngest's bare feed and pajamas in front of him. Then nothing.

John wakes bound by ropes. He's laying on his back to something hard, wood?

He looks around and sees Dean in the same position, awake and freaking out.

"Dad! What the fuck is going on?!"

Now that he can see Dean fully, he knows now in what kind of position they are.

'A Hunter's funeral pyre.'

"Dad! Where's Sammy??!"

"Dean, it's the thing we were hunting. It got Sammy possessed. We need to get out of here now before he kills us."

"It got Sam?! What- before who kills us?!"

Sam then comes out pointing camera at them, Bughuul behind him looking at them menacingly.

Dean is shouting for Sam but his brother is under the creature's control. They're both flailing now and John only hopes Bobby arrives on time and finds them.

Sam puts down the camera to pour gasoline of their pyres.

"Sam! Sammy please snap out of it!"

"Shit!"

Sam lights a match.

But before he could throw it to set them aflame, Bobby arrives and hit him in the head, making him fall unconscious to the ground.

----------

Not really sure how this will end cos the movies never killed Bughuul. But this is Bobby so he might find an obscure exorcism or smth and expels the hold on Sam.

[t4tvampireisms]

"like this post if you want a random spn ask"

do you have any headcanons about benny's child or family life before becoming a vampire given that he has a great-granddaughter?

Hiii!! Yes, I absolutely do!

I have an almost separate AU from canon for Benny in mind, so bear with me:

Benny grows up in New Orleans instead of Carencro, spending most of his childhood living with his grandmother. It is my personal belief that Benny should’ve been Black Creole, so keeping this in mind, his grandmother was a well known practitioner/root worker and that’s how he grew up to start practicing it himself.

Along with that, he wanted to be a baker or a chef, but the most he could do at the time was a line cook at a hole-in-the-wall establishment. Benny also works other odd jobs, such as muscle for hire and even jazz street performances on Bourbon Street at one point. He meets his wife at either a music gig or during his shift at the diner, either way their relationship progresses pretty quickly and she ends up pregnant.

Benny ends up working twice as hard to support his growing family, but considering his class and the times, there was only so many places that would be willing to have him work for them.

In any universe I personally think that Benny was tricked into joining the vampire pirates, either through circumstances or manipulation. Maybe he gets promised decent pay in exchange for working as a deckhand on a prestigious boat for a wealthy (white) client, maybe he’s simply kidnapped while heading home from work during the late hours of the night.

Either way, he doesn’t see his wife or daughter ever again, and in the end Benny figures it’s for the best. Que him meeting his great granddaughter decades later, and she somehow look’s just like his wife. :) ❤️

[fivie]

There's a thought about umw that I've had for a long long time and since I didnt exactly have anywhere else to out it I thought I'd share it here.

It's about Montparnasse, or rather, the apparent lack of him and where oh where is he.

Now, obviously, there are many les mis characters who aren't in the story, it makes perfect sense, eg. javert who is implied once or twice but isn't actually mentioned.

But anyway, while thinking about umw my thoughts often turn to R's life before the story. I mean, it has been many centuries and while I can imagine it Nit Being Much, there had to be Events to fill the time, right? Some people he met, some historical events he's witnessed, etc etc.

I've always imagined imagined Grantaire to have met Floréal some time in the 1600s or 1700s and them being very loose sort of friends. Acquaintances is a better word maybe.

But the one concept that cannot for the love of everything leave my mind is Montparnasse sort of being there, throughout the ages. At first I thought, a fallen angel maybe? But that doesn't seem to fit him at all, and the idea that I arrived at was that Montparnasse was a Reaper. I'm going to be serious, I haven't been keeping up with spn for several seasons now and my memory of the lore is very fragmented so I'm not sure how it holds up canon-wise, but it seemed neat to me. He accompanied R during the worst of times, when he witnessed the most deaths, wars, revolutions, massacres, the sort of atrocities that made Grantaire so cynical and distrustful and That Way in general. Maybe they became sort of friends. Maybe Montparnasse was the Reaper intended to bring the kids from Smoleńsk across. Who knows. Maybe the whole theory is bullshit and he's either some rando doing Crime around Lyon or he doesn't exist in the universe at all, but it's still fun to think about.

