We just set time. Once a week, that's for us to talk or hang or whatever. If you're in town, we can get a beer or watch a game, but if you're not we can FaceTime or talk on the phone. That way we're still connecting but it doesn't matter where you are.
[That way they're still talking. And that'll at least put them in a better place than they were before.]
And it doesn't mean that like ... once a week is the only time we talk, but we know we have at least that? And also if you know you can't make it because you have a job or whatever, it's fine as long as you let me know. But does that sound okay?
[And now that he got that out he deflates some. Those were all the words he had been pouring over for days and now that it's done, it's almost as though he's got nothing else.]
... Cool.
[He can't tell if he was expecting more of a fight or a negotiation, but now it feels slightly anticlimactic that he was so stressed about it.]
( He taps his beer against his son's. Because, that didn't feel as anticlimactic to him, but he can tell it weighed Ben down. He brings the beer to his lips and smiles to himself. )
Real, real proud of you.
( He follows that up with a small swig from his beer. He thinks it's still early for other declarations, like whatever he's feeling. Is that love? He's never had that. Never been a parent. Love for Dean is sometimes twisted or extreme. He knows what he'd do for Sam again and again. And now, Ben.
[Ben isn't really sure what there is to be proud of, but he'll take it. It still feels good to hear him say it. He nods, and is about ready to just enjoy the silence when footsteps sound on the patio behind them.]
Hey. Just the guys I'm looking for.
[Her hands are empty, probably for the first time tonight, and Ben raises an eyebrow. "You already ambushed me with Christmas magic. No doubling up."
She smirks.]
Don't worry. You're not my target of attack this time.
( "I love you," goes unsaid because he doesn't know where to start with it. If this is what it feels like. He's distracted by the impending gift, though, and follows Elena around the house. )
You realize once I come up for air, there will be a gift coming.
You did come save me from certain death. That counts as a gift, in my opinion.
[But she also will not say no to things. One of her love languages is gift giving (the other is self-sacrifice) so she does enjoy being given gifts in return.]
But I will look forward to it regardless.
[When they reach the car, she will open the driver's side door and gesture for him to get inside.]
[She does, and then she makes her way around the other side and slides into the passenger's side. She reaches into the footwell and picking up a wrapped box he size of a shoebox, that she then passes over to him.]
Merry Christmas.
[Inside the wrapped box, is a series of cassette tapes, all of Dean's personal favorites - or at least marked as such. She found a lot of the ones she was looking for on eBay but there was some she couldn't, so she recorded them onto blank tapes from her phone.]
I know they wear out, so I asked Sam if there were any that you hadn't had the chance to replace yet. He gave me a list.
[And she will then tap the last one on the end. This is another one the blank tapes, but it's not marked with anything that gives away what songs are on it.]
And then I was left to my own devices, so I also made you a mixtape.
( He leans over to get a look at the box before accepting it. He unwraps a little more methodically then you'd expect him to, he has his fastidious sides, and untops the box. Shit. He flicks through, pushing one tape against another as he reads the spines.
He pulls the blank one out, turning it over in his hand.
Oh. Shit. Mixtape. One of his love languages. Shit. He looks at her again. She did damn good. Leaning in, he hopes she'll do the same so he can give her a sweet thank you kiss. Because, damn. She deserves that and more. )
[She kisses him back, thumb brushing gently against the line of his jaw, and when he pulls back, her smile widens. She's willing to admit that this is the one she had been the most nervous about, which is why it was last. But it seems that it's worked out.]
[She is definitely good for more kissing. In fact she will gently remove the tapes from his lap to allow her to get closer and the party can get on without them for a while.
Someone will come to deflate the bubble later so might as well enjoy it while they got it.]
( After a disappointing and embarrassing afternoon, he's turned things around enough at the party. He's opened up a new avenue, had a few beers, and met people in person and over message. The one person he wants to revel in this and wants to support he hasn't been able to. He also hasn't come up with a sleeping solution for tonight. He's been preoccupied and distracted. Ben has his own agenda. He's here for him if their paths cross again.
Coincidentally, Dickerson is the only one in the room when Ben comes in from the patio door.
He's finishing up a phone call as he looks up. Oh. )
Yeah, it's a good party. Few beers. He's around here somewhere. Yeah. Merry Christmas, Dad. Bye.
[Having gotten the conversation with Dean out of the way, he feels lighter, but when he walks in and sees Dickerson, some of that heaviness returns. He hasn't had days to overturn this conversation in his head, even though he knows it needs to happen. They can't go home, or spend hours in the car with his parents without resolving some of this.
He just doesn't know how sure he is of what he wants.
So instead he just clears his throat, and settles for something neutral.]
[Surprisingly, it was the spontaneous one they had earlier, not the one they just had that was actually more helpful in them starting to get each other, and maybe he should take that as a portend for things to come, but for right now, he's just trying to untie the knot of his feelings to know what to say.]
Gonna try some things that don't need him to be around all the time but still allow us to spend time.
[He starts to nod, starts to move closer, but remembers that they're in a house full of people with super senses of various kinds - some of who are very nosy. This doesn't seem like a safe space to have this conversation.]
( He's new to all of this, even if he's ready to immerse himself, so he'll need to be reminded about all the super hearing. But, a walk still sounds like progress, like he didn't bone one of the good things in his life.
Having no need for it, he sets his half drank beer on the table, before getting to his feet. )
Sure. I should stretch my legs. Ate my weight in ham.
[Ben nods, and they head back outside the door he came in, out onto the quiet stretch of the Lockwood property. He'll let them get a good ways off the patio and still isn't feeling ready to jump right in yet so he'll stall.]
