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raytorosaurus · 2 years

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can you pls explain to me what happened on tbp tour? i know the recording was bleak with the haunted manor and all that, but i keep hearing little things about the tour and i can't seem to find any information on google?? like some ppl on here have mentioned some things about frank's health and that he was on pills so idk if it was a drug issue or a chronic illness thing?? i think g and mikey suffered a lot of mental health stuff?? just please gimme the run down?! i love u

okay so this might get a little long so i’m putting it under a cut but basically in summary: they are insane. they’d already put themselves through a lot of emotional pressure writing the album in a haunted mansion where their producer was encouraging psychological warfare among them, and then they threw themselves into a LONG and gruelling tour and honestly made it as difficult for themselves as possible every step of the way. they were dealing with mental and physical illness and they pushed way past the point of exhaustion. they were reaching major life milestones (all of them got engaged at least once, three of them got married) but spending entire years away from home. they became the face of a subculture they didn’t particularly feel like they had anything in common with, and then they got some really bad press that was extremely demoralising because it wasn’t about the music, it was about the actual message of the band, which had been twisted and misinterpreted.

but if you want more detail (cw for sh & sui ments):

so the page for this tour got taken down from wikipedia for some reason but it’s archived here and it’ll give you an impression of just how huge this tour was. legs kept getting added on to the tour because they thought this was the band’s, like, one big chance to take over the world so they didn’t want to say no to anything because they thought that’s what the album deserved. at the start of it they effectively played two sets a night - the black parade front to back and then some revenge and bullets songs as an extended encore. they did it all in thick, non-breathable wool jackets and trousers, and they did it six nights a week with almost no breaks - basically the only breaks they did get were when they were travelling between continents lol. the wiki page i linked lists the dates of the tour proper, but they were also playing album launch shows in multiple countries in the months before it fully kicked off. the spot that looks like they had a nice long break between july and october was actually almost fully taken up by pro rev LOL.

gerard and ray were actually the only members who made it through the full tour. cortez filled in for both mikey and frank at different times. mikey left fairly early - in april 2007, after getting married to alicia backstage after their show in vegas in march. he left for a honeymoon and didn’t come back until september for the final couple shows of pro rev. he also opened up a bit about how hard 2006 had been on his mental health while they were writing the album, so the break was much-needed. frank left a couple of times for shorter stretches, once because of an illness in his family and once because he had a wisdom tooth complication and couldn’t fly to australia. also, yeah, the constant touring took a toll on his physical health at times and he wouldn’t take breaks when he needed them - i’m sure you’ve seen the pictures of him onstage attached to an oxygen tank. bob was recovering from third-degree burns at first and then had persistent issues with chronic pain in his wrist and had to take a couple of months off playing or risk permanently disabling himself, and for at least most of those dates he was replaced by tucker from thursday. beyond that they did have to cancel several dates in may 2007 because everyone except frank and gerard (including most of their crew and the band muse) got terrible food poisoning from some catering chicken (frank escaped because he’s vegan and gerard because he slept through catering that day lol).

projekt revolution saw the band, like...really fucking exhausted. at that point they’d started getting kind of sick of playing the characters of the black parade. ray in particular talked about feeling disconnected from their audiences because of the uniforms and burned out by the repetition (this article’s pretty interesting because ray doesn’t talk about that aspect of the band very often in public). so for the festival shows they gave up playing parade in full and doing two sets every night for a bit, but now they were playing in extreme heat with a shit tonne of pyrotechnics lol. pro rev was meant to be the end of the tour, but they added a couple of extra shows in mexico to ritualistically kill off the black parade because i would expect no less from this band (that was october 7 2007, which is when the black parade is dead was filmed). and then they added another leg, and another...and they essentially ended up doing what basically amounted to a second full world tour without ever stopping the first one lol. it wasn’t only long but also so over-the-top in terms of theatrics and staging that they barely even broke even financially at the end of it. which is like. crazy. they had five full buses of stage equipment and a sound and lighting system that took five hours to set up and three hours to dismantle every night.

so if you’ve watched the infamous reading & leeds show you’ll recognise the “fuck the daily mail” thing, which is because after tbp came out they published satanic-panic-lite type articles calling mcr a suicide cult that promoted self-harm and stuff. you gotta understand that the emo subculture, whether or not it was connected to mcr, was one of the biggest laughing stocks of the noughties. notably, there were a series of riots and hate-crimes in mexico against “emo” kids (largely due to in actuality to homophobia, of course), and mcr would get asked about it so often that they felt like they were being blamed for it and that they needed to apologise for it. gerard in particular has spoken quite a bit about how much he struggled with feeling like tbp was being misinterpreted and taken out of context when it was such a deeply personal album to him. then things got even worse in may 2008, around the end of the tour, when the daily mail reported on the “emo cult” again, this time explicitly linking the tragic suicide of a 13-year-old girl to mcr. obviously this is, like, the antithesis of everything the band stood for, and they took it really hard. it spiralled even further, with gerard making a public statement about it, fans protesting at the daily mail offices, an inquest into the tragic suicide, and the daily mail doubling down and claiming that mcr should be grateful for the extra “publicity” they were getting from all of this. yeah. there’s a long section detailing all of this in not the life it seems, if you can stomach reading it.

the peak of this kind of aligns with the actual end of the black parade world tour in may 2008 in madison square garden. this is another one of those infamous shows - again, there’s an entire section in not the life it seems dedicated to it. it was a dream come true to play msg, especially for gerard and mikey, but they were completely burned out by that point. apparently the show itself was great and they were full of energy, but gerard was speaking to the crowd like the band was about to break up, and apparently the vibes were not great backstage. frank was so nervous about the show that he took a bunch of pills to get through it and has almost no memory of it. after they left the stage, ray found gerard in a dressing room and advised him to take a break or start another band that nobody knew about so it wouldn’t be the end of mcr for good. apparently gerard wrote boy division in the taxi on the way home after that gig but i can’t remember where i read that now so i might be wrong about that bit.

anyway, then none of them really saw each other for several months. frank started leathermouth because he can’t live without touring (ray played with them once too), but besides that the first time they were together again was for ray’s wedding later that summer. according to himself, brian schechter (their manger up until then) was fired over phone the morning after someone’s wedding so i have to assume it was ray’s given the timing lol (unless it was when gerard and lynz had a little ceremony or whatever, idk when that was).

anyway happy ending at least: they got back in the studio in october 2008 in new york to record desolation row for the watchmen movie and had such an amazing time that ray flew down to la (where gerard had recently moved) and he, gerard, and bob jammed around and wrote four new songs in no time. over the next year or two, the rest of mcr followed gerard to la one by one and started working on conventional weapons and they swore it would be a fun album to write and that they wouldn’t put themselves through the black parade recording process again. anyway then they scrapped it last minute to write danger days instead lol.

but yeah like. i think it’s easy to forget now in 2022 just how huge mcr was during parade era, but how they got completely misinterpreted in bad faith by, like, the media and culture as a whole. it’s probably fairly common for bands like them to be kind of misunderstood in their lifetimes but hailed as visionaries years or decades later, so it’s kind of like really fucking exciting to see mcr actually active again during the time when i feel like they’re finally started to get appreciated for what they really are. which is the greatest band in the world if you ask me but i guess i am a little bit biased <3

#spoilers: it did get a little long #most of this information is a summary of the relevant chapters in not the life it seems btw #hope you see this anon! sorry i know you sent the ask a couple of days ago #answered #mcr history #*

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lady-kaya-duskraven · 4 years

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MORNING AFTER PILL (Ethan Ramsey x F!MC)

Warnings: Mention of sex, flashbacks of sex, sexual memories, basically sex in all the ways possible.

Age: That depends... how old are you? Jokes. Well, if I’d have to rate it... about a 16+ (but only because of the sex)

Note: All these characters belong to Pixelberry, except Leila Salvator.

Paring: Dr Ethan Ramsey x Dr Leila Salvator

Other: yeah I think that’s all...? Idk anymore. Please enjoy!