Anyway that's all I hope it's at least a bit entertaining 🙌🙌 + tysm for all the hard work on the fic it's taken up at least 85% of my brain at all times for thr last 2.5 (maybe more?) years<33

Ooh that's a cool idea! It would have been fun to have a Reaper character in UMW, especially since humans can't see them (unless they're dying or, y'know, dead) so it would be someone only Grantaire could interact with. Or maybe Jehan can perceive Reapers too, which would add a tasty Romantic quality to his abilities – he sees dead people and also the embodiments of death itself 💕 also I imagine a Reaper, a keeper of the Natural Order, would have a thing or two to say about resurrected-ghost-Feuilly 😂

I actually do have my own UMW version of Montparnasse, since he was originally meant to feature but got cut due to the story already spiralling madly out of my control without me adding even more characters and plot threads. I think I wrote about him in a post once but it was like a bajillion years ago so for funs let me tell you about him here:

He IS some rando doing crime around Lyon!! (Or possibly Paris, I never 100% decided.) He's sort of like a dark mirror of Jehan; he's human and also a psychic, but much less naturally powerful, and has started dabbling in witchcraft and other unsavoury things to enhance his abilities. He's wildly jealous of Jehan's powers and also considers Jehan to be an idiotic waste of those powers because he won't use them for his own gain. He comes from a much bleaker background than Jehan and had to fend for himself from a young age, and so has become very adept at using his abilities to manipulate people and is now a very successful and wealthy con artist. He's not 'evil', which is a pretty strong term in a world with demons etc, but circumstances have molded him into a person who does not trust others and is very out for himself, and his psychic abilities make him somewhat arrogant and he considers ordinary people to be inferior and fair game for him to mess with.

As you can see my personal take on Montparnasse is a bit darker than the pure neutrality of a Reaper-type character 😂 In this AU I envisioned him as kind of the same type of character as Spike from Buffy, in that he starts out as a legitimate threat and thorn in the protagonists' sides but reluctantly develops into an ally as time goes on.

However I know that fandom interpretations of Montparnasse vary wildly and all are valid, and since he's almost definitely never going to actually show up in UMW, please have fun imagining whatever version of him you enjoy most!! I just also have a lot of thoughts with nowhere to go and will take any opportunity to share 😂

[selttiks4313]

If I were smart or patient enough I would write the best spn/house au and it would be so so so good you guys.

Imagine if you will…

Non spn/human au

Dean takes care of Sammy (obv) and whenever he’s sick they go to the free clinic. John brings them once or twice. House clocks John as an alcoholic probably. Knows he’s ex military (the way Dean calls him sir etc.) and feels for the boys because we all know houses dad was a pos too. Treats John like shit but good with Sam. (Good in deans eyes, even better in Sam’s)

Eventually John stops coming around (dead? Lost custody? Idk idc) and it’s just Dean at Sammy’s apts. (maybe Bobby or Ellen in an emergency?? House could ask Sam where his brother is etc.)

House and Dean vibe even when he’s young. Dean just wants to get in and get out and not waste his or houses time. Sammy doesn’t complain either which is unlike most kids. House is an ass but Dean enjoys those visits more than when he sees other providers.

(I feel like Dean comes in one day (an adult at drinking age atp) and house wants to kill time to piss off Cuddy and Dean doesn’t wanna go back to work. This is when the primary bonding happens.)

They watch general hospital together in the exam room and talk about dr sexy. They leer at nurses and Cuddy. They talk about deans car and houses bike. Having shitty dads. Music, bad horror movies.

Dean likes Wilson too. He comes around sometimes and seems nice enough. Dean notices something is kinda up with those two but it isn’t his business. Wilson’s third wife sounds unbearable.

They don’t ever hangout or anything. (Unless? Maybe they run into each other at a bar a few times? Moody drinking and talking music or something equally them. But never intentionally hanging out) Their worlds don’t blur that much. I’m thinking more like random hijinx leading them to having several interactions (10+?) over the years.

Charlie breaks an arm or something. Benny needs stitches and won’t let Dean do it. Bobby’s been sick for two months and refuses to be seen until Dean makes him go in. STD check up (House would have a field day with this) IDK just random instances to where they have a bit of familiarity with one another.

I feel like House would call Dean “the ken doll” Winchester. Dean would flirt with Cameron and House would be delighted. Etc etc. Just random instances through out the years where they recognize and respect each other. Nothing more.

