Lucy is so grateful that the Winchesters have taken her in as family. She doesn't function well alone and when Jill disappeared, she was lost. Maybe she'll mention to Sam about making dinner sometime for them all. He can suggest something healthier than what they're accustomed to. Fortunately for everyone, the one that's keeping an eye on him is good at keeping him safe.
Well, it's a good thing he ended up back on the road, at least as far as Ruby is concerned. She's aware it's selfish and that Sam would be safer if he were living his normal lawyer life instead of a hunter's life, but she's okay with being selfish. The people you care about are usually the ones that have your best interests at heart so it's good to listen to them.
Lucy should make less use of the wish magic. She'll start praying to Cas for that latte in bed instead of wishing for it (if she hasn't already). At least with Lucy, he doesn't have to ask. Sure, he could pop in at awkward moments, but she'll be okay with it if he is. Privacy and modesty are a myth for Lucy.
"I don't know. Inviting hot, high school girls to stay at his house...," Dean says as he considers the information in the book.
They have a lot more in common than one might first assume. She's well aware that research is a good place to start. Dean considers Sam's question a moment. "We might be able to get our hands on the old resident files. We'd need to be able to hack into their network files though." While an older Sam could do that, Dean knows this Sam probably isn't capable of that yet.
The Winchesters can relate to not functioning well alone. Except it has nothing to do with that. The reason Lucy became apart of their family is because she is likable all on her own and no one Winchester feels more sympathy for her than the next person who lost somebody. She earned her place in their hearts. Sam would be humbled and tell her yes to such an offer. Naturally, they could cook the best for both worlds. After all, some members of their family are easier to appease by giving them their way (ie it's been harder to say no when Mary shares some of Dean's preferences). Did he ever Ruby that he likes her focus on him?
Well, for some time at least, Sam isn't sure the life of the lawyer would be for him anymore. Of course right now, at this age, he's just dreaming what his options are. Whatever they may end up being, his desire to help people will always remain. There's no knowing for certain he would have been left alone to go to Harvard anyway. Dean and Ruby are a big part of why he is still even around if you look at key points of his life.
It would certainly ease Castiel's concern for her if she did both of these things. Though, he may have to learn how to make a latter first. Some unfortunate soul, after all, doesn't deserve having their latte spirited away. Fortunately(?), Cas is getting better at asking permission to enter. Dean and Carmen have a few stories to tell. He now has the idea to knock or text before he enters most of the time.
"Yeah, after he turns it into a school. He doesn't think about girls 24/7 like you," Sam counters. He'll go down defending Professor X's character.
Sam has noticed that. An attractive trait is a girl that know the value of research. Unfortunately, this Sam hasn't even technically gotten his first laptop. Libraries have computers though, right. He looks over his shoulder a moment to be sure then asks any one of them, "Any one of you able to hack the system? We can use the computers in here." The best of his capabilities is web searches, if they want to try searching Wells on Yahoo.
Lucy understands that. Sometimes it's better to make little changes and let them have their way most of the time. He has told Ruby that and it's only made her more blatant about her focus on him.
It's hard to go back to normal when you know the monsters under the bed are real. Ruby gets that. She'd lived it for a little while long ago when she was human. She'd had all that power and she'd found out demons were real. Normal life was a lot harder. That desire to help people is the thing that John thought saved Sam from the future Azazel had planned for him. Dean is the other thing that saved him. John is still hedging his thoughts on Ruby, but he can't deny that she makes Sam happy and he's been told by Dean and by Sam that Ruby saved them both a few times both back home and here.
He could always pop into the coffee store and order one for her before he pops into her bedroom. Yes, Castiel's sudden appearance had been startling and inconvenient particularly the first couple of times he'd shown up. After the third or fourth time, Carmen had handled it much better and told him unless there was blood, come back in 45 minutes. It's good for everyone that isn't Lucy if Castiel learns to text or knock before entering a room.
"Well yeah, not after he's old, bald and paralyzed," Dean counters back. Yes, he knows he can get a rise out of Sam this way. His brow furrows a little. "Wait, was he born old, bald and paralyzed? Is that part of his superpower?"
"I can play music and cat videos," Ruby offers, which won't help them at all. Dean snorts. "I can't even get porn sites to play without the computer freezing." John puts his hands up. "Don't look at me. There's nothing even as advanced as the phones here back home."
"So, we're stuck with old fashioned book research," Ruby says. She rolls her eyes and stands up. "I'll go look back in the stacks and see if I can find something that looks more non-fiction."
That's a good way to put it. Lucy is like a little-big sister whom happens to be older than Sam. Her affectionate attacks to his person just so happen to be the part he is most receptive to.
Funny how true that works. There was a time when he was about nine that he sniffled about going to sleep when the monsters could get him, and now there is a time where the trouble in sleeping would lie in if Ruby wasn't next to him in his bed. He's grateful for the life he has here. It is his hope that eventually all can resemble the normal he has always pictured. Monsters are just par for the course now. Maybe Sam will eventually figure out how to best channel his desire to help people in Itinere as well.
A while ago Lucy did teach Castiel that things made from scratch mean much more than anything else. It wouldn't even occur to him order a drink for her anymore. Yes, he's committed. Yes, it was understood when Carmen told him 45 minutes. She ought to know he came back exactly 45 minutes later. Lucy is free to undo the work that has been done to make him better about entering a room if it suits her needs.
"Shut up. You don't know know anything anyway or you wouldn't question if baldness is his superpower." Getting a rise out of Sam isn't the hardest thing to do. Professor X is a fiction role model of his. "He lost his hair at a young age when he was growing into his powers. His spine was broken later in the battle against the Shadow King." Mary shoots John a side glance because the boys may as well be talking in a foreign language.
Mary shrugs at her turn. "I just found out how to use the internet." Sam scratches his cheek then the corner of his ear to push some misplaced strands of hair back. "Unless we know anybody else who can help?" Sam looks at Ruby particularly all the while he has no clue he would normally be the right person for the job.
He stands up rather hurriedly when Ruby does too. "I'll go with you!" Even he realizes how eager that came off after he says it and hesitates before making up an excuse. "...To help. Two sets of eyes are better than one, right?"
Lucy likes the idea of being a little sister, even if she is older. Sam is the only one who gets those affectionate attacks from Ruby and they're usually when no one else is around because god forbid anyone realizes she's not the stone-cold bitch that she seems to be.
Oh, Cas. It's no wonder Lucy is very much in like with him. Carmen knows now that Castiel is very punctual. The next time Lucy gets a text or Cas knocks, she'll tell him that he doesn't have to do that; he can just come in. Mixed signals much?
Dean grins, barely stifling a chuckle at the rise he'd successfully gotten out of Sam. "Good to know, Geek Boy," Dean chirps, but he's still flipping through the comic books. "How did I forget Rogue was so hot," he says mostly to himself. John shrugs at Mary's look. "Don't' ask me. I just gave them money to buy the comic books."
Dean thinks about it a second and shakes his head. "As much as I love her, Lucy doesn't strike me as a computer whiz. We could ask Carm. She's never mentioned being a secret hacker though." Carmen might know her way around a computer, but probably not to the proficiency that they'd need. It'll be an issue they'll have to shelve until the older version of Sam comes back.
Ruby looks back over her shoulder, flipping her hair as she does when Sam declares he'll stay with her. A cat's got the milk grin slips over her lips and she holds out her hand, slowing a little but not stopping. "That's what I hear," she tells him.
John sighs and rubs a hand over the back of his neck. "I don't know whether to worry about that or be charmed by it," he says almost as an aside then looks back to the comic books. "So we'll research and stay out of the lab until we know more. Maybe we can find some techno-babble spell that'll get us into the database. I miss when everything was in a file cabinet in a basement somewhere." Little does John know that if he wished for that exact thing, he might get it.
Sam would have once also said she was a little too touchy feely, but Lucy has been better about that for a while. She is still the type to fit his image of a little sister. Nobody has told him yet that Ruby and Dean are very much a like, thank God Jesus. Sam is probably the only one that knows the extent of the facade she puts on too.
Because he learns quickly from their discussions. Did she not want him to be punctual? Yes, it very much will send him mixed signals the next time he doesn't come in before asking and she informs him that he can just come in.
It doesn't escape his notice that Dean is being a jerk, and Sam knows nothing he can say will change that so he gives him this look of being so done with him. He takes the comic book right from under Dean. "You can go look in the newspaper archives." He appoints Dean that job should he be willing to take it or not. It might be the hardest job he can think of. Okay, Mary won't ask. But in it, John shares a small fact that brings her smile to widen. She knows he did good for the boys when he could.
Sam doesn't hide his disappointment from being visible, but is not discouraged by the thought of finding answers the hard way. They've always managed to do it and it was just the three of them then. The five of them together makes anything seem possible. "Okay. So that's a fate no. If you're not sure then I don't think we should bother Carmen or Lucy with this. We can do this ourselves. Like we always do." He really does have faith. He really does think they just need to find the right place to look.
Sam is pretty sure time stands still for a moment when Ruby's ringlets bounce as a result, but then it speeds right up again the further she gets from the table. "Yeah. Me too." He's not thinking how he just said what he agreed to. He pushes the chair more away from him to have it noisily scratch across the floor and stumbles, finds his balance to move around the table to follow behind her at a brisk pace.
Sam is gone. Mary and Dean are still left standing there with John though. She rubs her palm up and down John's arm because there are really no words to tell him to let their youngest find out for himself and their youngest should be fine. Mary considers his second unspoken question with more thought. "Don't suppose there is anyone around here that we can ask?," she offers, clearly uncertain, but looking around at the same time for signs of someone that worked there that could(n't) have possibly slipped their notice.