Random tags cause I need a life (Also they my favorites):

@justanotherrookie @mrsdr-ethan-ramsey @ethanplaysfavorites @scalpeljockeybrycelahela @writinghereandthere @openheart12 @ethandaddyramsey @senseofduties @nazario-sayeed @the-writerly-night-owl @ethanramseyyy @akacalliope @ernestsinclairs @starfurytyril @drethanramslay @ethanramseyposts @loveellamae @swiftdaydreams @lilyofchoices @rookie-ramsey @longneckramsey @strawberrwess @ethannazariostan @thanialis @oofchoices @eeethaaan @usuallyamazinglyaverage @choicesyouplayandmore @tyrilthemage @newcolonies @isabeladraws @ethanramsey4life

Also, lemme know if you wanna be on the tag list or if you want to be taken off, please and thank you!

Sorry for mistakes!

[lol I forgot something:

WARNING: LANGUAGE]

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The sun was slowly started to rise as half of Boston started to get up, to get to their occupations. But in the wealthier part of Boston, two specific doctors were still in bed, curled up into each other and enjoyed each other’s warmth. Well, that was the case approximately thirty-two seconds ago. Ethan Ramsey’s alarm went off, reminding him of his day forward. He let out a sigh before acknowledging the weigh on top of him. His eyes traveled lower, to the woman on top, and asleep, of him. For a moment, Ethan considered staying five more minutes. But of course, he wouldn’t. He has a busy schedule, so does Leila. He was surprised that Leila didn’t wake up at the sound of the alarm going off, considering she’s a very, very light sleeper. She would normally jolt up to any clear sound but considering that Ethan fucked her until three this morning (only two hours ago), she was awfully tired. Ethan’s mind suddenly reminded him of the angry sex they had for hours and hours, non-stop.

Starting at ten, and finishing at three. Started on the kitchen table, then the bedroom, then the bath, then the bedroom again, and then the shower. Actually, it started with the heated argument they had. And what was the cause of the argument? Harper Emery. Leila had never, in her life, hated someone so much. And the fact that Harper was actually a really nice person, made it worse. Earlier that day, Leila saw the two doctors, casual talking of work and the hospital’s financial situation.

Harper was the main reason the two doctors couldn’t be together, well, in Leila’s eyes, she was. It was like whenever the two got a chance to be Leila and Ethan (not Dr. Salvator and Dr. Ramsey), she would somehow ruin it. Leila is well aware of the fling that she and Ethan had, and honestly? It just made it worse for her. She saw the one time that Harper went to him, talked to him, then kissed him on the cheek, but that was in her intern year. So much has changed since then. And Leila couldn't help herself. So she decided to go confront him, after her shift, at his apartment. When she got there, no ‘hello’ or ‘ how are you?’ she just walked in after he opened his door and asked him about his and Harper’s relationship.

It didn’t go so well. She ended up not believing him when he claimed that there was nothing going on between them. Until one of them made a move. Although they’re not sure who kissed who first. And boom! Angry sex for five hours straight. As cocky as Leila is, she knows that Ethan is extremely dominant and controlling when he’s angry. So she’d be lying if she said that those five hours weren’t the best five hours of her life. Actually, sex with Ethan was always amazing, great, even spectacular. But last night was a whole new level.

He had been rough with her. He doesn’t know it, but he showed her stuff she didn’t even know she could do. So by the time they were done, Leila was extremely sensitive, overwhelmed, exhausted and overstimulated. But oh, she loved it. She loved it when he was rough with her. It felt as if he was marking his territory. He was so rough, that she now has bruises all over her body. Especially her hips. His fingerprints were marked in her skin, surrounded by red and purple. As amazing as their night was, Leila did not realize that she was going to be sore as fuck.

When Ethan finally decided to get up, he had to gently untangle Leila from his body. After he did that, he slowly rolled Leila off of him. The moment Leila hit the mattress, on her stomach, she let out a yelp of pain, still asleep. Ethan’s head snapped up as soon as he realized what it was. Leila was on her stomach, still sleeping, while her eyebrows were knitted together as if she was pain. Ethan’s doctor senses kicked in immediately. He slowly sat up, on his kind sized bed, and yanked the sheets of off Leila’s body. His eyes widened to the sight of her. She was only in her panties, so the rest of her body was exposed. Ethan slowly raised a hand to the bruises on her lower part, her hips and her lower ribs. They were purple and it looked like they hurt like hell.

Ethan was shocked. A million questions flew through his mind. Did he really do this to her? How could he? Although they told each other that they would only have a professional relationship after Ethan ended it multiple times, not one of them could honestly stay away. Month one on the diagnostic team was difficult for them both, considering they had to end everything they had. Month two on the diagnostic team, Leila started having dreams, where Ethan would through out fuck her and she’d wake up wet and wanting. Month three on the diagnostic team, Ethan started having dreams about her, then the next day, he wouldn't even be able to look her in the eyes. And now, month four... They both popped, couldn't keep it in anymore. So this is where we are now.

Ethan Jonah Ramsey does not work with emotions. He barely shows his emotions. He didn’t want anything more than a professional relationship with Leila, because he knew that in one way or another, he was going to hurt her or he was going to affect her career. He never ever wanted Leila to get hurt. He cared very deeply about her, though of course, he wouldn't tell her that. They had been through a lot. And now that she’s in her second year, on his diagnostic team, things were even more complicated. And now look what he’s done. He didn’t hurt her in an emotional way, but even worse. A physical way. With his own hands.

He sat on the bed staring at her with no expression on his face. But if Leila were to look in those beautiful, piercing blue eyes, she would immediately know that he was busy asking himself a bunch of questions. Ethan decided to finally get up and go shower. Sure he was your typical stone-cold bitch, but this time, it was different. Leila and Ethan’s relationship was... complicated. Very, very complicated. Once he got into the shower, he felt the hot water bounce of his shoulders and run down the rest of his body.

Meanwhile, Leila started to become aware of the bed she was in. She could hear the shower water running, and it slightly woke her up. But the thing that actually woke her up, was the ringing of her phone. She groaned, it was like she could hear her phone vibrating through her brain. She was planning on rolling over, but the moment she moved her body, she felt pain. She closed her eyes and groaned in frustration. Before she knew it, her arm shot out to the nightstand beside her and she grabbed her phone. She brought the device close to her face then lazily opened her eyes, only to see Sienna calling her.

Her finger grazed the button, “Hmm?” She asked, voice thick with sleep. “Leila! Where are you? You never came home last night. We were worried sick,” poor Sienna sounded like she just lost her own damn child. “Sienna, relax. I’m fine. Can we talk about this later? Okay, thanks, love you, bye,” Leila said, only giving Sienna time to reply with, “No! Wait I-” And then Laila hanged up. She knew Sienna would understand, that that’s just how Leila is, hopefully. Leila forced herself to sit up straight, her legs dangling off of the side of Ethan’s massive bed. She slowly rolled back her shoulders, wincing in pain. Her head lazily turned to the bathroom door, where Ethan was in his massive shower, obviously showering.

Leila debated with herself whether she wanted more sex or not, as the memories came flooding back into her brain of what they had done just two hours ago. Should she go join him or should she leave? And if she joined him, would that lead to more sex or an awkward silence? No, she didn't know. She tried to stand up, but just as she did, she felt pain shoot through her body like a rocket. “Ow!” Leila yelped as she sat back down onto the bed. Her headshot to the bathroom door, hoping Ethan didn't hear that. She slowly started to get up again, now fully aware of her body’s bruises and where they hurt most. Once she was up, clutching the bed tightly so that she wouldn't fall, she scanned the room for her clothes. Once she couldn't see her clothes in her boss's room, she remembered that they were in the kitchen, where they had started.

Leila spotted one of Ethan’s shirts in a puddle next to her left foot. She slowly bent down to get it, careful not to hurt herself. Once she got it, she threw it over herself. Leila hugged herself, enchanted by the soft material and the smell of Ethan against her body. She grabbed her phone when she heard the water stopped running. “Oh, fuck me,” she whispered in annoyance as she slowly started to feel her legs again. Leila quickly started wobbling out of Ethan’s luxuriously massive room and straight into his even more luxuriously massive kitchen. As soon as she closed the door that connected the room and the kitchen, Jenner spotted her. He jumped off of the couch and ran to Leila’s bare legs, sniffing up and down her long legs. “Jenner!” Leila whispered and took his face in her hands.