Until

Cas gets sick. Weird sick, needs houses expertise sick. No one at the clinic is taking Dean’s concerns about Cas seriously. (I feel like Cas having major personality changes would be Interesting maybe?? Like combo of godstiel/insane Cas. Maybe a seizure or two?? Idk something!) Until Dean sees House in the hallway. House agrees to see him because he likes Dean and he’s bored.

Normal medical malpractice ensues blah blah blah

But

Deans reaction to Cas being sick is unsettling to house. They’re just friends right? This is the guy Deans mentioned to him in passing before?

But why does Dean look at him (Cas) like that? Why is he holding his hand? Why did he brush the hair out of his eyes?

Dean once referred to this Cas guy as his own Wilson. But House doesn’t look at Wilson like that, does he?? *Insert House spiral here*

Wilson also gets nervous watching them together or hearing them talk about each other. I think he and Cas need to bond. Both in love with grumpy men who are too afraid to allow themselves to love.

Oooo Cas reprimanding Dean for being rude in almost identical fashion to how Wilson did to House before they entered the room. That would be hilarious.

Speaking of hilarious. Very funny to imagine the ducklings searching Deans place. (Not the bunker. Maybe Bobbys? Maybe an apt above the roadhouse?)

I just know they would have lots to say. Forced masculinity comments with the nudie magazines/calendars etc. Surprisingly good/healthy ingredients/food in the house? Dean cooks apparently. Books on mechanical engineering and fantasy/sci-fi novels.

I feel like he and Cas need to be roommates for some reason in this 🤔. Maybe Cas has just moved in? Escaped his family’s religious extremist right wing bs. Maybe he doesn’t even have a room yet??? Maybe he and Dean share.

Ducklings taking bets on if Dean and Cas are dating, besties, or in love but repressed. “Sounds like two other men best friends that we know” *foreman voice*

House saves Cas because of course he does. Dean cries and rests their foreheads together and House feels uncomfy watching this and skedaddles.

Something about seeing them together will push him and/or Wilson to make a move finally. Not sure who or how yet.

I want to write this soooooo bad but I know I’ll never finish it. Someone want to write this for me?? It would be so good I just know it!!!!

[iprobablyshipit91]

Words Unsaid

Part 4

Genre: romance / mutual pining / fluff / angst / royal au

Pairing: Dean Winchester x Female Reader

Word Count: 2.2k

Warnings: bit of language but that’s all I think? However there will be some major triggers in later chapters. These will be tagged appropriately on the relevant chapters, but please only read if you’re of age and comfortable.

Dividers by @talesmaniac89

Series Masterlist || SPN Masterlist

Previous || Next

New update, bit later than planned! Hope you enjoy…

King Charles is obstinate, rude and condescending and you immediately hate him. He drones on far more than necessary, the whole of your visit filled with listening to his endless speeches on the wonderful, God-like ruler he was and the tight control he has over his realm. It’s left you feeling bored and miserable, but mostly sorry for the poor subjects he uses as pawns in his cruel and ridiculous games.

You watch your father hide a subtle eye roll across the banquet table as the King launches into another story that you’ve already heard twice this week and you can’t help the smirk that twitches at your lips. You aim a small kick at him under the table, making him jump in surprise, although he covers it well under the pretence of a cough, his eyes filled with mirth as he catches your raised eyebrows.

"Everything alright?"

Your father schools his face into a neutral expression as the King pauses his story and you do your best to do the same. You mustn’t forget that you’re here on business and there are expectations on how you should behave. Particularly in a kingdom as old-fashioned as this one.

"Just a frog in my throat." Her father smiles easily and King Charles looks appeased for the moment, continuing his story as though there had been no interruption.

You make it through the rest of the starter in peace, tuning out the conversations around you. After your dinner is served however, you feel the Kings attention shift to you, your skin crawling uncomfortably as he squints at you thoughtfully, your stomach dropping to somewhere around your toes.

"So, my dear Princess-" you mentally flinch at the title and how it sounds coming from him. "I hear your twenty first birthday is fast approaching?”

You catch your fathers eye and see he is giving you a soft smile, that familiar, almost distant look in his eye and you know a million memories of you growing up is fluttering through his head. You return his smile then turn your attention back to the King.

"Yes, two weeks from today, actually."