Lucy got warned by Ruby and Lucy respects significant others. When Sam is older, he can probably see the similarities himself. He is definitely the only one that sees that side of Ruby. Others can probably see it to an extent when they watch Sam and Ruby together, but they probably don't realize what a cuddle bug she can be.
Well, punctuality is a good quality to have. Carmen won't tell him otherwise, but Lucy can (and will) teach Cas to enjoy life a little more and sometimes that means not being punctual or popping in unannounced.
Yeah, Dean knows that look. It's familiar no matter what age Sam is. Dean gives him a thumbs up. He will actually comb through the network archives and see what he can find about Wells, STAR Labs, and Cisco that he missed the first time around. John tried to be a good dad; he just wasn't always capable of it.
At Sam's words, Dean reaches over and ruffles Sam's hair with a grin. "Bitch." It's said very affectionately. Dean has faith too. If Sam wants to find out more about the lab, they'll find out more about the lab.
Don't worry, Sammy. Dean will catch the chair before it hits the ground and set it back up. It doesn't take long for Ruby and Sam to get lost in the stacks. "So do we go to the science section or the graphic art section or the history section?" she asks. Honestly, they might find books about Wells and his world in any of the sections or all of them. Th partially sentient bookshop isn't always the easiest to navigate, but it is always interesting.
John is starting to accept that. "As a matter of fact," Dean says as he moves toward the counter and rings a bell there. "Gracie?" Dean had thought at one time that Gracie was the blonde in the bookshop that Sam had been talking about (he'd hoped for it as well). A few seconds later, there's a soft thud of footsteps coming down the stairs in the back. A pretty blonde in a hoodie and a pair of cut off shorts comes through the swinging door with a smile. "Dean Winchester, I don't see you in here very often."
Hopefully without too many veiled threats, but that's something Sam is still helping her with. When Sam is older, he may see the similarities but also denies anything that too similar. Some of the best evenings they've had together is because she is as much of a cuddlier as he is.
Lucy will have to explain the logic behind that one to him. She could start with how he would be spontaneous if he did not pop in unannounced.
Thumbs up go a long way in cooling off Sam. He doesn't imagine Dean will have trouble finding anything if there is anything either. Mary can only go by what she's seen of John in Itinere, but he is very capable. She will always lend her ear, if he needs it. There is also the comics left on the table for anybody still interested in looking at the glimmer of info they might offer.
Oops? Sammy is always leaving Dean to pick up his messes, but the chair tipping over is completely accidental. It doesn't take him long to be right behind Ruby. "Science," Sam guesses. "We want to increase the chances of finding out the most about STARS Labs and this Wells guy, so I think that's the best to start. What do you think?" Because of course her opinion matters to him. Maybe the partially sentient bookshop will play nice.
Mary's eyes follow Dean and she twists herself around as he moves back toward the counter. It does not surprise her, really, that he would know the bookshop attendant. Of all of them, she is aware Dean has been in Itinere the longest. She doesn't want to be the one to interrupt their little reunion and she doesn't have to. Upstairs, leaning over the rail emerges another figure. Tall, dark, obnoxious handsome. "Welcome. You all couldn't have come at a better time," Damon says, not at all sarcastically. He'd mostly like to remind Gracie he's sticking around. Maybe he's still on his best behavior.
Oh, Sam. He should know by now that she doesn't do veiled. They were pretty straight-forward threats and bless Lucy, she's still around.
Her logic might not be like anyone else's logic, but she'll be happy to explain it to him. Mostly, Lucy wants Cas to do what h wants to do, but she also really hopes he wants to spend time with her.
Mary is good to John. Dean will flip through the comic books a little, but he's not really digging into the information. He's thinking forward to other resources. He'll probably get out and talk to people to see if anyone knows more than they do right now about the lab.
It's not that big a mess. Dean doesn't mind in this case "I think Science is a good place to start," Ruby agrees. She takes her free hand and runs it along the shoulder height shelf. She keeps her attention on Sam as they walk along the stacks. She stops in front of the 600s, right where the science and mathematics books are. "We should check the 700s next. It's the Technology section."
Dean knows a lot of people in Itinere, but he's not close to many. It might surprise Mary and John that Gracie is closer to an older Sam than Dean. They exchange the usual pleasantries while Mary and John look on. Sam (the older version) would be thrilled Damon is here (not). Dean likes the guy alright. "It's one of my best qualities," Dean responds. He doesn't miss the sarcasm. It's impossible to miss the bright smile on Gracie's face when Damon joins them. She leans into him, pressing her shoulder against his arm. "The nerds are off wandering around in the shelves," Dean waves his hand in the direction that Sam and Ruby walked off in. He introduces Mary and John to Damon and Gracie.
"I'll have to go say hi to Sam," Gracie says.
"Yeah. He's 18 right now but he'll probably remember you from when he was here when he was younger," Dean warns her.
He does, but at times he does hope she can be a little nicer to others. Bambi is a movie they watched once or twice. He had hope maybe a message in the movie would get through to her. He once had a conversation with her on why it is important to try. Maybe Sam has something to do with Lucy sticking around because he never once told her she couldn't. The conversation Cas and Lucy had semi-recently hopefully lets her know that it's what he wants to do.
John is a good husband and deserves it. It's probably a good call to leave the comics alone because the information to gleam from it is very little, though the next page or two would have shared that Wells wrote a book the library might have. Chances are they will find it anyway. No, but Sam ought to pay attention more to what he leaves behind. He's one unfortunate afternoon away from receiving a ticket for littering a gum wrapper or failing to make his bed yet again.
Ruby clearly knows the sections better than he'd expect which has Sammy light up, smile showing his off pearly whites. "So you've been in this section before," he tries to make conversation. He will piece together in time that this was the place his future self took her to explain technology among other things. "What part of science or math interests you? I like it all. If I have to say what I'm into most, recently it's the discoveries in RNA-sequencing." All his talking though and he still manages to maintain some balance to follow her and scan the books opposite to her side. Every once in a while, he'll pull one out to see the cover and if it's closer to what they're looking for.
Unfortunate would be one word for Dean not being close to many people in Itinere, though now it is less of a concern to anybody. He has family. Carmen. It would surprise Mary at least a little bit to know Gracie is closer to Sam than Dean, but only because Ruby seems to be the light of his life. It's a compliment that Dean introduces her as his mom as it's one of the few first times it's happened. Damon has no problem with Dean either. "Yes. Very interesting. What brings you here?" Damon concedes. Lately the value of customer service has been taught to him. He was actually wondering the same thing. Mostly he wonders where Ruby is because she's always near Sam. "I hate to be the one that brings it up, but I'd double check that your brother didn't piss off the Wicked Witch of Time. It's like there's another version of him running around by the end of the week."
Damon may be the only one tired of seeing Sam but Gracie is always welcomed to say hi to him. He would remember her.
Oops? She'd gotten mad that hunters had killed Bambi's mom. That wasn't the message? She understands that's important to try with people that are important to Sam. When Ruby threatened Lucy, it was incredibly obvious to Lucy that Ruby was just in love. Besides, at that point, Lucy already considered Ruby a friend. Sam is a big part of why Lucy stuck around. Dean is as well. For a while, Dean was a connection to Jill. Now, all of the Winchesters have become family, including Ruby.
"The Dewey Decimal system has been around since the late 1800s. I've been a lot of libraries in my life," she tells him, almost letting slip that she's a lot older than she looks. Instead, she focuses on his next question. His commentary about the RNA sequencing. "I have no idea what that is," she admits, giving him a slightly dazed look. She recovers a little to go back and answer his questions. "Natural sciences. Botony, Biology, Chemistry." They're all a little lik witchcraft and while she knows far more about witchcraft than sh does about any of the natural sciences, she sees how those go hand in hand with witchcraft. While Sam is pulling books out, Ruby is still watching him, leaning a little against the bookshelf.
It had taken Dean a while to settle into Itinere because h wasn't used to staying anywhere long term. Ruby is the light of Sam's life, but he does have other people in his life, and Ruby respects that. Of course, Dean introduces them as his Mom and Dad. He's never had the chance to introduce anyone except Carmen to his Mom so it's still a big deal.
Okay, so Damon wants to get down to business. Dean watches Gracie and Damon together. He didn't realize they were together, but it's pretty obvious even with this brief, subtle interaction that they're more than friends and co-workers. "You know the lab on the outside of town. STAR labs. We're looking for more information about it."
Dean smirks at Damon's words. "I'll see if there's a curse we've got to break," he responds.
Unfortunately, superheroes aren't Gracie's specialty so she can't offer any insight, but she moves to the laptop and starts searching in the database for keywords like STAR Labs. "Some guy named Harrison Wells owns it in a city named Central City. Let me see what I can pull up."
Well, no and yes. Her anger at the hunters showed a side of her that surprised him a little. And he understood that. When he was little, he couldn't bring himself to shoot Bambi's mother either. The point he was trying to get across to her and still tries is that trying with everybody is important. That would make some sense. Sam is guilty of wanting to get to know Lucy and Castiel for the same reason as the two of them are close to his brother. That's kind of the same thing, no?
He nods and smiles wider because nothing in her words suggest to him that she is older than she looks. Instead, it suggests she's a library nerd like him. "That's right. I forget the order sometimes because some of the schools I've been to use their own completely made up one." He's happy to explain the latest discoveries in RNA sequencing. The hardest thing for him is to keep it short and use some layman terms to describe it so she can follow and maybe see why it's exciting. He stops eventually his interest really is where her interest lies. "I studied a little biology and chemistry, but maybe you can show me a little botany sometime." He just wants an excuse to continue hanging out with her. He continues to pull out books to peak at the covers until his peripheral vision catches on to her looking at him.