Leila spotted their clothes scattered around the kitchen. She slowly let go of Jenner and moved around the kitchen counter then picked up her scattered clothing pieces. She eventually picked up her bra and looked at the cups. “Jenner, why do I even wear bras if I don't even have boobs?” She asked the dog. Just as Leila scrambled all of her cheap clothes together, she heard heavy footsteps approaching her and the door flew open. “...Rookie,” Ethan said in a flat tone of voice, coming from behind her. He sounded as if he was annoyed. This made Leila angry, annoyed and confused. Two can play at that game, she thought. “I’m not a rookie anymore, Ethan. You ought to know that,” She shot back. Ethan completely ignored her bitchiness all together, which annoyed the living shit out of Leila.

“How are you feeling?” Ethan asked, but the tone of his voice made it sound like he didn't really care and Leila noticed it immediately. When she finally decided to turn around and face him so that she could answer while looking in his eyes, her breath got caught in her throat. He was wearing his usual doctor outfit, but damn. Ethan Jonah Ramsey looked good in anything, everything and nothing. “Do you actually care or are you just trying to make small talk?” The venom in Leila’s voice slightly caught him guard but he refused to let it show. Leila was still absolutely pissed about the situation. She remembered him telling her off last night by simply saying: Don't talk to me like that. The memory made her blood boil. She could talk to him however she pleased. Lucky for Leila, Ethan just happened to have a soft spot for her, so yes, she had the luxury of talking to him however she wanted and she could get away with it. Just like the time she lost her shit, again, and called him a goddamn diva, spoiled child and entitled jackass in one day, in front of June and Baz and she got away with it.

“When do I ever make small talk?” He asked, eyes shooting daggers, “Now I ask again, are you alright?” Leila’s gaze slightly softened when she realized that he actually cared. But it didn't change the fact that she was still completely pissed. “Except for the fact that I can't walk because of you, I’m sure I’ll survive,” Leila replied, slowly letting down her guard, knowing deep down that she’ll always give in to him. Jenner was currently sitting on the floor, looking back and forth at them. Ethan didn't say anything else after that, simply walking past her and into the kitchen, getting a glass cup and filling it with water. After that, he went to the medicine cupboard and getting a pill. Leila’s eyes were fixed on his form, taking in everything he was doing. Once he had a pill and water, he put it on the kitchen table in front of her. “Drink,” was all he said. Leila eyed him suspiciously, not knowing what pill it is. “No,” Leila said, crossing her arms over her chest and just getting more comfortable in his clothes. Before he could say anything, Leila interrupted his thoughts by asking why.

“Well, I don't suppose you’re on birth control, so drink,” He said as he was making himself a coffee. “So you’re giving me a morning after pill,” She thought out loud. Leila was in fact, not on birth control, though she had no idea how Ethan knew. Ethan did not reply as he simply sipped on his coffee, eyeing her every move, unsure what she was going to do next. God, she was a complicated woman, truly a mystery to him. Her small figure stayed in a stubborn position, not moving as she looked at the pill then back up to him, “And if I refuse to take it?” Leila smirked at him when he raised an eyebrow, almost choking on his coffee. “That depends. Do you want to be pregnant? And have a child with a goddamn diva?” He asked, sarcasm dripping from his voice, his eyes cold and serious. Leila let out a half hearted laugh. “Maybe I do,” Leila whispered under her breath, hoping he hadn't heard, but at the same time, hoping that he did hear her. Just to spite him, she decided to not drink the pill, buy her own later and drink that one. “No,” She simply said slowly walking to the door, legs still sore from their pervious intercourse. Ethan’s eyes slightly widened in shock. “I’ll buy my own later,” She said as she locked to door open.

“You are going to forget,” Ethan spat back, knowing just how messy and quite forgettable she is. “And you can’t go out like that. You are literally wearing my shirt and your underwear, not to mention you’ll be walking down the hall with your bra in your hands,” He said, putting his coffee down, and walking towards her. “So?” She simply asked, halfway out of the door. “And, you can't even walk properly,” He stated, seeing just how she was wobbling. She let out a sigh and stopped, basically standing in the hallway that lead to his penthouse. In front of him, she dropped all her clothing and her phone that was in her arms, except for her jeans. She turned around, backside facing him, and bent down, slowly pulling her jeans over her feet and slid them up her long legs, giving him the best view of her ass. His eyes glued to her body. She smirked when she heard him let out a groan. She turned and faced him, picking up her gadgets ever slowly, causing his big shirt to hang forward, giving him an even better view of her breasts. “Rookie, don't...” He groaned. “Not a rookie anymore, Doctor Ramsey,” she said, smirking, as she started walking down the hall towards the elevator.

She smiled when she heard him close the door of his apartment, with a loud thud. In all honesty, Leila already forgot about the morning after pill. Who knows, maybe in a couple of months there’ll be a mini goddamn diva running up and down the very hall in which Leila was currently walking in.

PART TWO IS HERE. CLICK ON THIS.

#ethan x reader #ethan ramsey #dr ethan x mc #dr ethan jonah ramsey #dr ethan ramsey #open heart #pixelberry #oh ethan #edenbrook #choices fanfiction #oh fanfiction #open heart fanfiction #ethan ramsey x reader

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nickelkeep · 5 years

Text

Slice of Your Pie

Pairings: Dean/Cas, Naomi/Zachariah Rating: Mature Word Count: 6900 Warnings: Homophobic Language, Sexism, Dean going off. On Ao3

It wasn't like Gabe to call before noon. Usually, because Castiel was working and Gabe knew better, but also because Gabe would be in the middle of a busy shift at one of his bakeries. Castiel hesitantly picked up the phone, grateful for the week off from his job.

"Gabe, are you in prison?"

"Come on, Cassie. Is that the only reason I would call you?" Gabe's voice was boisterous yet nervous. "I'm just checking in on my favorite baby brother."

"I'm your only baby brother." Castiel pulled the phone away from his ear to confirm the time. "Shouldn't you be elbow deep in flour or something, right now?"

"Nope. All three shops are under control, and I took the week off to fly in. Staying with Mom and Dad, you know?" Gabe's happy charade was faltering, and Castiel had a feeling of what was coming. "It's always great being home. Especially when I get to spend time with my favorite brother."

"Still, your only brother. Did Anna say no to you crashing at her place?" Castiel leaned back in his couch and kicked his legs up on the coffee table, careful to not disturb the stack of papers he had been grading.

"Anna's out of town until Thanksgiving, and something about she doesn't trust me to not burn down her house."

Castiel laughed. "That's a legitimate concern. Are you asking to crash here?"

"Actually, no. Mom and Dad have left me alone, for the most part." Gabe let out a heavy sigh, as though he had been burdened with the most laborious task on the planet. "Are you coming for Thanksgiving?"Castiel pulled the phone away and looked at the clock on it for the third time. "Gabe, have you been drinking?"

"Look, I told them it would be pointless, but they didn't listen. They want all three of us there for the holiday. Dad said he's getting up there in age, and he wants to be surrounded by his children and non-existent grandchildren."

"Like he's getting grandchildren from any of us." Castiel rolled his eyes. "No. I'm not coming."

"You know that's not going to fly." Gabe suddenly sounded exhausted. "Me and Anna will be here."

"Great, then he's got his two kids, happy marriage and white picket fence. Make sure you pick up a dog for him before you leave."

"Castiel, please. Don't make me beg. Or sic Anna on you."

Castiel pinched the bridge of his nose and squeezed his eyes shut. "Anna's smart enough to not call or to tell our parents to piss off."

"It's just a couple hours on one day. You can cold shoulder them and give them the good old silent treatment." Gabe's voice took on a subtle hint of pleading. "Help me get them off my case and yours."

"I'm much happier spending my Thanksgiving at home with take out and a movie marathon. I might be alone, but at least I'm not getting attacked every other word out of their mouths." Castiel rubbed his forehead, trying to erase the thought of going to his parents for the holiday.

"That was one year, Cassie."

"Excuse me? What fiasco have you been watching?" Castiel stood up and moved to the kitchen to get a beer. "'Why are you single, Castiel?' 'Are you over your phase, Castiel?' 'Castiel, are you going to find a nice woman and give us grandkids?'" Castiel scoffed. "Don't even get me started on the digs they take at my job."

Gabe took in a suction of air, indicating that he was working on an idea. After a pause, he spoke up. "Bring a date."

"Right, like I'm going to find a guy to date me in less than a week." Castiel rolled his eyes.

"There are escort services, Cassie." Gabe paused. "Wait, that's it. There's also Craig's List. See if you can find a date for the day."