King Charles nods and you carefully start to cut the food on your plate, frustrated that you can’t just use your hands like a normal human being would. At home you could have got away with it easily, but instead, here you were struggling to figure out how to eat a turkey leg like a lady.

"That’s interesting. We don’t seem to have received an invitation to your ball." His tone is conversational and light but you can hear the offense there plain as day. Your eyes snap quickly back to your father and his expression is now much more wary. You can tell exactly what he is saying without words.

Tread carefully.

It was a long standing custom in most kingdoms across the land to have a ball for any royal turning of age, specifically a ball for an arranged marriage to be proposed. You were lucky, considering your parents had been a love match themselves, they had no intention of forcing their only daughter into a loveless marriage for political gain and so the idea of a ball hadn’t even been mentioned.

Until now.

"I've heard that yours and your wife’s rule is less than traditional.” King Charles turns back to your father, a sneer on his face despite the forced casualness he maintains. “I must say, I am rather hesitant to engage in business with a kingdom so-" He sighs, eyes dancing back to you. "Revolutionary."

Your heart stops beating for a second as your eyes dart between King Charles and your father. You’ve seen the way he treats his kingdom; cold and ruthless and if that’s his idea of traditional you quite frankly want nothing to do with it. The amount of homeless on the streets and starving children you saw on the journey here alone was enough to break your heart, never mind the way he’s spoken to and acted towards his servants the entire time you’ve spent in the castle. You know in your heart there’s only one thing you can do.

You sigh dramatically and put down your knife and fork.

"That’s actually my fault your Highness." From the corner of your eye you see your fathers head snap back over to you his eyes full of confusion. You give him a tight smile before putting your princess face on and turning back to King Charles.

"You see, I've had the most difficult time picking out an invitation design, I'm afraid we will now have to send out all invitations by personal courier to get there on time."

King Charles looks at you with narrowed eyes. "So you do intend to have a ball?"

"If she can ever make a decision on what she would like to wear, she will." Your father grumbles, falling into the role of playfully frustrated easily and you breathe out a sigh of relief as King Charles gives a hearty laugh and claps his hands together.

"Delightful."

You almost gag. It is anything but.

The rest of the dinner passes without much event, and King Charles invites your father to join him in his study straight after. A few hours later and your father is loading you both quickly into the carriage, as eager to leave this dreadful place as you it would seem.

"Did you secure the trade you wanted?" You ask when you are finally on the road that will lead you home.

Your father nods with a grim smile. "Yes, all thanks to you." He sighs deeply. "You don’t have to do this you know."

"I do, I can't go back on my word now. One ball won't kill me, dad. I'll play the perfect princess, put on a pretty dress and dance with his son-"

"And every other eligible bachelor throughout the kingdoms." Your father adds with raised eyebrows, looking annoyed at the mere idea.

"And every other eligible bachelor throughout the kingdoms." You repeat with a groan.

"Your mother and I wished to spare you from this." He says quietly, tilting his head and looking at you with sad eyes.

"I know." You give him a tight smile. "This was my choice and I am okay with that. If one night of misery for me means our kingdom's people can put food on the table for their families, then so be it."

He brings his hand up to your cheek softly and looks at you with shining eyes for a long silent moment before pressing a gentle kiss to your forehead.

"My daughter." He breathes out, before leaning back and looking you straight in the eye. "You are going to make an excellent Queen."

You feel your cheeks heat up at the pride colouring his tone. He gives you a quick wink then drops his hands, folding his arms against his chest instead. You smile softly and sigh, grateful that your carriage is moving swiftly towards home. Your father closes his eyes and leans his head back against the seat of the carriage.

"Oh, by the way. I'm going to let you explain to your mother how she has to plan an entire ball with all the kingdoms in the next week."

You wince. Your mother is going to be absolutely furious.

You bite your lip, wringing your hands as you stand outside the kitchen doors awkwardly, debating whether to go in or not. Tired of running from your problems, you shake your head, square your shoulders and push hard on the solid oak door. You are immediately hit with a flurry of activity, the familiar commotion wrapping around you like a comforting blanket. Dinner preparations are well on the way with Jody in the centre of the kitchen conducting everyone around her with perfection and ease.

Like a moth to a flame though, your eyes are instantly drawn to him, like he's the very center of your universe and you just orbit around him.