"Found something?" he just assumes to begin with, but he can see she's not holding anything so it becomes clear what it is. Him.
Itinere bless them with many gifts. Time and patience might been the price Dean had to pay for it. Of course Damon wants to get down to business. The sooner they do, the everybody can leave. He has nothing to contribute about STAR labs and he looks to Gracie on this one.
While they follow her behind her to the laptop, he offers more of his humble opinion. "70/30 sure there's always a curse." To some extent, he still isn't convinced Itinere isn't a sick joke either. In the last few months, though, it's become one thing that he minds less and less everyday. Rather purposely, he brushes up against Gracie from behind and plays a little with her hair. Nothing about a Harrison Wells strikes him as a concern of his.
Well, she could sympathize with Bambi's mom. She' still working on learning that. It's definitely the same thing. At least Sam wouldn't hold it against Lucy if that's why she became friends with the Winchesters initially.
Nothing suggests that now, but once he knows, it's likely that this conversation will be one of those little signs. She is a library nerd. Listening to Sam explain RNA sequencing is actually really hot. She listens to him and fights the urge to grab him by the shirt and kiss him. She nods a little at his suggestion of spending more time together. "Sure. Botany. Anytime," she assures him then gives into that urge and reaches out to grab a handful of his shirt and pulls him to her, leaning in to press her lips against his, her free arm winding around his neck, fingers creeping into the hair at the back of his neck.
Yes, Sam. She's found something.
Time and patience isn't the hardest price to pay, particularly when the reward is so worth it. Do enlighten them Damon about why he wants them to go away.
"Well...you're not wrong," Dean admits. John is positive it's some sort of sick joke and the rug is going to be jerked out from underneath him one day. Until that moment, he's going to enjoy every single thing that Itinere has to offer. Dean once thought that about this place. Now he's not sure if it's a reward, a hiding place or an escape. No matter which one it is, he's decided to take what he can get out of it. Gracie can't help the giddy smile that slips across her lips when Damon brushes up against her. She doesn't move away from him but tilts her head a bit into his touch like a cat while attempting to keep at least part of her attention on what she's doing. "We've got a biography about him in the biography section over there and a book about particle acceleration in the 500s. At least that's where they should be. The lab has been here a while though. It's been empty most of the time that I've been here."
As long as she sees value in learning to improve, Sam won't ever see any reason why she isn't the one for him. No, Lucy befriending his brother because he was another link to her long time best friend is not exactly a devious plot in the making.
Chances are this conversation will be one of those little signs, but the biggest sign would be her small appetite. A library nerd is part of what he always knew he would like in a girl. She checks all the boxes. Sam can't tell what she's holding back, but it looks like she's trying hard to do something which attributed to his full stop, eyes glued to her like he got a new puzzle for his birthday. He figures it out, slowly, by the time her fingers reach out to grab his shirt and steps forward, first with one foot then the other until the gap between them is closed so she doesn't have to be so forceful and so he doesn't stumble into the kiss like he might have last night. His lips meet hers without any hesitation but growing confidence with the fact they're meant to be if they can do this here, his hands come up to her shoulders, hold her firmly, passionately. At the same time, for a flitting moment, it occurs to him that he should only be so lucky that no one can see them so their moment won't be interrupted.
She can tell him later what she found.
No, no, it is not. Lunch. Peace and quiet. Or some version of it is why he wants them to go away. Damon can manage a level of politeness for a brief stint of time.
Of course not. When he is ever wrong? Damon shrugs like there aren't thousands of examples when he has been wrong before. Mary sees some of that concern from John in his eyes some days, and to a certain degree, she fears the same thing will happen one day, but the short times she's been here, she allows herself the hope that things will stay the way they are. She's decided she won't let go of her husband or her boys if she has any say on it. Affection, however slight, spreads in Damon's entire body language, almost making it harder to note the bit of amusement he finds in Gracie's cat like behavior. None of what she does or the fact there is an audience at play makes him want to stop playing with her hair, but as a reward, he scratches the base of her neck a little. With his other hand, he feigns a yawn to stifle with a few pats over his mouth. Boring is the implication here. "Is that everything you want to look up?"
With confirmation, he zips out of sight as if he was never there, returning with the dusty books in hand and dropping them onto the counter from the customer side. "Here you are. The library isn't the place you go to make out. Let Gracie know if you have any other questions." Yes, he saw a certain couple making out in the 700s. Double standards is his middle name. No one ever said Damon's core personality trait was patience.
Does it count if her reason to improve is simply to make him happy?
Demon aside (or in some cases because of her demon-ness), she really is perfect for him, and he for her. He'll eventually come to know (and love) this look because it's her 'trying not to molest you' look. He didn't exactly get her for his birthday, but she is something of a puzzle that he can take his time solving. He's beginning to catch on because yes last night he would have stumbled into the kiss. Sam's ability to learn quickly is one of Ruby's favorite things about him. In time, she'll teach him that there are better places to put his hands. For the moment, her hand slides down his back and dips underneath his shirt to press against the small of his back, urging him even closer to her.
Ruby is pretty sure that Sam will figure out what she found (his boner)
Peace and quiet, of course, that's why he wants them to leave. Ruby and Damon are an awfully lot alike.
Is anyone buying that Damon is never wrong? Didn't think so. Of course, Damon's mention of a curse makes John think that they need to check the bunker over when they leave here. It makes John a bit anxious. Damon...she might have some cat-like behaviors but Gracie is not a cat. Dean frowns a little and considers giving Damon a line of bullshit about other things he wants to look up, but John kind of wants to get back to the bunker now and give it a once over so he confirms that yes, that is all they wanted to look up.
Damon's quick disappearance and return startles John and has him reaching for his silver knife. Dean, ever the peacemaker, takes a step closer to the counter between Damon, he and John. "Dad, hold on. Damon hasn't been making trouble here." Dean doesn't know what Damon is, but he does know that he hasn't caused any problems and that has earned him the right to live in Itinere without being hassled by the Winchesters.
"Hey," Gracie looks up, eyes wide. "There's no need for knives in here. It's a bookstore and Damon is helping," she reminds everyone just in case it slipped their mind in the excitement.
"How well do you know this guy?" John asks and it's a question for Dean and Gracie. Clearly, what he really means is do you know what he is.
"He's a friend of Ruby's," Dean answers quickly. "He's fine."
"Well enough," Gracie assures him.
"Wait--Jesus Christ on a popsicle stick. I'm going to have to go pull Sam and Ruby off one another and I can't do that until you put the knife away, Dad," Dean says, just now realizing that Damon said that someone was making out in the library.
He wouldn't exactly call anything she did last night molestation because she's the more experienced once. If anything, it's a little more like she's the teacher and he's the student. Obviously, he's always picked up on things quickly. Right now isn't any different. His favorite thing about her is this, now. She's unafraid to express herself even in the most inappropriate (high risk?) areas that he can jump to an idea or two all on his own without her teaching him. That is to say his hands have life of their own and loosen their grip on her shoulders to slide upwards with the intention of cupping her face. It's purely accidental when his left hand gropes her breast, less so when he kneads it before his instincts manage to catch up to where he lets go, fingers splayed and backed off.
Boner in the physical sense or in the mental sense, because one, if not both could apply very soon.
Not a lot of people ever take him seriously, but those are the ones that know Damon even a little bit. Hey, it never hurts to check for those nasty little hex bags. Small town and pissing people off is not the most unheard of thing. Good on you, John. Gracie, oh Gracie, maybe he prefers the cat-like behaviors and teasing her is just the way he shows affection. Dean's extra requests would have been might with an eye roll anyway. Mary is also confirms that she is on board with getting back to the bunker as John's anxious behavior is obvious.
Damon will be the first to admit he could have thought it through more, but he's done hiding a part of himself when he doesn't have to. John brandishing a silver knife doesn't scare him like it should. Mary reaching for something he can't see doesn't either, though it goes noted that she also freezes at Dean's request. "No. I have not been making any trouble, Dad," he chimes in.
Helpful. Not really. But he can still speak for himself. Gracie, however, gets a smirk and a wink when her eyes turn on him, wide, because the little bit she has to say is flattering than anything else.
Damon understands when a cue is for somebody else, but he is standing right there John. "Ruby's friend, yes. We're besties. Super close. Going on, what? Two years now." His fingers cross tightly, hand where everyone can see. Please kindly direct the questions to his face from here on, John.
He shudders, a little loss for focus between this and that. "You might want to reconsider. The way things looked like they were headed, even I wouldn't want to go back there again to see what those love birds are up to now."
The changes might be small and gradual but they're real. He's already made an impact on her and the way she treats people.
Teacher and student is a much sexier comparison. Fortunately for Sam (and for Ruby) that's something that won't change. She's better at expressing herself verbally than she used to be, but physical expression is always easier. She also thinks inappropriateness is mostly a human construct to keep other humans from feeling awkward and she's got little use for it. There's absolutely no reason for him to back off. In fact, she'll move one of her hands and grab his wrist, sliding his hand up underneath the hem of her shirt. How far he wants to go up is his call. Her hands go back to slip under his shirt and scratch lightly against his skin.
She's doing something wrong if it doesn't.
Damon is right about the hex bags. Sam and Ruby have ticked a person or two off in this place. It's easy to get lax here because everything is completely opposite their home world, not mention it's a slice of practically happy ever after for the Winchesters. In that case, Gracie will take the teasing and he's free to enjoy the cat-like behaviors. She has been a (crazy) cat lady for a few years so maybe it's rubbed off.
