The meal is nice. Dean's a little toasty, but having fun and it's easy. And maybe everything's going to be okay. But, Elena pays the check and reality crashes in. This is her last night. She's going back to work. He's now in this town. And she's going back to work.
She goes to the bathroom before they leave. Dean fidgets. Dean has been down this road before. And the last time...
He's brought out of his thoughts as she asks if he's ready, after she folds her copy of the receipt up and grabbing her purse.
Another beer arrives and Dean hands the waitress cash. )
I was, but, I hadn't tried the IPA. You should go back, do your night routine. I'll be right behind you.
( Be there for the important part. When the voices silence and he can distract the both. )
[Elena glances down from him to the beer and does her best to keep the judgement off her face. They haven't been back in each other's lives that long yet, but Elena does know addiction, if not personally, in the faces of other people. And it's always more complicated than it seems.
She's concerned, and she worries, but he's an adult and this is new so she doesn't push. Not yet.]
You sure you want me getting started without you?
[There's a tempting edge to it, the lure implicit, but she won't push him if he doesn't want to.]
[Elena takes the keys and wonders if Dean understands the risk he's taking by leaving her with his beloved car, but she won't contradict him. She just nods and gives his arm a soft squeeze as she goes.]
Okay. See you soon.
[And she does leave, but she can feel a sinking feeling in her gut that this night isn't going to go the way she thought it would.
She heads home, does her end of night routine, and waits, with the news on quietly in the background.]
( He does order one more beer and ends up falling into a game of pool. Well, he hovers during one, it ends and the guy looks at him, points the cue in his direction and who he is to turn down a challenge? Did he ask for it. Was it asked of him. Does it matter? He collects some cash for old time's sake. Didn't even need to do double or nothing.
He knows he should cut his losses.
So, he's not right behind her. He's an hourish behind her.
He lets himself into her apartment, the keys dropping as he opens the door. Oops. He leans forward to pick them up. Hands grasp them like he's been caught, even though he's just walked in. Bringing them back up, he looks down at them and sighs, leaning against the open door.
He fucked this up. It's her last night. And here he is. Late. Not drunk drunk. But, more drunk than he should be on a night like this. )
[It's not enough time for her to fall asleep, but enough for her to begin stewing, replaying the day over and over to try and find what she missed. Something had been off, just slightly, and she had ignored it in the interest of having a good day. But now as the clock ticks on, she finds herself in a position she knows all too well - waiting up to make sure the person she cares about who may have substance abuse issues comes home safely.
She did this with Jeremy, in the wreckage of her parents deaths. She did this with Ric, that year he lived in their house taking care of them - or trying. And she spent many sleepless nights when Stefan was off on a blood bender.
Elena is not unfamiliar with having people close to her who like to have one too many drinks, or are leaning on something to try and get by. But Dean was fine until he wasn't, so she can't help but wonder what it was that flipped the switch.
When she hears the fumbling of the keys, she turns off the news and climbs out of bed, moving so that she can see the door. He doesn't seem too sloppy - more drunk than usual but not to the point that she'd need to be medically concerned, just personally.]
Dean?
[She doesn't want to talk about this now, not until he's sober, but she is worried all the same.]
( He looks up, beaten down, suddenly. As if he hasn't been beaten down all his life. First by circumstances. Than his mom's death. His dad's parenting. The apocalypse. His trust issues. His anger. Chuck..
Holding himself up he steps into the apartment proper, closing the door behind him. As he turns back, he produces the cash in his pocket and drops it down on the kitchen counter. He removes his wallet next, his phone, and then drops her keys on the counter next, shrugging his jacket off next.
He hangs it on one of the chairs, then looks back at her again. )
[Her voice is soft as she makes her way closer to him, taking his arm gently to guide him back toward the bedroom.]
Let's go to bed. We can talk about it tomorrow.
[And they will talk about it tomorrow. She has the mid-shift, so they have some time in the morning. But she wants to wait until he's sober and they're both aware of the things they're saying.]
( He doesn't nod, but lets her guide him. He's not so fucked up that he can't undress enough to crawl into bed in boxer briefs and a t-shirt. He cradles the pillow in his arms as he stretches his legs out and succumbs to the alcohol. That is, lets himself fall asleep.