He stands next to Sam, chopping vegetables quickly. He laughs loudly at something Sam says, his face boyish and adorable. He reaches out for another stack of vegetables, his arm flexing and sending your heart into a frenzy. You swallow hard, reminding yourself to keep yourself in check. You can do this.

"Well look who’s come back to join us!" Jody suddenly shouts and you watch as his eyes immediately find yours, the kitchen around you filled with cheers. He blinks, almost looking stunned for a second before a full, genuine grin splits his face.

Nope. No. You’re an idiot. You can't do this.

With a deep breath you give a timid wave and smile to the staff before they return back to their tasks. You weave in and out, making your way over to Jody first who envelopes you in a warm hug.

"We missed you, Princess." She whispers in your ear, giving a little squeeze before releasing you. She tilts her head toward Dean. "Some more than others." She adds with raised eyebrows and a knowing look that you determinedly ignore before making your way over to Dean and Sam.

“Ah, here she is!” Sam smiles widely at you, but you can see the mischief in his eyes shining clear as day as he turns to his brother. “Now you’re back home maybe some of us can get on with work rather than moping about the place like someone ate the last slice of pie.”

“Shove off, jerk!" Dean laughs and aims a playful smack towards Sam’s arm, but he dodges out of the way easily. He looks up at you and his own eyes dance with mischief. "I just thought the princess here had run off to have an adventure without me."

He winks at you and the relief you feel is overwhelming. There is none of the awkwardness between you that you’d been dreading, it’s like he had completely forgotten all about your emotional breakdown.

"Please, you know I can’t go anywhere without you." You reply easily but then notice his smile falter for just a second and worry you’ve put your foot in it once again. Before you have chance to dwell on it however, Jody comes over to you and is sweeping you out of the kitchen and back into the dining hall.

Your parents are already seated at the table as you walk in but your mother is quick to get up and wrap you in a hug of her own.

"I'm so glad to have you both back home." She presses a kiss to your forehead before pulling you back to the table with her. As you slide into your chair the kitchen staff start to come in and begin placing various dishes on the table.

As the dinner conversation starts you find the unease at seeing Dean slowly fade away, tuning everything out and getting lost in your own thoughts despite him sweeping in and out of the kitchens, clearing plates and bringing in new dishes.

It is as you are just revelling in the fact that you can once again eat a damn turkey leg with your hands that a loud shriek causes you to jump. The dining hall goes completely silent and you look up to see your mother looking at you with horror on her face. You immediately knows what this is about.

"Mom-"

"Don't you dare “Mom” me." She warns and oh boy you are definitely in trouble. "You told King Charles you are having a suitor ball? And its in two weeks?"

Before you can even open your mouth to respond a clattering of pots interrupts you. You turn to see Dean standing with his back to the table at the door to the kitchen, with a pile of broken plates at his feet. The entire table watches in silence as he mutters something unintelligible before bending to pick up the shards. You quickly turn your attention back to your mother.

"Mom, I'm sorry, but I didn’t exactly have a choice." Your mother is still looking at you expectantly. "King Charles was being really persistent about it, he kept talking about us not being a traditional kingdom." You shake your head and roll your eyes. "He kept mentioning his son who’s the same age, I assume he wants us to unite our kingdoms." You waggle your eyebrows for extra effect and your father chokes on the food he’s just put in his mouth, laughing because he knows you have absolutely zero intention of uniting anything with anyone, least of all with King Charles’ kingdom.

There is another loud crash and you turn your head once again to see Dean standing at the door to the kitchen staring down at what you assume should have been your dessert, face down on the floor of the dining hall.

Jody sighs next to you as she picks up another plate.

"I apologise your highnesses, I’m sure we have another cake somewhere."

Dean looks up and you are shocked at the sadness and fury etched across his face. For a brief moment, his eyes meet yours before he turns and storms back into the kitchen.

You look back at your parents and see your father raise both of his eyebrows to your mother. She shrugs in return, a tiny smile tugging at her mouth but its gone as soon as they both realise you are looking at them.

Your mother picks up her tea, smirking at you over the rim of the cup. "I hope you know I’m making you wear the most horrible dress."