"That's ridiculous."

"I'm serious, hop on, look in the area, and check out casual encounters. That's got to be someone else looking for someone to spend the day with."

Castiel rolled his eyes and grabbed his laptop off the coffee table. "I thought that was for more... intimate encounters."

"HA! Like I'd send you to that part of the website. I certainly don't want to picture my baby bro doing the do with a dude."

"But, you just want me to bring a random person to Mom and Dad's to keep them off your back and mine." Castiel cradled the phone between his ear and shoulder as he typed in the address for Craig's List. "Look, I make no promises. If I don't make it, you can tell them that their worst fear came to fruition."

Gabe laughed. "That you married some random guy behind their backs, and you're moving to Venice to be Gondolier Captains."

"Maybe that one would push father over the edge." Castiel laughed. "Maybe this isn't a bad idea. I'll call you tomorrow with a definite answer. You and I both know either are good."

"That's my Castiel." The warm affection caused Castiel to smile. "Please give it a sincere look over, ok?"

Castiel promised to give it the old college try and disconnected his call with Gabe.

He pulled up the Casual Encounters section of Craig's List and was surprised to find out how right Gabe was. Many people were offering their services for Thanksgiving company. As he scrolled through the ads, one with an interesting title caught his attention.

Alone on Thanksgiving? Want to stop the ‘Why are you still single?’ questions?

I’m a 35-year-old guy with a GED and a loud, beautiful muscle car that’s older than I am. When people try to guess my age, I get anywhere from 32-38 depending on if I’ve taken the time to put on clothes that aren’t holey jeans and flannel shirts and do my hair. I work as a cook in my friend’s restaurant and tend bar for an aunt when I need extra cash. So if you’re looking for a platonic person to be your SO for a day, I can do it.

I am bisexual, so I don’t care if you’re male or female.

At your request, I can:

Hit on family members (including your parents).

Start an argument over politics and religion (I’m a liberal atheist).

and/or

Propose to you (I have a ring that works perfectly for this).

I can also act drunk as a skunk, but I personally don’t drink. I’ve been sober for a few years now. Need a ‘drunken’ fistfight started? I’m your guy.

I’m not looking for payment other than the free meal that comes from accompanying you.

Castiel smiled. This was perfect. It was a guy, he would appear to be less than to his folks, and he promised that he could cause a ruckus. Castiel quickly clicked the contact link and got their number to text them.

[1:00 PM Castiel:] Hi, I just found your add on Craig's List. Is your thanksgiving dinner date offer still open?

He waited several minutes, scrolling through a few more adds, just in case, when his phone's notification for a text message went off.

[1:07 PM 555-555-6767:] Hey, yeah. I didn't think anyone was interested, or it got buried. Name's Dean. You?

Castiel smiled, this crazy idea might actually work.

[1:09 PM Castiel:] My name is Castiel, and I am very interested in you pissing off my parents.

Castiel hit send and realized he needed more information about the random stranger he invited to Thanksgiving with him. As he got ready to send a request to meet in public, Dean beat him to it.

[1:12 PM Dean:] Interesting name there. You free in about an hour to meet? Would kinda like to see you and talk to you before I conform. It also sells the dating thing better. [1:15 PM Dean:] Any particular place where we can meet?

Castiel sighed out a breath of relief before sucking in a breath of panic. Where could they meet?

[1:17 PM Castiel:] A cup of coffee or tea, maybe? I only know of Right Ground, but they're good.

[1:19 PM Dean:] Oh hell yeah! My friend is the owner. The petite redhead?

[1:20 PM Castiel:] Charlie, right? I've seen her a couple of times.

[1:22 PM Dean:] Perfect! I get off soon and can head right over.

[1:24 Castiel:] Sounds good. What should I look for?

[1:30 Dean] Black Impala. She's my pride and joy. If you're looking for me, Sandy Brown hair, Green Eyes, lots of freckles, and uh...

[1:31 Castiel:] What?

Castiel tilted his head in confusion as he waited for Dean's reply. Was this going to be where he mentioned he had a humpback?

[1:36 Dean:] I'm a bit bowlegged. I've been told it's a bit of a turnoff, but I figured I'd be honest upfront.

Castiel let out a laugh of relief.

[1:38 Castiel:] There is nothing wrong with bowlegs. I've heard they make some things easier. 😘

As soon as Castiel sent the message, he instantly wished he could take it back. Instead, he quickly sent a follow-up message.

[1:39 Castiel:] I'm going to go get ready. See you in about 25 minutes.

Castiel let out a huff of air while waiting for lighting to strike, or a boulder to be dropped on him.

[1:41 Dean:] LOL! See you soon, dude. (Dude, right?)

Castiel didn't get a chance to respond as he quickly hopped in the shower and got ready to meet Dean for the first time.

…

Castiel had arrived slightly ahead of his and Dean's arranged meeting time. He didn't see a black Impala anywhere, and when he walked inside, there were no men that matched Dean's initial description. Castiel headed to a corner seat that he normally tried to grab when he went to get coffee and found it surprisingly empty.

He sat down, facing the entrance with his back against the wall. A little kernel of self-doubt starting to grow in the back of his mind. Charlie was behind the counter, and he briefly wondered if Dean texted her to tell him to keep an eye for him.

Castiel went to grab his phone to check the time when the low rumble of a muscle car stopped him. He stole another glance at Charlie, and a huge smile crept upon her face. Castiel looked out the front windows. Dean's black Chevy Impala pulled into a spot, and out exited Adonis himself.

Dean didn't give himself enough credit when he described himself. The sandy brown hair was styled short and looked as though it would be soft for Cas to run his fingers through. And the freckles! Dean was a walking star map, and Cas wanted to trace his fingers along the freckles he could see. The only thing he couldn't see were Dean's self-proclaimed green eyes.

Once Dean entered the cafe, Charlie yelled to him and ran out from behind the counter. She wrapped her arms around him and started animatedly yelling at him for not checking in often enough. Dean graciously accepted her punishment and walked further into the shop. Castiel could finally make out the bowlegs that Dean appeared to be self-conscience about. If anything, the legs emphasized everything perfectly.

Castiel shook his head once, twice, and a third time for good measure. This was supposed to be a professional business interaction. He stood up while sliding out of the booth and walked over to Dean and Charlie. "Hello, I'm sorry for interrupting, but are you Dean?"

Charlie looked at Castiel and smiled before looking back at Dean. "You come to my shop for a date, Winchester? Not to see me? I'm offended. Now you don't get that slice of pie." She punched Dean in the shoulder.

"Hey! It wasn't my idea, it was Cas'. He said he liked your coffee." Dean looked at Castiel.

"He is right, I can show you the text message." Castiel reached for his phone in his pocket before finding his hand being swatted away.

"I believe him, and you. Gotta give the old man shit, though."

"Old man?" Dean blinked in shock. "I'm offended."

Charlie shrugged and walked back around the counter. "If you two want drinks, get up here and order before we have the final rush of the day."

"After you, Cas." Dean gestured. "Also, is Cas ok? Not sure how to pronounce your full name."

"Cas - Tee - Ell. But Cas is fine. If anything, it would infuriate my mother and father more." Cas smiled. "My brother calls me Cassie, I hate it, but I let him get away with it."

"Okay, one brother. Any other siblings?" Dean smiled at Cas.

Cas blushed from Dean's smile, "I have my brother Gabriel and my sister Anna."

"Are they part of the deal? Or are they off-limits?" Dean asked. "I mean, I clearly know you want me to go after your pops at the very least."

"You can jab at them if they jab at you." Cas conceded. "Looking for someone to come with me was actually Gabe's idea. So he may not appreciate being a part of the prank."

"Okay. We can play that by ear."

Cas tilted his head. "You said you wanted to see if we clicked before you agreed to the whole thing."

"What do you think I'm doing?" Dean winked. "So, tell me about your parents?"

The pair got up to the counter before Cas could answer, and Charlie sat down two cups in front of them. "Dean, black americano with room for cream. Cas, if I remember correctly, spiced chai latte."

"Thank you, Charlie," Cas responded as he went to grab his wallet.

"I threw it on Dean's tab. You two have a fun date." Charlie winked at them and shooed them so she could get to the next customer.

Dean blushed and looked at Cas and mouthed Sorry before picking up his cup and walking over to where they kept the cream.