This is a conversation that Damon and Ruby have had before; hiding who and what you are sucks and there's little reason to do so in Itinere. This place rolls with weird like it's a typical Thursday.Damon, has it been mentioned that you're not funny? Or at least John doesn't think so. That's clear in his expression and body language though he doesn't make any move to threaten or strike at Damon. He's comfortable enough with this place's weird (and Dean's endorsement) that he'll hear this out.
Shhh, Damon. They're trying to calm down the hunter. In spite of everything going on, Damon's wink gets a bit of a blush out of Gracie (she should not be in this deep with him--and yet).
Honestly, Dean had meant it more in the 'he's like Ruby and not evil' than anything. Sorry, Damon. John tends to think of non-humans like animals instead of people. It's something that he's working on (you know since his son is in love with a non-human). John lowers his knife a little, slinking the slightest bit out of predator mode. "You're not a spirit." As far as he can tell, Damon is as solid as can be, but a spirit is the first thing he can think of that moves the way Damon did. His gaze goes from Damon to Gracie and back. This, whatever it is, isn't playing by the rules that John knows.
Dean grumbles and scrubs his hands over his face, not quite ready to leave John alone with Damon even if he knows Mary is a good influence on him and likely wouldn't let John attack without cause (and there's a good chance that this isn't a fight John could win, not unprepared). "Yeah...I might come back later with a biohazard suit."
John's attention is snagged for a moment by the secondary conversation here. "We're in a bookstore...in public."
Dean snorts. "Yeah. I can't leave them alone anywhere for more than five minutes," he assures John.
She is making this harder than it has to be. And in another way quite literally harder. Human constructs are all Sam's ever known and feeling awkward about making out in a public bookshop goes hand in hand with everything he knows is right and wrong. He won't resist her hand taking his wrist nor the encouragement to brush his hand up against the bare skin of her thighs, but he brings himself to a stop when his thumb brushes over her panties. What's next is that this place isn't the right place for where things seem to be headed. When her nails scratching the surface of his skin it only makes it harder for him to come to that conclusion in real time. "Shouldn't we, uh, shouldn't we do this anywhere but here," he barely manages to say without breathlessness.
Of course he would love to have the sex with her. He could have never understood "right time, wrong place" more than he does in this moment.
It's easier than one would think. To get under someone's skin. John is being a prime example right this second. Maybe Damon's already done them a favor by reminding them how quickly it is to make the wrong impression or that being too lax is never good. They're unlikely friends in much the same way as her kitten and his crow.
The result of said conversation between Ruby and himself may have actually been one of the causes for his decision to no longer hide it. It goes without saying, really, that it is no fun being private party for one at the boarding house with no one to drink with. Some people have said that, others have laughed at his jokes before. Either way, he's not dissuaded by John's visible body language.
It's just words. John could grow up a little (but so could Damon). The one good thing in all this is it never fails to make Gracie blush (there's a number of reasons he could give her of why she shouldn't be in this deep--but he's happy with her too).
Some lines are harder to read between. The other explanation is that Damon also isn't used to others on the other team defending him. In any case, it goes a ways enough to see that they're ready to talk like regular folk when John lowers the knife. "No. Far better. Starts with a V, ends with an Ampire." Yes, Damon is aware of the differences in the rules between universes. Ruby may have let it slip what vampires and demons are capable in her world. Not much is different, but he could take some insult to being a spirit. This body is 100% his and original.
Is it not helpful that Damon spelled out what he was for everybody though? Ultimately it's Dean's choice what he does. Mary knows enough that it would be foolish to go unprepared into a fight they can't win and places her hand over the silver knife John has to encourage it to go down lower. She shakes her head when John's eyes look to hers, to share that this isn't their call.
Mary is also pulled into the secondary conversation, arches her eyebrows. Maybe she's been one that has been paying attention more but it is nothing new to find out that Sam and Ruby are making out where there shouldn't be.
"We have what we came for. Should we get them or leave." But she'd like it if they stayed together. It's up to a family vote.
John is very, very good at getting under people's skin. Maybe he has, but John is withholding his opinion on Damon for the moment. Don't feel too bad, Damon. He's lived with Ruby under his roof for months now and he's still making up his mind about her. Personally, Dean likes Damon (and Gracie is pretty sure he knows her opinion of him).
Aww, she's glad she could help him come out of the closet. Gracie doesn't usually drink much at their private parties (or anywhere else) but she does party with Damon (and she likes the private part of it). Gracie is also glad that Damon doesn't hide who he is.
John could definitely loosen up, but he thinks he's plenty grown up. He's also plenty paranoid. (She wouldn't let him get those reasons out. Maybe she's in denial or maybe there aren't as many reasons for Gracie not to be in deep with Damon as he thinks there are. Time will tell).
Fair enough, but Damon has friends here and a fresh start whether he realizes it or not. John's eyes narrow and they go to Gracie looking for any obvious bite marks or signs that she needs help. Gracie winds her arm around Damon's waist in response, leaning against him (she's the same height as him in tennis shoes). He's met more than a few vampires and not all of them had seemed like bad people, but they all killed people and ruined lives (to be fair, the same could be said for John, Dean, and Ruby, depending on who you talk to). John looks to Dean and Dean shakes his head ever so slightly. Keep listening, John. "I guess you can get blood delivered here just like pizza."
Gracie feels like that's kind of a personal question, but maybe it is just like ordering pizza to Damon.
Very. Damon is a helper. Both Dean and Gracie relax a little more when Mary encourages John to put the knife down. He finally tucks it back in his jacket. If Mary and Dean are both comfortable enough with the way this thing is going, he'll force himself to be comfortable as well.
Mary probably is the one that's been paying more attention. Dean shakes his head. "I'll go talk to them. It's nothing I haven't seen." Because he bursts into rooms with closed doors.
Maybe she's making this exactly as hard as it needs to be. She also gets (and even agrees) that this isn't the place to have sex. It's a great place to make out though. Sam's decision gets a groaned "Yes," out of her. She sighs and lets her hand drop until her thumb catches in the back pocket of his jeans.
Ruby hears Dean coming their way and makes a decision. "Ok. Come on. Walk behind me. The apartment is just down the street," she responds as she leans in and kisses him hard one more time before turning on her toe and starting toward the door, her hand catching his as she starts toward the front door just as Dean comes around tahe corner. "I'm taking Sam to the apartment. I'll bring him home for dinner," she says loudly enough for everyone to hear.
They can have the sex and he can see their apartment, which he'll find is mostly unchanged from when he was sixteen. It does look more lived in now and Sam's things are scattered around the place.
The last thing Sam was going to do was pull away from her when she took his hand last night. They couldn't get out of there fast enough. At their apartment, the feeling he got walking into it was the same one he got from their room in the bunker. His things and her things in one space gave him a clearer picture to how together they were.
Suffice to say he still had a goofy little grin on his face the whole time. It's maybe why it was harder to pay attention to time and to make it back for dinner as they promised. Sam called Dean to let him know he planned to stay the night and needed to call rain check on dinner for tomorrow night. He was really sorry too. Wanted Dean to tell Mom and Dad that.
Things don't continue as smoothly as that though because he learns she is a demon over the next couple of days and reacts as if she betrayed him. He doesn't want to speak to her, doesn't want to see her, doesn't want to be even the same room as her. At least to begin with. Something Castiel says to him really strikes a cord with him though. She didn't do anything wrong, least of all anything he didn't participate in too. It didn't make her evil. And that starts to sway his opinion back to something remotely level. With space and time, he knows what he has to do.
The apartment is easy to find on his own, but he works himself up to knock on the door. The words he wants to say are all scrambled but he pushes any thought to turn around away. "I just came to say... that I'm sorry. I should have let you tell me your side of things. You're not how I imagined a demon would be." They're almost the same words he used the first time he started to come around. It's visible in his eyes that he wonders the why and how though.
They spend a couple of nights a week (at least) at the apartment. It's home as much as their room at the bunker is. It's a different side of them because this a piece of them that they keep all to themselves.
Ruby loves that goofy grin. She would do a lot of horrible and wonderful things for that goofy grin. That's why the next part hurts so much.
Yeah. Well, Dean gave her an ultimatum. She told Sam or he did. From the moment Sam had said he wanted to stay, Ruby knew she was going to have to tell him that she was a demon. She'd expected him to freak out, but that hadn't made it easier. Once she'd told him, she packs a small overnight bag with a few things she wants to keep with her. (things like her box with Sam's notes). Once in the apartment, Ruby doesn't leave. She watches rom coms and reads her books and tries not to think about whether or not Sam is going to be able to get over what she is this time.
The knock surprises her, but she pauses the movie (10 Things I Hate About You) she's watching and goes to answer the door. She knows before she answers the door that it's Sam and that he's still eighteen. She's wearing a pair of leggings, a flannel shirt, and socks as she swings the door open wide. "I'm not like other demons," she says then takes a step back, holding the door open if he wants to come in.
It seems like more than a couple of nights a week, but the fact that they have a room back at the bunker has him guess that the time is spent evenly between the two. But between the two, the apartment strikes him more as his favorite. Ruby could have probably seen it from a mile away but when he had time to look around, he smiled at each and everything that made it just their space.
He doesn't need or want her to do horrible things to make him happy. It should have just been enough if she were herself. That's why owning his mistake is something he can come to terms with (although it did take the little bit of guidance from an angel).
He doesn't know what to expect when she answers the door. He does step back, however, so he can get a better look at her body language and to listen not just to her words but to what her tone tells him. Honestly, he does not expect to be invited in so he hesitates before he crosses the threshold and turn back to her. "Why is that?" That's one of the things that has been plaguing his mind this whole time.