Next

[andorerso]

20 questions for fic writers

tagged by @fulcrumstardust <3

1. How many works do you have on ao3?

for simplicity, I'm only gonna be counting the fics on wintersend (I don't really use my old accounts anyways) so 51 (which... wow)

2.  What's your total AO3 word count?

462,660

3. What fandoms do you write for?

currently just Rogue One (currently lmao... as if I wrote for anything else in years)

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

you don't have to say i love you to say i love you (I can't believe this is number one... I'm pretty sure I wrote it on my phone 😭)

stars in the same constellation (just a drabble collection)

touching the sun (honestly considering how anxious I was about this one... it's reassuring to see it in the top 3 💖)

Blood Red Rose (I mean I would have been sad if this didn't make it)

skinny love (this one's a surprise! I wrote it so long ago and it never stood out to me in particular? but I'm glad you guys enjoyed it)

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

unless I somehow miss it, I always do!

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

it's actually not written/posted yet but it's coming on Sunday so be prepared.... other than that, we have if you and i are a story that never gets told which is open ended but in a hopeless kinda way. they don't die but it's implied they probably will. all my other stories have happy endings because I want them to be happy.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

I think maybe imaginary homelands since the whole thing is about them finding their way back to each other, and also, it takes place post-war so no one dies, no one's suffering anymore, and they're married and happy by the end.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Not really

9. Do you write smut. If so, what kind?

I used to write more than I do now but yeah. Even if I don't, a lot of my stories have sexual themes or innuendo because that's just who I am as a person.

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

I've never written a crossover, it's not my thing. I've written AUs based on fandoms, but not crossovers.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Hopefully not

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes but not in the SW/RO fandom

13. Have you ever cowritten a fic before?

Only twice but it was fun!

14. What's your all-time favorite ship?

do you actually need me to say it? it's rebelcaptain <3

15. What's a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

if a WIP means I'm working on it and have posted it to ao3, then I have full intentions of finishing all of them. otherwise there's a bunch of ideas I play around with and/or outline that'll never get written but idk if that counts.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I tend to like my dialogue

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Action and descriptions 😢 And plot agfdhdfhnhfg

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

if you're not using google translate and know the language (or ask someone who knows it to help you), then it should be fine

but please don't use google translate

19. First Fandom you wrote for?

it was Twilight, but barely... I tried but it didn't really stick. the first fandom I properly wrote for that actually stuck and became a habit was SPN

20. Favorite fic you've ever written?

it's not very polite to ask a mother to choose a favorite kid of hers, now is it?

[spnfanficpond]

Weekly Pond Newsletter

One more week and that pervasive ramen noodle meme is gonna be everywhere here. I propose fighting back with this gif:

Half the noodles, twice the sexy, amiright?

Old Business:

Record-low attendance at the Competitive Writing Sprints tonight (no one could make it lol) leads me to believe that 2AM Eastern US time is not a good time for people. Let us know in the replies when you want our next session to be!

Last week's #TweetFicTues prompt (via @writerswritecompany):

Tell us who you think is in the tent and why!!

New Business:

The New Member Spotlight is getting a makeover! The post will go up sometime this week, and it will look different because we've started asking our new members a little bit about themselves when they join! Hopefully, this will help bring together people with similar interests!

Bemoment.us has started hosting cool experiences with some of our favorite SPN cast members! Their first one was knitting with Sam Smith (Mary Winchester), and yesterday they hosted an Armorer themed experience with Emily Swallow (Amara on SPN, the Armorer on The Mandalorian). Next weekend is songwriting with our very own Rock God, Rob Benedict! Click here to see what's coming and find out more about it!

Paul Carella is doing a zoom concert this afternoon! Apparently, Paul and stageit have gone their separate ways for the moment, so he's now doing his online concerts via zoom, with tickets available via eventbrite! Click here to get your tickets for today's show!

Are you attending a convention or other SPN-related event and want to know if anyone else from the Pond will be there? Head into our discord server, and you will find channels there for some upcoming events. Don't see your event? Tell an admin and we'll make a channel for you!

Admin Michelle is putting together something new in her spare time after mourning the death of the SPNFicBot on Twitter. (It went the way of all bots on Twitter, even though it was a good bot.) When she's done, she's hoping to have a bigger, better SPN fic prompt generator. Helping would include giving input on what characters to include, and building other data sets like tropes, themes, and AUs. If you would like to help, send her a private message!