Cas took the opportunity to grab his booth back and waited for Dean to join him. "So, you asked about my parents?"

"They're the targets, right?"

"Yeah." Cas nodded and took a sip of his drink. "My mother is Naomi, my father is Zachariah."

Dean held a finger up as he finished taking a drink. "Your family highly religious?"

"What gave that away?" Cas tried to hide his disdain, but by the look on Dean's face, he wasn't doing a good job.

"Gabriel, Castiel, Zachariah... Pretty sure there's a Naomi in the bible too." Dean placed a finger on his lips. "Not too sure about Anna."

"Prophetess in Luke's Gospel," Castiel responded.

Dean nodded in quiet contemplation. He paused a moment, and Castiel could see the gears turning. "Safe to assume you're gay or bi?"

"Very much Gay. I've been told it's a phase my whole life. My parents keep asking when I'm going to bring a girlfriend home. You're the first 'boyfriend' I'm bringing home." Castiel took another sip of his drink.

"Got it. What do you do for a living?"

"High School English Teacher." Cas scoffed. "Reason number two hundred fifty-one I'm a disappointment."

"Being a teacher is a disappointment?" Dean shook his head. "Well, I'll make sure that they know I'm a cook by day, bartender by night. I'm sure they'll love that."

"Your sarcasm is perfect. They both hate sarcasm, despite it being their first form of communication." Cas leaned back in his chair. "They definitely look down their noses at people too."

"Well, I'm sold. Food, chaos, and spending time with an attractive man?" Dean rested his elbows on the table and rest his chin on his knuckles. "This may be one of my best Thanksgiving in years." Dean winked. "What time should I pick you up?"

…

Over the next few days, Cas found himself texting back and forth with Dean frequently. He kept trying to remind himself that it was just so they could get to know each other so they could pass off as a couple on Thanksgiving. However, with the way that Dean flirted, it was harder and harder to keep that line from blurring.

[Wednesday 3:47 PM Dean:] Hey Cas, I know I'm supposed to be an asshole, but should I attempt to bring something with me?

Cas laughed, picturing how his mother would react if she were brought a gift from Dean.

[3:49 PM Cas:] You don't have to bring anything at all, although the image of my mother turning up her nose is both amusing and disappointing.

[3:51 PM Dean:] So, bring a six-pack of cheap beer. Got it.

[3:52 PM Cas:] You're incorrigible.

Cas found himself setting a special notification for Dean's text messages. He fought hard against doing it, as they were going to go their separate ways after Thanksgiving. Still, it seemed like something you would do for a significant other.

He heard the notification go off, and he picked his phone up again.

[4:00 PM Dean:] If I were a betting man, I'd bet that you liked it though.

Cas found that he couldn't disagree.

…

Cas' parents, completely surprised that he was coming and bringing a date, asked Cas to arrive around 3 PM on Thanksgiving.

Dean showed up at 1:30 PM.

"Hey, Cas." Dean stood in the doorway to Cas' apartment and leaned against the doorframe.

Cas couldn't help the smile that grew across his face. Dean was dressed up in a nice pair of jeans with a black tee-shirt and an open deep red button-up. "Hello, Dean." He stepped back to let Dean in. "You're early."

"I hope you don't mind. I was a little nervous." Dean smiled sheepishly. "Meeting the parents is kind of a big deal."

"That was the whole deal, Dean. You join me, free dinner, you make them regret telling me to come to dinner."

Dean's smile dropped a little, so slight that Cas almost missed it. "Right. I knew that."

"Everything okay, Dean?" Cas stepped closer and placed his hand gently on Dean's shoulder.

"Yeah, of course." Dean's face betrayed his words, but Cas let it go. "I figured I could also come over and help you load anything that might need to go with us in the car."

Cas frowned, unhappy at seeing this side of Dean. "Want to take a seat? We have some time to kill."

"Actually, can I hit the head? Then we can pack up Baby. You said it takes about 45 minutes to get there on a good day, and there is some traffic."

"Yeah," Cas responded as he pointed to the hallway. "First door on the left." He watched as Dean stepped away, wondering what changed so drastically.

Dean quickly finished up in the bathroom and found Cas in the kitchen, juggling a casserole and a couple of pies. "Dude, please tell me your pies are good."

"As long as they don't hit the floor, they should be." Cas smiled and allowed Dean to take them off his pile. "I remember Charlie teasing you about pie, so I stopped in special to ask what kind you like."

"Pecan?" Dean asked, a huge grin coming back across his face when Cas nodded. "Dude, you went to Charlie to ask her? Why didn't you just ask me?"

"I wanted it to be a surprise, to thank you for this week." The next words escaped Cas' lips before he could stop them. "I'm glad that at the very least, I got to make a new friend out of this."

"Well yeah, Charlie's awesome," Dean responded without missing a beat.

Cas rolled his eyes. "I mean you, Dean."

"I, uh..." Dean's cheeks flushed scarlet as he stuttered over his words. "You're awesome too, Cas."

"Come on, then, let's go load up your car." Cas held up the casserole dish and nodded his head towards the front door. "Sooner we get there, the sooner we can leave."

The pair of them quickly loaded up the car, and Dean handed Cas his phone to punch in his parent's address. The first few minutes of the drive were quiet, as Cas appreciated the roar of the engine.

"So, uh, Cas." Dean broke the silence once they got on the highway. "Question for you."

"I'm listening." Cas looked over at Dean and took a moment to admire his outline, highlighted by the sun.

"Well, we determined that we've been together for a few months and that we met when you came by my place of work. But, uh, are you ok with a little PDA to sell it?" Dean's cheeks turned bright red again, as though he were embarrassed to ask.

Cas slid a little closer to Dean to be able to reach his hand and hold it. When his skin brushed against Dean's, it was as though sparks of electricity shot through his body, and Cas shivered involuntarily.

"Okay there, Cas?" Dean stole a glance at Cas and smirked, before returning his eyes to the road.

Cas nodded as he found his words lacking. They enjoyed the rest of the ride in comfortable silence, only the music and the occasional hum from Dean filling the car.

Once they arrived, Cas took a moment to look at Dean and give him a final once over. The shade of red he was wearing was enticing and made his freckles and eyes pop more than Cas would have thought possible. It had taken all of Cas' willpower to not trace over them with his finger.

"Ready, Cas?"

"I am." Cas nodded before looking up at their dreaded destination.

The pair got out of the car, and Dean took Cas' hand before going to the trunk. Cas looked down at their hands and felt a soft warmth against his cheek. He turned to find that Dean had kissed his cheek.

"Sorry, I should have asked first." Dean apologized, running his free hand through his hair.

"Dean, you already asked, and I had given you permission." Cas smiled and let out a little sigh. "Let's grab the stuff and get this over with."

Dean popped the trunk and handed the pies to Cas, grabbing the casserole, before closing it back up and following Cas to the house. Cas had shifted the pies to one arm and rang the doorbell. His hand immediately went back to Dean's, and he tried his hardest to not let his nerves show.

"You don't just walk into your parent's place?" Dean tilted his head in confusion. "Even if you don't get along, isn't it home?"

"This place has never been home, Dean," Cas replied, clipping his response as the door opened.

A stoic, cold woman answered the door, looking down at them, despite the pair being taller than her. "Castiel. You came." She scrutinized Dean more thoroughly. "And you brought a friend."

"Mother, I told you I was bringing my boyfriend." He turned to look at Dean and smiled. "This is my significant other, Dean."

Naomi's lips pulled in to a tighter pout. "That term wouldn't be correct, Castiel. Come in. You know where to set them up." She stepped back into the house, allowing them entrance.

"I make two pies and your favorite cheese and spinach casserole," Cas mentioned as he walked past. "I'll need to borrow the oven for five minutes once the turkey is done."

"I don't know, Castiel." Naomi picked up her pace to walk in front of them. "You should have asked if the oven would be available to cook things in."

Dean stared in disbelief at the way Naomi was talking down to Cas. "You mean you can't spare five minutes to make the cheese gooey again? I didn't realize heat was a limited resource."

"Excuse you?" Naomi placed her hand on her chest in shock. "Castiel, you will keep your friend in line."

"Boyfriend, Mother. But he's right. This is your favorite dish. I made it just for you. You don't want it warm?"

Naomi rolled her eyes as the pair set down their food offerings. "I'll figure it out." She glared at Dean. "Why don't you go find your father? He should be in the TV Room watching the game."