Her alarm wakes him as he groans, having thrown an arm around Elena in his sleep. He can taste what's left in his mouth, dry from the alcohol. He needs to brush his teeth. He smacks his lips a few times and sucks in a breath as he squints one eye open. )
[Elena was up a little before her alarm - not so much that she's out of bed, but enough that the sound doesn't jarr her awake. She shifts slightly, still feeling her own pit of anxiousness as she rolls over to face him.]
Do you want the bathroom first? I can start the coffee.
( He checks in with his body. He's not hungover, he's a professional. But, he does need to take a leak. Aforementioned teeth brushing. Yeah. He could hit the bathroom first. He nods. Smiles, because he woke up next to her. Guilt sags at his eyelids but she isn't giving him that look, which he knew she wouldn't. He presses a kiss to her shoulder before getting himself out of bed.
After he's finished in the bathroom, he pulls a pair of sweatpants on, looks at himself in Elena's bedroom's mirror. Drags a hand along his cheek. He could look worse.
When did he look this old, though.
He emerges from her bedroom, moving to the cabinet to get two glasses. Water, to go with the coffee. She's also a water woman. He fills the two glasses up, turns and takes a sip from one. )
[Because it is. She doesn't mind if he wants to hang out in the Grille.
She glances up from the bowl of cereal she's fixing herself and meets his eyes earnestly and without judgement.]
But I do want to talk about it.
[Which she knows is not his favorite thing to do, but Elena's a communicator, and she doesn't want to let this lie and fester.]
It's not the drinking I have a problem with, exactly. I'd be kind of a hypocrite if that was the part that bothered me. But ... you were a little off yesterday, and I shouldn't have let it go, but I did. I'd like to talk about it now, though.
( He sets his glass down to the side and rubs his palms down his face. He was, wasn't he. )
Yeah, yeah, I was off. I think, maybe after breakfast. And it wasn't ( he holds one hand up )breakfast. Breakfast was good. ( The pancakes were fine, but also better than fine because she made them. ) You're going back to work. Work means -- life. Routine. I'll occupy myself, or Sam and me, we'll catch - hunts here or there, unless he's with Allison ( And ) I did this once before. A long time ago, right after our first almost apocalypse. I lost Sam and I went to see this woman, Lisa, who - basically invited me to get my shit back together once everything went to hell. Sam, literally.
I was there for a year. Helped raise her kid. Lived this suburban life. ( But, no, he didn't stay there. ) Sam showed back up, which, isn't the point of the story ( But is a story in itself. ) but, after a year, I started hunting again. Tried to keep things going with Lisa, stay in Ben's orbit. But I got dangerous. And distant. And they deserved better. Demons ended up taking them to distract Sam and me and -- after, I... ( He doesn't say it easily. ) I had Cas erase their memories of me. They weren't safe anymore. The kid was traumatized and I never fit in. Half the time back in that town, I was drunk, or quiet, or working on my car until I couldn't anymore and I covered her for a few months. Got a real job but it wasn't really living. Lied to myself, lied to them, almost got them both killed.
[Elena hears two things there. That Dean is worried that the side effects of his life are going to come down on Elena, and that Dean is feeling restless, doesn't do well with playing normal, which she already knew, but doesn't know how to navigate this in this new relationship.
First things first:]
That sounds like it must have been really hard.
[First, being in a place where he didn't fit, and then second having to make a very hard decision about people he really cares about.]
I moved on. And, threatened Sam if he ever mentioned them again.
( And he kept to his word. )
There were other really complicated things about that year, more resurrections and a lot of lies and shit we could've prevented. But the best thing I did was let them go. I even -- I thought he was my kid, once two years before. But, being there, with him -- he felt like mine. And, then the hits just kept coming and it's -- years later and I'm older and I'm here. I don't want to hurt you. And I don't want to upend your life.
( He wants to contribute, not be a burden. )
I'm in this, but sometimes, I'm... not good at being in it.
It's hard to be, when we're still figuring out what being in this looks like for us.
[She's not sure she's good at being in this yet. They're relearning each other in new ways, and she's always known that Dean's more comfortable on the road than he is in a small town.
She places her cereal bowl down, before making her way closer to him.]
And this isn't really your home. This is mine. I don't want you to feel like you're trapped here spinning your wheels just to be with me. So maybe there's a happy medium we can figure out. Because of course I want you here, but I'm not blind to the fact that sometimes you may need to go.
I will. One day. Maybe next week. Something will come down the pike. But, I also want to come back. And it's the first time - in a long time that I've wanted to be anywhere but the bunker.