(Divider by @glygriffe!)

That's all for this week! To see all Pond events, and also other SPN-related things like conventions and online concerts, check out our Google calendar! We try to keep it as up to date as possible. If there's something you want to see on the calendar that's not there (maybe a convention we missed, or cast birthdays, or something similar), send us an ASK and let us know!

Hope you have a great week! - From your Admins and Manta Rays, @manawhaat, @mrswhozeewhatsis, @mariekoukie6661, @princessmisery666, @thoughtslikeaminefield, and @katbratsupernaturalwhore!

[laf-outloud]

On my Twitter today: Tom Welling at Lucifer con saying there's room for Sam to be on TW. (I haven't heard any video, just saw quotes, so I don't know if this is bait or a passing attempt to give credit to Sam)//Also, on my feed were news and posts about Fyre Festival 2.0 wanting investors.//Seems like the maxim, "there's a sucker born every minute."

There's a Lucifer con? (Glances at Twitter and it was run by Creation.) Huh. Who knew?

I thought about asking you for links, but there isn't going to be a season 2 of TW so nothing Tom says is relevant to the show. (I mean, technically, there's room for everyone because even in an AU that pulls from the SPN-verse, canon doesn't matter.)

I believe the maxim regarding the Fyre Festival should be "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me."

[tgtbata]

getting in b4 wednesday with a wincest ask because i know i'll forget in the chaos of the week -- what is at this very moment your heartfave most indulgent wincest au to draw?

it's wincest week all week every week <3

below the cut for incoherent musings. i prommy there’s an actual answer somewhere in there.

i love indulgent AUs and i love drawing them but i still feel like they have to fit into the idea of canon even if they're cracky (and if we’re talking about completely different lives and jobs etc. they’re best created by someone who knows what they’re talking about and appreciates canon imltho) so i can't get into any ol’ AU and most things that i am into would qualify more as canon divergence than actual AU - especially for wincest!

but one of the AUs i enjoy drawing is cowboys! it’s something i’ve only drawn once or twice but i love the idea of it and the aesthetic for art and i want to explore it more in the future! the AUs presented to us by the show (like lebanon or smith/wesson or rich!chesters) are very fun to play in but don’t really count since they’re almost just another shape of canon, miraculously. however, more AU in that sense: there’s some endverse!dean/laterseasons!sam art in my files i’ve already sketched that i’m excited to properly work on. oh and the AU where john was bujo-ing his journal with the best of the stationery girlies and spent sam’s college fund on washi tape.

i’m not really interested in transplanting sam and dean into random mundane settings and if they go there for a canon reason like a hunt that’s not an AU so. genderswaps are an interesting exercise to draw but not heartfaves, if that makes sense! sorry, i’m just going through AUs in my head here.

and as a non-answer to your question because it’s on my mind: football AUs (association football) are my id, my ego, my superego, my everything in fandom but they have to be done the way i (me, me, me!) selfishly want them and unfortch they are a little bit of a hard sell for supernatural. maybe it's the us-american setting, maybe it's the very confined cast of the show that doesn't lend itself to much except mercenary-style transfer careers or maybe it's that i can't believe these guys would want to fuck the metaphorical personification of their club before fucking the guy standing in the freekick wall next to them - the whole point of wincest is that they’d love to fuck the guy standing next to them! but i need my football AUs to feature the true faith in a greater thing (i.e. The Beautiful Game) in a relevant fashion and i’m not saying it's impossible to do for spn or to subvert it well but it's difficult, for me. so this is something i'm always turning over in my head and i will draw them/have sketched them in football jerseys because i love drawing football jerseys but it’s nothing articulated at all. so not a true AU, you know.

to actually answer the question after all these detours: there's a bigger project made up of multiple drawings i’ve been incubating related to dean surviving the rebar incident which is SO incredibly indulgent as a concept that it just makes me happy. again more canon divergence than true AU but that’s all i got. thank you for the question! and thanks of reading.

[magnificent-winged-beast]

Thanks for this on—point summary. Still… I anchored so much bitter stuff inside since the ugly finale. Those two last episodes really messed me up, physically and emotionally. I swear I felt a future aneurysm born that day, from a vein that protruded from my neck to my forehead while watching the last episode.