"Football. Sure. Let's go, Cas." Dean watched as Naomi cringed at the shortened version of her youngest son's name.

Cas tried to not laugh as he led Dean to the TV Room. He leaned in close to Dean to whisper about Zachariah. "Dean, he absolutely hates his name being shortened to Zach, and he hates the Eagles."

"Oh, I am all over this." Dean winked and wrapped his arm around Cas' shoulder.

"Father?" Cas inquired as they entered the room.

"Castiel. You came." His eyes traveled to Dean. "And you brought a friend."

"This is my boyfriend, Dean." Cas felt the words falling easier from his lips. "Dean, this is my father, Zachariah."

Dean unwrapped his arm off Cas' shoulder and extended his hand to Zachariah. "Please to meet you, Zach."

Zachariah stiffened, and his eyes became cold as ice. "Zachariah, please." He took Dean's hand and shook it.

"Of course, sorry about that, Zachariah. I'm just a nickname kind of person, ain't that right, Cas?" Dean took his hand back and wrapped his arm around Cas' shoulders again, leaning in to touch their foreheads together.

Cas could see the vein in his father's forehead start to throb. "Castiel, do you have no respect for your name?"

"I do, as does Dean. But my name is archaic, and sometimes it's just easier to shorten it." Cas looked at his father and stood his ground.

"Hey, I'm sorry, Zachariah." Dean stepped between the two. "Cowboys vs. Eagles, right?" He pointed at the TV.

"You watch sports?" Zachariah asked, his doubt not hidden at all.

"Hell yeah!" Dean hopped over the back of the couch and landed next to Zachariah on the sofa. "Just cause I like to suck a dick every now and then, doesn't mean I can't like sports." He leaned forward and grabbed some crackers off a platter on the coffee table. "Oh shit, Eagles up, 21-3! Fly Eagles, Fly!"

"Castiel, a word!" Zachariah demanded, scrambling out of his seat. Dean looked at Cas in worry, not relaxing even when Cas gave him a gesture indicating he'd be fine.

Cas followed Zachariah into the kitchen, where Naomi was mashing potatoes. "Who is this bastard friend of yours?" Zachariah hissed, grabbing Naomi's attention to join in.

"He's not a bastard, and he is my boyfriend," Cas emphasized the word boyfriend for the umpteenth time since arriving.

"You are in a phase, Castiel. We've found some nice girls who are very interested in you." Naomi added. Before she could continue; however, the front door opened, Gabe and Anna walking in.

"CASSIE!" Gabe called out, causing both of their parents to cringe. "You came home!" He dropped Anna's duffle bag in the foyer and bolted into the kitchen, trying to pick up his younger brother in a bear hug. "You seriously need to stop growing!"

Anna walked up behind Gabe and pushed him to the side, wrapping her arms around her younger brother. "Hello, Castiel. I've missed you." She pulled back and offered an apologetic smile. "Gabriel told me you were bringing your boyfriend to dinner. Is he here?"

"Castiel's friend is in the TV Room," Zachariah responded before Cas could. "And he is a rude, ungrateful, little prick."

"I can assure you it's not little." Dean walked into the kitchen. "Sorry, I heard the commotion, and I just wanted to make sure Cas was ok." Dean walked over to Cas and wrapped his arms around Cas's waist. "Gonna introduce me, babe?"

Cas melted into Dean's embrace, allowing their actions to cross into new territory. "Dean, this is my older brother Gabe and my older sister Anna."

"I've heard all about you two." Dean lets go of Cas long enough to shake their hands before holding Cas again.

"Well, why don't you all go into the TV Room. Your father and I will finish up dinner." Naomi responded coldly, clearly annoyed by Dean's presence.

"That sounds like a plan. Get that damn football off the TV." Gabe responded.

"But the Eagles are winning. They're hands down the best team in the NFL this year, wouldn't you agree, Zach?"

If looks could kill, Zachariah would have killed not only Dean but all three of his children as well. Gabe, sensing his father's temper rising, herded Dean and his siblings out of the kitchen. "Jesus, Cassie, where did you find this one?"

"Took your advice." Cas shrugged.

"Word to the wise?" Gabe looked at Dean. "Keep him."

"Dean, you don't happen to have any siblings, do you?" Anna asked.

"Brother, half-brother, and an adopted sister. I'm the oldest." Dean tilted his head. "Why?"

Gabe and Anna exchanged looks before Anna followed up with another question. "They single?"

Dean laughed, a rich, warm sound that made Cas melt. "Sammy's not. I don't know with Adam, but he's the youngest of us all, barely legal. Charlie's single, and flaming lesbian."

Anna looked at Gabe. "Sorry, guess I win this round."

"Wait, Anna, you too?" Cas' head tilted in shock and confusion.

She looked over Cas' shoulder to see if their parents were listening. "Bi, Castiel. I'm Bi."

Castiel looked in shock at Anna, then turned to Gabriel. "Are you going to drop a bombshell on me too?"

"I don't care about gender?" Gabe responded.

"What? When?" Cas palmed his forehead and sat on the sofa.

Both Gabe and Anna had the decency to blush. Anna responded first. "I figured it out in college."

"I've dated many people over the years, Cassie. I just didn't always bring them home to mom and pops." Gabriel added.

"You're so much braver than the both of us," Anna whispered. "You brought Dean home with you."

Dean sat on the sofa next to Cas and wrapped his arm around him. He leaned in and quietly spoke into Cas' ear. "Want me to prank them, too?"

Cas burst out laughing, shaking his head and throwing his arms around Dean's neck. "I know why you two did it," Cas stated while hugging Dean tight. "I don't even think I can be mad."

"Dinner time," Naomi announced, appearing in the doorway to the TV Room. "We would appreciate no hanging all over each other at the table, Castiel." Naomi turned her nose up and walked back towards the kitchen.

"Let's go knock out this wonderful holiday, shall we?" Gabe clapped his hands together.

The dining room was awkwardly quiet as the all entered and took their seats. Naomi stood at her place and looked at Zachariah. "Grace, Dear?"

Zachariah nodded and clasped his hands together.

Lord, bless this food and grant that we May thankful for thy mercies be; Teach us to know by whom we're fed; Bless us with Christ, the living bread. Lord, make us thankful for our food, Bless us with faith in Jesus' blood; With the bread of life our soul's supply, That we may live with Christ on high. Amen.

When none of his children nor Dean responded, Amen, Zachariah cleared his throat. "I said, Amen."

Gabe and Anna quickly said it, and Castiel murmured it, but Dean refused to say it.

"Dean, is there something wrong with your voice all of a sudden?" Zachariah shot another deathly stare at Dean.

"Nope, my voice works just fine. I just don't do religion." Dean shrugged. "Guess you could say I'm an Atheist."

Cas flinched as he heard his mother gasp and prepare to yell at him. However, before she could get a word out, Dean spoke up.

"Are you about to yell at Cas? Cause Cas says Grace before every meal. I respect that he does. You know why?" Dean picked up the bowl of mashed potatoes and scooped a heap onto his plate. "Cause Cas doesn't force me to believe something I don't. He's kind, he's caring, and he's understanding. Clearly, you two didn't teach him that." Dean scooped a heap of potatoes on Cas' plate then passed the bow to Anna.

"How dare you!" Naomi spat. "You are a guest in this home."

"Yeah, let me tell you how guestly it's felt since I entered your house." Dean stabbed at the plate of turkey on the table and grabbed a few slices for himself and a few for Cas. "You both refuse to acknowledge my relationship with your son. You both have looked down on me for being a man who is attracted to men and women. God forbid I slip that I work two jobs." Dean smiled sarcastically. "Oops."

Dean passed the fork to Anna, who was staring at her mother as though she would explode. "You know, Naomi. How would you feel if I told you the farce between you and Zachariah here were invalid and not real?"

"We are one man, one woman. That's how it was created. You don't find any instances of your perversion in nature." Naomi gripped the edge of the table.

"Actually, Mom," Anna spoke up. "This last trip for NatGeo? I told you where they sent me. I was in the Savannah. I saw gay and lesbian animals everywhere."

"And the rangers released a document saying that the animals learned it from homosexual humans." Zachariah pointed sharply at his daughter. "You will speak when spoken to."