( He has the Deancave in the Bunker. )
I know we're new. And we're figuring everything out. And, I should've just voiced my -- whatever. I will. Next time. You should take the cash on the counter for lunch today. Go deluxe.
[Saying that he will talk to her in the future is the thing she was hoping for, so some of the tension ebbs away. But she does also want to reiterate that she's in this too. She's willing to be the stable port in the storm, should he need it.
She turns towards the money on the counter, eyeing it briefly.]
Fancy.
[She leans in to kiss him, winding her arms around his neck.]
Or maybe I can grab dinner after work and we can do a take two for last night?
[This time they'll just stay in and not let the Grille get in the way.]
I'll even be on the wagon. Focus on romance and not hustling some townie at pool.
( Which means dressing up and going out of town. Which could be nice.
He likes being in her arms, in this apartment, in this town. He always liked Mystic Falls. He just never let himself. He was too much of a punk kid with chips on both of his shoulders.
It's the first time he wants to say 'I love you,' but he doesn't. The words hold too much weight for him. Instead, he kisses her lightly, nostrils picking up a delicious scent. )
One last kiss before she pulls away and goes to pour them both a cup. She knows she'll eventually have to resume her morning routine and go back to work but she feels steadier than she did the night before.
And with that the seed that maybe finding herself somewhere other than Mystic Falls might not be a bad thing.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
somanyadjectives) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
everyonelives2025-07-26 07:05 pm
no subject
no subject
[She nods as she reaches for the beer she's nursing.]
Not bad, right?
no subject
The meal is nice. Dean's a little toasty, but having fun and it's easy. And maybe everything's going to be okay. But, Elena pays the check and reality crashes in. This is her last night. She's going back to work. He's now in this town. And she's going back to work.
She goes to the bathroom before they leave. Dean fidgets. Dean has been down this road before. And the last time...
He's brought out of his thoughts as she asks if he's ready, after she folds her copy of the receipt up and grabbing her purse.
Another beer arrives and Dean hands the waitress cash. )
I was, but, I hadn't tried the IPA. You should go back, do your night routine. I'll be right behind you.
( Be there for the important part. When the voices silence and he can distract the both. )
no subject
She's concerned, and she worries, but he's an adult and this is new so she doesn't push. Not yet.]
You sure you want me getting started without you?
[There's a tempting edge to it, the lure implicit, but she won't push him if he doesn't want to.]
no subject
( He means it, though, and he accompanies his sentiment with a healthy sip. See, he's always a third of the way through it.
He even takes his keys out of his pocket. )
Take Baby. I'll catch a cab or walk back. Right behind.
no subject
Okay. See you soon.
[And she does leave, but she can feel a sinking feeling in her gut that this night isn't going to go the way she thought it would.
She heads home, does her end of night routine, and waits, with the news on quietly in the background.]
no subject
He knows he should cut his losses.
So, he's not right behind her. He's an hourish behind her.
He lets himself into her apartment, the keys dropping as he opens the door. Oops. He leans forward to pick them up. Hands grasp them like he's been caught, even though he's just walked in. Bringing them back up, he looks down at them and sighs, leaning against the open door.
He fucked this up. It's her last night. And here he is. Late. Not drunk drunk. But, more drunk than he should be on a night like this. )
no subject
She did this with Jeremy, in the wreckage of her parents deaths. She did this with Ric, that year he lived in their house taking care of them - or trying. And she spent many sleepless nights when Stefan was off on a blood bender.
Elena is not unfamiliar with having people close to her who like to have one too many drinks, or are leaning on something to try and get by. But Dean was fine until he wasn't, so she can't help but wonder what it was that flipped the switch.
When she hears the fumbling of the keys, she turns off the news and climbs out of bed, moving so that she can see the door. He doesn't seem too sloppy - more drunk than usual but not to the point that she'd need to be medically concerned, just personally.]
Dean?
[She doesn't want to talk about this now, not until he's sober, but she is worried all the same.]
no subject
Holding himself up he steps into the apartment proper, closing the door behind him. As he turns back, he produces the cash in his pocket and drops it down on the kitchen counter. He removes his wallet next, his phone, and then drops her keys on the counter next, shrugging his jacket off next.
He hangs it on one of the chairs, then looks back at her again. )
It's not always like this.
no subject
[Her voice is soft as she makes her way closer to him, taking his arm gently to guide him back toward the bedroom.]
Let's go to bed. We can talk about it tomorrow.