Okay, so sometimes it's three or four. They do split their time evenly because of Sam's (their) family. For a long time, it was just because of Dean, but that family has grown and it's important.
Ruby has always been genuinely herself even when herself was awkward socially or just plain weird by human standards. (She'll have to thank that angel somehow that doesn't include the words 'thank you' because words are hard. It'll probably involve food because that's a love language she understands).
Her body language is a bit guarded, a bit defensive. She's been hurt and that's obvious in her body language, but it's Sam so he's getting another chance. Even Rifle stays where he's at curled up on the couch, alert but not quite ready to forgive Sam yet. Ruby knows how the dog feels. She closes the door behind him and maintains a certain amount of distance from him for both of their sakes. She figures he probably still needs the space. "I don't know," she answers, arms crossed over her chest. "I'm a freakin' unicorn. I don't know why or how. I didn't do anything to turn out this way and I wasn't given special treatment in Hell, at least not the kind anyone wants. I'm just...different."
Sam appreciates it too. Time spent together and time with their extended
family is important. It seems like lately he is getting along better with
his father because Itinere takes away a lot of the stresses that were at
home.
(No thanks is necessary because all Castiel did was give his honest
opinion. Maybe he couldn't argue with some food.)
Sam can see that she is upset, even a little bit guarded. To be fair, he is
a little guarded too. He is a little bit extra cautious because what he
says next matters and Ruby's language is a puzzle that his head hasn't let
itself wrap around fully yet. He can't assume talking normally to her is
the right answer, but what other way is there. With the space between them,
he assumes that's what she wants and gives her it. Both of them are reading
the signals wrong though. The last thing he wants is space from her. "I'm
sorry," he says, pocketing his hands to keep them closer to himself. "I
don't expect you to forgive me just because I say that. I really don't. I
think... It just hurt when you couldn't tell me upfront. You maybe don't
know how or why, but I want to know everything that makes you different.
I'll listen."
Dean has certainly noticed that Sam is getting along better with their father. Ruby just notices the easy, open way that he is with his family and she envies that in a way. She's only really able to be open and easy with Sam, though she's gotten better at it over time.
(She'll deliver food because it seems like something she ought to thank him for. He didn't have to give his opinion)
She recognizes his caution, but she doesn't understand (yet) that it's because he wants to say the right thing. She's not entirely sure (until he apologizes) whether he's here out of curiosity or to make things better. She doesn't want the space at all. Nothing about that has changed, but she doesn't want to let him hurt her more than he already has nor does she want him to be afraid of her or uncomfortable. They're definitely reading their signals wrong. "If I'd told you upfront you would have shot me. Or stabbed me or tried to exorcise me. You wouldn't have given me the time of day to get to know me." He's free to tell her if she's wrong, but she'd be surprised if she were. "I care. I don't want to see the world turned into another version of Hell. Killing people is just boring and hurting them..." she shakes her head. "Most humans are annoying and careless and obtuse, but they don't deserve to that."
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2020-03-04 12:39 am (UTC)Well, it's a good thing he ended up back on the road, at least as far as Ruby is concerned. She's aware it's selfish and that Sam would be safer if he were living his normal lawyer life instead of a hunter's life, but she's okay with being selfish. The people you care about are usually the ones that have your best interests at heart so it's good to listen to them.
Lucy should make less use of the wish magic. She'll start praying to Cas for that latte in bed instead of wishing for it (if she hasn't already). At least with Lucy, he doesn't have to ask. Sure, he could pop in at awkward moments, but she'll be okay with it if he is. Privacy and modesty are a myth for Lucy.
"I don't know. Inviting hot, high school girls to stay at his house...," Dean says as he considers the information in the book.
They have a lot more in common than one might first assume. She's well aware that research is a good place to start. Dean considers Sam's question a moment. "We might be able to get our hands on the old resident files. We'd need to be able to hack into their network files though." While an older Sam could do that, Dean knows this Sam probably isn't capable of that yet.
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Date: 2020-03-04 02:24 am (UTC)Well, for some time at least, Sam isn't sure the life of the lawyer would be for him anymore. Of course right now, at this age, he's just dreaming what his options are. Whatever they may end up being, his desire to help people will always remain. There's no knowing for certain he would have been left alone to go to Harvard anyway. Dean and Ruby are a big part of why he is still even around if you look at key points of his life.
It would certainly ease Castiel's concern for her if she did both of these things. Though, he may have to learn how to make a latter first. Some unfortunate soul, after all, doesn't deserve having their latte spirited away. Fortunately(?), Cas is getting better at asking permission to enter. Dean and Carmen have a few stories to tell. He now has the idea to knock or text before he enters most of the time.
"Yeah, after he turns it into a school. He doesn't think about girls 24/7 like you," Sam counters. He'll go down defending Professor X's character.
Sam has noticed that. An attractive trait is a girl that know the value of research. Unfortunately, this Sam hasn't even technically gotten his first laptop. Libraries have computers though, right. He looks over his shoulder a moment to be sure then asks any one of them, "Any one of you able to hack the system? We can use the computers in here." The best of his capabilities is web searches, if they want to try searching Wells on Yahoo.
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Date: 2020-03-05 12:42 am (UTC)It's hard to go back to normal when you know the monsters under the bed are real. Ruby gets that. She'd lived it for a little while long ago when she was human. She'd had all that power and she'd found out demons were real. Normal life was a lot harder. That desire to help people is the thing that John thought saved Sam from the future Azazel had planned for him. Dean is the other thing that saved him. John is still hedging his thoughts on Ruby, but he can't deny that she makes Sam happy and he's been told by Dean and by Sam that Ruby saved them both a few times both back home and here.
He could always pop into the coffee store and order one for her before he pops into her bedroom. Yes, Castiel's sudden appearance had been startling and inconvenient particularly the first couple of times he'd shown up. After the third or fourth time, Carmen had handled it much better and told him unless there was blood, come back in 45 minutes. It's good for everyone that isn't Lucy if Castiel learns to text or knock before entering a room.
"Well yeah, not after he's old, bald and paralyzed," Dean counters back. Yes, he knows he can get a rise out of Sam this way. His brow furrows a little. "Wait, was he born old, bald and paralyzed? Is that part of his superpower?"
"I can play music and cat videos," Ruby offers, which won't help them at all. Dean snorts. "I can't even get porn sites to play without the computer freezing." John puts his hands up. "Don't look at me. There's nothing even as advanced as the phones here back home."
"So, we're stuck with old fashioned book research," Ruby says. She rolls her eyes and stands up. "I'll go look back in the stacks and see if I can find something that looks more non-fiction."
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Date: 2020-03-05 03:51 am (UTC)Funny how true that works. There was a time when he was about nine that he sniffled about going to sleep when the monsters could get him, and now there is a time where the trouble in sleeping would lie in if Ruby wasn't next to him in his bed. He's grateful for the life he has here. It is his hope that eventually all can resemble the normal he has always pictured. Monsters are just par for the course now. Maybe Sam will eventually figure out how to best channel his desire to help people in Itinere as well.
A while ago Lucy did teach Castiel that things made from scratch mean much more than anything else. It wouldn't even occur to him order a drink for her anymore. Yes, he's committed. Yes, it was understood when Carmen told him 45 minutes. She ought to know he came back exactly 45 minutes later. Lucy is free to undo the work that has been done to make him better about entering a room if it suits her needs.
"Shut up. You don't know know anything anyway or you wouldn't question if baldness is his superpower." Getting a rise out of Sam isn't the hardest thing to do. Professor X is a fiction role model of his. "He lost his hair at a young age when he was growing into his powers. His spine was broken later in the battle against the Shadow King." Mary shoots John a side glance because the boys may as well be talking in a foreign language.
Mary shrugs at her turn. "I just found out how to use the internet." Sam scratches his cheek then the corner of his ear to push some misplaced strands of hair back. "Unless we know anybody else who can help?" Sam looks at Ruby particularly all the while he has no clue he would normally be the right person for the job.
He stands up rather hurriedly when Ruby does too. "I'll go with you!" Even he realizes how eager that came off after he says it and hesitates before making up an excuse. "...To help. Two sets of eyes are better than one, right?"
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Date: 2020-03-06 01:19 am (UTC)Oh, Cas. It's no wonder Lucy is very much in like with him. Carmen knows now that Castiel is very punctual. The next time Lucy gets a text or Cas knocks, she'll tell him that he doesn't have to do that; he can just come in. Mixed signals much?
Dean grins, barely stifling a chuckle at the rise he'd successfully gotten out of Sam. "Good to know, Geek Boy," Dean chirps, but he's still flipping through the comic books. "How did I forget Rogue was so hot," he says mostly to himself. John shrugs at Mary's look. "Don't' ask me. I just gave them money to buy the comic books."
Dean thinks about it a second and shakes his head. "As much as I love her, Lucy doesn't strike me as a computer whiz. We could ask Carm. She's never mentioned being a secret hacker though." Carmen might know her way around a computer, but probably not to the proficiency that they'd need. It'll be an issue they'll have to shelve until the older version of Sam comes back.
Ruby looks back over her shoulder, flipping her hair as she does when Sam declares he'll stay with her. A cat's got the milk grin slips over her lips and she holds out her hand, slowing a little but not stopping. "That's what I hear," she tells him.
John sighs and rubs a hand over the back of his neck. "I don't know whether to worry about that or be charmed by it," he says almost as an aside then looks back to the comic books. "So we'll research and stay out of the lab until we know more. Maybe we can find some techno-babble spell that'll get us into the database. I miss when everything was in a file cabinet in a basement somewhere." Little does John know that if he wished for that exact thing, he might get it.
no subject
Date: 2020-03-06 04:16 am (UTC)GodJesus. Sam is probably the only one that knows the extent of the facade she puts on too.Because he learns quickly from their discussions. Did she not want him to be punctual? Yes, it very much will send him mixed signals the next time he doesn't come in before asking and she informs him that he can just come in.