"You're going to tell the smartest person at the table to shut up?" Dean let out a low whistle and took a bite of a roll he had grabbed. "Man, I'd listen to everything she has to say. She works for National Fucking Geographic." He turned to Cas. "I'll still talk books with you all the time, though, sweetheart." He leaned in and kissed Cas' cheek.

"I said there would be no hanging over each other!" Naomi slammed her hands down on the table.

Dean snorted. "Me, kissing Cas' cheek, is not hanging all over him." He rested his hand on the small of Cas' back. "I bet a hundred dollars if Anna had brought along a boyfriend, or Gabe a girlfriend, you'd call a kiss on the cheek cute."

"Leave." Zachariah's voice sent a chill through the room. "Gabriel can take Castiel home."

"Like I'm going to leave Cas here to take more of your abuse. How long have you been telling him that he's wrong?" Dean whipped his head to Naomi. "How long have you been calling him a pervert?"

"We've never called him that." Naomi defended.

"Mom, you literally just did." Gabriel finally spoke. "You just called being Gay a perversion."

"Castiel isn't gay," Zachariah spoke up.

"Yeah, he is, Dad." Anna stared at her father. "And I'm bisexual. When I told you two about my boyfriend, Rupert? I was actually talking about my girlfriend, Ruby. Ruby and I broke up, and I couldn't properly mourn that relationship because I didn't have a mother who understood me."

"Well, if we're all coming out. I have slept with more dudes than I have fingers." Gabe added. "I've also slept with as many women. I've slept with as many non-binary people. And you know what? I've also slept with Trans people. Love is love, and attraction is attraction."

Naomi looked as though she were about to faint, and Zachariah pointed a knife at Dean. "This is your fault."

"MY FAULT?" Dean yelled, finally raising his voice. "I just met Gabe and Anna today. They were queer long before I met them. I'm dating Cas, who came to me and asked me out. Tell me how this is my fault."

"You made them think it was ok to share this information."

"And you made them feel like they were less than nothing. You're the problem here. Not me, not a single one of your children."

Cas stared at Dean in awe. No one had ever come to his defense so quickly, and here Dean was also defending his siblings. "Dean, I think we should go."

"That's the first smart thing you've said all night, Castiel." Naomi snapped.

"Oh no, you did not." Dean turned to face the Ice Queen at the end of the table. "Did you seriously just call my boyfriend stupid? You know, your youngest son? The person I fall for more and more each time I talk to him?"

"You know nothing about this family, and you came in here and–"

"Ok, Boomer." Dean cut Naomi off, and Gabe spat out his drink laughing. "Cas, let's grab the food you brought and head back."

"Get out of my house!" Zachariah shouted.

"Already working on it." Dean shot off a one-fingered salute and stood up with Cas and followed him to the kitchen.

Dean quickly found the two pies, while Cas found his casserole hidden in the fridge. He pulled it out and frowned, showing Dean. "She was never going share."

"Cas," Dean set down the pies and took the casserole, setting it down as well. He pulled Cas into his arms and held him tightly. "I'm sorry if I did too much."

"I think you could have kept going." Gabriel entered the kitchen. "Cassie, you brought pies? Trying to one-up me?"

"Dean likes pecan pie. You usually bring pumpkin." Cas melted into Dean's embrace, determined to make sure it wouldn't be the last time Dean held him like that.

"Touché." Gabriel let out a sigh. "Got room for two at your place?"Anna entered the kitchen. "Go pack your things, Gabe." She looked at Cas. "Your address still the same? We're not staying here."

"You're just going to crash with me? How do you know I don't have a roommate?"

Anna cut Cas a look. "You two are a new couple, you haven't moved in together yet."

Gabe called to them from the foyer. "Let's roll before they figure out how to trap us here."

"Coming, Gabe," Anna replied. "Meet you at your place, Cassie?"

Cas' face lit up at his sister calling him a nickname - even if it was one he wasn't particularly fond of - and not Castiel. "Yeah. Same address." He reluctantly pulled out of Dean's arms and grabbed the casserole, placing it in Dean's hands. "We should escape too." Cas picked up the pies and followed Anna out of the kitchen.

"Yes, sir." Dean smiled and followed the siblings out of the house.

…

Once back at Cas' apartment, this time with two siblings in tow, Dean helped Cas get the food in the house and prepared to leave.

"Where do you think you're going?" Gabe tilted his head in confusion, a trait all three siblings shared.

"I messed up a lot for you guys today. I'll let the three of you have your Thanksgiving together."

Gabe and Anna looked at Cas, who took Dean's hand into his. "I know we haven't been together long."

"Yeah, when did you find him, Monday, after we hung up?" Gabe smirked.

"Shut up, Gabe." Cas, Anna, and Dean said in unison.

Cas waited to see if Gabe would say anything else before continuing. "When I did this, I didn't think it would be more than a business arrangement. But I want this to be more. Please, Dean?"

"I'm not sure why, you still want that after today, but I would be lying if I said I didn't want more with you." Dean pressed his forehead against Cas'.

"Well, that settles it." Anna smiled. "Welcome to the family, Dean."

While Gabe and Anna set up in the guest room, Dean called up Charlie, and Cas ordered some Chinese food. Within a few minutes, Charlie was banging on Cas' door, bringing gifts of rolls and croissants and coffee from the Cafe. The two fiery redheads were introduced and instantly hit it off.

Their dinner arrived shortly after, and they all curled up on the various chairs and sofas together. They took turns picking movies to watch and created their own Thanksgiving.

As the night crept upon them, Charlie apologized but reminded them that she had to get up early for Black Friday shoppers who would hit up her cafe for coffee and breakfast. She exchanged numbers with Anna and told them to not be strangers.

Dean got up to go, and Cas grabbed his hand. "You said you're not working tomorrow. That the restaurant was closed for a long weekend."

"I did." Dean smiled at Cas. "I also don't want to impose. You have a full house right now, and I'm not sure if Gabe or Anna are claiming the couch."

Cas tilted his head in exasperation. "Did you think I wanted you to sleep on the couch?" He looked around, Anna had run to the restroom, and Gabe went to go grab a couple more of the chocolate croissants Charlie had brought. "I want you to stay with me tonight."

"You do?" Dean swallowed - hard. "Are you sure?"

"I wouldn't have asked if I didn't want you to." Cas stood up and led Dean back to his bedroom. "We don't have to go that far tonight," Cas added as they entered the room. "I'd actually prefer that we didn't.

"This is new, but it feels like forever at the same time." Cas continued, "Did you mean what you said?"

Dean wrapped his arms over Cas' shoulders. "I've meant every word I said today, but what phrase comes specifically to mind?"

"That you fall for me more and more each time we talk?"

Dean leaned forward and pressed his lips against Cas', a soft caress that left them breathless. "One-hundred percent, Cas."

#profoundnet #spncreatorsdaily #writersofdestiel #destiel #spn fanfic #nickel's story time #tw: homophobia #tw: sexism #tw: sassy Dean #nickel writes

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empress-of-snark · 6 years

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AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR (2018)

(I am a Fool and I didn’t post this yesterday, I apologize)

AKA: I wish I hadn’t already used the “Everything hurts and I’m dying” reference on Iron Man 2, because it’s even more applicable now.

(So many spoilers, like seriously, don’t read if you haven’t seen Infinity War yet.)

Hoo boy, wow. This was the big one. It’s kind of like Civil War--there’s just so much going on that it’s hard to know where to start. Only it’s like 100 times bigger than that. So yeah, this might get confusing. Sorry in advance.

First off, I’m not totally convinced that Loki’s dead. I know, I know, I’m not gonna go off on a rant and it’s not just because I like him. It’s because his death really didn’t make sense. I mean, I understand why it had to happen plot-wise, but I don’t understand why someone as powerful as Loki would simply use a knife to attack Thanos, who now has two infinity stones. One could argue he wasn’t thinking clearly after seeing Thor tortured, but that doesn’t seem in-character to me. I dunno, maybe I’m just in denial. But I have a hunch he may come back one last time in Avengers 4, maybe with Valkyrie.

There were a lot of characters absent who I expect will make an appearance in Avengers 4, assuming they weren’t dusted. Hawkeye, Ant-Man & the Wasp, Valkyrie, Korg & Meik, Lady Sif, Wong (if he’s done protecting the Sanctorum, that is).