[And they will talk about it tomorrow. She has the mid-shift, so they have some time in the morning. But she wants to wait until he's sober and they're both aware of the things they're saying.]
no subject
Her alarm wakes him as he groans, having thrown an arm around Elena in his sleep. He can taste what's left in his mouth, dry from the alcohol. He needs to brush his teeth. He smacks his lips a few times and sucks in a breath as he squints one eye open. )
no subject
Do you want the bathroom first? I can start the coffee.
no subject
After he's finished in the bathroom, he pulls a pair of sweatpants on, looks at himself in Elena's bedroom's mirror. Drags a hand along his cheek. He could look worse.
When did he look this old, though.
He emerges from her bedroom, moving to the cabinet to get two glasses. Water, to go with the coffee. She's also a water woman. He fills the two glasses up, turns and takes a sip from one. )
Sorry, I - stayed later. Wasn't planning on it.
no subject
[Because it is. She doesn't mind if he wants to hang out in the Grille.
She glances up from the bowl of cereal she's fixing herself and meets his eyes earnestly and without judgement.]
But I do want to talk about it.
[Which she knows is not his favorite thing to do, but Elena's a communicator, and she doesn't want to let this lie and fester.]
It's not the drinking I have a problem with, exactly. I'd be kind of a hypocrite if that was the part that bothered me. But ... you were a little off yesterday, and I shouldn't have let it go, but I did. I'd like to talk about it now, though.
no subject
Yeah, yeah, I was off. I think, maybe after breakfast. And it wasn't ( he holds one hand up ) breakfast. Breakfast was good. ( The pancakes were fine, but also better than fine because she made them. ) You're going back to work. Work means -- life. Routine. I'll occupy myself, or Sam and me, we'll catch - hunts here or there, unless he's with Allison ( And ) I did this once before. A long time ago, right after our first almost apocalypse. I lost Sam and I went to see this woman, Lisa, who - basically invited me to get my shit back together once everything went to hell. Sam, literally.
no subject
It didn't work out the way you hoped?
[Considering he is here with her, and not back with Lisa, living that life.]
no subject
no subject
First things first:]
That sounds like it must have been really hard.
[First, being in a place where he didn't fit, and then second having to make a very hard decision about people he really cares about.]
no subject
( And he kept to his word. )
There were other really complicated things about that year, more resurrections and a lot of lies and shit we could've prevented. But the best thing I did was let them go. I even -- I thought he was my kid, once two years before. But, being there, with him -- he felt like mine. And, then the hits just kept coming and it's -- years later and I'm older and I'm here. I don't want to hurt you. And I don't want to upend your life.
( He wants to contribute, not be a burden. )
I'm in this, but sometimes, I'm... not good at being in it.
no subject
[She's not sure she's good at being in this yet. They're relearning each other in new ways, and she's always known that Dean's more comfortable on the road than he is in a small town.
She places her cereal bowl down, before making her way closer to him.]
And this isn't really your home. This is mine. I don't want you to feel like you're trapped here spinning your wheels just to be with me. So maybe there's a happy medium we can figure out. Because of course I want you here, but I'm not blind to the fact that sometimes you may need to go.
no subject
( He has the Deancave in the Bunker. )
I know we're new. And we're figuring everything out. And, I should've just voiced my -- whatever. I will. Next time. You should take the cash on the counter for lunch today. Go deluxe.
no subject
[Saying that he will talk to her in the future is the thing she was hoping for, so some of the tension ebbs away. But she does also want to reiterate that she's in this too. She's willing to be the stable port in the storm, should he need it.
She turns towards the money on the counter, eyeing it briefly.]
Fancy.
[She leans in to kiss him, winding her arms around his neck.]
Or maybe I can grab dinner after work and we can do a take two for last night?
[This time they'll just stay in and not let the Grille get in the way.]
no subject
( Which means dressing up and going out of town. Which could be nice.
He likes being in her arms, in this apartment, in this town. He always liked Mystic Falls. He just never let himself. He was too much of a punk kid with chips on both of his shoulders.
It's the first time he wants to say 'I love you,' but he doesn't. The words hold too much weight for him. Instead, he kisses her lightly, nostrils picking up a delicious scent. )
I think the coffee's ready.
no subject
[He's welcome to hustle her anytime.
One last kiss before she pulls away and goes to pour them both a cup. She knows she'll eventually have to resume her morning routine and go back to work but she feels steadier than she did the night before.
And with that the seed that maybe finding herself somewhere other than Mystic Falls might not be a bad thing.]