It doesn't escape his notice that Dean is being a jerk, and Sam knows nothing he can say will change that so he gives him this look of being so done with him. He takes the comic book right from under Dean. "You can go look in the newspaper archives." He appoints Dean that job should he be willing to take it or not. It might be the hardest job he can think of. Okay, Mary won't ask. But in it, John shares a small fact that brings her smile to widen. She knows he did good for the boys when he could.
Sam doesn't hide his disappointment from being visible, but is not discouraged by the thought of finding answers the hard way. They've always managed to do it and it was just the three of them then. The five of them together makes anything seem possible. "Okay. So that's a fate no. If you're not sure then I don't think we should bother Carmen or Lucy with this. We can do this ourselves. Like we always do." He really does have faith. He really does think they just need to find the right place to look.
Sam is pretty sure time stands still for a moment when Ruby's ringlets bounce as a result, but then it speeds right up again the further she gets from the table. "Yeah. Me too." He's not thinking how he just said what he agreed to. He pushes the chair more away from him to have it noisily scratch across the floor and stumbles, finds his balance to move around the table to follow behind her at a brisk pace.
Sam is gone. Mary and Dean are still left standing there with John though. She rubs her palm up and down John's arm because there are really no words to tell him to let their youngest find out for himself and their youngest should be fine. Mary considers his second unspoken question with more thought. "Don't suppose there is anyone around here that we can ask?," she offers, clearly uncertain, but looking around at the same time for signs of someone that worked there that could(n't) have possibly slipped their notice.
no subject
Date: 2020-03-07 01:37 am (UTC)Well, punctuality is a good quality to have. Carmen won't tell him otherwise, but Lucy can (and will) teach Cas to enjoy life a little more and sometimes that means not being punctual or popping in unannounced.
Yeah, Dean knows that look. It's familiar no matter what age Sam is. Dean gives him a thumbs up. He will actually comb through the network archives and see what he can find about Wells, STAR Labs, and Cisco that he missed the first time around. John tried to be a good dad; he just wasn't always capable of it.
At Sam's words, Dean reaches over and ruffles Sam's hair with a grin. "Bitch." It's said very affectionately. Dean has faith too. If Sam wants to find out more about the lab, they'll find out more about the lab.
Don't worry, Sammy. Dean will catch the chair before it hits the ground and set it back up. It doesn't take long for Ruby and Sam to get lost in the stacks. "So do we go to the science section or the graphic art section or the history section?" she asks. Honestly, they might find books about Wells and his world in any of the sections or all of them. Th partially sentient bookshop isn't always the easiest to navigate, but it is always interesting.
John is starting to accept that. "As a matter of fact," Dean says as he moves toward the counter and rings a bell there. "Gracie?" Dean had thought at one time that Gracie was the blonde in the bookshop that Sam had been talking about (he'd hoped for it as well). A few seconds later, there's a soft thud of footsteps coming down the stairs in the back. A pretty blonde in a hoodie and a pair of cut off shorts comes through the swinging door with a smile. "Dean Winchester, I don't see you in here very often."
no subject
Date: 2020-03-07 04:33 am (UTC)Lucy will have to explain the logic behind that one to him. She could start with how he would be spontaneous if he did not pop in unannounced.
Thumbs up go a long way in cooling off Sam. He doesn't imagine Dean will have trouble finding anything if there is anything either. Mary can only go by what she's seen of John in Itinere, but he is very capable. She will always lend her ear, if he needs it. There is also the comics left on the table for anybody still interested in looking at the glimmer of info they might offer.
Oops? Sammy is always leaving Dean to pick up his messes, but the chair tipping over is completely accidental. It doesn't take him long to be right behind Ruby. "Science," Sam guesses. "We want to increase the chances of finding out the most about STARS Labs and this Wells guy, so I think that's the best to start. What do you think?" Because of course her opinion matters to him. Maybe the partially sentient bookshop will play nice.
Mary's eyes follow Dean and she twists herself around as he moves back toward the counter. It does not surprise her, really, that he would know the bookshop attendant. Of all of them, she is aware Dean has been in Itinere the longest. She doesn't want to be the one to interrupt their little reunion and she doesn't have to. Upstairs, leaning over the rail emerges another figure. Tall, dark,
obnoxioushandsome. "Welcome. You all couldn't have come at a better time," Damon says, not at all sarcastically. He'd mostly like to remind Gracie he's sticking around. Maybe he's still on his best behavior.no subject
Date: 2020-03-07 05:15 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2020-03-07 07:05 am (UTC)John is a good husband and deserves it. It's probably a good call to leave the comics alone because the information to gleam from it is very little, though the next page or two would have shared that Wells wrote a book the library might have. Chances are they will find it anyway. No, but Sam ought to pay attention more to what he leaves behind. He's one unfortunate afternoon away from receiving a ticket for littering a gum wrapper or failing to make his bed yet again.
Ruby clearly knows the sections better than he'd expect which has Sammy light up, smile showing his off pearly whites. "So you've been in this section before," he tries to make conversation. He will piece together in time that this was the place his future self took her to explain technology among other things. "What part of science or math interests you? I like it all. If I have to say what I'm into most, recently it's the discoveries in RNA-sequencing." All his talking though and he still manages to maintain some balance to follow her and scan the books opposite to her side. Every once in a while, he'll pull one out to see the cover and if it's closer to what they're looking for.
Unfortunate would be one word for Dean not being close to many people in Itinere, though now it is less of a concern to anybody. He has family. Carmen. It would surprise Mary at least a little bit to know Gracie is closer to Sam than Dean, but only because Ruby seems to be the light of his life. It's a compliment that Dean introduces her as his mom as it's one of the few first times it's happened. Damon has no problem with Dean either. "Yes. Very interesting. What brings you here?" Damon concedes. Lately the value of customer service has been taught to him. He was actually wondering the same thing. Mostly he wonders where Ruby is because she's always near Sam. "I hate to be the one that brings it up, but I'd double check that your brother didn't piss off the Wicked Witch of Time. It's like there's another version of him running around by the end of the week."
Damon may be the only one tired of seeing Sam but Gracie is always welcomed to say hi to him. He would remember her.
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Date: 2020-03-08 10:08 pm (UTC)"The Dewey Decimal system has been around since the late 1800s. I've been a lot of libraries in my life," she tells him, almost letting slip that she's a lot older than she looks. Instead, she focuses on his next question. His commentary about the RNA sequencing. "I have no idea what that is," she admits, giving him a slightly dazed look. She recovers a little to go back and answer his questions. "Natural sciences. Botony, Biology, Chemistry." They're all a little lik witchcraft and while she knows far more about witchcraft than sh does about any of the natural sciences, she sees how those go hand in hand with witchcraft. While Sam is pulling books out, Ruby is still watching him, leaning a little against the bookshelf.
It had taken Dean a while to settle into Itinere because h wasn't used to staying anywhere long term. Ruby is the light of Sam's life, but he does have other people in his life, and Ruby respects that. Of course, Dean introduces them as his Mom and Dad. He's never had the chance to introduce anyone except Carmen to his Mom so it's still a big deal.
Okay, so Damon wants to get down to business. Dean watches Gracie and Damon together. He didn't realize they were together, but it's pretty obvious even with this brief, subtle interaction that they're more than friends and co-workers. "You know the lab on the outside of town. STAR labs. We're looking for more information about it."
Dean smirks at Damon's words. "I'll see if there's a curse we've got to break," he responds.
Unfortunately, superheroes aren't Gracie's specialty so she can't offer any insight, but she moves to the laptop and starts searching in the database for keywords like STAR Labs. "Some guy named Harrison Wells owns it in a city named Central City. Let me see what I can pull up."
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Date: 2020-03-09 02:46 am (UTC)He nods and smiles wider because nothing in her words suggest to him that she is older than she looks. Instead, it suggests she's a library nerd like him. "That's right. I forget the order sometimes because some of the schools I've been to use their own completely made up one." He's happy to explain the latest discoveries in RNA sequencing. The hardest thing for him is to keep it short and use some layman terms to describe it so she can follow and maybe see why it's exciting. He stops eventually his interest really is where her interest lies. "I studied a little biology and chemistry, but maybe you can show me a little botany sometime." He just wants an excuse to continue hanging out with her. He continues to pull out books to peak at the covers until his peripheral vision catches on to her looking at him.
"Found something?" he just assumes to begin with, but he can see she's not holding anything so it becomes clear what it is. Him.
Itinere bless them with many gifts. Time and patience might been the price Dean had to pay for it. Of course Damon wants to get down to business. The sooner they do, the everybody can leave. He has nothing to contribute about STAR labs and he looks to Gracie on this one.
While they follow her behind her to the laptop, he offers more of his humble opinion. "70/30 sure there's always a curse." To some extent, he still isn't convinced Itinere isn't a sick joke either. In the last few months, though, it's become one thing that he minds less and less everyday. Rather purposely, he brushes up against Gracie from behind and plays a little with her hair. Nothing about a Harrison Wells strikes him as a concern of his.
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Date: 2020-03-10 01:14 am (UTC)Nothing suggests that now, but once he knows, it's likely that this conversation will be one of those little signs. She is a library nerd. Listening to Sam explain RNA sequencing is actually really hot. She listens to him and fights the urge to grab him by the shirt and kiss him. She nods a little at his suggestion of spending more time together. "Sure. Botany. Anytime," she assures him then gives into that urge and reaches out to grab a handful of his shirt and pulls him to her, leaning in to press her lips against his, her free arm winding around his neck, fingers creeping into the hair at the back of his neck.