( He's letting Ben steer the conversation. It's the least he could do since he feels like he drove a freight train through their friendship. Maybe he's exaggerating in his mind. But, the more he's had the minutes to think about it, something is changed. )
Rough, at first. But, on my part. And then, good. He gave sound advice. Even got me in touch with... two of his friends who are near Battlecreek. Two sheriffs. I was also added to something called the Law Enforcement chat, but nothing's happened in it, yet. ( A shrug. ) Making contacts. ( He turns his head to face Ben. ) You're uncle's good people. Intense, but for a good reason.
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[That way they're still talking. And that'll at least put them in a better place than they were before.]
And it doesn't mean that like ... once a week is the only time we talk, but we know we have at least that? And also if you know you can't make it because you have a job or whatever, it's fine as long as you let me know. But does that sound okay?
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( He can definitely go with that. It's a great damn idea. )
You can. Call me or text me any time. I can't answer, I just won't. And I promise, a job comes up or something else. You'll know.
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[And now that he got that out he deflates some. Those were all the words he had been pouring over for days and now that it's done, it's almost as though he's got nothing else.]
... Cool.
[He can't tell if he was expecting more of a fight or a negotiation, but now it feels slightly anticlimactic that he was so stressed about it.]
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( He taps his beer against his son's. Because, that didn't feel as anticlimactic to him, but he can tell it weighed Ben down. He brings the beer to his lips and smiles to himself. )
Real, real proud of you.
( He follows that up with a small swig from his beer. He thinks it's still early for other declarations, like whatever he's feeling. Is that love? He's never had that. Never been a parent. Love for Dean is sometimes twisted or extreme. He knows what he'd do for Sam again and again. And now, Ben.
He'd give it all up. But, he doesn't say that. )
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Hey. Just the guys I'm looking for.
[Her hands are empty, probably for the first time tonight, and Ben raises an eyebrow. "You already ambushed me with Christmas magic. No doubling up."
She smirks.]
Don't worry. You're not my target of attack this time.
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( He's missing this was a gift ambush, so he may need to have the record set straight. )
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[Though that was some good magic, in her heavily biased opinion.]
You're my last gift to deliver. And it's in the car because it's for the car. Do you mind if I borrow him really quick?
[That question is more directed towards Ben and he nods. "Yeah, go. We're good."]
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( "I love you," goes unsaid because he doesn't know where to start with it. If this is what it feels like. He's distracted by the impending gift, though, and follows Elena around the house. )
You realize once I come up for air, there will be a gift coming.
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[But she also will not say no to things. One of her love languages is gift giving (the other is self-sacrifice) so she does enjoy being given gifts in return.]
But I will look forward to it regardless.
[When they reach the car, she will open the driver's side door and gesture for him to get inside.]
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( Or, again. Something else. Something that can be touched or enjoyed. Life is so abstract. And, sometimes, isn't enjoyed.
He gives her a look, but does as asked, putting all arms and legs inside the vehicle. She's going to close it behind him, obviously. )
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Merry Christmas.
[Inside the wrapped box, is a series of cassette tapes, all of Dean's personal favorites - or at least marked as such. She found a lot of the ones she was looking for on eBay but there was some she couldn't, so she recorded them onto blank tapes from her phone.]
I know they wear out, so I asked Sam if there were any that you hadn't had the chance to replace yet. He gave me a list.
[And she will then tap the last one on the end. This is another one the blank tapes, but it's not marked with anything that gives away what songs are on it.]
And then I was left to my own devices, so I also made you a mixtape.
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He pulls the blank one out, turning it over in his hand.
Oh. Shit. Mixtape. One of his love languages. Shit. He looks at her again. She did damn good. Leaning in, he hopes she'll do the same so he can give her a sweet thank you kiss. Because, damn. She deserves that and more. )
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I did good?
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( Now that they have the time and space to themselves, he will continue the kissing for a bit. You thought you only get one? You do not! )
π
Someone will come to deflate the bubble later so might as well enjoy it while they got it.]
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Coincidentally, Dickerson is the only one in the room when Ben comes in from the patio door.
He's finishing up a phone call as he looks up. Oh. )
Yeah, it's a good party. Few beers. He's around here somewhere. Yeah. Merry Christmas, Dad. Bye.
( He brings his phone down, ending the call. )
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He just doesn't know how sure he is of what he wants.
So instead he just clears his throat, and settles for something neutral.]
How's your dad?
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( Dickerson isn't friends with any regulars, but he knows who they are. Doesn't stop his dad from naming them like he could pick em out of the crowd.
He watches Dean and Elena head out the other way, away from where Ben had come from )
How's yours?
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[Surprisingly, it was the spontaneous one they had earlier, not the one they just had that was actually more helpful in them starting to get each other, and maybe he should take that as a portend for things to come, but for right now, he's just trying to untie the knot of his feelings to know what to say.]
Gonna try some things that don't need him to be around all the time but still allow us to spend time.
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( Really. Because, that's all he really wants is for Ben's feelings to unknot or reform and eventually feel how they need to.
He slides over from the middle of the couch. )
You want to?
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Actually, want to take a walk?
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Having no need for it, he sets his half drank beer on the table, before getting to his feet. )
Sure. I should stretch my legs. Ate my weight in ham.
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Saw you talking to Sam. How'd that go?
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Rough, at first. But, on my part. And then, good. He gave sound advice. Even got me in touch with... two of his friends who are near Battlecreek. Two sheriffs. I was also added to something called the Law Enforcement chat, but nothing's happened in it, yet. ( A shrug. ) Making contacts. ( He turns his head to face Ben. ) You're uncle's good people. Intense, but for a good reason.
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Good. He'll keep you out of trouble. Just ... actually use those contacts, okay?