Actually, I’m calling it right now. End credits scene of Avengers 4. Dr. Strange opens the doors to the Sanctum Sanctorum, bloody, bruised, and exhausted after the fight of his life. Wong is sitting on the stairs with a half-eaten carton of Ben & Jerry’s “Hulk-A-Hulk-A-Burning-Fudge” ice cream. “How’d it go?”

Also excited to meet Captain Marvel and learn what exactly she’s been doing for the past ten years that was more important than ever helping save the world. Maybe she’s just so powerful that no threat has been big enough to require her presence? I guess we’ll find out next year.

Anyway, it was great seeing all the different characters meet and interact for the first time. It’s another big crossover, like the first Avengers movie. Except this one is like three or four big groups scattered across the galaxy and you have to keep track of who knows who and who’s where doing what. It gets confusing at times, especially trying to remember things like who’s supposed to know about the infinity stones, who knows about Thanos, who has no idea what’s going on, etc.

I spotted another timeline issue that confuses things even more, actually. Tony references the events of the first Avengers film and says they happened six years ago. Which means that technically Spiderman Homecoming is supposed to happen two years after this (as the beginning indicates it’s eight years after the attack on New York). I guess it doesn’t make a huge difference, I’m just surprised they’d make a mistake like that, with how meticulous they usually are about continuity.

It was still pretty painful to watch all those characters turn to dust at the end, even though I know they’re definitely coming back in Avengers 4 (they literally just announced the release date of Spiderman 2). Ugh, his scene still gets me. Knowing that his lines there were improvised honestly makes it worse.

This is obviously the first time we’ve ever seen a villain actually win, even if it’s just part one. And before anyone says anything else about Quill ruining the plan and being responsible for their loss, consider this: Strange saw this future. He knew there was only one way they could defeat Thanos and if he didn’t stop Quill then, that means it had to happen. If Quill had stayed quiet and they’d gotten the gauntlet off, something else would’ve gone wrong and Thanos still would’ve killed half the universe.

Also, consider that Quill has always been a very emotional character. He had the same reaction to Gamora’s death that he did in Guardians 2 when he learned that Ego killed his mother. He was not acting rationally and we shouldn’t condemn him for being sad/angry that the woman he loves is dead.

It is a little unhelpful that Strange dissolved before leaving any sort of instructions. He’s the only one who knows exactly what should happen and now he’s gone, leaving everyone else to figure it out on their own.

One complaint that my brother pointed out is that this movie kind of negates a lot of what happened in Ragnarok. Yes, Asgard is still gone, but the point of Ragnarok was to strip Thor down to nothing. He lost his hammer. In Infinity War, he’s got a new axe. He lost an eye. Rocket gives him a new one. He and Loki finally reconciled. Loki’s dead now. He befriended Valkyrie. Who even knows where Valkyrie is. Also half the Asgardian refugees are dead now. It just makes you wonder what the point of Ragnarok was if nothing stuck.

So let’s talk about Gamora real quick. First of all, her singing along with Quill to his music was the cutest thing I’ve ever seen. Second of all, I’m not convinced she’s dead either (yes, like Loki, this is partly just because I don’t want her to be dead). There’s theories that she may be trapped in the soul stone, possibly along with everyone who got dusted, which means that there may be a chance of getting her back in Avengers 4. I really hope so, cause I just can’t imagine another Guardians movie without her.

There’s probably a million and one other things left to say but I don’t want this review to drag on too long. You all saw the movie, you know how devastating it is, I don’t have to tell you.

RANKINGS: Disclaimer: We’re considering the characters who went through the most change/development as ‘heroes’ and everyone else as ‘supporting.’ I’d love to sit down and rank every single character in this movie, but we’d be here all day.

Hero(es): 8.5 Stormbreakers out of 10. This is Tony, Dr. Strange, Peter Quill, Gamora, Vision, Wanda, and Thor. All seven of these characters went through a ton of character development and growth, and come across as the real main characters. They all played off each other well (those that interacted, that is), and every one of them had to make some incredibly hard decisions that really reflected their heroism.

Villain: 9.5 snaps out of 10. I mean, a villain always gets points when he’s easy to hate, and Thanos makes it soooo easy, omg. Like some others, his motivations actually make sense in a really twisted way and he’s not just trying to take over the world, which gets old. Plus, he actually succeeded in his goal! Can’t wait to see him get beaten to death in Avengers 4, fingers crossed.

Supporting characters: 8 tuna melts out of 10. This is everyone but the seven mentioned above. Lots of the supporting characters provide a little comic relief in the more stressful moments. Just about every character plays some important role in the story and they all manage to work together to defeat Thanos. Female characters: 7.5 Bechdels out of 10. This one kind of passes for a very brief interaction between Wanda, Natasha, and Proxima Midnight (Thanos’s evil daughter) on the battlefield in Wakanda. But we’ve established in the past that a movie can still be feminist whether or not it passes the Bechdel test. And this one still gets points for having multiple female characters who play crucial roles in the plot. Wanda and Gamora especially, as previously stated, are central characters. In fact, I think I read somewhere that Gamora actually gets the most screen time out of all the heroes, at something like 19 minutes.

Action scenes: 10 punches out of 10. Nearly every MCU hero from the past ten years has to band together to fight Thanos and we get to see the full extent of everyone’s abilities. I especially love watching Dr. Strange and Wanda’s fighting techniques. Plus, the movie does a great job at balancing all the action by cutting back and forth between the different locations and giving us some reprieve from non-stop fighting.

Stan Lee: 4 cameos out of 10. As Peter’s field trip bus driver, he delivers one of his best cameo lines: “What’s the matter, kids? You never seen a spaceship before?”

Charisma: 8.5 points out of 10. This movie has some great themes of love and sacrifice. Multiple times one of the characters is forced to choose between a stone and a loved one (Thor and Loki, Gamora and Nebula, Wanda and Vision, etc.), and nearly every time, they choose their loved one. Thanos believes in sacrifice for the greater good, which is why he was willing to kill Gamora for the soul stone, but the heroes do not. Wanda is the only one who ends up sacrificing the one she loves (Vision) in order to destroy the mind stone, but she only does so under extreme duress and after exhausting every other option first. The running themes are very consistent, though I can’t say you leave the movie feeling good about anything, lol.

In total: 56 out of 65, so an 86%, which is actually higher than its Rotten Tomatoes score of 84%.

And that officially concludes the Great Marvel Rewatch of 2k18!! Thanks for following along, those of you who did! It’s been a fun, emotional, two weeks. Stay tuned for later, follow-up posts featuring a complete rankings list and possibly some other bonus materials! :)

#marvel #avengers: infinity war #great marvel rewatch of 2k18

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tenroseforeverandever · 6 years

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Dear Father Christmas... December 24, 2023

MASTERPOST

Characters: Tentoo; Rose Tyler; Jackie Tyler; Pete Tyler; Tony Tyler; OC Hope Tyler-Noble; OC Charlotte Tyler-Noble; OC Wilfred Tyler-Noble

Rated: Teen

Tags: Family!Fic; Kid!Fic; Pete’s World; Letters to Santa; Christmas Fic; Family; Fluff; Hurt/Comfort; Angst; Romance; Love

Summary: When Rose Tyler was little, she always wrote a Christmas wish list to Father Christmas. As she grew older, the wish list became more of a letter to someone she could confide in once a year, but she fell out of the habit somewhere along the way. Now, as a new mum, celebrating her daughter’s first Christmas, Rose takes up writing her Christmas letter to Father Christmas once again.

Rose’s Christmas letters are excerpts from her life with her beloved Tentoo and their children in Pete’s World, written once a year, for each of 31 years.

Chapter Summary: Rose and the Doctor’s children have been campaigning their parents to get them a pet.

Notes: This one was pure fun. I was trying to come up with a critter name for the creature I was picturing when writing this. But in my mind, it looked just the way I imagined a creature briefly mentioned in one of my earlier stories (The Cupid’s Arrow - revised edition) to be like… So why not reintroduce it here? Say hello to the Geruhundian Greehog!

Forever and always, I am so grateful for my talented and dedicated betas, Rose_Nebula and mrsbertucci. Crack that whip, ladies! I’m starting to fall behind! LOL

Thanks to @doctorroseprompts for their 31 Days of Ficmas prompts. A reminder that I am using the prompts very much out of order, but I intend to use them all. The prompt I used today was Snowflake.