Yes, Sam. She's found something.
Time and patience isn't the hardest price to pay, particularly when the reward is so worth it. Do enlighten them Damon about why he wants them to go away.
"Well...you're not wrong," Dean admits. John is positive it's some sort of sick joke and the rug is going to be jerked out from underneath him one day. Until that moment, he's going to enjoy every single thing that Itinere has to offer. Dean once thought that about this place. Now he's not sure if it's a reward, a hiding place or an escape. No matter which one it is, he's decided to take what he can get out of it. Gracie can't help the giddy smile that slips across her lips when Damon brushes up against her. She doesn't move away from him but tilts her head a bit into his touch like a cat while attempting to keep at least part of her attention on what she's doing. "We've got a biography about him in the biography section over there and a book about particle acceleration in the 500s. At least that's where they should be. The lab has been here a while though. It's been empty most of the time that I've been here."
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Date: 2020-03-10 03:39 am (UTC)Chances are this conversation will be one of those little signs, but the biggest sign would be her small appetite. A library nerd is part of what he always knew he would like in a girl. She checks all the boxes. Sam can't tell what she's holding back, but it looks like she's trying hard to do something which attributed to his full stop, eyes glued to her like he got a new puzzle for his birthday. He figures it out, slowly, by the time her fingers reach out to grab his shirt and steps forward, first with one foot then the other until the gap between them is closed so she doesn't have to be so forceful and so he doesn't stumble into the kiss like he might have last night. His lips meet hers without any hesitation but growing confidence with the fact they're meant to be if they can do this here, his hands come up to her shoulders, hold her firmly, passionately. At the same time, for a flitting moment, it occurs to him that he should only be so lucky that no one can see them so their moment won't be interrupted.
She can tell him later what she found.
No, no, it is not. Lunch. Peace and quiet. Or some version of it is why he wants them to go away. Damon can manage a level of politeness for a brief stint of time.
Of course not. When he is ever wrong? Damon shrugs like there aren't thousands of examples when he has been wrong before. Mary sees some of that concern from John in his eyes some days, and to a certain degree, she fears the same thing will happen one day, but the short times she's been here, she allows herself the hope that things will stay the way they are. She's decided she won't let go of her husband or her boys if she has any say on it. Affection, however slight, spreads in Damon's entire body language, almost making it harder to note the bit of amusement he finds in Gracie's cat like behavior. None of what she does or the fact there is an audience at play makes him want to stop playing with her hair, but as a reward, he scratches the base of her neck a little. With his other hand, he feigns a yawn to stifle with a few pats over his mouth. Boring is the implication here. "Is that everything you want to look up?"
With confirmation, he zips out of sight as if he was never there, returning with the dusty books in hand and dropping them onto the counter from the customer side. "Here you are. The library isn't the place you go to make out. Let Gracie know if you have any other questions." Yes, he saw a certain couple making out in the 700s. Double standards is his middle name. No one ever said Damon's core personality trait was patience.
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Date: 2020-03-11 01:17 am (UTC)Demon aside (or in some cases because of her demon-ness), she really is perfect for him, and he for her. He'll eventually come to know (and love) this look because it's her 'trying not to molest you' look. He didn't exactly get her for his birthday, but she is something of a puzzle that he can take his time solving. He's beginning to catch on because yes last night he would have stumbled into the kiss. Sam's ability to learn quickly is one of Ruby's favorite things about him. In time, she'll teach him that there are better places to put his hands. For the moment, her hand slides down his back and dips underneath his shirt to press against the small of his back, urging him even closer to her.
Ruby is pretty sure that Sam will figure out what she found (
his boner)Peace and quiet, of course, that's why he wants them to leave. Ruby and Damon are an awfully lot alike.
Is anyone buying that Damon is never wrong? Didn't think so. Of course, Damon's mention of a curse makes John think that they need to check the bunker over when they leave here. It makes John a bit anxious. Damon...she might have some cat-like behaviors but Gracie is not a cat. Dean frowns a little and considers giving Damon a line of bullshit about other things he wants to look up, but John kind of wants to get back to the bunker now and give it a once over so he confirms that yes, that is all they wanted to look up.
Damon's quick disappearance and return startles John and has him reaching for his silver knife. Dean, ever the peacemaker, takes a step closer to the counter between Damon, he and John. "Dad, hold on. Damon hasn't been making trouble here." Dean doesn't know what Damon is, but he does know that he hasn't caused any problems and that has earned him the right to live in Itinere without being hassled by the Winchesters.
"Hey," Gracie looks up, eyes wide. "There's no need for knives in here. It's a bookstore and Damon is helping," she reminds everyone just in case it slipped their mind in the excitement.
"How well do you know this guy?" John asks and it's a question for Dean and Gracie. Clearly, what he really means is do you know what he is.
"He's a friend of Ruby's," Dean answers quickly. "He's fine."
"Well enough," Gracie assures him.
"Wait--Jesus Christ on a popsicle stick. I'm going to have to go pull Sam and Ruby off one another and I can't do that until you put the knife away, Dad," Dean says, just now realizing that Damon said that someone was making out in the library.
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Date: 2020-03-11 03:02 am (UTC)He wouldn't exactly call anything she did last night molestation because she's the more experienced once. If anything, it's a little more like she's the teacher and he's the student. Obviously, he's always picked up on things quickly. Right now isn't any different. His favorite thing about her is this, now. She's unafraid to express herself even in the most inappropriate (high risk?) areas that he can jump to an idea or two all on his own without her teaching him. That is to say his hands have life of their own and loosen their grip on her shoulders to slide upwards with the intention of cupping her face. It's purely accidental when his left hand gropes her breast, less so when he kneads it before his instincts manage to catch up to where he lets go, fingers splayed and backed off.
Boner in the physical sense or in the mental sense, because one, if not both could apply very soon.
Not a lot of people ever take him seriously, but those are the ones that know Damon even a little bit. Hey, it never hurts to check for those nasty little hex bags. Small town and pissing people off is not the most unheard of thing. Good on you, John. Gracie, oh Gracie, maybe he prefers the cat-like behaviors and teasing her is just the way he shows affection. Dean's extra requests would have been might with an eye roll anyway. Mary is also confirms that she is on board with getting back to the bunker as John's anxious behavior is obvious.
Damon will be the first to admit he could have thought it through more, but he's done hiding a part of himself when he doesn't have to. John brandishing a silver knife doesn't scare him like it should. Mary reaching for something he can't see doesn't either, though it goes noted that she also freezes at Dean's request. "No. I have not been making any trouble, Dad," he chimes in.
Helpful. Not really. But he can still speak for himself. Gracie, however, gets a smirk and a wink when her eyes turn on him, wide, because the little bit she has to say is flattering than anything else.
Damon understands when a cue is for somebody else, but he is standing right there John. "Ruby's friend, yes. We're besties. Super close. Going on, what? Two years now." His fingers cross tightly, hand where everyone can see. Please kindly direct the questions to his face from here on, John.
He shudders, a little loss for focus between this and that. "You might want to reconsider. The way things looked like they were headed, even I wouldn't want to go back there again to see what those love birds are up to now."
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Date: 2020-03-12 12:09 am (UTC)Teacher and student is a much sexier comparison. Fortunately for Sam (and for Ruby) that's something that won't change. She's better at expressing herself verbally than she used to be, but physical expression is always easier. She also thinks inappropriateness is mostly a human construct to keep other humans from feeling awkward and she's got little use for it. There's absolutely no reason for him to back off. In fact, she'll move one of her hands and grab his wrist, sliding his hand up underneath the hem of her shirt. How far he wants to go up is his call. Her hands go back to slip under his shirt and scratch lightly against his skin.
She's doing something wrong if it doesn't.
Damon is right about the hex bags. Sam and Ruby have ticked a person or two off in this place. It's easy to get lax here because everything is completely opposite their home world, not mention it's a slice of practically happy ever after for the Winchesters. In that case, Gracie will take the teasing and he's free to enjoy the cat-like behaviors. She has been a (crazy) cat lady for a few years so maybe it's rubbed off.
This is a conversation that Damon and Ruby have had before; hiding who and what you are sucks and there's little reason to do so in Itinere. This place rolls with weird like it's a typical Thursday.Damon, has it been mentioned that you're not funny? Or at least John doesn't think so. That's clear in his expression and body language though he doesn't make any move to threaten or strike at Damon. He's comfortable enough with this place's weird (and Dean's endorsement) that he'll hear this out.
Shhh, Damon. They're trying to calm down the hunter. In spite of everything going on, Damon's wink gets a bit of a blush out of Gracie (she should not be in this deep with him--and yet).
Honestly, Dean had meant it more in the 'he's like Ruby and not evil' than anything. Sorry, Damon. John tends to think of non-humans like animals instead of people. It's something that he's working on (you know since his son is in love with a non-human). John lowers his knife a little, slinking the slightest bit out of predator mode. "You're not a spirit." As far as he can tell, Damon is as solid as can be, but a spirit is the first thing he can think of that moves the way Damon did. His gaze goes from Damon to Gracie and back. This, whatever it is, isn't playing by the rules that John knows.
Dean grumbles and scrubs his hands over his face, not quite ready to leave John alone with Damon even if he knows Mary is a good influence on him and likely wouldn't let John attack without cause (and there's a good chance that this isn't a fight John could win, not unprepared). "Yeah...I might come back later with a biohazard suit."
John's attention is snagged for a moment by the secondary conversation here. "We're in a bookstore...in public."