It's not just the way they treated Cas and Misha, and blaming all to Covid. Not even the final results Destiel a One side infatuation, plus kill your gays/love interest to give to the hero of the story a tragic “heroic” arch. For me, It's always the way the killed Dean.

I'm glad Jackles could make this step to try to do something “good” from the stupid result of Dean's death. Making a P.S. about who Dean really was and remain being in heaven. I think it's so in character for him to DO SOMETHING even if he is putting his comfort or “deserved rest” in peril to fight for the good of others. I'm truly delighted.

Still, I'm uncertain if I want to watch the Scooby-Doo gang in the 70s hunting monsters. I'll probably watch only that last episode to see Dean again. I hope for the best for those who started to love this show, and pray for a second season.

Definitely, if that happens it will be because Dean was there, with a promise to see him again. I'm vert unsure if I want to engage with all of this, again. Or watch from that season. As always, these are my thoughts, and personal dramas/preferences. But I would rather not be played again. Even if the Event Horizon of Clowning could happen in this show. I know it will not happen, and for ever be a promise to keep the hook and raitings. That's the CW way. But I know I'll be there watching LIVE promptly applying the clown makeup once more. If Castiel it's confirmed on that series.

Side personal bitter Cas/Misha stan note. I have many, many reasons to dislike the gigantor, mostly because of the finale and other “moves” this dude made since the ending of SPN. How cool is that if, according to my theory, much of the finale was a Jpad making, will and final demand. Because he thought that if HE WAS THE ONLY ONE ALIVE, there could be many chances of Sam having his comeback and AT LAST, his own show, where he is not out staged by “secondary characters”. LMAO…🤣

Now, by the new logic, Jackles reset the SPN show, and it's stupid ending canon. ONLY THE ONES Dead, or not part of the reality of the Canon universe (Aka Not the moose). Could make sense, or be a part of this multiverse of Dean helping from heaven.

My final Clowning, thoughs.

I just realize that by this new canon/logic Dean created an at infinitum of possibilities for Destiel? Twice the amount of fics of AUs ever created. For me, it's like ok, the Canon Supernatural show ended with Dean's gay panic, no thank you Cas I love you like a brother... Bruh.

But by HIM INTERVENING in parallel or mirror universes. It's like he is twisting the Canon faiths of his upbringing and all the forced "I don't swing that way" bullshit the show has been playing since the beginning. Bringing to the front all the subtext MIRRORING in plain sight. So, this makes a World, or Worlds, where Destiel is perfectly Canon, a part of the hero journey for Dean.

It's simply exquisite. 🙌🏼

Honk honk 🤡

i know we've already made a hundred jokes about it but oh my god. dean winchester escaping heaven with his car to save the multiverse is a real thing that happened. like that was airing on live tv in the year 2023. he drove. the car. and it took him to an alternate dimension where his parents were better people. you cant make this shit up

[twicearoundthesun]

Running masterlist:

Baby SMC au - (2Yeon, SaMo) After a tragedy, college-age NY has to take care of her 3yr old sister, CY, with help from her ever-loyal girlfriend JY and best friends MM, SN, JH, and MN. Somehow they wind up with DH and TZ, too, but they can handle it… probably.

Spies au - (Sahyo, Namo) Crime fighting vigilante team twice making the world a better place and being buddies. cw for violence!

College au - (JeongMi, ChaeTzu, Samo) theyre in college. this is an au.

Roommates au - (couples TBD) Dahyun and Chaeyoung have just moved into a new apartment. Times are tough, but the neighbors (and their friends) seem nice. This one’s going to be a little heavy and deal w trauma, specifically past abuse, please be warned.

Mimo au - (anyone have a better name for this one?) Mina and Momo meet when their daughters Dahyun and Chaeyoung become friends. Romance ensues (?)

Coven au - Magic has been outlawed for a hundred years, and now the newly-crowned King has started a deadly witch hunt. Nine witches from different backgrounds try to find a safe haven, and maybe save the world along the way.

Supernatural au - (‘OT9 as found-family trope’ fluff, no romance) Spin-off oneshots from my Supernatural multichap on ao3. About the girls kicking ass and hunting demons and being a big happy family. Often i write little drabbles to help me develop the characters in my head, so I’m thinking i’ll post some here.

[mostly-vo1d]

John Winchester: *gets resurrected*

Literally everyone @ Dean and Sam: my condolences