Dean snorts. "Yeah. I can't leave them alone anywhere for more than five minutes," he assures John.
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Date: 2020-03-12 02:41 am (UTC)Of course he would love to have
thesex with her. He could have never understood "right time, wrong place" more than he does in this moment.It's easier than one would think. To get under someone's skin. John is being a prime example right this second. Maybe Damon's already done them a favor by reminding them how quickly it is to make the wrong impression or that being too lax is never good. They're unlikely friends in much the same way as her kitten and his crow.
The result of said conversation between Ruby and himself may have actually been one of the causes for his decision to no longer hide it. It goes without saying, really, that it is no fun being private party for one at the boarding house with no one to drink with. Some people have said that, others have laughed at his jokes before. Either way, he's not dissuaded by John's visible body language.
It's just words. John could grow up a little (but so could Damon). The one good thing in all this is it never fails to make Gracie blush (there's a number of reasons he could give her of why she shouldn't be in this deep--but he's happy with her too).
Some lines are harder to read between. The other explanation is that Damon also isn't used to others on the other team defending him. In any case, it goes a ways enough to see that they're ready to talk like regular folk when John lowers the knife. "No. Far better. Starts with a V, ends with an Ampire." Yes, Damon is aware of the differences in the rules between universes. Ruby may have let it slip what vampires and demons are capable in her world. Not much is different, but he could take some insult to being a spirit. This body is 100% his and original.
Is it not helpful that Damon spelled out what he was for everybody though? Ultimately it's Dean's choice what he does. Mary knows enough that it would be foolish to go unprepared into a fight they can't win and places her hand over the silver knife John has to encourage it to go down lower. She shakes her head when John's eyes look to hers, to share that this isn't their call.
Mary is also pulled into the secondary conversation, arches her eyebrows. Maybe she's been one that has been paying attention more but it is nothing new to find out that Sam and Ruby are making out where there shouldn't be.
"We have what we came for. Should we get them or leave." But she'd like it if they stayed together. It's up to a family vote.
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Date: 2020-03-12 11:51 pm (UTC)Aww, she's glad she could help him come out of the closet. Gracie doesn't usually drink much at their private parties (or anywhere else) but she does party with Damon (and she likes the private part of it). Gracie is also glad that Damon doesn't hide who he is.
John could definitely loosen up, but he thinks he's plenty grown up. He's also plenty paranoid. (She wouldn't let him get those reasons out. Maybe she's in denial or maybe there aren't as many reasons for Gracie not to be in deep with Damon as he thinks there are. Time will tell).
Fair enough, but Damon has friends here and a fresh start whether he realizes it or not. John's eyes narrow and they go to Gracie looking for any obvious bite marks or signs that she needs help. Gracie winds her arm around Damon's waist in response, leaning against him (she's the same height as him in tennis shoes). He's met more than a few vampires and not all of them had seemed like bad people, but they all killed people and ruined lives (to be fair, the same could be said for John, Dean, and Ruby, depending on who you talk to). John looks to Dean and Dean shakes his head ever so slightly. Keep listening, John. "I guess you can get blood delivered here just like pizza."
Gracie feels like that's kind of a personal question, but maybe it is just like ordering pizza to Damon.
Very. Damon is a helper. Both Dean and Gracie relax a little more when Mary encourages John to put the knife down. He finally tucks it back in his jacket. If Mary and Dean are both comfortable enough with the way this thing is going, he'll force himself to be comfortable as well.
Mary probably is the one that's been paying more attention. Dean shakes his head. "I'll go talk to them. It's nothing I haven't seen." Because he bursts into rooms with closed doors.
Maybe she's making this exactly as hard as it needs to be. She also gets (and even agrees) that this isn't the place to have sex. It's a great place to make out though. Sam's decision gets a groaned "Yes," out of her. She sighs and lets her hand drop until her thumb catches in the back pocket of his jeans.
Ruby hears Dean coming their way and makes a decision. "Ok. Come on. Walk behind me. The apartment is just down the street," she responds as she leans in and kisses him hard one more time before turning on her toe and starting toward the door, her hand catching his as she starts toward the front door just as Dean comes around tahe corner. "I'm taking Sam to the apartment. I'll bring him home for dinner," she says loudly enough for everyone to hear.
They can have
thesex and he can see their apartment, which he'll find is mostly unchanged from when he was sixteen. It does look more lived in now and Sam's things are scattered around the place.no subject
Date: 2020-03-13 02:52 am (UTC)Suffice to say he still had a goofy little grin on his face the whole time. It's maybe why it was harder to pay attention to time and to make it back for dinner as they promised. Sam called Dean to let him know he planned to stay the night and needed to call rain check on dinner for tomorrow night. He was really sorry too. Wanted Dean to tell Mom and Dad that.
Things don't continue as smoothly as that though because he learns she is a demon over the next couple of days and reacts as if she betrayed him. He doesn't want to speak to her, doesn't want to see her, doesn't want to be even the same room as her. At least to begin with. Something Castiel says to him really strikes a cord with him though. She didn't do anything wrong, least of all anything he didn't participate in too. It didn't make her evil. And that starts to sway his opinion back to something remotely level. With space and time, he knows what he has to do.
The apartment is easy to find on his own, but he works himself up to knock on the door. The words he wants to say are all scrambled but he pushes any thought to turn around away. "I just came to say... that I'm sorry. I should have let you tell me your side of things. You're not how I imagined a demon would be." They're almost the same words he used the first time he started to come around. It's visible in his eyes that he wonders the why and how though.
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Date: 2020-03-14 01:24 am (UTC)Ruby loves that goofy grin. She would do a lot of horrible and wonderful things for that goofy grin. That's why the next part hurts so much.
Yeah. Well, Dean gave her an ultimatum. She told Sam or he did. From the moment Sam had said he wanted to stay, Ruby knew she was going to have to tell him that she was a demon. She'd expected him to freak out, but that hadn't made it easier. Once she'd told him, she packs a small overnight bag with a few things she wants to keep with her. (things like her box with Sam's notes). Once in the apartment, Ruby doesn't leave. She watches rom coms and reads her books and tries not to think about whether or not Sam is going to be able to get over what she is this time.
The knock surprises her, but she pauses the movie (10 Things I Hate About You) she's watching and goes to answer the door. She knows before she answers the door that it's Sam and that he's still eighteen. She's wearing a pair of leggings, a flannel shirt, and socks as she swings the door open wide. "I'm not like other demons," she says then takes a step back, holding the door open if he wants to come in.
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Date: 2020-03-14 05:48 am (UTC)He doesn't need or want her to do horrible things to make him happy. It should have just been enough if she were herself. That's why owning his mistake is something he can come to terms with (although it did take the little bit of guidance from an angel).
He doesn't know what to expect when she answers the door. He does step back, however, so he can get a better look at her body language and to listen not just to her words but to what her tone tells him. Honestly, he does not expect to be invited in so he hesitates before he crosses the threshold and turn back to her. "Why is that?" That's one of the things that has been plaguing his mind this whole time.
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Date: 2020-03-14 07:43 pm (UTC)Ruby has always been genuinely herself even when herself was awkward socially or just plain weird by human standards. (She'll have to thank that angel somehow that doesn't include the words 'thank you' because words are hard. It'll probably involve food because that's a love language she understands).
Her body language is a bit guarded, a bit defensive. She's been hurt and that's obvious in her body language, but it's Sam so he's getting another chance. Even Rifle stays where he's at curled up on the couch, alert but not quite ready to forgive Sam yet. Ruby knows how the dog feels. She closes the door behind him and maintains a certain amount of distance from him for both of their sakes. She figures he probably still needs the space. "I don't know," she answers, arms crossed over her chest. "I'm a freakin' unicorn. I don't know why or how. I didn't do anything to turn out this way and I wasn't given special treatment in Hell, at least not the kind anyone wants. I'm just...different."
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Date: 2020-03-22 06:04 am (UTC)Sam appreciates it too. Time spent together and time with their extended family is important. It seems like lately he is getting along better with his father because Itinere takes away a lot of the stresses that were at home.
(No thanks is necessary because all Castiel did was give his honest opinion. Maybe he couldn't argue with some food.)
Sam can see that she is upset, even a little bit guarded. To be fair, he is a little guarded too. He is a little bit extra cautious because what he says next matters and Ruby's language is a puzzle that his head hasn't let itself wrap around fully yet. He can't assume talking normally to her is the right answer, but what other way is there. With the space between them, he assumes that's what she wants and gives her it. Both of them are reading the signals wrong though. The last thing he wants is space from her. "I'm sorry," he says, pocketing his hands to keep them closer to himself. "I don't expect you to forgive me just because I say that. I really don't. I think... It just hurt when you couldn't tell me upfront. You maybe don't know how or why, but I want to know everything that makes you different. I'll listen."
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Date: 2020-03-23 12:40 am (UTC)(She'll deliver food because it seems like something she ought to thank him for. He didn't have to give his opinion)
She recognizes his caution, but she doesn't understand (yet) that it's because he wants to say the right thing. She's not entirely sure (until he apologizes) whether he's here out of curiosity or to make things better. She doesn't want the space at all. Nothing about that has changed, but she doesn't want to let him hurt her more than he already has nor does she want him to be afraid of her or uncomfortable. They're definitely reading their signals wrong. "If I'd told you upfront you would have shot me. Or stabbed me or tried to exorcise me. You wouldn't have given me the time of day to get to know me." He's free to tell her if she's wrong, but she'd be surprised if she were. "I care. I don't want to see the world turned into another version of Hell. Killing people is just boring and hurting them..." she shakes her head. "Most humans are annoying and careless and obtuse, but they don't deserve to that."
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